My Last Run

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  • Great running everyone!

    Really not had much motivation the last week or so - unsure what's causing it. Personal life is hectic for me right now so it feels like I have little energy for anything else.

    Was supposed to run over the weekend but my body just said 'no', so I took the time to enjoy the sunshine. Went for an 8 miler on Monday though for a run that felt slow, but was actually about right. Came back, collected the partner and MIL and went out for a further 3 miles at a slower pace for 11 miles total. Was enjoyable but tiring. Can certainly feel the benefit of calf sleeves so they will probably feature from now on.

    Went running last night in the 27 degree heat and...well...that was a mistake. I wasn't hydrated, I'd had maybe an hour sleep the night before, and so I wanted to do the same 8+3 miles as I did on Monday, but played it safe and did 5 miles instead. The calf sleeves were tight (compression gear probably not ideal for the heat, even if my legs love the recovery) and my legs were heavy, lethargic and slow. The heat was a heavy burden, and I was fairly slow compared to usual, especially coming up Cardiac Hill. Only just managed to finish in under 9mm pace I felt that wrecked. Needless to say, I had to abandon the plan with the fiancée to take her out for a further 3 miles which she didn't mind.

    Probably will be a dud week for running, but hoping it will get better 
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Heat is tough to run in, Malteser, especially in spring given we've been running in the cold for months. Don't worry too much. Try to get out early morning if you can.
    Motivation is difficult for most of us at the moment, too, given there are no races on the horizon. I'm amusing myself with some virtual events - the 1000KM across Tennesee race organised by Laz (of Barkley Marathons fame) is the one that keeps me going out to tot up the miles.
  • Hi guys, just thought I'd check in and say hi.  Some superb running! and I'm glad you're all currently well in this strange new world. Hi Cal, Hazlenut, Malteser, JD, Guardog, Swittle and anyone else.

    I'm currently well but my running has well and truely gone to mierda. 

    I started to get very sore ankles, mainly the left one, but was hitting the training, for me, too hard.  No miles over 8 minutes (except a warm up mile) and generally thrashing myself too hard repeatedly.

    I think I was using my running as a bit of a mental crutch in these weird times and work isn't great at the moment.
    It progressively got worse until I would be barely able to walk at work monday to wednesday and then would train hard the rest of the week.
    Finally I did a long sunday run with intervals and the next day just couldn't walk.  I had to have four days off work ( the only other time I did that I cracked three ribs).  I have done online phsio appointment and they seem to think I have a severe peroneal tendonitis, but I have to go in soon.

    Long story short, no running for a couple of months, they reckon.

    I haven't run for three weeks and can walk without pain mostly, although my left ankle still hurts when I remove my support.

    Rather than get too wound up I've tried to tell myself I will be better for the first wave of events in kent (september, if they happen) and am doing lots of my other favourite hobby, fishing!   I've caught some cracking carp! but have also gained a stone.

    I really hope it improves and I can run again in the future, I really do miss it, but realise it's a serious one this time and I really must treat it as such to have any hope of returning.  If I am fortunate enough to run again I will invest in some hefty, cusioned shoes in favour of the fairly spartan ones I currently use.  Also, on research, if you are prone to peroneal tendonitis low drop shoes (I always use 4mm ones) are not the best idea, and high drop 10/12mm ones can be favourable.

    Hopefully post at some point in the future.  Stay safe all.








  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Good to hear from you, Linton - glad you're OK although it sucks about your ankles. It's good you have fishing to occupy you.

    You might like the new Nike Infinity React shoes - they're designed to reduce injury. I use the Epic Reacts (The Infinity seems to have replaced these) and they are super comfortable, with a decent drop. I used to do all my running in 4mm Nike Frees but they just didn't have enough cushion for marathons and the balls of my feet got hammered.

    Hope you can recover and get back to running at some point...obviously you now know the reason for doing the bulk of your miles at a very easy pace.

    Speaking of which, super slow 6 mile recovery run for me today - 11:30 miles on average. Felt like a snail trudging around, but as this is instead of a rest day, I was going to take it as slow as I could. It's faster than walking, at least.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Good that you listened to your body MM.The heat makes it much tougher for running,so I wouldn't worry about your pace.

    Fantastic photo Swittle.

    Nice to hear from you Linton.Sorry to hear about your ankle problems,hopefully you can get over it.I used to thrash every run years ago and never suffered a single injury,but there's no way I could do that now.Enjoy your fishing.

    Good hilly run Cal.Have you watched the doc about the Dragons Back race on Amazon,it's a good watch.

    Two 5 mile runs after work,with the heat and feeling lethargic,I kept them at easy pace.

  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    Hi all, good running from everyone, although commiserations to LTT. That sounds like a serious one and hopefully the rest will see you back running as soon as possible. 

    I can empathise with the crutch part. I think I've been using running for that as well, a release from the stress of work. I'm doing an awful lot of hours and not really getting any chance for a decent wind down.

    Tuesday I had a short gap in the morning so decided to do some hill repeats outside the house. Didn't think it was too onerous, but the next day I woke up feeling rather listless and generally achy. We did go out for a 5 miler along the seafront, but I was well off the pace. My back had, worryingly, started to complain again and my stomach wasn't feeling too good. I decided that I was going to spend the next couple of days resting, if doing 12 hour working days is resting. At least it's a Bank Holiday this weekend.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    JD, no, I have Sky so I'm not paying for any streaming services on top of that - it's already over £70 a month.
    GD, hope you're able to bounce back. Last week's heat won't have helped.

    Today was virtual 5K day and, between a week of rubbish sleep, the hills on Thursday and the extra running day yesterday, I knew I wasn't going to be on top form so I took the opportunity to try a new route. It's not actually a new running route, just a new 5K route, which is a lap and a bit of Wandsworth Common.
    Did my 2 mile warm-up including some strides, then set off. Felt quite fast to start with but I hit the first mile in 8:19 which isn't great. Decided not to look at my watch again until I finished. I thought I was maintaining an OK pace and I would run 25:xx so I was quite horrified to come in at 26:41. I've done better than that on some hilly parkruns, and the common is flat. It definitely didn't feel as slow as that but I guess there's some cumulative fatigue there.
    Oh well, we can't be awesome every week!

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    I had another virtual Phoenix event to do and settled on a half marathon as I didn't want to do much more this week due to the extra day of running (the half would take me to 55 miles for the week).
    Rather glad I joined Strava recently as I've found looking at other people's runs is a fantastic way to find new routes. One of my clubmates did a lovely looking run so I decided to try and follow some of it, combining it with a section of the Wandle Trail. I decided not to go down to the earlier part of the trail from Earlsfield as that would make it a longer run than I wanted, especially if I got a bit lost later on. Instead I started at my usual spot in Collier's Wood (a two mile run by the most direct route from my house), up the trail to Morden Hall Park, through there and on to Hackbridge. I went a bit further than I went last time but not quite as far as I planned on the trail as I got to a biggish road and went left instead of crossing it to get to another section of the trail. I did find a footpath that took me onto my clubmate's route, though I missed out Beddington Park entirely, which I had intended to explore (it'll be the site of the next London parkrun, whenever that starts back up again).
    I ran on a trail for a while which was rather pebbly before ending up on a section of Mitcham Common I hadn't run on before. There were some ponies there - not sure if they were traveller ponies but as my clubmate had photographed them I knew I'd gone the right way.
    From there I headed back through Mitcham. There's a pond there and I saw a swan family - mum, dad and a lot of fuzzy cygnets. Didn't manage to count them but it was definitely more than 6!
    Ran back up the big hill to Tooting Common - not Church Road this time but the one next to it, Rectory Lane - and home from there. A nice urban trail half.
    Easy pace for most of it but did a couple of sub-10s on the homeward stretch, including the hill. 2 hours 17:12 so pretty leisurely, though still a minute quicker than my first ever half from back in 2010!
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Despite the blustery weather over the last 2 days, I can't say it's been cold.

    Cal - pleasing recovery in your hill sesh.  Sign of growing stamina.  Today's route sounds interesting and away from the hurly burly.

    Linton TT - that's a tough outcome for all your hard efforts.  You've caught the problem in time and I'm hoping the layoff and rehab will get you back into running soon.

    JD1 - thanks.  Re Iron Men: people regularly add items ranging from clothing to flags and hats.  Yesterday's high tides have seen most of them off!  Two fives are ten, a great return.

    GD - a wise move.  Rest rates just as high as activity.

    8.30 yesterday evening, wind W, 27mph, gusting to 40mph - two-edged sword: behind me to the Freeport, long arc to radar station and tacking along the beach with a sidewind.  Through the sandhills and looking for the prom - it was lying under extensive dunes up to 4 ft high.  Took an unexpected detour but found yet more sand.  Soon clear by the pump station but I could feel that sand had infiltrated in many, many places!  Also, 2 small nicks on my nose that bled for a while: no idea how that happened.  4.7 miles in 50:02.




  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Like the Iron Man pic swittle.  I guess he didn't dispose of his mask responsibly then if the tide got it. Windy run there.  Maybe some sort of flying debris attacked your nose. 

    Solid running as usual Cal.  Good thing about a 5k is if one isn't as good you can go out and do another soon.  Nice explorer HM.  I agree - Strava can be useful for finding new routes.  I must try out the frozen grapes as a snack.  Once I have finished guzzling strawberries by the punnet that is.

    Don't worry about a dud week if you have a lot on MalMal and are tired and struggling with the heat on top.  Good words from Cal.

    Sorry about your troubles LTT and hope you are back to running soon.  Enjoy the fishing and take care of yourself in the meantime.   

    Hope you are feeling better in the meantime GD and the back niggle has eased. 

    Have been running on each of the last few days to complete another 50 mile + week.  Also did a bit of cycling and a hike yesterday.  Weather has been fairly kind the last couple of days with a couple of muggy ones and now back to mild, sunny and breezy. 

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Nice running, Hazelnut. It's very warm here - making sleep rather difficult for me.

    Rest yesterday but did a 5.75 miles walk to scope out a new route. It's Norwood Grove which joins onto Streatham Common, but it is fenced around so not sure it'll be open when I run as I'm an early bird. It's just as hilly as the main common if not more so, so will be good for some hill work.
    9 miles this morning. Can feel my achilles again which isn't grand - better get on top of my strength work.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Reminds me I should do more strength work as well - very lazy there. Nice to find a potential new route and hopefully you will be able to access it early in the mornings.

    Group run yesterday evening. Lovely evening for it, if anything a bit breezy. Legs still a bit tired from Sunday's hike so didn't push the pace/effort. Had to split up as over the 5 person limit, hopefully today's announcement of the easing of lockdown measures will increase that.  Very unlikely though that it will include a perspective on returning to racing as at the moment everything is about tracing. Small events with bums on numbered seats may soon be possible.

    Have signed up for this weekend's One Million run, the idea is that runners in Switzerland run a total of 1 million km in this time period. Might as well do my bit.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Nice idea, Hazelnut - I'm sure your contribution will be decent.

    A hilly 12 mile MLR today - I decided to check out the new ground I'd covered on Monday's walk. I went up to Streatham Common and ran up the hill, but instead of going back around and down, I went through to Norwood Grove and ran around that a couple of times (it was open). Very lumpy ground there - grass and roots - so I was careful so as not to roll an ankle. Basically cross country and definitely not viable as a winter run from the look of it.
    Then I exited and went down the road that runs next to (which is also a rollercoaster) to the little wood I'd seen on the map. Holy Christ, it's steep in there! There are some very narrow "paths" but then I had to pretty much walk down some steps, then another section I had to stop and climb down a sheer drop before running back up a very steep bit. It's kind of fun, but I was over 12 minutes for the mile I did in that bit.
    Came back up the rollercoaster road, back onto Streatham Common, down to the tennis court and back up the steep path through the woods before heading back along the back streets for a few more miles.
    I did notice my form seemed a lot better once I got onto the roads and the last few miles were sub-10 as I was paying attention to my posture.
    Achilles is a bit grumpy now, not surprisingly.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Hills probably won't go down too well with a grumpy Achilles.  Sort of run I would like though. Would go by effort rather than pace on such ground and walking doesn't matter (up or down). 

    Some slightly over-enthusiastic general aerobic miles yesterday evening with some mole hill sprints and strides to practice running form at a decent effort.  Mole hill sprints were between convenient landmarks such as a post telling me what I couldn't do in the mini nature reserve (camping, littering, picking flowers) and a big pile of horse shit in the middle of the path.  Was a bit "worried" that every time I met another person (a handful) I was very slowly jogging and breathing hard (jog backs from the hills or strides) and what that must have looked like.  Warm and breezy again but getting used to both. 
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hazelnut, I've used lampposts for that sort of thing - can be fun.

    Felt a bit crappy this morning - hot and restless night again, so some of it's fatigue from yesterday and some is dehydration. So just did a 5 mile recovery run (got the calf sleeves out for it too). Achilles wasn't too bad but I could feel it a bit. Had a foam roll after and the right calf is very tight.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Well done on the 50+ miles weeks Hazelnut,that's good going considering there's no racing.One million run seems a good idea,I'll put you down for 25km!

    Great hilly run Cal.Always nice to find a new route.Hope your Achilles calms down.

    I've been out most days recently.Monday was a 9 mile run to Chirk Castle,mostly on trails and minor country roads.

    Yesterday evening was a 5.80 miles along the river.From my house I went through 0.5 mile of fields before dropping on to a trail,going under the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and along the River Dee.The trails were packed hard,so you could pick up the pace.The trails were well shaded,so it was lovely and cool.Nice to see people out fishing or having a swim in the river.

  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    Good running all.

    Hopefully the nose has now recovered swittle.

    Seems like a good exercise balance, Hazelnut, with cycling and hiking. And excellent weekly mileage.

    Well done on the 9 miler Cal.  Take it steady with the achilles.

    Very up and down over the last few days. Over the weekend managed to get out on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Saturday was a gentle...ish 30 min trot around the park. We had to get back quickly as we'd got someone in to attack the garden. Sunday was an 11K along the Adur. Far less crowded than the seafront we'd experienced the week before. We kept it reasonably sensible and were going sub 8:50, but then at the turn, with the breeze behind, we picked up the pace. Running at about 8:35 pace I was told it was OK, but no faster. Unfortunately at some point I was aware of another pair of footsteps behind us and I think I lost concentration. When I checked my pace we were going 8:05, so I apologised and slowed down. Partner, ran past and off (definitely quicker than 8:35!!). Other pair of footsteps ran past and thanked me for the pacing. Discretion being the better part of valour I decided to ease down and jog in the last mile saving myself for the rigours of the 400m repeats the next day.

    Monday we were back by Shoreham Airport using the service road for our 400m stints. A lot more people around that day, some hanging around watching the small planes coming in and out. Stepped up the pace of the repeats and each one was sub 7:30 pace. Partner gave up after 5 and decided just to do a steady jog up and down the road whereas I, having not eased off the day before, got through all 10 repeats. We did have to get back as the gardener chap was due in at 11. He rang in and said he wasn't feeling well, so ended up mowing the lawn and making my third trip to the dump that weekend.

    Woke up on Tuesday having had an awful night's sleep, my back ached along with my arms and legs. Stomach was decidedly dodgy and there were a couple of trips to the bathroom during the night. Work was a struggle as I was so tired. Seem OK now, so hopefully it was just a minor bug.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    GD, sounds a bit like what I had. I had a terrible tension headache for five days which was due to pain in my upper back - hips and legs ached terribly too. Had the chills for a couple of days and puked once, but I was fully recovered a week later. Take it easy eh?

    JD, a lot of the dirt paths on the common are so hard I might as well be running on concrete!
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Hills, strength work, intervals, speed....

    Words that no longer need trouble a runner of senior years and sociable pace!  ;-)  Quite honestly, I'm left reflecting on the general lack of structure to any of my training over the past 30+ years.  I'd jump the miles up for a Marathon but, otherwise, it was 'Get out, get it done, and get home'.  Don't think Streaking helped...

    Last evening, 9 o'clock: still a fair few walkers, dogs and parties of young people on the dunes, small camp fires and slabs of beer in evidence.  This gets my goat: it's a distressing sight when the dune grass catches fire; the litter too.  No fire call outs so far.

    Round the boating lake, then a traily zig-zag over the coastal grasslands before a steady peg along the beach, with scarcely a puff of breeze.  Stopped watch at 40:13 for 4.04 miles,  The first sub-10 min/mile session since the knee problem just over a year ago.

    I've written to the 2 physios to thank them.  :-)
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Lots of people out when I was walking, too, swittle - and lots of litter this morning. When I ran around Streatham Common there were loads and loads of empty poppers at the top. Some folks had clearly been having a bit of a party. (And I don't mean party poppers, I mean amyl nitrate).

    Did my weekly 5K today but as I wasn't feeling awesome this morning (nothing bad, just groggy) I knew a fast time wasn't on so I went for a hill session instead. 2 mile warm-up to Streatham Common, hard 5K around there and another 3 miles home again for a total of 8.
    The Streatham Common hill really isn't that steep, but it goes on and on - it's relentless. Second time up I felt a bit nauseous and had to back off a bit...third time up my legs started to go (lactic, I guess). So 28:36 for that. Not fast for a 5K, but faster than the laps I ran there where I pushed up the hill and recovered on the rest.
    Took my new(ish) Peg Turbos for a spin this time. They still seem to make my left foot ache a bit, not sure why. Achilles wasn't too bad - it doesn't seem to complain as much when I'm moving quickly.
    Enjoyed the run back as I opted to go a different route just to see some new roads. Felt inspired to have a crack at a Strava segment on the way back - got a personal PR but nearly a minute slower than the female course record. Not too surprised - I'm not winning any speed prizes at my age. Or ever, actually.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Well done on the sub-10m/m swittle.  How long have you been back running for now?  I can imagine the physios will appreciate the thanks.  Litter bugs me too - hate seeing all that gets thrown out of car windows.

    Good hill work Cal.  Segment chasing can be fun.  I hold some crowns around here but there really isn't much female competition.  A multiple junior orienteering world champion occasionally strays onto my patch and nicks them but that is about it.  Don't need to bother with the overall result though - there is a junior track specialist down the road - ridiculously fast. 

    You live in a nice area JD - just looked up the castle and the aqueduct (including how to pronounce it!).  You could be about right on the mileage for the OneMillionRun. 

    Good running GD.  Hope you are getting over your bug quickly.  Also that the gardener has turned up in the meantime so you don't have to do too much work yourself. 

    MLR yesterday evening - just over a HM in around 2 hours - involved a long uphill (around 5k) with an evil dip in the middle - steep down on concrete slabs and then back up again on similar - was tempted to walk the down bit and shuffled the up.  No pace ambitions and ran the whole thing steady but really wobbled after around 10 and a half miles.  Pretty sure I was dehydrated and probably underfed - felt sick and shaky but after lots of drinks and suitable amounts of food I feel fine today. 
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Cal: it's useful that you have a wide range of different routes on which to call.  I'm avoiding road in general, and walk the 10 minutes from home to the coastal park - and back after running.  That's my warm up/down.

    Hazel: on 24 Jan. I ran-walked 12 reps of 30 sec. run + 90 sec. walk.  The last session of my restart pro gramme was 30 min. run on 17 Mar. and I've added about 10% of the latest run to make up the next.  The first one-hour run was on 7 Apr. and I'm running, alternate days, 40, 50 & 60 mins.
    Your self diagnosis of 'the wobbles' seems accurate.  Hope you're now recovered.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    It's easy to get dehydrated, Hazelnut. Being a 50-something lady I get very hot and sweaty at night so now I have a SiS hydration tab before I run. Seems to help.
    swittle, I've learned to embrace the pavements but will run on trail if I can.

    6 miles recovery run today - went up to Clapham Common then on to Wandsworth Common this time as I'm a little bored of Tooting, nice as it is. Saw a guy in a Centurion bib so asked him if he was doing the 100 and he said it was his last day today. Wished him luck.
    Also saw a big heron on Clapham Common, but not in the water. There's a burger van by the pond (I guess it feeds the anglers, who are back fishing again) and the owner was giving a duck some bread and it looked as though the heron was hoping for something to eat too. He was right by the van.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Yes, Cal, it depends on the terrain on our doorsteps.  Since the restart, I haven't even tripped up, let alone hit the deck.  Herons are elegant birds: the Marina was home to a single bird for years.  

    Last night, 9pm, and still too warm to be at all comfortable for me :(  Small lake, north up the beach - many groups of young people, mostly, sat together or standing in groups; camp fires and much mostly happy noise.  A teenager was screaming at her friends, a proper tears & arm waving effort :-o  As busy as it's been since restrictions.

    Prom, then south on trails to the leisure centre before a decent last mile parallel to a sea that seemed to have its waves on strike or furloughed.  50:16 for 4.9 miles.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    They are elegant except when they fly, and then they look weird. :D
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Certainly a well-executed comeback swittle and pretty swift considering you were out of running for quite some time.  No cooling wind for you again then. 

    Followed a couple of people from the P&D thread on their Centurion outings on Strava as well Cal.  Impressive stuff.  Like the junk food heron. I see quite a few around here, mostly hunting in the fields rather than along the brooks.  I love the way they stand so still for so long and then - ZAAPP!

    I was still a bit wobbly yesterday for a recovery run of 6.3 miles. Kept the effort down as much as possible meaning a pretty sedate pace against the wind and up any inclines but that is what such a run should be about.  Felt much better for today's outing: 7.5 miles with 5 x 1.05 k laps of a field (tarmac path) at somewhere between 10k and HM effort, slow jogging about 3 mins in between laps.  Fortunately a lot less windy at the time I was out - I did cheat a bit by starting all but the first lap with the incline against the wind rather than finishing with that bit.  Much easier.  A couple of dog walkers out (all on the lead so no issue), a farmer mowing grass who grinned as I panted past for the fourth time and a couple on the stone bench ignoring each other and their young child and concentrating on their individual phones.  Bit sad somehow.

    Currently keeping an eye on Switzerland's efforts to run one million km over the weekend.    77.3k participants are at 393.6k km right now.  Will be interesting to see if the million are reached.  Will do some more tomorrow.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Good stuff, Hazel - I've seen your runs on Strava.
    I do think it's sad people walk along looking at their phones. Part of my reason for running is to get out and see things and to give myself a break from technology while I'm at it. Speaking of which...

    Long run today. Aim was 14 miles which would take me to 200 for the month (not bad considering I only ran 13 miles the week I was ill) and 900 for the year so far. But I ended up doing 16.

    I'd planned a new route - up to Crystal Palace park via Streatham Common (it's a straight line from there), around the park then back via a few different greenspaces I'd spotted on the map. I'd studied the map carefully so as not to go wrong, and I mostly got it right.

    I took the most direct route to Streatham Common then ran up the side I normally run down (which is actually a bit steeper than the other side, but doesn't have a hard path) then along the road to Crystal Palace. The sun was in my eyes for a fair amount of this which made it tricky, even with sunglasses, and the road is basically a rollercoaster with some notable hills.

    Once I made it to the park I started by running along the terraces at the top, which is where the original crystal palace stood until it burned down. There are a couple of sphinx statues there which survived the fire.

    Then I ran down the hill (which has some very steep bits - had to slow right down there - to the dinosaur lake (there are Victorian dinosaur statues there) and along the bottom to where the parkrun starts. I did a lap of the winter parkrun route from memory (it's two laps - I did the single lap summer course the year before and don't remember it exactly) before heading back along the other side of the dinosaur lake and out of the park past the train station.
    I have fond memories of my dad rowing me around the dinosaur lake as a kid. It still has boats, but they are pedalos now.

    From there I wanted to find South Norwood Lake park so I could run around the lake. It turned out to be a really nice little park and I spotted a grebe on the water.

    After that I was supposed to cross the road and go through another little park where the area's second large transmitter stands (it isn't as well known as the huge one in Crystal Palace park, but it's still pretty big - close to 500 foot whereas the CP one is over 720) but I must have missed the path into the park as it wasn't at all obvious from the road. I carried on along the road and found some small woods with a trail path so I took that, which turned out to be very steeply uphill.

    From there I went along the road to the other side of the park I was meant to cut through, and found the road I intended to take next (called, memorably, Grange Hill). This one turned out to be a beast of a hill, but I was taking it downhill. I had to go pretty slowly down there. Obviously I will have to do the route in reverse so I can do it uphill next time - I must be masochistic!

    The map told me there was another green space just after the hill, and amazingly I found it - more woods, with another trail path that was slightly downhill and rather pleasant.

    This brought me out not far from the small wood (Biggin Wood) just past Streatham Common and Norwood Grove, so I cut through there (uphill again...cursing my glutes) then did a lap of Norwood Grove (another hill), onto the common,  uphill through the woods then back down through the Rookery Gardens, up the nasty Covington Way hill, down the common the side I normally run up and then home via the route I used last time.

    All told it was around 2 hours 51 - I was going pretty slowly for most of it, and aside from when I was huffing up hills (which seemed to be a lot of the time) I didn't feel overly tired. I think a lot of that was down to running a new route - I was thinking more about where I was going and enjoying new surroundings which didn't leave me any time to think about how tired I was. There was a lot of climb - 1,149 feet according to Strava or over 300m on Garmin - which was sufficient to earn me a Strava badge for doing 2000 metres this month (half of that was this week).

    Of course, doing three hilly runs in a week has not pleased my achilles - I actually think it gets more stressed by the downhills than the ups - so I will stick to some flatter runs next week to give it a chance to calm down. It's also time for new shoes as my Epics are over 700 miles now. They're still in reasonable shape so I can keep wearing them a bit longer, but will use a fresh pair as my primary shoe.

    I did use my hydration pack on this run (with the new bladder) and wore my club vest as this is basically a sleeveless T-shirt and covers more of the rub points than a strappier top. It seemed to do the trick.

    Anyway, that takes me to 56 miles for the week, 202 for the month and 902 for the year.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Thanks, Hazel.  Very much an extension to my running 'life' - I was half the age I am now when I started!  The physio input cannot be overstated - and, now retired, I could devote more time to exercising and recovery.  "8am should be cooler," I said to myself last night - and it was until I warmed up internally.  Dogs & walkers aplenty round the lakes and on the beach.  Sand a bit soft by the radar tower but firmer 100 yd later.  Trail back to leisure centre: passed some parkrun chums: he plays viola in the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  :-)  Just about out of fuel last 2 miles.  5.88 miles in 1:00:15.

    That Swiss quest sounds ace!

    Cal - you just love those hills, don't you?  Your itinerary brings back memories of uni days, when I spent much time south of the river, unfortunately not as healthily engaged as you,  Robert, a college pal, still lives in S Norwood.  When you say map, do you mean your Garmin?  
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    edited May 2020
    Yes swittle, I use Garmin Connect and Strava to scope out new routes. (I've only recently joined Strava as I needed to for a club virtual mob match, but I've found inspiration in looking at my clubmates' routes. Found a few good trails that way).
    The hills thing is daft really - there was a Strava challenge to do 2000m of climb in may and I realised last weekend I was only half way, so I did three hilly runs this week. It's more than I'd usually do and my achilles isn't too chuffed, so back to less vertiginous routes next week.
    One of my friends plays viola - they're the cinderellas of the orchestra, according to him.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    That is a great description of your long run Cal.  On top of it being a great run for itself.  I like the bits of on non-running inserted here and there.  1000m in a week is a good bit if you are not accustomed to it.  I agree on the downhills stressing the achilles (looks sternly at right foot).  That is another solid week / month of running too.  The climbing challenge is on Strava every month (along with the standard distance and race distances.

    Can imagine that the viola produces mellower tunes than the screeching I managed on the violin as a kid swittle.  If you can control the niggles and injuries well there is no reason you shouldn't be able to keep up the running for quite a while yet.  I have a couple of 65+ in my Tuesday group who have been running "forever" and still do. 

    Swiss challenge currently shows 96.423 runs and the million km has been achieved.  Tried to post up yesterday's and today's run but it will only accept one although supposedly you can register again for a second run.  Strange.  Having good fun stalking my team mates and following the chat getting those out of the door who haven't yet been although they are registered.

    Completed a rare 60 mile + week with a 16.6 mile long slow run this morning.  Out later than planned as I made the fatal error of turning off the alarm clock, turning over and going back to sleep.  zzzzzz... It took me a while to get going as a result.  I initially thought it was a bit chilly still and donned arm sleeves and a very lightweight vest against the breeze but ended up dumping both in a convenient pile of logs after only a couple of miles.  Both were still there on the return leg and were tucked into my running belt for the rest of the way.  I took one of my standard routes with watering opportunities en route so no need to carry my own drinks and made sure of taking a good few swallows on board each time.  I also discovered that marzipan sticks coated in dark chocolate make for good running fuel.  Cheaper than energy bars and gels too - must try that again.  Met a bloke taking a donkey for a walk and nearly stepped on two sausage dogs aimlessly wandering around.  I also had to step cautiously along one brook segment - the bank is riddled with beaver holes.
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