Howdy, Stranger!
Categories
The materials in this website are in no way intended to replace the professional medical care, advice, diagnosis or treatment of a doctor, qualified personal trainer, therapist, dietitian or nutritionist Runners's World, Part of the Hearst UK well-being network © Copyright 2017
Comments
I freeze when I see a spider, Cal. I'd consider selling up if I had to deal with them all the time. Great work on the 8 miler and also for getting a Strava crown. Hopefully the 5K walk and the gym session went well.
Nice couple of run, Hazelnut, even if it's warming up again. Very toasty here today. It was 20C when I went to the gym at 6am and had gone up to 24C an hour later. Just went into the garden to have a cuppa and it's even warmer now.
Group speed session yesterday evening, which consisted of sprints which increased in intensity and distance during the 35 minutes we were out. We used a side road leading up to the South Downs which was at an incline, so we would be sprinting up and down hill. The temperature was at 26C, so it turned out to be a really tough session with one of the group feeling light headed and sick after one particularly intense interval. I have to say I felt I struggled with this one and the sprints didn't flow as I'd have hoped.
Gym this morning with a concentration on leg exercises, so may feel those tomorrow.
In mouse news, the one I ordered thro' the Bay of E has just arrived! Cheery postie is sporting his wide-brimmed John Wayne hat.
The currant bum is out in earnest today: 27 deg. C on the Costa del Crosby! I'll postpone my return to running until tomorrow :-)
Guarddog: I'm with you in being reluctant to see off a small beastie. Peter Green material's been on repeat the past fews days, mostly his earlier work with Fleetwood Mac. His insight into playing the blues combined with such a sweet tone, rather different from Clapton's 'up to 11' playing with Cream, breathtaking as that is.
Was it Chirk Castle, JD1? There was/is a 10k there that my former club used to do - never got there myself.
Three days at the gym consecutively, and more than a hint of DOMS today! Very few in for the last hour y'day: just the 2 of us when I decided to leave. Thinking of a ten-minute outing to assess the piriformis recovery - early on, probably by the sea. Here's a pic from a few days ago.
Good 5 Miler Cal,I don't think I've ever raced 5 before,you don't see many around.Well done on your Strava crown as well.Hope your shingles have calmed down.
Extremely hot over here as well Hazelnut.Nice few runs as well,you're streak keeps on going.That should've been Chirk not Chick castle!
Well done on the tough interval session GD,not easy in these conditions.Gyms in Wales reopen on the 10th,which is good news, I get bored of doing push ups and kettle bell workouts at home,there's always a distraction as well.
Good that you're going to the gym Swittle.Pre lockdown there's a free 10k trail race every month at Chirk castle,organized by National Trust.Fantastic photo,best one so far!
I took the girls to Barmouth beach yesterday,so it was a very rare 6 in the morning 8 miles.Other runners had the same idea,some I haven't seen for a while.
Driving to Barmouth, I was waiting at a roundabout,when a buzzard jumped out of a tree straight on to its prey,not sure exactly what it was,but the kids were impressesd.
Gym for me today too - full body but not too heavy until I get back into it as I don't want to be walking like the Tin Man tomorrow.
Lovely photo, swittle.
Felt a bit better this morning so decided I would have a stab at the Vet Runners UK (Facebook Group) 15K. I've not run a 15K since my first proper year of racing (2015 - I'd done several races before this but I'd had a lot of downtime due to injuries and my parents dying, so 2015 was when it kicked off properly. Did 8 half marathons that year and signed up for my first marathon, which I did the following year). Back then my goal was to break 90 minutes, which I did.
I wasn't expecting to be particularly fast today but I was hoping to run it at around 9 min/mi pace (which is my marathon PB pace, more or less). I did a warm-up mile then restarted my watch and began in earnest.
I don't use a chest HRM but the HR given by the watch was pretty high - 170s on average, which is more what I'd expect for an all-out 5K.
It was nice and fresh this morning so I can't blame the heat but I really do need to get more sleep, I think.
swittle, sorry to hear that too.
6:18 kms felt pretty slow but I guess that's why I need to sort out my aerobic base :yikes:
My legs know they've been for a run and my knees are complaining a little but it isn't as bad as i was expecting, looks like I'll I have to keep this up.
Too much, too soon for me - well, it wouldn't be too much, too young, would it?
Ice and hotty watty bottle and some gentle figure-of-four leg strengthening. Didn't walk, run or gym for the first time this year, pretty much. I'll give it twice as long a rest.
Welcome mcjoc and good 5K time. Friday was indeed exceptionally hot.
Welcome back AgentGinger, I was catching up on some of your targets from 2014. Nice to have you back running.
You're absolutely right with the boredom of home exercise, JD. As you say there's too many distractions to be able to schedule in a decent amount of time to do it there, which is why I prefer the gym. It is starting to get busy, though.
Good 15K time, Cal, definitely not to be sneezed at and as you say based on your injuries, shingles and the selfish neighbours it's really good.
Two runs again over the weekend. I had done a leg session on Friday, which really amounted to squats, lunges and calf raises, all without weights. Of course the next day, to use Cal's description, I was like the Tin Man. We decided on a 5 mile run along the seafront, heading from Hove towards Southwick. Not the most scenic of routes, but we figured it would be less busy then heading east. A keen wind in our faces on the out lap and it took me a good km before my legs felt as if they were responding to me exhortations to move. A wave to one of the run leaders from our winter training group, to one of the people we see regularly at PR and also to the club member I beat in a sprint a couple of weeks ago (I think it did his heart good to see me suffering). Tried to keep the pace easy, but my partner had other ideas and started to pull away. Definitely a hard 'easy' run.
Sunday we decided to run alongside the Adur and pushed it further to make a 9 miler. Cooler than we had expected and with the wind picking up we did at least make this easier, going at 9:15 min/mi and keeping it nicely conversational. Again it took a short while for the legs to feel free, but once they did all was good.
The word back from the club committee is that the next virtual series will be another 5K, however whereas the last one was age/gender graded this one is going to be based on the average time you ran in that series. I may be regretting those two sub-23 min performances now.
Welcome mcjoc - good 15K there. If you're interested in HR training, check out the Shades thread in the Training forum - a lot of the folks who post there do it (it's a very active thread too).
swittle - are you married with a kid when you should be having fun?
Nice work on the runs and training, GD - balancing strength and running is quite difficult, I find.
I had a bash at the Vet Runners virtual HM this morning. I wanted to see if I could go under 2 hours - had my doubts after Sunday's 15K but thought I'd see how I felt.
First mile was a warm-up, more or less, but I hit target pace on the next three (despite stacking it at the start of the third mile and ending up with two bruised hands and a bloody knee. I didn't even notice the knee had bled until I finished the entire run - I must have alarmed a few people along the way. So you've got company in the clumsy runner category, Hazelnut
My intention was to do a lap of Wimbledon Park but that was thwarted by a one way turnstile that was definitely not there last time I went, so I had to backtrack and reroute which cost me more time. I ended up doing an out and back along a section of the Wandle Trail to Wandle Park and back, then back along the stretch I'd done in mile 3. I recovered some pace on miles 11 and 12 but the there was a bit of a hill at the start of the final mile and my achilles got pretty grumpy so I slowed a bit there, then I had a bugger of a time crossing Trinity Road.
Fairly content with the time - 2:02:49 which is 10 minutes slower than PB my but a decent effort for a virtual run/training session, especially coming so close to the 15K.
I'm currently third fastest overall, and fastest woman, although a lot of people haven't logged their runs yet.
I was also third overall and fastest woman in the 15K, 6th overall and 2nd woman in the 5 mile and 11th overall and 3rd woman in the 10K. So not bad really. Vet Runners UK is a fairly relaxed group with a mix of abilities - some fast peeps but not like my club's virtual events where I'm near the bottom in most things.
Well done on the 15K, mcjoc. I wouldn't worry about the pace, as you're doing Heart Rate Zone training it will seem slow. I remember being passed by oldies using zimmer frames when I did it.
Ouch both Hazelnut and Cal. Hopefully both falls have not left any lasting damage. Easily done, especially if your concentration slips.
"Bubble" run again last night and an easy 10K along the seafront from Shoreham to Worthing. Headwind on the way out which was a lot stronger than we'd first realised, so it was a case of digging in, but the pace was such that everyone managed to hold a conversation. On the turnaround the run seemed to flow effortlessly. I find myself having to purposely slow down to keep to a reasonable pace. Might have been due to the fact that after a couple outings in the Asics I was back in the Nikes.
Well done on your virtual HM Cal,that's good going.Hope your hands and knees are ok.
I'm looking forward to my circuit training again GD,but I know I'm going to be suffering for a few days after.
Welcome mcjoc,nice 15k.I've never tried HR training but I've read it can be very good if done correctly.
Just over 9 miles yesterday afternoon,including a 1000ft hill climb in less than a mile,so my calves were on fire.Descended on to the panorama road where you had fantastic views across the Shropshire plains.Very enjoyable run.
Just an easy 5 miles with Polly today.I was supposed to be picking up my eldest daughter for a couple of miles after my run but when I got home she had gone out with her friends.
JD, the climbs are much sweeter if there's a nice view from the top.
Yesterday I did a 6 mile recovery run - legs felt trashed and the first few strides were very awkward.
Today wasn't much better but I ended up doing an 11 mile hilly run up to Beaulieu Heights (the woody bit under Croydon Transmitter). First couple of miles were very slow (11+ - my stride length was down to nothing) and I toiled up the first couple of hills, but I picked up a bit of speed when I got to a downhill section and mile 4 was my fastest in 10:14. Mile 5 had 52m of climb though, so that was back over 11 again (Garmin's elevation has been back to normal this week, thankfully).
At this point I had come to the bottom of Beaulieu Heights. I ran down it last Sunday - or rather I walked as there are steps - and it hits 20% in places, but it actually felt easier going up. I ran at the side of the steppy bits where possible and it wasn't so bad. I had trouble locating the exit though and spent a few minutes on very narrow, trippy trails through the woods until I came back to the top exit, which meant a 12:46 mile here (I didn't actually walk at all, but my stride was only .73 for this mile thanks to the terrain).
I made my way back from there, which was undulating but primarily downhill, and left hammy was definitely not happy. My stride was getting really short as I couldn't get any power from the hams at all.
However, I had thought I would do the last kilometer (or 0.62 miles, since I'm an Imperial girl) quicker as it's the Vet Runner's 1K challenge today. I wasn't quite sure how I'd manage it as I felt trashed, but as I hit 10.38 miles I pushed on and somehow mustered a 9:35 final mile, which gave me a 5:44 kilometer. Obviously that's more than a minute slower than I could run it if I ran a km flat out on its own on legs that were functioning properly, but you do what you can under the circumstances and I'm impressed I managed to go that fast today.
Anyway, 11 hilly miles in 2 hours, and it's probably in my best interests I take a rest day tomorrow.
Got the gym at 2pm this afternoon (the earliest I could get a slot) so that's going to be fun. And yes I'm being sarcastic.
I am really not happy about a week of 30 degree temps but what can you do?
Last Saturday's 20-minute hobble set me back a week at the least. Massage, hot and cold application, and 2 gym sessions, with a rattling of pill boxes too, seem to be helping. Hamstring curls are challenging but walking is now pain free. Another 2 weeks like this, and I'll try a shorter run.
Guarddog: the structure in your sessions looks to be very helpful in developing your running.
Cal: your 'Specials' reference made me laugh - unfortunately, I do not meet the specification! Good to read of your close-to sub-2 HM. It seems your idea of a 'reward' for a tough old sesh is...another tough old sesh
Now, Cal & Hazel: we are issued with a pair of knees at birth...and we 'kneed' to look after them carefully! I hope you're both over your tumbles.
JD1 - can't beat climbing as a swift route into the Cave of Pain. Well done!
Good news that you can walk without pain.
That sounded like a punishing 11 miles,Cal.Hope it's not too hot in your flat tomorrow,and enjoy your day off.
Going to be hot over here tomorrow,Hazelnut.Decided I'm going to have a good lie in over an early run.I'll try and get out in the evening.Hope you're recovering well from your trip.
6.6 miles this evening.including a 5k timed run.Once I got my head into the zone it went fairly well.Finished with a time of 20:51,so I'm happy chappy with the time.
Jeez, Hazelnut, were you woken by the sound or the smell?
Glad you're healing up well. The bruising on my hands has gone, thankfully. Hope your knee improves quickly - I'm lucky mine is just as graze rather than a proper bang - guess my hands took the force.
You're right about the hills. I found lots of little steps are better than trying to stride. Any advice for coming down steep hills? That's where I struggle more.
It's horrible here too. Yesterday morning when I got up my flat was 24 degrees and built up to 28.4 by bedtime. It only lost a degree overnight with the window wide open so today's starting point is 27.4 so it'll likely be over 30 tonight, and will stay that way for the next week. Misery.
I didn't run yesterday - I did go out for an early walk and it was actually quite fresh, so it would have been nice to run, but my body needed rest.
Today's conditions were much less satisfactory - nearly 23 degrees at 6am and very humid. I kept to recovery pace and legs actually didn't feel terrible (although the achilles and high hammy are noticeable) so I did some strides in the last mile and they felt OK.
Tomorrow looks to be the same sort of temperature/humidity so I may not do a long run - I will see how awful I feel after sleeping in 30 degrees.