My Last Run

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  • Sorry to hear about your godmother Cal.  Hope the funeral goes well and travel there and back also.  Nice MP run - how long have you now until Dorney? Guess it will be difficult to predict a time as you've not had any real races to go on.

    Nice social interaction swittle.  It is nice here that people are no longer leaping into bushes on the sight of an approaching runner.  Dogs are always a good topic for conversation.  Hope you had a nice run and enjoy going out when you feel like it.

    Standard Tuesday group trot to report, 6.x miles in just under a hour.  3 ladies did a good job of looking after one gentleman.  Lovely evening for it - sunset, slight breeze and a bit of crispness in the air.  I will also need to dust off the headtorch soon and likely change the batteries. 
  • It'sfour and a half weeks, Hazelnut, although I also have the Kew 10K on the 13th (slightly annoying as that's three weeks out so should be a 20 miler...but I reckon I can do a long run two weeks out, it won't hurt. I've done that before when my schedule's been disrupted).

  • The 10k should give you an idea of where you are then Cal.  You could try doing a long run on the day after your 10k. P&D have this in their schedules somewhere, I think a 16 miler.  Great practice for running on tired legs.

    Attempted to do some organized speedwork yesterday evening as I have been neglecting this in recent weeks again.  Plan was to do 5 x 800m.  I shot off on the first rep at an unsustainable pace (so when did you last run a 3:36 k?) and hit the panic button after just maybe 150m.  Complete reset of watch, mind and body and then decided to do some less formal speedwork instead including 2 x around 600m hard effort, 1k at around 10k race pace, 1k hard effort and 2k at around tempo pace.  Recoveries were according to appropriate landmarks.

    Not sure how to get that shoot off too fast problem sorted - maybe I need to try to start too slow instead.

    With a warm-up and short cool down around 7 miles in total.  Decent conditions for it - warm (maybe a bit too much so), a slight breeze and sun.
  • I paid the price for lingering y'day afternoon, and met the latest depression from the Atlantic pushing its wet & windy way in from the south.  Needless to say, I saw no-one for 4 miles, when I caught the school collection run!  With standing water on the beach, ankle-length grass and steady rain on the return stretch, I've not been as saturated in months!  4.7 miles, all o/r, 47 min., give or take.

    It's probably the case that a virtual absence of events has disrupted preparation schedules, Cal, but you can never be accused of not stacking up the miles.  :-)

    Hazel: I found track sessions quite useful but not as interesting as getting out and exploring.  A feel for a particular pace must be very useful in racing situations.  Can you set your watch to beep at, say, 4:30 at 1km?

  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭

    Sorry to hear about your Godmother Cal.Great MP run,nice splits as well.I hate running in the dark as well,always avoid if I can.

    Nice speedwork Hazelnut.I don't usually go off too fast in training but racing is another matter.

    Being a dog walker Swittle,I get chatting to lots of dog walkers in general,I don't know their names but I know the dogs names.

    6.2 hilly miles Tuesday afternoon and 6 miles Thursday afternoon,been working nights so motivation is low.


  • Funeral went as well as can be expected - it was nice to catch up with my godmother's daughters who were close friends of mine when I was a kid. The train journey down there, though, was a pain as there were power lines down or something so the trains from King's Cross were cancelled and I had to get back on the tube to go to Liverpool Street and change at Cambridge.  Eh, well, got there in the end. When I got there, Frances (the elder daughter) cooked dinner and plied me with wine so, being a very infrequent drinker, I ended up a bit hung over.
    Journey home was much better, thankfully.
    Unfortunately, godmother's husband (not officially my godfather though I tend to think of him as such) is on a sharp decline and had to go to hospital and couldn't attend the funeral. I suspect I may be down there again sooner rather than later.

    6 recovery-pace miles today - not the nicest run but there was a pretty sky for the first mile or so. Hopefully I'll have a bit more pep in my stride tomorrow.
  • Conditions looked good for a 5K today although I wasn't sure I'd be on top form given the tempo on Wednesday, not to mention traveling to the funeral and then a 5 mile walk to the cinema yesterday after the 6 mile run I did before breakfast.
    Ran 3 miles to Battersea Park, had a quick stretch and then set out. I ran at what I thought felt like 8 minute pace, but when I went through the mile it was 8:46. Too slow, so I decided to abort and then try again. Quick breather then second time. First mile this time was 8:30 which was still too slow but I decided just to get on with it. It wasn't a good run - I felt a bit awkward running at speed and legs had nothing. Miles 2 and 3 were in the 8:40s again. Finished in 26:56 which is mediocre for me. When I looked at the data after, stride length was a bit down (under a metre - it's usually just over at 5K pace) so cadence was sky high to compensate. No wonder I felt a bit unsteady. The shorter stride was likely due to fatigue from Wednesday, but my groin's also been slightly niggly so I might have been subconsciously holding back as I don't want to get myself injured before the 10K and marathon.
    Jogged the three miles back again so did 10 total.
    Tomorrow's going to be fun.
  • Hope the shoes and yourself have dried out in the meantime swittle.  Exploring is more fun but I do usually like a bit of speedwork. Will have a look what sort of beeps my watch can produce.

    Nice for you to see old friends Cal. Sorry that the travel was a pain and about the news about your inofficial godfather. 5k sounds like one of those put it in the box of you went out and tried runs. Does seem you were struggling with your form? Were you wearing 'fast' shoes?

    Don't envy you working nights JD.  Also familiar with various Lunas (mostly labs) and a Lucy (mad spaniel). Wonder what the pigs are called that I regularly meet out walkies.

    Speedwork on Wednesday was followed by an 11 mile MLR on Thursday, certainly felt my legs had done something the day before, a four mile recovery yesterday and 6 and a bit miles general with some strides today. Decent variation therefore.  Bit warm the couple of days but enough of a breeze for cooling but not too much to hinder forward progress. Saw the pigs this evening, they are about knee height but pretty strong by the looks of it. The lady on the other end of the lead got a good tow when her one set off purposefully with enthusiastic grunting.
  • Zoom Flies, Hazelnut. Wasn't the shoes though - just a tiring week, I think.
    I have a friend with a kitten called Luna.
  • A new route for me along the Thames Path. I've run from Battersea to Tower Bridge and I've done quite a few races that cover sections to the west - Kew to Richmond, Richmond to Kingston and Hampton Court - but I'd never run between Battersea and Kew.

    I started by running down to Battersea Park (3 miles) and then set out along the path from there. Initially it's a nice paved walk - there are a lot of (probably very expensive) flats along the river so the river path is quite new and nicely landscaped. I crossed the Wandle at Wandsworth and spotted a cormorant - first time I've actually gone to where it goes into the Thames - then through Wandsworth Park which is by the river. I had to take a parallel street at that point as the path doesn't go all the way along, but then it goes back to the river for a while until Putney Bridge.

    There were loads of rowing clubs out (actually they were mostly from schools, I noticed) which was nice to see - one boat kept me company for a good stretch and I made a point of trying to keep ahead of it. It was one of the school clubs so they weren't too fast - still learning, I guess.

    The path here was stony dirt and it got less pleasant to run on as I skirted around the Barnes Wetlands section. I'd originally considered doing the run as an out and back, but after a couple of miles on that surface I decided that I would come off the path at some point and head back along the roads. Less scenic, but easier on my old feet.

    At Barnes I headed under the bridge where I'd marshalled the last two Thames Riverside 20 races my club organises. There was a narrow paved section here, and it was a bit wet and slippery in places. It went back to stony dirt again after a bit, so I started thinking about getting off it. I wasn't quite sure where I was at this point but saw a young man and a dog coming out of a path to the side so I nipped down there.  It turned out to be about quarter of a mile from Kew Gardens.
    I found myself on a main road so headed in roughly the direction I thought I should be going and eventually a road sign revealed I was on the South Circular, which would take me almost all the way home. While I was glad to be running on pavement again, it was pretty boring and when I spotted Barnes Common on my left, I took a footpath through it. I thought I could hop back onto the South Circular at the end but I came out on a different road (according to the map, Marc Bolan's shrine is here, near where he died in a car crash - but I didn't spot it).
    I kept going along the road (there was so, so many cyclists - big groups of them, probably heading for Richmond Park) and eventually came back to Putney. I opted to hop back onto the Thames Path and then ran back through Wandsworth to Wandsworth Common.

    I hit 20 miles on the section near Wandsworth Common station and decided that was enough. I walked it in from there - almost a mile but I figured it would do my legs more good than running to my door and then stopping.

    Time was 3:28:51 - better than last week, and a strong neg split, though last week had a lot of hills. Legs actually felt a bit more trashed, though - probably a mix of being pre-fatigued (this week was 58 miles) and being a flatter course, which meant the muscles being stressed in the same way throughout. Epsom salt bath was much needed and I feel much better now.
  • JD1: your motivation doesn't sound *that* low!

    Cal: reading your analysis, I'm wondering whether I'd have improved more had there been the tech help that's freely available today.  Too late now!  Owner of the Fetch site is a self confessed technophile but it's all GPS/Smartwatch based, and this has little appeal, although I concede that many benefit.

    Hazel: shoes spent time on top of a radiator in the hall on a low heat.  Joss stick did not need to be deployed!  Variety is the spice and crosstraining makes sense.  Is there a pig based equivalent of Canicross?  Porcicross, I suppose...

    I last ran on Friday evening, setting off slowly with every expectation of cutting it short if the hammy demanded.  From 8pm, the lowering sky, under cover of approaching dusk, sent down some cooling showers, and I reached Crosby Baths after 10 mins uninterrupted progress.  U-turn, down & along the beach, NW wind fresh at 20mph but helping me along.  Wove a path between the lakes and thence to the marine gardens, covering 3.2 miles in just under 10 min/mile pace.  Gym yesterday, going easy on the hamstring curls - and the leg is starting to feel better, almost day be day.
  • Nice to have a new route Cal, in particular one providing river entertainment. Stony dirt is hard on the feet for sure, especially after a long week. Agree on the short cool-down walk at the end of a run. With Dorney being flat very good idea to do some lon flat running to get used to it. Bet that bath felt good. Haven't had a bath for several years although I do have a tub - might be an idea!

    Love the idea of porcicross swittle - my overenthusiastic imagination instantly attached a wild boar in a bad mood to the front.  Fast things they are. Good progress with the hamstring. 

    Toyed briefly with the idea of a long run with some mara type paced miles today but ditched that in favour of a local route with some nice undulations. I will be having to move soon and want to tick off a couple of routes I have on my list still. This one is along part of a hilly ridge overlooking the flat valley I often do speedier running along. Reaching the top of the ridge meant around 200 metres of climbing but kept the effort low and ambled along quite happily. Along for a couple of miles, then pretty steep back down to the valley floor for the familiar 5 and a bit miles home with more climbing of around 70m. Pretty quiet for a Sunday afternoon, enjoyed crunching the first autumn beech leaves. OH came out to meet me on his Mtb, catching up after around 6 miles. Was nice to have the company, he didn't seem to mind trundling along slowly. Did have two mini breaks for communication as he took alternative trails and then didn't reappear for a while but my overall route was clear so I got going again as he would have greater speed to find me again. Good 56 mile week with some hillage and a few faster miles. Right achilles a bit grumbly, not helped by a swollen insect bite. 
  • Hazel: I may have had in mind the huge boar that the Dwarf Lord [Billy Connolly] roade in 'The Battle Of The Five Armies', last of 'The Hobbit' film sequence!  Are you moving house, or simply trying some alternative routes?  I like the sound of your local run yesterday, even the climbing.  Autumn's just starting to throw its variegated cape over the countryside.

    Ought to have taken the head torch last night: sunset at 7.48pm - and I chatted to a dog walking acquaintance with a wilful Welsh Terrier, so it was even later before I set off.  The slight uphill along the trails leading to the beach allow me to shake out the aches and settle my breathing,  Down the beach, a mile or more, the light fading into darker pastel shades, then parallel to the Freeport fence, eyes peeled for rabbit burrows.  Up the coastal park, I risked the first trail, then flagstones beneath the ornamental gardens and round the strangely sleeping funfair.  Had to run to the cycle path junction standard lamp before I could read the time.  4.1 miles @ 10 min/mile pace.
  • Hazel: I may have had in mind the huge boar that the Dwarf Lord [Billy Connolly] roade in 'The Battle Of The Five Armies', last of 'The Hobbit' film sequence!  Are you moving house, or simply trying some alternative routes?  I like the sound of your local run yesterday, even the climbing.  Autumn's just starting to throw its variegated cape over the countryside.

    Ought to have taken the head torch last night: sunset at 7.48pm - and I chatted to a dog walking acquaintance with a wilful Welsh Terrier, so it was even later before I set off.  The slight uphill along the trails leading to the beach allow me to shake out the aches and settle my breathing,  Down the beach, a mile or more, the light fading into darker pastel shades, then parallel to the Freeport fence, eyes peeled for rabbit burrows.  Up the coastal park, I risked the first trail, then flagstones beneath the ornamental gardens and round the strangely sleeping funfair.  Had to run to the cycle path junction standard lamp before I could read the time.  4.1 miles @ 10 min/mile pace.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Great 20 miles Cal,love your descriptions of London,sometimes I'm very envious of your London runs,so much to see,taking in the landmarks.Nice time as well.


    Nice few runs Hazelnut.I have a speedwork session with my running club on Wednesday,first one in a very long time.Fantastic weekly milage.

    Nice little run Swittle.I've noticed how dark it is now in the evenings.You definitely need your eyes peeled when running near rabbit burrows,they're great ankle breakers.

    8.25 miles yesterday morning.Polly tagged along for company.It was just an slow and easy run but struggled a bit,felt very uncomfortable.Noticed a few new runners on the canal,always nice to see.
    7.32 miles this afternoon,felt much better,so I upped the speed to 7.10 m/m for 3 miles.Finished with two 40 seconds hill sprints.




  • I have to move house swittle - we rent and we have been given notice as the landlady needs the flat herself.  There isn't anything on the market in my current village which would suit us so we will have to go elsewhere though not too far away due to social and work restraints.  I am actually already looking forward to running something new. A criterium (for me at least) for the selection of the new location is having decent running routes nearby.    Nice run - also found your related blog on Fetch - even nicer.. :)

    Enjoy the speed session tomorrow JD - might be more fun in company.  Nice mileage yourself. 

    5 mile recovery yesterday evening.  Dull grey sort of day but felt much better post-run having been tired all day after a bad night's sleep.  Didn't meet anyone at all, likely I was before / after the main dog-/pig walking period. 
  • The restorative power of an enjoyable run is more efficacious than a cabinet full of pills!  Not sure if house finding sites such as Zoopla [that's a UK thing!] include range, difficulty, terrain of the local environs - if not, they should.  :)  Thanks for reading my latest blog: absorbing sights, sounds, even smells gives me almost constant inspiration.

    JD1: I'm sure you'll be a match for those drills, intervals & sprints - I'm having to take a break from typing that: quite worn out thinking about speed. ;)  The contrasts between adjacent runs sometimes defy explanation.

    Warmish today on Costa del Crosby, so I'll run about 6pm tonight.  Whisper it softly, but the hamstring is improving, and I felt good after last night's gym sesh - slightly heavier loads on most exercises.
  • I've had a couple of days off - I was feeling pretty exhausted after last week and a couple of nights of rubbish sleep didn't help.

    Got out for a run today. Conditions were pleasant - the run, less so. There was a lot of traffic out (I went out at 6.15) and it seems rush hour has got earlier than it was before lockdown, so air quality was not great along the roads. And for some reason, my right back/side (probably the QL) got really uncomfortable and is quite painful now. I'm going to see my clubmate Cathryn (the one who gave me a bit of coaching two weeks ago) as she's a masseur and said she'll have a prod but I'll have to walk three miles to Battersea for it so I hope it helps.
    This is not a new thing - I've had similar before but I could really do without this right before my 10K - it's not like I don't have other niggles I'm dealing with!

    In other news, I've entered a 50K ultra in November. :#
  • With races coming up you were wise to take a couple of days off Cal if you were feeling rough.  Hope the prodding will help your niggle.  Like the idea of the 50k - would be a good follow up for your mara and a good entry to ultras.  A flat 50k took place not far from here at the weekend (postponed from May).  Will probably look at that for next year as something to aim for.

    I can imagine the beach provides a good range of smells swittle.   Like the ideas for the additions to house-hunting sites. 

    Group run yesterday evening - a good turnout of 9.  With moving and the dark season rapidly approaching I worked out it would be my last opportunity to cycle to and from the meeting point - I take an off-road route through some woods which I don't do in winter as it is too rough ground without decent lighting.  As it was I had to brake all down the (short) hill on the way back as I could hardly see anything.  The reward was a lovely orange sunset.  The run itself was also very nice - a bit warm setting off (summer is trying to make a comeback currently) but once we were in the shade perfect.  Nice chatting on assorted topics - everyone did go quiet though up the hills so we must have been working fairly hard. 
  • 10.5 miles in 1:33 yesterday evening.  Definitely back to summer.  I didn't drink enough all day and was pretty dehydrated by the time I got back.  (looks at oneself sternly and picks up glass from desk to prepare for today's run...). 

    I set off on one of my standard routes but decided to add in a couple of tweaks.  No new trails or roads explored but just a new combination seemed to freshen things up.  A bad night's sleep meant it took a couple of miles to get going, by around 8 I was happily trundling along and could have done more at the end.  I kept effort levels sensible though as I will try some speedwork later today.  2 or 3 other runners out - must have been the nice weather.  Saw a marten in the woods (I think - might have been a dark brown squirrel as well but they run differently) and a pretty tricolour cat.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Nice to see a sunset, Hazlenut - I only usually see them from my window but I do catch a few sunrises on my runs. I suppose that's one good thing about the darker mornings - in summer the sun is up before I am.
    Good marten spotting too.


    Cathryn gave me a good prod and pull around yesterday which seemed to help a bit - I was right about it being tight QLs, she said they were rock hard.  She was also quite interested in my left piriformis, so gave that a bit of attention too. She didn't want paying but I took her a bottle of wine as a thankyou.

    I was still pretty stiff this morning and had a bit of a roll before I went out. It felt better than yesterday but it still felt like running with a stitch in my back ribs. However, I opted for a fartlek and after a couple of faster efforts, it got better. Maybe the heavier breathing helped, I don't know.
    Traffic is still bad even though I went out at 6. I opted for a route that crossed a couple of busy roads and had to stop a couple of times. As I was doing a fairly informal fartlek-type run I tried not to let that bother me.
    When I started running at 16 I always, always ran all the way and any stopping would be seen as a failure (by me). It's really taken me until now to get out of that mindset.
    Anyway, I ran down to Tooting to do that little footpath I found last week. The path leads off a road loop - it's a long oval, a bit longer than a track (about a third of a mile, I measured it today). Last week I just ran up once side to the footpath entrance but I decided to do a couple of laps today to see if there was a Strava segment there. And yes there was, and I now have the female course record. :D Can't beat an unexpected Strava crown, can you?
    I pushed a bit on the footpath (a little under 10 min/mi), then after dealing with a couple of busy road crossings, ran through Wandle Park and then north on the trail. I did the section between the park and Plough Lane around 9:40ish, then once I got over Plough Lane I did the section to Earlsfied at around 10K pace.
    Moderate push up the Magdalen Road hill (10ish) and over to Wandsworth Common. I was going to do a little sprint on one of the paths but immediately put my foot in a pothole. I was very lucky not to hurt myself. I thought better of the sprint but did another path at a moderate pace before heading home.

    Tomorrow is a rest/gym day (I think I will stick with upper body as I don't want to tire my legs out) and then I'll do a shortish run and maybe some strides on the Saturday.
  • Hi folks!  Haven't posted for many months but just thought I'd drop in and say hi.  I used to post a few times a week until i got injured, nice to see all the main contributors are here; Cal, Hazlenut, JD, Swittle, Guardog... Did JT or Will ever appear again?  You all seem for the most part happy and well which is good to hear.  Some awesome running!


    Well, as expected, my injury was unpleasant and long standing.  It appeared about early in the year and got progressively worse,  very painful left ankle and lower left tibia.  I was stubborn and as it worsened still did at least one long run on it a week and several shorter quicker ones.  Then I did 2 half marathons close together, it got much worse. Corona arrived, I was stressed and worried, like most, and I started doing well over-the-top speed sessions back to back, and was buggered.  Finally I did a 5 miler and had to have an entire week off work (first one) as I couldn't walk.

    My life then became lots of physio sessions, as soon as they opened, and endless hours of strengthening exercises!  Every immovable object in the house has a different coloured resistance band tied to it!

    the verdict was: weakness> strength imbalance> bad over-pronation in left ankle> compression of peroneal tendon>bad tendonitis.

    The painful lower tibia was a head-scratcher, they couldn't figure out but it hurt SO MUCH.

    Anyway lots physio, LOTS of strenghtening exercises and I'm getting there!

    Mid April-May. No running at all.
    May-June. 2 miles a week. Painful.
    June-July. 3 miles a week. Okay, just, but often painful.
    July-August. 2 x 3 miles a week, easy pace. slight improvement.
    August-now: 3 x runs week. 4 or 5 miles during the week, weekend runs going 6,6,7,9,9,10.5

    It was completely rubbish not being able to run barely at all for 3 months, hated it, but I'm sort of getting there now! and it feels great to be running again. 20 miles a week for the last 3 weeks!!
     I put on half a stone but have gone from 11.8 to 10.13 now I'm running again.
     I've bought some Nike epic react infinity run which feel so different, but I like them.  I'm a bit of a nervous wreck now thinking every twinge is going to lay me up for 3 months.

    I'm doing a 10k race this weekend, mainly to help our local race promotors, but have sensibly stuck myself in a wave 7 minutes slower than I run previously, so I am under no pressure, and can only press on if I feel good.  That said, I did 3 x 7.5 min miles the other day and feel OK since.

    I'm not really sure what to try and do running wise now ( assuming I'm OK), I did manage my 10 half marathons, so maybe should try and do 5k and 10k for a while?  it'd be nice to try and drop my PB's, and it's the long runs that always seem to knock me about a bit.

    A bit of a self-indulgent post really! but just glad to be able to run again, (and post here!)

    Take care all and can hopefully post and get back to being a runner, albeit a cautious one.









  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    That'll be a nice first ultra Cal.Good of your friend to give your niggles a prod,I could do with a sports massage myself.Well done on your new crown.

    Fairly cool in north Wales,Hazelnut,so good running weather.I always have a glass of water on the go,but sometimes I just can't be bothered with it,and pay the price later.

    Good news on the hamstrings Swittle.

    Good to hear from you Linton.You have been through the injury mill for sure,you seemed to have numerous injuries rolled into one.Fingers crossed you can keep the injuries at bay.Good luck for Saturday,hope you really enjoy it.

    9.32 miles Tuesday afternoon,felt a twinge in my left glute but thought I could run it off,by mile 7 I  was really struggling,in the end my pace was  slightly faster than a brisk walk.Really happy to get home.
    Went to my first yoga class,Wednesday,going to make it a regular thing and ditch the circuit training,as that gives me my niggles.
    Just over 4.5 miles this morning,but really struggled again,so going to rest for a few days.Found Polly's hard ball in the garden,so started to work it on my glute.






  • Welcome back, Linton! I'm glad you're overcoming your injury. Which 10K are you doing?

    I hope that ball does the trick, JD.
  • LintonTravelTavernLintonTravelTavern ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Hi Cal, thankyou. The 10k is Wingham, a mere 5 miles from my house, which is handy.

    It is pretty route but undulating, and starts with a 3/4 mile uphill, which will be unpleasant!

    I could run a 47min 10k before injury, but have put myself in the 54 min wave. If I run quicker I want it to be due to feeling Ok, rather than being towed round!

    No water at events down here, assuming its the same for you guys? It's going to be 19c so will be a thirsty one!

    It's going to be a bit strange, the new format  but glad events are back on.  Have you guys done any of the new format of races? 

    Oh, and I hope you're Ok JD. It never ends does it!
  • Nice one on the crown Cal.  Be careful with those potholes.  Fartlek sounds like a good idea for stop-start routes.  Stopping for road crossings is a pain - especially when working at a specific pace.  My pet hate is the level crossing I cross on one of my longer routes.  I can avoid it but there is a convenient watering spot which saves me carrying my own.  Good plan prior to your 10k.

    Lovely to see you again LTT.  I saw a couple of posts from you on other threads (shoes?) in the last few months and wondered how you are doing.  Sounds like your comeback is progressing well.    After those few months being able to pin on a number again is an achievement in itself.  Good luck with the 10k - sensible plan - starting in a slower wave might help you not to set off too fast and you can enjoy picking off some people in the latter stages if you are feeling good.    

    Sorry to hear about the glute niggle JD.  Cal is the yoga expert on here but I can imagine getting into some of those poses can be tough as well so good luck with that.  I initially read that circuit training gives you the giggles!  Hope Polly doesn't mind you borrowing the ball - she might bury it in the garden to hide it from you!

    Another attempt at speedwork yesterday - plan was 5k @ LT pace plus warm up and cool down around 7 miles.
    The 5k started ok, as usual a bit fast but I had to take 3(!) stop in the shade breaks in km 3-4 before at least finishing the last bit without a break.  My own fault really - I had to run at midday yesterday due to work and looking at another flat in the evening and didn't get out in the morning when it was cooler.  I also have no real idea of the paces I should be thinking about training at at the moment due to a lack of races.  I have a good mileage base from the last months but seem to have lost my speed.  Plan for the next few weeks is to slow every thing down a bit so that I can successfully complete some speedwork again and see how things progress.

    This morning I had to take my moped to get a check through done so took the opportunity to jog home as a recovery run of 3 and a bit miles. Actually a few too many undulations for a real recovery run and high humidity left me struggling to breath a bit so I ignored what my watch was telling me about splits / paces etc.. for a nice slow outing.
  • Good luck, Linton. I think some of the shorter races don't have water (until the end) but the marathon I'm doing will - it's help yourself, though.

    Hazelnut - I have to cross tram tracks on a few routes, including the Wandle Trail. I've only ever had to stop for a tram once, fortunately.
    Good plan on the speedwork. The one thing I seem to have lost is a bit of stride length, which makes a lot of difference to times.

    I've had a bit of a stressful time with this race tomorrow. There are no trains running (rail works...very slow rail replacement but service...no thanks) and the tubes don't get there early enough (well, not really). To cap it all, my race pack never arrived so I'm having to collect a spare which means getting there earlier. The only way I can do that is to run there, which is 8 miles (by the most direct route along the South Circular, which I followed on the way home on my long run last Sunday. And it's very dull). The scenic route along the river is a lot further. So I could turn it into a long run but not have a particularly good 10K, or I could get a taxi at great expense, which I am loathe to do because I currently have no income.
    On top of that, my Garmin has been playing silly buggers. It's recording and uploading runs OK now but it's not recording any heart rate or sleep after the day's activity. No idea why. And today it recorded my run but the satnav was completely out.

    I've used the Strava screen as it's a bit clearer. (This was a 5 mile run, mostly easy, but with some strides).



    The red line is where the watch said I ran and the blue line is where I actually ran (apart from the first bit which is a little wiggly but mostly right).
    Distance was about right, but Garmin also said I had over 1000m of elevation (Strava was actually correct, more or less) so it must have thought I was on a rollercoaster.

    This is not what I need the day before a race, and a run to the race on a route I don't know well.

  • Not the sort of stress you need before a race Cal. Neither way of getting to the race is good in that case. Garmin issues on top as well.  If the race has mile/km markers you could keep an eye on pace by a stopwatch / manual lap function but doing maths at 10k pace might be hard. Good luck that you make it to the start line ok and of course for the race itself.

    Around 7 miles this morning pre-breakfast. Mini early autumn heatwave currently so better early than late. Air quality is pretty bad at the moment: dust and humidity together.  Day 1 of slow it down went well, a routine sort of run was quite pleasing as I did what I set out to do. Reward for good pacing was a set of strides. Rather than jogging the recoveries slowly I ran these fairly hard, but just so that I could do the next stride with good acceleration and form. Quite fun.

    Walk later on in the woods revealed lots of funghi despite the dry weather and a single autumn leaf illuminated by the evening sun hanging on a spider thread over the path. Would have made a good piccie but no camera unfortunately. 
  • Good luck Cal, that sounds a pain. Hope it goes well.  
    That sounds a good run Hazlenut, and a nice walk too. It is warm here in th UK.

    Just having a small porridge then off, feels a bit strange! I get my medal before the race so maybe should just collect it, come home and have a day on the sofa!

    My Runkeeper packed up earlier in the year Cal and I've just run off a stopwatch since, so its possible, although only because I've measured mile markers in every direction from my house. Hope it works well on the day.
  • JD1JD1 ✭✭✭
    Good luck Cal and Linton,hope all goes well.
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