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New Mature Runners Thread
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Aquarius, our posts crossed yesterday. I agree that the policy change from stay at home came too soon. All the beauty spots, sea side resorts,etc didn't want day trippers who could be bringing the virus with them. Most facilities, including toilets and some car parks were closed, so no point visiting really. I noticed that the coasts didn't get as many visitors as expected, so some people must be using their common sense.
I didn't do the 5k yesterday, but went for a walk round the Marina, see a couple of photos above. My foot was ok today, so I did the 5k, report below.
Well done for your intervals, circuit training and yoga. Hope you managed to get out for your long run today?
WtnMel, glad to hear that your Mum is ok, and hope she gets her test next week, so that she knows what's happening.
Regarding resetting of Garmins, mine is a forerunner 235 and the instructions for resetting are to hold the off button for 15 seconds to turn it off, and then hold for one second to turn back on again. It does warn that this could erase the data or settings, but this has never happened when I've tried it. I've never had any problems locating satellites, although the early ones did take a bit longer. I used to put them in the garden a few minutes before setting off, and they had inevitably located successfully by the time I left.
I find it quite annoying on lovely sunny days where the air is filled with the noise of electric lawn mowers, hedge trimmers etc. The clicking of the old style mowers is rather restful. I remember my father, when he lived in Surbiton and had a very long back garden, had a mower with a roller, which left lovely stripes, like at Wimbledon.
Well done getting out for another early morning run, and a new mile record.
Glad you managed to trim Margaret's hair without incident!
I'm sure that working on your 5G Presentation preparations will help you to doze off.
Damien, well done managing to run 3 times a week, now that you are back at work and very busy.
The Marina is lovely, and that is Southampton Water that you can see. On the other side is where all the small boats and yachts are anchored, and houses on the waters edge where the wealthy live, with their boats anchored outside. That is Hythe pier which is one of the oldest in the UK, and a very ancient tram takes passengers who are too lazy to walk, to the end where they catch the Ferry to Southampton. At the moment the pier is closed, so the ferry can't sail. It is a worry that it might never reopen.
I ran the 5k this morning and smashed the 27 minutes with 26.26 an average of 8.31 minute miling, and a WAVA of 69.77%. This would have been 70% on the previous tables.
Aquarius, how frustrating to have your Garmin giving you garbled stats. But, great job on your intervals. How is your knee holding up. Any tweaks lately? It sounds like your body is adapting really well to a fairly demanding workout schedule.
Oh jeesh, I am sorry to hear about the possible/probable AF reading on Steve's heart monitor. That just sucks. How is Steve feeling about the whole thing? Have you heard back from the nurse?
Regarding the chocolate, I suspect that I have been having a bit too much chocolate, and other assorted treats, as of late. I am beginning to resemble more of a beach ball bouncing along than the streamlined, graceful runner that I would like to be. In the states, there is a first year college phenomena called the 'freshman 15', which refers to the 15 pounds (1 stone) of weight that a lot of freshmen living in college dormitories put on. Most people I know are working hard not to put on a Covid 5, or, in some of my friend's cases, 10 lbs. That being said, tomorrow is supposed to be 11 miles and it may be necessary to bribe myself to finish the mileage.
I have some work that was supposed to go up in a July show that was being held across the country, and will probably go online. It will be my first real foray into my work being shown online. The good news is that the normal stress of shipping my work is gone, but I really don't feel good about selling my work to someone who hasn't seen it in person. I know that it's done a lot nowadays, but it just makes me nervous. At this point, I'm holding off on submitting work to other shows, and I'm waiting on the galleries that I work with until I can get a clearer idea of whether they will eventually reopen or not.
HS, Well Done!! WooHoo!! How wonderful to have properly smashed your 27 min goal. And, it sounds like should be able to reach the new WAVA 70%, as well. I'm so glad that your foot recovered enough to make the run.
I really enjoyed your photos of the marina. Thank you for posting them. It looks like you had a lovely walk. I often take photos during my walks with my dogs, as I base a lot of my work on the pictures that I take. And, my dogs are well trained to lie down and wait while I figure out how to get the picture that I want. iPhones have definitely made my life easier.
Our president is going to get a lot of people sick. His people are still pushing the crazy conspiracy theory that the virus is hoax perpetuated by the opposing political party. The craziest thing about all of this is that he might get re-elected. I really don't understand how nearly 50% of the US population can listen to him and think that he makes a good president. We're about 5.5 months out from the election, so we'll see what happens.
WtnMel, I'm so glad to hear that your mum (trying to use the correct UK term
This is a time that it definitely pays to be living in the UK. In the US, your mother would be receiving a host of medical bills for the surgery and covid stay. If she didn't have insurance coverage, she would be held liable for the entire cost of her medical care. And, in any case, anything that insurance or medicare didn't cover, your mother would still be held responsible for. One of the problems with testing for Covid in the US is that people who don't have insurance don't like to go to the doctors.
It sounds like you may be hitting some sub 10 minute miles by the end of the summer. Your new normal pace is getting much faster. Yay!! Your running club is going to be surprised when you finally get to run together again.
I have to ask, what kind of bugs are you squishing in your running game? Icky cockroaches are one thing, but cute ladybugs are quite another
DamienNagle, Good job on getting out for your night runs. You are strong. I would have a really hard time running after a day of work. I am glad that you are adjusting to running after eating. It is amazing how our bodies will adapt for us.
I ran a tempo run yesterday, and today is a rest day before tomorrow's long run. The tempo run was a lot of fun and that workout is definitely my favorite out of the weekly schedule. Tomorrow's long run is supposed to be 10 miles, but I'll add on an extra to make up for the treadmill training. The treadmill seems to be the way to go right now. My neighbor, who also runs, told me that she got chased into the road, yesterday. Apparently, some bozo was walking 5 large dogs up the sidewalk. When the dogs saw her running toward them, they became very agitated, barking and dragging their owner toward my neighbor. Beyond the dogs, the sidewalks are just very busy. There are police officers parked by the seawalls to try and keep people moving along, but it isn't a great situation. I really don't want to add to the chaos by trying to dart in and out between people. So, you can picture me on the treadmill with a large chunk of chocolate being dangled on a string in front of me as I run.
Molly, good luck with your 11 miles tomorrow, which appears will be on the treadmill. It is shocking that you have to resort to it, as it as the roads are so crowded. I have a picture in my mind now of you on the treadmill, with chocolate, instead of a carrot dangling in front of you on a string.
That's good news that your work is likely to go on line, but I'm not surprised that you are a little nervous about selling it to someone who hasn't seen it in person.
Thanks, I was really pleased to smash the 27 minute barrier for the 5k, especially as I had been worried about my foot. I also had an achy back from gardening, hence the walk on Friday.
I'm glad that you liked the photos of the Marina. The huge cruise ships are often anchored in Southampton docks and you can probably make out one in one of the photos. It was quite difficult taking them because it was into the sun. It would be nice if you could post a photo of one of your walks with the dogs.
Your President seems to have a screw loose! He doesn't have a clue, yet as you say, he has a good chance of being re-elected.
It's been very hot and sunny today, and is forecast to get warmer during the week. I ran 8 miles in the forest this morning, and I had the Common to myself, as the Forestry Commission had padlocked the gate to prevent cars from parking.
Molly - here's the Fetchpoint map I mentioned with the little red bugs ..
I ran 4.5mls earlier this morning (avg 10:35mm pace) and it was a bit busier than previous days. I passed 5 cyclists, 3 dog-walkers and 6 people. I also passed 9 other runners - though I'm pretty sure two of the ladies I passed by were ones I had seen earlier in my run (probably doing loops in the opposite direction to me). I was hoping they might be on Strava so I could use the 'fly-by' function to see if I was right but there was no sign of them.
I managed to squish all my Fetchpoint bugs so fingers crossed I get my +200 point bonus tomorrow. I've also started playing a game called Who Squares Wins and my opponent (called 'Vancouver Jogger' - but who appears to live in Cambridge) managed to run 3 more squares than me this morning. From a quick check of his training log he runs every day - so I may be onto a loser this week unless I run 'everywhere' on my home grid! (quality not quantity!).
Now I just need to stay awake enough for that golf lesson after lunch!
I am full of admiration for anyone who can run 11 miles on a treadmill, the mind boggles, but it is probably safer than negotiating busy sidewalks and irresponsible dog owners.
As I'm probably playing golf on Thursday with Alan, I'll probably delay my next run until Friday. By then, I'll have more bugs to squish and I'll be able to see how many squares my opponent 'Vancouver Jogger' has claimed in my absence.
WtnMel, thanks! The water isn't always that calm, but it was that day.
I think we were all a bit peeved about the WAVA tables being updated, but we must move with the times.
Good luck with your 5g Presentation, you seem to be making good progress, and it would be good if you can try it out on your son before it goes live.
I hope you beat Alan on Thursday in your golf match. Your refresher lesson yesterday should help. I've just seen your last post advising that the lesson went well. That Tracksman sounds a very useful bit of kit, which hopefully will help you to improve your game.
Good luck with your squashing, and hope you can claim more squares than"Vancouver Jogger." I've just noticed that you ran 4.5 miles this morning.
Aquarius, a good idea to have a rest day today if you were feeling tired. I aim for 2 rest days per week.
It seems that everyone is pressing to get back to normal, which is utter madness, as 2 metre distancing is impossible in most scenarios.
I'm glad that you liked the photos of the Marina, and thanks for agreeing that they were rotten spoilsports moving the goalposts.
I was lucky having the common to myself yesterday, but I knew it would be empty, as every year, they lock the gate to the entrance, whilst the birds are nesting, and so that they won't be disturbed. I'm able to run round the side of the gate to get in. Dog walkers don't enter, because they would have to drive to get there, and as there is nowhere to park, they have to find somewhere else. I'm sorry to hear that your very early morning runs are being spoilt by early morning dog walkers.
I think that your sore knee may be a consequence of your circuit training, especially if you were doing star jumps, burpees, dynamic lunges etc.
Hope you hear from the nurse today regarding Steve's AF.
It was very hot and sunny today and I ran 8.26 miles in the forest this morning with Sarah H. There were a few dog walkers and runners, but we were easily able to run round them. We saw several foals that looked like they hadn't been born very long and were laying down. We didn't see any stallions though, which was a relief.
Damien, sounds good tactics to ensure a good night's sleep.
A lovely hot, sunny morning and went for another walk. Walked 3.87 miles around the Marina and took a few more photos.
WtnMel: well done on your golf lesson, now you've no excuse not to beat Alan tomorrow
HS, your pictures are lovely. The marina looks a little like Portland, Maine. Are the flowers in the last picture lupines?
I would post pictures of my morning walk, except that it is currently limited to walking around the block in my neighborhood, which isn't very exciting. However, we will probably go for another drive this weekend. If we can find areas to pull the car over so as to take pictures of the ocean or the salt marshes, I'll post some of those. It is quite nice at this time of the year. The ocean might be more of a challenge to get some pictures of, as the beaches are still closed and the parking areas are still blocked off.
How magical to see newborn foals! Your forest is amazing, I am glad that it is padlocked now, and quieter for you and Sarah H. to run in.
Your mileage sounds fairly steady, does that mean that your sore foot has healed? How about your back?
WtnMel, Wow! That is a lot of bugs, and jewels. Thank you for posting the map. I definitely get a chuckle out of your running games. Good luck on beating the Vancouver Jogger.
The golf courses in most of our states have opened, as well. But, it sounds like there are some fairly stringent regulations. I'll be interested to hear how you find the change in regulations at your golf course. And, of course, I hope you give Alan a run for his money
Great job on finishing up your 5G presentation for the U3A meeting. I hope that it goes really well, and you enjoy yourself. Do you have a time scheduled yet?
Aquarius, I hope that your knee has calmed down. Did you hear from your physio? It is a challenge to find strength train that supports our bodies in running, instead of over stressing the body.
I can imagine that Steve is frustrated. I hope that you hear something from the nurse soon. The lack of exercise is getting to Brian, as well. We received the results from his 2 weeks of wearing the prescribed heart monitor. Unfortunately, they weren't good results. The monitor recorded slightly over 1500 episodes of AF during those two weeks. No wonder he keeps feeling out of breath. Ugh! At least they were all very short in duration. But, now, we have to wait to hear from his heart doctors. I really don't want him to go in for a third ablation, so we might look at trying medication again.
Damien Nagle, I hope that you are still enjoying your evening runs. I'm with Aquarius, I would have a really hard time sleeping after an evening run. I'm glad that you have worked out a system to make your running schedule work.
I ran the 11 miles on the treadmill yesterday, and I am still mostly sane. To keep some of the boredom at bay, I played with the incline function during the middle 5 miles, by increasing it or decreasing it every half mile. The result was that the run was mentally easier, but physically more challenging than I had planned, and my legs are pretty tired today. Today's schedule calls for an hour on the bike, which I plan on being a very easy hour. With today's workout, there will be one more week of training crossed off. Next week is a much needed 'step back week'.
Aquarius, glad you liked the photos, it was a lovely morning for a walk.
I don't do any workouts that involve jumping, as like you, I'm afraid of injury, especially my knees. I do most of the others that you do on my rest days. I'm sure that you are feeling the benefit. I'm putting my improvement in pace, partly down to the workouts. I've always stretched after running, but been lazy on upper body work.
Hope it won't be long now before you hear from the AF Nurse.
Having to "give way" to other walkers, cyclists etc is very frustrating. I invariably give way, but believe that it's better to be safe than sorry. I have the same problem whilst doing the 5k challenge, having to look over my shoulder and step into the road. Not only is this dangerous, but also loses me valuable seconds.
Molly, glad that you liked the photos. The Marina is lovely, and there were very few people about. I'm afraid I don't know the name of those flowers.
A pity that your running is limited to round the block, which must be very boring and uninspiring. Hope you are able to get away at the weekend, and are able to take some photos.
The area of the forest that was securely protected, was only one part, to protect the nesting birds. There is access to most of the forest, which was founded during the Norman Conquest. Henry the V111 introduced deer for hunting, so it has quite an history. I ran in the common alone, and yesterday with Sarah in an unrestricted area.
My foot and back seem ok now thanks, and I'm hoping to do the 5k again at the weekend. I will do a solo run tomorrow morning in the forest.
Sorry to hear that Brian is still experiencing AF, and hope that you won't have to wait too long to hear from the heart Doctor.
Well done for enduring 11 miles on the treadmill. I don't know how you can do it, I would be bored stiff after just a few minutes. Hope the hour on the bike was more relaxing than the treadmill torture! Hope you feel the benefit next week by stepping back.
If I wake up in time tomorrow I'll do my interval session again.
My physio has posted another Pilates session online, so I think I may do that later today for a good stretch out.
(WtnMel: thanks again for the satellite tip - I got them this morning just after leaving the house)
Aquarius, today has been even hotter than yesterday, so I only managed 6 miles in the forest this morning. It was very heavy going, but I didn't see any stallions.
How frustrating, that runner with his dog that leapt up at you barking furiously. It would have served him right if he had actually fallen over when he got tangled up with the lead. I agree that runners shouldn't run with their dogs, especially in parkruns. I think we have had that conversation before!!
Good luck with your Pilates if you decide to do the session.
Damien, well done for your 10k last night in the heat. That was an excellent time, especially as you found it harder to breath.
No running for me today, we had intended trying a new walking route, but the wind has been really strong today, and is forecast to be the same tomorrow unfortunately. Our garden chairs and bins were blown over so we didn’t venture out of doors.
I hope everyone is well and not getting the same weather as us!
Mum update - although my Mum had another covid test and this also came back positive, she's been discharged from hospital and is now back in her flat, with carers coming in twice a day and Meals On Wheels visiting at lunchtime.
HS, How fascinating to hear about the history of your forest. Was it originally attached to a castle?
I am really glad to hear that your foot and back are holding up well. I'm very excited to hear about tomorrow's 5k results. Your virtual 5k challenge has really turned out to be a wonderful thing.
We are planning on taking a drive this weekend, and I will try and get a few photos of our area so you can see what it is like here. I believe that our landscape may in part be a bit similar to what you call fens.
Aquarius, Yikes! I'm really glad that you didn't get bit by that little dog.
It is too bad about your weather. I hope that the wind calms down and you can get back out this weekend. 4:45 am is crazy early! Ugh! I do admire you for running that early.
DamienNagle, It is hard to find the perfect weather to run in. It always seems to pass by in a blink. I hope that you are staying hydrated in the dry heat.
WtnMel, Congratulations to your mother on being released from the hospital. I'm sure that she will be much more comfortable in her apartment. If she is has covid, but is asymptomatic, will they continue to test her to find out when she is no longer contagious, or will they just assume that the virus will pass?
Okay, I have June 4th marked on my calendar. I am looking forward to hearing how the presentation goes!
Oh my gosh, you are a hoot (major americanism there) with your running games. I have to say it sounds quite fun, and very sporting of you to give HillStrider an advanced warning of a possible challenge.
Too bad about your game with Alan, but how wonderful that you are able to play again. It is nice when some pieces of pre-covid life seem to return.
I have good news and news. Brian talked to the heart surgeon today, and the good news is that the 1500 atrial fibrillation episodes that the heart monitor picked up were what they call 'trigger events', as opposed to actual episodes. The trigger events are ok as long as they don't become actual episodes. The bottom line is that the ablation procedure seems to be working the way it is supposed to, and he has been cleared to start exercising again. His heart doctor will be supplying him with a 'back to exercise' plan, so he will be waiting for that. It's the first time that we've had good news on that front for several years so we're kind of giddy. Aquarius, my fingers are crossed that you and Steve get similar news soon!
My news is that the marathon that I had planned on running is probably not going to happen. We talked to one of the members of the running club that sponsors the marathon. He shared with us the information that the city where the marathon is held is rightfully (in my opinion) balking at the idea of 5000 runners, plus vendors, descending on the center of the town. So, the necessary permits for the event are being frozen and possibly rescinded. I know that I said that I would run it alone, but I have to say that my heart just isn't in it at this point. And, I'm not really sure that running the requisite long runs on the treadmill would be good for my mind or my body. I could see myself really burning out on training. So, I have decided to go into a sort of holding pattern where I maintain my training where I am, which is close to half marathon ready. If it looks like there is any chance of the race opening up again, I'll switch my entry to the half marathon. If it looks like running outside starts to become more reasonable, I'll think about increasing my mileage again. With that in mind, I'm planning on a very short, faster paced fun run this weekend
Aquarius, I can't believe that I haven't posted since Thursday. It's been very windy here, these last few days.
WtnMel, glad you liked the photos of the Marina. Good news that your Mum is now home again, with carers and meals on wheels.
Well done completing the tweaking of the 5G Presentation, and hope the Zoom chat tomorrow goes well.
I didn't realise that I'm partaking in "Who Squares Wins." Surely there can't be more than one Hillstrider, I would have thought one was more than enough😁
Well done for your new Vo2Max, but sorry to hear that Alan beat you at golf. Better luck next Wednesday. I note from todays post that Alan has only been able to book a 9 hole golf session for Wednesday. Perhaps that will give you an advantage.
Well done for your early morning run, this morning.
Molly, I'm afraid that there was never a castle attached to the forest, although I believe William the Conqueror was responsible for many castles being built in the UK.
Thanks, the foot and back have been ok. I ran the 5k again yesterday in 26.41, 15 seconds slower than the previous week. I have an excuse😠. During the first mile, a white van man threw a tin can at me which just missed. It did, however, land just in front of me and was bouncing. Somehow, I manged to avoid treading on it, which otherwise would probably have caused a nasty fall and some broken bones, which would have ended my running career.😧 I lost valuable seconds due that incident, but thankfully I was able to continue unscathed. It was very windy, but that was no excuse, as it was a tailwind outward, but headwind on the return.
Hope you were able to get out for a drive this weekend.
I'm glad to hear the good news about Brian, and that he can commence exercising again.
I think the picture regarding races this year is the same over here, and that there won't be any. I think that you are very wise not to try and do long runs on the treadmill, as this will be counter productive.
Hope you manged a shorter fast run today.
Another sunny but windy day today, and I did an easy pace 6.26 mile recovery run on roads.
HS - you're not taking part in Who Squares Wins .. it's Fetchpoint you still seem to be playing. A bit earlier on I went to check my own map and notice in the Fetchpoint activity that you had been for a run and planted/watered some flowers .. so that's presumably why you are still gaining points. I'm planning to go to the driving range tomorrow hoping that might help me play better when Alan and I do 9 holes on Wed.
WtnMel, I hadn't realised that I was playing fetchpoint, so I clicked on the link. The map that appeared was of Waterlooville where I used to live. I clicked for Hythe which showed the correct routes of my runs, but all the symbols were planting or watering flowers. To be honest, I don't really understand it. I'm still checking the circles though.
Hope your practice on the driving range tomorrow proves beneficial, so that you can beat Alan on Wednesday.
Another warm and lovely sunny day today, and I ran 7.26 miles in the forest. It was one of those runs where everything clicked into place. I was running at a good pace, without too much effort. The 5k challenges must be having a positive effect.
Damien Nagle, Great job on that crazy windy run! I envy your strength.
WtnMel, I am told that the early morning hours are getting less crowded in our area, as well. So, I have some hope of getting to run outside in the near future. Great job on continuing to get up so early
I hope your slide review goes well today. You've put so much work into this presentation, I would imagine that it is very good and that you are impatient to deliver it.
I agree with HS that, hopefully, a shorter golf course will work in your favor, and this time you will beat Alan!
HS, Oh My Gosh! What a horrible person to throw a can at a runner. People amaze me some times. I am really glad that you managed to avoid stepping on it and possibly injuring yourself. Right now, with the virus, we have enough to protect ourselves from. We shouldn't have to worry about protecting ourselves from each other.
Great job on staying with the run despite that experience. I think I probably would have stopped in my tracks. If you only lost 7 seconds, you will probably come in under the 70% wava with ease next weekend.
I agree that the decision to back off on the marathon training was a good one for me. I was noticing that it was getting harder and harder to motivate myself to get on the treadmill, and I was definitely not enjoying the runs. I love running. It is just not worth taking a chance of losing that feeling for an event that isn't happening.
I ended up taking a few days off from running over the weekend, and it definitely helped my frame of mind. Yesterday, I did a 4 mile run on the treadmill, but I stacked it with really steep inclines that made it much more interesting. I wouldn't have been able to manage that type of run during the marathon training, as my legs are very tired today, and in need of a rest day.
As more people seem to be going out during the day instead of early morning, I have some hopes that running outside may be possible in the near future.