New Mature Runners Thread

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  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Molly - its down to HS that I dilute orange juice with water and add a sprinkle of salt as it was his suggestion. I've told my friend Joan her brother is welcome to the treadmill and have supplied the measurements. I did post a couple of photos from Sunday's walk on the group's Facebook page .. I'll try and post them on here. Well done re the cross-training - good luck to your husband with his op in a couple of weeks time - hope as you'll be doing the shovelling you don't get too much snow in the coming weeks.

    Damien - good luck looking for and deciding on your next watch. I've used Garmin for years - don't have any experience of TomTom.

    HS - re southern softies, have you seen Speedo Mick on the news? (walking John O'Groats to Lands End via Liverpool & London - in his speedos!). Well done re your 12.6ml run - no need to apologise about wearing tracksters!!

    Yesterday's golf lesson went well - gives me hope I'll do better when I play tomorrow.

    Was planning to run this morning but on seeing the frosty, icy paths, decided to delay my run until after lunch.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    1st photo - sunlit path from St Peters Church, Cornwell (lunch stop). 
    2nd photo - better view of Cornwell Manor from churchyard.


  • Good afternoon all,

    WtnMel, That looks like a lovely walk, you were lucky with the weather I see. Glad to hear you didn’t have any issues with sore legs or feet afterwards. Good luck with your golf match on Wednesday, hopefully that practice session on Monday will give you the edge. Pity you  didn’t manage to get out for your run this morning, but better safe than sorry though when it’s icy underfoot. Were you able to get out this afternoon?

    Molly, Well done for adding in strength training after 50 minutes on your bike. I used to have an exercise bike in the spare bedroom where I also did my stretching/strength training etc, but we’ve since moved the bike to the garage to create more space, and as a consequence I never get around to using it these days. I must try to fit it in again, it makes a good alternative to running when the weather is bad.  So far this winter we have been snow free in the North East, although we are waking up to quite a few hard frosts.
    Wishing you and your husband all the best for his forthcoming ablation procedure.

    HS, they are lovely photos, and such a good idea to have as a memento of the day. It sounds like the actual parkrun was heavy going though, so well done to you. Your run on Sunday sounds a much nicer one, you are indeed lucky to live so close to the New Forest. You’ve certainly been racking up the mileage these last three days - 5k Saturday, 7.5 miles Sunday, then 12.6 miles yesterday. I hope today is a rest day.  ;)

    Damien, like the others I use Garmin and always have, although at the moment I’m finding it a little unreliable (see below), but that is possibly due to being surrounded by trees when I’m using it. Well done on another good parkrun time.

    I went for a run yesterday morning which should have been around 7.5 miles, but yet again my Garmin was playing up and didn’t record the data properly, showing the distance to be 6.43. Normally it takes a little while for it to find the satellites but yesterday it found them almost as soon as I’d left the house, so I started running then and started my watch. Everything seemed to be working ok but when I got home I found it hadn’t started to record for almost a mile, then to add insult to injury it had my “first” mile (actually my second) as a 19 minute mile! I was treating this as a long slow run, but I definitely wasn’t that slow! Yet again I had a high HR at outset but then it dropped dramatically after a while from 180bpm to 118bpm even though I was on a flattish part of the route at the time, and therefore hadn’t changed my effort at all. After that I think it was probably recording pretty accurately as it went up to roughly 130bpm for the remainder of my outward leg, and increased to roughly 150bpm for the return leg (which is on a slight incline). 
    In the afternoon we went for a walk at the reservoir but had to cut it short as the paths were flooded in places. I’ve never seen the reservoir so full, it’s the first time I’ve seen it overflow into the run-off area. A lot of the surrounding land that is normally home to flocks of geese was underwater, and the going got so boggy underfoot we cut our losses and returned to the car. As I’d done an hour’s yoga after Saturday’s run, and some strength training on Sunday, then Monday’s run and walk, my legs felt quite heavy on Monday night but fortunately they seem to have recovered today. I hope to get out for some speed work tomorrow.
  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    Aquarius - the walk was lovely, the sun and blue skies certainly helped. The local Ramblers group go out every Sunday so there will be more opportunities to join them. Re problems with your Garmin picking up the satellites, if you were on Fetch you could manually plot your route and add your time to get the correct average pace. Anyway, frustrating for you that it wasn't correct. Shame your walk was cut short because the paths were flooded.

    I ran earlier this afternoon. There were still a few frosty patches around where the sun hadn't shone. I'm still getting back into my running so only did 3.9mls. My average pace was around 10:45 but I was pleased to see I managed 9:30 pace for 200 metres after a road crossing. That was no doubt helped by there being a queue of traffic on that bit of road and me wanting to put on a good show and not be seen to be shuffling along ;)
  • Good Afternoon Everyone,

    Damien Nagle, Thanks! I appreciate the encouragement :smile:


    HS, Great job on 12.5 miles.  It sounds like a really fun run.  The negative split that your friend, Sarah, ran is really inspiring! Good for her.  

    Do the stirrups that go under the feet on the RH Tracksters bother when you run, or do you cut them off?  I hope you get some warmer weather soon!


    WtnMel, thank you so much for posting the lovely photos of your walk. Oh my gosh, your world is so green. Everything here is either gray or white with the exception of the pine trees.  Your walk looks like it was truly lovely.

    My fingers are crossed for your golf game tomorrow. I hope your enjoy yourself.

    Good job on sticking to your plan and getting out for your run, despite the delay due to icy conditions.  If I have to delay a run, I'm not always good about following through with it.  I had to chuckle at your reasoning for the burst of speed on your run.  In the spring, the boy's cross country team from the local high school starts running as a large pack through our neighborhoods.  While I tell myself not to be foolish, I can't quite seem to control my feet when I see them. Somehow, I always seem to be averaging a much faster pace when my route coincides with their's.  


    Aquarius, Great job on your 7.5 mile run. I hope that you gave your Garmin a stern talking to. You clearly had a stellar run, and your Garmin needs to get with the program. Maybe threatening it with a replacement model would help :smiley:

    It sounds like you had a very active few days. It's too bad that your walk was disrupted with flooding.  This is an inconvenient time of year for outdoor activities.  

    I hope that your legs feel fully recovered and that your speed work goes well tomorrow.  My fingers are crossed that your Garmin will magically start behaving itself.


    Today was a hill training day.  However, it was -16.6 c when I woke up, so I opted to make it a treadmill incline day.  I ran 6 miles and increased the incline by .5% at mile intervals up to 2%. Then, decreased by 1% for the last 2 miles.  The nice thing about the treadmill is that I don't have to worry about keeping an even pace. I just have to maintain the pace that I program in.  My legs are definitely a bit tired, now.

    This is supposed to be the recovery week in my 4 week training block, but I decided to switch with next week's training schedule. This way, my light week will correspond with my husband's ablation. I am much more likely to get a short run in that weekend than a 9.5 mile run.  However, I expect that my legs are going to be very tired the end of this week.

  • ColumbaColumba ✭✭✭
    Hello all. I've survived a birthday since I last posted.
    Didn't attempt the most recent parkrun, as it was very frosty and I thought it might be cancelled (frozen puddles on paths likely) and didn't want to drive 7 miles to find out and then have to come back with no additional parkrun under my belt. But I did do a 3-mile run from home later the same day.
    Youngest Son has already signed me up for that 10k (it isn't until May, though) so I suppose I'll be doing it. So will he, so will his wife, and possibly Elder Daughter as well. Going to Bristol this weekend, staying with Younger Daughter but will see Youngest Son and wife as well since they live in Bristol too, and indeed may get a local parkrun out of it.
    All sorts of things should count as cross-training. I volunteer at the local Foodbank on Wednesdays, and am frequently lifting, carrying, climbing over things (we are short of storage space) and up and down ladders. Definitely cross-training. Gardening too.

    Enjoying the photos, - the parkrun ones and the "views".

    Nikko's Training Partner - what part of the world are you posting from?
  • I have taken the plunge and ordered a Garmin forerunner 235.
    Let's see if I can get on with it.

    wtnmel Nice pics and isn't it annoying have to wait to cross a road junction...I hate it.
  • Columba, hello again and belated birthday greetings to you. Pity about your parkrun, but well done for fitting in an alternative 3 mile run the same day. Do you use Facebook? Most parkruns have a Facebook page and will post details there of cancellations. They may also use their own parkrun page on the main parkrun site to advise of any cancellations (although I think most rely on Facebook these days to update runners). Your 10k in May sounds like it will be a nice family event, definitely something to look forward to and enjoy. My youngest son also volunteers at a food bank, so I always make a point of buying something extra when I’m at the supermarket and dropping it into the collection bin. I just can’t get used to the idea that in a supposedly prosperous country like ours there is a need for food banks to prevent people from going hungry. Somehow, somewhere along the way we’ve got our priorities wrong as a nation.

    Molly I don’t know what you did, but it worked :) - My Garmin behaved itself today (well mostly, just took a while to get the satellites, but otherwise it was ok).  So thank you! 
    Your hill session yesterday sounded like a good solid bit of training. I suppose that’s where the treadmill comes into it’s own. As you say the pace is pre-determined by whatever you’ve programmed in so you just have to get on with it. If you were on the roads you might be tempted to slacken off a bit, whether intentionally or not. Good idea to swap your training weeks around to take account of your husband's ablation. It’s bound to be a stressful time and that will undoubtably impact on your energy levels and motivation. 

    WtnMel - Well done on your “sprint" past the line of waiting traffic, I tend to pick up the pace if I see other runners approaching me. I suppose it’s human nature to try to show ourselves to our best advantage. I’m looking forward to your golf report, I hope the weather didn’t disrupt it. I’m not too bothered about the lack of reliable data from my Garmin, thinking about it I really just use it for a record of how many miles I’ve done, or details of particular races I’ve entered. On the advice of my physio I keep a running diary to record the details of my runs and how my body feels. This is mainly to keep track of any niggles or incipient injuries that may develop into full blown injuries, by doing this I can take steps to adjust my training or stretching routine accordingly. I can also see, for example, if my performance has been under par and it’s been due to my coming down with a cold, or being particularly busy. Perhaps I should try a few runs without the Garmin and see how I feel about that.  :o

    Damien - You must let us know how you get on with your new Garmin watch. I hope it will be an improvement on your TomTom.
  • Forgot to mention that I ran about 4.5 miles today and on the spur of the moment I decided to mix fartleks with some hill repeats. It was a good session but I’ll probably rest now until Saturday.
  • Afternoon all,

    WtnMel, yes I saw that man walking for charity in his speedos.
    I like those photos. It must have been a very enjoyable walk.
    Well done getting out for a run yesterday, and putting in a 9.30 pace burst!

    Aquarius, glad you liked the photos. The parkrun was certainly heavy going, ploughing thorough the mud. The gravel trails had been churned up by the tree loggers vehicles.
    I didn't have a rest day yesterday, I did a spin session. I suppose it was a rest from running though😁
    A pity that your run was rather spoilt by your Garmin "misbehaving!"
    Hope you were able to get out for your speed work today.

    Molly, thanks! We enjoyed the long run which was the majority of the Club's Solent Half Marathon route. Jane and I kept up a good pace, even up the several hills, the last one being during the final mile. We pushed the pace up that hill, and ran the last .5 mile as if it was the finish of the actual race.
    The stirrups of the tracksters do go under my feet, but don't cause any problems. In fact, I'm not aware of them at all.
    I don't blame you for opting for a treadmill incline run, in place of the planned hill session.
    It's always a good plan to swap training schedules around to suit the circumstances. I never stick rigidly to a schedule. Common sense sometimes is essential!

    Columba, a belated happy birthday🎂
    A good idea giving your local parkrun a miss, in case it had been cancelled. There were several cancelled in my region, although thankfully not the Brockenhurst where I ran my 50th. Your 3 mile run from home made up for the cancellation.
    Good luck with your training for the 10k in May. Sounds like the race could be a family affair. Hope you have a good time during your visit to Bristol, and mange to fit in a parkrun.
    That's good that you volunteer at a local Foodbank, but it is scandalous, that so many families have to rely on them. 
    Glad you enjoyed the parkrun photos.

    Damien, a good choice with the Garmin Forerunner 235, that's the model I've got. Hope you get on ok with it.

    I did a spin session yesterday, as mentioned above, and today did a 5 mile interval session on roads.
  • Aquarius, our posts crossed. I will comment on yours tomorrow.
  • Good Afternoon Everyone,

    Columba, Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your family 10K.

    I live in the New England region of the US. Specifically, in a small town on the 20 mile stretch of the New Hampshire seacoast that runs between Massachusetts and Maine.  


    Damien, Congratulations on ordering your new Garmin!  


    Aquarius, your Garmin must have heard that I suggested the threat of a replacement upgrade :smile:  I am glad that it behaved for you today.  It is nice to have the data after a run. Especially, after your hill/fartlek session! That sounds like quite a workout. Good idea to let your legs recover some.  


    HS, I had some Tracksters that I loved the fit of, but I could never adjust to the way the stirrups felt under my feet. A friend suggested that I try cutting the stirrups off, which I did with kind of lousy results.  It's hard to find lightweight running pants, nowadays, that are reasonably loose, but not too loose.  

    Good for you and Jane for finishing your long run in style :smile: It's always a lift when you can finish a hard long run with a strong sprint. It sounds like you should be in good shape to run that half marathon when it comes around. 

    Nice job on getting out to do your interval session today. I hope that your temperatures were warmer for you.


    I did 50 minutes on the bike this morning, and then got interrupted before I could get to my strength exercises. So, I'll plan on doing them after tomorrow's pace run.  Tomorrow's forecast is promising temperatures around freezing and very low winds. My fingers are crossed for an outside run!
     


  • Afternoon all,

    Aquarius, well done for mixing fartleks with your hill reps. Enjoy your rest until Saturday.

    Molly, my Ron HIll Tracksters are "quite snug," but flexible. They don't restrict my running at all. I still prefer running in shorts, but once into Tracksters, "the rot sets in."
    I always try to finish every run/race strongly. It was slightly warmer yesterday for my intervals, and I was pleased with my efforts, the day after my spin session.
    Well done for your 50 minutes on the bike. A shame that you were interrupted before you were able to do your strength exercises.
    Hope you were able to do your pace run outdoors today, and not too tired to follow up with your strength exercises.

    I did the same 5 mile route this morning as yesterday, but ran it with Sarah H. She has improved her pace very impressively, and we pushed it all the way. 
    I'm taking a rest day tomorrow, and will probably get the bus into Southampton, and use my book token which I got for my birthday, in Waterstones Bookstore. I'll be using my OAP  Bus Pass, one of the benefits of getting old🚌  
  • Good Morning Everyone,

    HS,  How wonderful for Sarah H!  I'm sure that running with you has been a great help to her.  
    Spending your rest day in a bookstore sounds like great fun. Enjoy!

    I'm just signing on to wish everyone well. I've come down with a lousy cold, and will probably be off for a couple of days to nurse my sniffles.
  • Just to let the Forum know I'm still around and gradually easing my way back into running after the nasty radiotherapy treatment.  I'm taking it easy, running for fun and fitness but don't wear a watch to time myself any more.  I'm walking hills for strength and a few repetitions to get a bit of speed back.  This weekend I'm hoping to extend my run to 6 miles - weather permitting.  The aim is to do a Parkrun eventually but I don't think I'll be setting any more records.
    You can see my progress here:  https://oldrunningfox.blogspot.com
  • Good afternoon all,

    Molly, I've run with Sarah H for several years now. She's progressed from a jogger, to a good pace runner, and has run three marathons.
    I've enjoyed my rest day today, and firstly bought the Trail Running magazine in WH Smith and then made my way to the bookstore. I bought "Zatopek Today we die a little." Next was a visit to their lovely cafe where I enjoyed an Americano coffee and a cherry cookie. 
    Unfortunately, there were several passengers on the bus on the return journey with nasty coughs. Hope they haven't passed them on to me. I noticed several Chinese pedestrians wearing masks, but apparently this is fairly commonplace.
    Sorry to hear that you you have the sniffles and hope that they won't last too long.

    Runningfox, glad to hear that you are still around and easing your way back into running. It's good to run for enjoyment and fitness, and after all, our records are back in the past. I'm very keen on the WAVAS, and have noticed in the parkruns that mine are often higher than the first finishers, who are often in their twenties or younger.
    Hope you mange to do your 6 mile run this weekend. It's a good idea to run it without a watch, otherwise you would be tempted to run quicker than intended.
  • Damien NagleDamien Nagle ✭✭✭
    edited January 2020
    Runningfox....I enjoyed reading the blog.Thank you.
  • Thanks Damien, my blog is stuttering a bit as I haven't run much lately. Whether that will alter in the future remains to be seen.
    Hillstrider; I managed six miles this morning but haven't moved much since!  As regards my watch, I never, ever looked at it while racing or training so it never affected my speed.  My body knew far better than any watch what speed I should be running.  I listened to it with  good results.
     Having said that I've timed every run I've ever done until last year when I didn't see any point in carrying on.  I just run for fun and fitness now.  As I've said before, I can no longer compete with all you wonderful forumites.

  • Good afternoon all,

    Running fox, another very interesting blog report, thank you. You really are a talented photographer, I love the way you capture the feel of your run, I can almost imagine being there. I hope you managed to get your 6 mile run in this weekend, I’ll be popping over to your blog page in a minute to check it out. Like HS I’m also a fan of WAVAs, because when the parkrun results are in I generally finish in the bottom third of the field, however my WAVA always puts me a lot nearer the top than many other younger runners, and that’s quite a confidence boost.

    Damien - no parkrun this weekend?

    HS I’ve seen that book on Amazon, it has some good reviews. Have you had a chance to start reading it yet? I’d be interested to know what you think if it. I’ve often looked at the Trail Running magazine when out shopping but never bought one, was this an “impulse buy” or something you buy regularly? I hope you managed to avoid all those germs on the bus home, that’s one of the reasons I hate using public transport. I think a lot of us “oldies” will remember the days when it was commonplace for people to cough and sneeze into handkerchiefs, nobody seems to bother with handkerchiefs these days, which probably accounts for all the viruses going around. 

    Molly, sorry to hear you have the sniffles. You are very wise to resist running for a couple of days to give your body a chance to recover. I hope you feel better soon.

    I had intended to do the Gibside parkrun again this Saturday but I too had a couple of days feeling sniffly and sneezy so I decided to give it a miss, and instead I did the Great Run Local run at Gibside today. It’s also a 5k, and in places uses the same course as the parkrun, but I find it harder to do. I ran it for the first time a couple of weeks ago and was disappointed to see my time was 2 or 3 minutes slower than when I do the parkrun there. This week I was again two minutes slower than my current parkrun time. I’ve tried comparing the runs on Garmin and I think the problem is in the last mile, as although there is quite a bit of downhill, it’s extremely steep in places and forces you to slow a little, also the last mile has an uphill section which although short is quite steep and tiring at that point of the run. I’m toying with the idea of doing a Masters XC next weekend, but if not I may try this Great Run course again to see if I can improve on that last mile.
    I think the difference between the Gibside parkrun and Great Run courses is the parkrun one has long uphill and long downhill sections, and you can use the downhill to recover somewhat, whereas the Great Run one I did today is constantly undulating, which seems to be more tiring on the legs. 


  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Afternoon all,

    Molly - I don't know about HS but I've been cutting the stirrups off my Ron Hill tracksters for years without any adverse effects. The weather helped on that walk - it could easily have been wet & dreary.

    Columba - happy belated birthday! :) Sounds like you'll be doing that 10k then - and possibly some parkrun tourism in Bristol.

    Damien - I think you'll be happy with the Forerunner 235 (no complaints from me anyway about my 230).

    Aquarius - yep, didn't want to be seen plodding along when I had that captive audience! :) As you'll see below, my golf last week was rubbish - but it was the first time I'd played since 6th Dec so I wasn't too bothered and treated it as practise. As I log everything on Fetch and it has the facility to enter notes on what the weather was up to etc. I should probably make more use of that for when I want to look back and gauge how I'm doing. 

    HS - I've been using Ron Hill tracksters for years and like you, have never found them restrictive to run in. When Margaret and I walk from Pittville Park to the station our 'treat' is a custard tart (pasteis de nata) with our Americano.

    RF - glad to hear you're gradually getting back into your running after your radiotherapy. 
     
    Unfortunately, my golf game last week was rubbish as I kept 'topping' the ball :( We're hoping to play again on Tue this coming week and I have another lesson planned for the week after.

    I ran this morning .. 4.5mls at my usual pace. Off for a swim this evening and it's my swim club's Winter Party tonight. We'll be finishing a bit earlier than usual and no doubt consuming cake etc. afterwards so no excuses .. I'll have to get stuck in and do my usual 32 lengths before I get dressed.

    Pretty sure I mentioned I was planning to get rid of the treadmill my friend Joan donated to me. It turns out her brother is looking at getting one so I'm hoping I can pass it on to him.
  • Good Afternoon Everyone,

    Runningfox, Thank you for continuing to post to your blog. Your love for running is beautiful to read about and the photos on your blog are beautiful to see.  


    HS, I would be interested to hear your thoughts on the Zapotek book.  

    How wonderful that Sarah H. has been able to progress so quickly with her running.  It must be a lot of fun to watch her improvement.


    Aquarius, We seem to be sharing sniffles. Since you were running today, It sounds like your day off worked as well for you as mine did for curing them. Yay!

    I find that steep downhills are just as tiring for my legs as steep uphills.  From what you describe, I'm pretty sure that my time would be slower on the Great Run course, as well.  It just sounds like a more physically demanding course.  I bet if your time improves on the Great Run course, your time for the parkrun will improve, as well.


    After taking Thursday and Friday off due to sniffles, and yesterday as a cross training day on the bike, I woke this morning ready to go for a run.  I ran 9 miles outside at an easy pace.  Six of the miles covered a section of the half marathon route that I plan to run in March.  The run felt pretty good. I managed to avoid getting doused by ice waves coming over the sea wall, and I didn't feel any need to walk or stop during any part of the run.  That being said, the last few miles were into a head wind so I can't say that I finished in style. The last half mile was more of a gritted teeth effort to maintain a steady pace.  But, overall I'm feeling pretty happy :smile:



  • Good evening all,

    Runningfox, Good to hear that you managed your 6 mile run. I've always timed my runs too. Going back to the days before Garmins etc. I remember doing track sessions with a friend carrying an old fashioned stop watch in his hand. 

    Aquarius, I haven't started to read the book yet, but will when I have finished my library book. I know quite a lot about Zatopek's history, so am keen to "read between the lines." I buy the Trail Running Magazine quite regularly, but don't have it on subscription. It's really good, and I must say, better than
    RW magazine.
    Hopefully, I haven't picked up any of the germs from my bus trips. I washed my hands thoroughly when I got home. Thinking about the old days, hankies weren't very hygienic as we would use them all day, putting them back into our pockets after each blow, sneeze, whereas with paper tissues, we use them once and then put them in the bin.
    It's very difficult to compare race times on different courses. There are so many factors to take into account. The Masters cross country next weekend would be a good challenge, and you may find yourself running a bit quicker with some runners of a higher standard than the average parkrunner.

    WtnMel, hope Tuesdays golf goes well for you. Have you been watching it on the TV?
    Well done for your morning run and enjoy tonight's swim. Hope you enjoy the party and cake after the swim, you will have earned it.
    Yes you did mention that you wanted to get rid of the treadmill, so it's good that it looks like you will be able to pass it on to a good home!

    Molly, I haven't started to read the book yet, but will let you know what I thought about it when I have finished it. I know quite a lot about his history, so will be interesting "to read between the lines," as I mentioned previously.
    It is really rewarding to see Sarah H's progress, and others that I run with. 
    I  find downhill running more demanding on the legs, especially when they are getting tired, than uphill. 
    Well done getting out for a 9 mile run this morning. You must be feeling better😃

    I also ran 9 miles this morning on roads. It was very much a recovery pace run after yesterdays fartlek session. My legs were like jelly for the first few miles until I got "into my stride."
  • I couldn't do the park run yesterday or next weeks due to having to work.
    I did a 10k run last night and I am liking the Garmin loads compared to the tomtom.
    Next weeks running will be a 7k (Twice round Blackpool Stanley park) on Monday and Thursday night plus a 10k round Fleetwood on Saturday night.

  • Hi Again,

    WtnMel, I think our posts crossed.  I hadn't seen yours when I posted.  I'm sorry about your golf game. I was wondering how it went.  I do hope Tuesday's game is more successful.

    Between your morning run and your evening swim, you are really close to training for a triathlon. How do you feel about cycling?  

    I hope you enjoy your after swim cake. It sounds like you earned it!

    Congratulations on finding a home for your treadmill.


    HS, I apologize. I must have missed reading about your fartlek run. I can imagine that your legs feel like jelly.  It does sound like you are on track to run a very strong marathon in the fall :smile:

    I don't know much about Zapotek. But, I am under the impression that the ending of his life was fairly tragic. I was wondering if the book went into that?

    I am feeling better. Thank you! 

    I am still testing the waters as to what my body can handle in the way of training. But, there is no doubt that I'm on the road to getting back in shape. Now, if the weight that came on while my mileage was low would only disappear...
  • Damien, I'm glad you like your new Garmin. I've also got the Forerunner 235. How do you find the optical heart rate monitor? I find the readings rather erratic, so don't take too much notice of them.

    Molly, my marathon won't be until 2021. It's not 100% certain that it will be a marathon, but the organisers are considering it. The organisers are Oakhaven Hospice, and the last few years it has been a half marathon. This year it will be a 10 mile in November which I will run, and if successful, will become a marathon next year. It will be off road in the forest, so I'm hoping it will take place.
    The Zatopek book will go into every aspect of his life. He fell out of favour with the Czechoslovak Government when the Soviet tanks moved in to crush their new freedoms in 1968. He was exiled for his brave defence of "socialism with a human face," but rehabilitated two decades later. He was a shadow of the man he had been and the world had all but forgotten him.
    Glad that you are feeling better and that you are on the road to recovery!

    I ran 8.3 miles in the forest this morning. It was hard going, battling a strong cold wind, and wading through mud and deep water. I do prefer off road running, no matter how challenging the conditions.

  • WtnMelWtnMel ✭✭✭
    Evening all,

    Molly - I remember being told that downhill running makes your legs ache because you use the muscles to control your speed. "Brain off, brakes off" was the mantra I was told to adopt - but easier said then done!! Well done re that 9ml run - kudos for persevering despite the headwind (as opposed to kudos via Strava). You mentioned triathlons - I've toyed with getting a bike and some of my running club friends do a local triathlon each Summer. But I'll be busy training up my 'walking legs' ready for July so maybe next year?

    HS - I remember once after my Garmin conked out, timing one run by checking the kitchen clock at the start and on my return. I've not seen any golf on tv lately - Sky Sports possibly? (which I don't have - I only see what turns up on Freeview channels). Well done re your 9ml run and subsequent 8.3ml run today.

    Damien - glad to hear you prefer your new Garmin to your old TomTom. +1 to what HS said about the in-built hrm being a bit erratic (from comments from my running club friends).

    I went to see the physio this morning. My shoulder is still not 'right' but she explained it will take a while. There's no pain - just a niggling tightness to the joint. She corrected me re a couple of exercises I was already doing - but a bit wrong! And she's given me a couple of extra ones to do. I have another appointment in a month's time - but can cancel it if it's not required by then.

    Golf is on for tomorrow - hoping to improve on Friday's rather erratic performance!
  • It's the first time I have had a heart rate monitor so it's still a novelty thing.

  • Good Evening Everyone,

    Damien Nagle, I am sorry that I missed your last post.  I have been having a problem with posts crossing over the last few days. Congratulations on your new Garmin.  I do hope you have fun with it. Your running schedule for next week sounds like it will give both you and the new Garmin a workout!


    HS, A marathon in one of your magical forests sounds...well...magical!  I do envy your area for running. Though, I think I might give a pass to wading through cold muddy water.  Excellent job on sticking out the mornings 8.3 mile run.

    Yes, that is how I understood Zapotek's life to end.  It is really nice that awareness of his achievements are coming to the forefront again.


    WthMel, I had to chuckle at the saying 'Brain off, Brakes off'. I suspect that might describe my general approach to most of my life.  

    I believe I see a triathlon somewhere in your future!  But, I completely understand the 90 mile walking event taking precedence in your training for this year.

    I hope that your shoulder straightens out soon, and doesn't affect your golf game tomorrow.  Good luck for the game!


    Today was a rest day. This week is scheduled as a recovery week, which means tomorrow is an easy 4 miles.


  • Running Fox I think our previous posts crossed. I’m pleased to hear you got your 6 mile run done. I’ve seen your blog post and photos and have to say you look really strong during your run. You also look like you’re enjoying it, which is the main thing. When I go out for an early morning run the thoughts of my porridge on return definitely give me a much needed boost in the last mile or so. 

    WtnMel, sorry to hear your golf was a bit of a disaster last week. I hope today’s session went better. Your swim club’s Winter Party sounded like a fun event, and cakes afterwards - what a treat. Shoulders do seem to take a while to get better, not surprising really considering how much we use them, but rarely remember to stretch them sufficiently. I’m sure another week or two of the exercises will see an improvement. If I could swim I’d definitely consider a triathlon, they don’t have to be demanding events, I understand beginners triathlons can be as short as a 200m swim, 9k bike and 2.5k run. Or you could just do one leg as part of a relay team. 

    Molly well done on your 9 mile run, that’s a pretty decent distance considering you’ve had a couple of days of feeling under the weather. You must have some good reserves of fitness, despite your recent achilles injury.  Great that you managed to run outdoors too, and felt so strong during the run. It was a good idea to do part of your training run on your forthcoming HM route, a good confidence boost for the day itself. Lucky you managed to avoid getting sprayed with freezing cold water, and running into a head wind can be classed as good conditioning work (although admittedly not very pleasant at the time!) Hope your 4 mile run went to plan today.

    HS It’s interesting that you say Trail Running is a better magazine than RW. I stopped getting RW a couple of years ago as the articles seemed to be getting dumbed down and often contradicted other articles/exercise advice in the same or previous issues. I might pick up a copy of Trail Running the next time I’m in the supermarket. There is a trail running club a few miles from where I live, but unfortunately it would need quite a bit of planning to get to their training sessions (two buses for a start, plus quite a bit of walking between) so I’ve never got around to going, which is a shame because there is a lot of good trail running in that area. Unfortunately I’ve missed the signing up deadline for the Masters XC on Saturday, so instead I’ve decided to do a parkrun with my eldest son as he is off work that day for a change. We’ll be doing the Riverside parkrun as that is near where he lives, then if I’m feeling up to it I might also do the Gibside Great Run 5k on Sunday. Well done on another 9 miles on Sunday, plus yesterday’s 8.3. I agree with you about off road running being preferable to pounding out the miles on roads and pavements. The mud and water add to the experience rather than detracting from it, and give a satisfying feeling of being closer to nature. I’d take mud and water any day over car fumes and congested pavements.

    Damien good to hear you are finding the Garmin an improvement. I have a Garmin 620, which I’ve had for years. I expect when I eventually change it I’ll probably stick with Garmin, but perhaps a different model. Enjoy your 7k runs this week, and Saturday’s 10k at Fleetwood. 

    I did an hour’s yoga yesterday which was quite demanding in some of the poses, and had sore legs as a result today, so I changed this morning's planned hill repeats to intervals. Probably a good idea anyway because I was a bit pushed for time, as I could only fit in 30 minutes. So after a warm up run I did 5 x 1 minute intervals with 2 minute recoveries (well, that was the plan, but I just counted the seconds in my head, quite inaccurately as it turned out. The intervals and recoveries were almost the same :D ) Then after a short cool down run, I stretched, then headed back home. I hope to get out for a longer run on Thursday.



  • Aquarius: You're right, I really enjoyed Sunday's run, once I got started, and may well repeat it before tackling anything longer.  Enjoyment is the main thing, which I've always believed, even when training hard for marathons, fell races, or whatever.  Enjoyment is easy with beautiful countryside to run in, like the Yorkshire Dales.  I don't know how town people stay motivated.
    Hillstrider: That was a good picture of you having achieved your 50th Parkrun.   Well done.   Parkruns are all so hilly around here and I never really got into them.  Keighley was exceptionally hilly with three hard laps.  I was ill at the time and only ran it to keep my partner company.  It nearly killed me!   I got the M85 record but I don't think anyone else of my geriatric age has ever run it!
    Damien: Enjoy your new Garmin but don't let it rule your life.  It's nice to download the information when you get home and compare it from week to week to check on how you're progressing, but don't take too much notice of it when actually running.  Your body knows best.
    Wtnmel:  Maybe the effort you're putting into your golf swing is affecting your shoulder?   Whatever's causing it, I hope the exercises you're doing soon clears it up.  Physios don't come cheap - says this tight Yorkshire man.
    Waves to Molly across the pond.

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