New Mature Runners Thread

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  • HS: Well done to you and Sarah for that 17 mile run. I’ve never run anything longer than half marathons, and as most of those were the GNR I found I got bored long before I’d finished (I don’t find running on dual carriageways very stimulating) so I doubt I’d ever manage 17 miles. However I imagine an off road run, and one with an “orienteering” element, would turn a long, potentially boring, run into something quite enjoyable. I hope you enjoyed your rest day yesterday, you'd certainly earned it. I sympathise with you regarding the data screens on your watch. It’s always the same when you upgrade any sort of device to a newer model, it takes a bit of time and patience to get to grips with it. I’m pleased to say that my Garmin 45s seems to be behaving itself again (see below).

    Columba: hello again, thanks for the advice regarding those maggoty creatures. Good to see you are getting out with your club again, those Thursday evening sessions sounds ideal, well done for also fitting in a weekly long run. I take it you aren’t currently experiencing any knee problems?

    JB: I hope both your tinnitus and loss of hearing were just temporary and have now improved. I was also delighted to hear parkrun will resume at the end of October, but unless our start and finish areas can be moved to somewhere with more space I doubt I’ll feel comfortable taking part. I heard earlier this week that one of our local 10k runs (that had already been moved from April to October due to the virus) has now been cancelled. So that means all the 10k events I’ve entered this year have now been postponed until 2021. 

    WtnMel: You’ve just reminded me of a job I keep putting off - deleting old emails to free up some space. Perhaps I can fit that in tomorrow, or maybe Friday……  Sorry to hear you didn’t win your golf match, but at least you gained a few extra golf balls so not a completely wasted day. ;)  Good idea to keep on with the golf lessons, but I suppose the main thing is as long as you are enjoying your game does it really matter who wins? 

    I had hoped to fit in a run yesterday, but ran out of time. However I did manage to do my Zoom Pilates session - that hour every Tuesday morning keeps me sane as life seems pretty hectic at the moment. A bit of good news though is that we have managed to get Steve an appointment next week at a private heart clinic to get his heart rate monitor fitted. It will record for 7 days, and the readings from that should give us a good idea of what is happening with his heart. Unfortunately we won’t really be much further forward as he would then have to go on the NHS waiting list if any surgery is needed, but at least we’ll know what, if anything, is the problem. The appointment is on Tuesday morning, so I’m afraid no Pilates for me next week. :(
    We also got more good news today - our son, who is temporarily staying with us while house hunting, heard that he is finally being un-furloughed next week and will take up his new job on Monday. He’d just got promoted and was about to take up his new position when lockdown happened. A number of his colleagues have since been made redundant as their jobs were abolished, so this prolonged period of furlough has been worrying in case he too ended up without a job.  
    I got up early this morning and did my usual intervals session. My Garmin behaved impeccably and my intervals felt quite comfortable, so all in all it was a good session. I’m back to the chiropractor tomorrow and Steve has an optician’s appointment, then I think we’ll pop into the garden centre on the way home, and finish the day off with a nice meal for our son, to celebrate him getting back to work. Oh dear, it looks as if I'll be too busy tomorrow to delete those old emails after all, oh dear what a shame :)
  • Hi all. Just signed up this morning and very pleased to see this thread for us older types. I'm heading rapidly toward 68yoa (about the only thing that is rapid these days). still, I'm managing around 30K a week over three runs. Looking forward to maybe sgaring some tips/advice/experiences with all here.
  • Thanks to all for the good wishes, Mell, HS and Aq. Pleased and relieved to report that the ear problem seems to have cleared up as quickly as it came, but like many I’ve had mild tinnitus for many years.

    HS, sorry to hear of the race cancellation. Our local 10k is still on for 4th October but I’m waiting for it to be cancelled. I’ve not entered but Bateman junior has.
    Talking of 10k I ran a time trail yesterday in 49.43. A tad disappointing as I was hoping to duck under 49. But it was windy that always does for me as previously discussed.

    Aquarius, great news about your son’s job! Enjoy the meal. My elder son has just given up his full time job to concentrate on writing. Not the great British novel but technical stuff for which he seems to be in some demand. Bit of a risk in these troubled times. The worry never leaves you, does it?


    Redmist, welcome. Do you compete? 30k a week is very respectable. Looking forward to hearing more from you.
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Aquarius, thanks, we really enjoyed our long run on Monday, and were chatting all the way round. It was quite challenging as we had to navigate our way round, so were very pleased with ourselves when we finished. We will be doing it again, with the intention of doing less mileage. Yesterdays rest day was very welcome, but I still did my usual walk back with 4 heavy shopping bags. Glad to hear that your new Garmin 45 "is behaving!"

    Good that you are persisting with the Zoom pilates, it certainly does seem to be beneficial; and good that Steve has eventually got an appointment to have a heart rate monitor fitted. That will, at least, inform you what the problem is, and whether any treatment is necessary. Not so good though that he will have to go on a NHS waiting list if surgery is required.

    Excellent news that your son will be taking up his newly promoted position, and not made redundant like some if his colleagues.

    Good that your intervals felt comfortable, which is probably attributable to your pilates, and sessions with the chiropractor. 

    Hope that you enjoyed the celebratory meal with your son yesterday.

    Redmist, welcome to the thread. We are quite chatty and do talk about other things besides running. Feel free to ask for any training tips etc. Have you been running for long, and done any races?

    JB, glad to hear that your ear problem has cleared up, but sorry that you have suffered with tinnitus.

    The New Forest Marathon, half and 10k haven't been cancelled, just moved to an alternative venue. I didn't fancy driving to Wimborne, so opted to run it virtually. I received an email from the organisers yesterdays, advising that I would still receive a finishers medal, t shirt, and the 25% off Garmin products. I wont use the discount, as I got mine cheaper from another source, I won't advertise. They have inserted a link in the email for a form to submit my race details. This can be from my run on Strava, which will show the route, time etc. I don't suppose that there are any prizes for "virtual runners," but will be given to those that race on the official routes.

    Having just said the above, I'm wondering now whether it will still go ahead, because the new Covid instructions are a minimum of 6 people meeting up. I don't know whether that will be applicable to races. Our Brockenhurst parkrun seems doomed too, as the forestry commission have said only 30 runners would be permitted☹ Well done for your 10k time trial, that is an excellent time going sub 50 minutes.

    I wish your son the best of luck with his new technical writing career.

    This morning was a 9k recovery run after yesterdays hill rep session. That comprised 4 sets of 6 minute continuous hills running hard up and recovering down, with 2 minutes recovery between sets.

    Tomorrow is a rest day, with a dental appointment at 12 noon.

     


  • Morning everyone,

    HS - glad to read your Garmin is now sorted after some help from Mike (and I see he helped Chris too - he's obviously a Garmin 'guru' and useful to know!). The mobile seems to be a bit faster now the internal storage isn't completely full - I've even been able to re-install a couple of apps I had to remove due to lack of space. Well done re Wed's hill session. Still doing the regular 'weight-training' shopping I see. 

    Aquarius - like you, I've never run more than a HM. I didn't get bored running the Bath HM but my calf cramps were my undoing and made the experience painful at the end. Glad to read your new Garmin 45 is continuing to work properly. Deleting old emails is a pain when you allow so many to build up - have slapped my wrist and told myself to be much better at deleting stuff in future and am still weeding out unwanted rubbish. Glad to hear you have got Steve an appointment - shame it clashes with the Pilates. Good news about your son's employment prospects. 

    Redmist - welcome along to this small (but perfectly formed) thread. 30k a week is very respectable - I am 'old school' and still think in miles and manage about 15 a week (25K?).

    JB - glad to read your ear problem was short-lived. Shame you didn't manage to duck under 49 mins for that 10K - personally, anywhere near 60mins would be good for me!

    Some heavy-duty gardening for me yesterday with my son. We broke up the concrete around the pond we no longer want and moved the rocks from the rockery behind it and the slabs to behind the garage until I get round to getting rid of them. We also dug up a few tree roots so feeling a bit achey this morning! 

    I hadn't planned to run today as we're off to Snowshill Manor (NT) for a walk around the gardens. We've been before and seen around the house (which was featured in George Clarke's current series about NT houses on Channel 4 last week) but it will be nice to have a little walk somewhere different.

    All being well, will get out for a run early tomorrow morning.

    My club had only recently re-started sessions but with groups of 6 setting off at 10 min intervals so I 'think' they may be able to continue under the new rules?

  • Many thanks folks for the warm welcome. Much appreciated.
    I started running around 40 years ago (after, shamefully, getting banned from football after numerous cards of two colours). Jumped right in after two weeks training with the then Pony Bolton marathon. That took me 5hrs15mins, which was ok on 20 cigs a day. Followed that up with 4 more Adidas Bolton marathons and a best time of 3hrs50mins.
    After that I concentrated on half marathon distance and under, with a best of 1:33.
    For the next 30 years I continued mixing running and five-a-side footy (not the ideal partners. I know), adding one more marathon as a bet for charity. That was the Snowdonia National Park marathon in 1998, which completely destroyed me and put me off running until four years ago. Eight years ago I had a heart attack but, luckily, suffered no lasting heart damage. To be honest I took it as a personal affront, particularly as I had stopped smoking about two years earlier. Anyway, one stent and statins saw me on the mend and I took up open water swimming about six years ago and still love it. Whilst doing that, I made friends with a number of triathletes, who got me back running and where I am today.
    I do try not to look at my stop watch but struggle to do so, which is silly really as I am around 2 minutes a mile slower now than by best days, which themselves weren't anything to write home about. Just started to enter organised events (10Ks mainly) when the present situation took over.
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    WtmMel, the Garmin is "still not quite right!" It doesn't alert on each k, but does on each mile. The other problem is actually my fault. Mike asked me if I wanted average pace, or pace. I opted for average pace, which means what it says, and doesn't fluctuate much when pace changes. I'll ask him tomorrow if he can have another look. We will get there in the end.

    I try to delete e mails regularly. At one time, I used to put certain topics in folders, but found that I never looked at them, so no longer do it. 

    I saw your gardening epic on Strava. I didn't think that there was such a category! Definitely counts as hard core cross training.

    Hope you enjoy today's walk round Snows Hill Manor.

    Our running club has been given permission for up to 12 members to attend training sessions, provided that they meet Covid regulations. In another week or so, the sessions will revert to the roads, wearing hi viz tops. I will continue running in the forest, in the daylight.

    Redmist, you seem to have quite a chequered sporting background! I started mine playing club table tennis to a reasonable level. I started running in my mid thirties, but didn't take it really seriously until I turned 40. I've been concentrating on  virtual 5k's this year, due to all the races I had entered being cancelled, or postponed to a later date. These are certainly helping me to improve my pace, plus structured training mid week with two or three running buddies. All my pb's are back in my forties, so I try to be competitive in my age categories these days.

    I had a dental appointment at 12 noon today, and had my temperature tested before being allowed into the surgery.
  • Afternoon all

    Redmist: Welcome to the forum, we’ll look forward to reading about your running exploits although as others have said we talk about all sorts of things on here as well as running, so feel free to join in the chat. I’m 66 and similar to WtnMel in that we do about the same mileage each week, and often at roughly the same pace. I only took up running in my mid 50s, and didn’t join a club until I was about 60, but having moved house over 3 years ago I don’t get to my club very often now, and have never fancied joining a new one. I prefer off road running these days and also fit in some yoga, Pilates and strength work to try to keep reasonably fit. 

    HS: I hope Chris can sort out those niggling Garmin problems, other than that are you finding your new watch an improvement over your old one? 
    I noticed on Facebook that our club have checked the position with EA and it seems it will still be okay for training sessions to continue as they are at present, because they have already been through the return to play protocols. 
    Good luck for tomorrow’s virtual 5k, looking forward to your “race” report. 

    JB: Glad to read your ear problem cleared up, shame about the tinnitus but as you’ve had it for some time I expect you’ve become accustomed to it, or at least as much as that is possible.
    I agree with you that as parents you never stop worrying about your children, whatever age they are. Your son’s career move sounds a good one though, especially as he is in demand for that type of work. Our youngest son became self employed a couple of years ago, and never looked back.
    Personally I’d be delighted with a 49.43 for 10k, I’d even settle for 59.43. :)

    WtnMel: I hope you both had a good day at Snowshill Manor, and the weather behaved itself while you were there.
    I think I only ever had one bad attack of calf cramps, and that was (fortunately) at the end of one of the GNRs. Steve’s calves were also affected, and from what I can remember we’d had to stand around in the rain for 40+ minutes in our race pen waiting for the start, so we wondered if the cramp could be due to that as neither of us had had that problem before. 
    Well done for that heavy duty gardening work, I’m not surprised you were a bit achey this morning, excellent cross training though. Enjoy your run tomorrow, when is your next golf match with Alan?


    I had intended to go for a run this morning, but two successive nights of sleeping badly put paid to that. Hopefully tonight I’ll get a good night’s sleep so I’ll feel like venturing out early tomorrow morning for my hills session. 
  • RunningfoxRunningfox ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    Reluctantly, after much thought, I decided a couple of days back that my running days are over.  Yesterday, I'd another injection in my Rt eye which the Consultant said was full of inflammation, and everything is distorted in my Lt eye.   I could maybe run on flat grass where there's little danger or fear of falling , but what fun is there in that?    Consequently, I've spent today throwing out all my gear, jackets, vests, shorts, tights, thermals, shoes, etc, etc..   Fini.
    My wonderful partner was in tears when I told her for we've had many brilliant holidays running together in various parts of the world and she'd like to think it could continue.  , But I could never run in those places again, even if the dreaded virus subsided long enough for us to do so.   But at least, at the age of 88, I have some incredible memories, both of climbing and running, and can say with the best, Vixi, I've lived. 
    Some of those memories are mentioned in what may well be my final blog for anyone who might be interested:  
    https://oldrunningfox.blogspot.com


  • Runningfox: So sad to read your news this evening but, as you said, what incredible memories you and your partner must have. I have nothing but admiration for you, your incredible years as a runner and for what must have been such a hard but, ultimately, wholly sensible decision you made. You do inspire me to hope I may have another 20 years of running in me, if I am to be as fortunate as you. Best regards for the future.
  • Rf, sorry to hear this. You were world class!

    Aquarius, good to hear that your son has flourished. I admire anyone who gives it a go. I’ve always pretty much stayed in my comfort zone: one profession, still live where I grew up and married my childhood sweetheart. Seems to have worked out OK, but I’ll need to check with the last mentioned!

    Redmist should perhaps be red card? Thank goodness running isn’t a contact sport! Interesting CV which made for an enjoyable read. Like many I came to running a little later than I would have liked in my early 30s. I too played a lot of 5 a side and always had a good engine as they say. Although like HS I did my best times a couple of decades ago, it was  parkrun that really fired up my enthusiasm. The combination of what turned out to be my natural distance plus age grading really clicked with me and I peaked in my early 60s. Unfortunately I missed my holy grail of 80% WAVA by a second or two and I’ll never get get back there.
    Now it’s a case of navigating injuries and trying to maintain a decent standard. Talking of which, a 22.33 5k this morning and my best for a while. Perfect conditions helped.
  • JB6 : Haha! I did consider Red Card but instead settled for what caused the cards to be regularly brandished. Would still jump at the chance to play 5-a-side (OMG predictive text just put 5-ex-wives. Thank god I spotted that) but all the local teams know about my medical history and won't take the risk.
    Respect re your 5k time. That really is dream land for me.
  • Good afternoon all,

    Aquarius, it was Mike sorting my new Garmin out, and also Chris's. He did a few more tweaks to it before we set off this morning, and it now records distance in k's, alerts on k's and also on miles. Perfect now for my requirements.

    Thanks for your good luck for today's forest 5k, details below.

    Hope you got a better nights sleep last night, and were able to get out today for your hill session.

    Runningfox, I'm very sorry to hear that you have finally decided to retire from running, but in the circumstances, does seem to be a sensible decision. I can understand that after so many years of fell running etc, running on flat grass would hold no attraction.

    As you say, you have some wonderful memories, and achievements that possibly will never be bettered by others. I've read your blog again and have to repeat that you are a true inspiration to us on here, and I'm sure all those that know you. I'll be 75 in December, and you have certainly inspired me to continue running as long as I am able. Hope you will continue to "keep an eye on us!"

    JB, well done for this mornings 5k, you are certainly maintaining a good standard, and that does seem to be your natural distance. I've always been into longer distances, but do have a 5k of 18.08 set in my 40's with an 80+WAVA.

    Redmist, I do hope that you will stay with us, as we've had many that post once and then disappear. 

    Today's forest 5k was a little slower than usual, as Sarah F and I were still feeling the effects of Mondays long run. Mike, who is quicker than us, did an excellent pacing job keeping us going at a respectable pace. We recorded 27.03 which is a 68.88% WAVA for me as a 74 year old male. My Vo2 max was 45, with a fitness age of 20. I wish that I was 20 again, but like Runningfox, I have a lot to look back on.
  • Afternoon everyone,

    Redmist - now I understand where you got your nickname from. Personally I've never managed more than a HM so kudos to you for managing six of them. I've heard about how hard the Snowdonia marathon is from clubmates so I'm not surprised it put you off running. Glad to hear you've recovered from the heart attack. I don't 'clock watch' when I'm out running other than occasional glances to check my mileage/avg pace but although I've been speeding up recently, I can't see me improving much more unless I can lose some more weight. You mentioned the Adidas Bolton marathon and then later, open water swimming and triathlons. I have a friend from Bolton who used to post on the RW forums many years ago and she does open water swimming and Ironman triathlons these days.

    HS -  obviously I don't know how your Garmin works but I do have mine set up with total time/total mileage/avg pace on the first screen but on the second screen, I have it show figures for the current lap. I am putting some of the emails I need to keep in folders - but I'm getting rid of lots of old rubbish ones right now. Posting the gardening on Strava was a bit of a joke to be honest - but it does prove how much the satellite signals jump around and why you shouldn't trust them too much. I'd have thought your running club will be advised to limit groups to max. 6 people from Monday? I have a dentist appointment in a week or two and they've warned me they'll be taking my temperature beforehand.

    Aquarius - I'd settle for 59.55 for a 10K to equal my PB from 2013. I'd never thought about the standing around before the start of the Bath HM being a possible cause of my calf cramps - the training beforehand (up to 13mls) had been trouble-free so who knows, that may have been a contributing factor. I'm playing golf with Alan on Monday - we're going to another nearby course I've not played for many years .. but Alan played there last week with another golfing mate and gave it the thumbs-up. Hope your sleep has been better recently.

    RF - that really is a shame to hear you've had to give up on running due to eyesight problems. But you've had a brilliant career so you have lots of fond memories to look back on. Like Redmist, I hope I have plenty more years of running in me and my clubmate Virginia (80 and going strong- and faster than me!!) is my inspiration.

    JB - during my 'career' I seemed to drift from one job to another without too many problems but in latter years most job-moves were due to being made redundant rather than me choosing to go. Thankfully, I fell on my feet each time - wouldn't be so easy these days. I didn't need asking twice when my last company enquired if I'd like to retire early and they could help me on my way with a settlement agreement.

    Snowshill Manor (NT) was okay - we've been there before when we were able to look around the house - that's the main draw but a walk around the garden was a nice change. But it was busier than we wanted - probably due to it being featured on the George Clarke tv programme last week - and not everyone was staying socially-distanced so we didn't hang around for too long

    I managed to crawl out of bed at 5:45 this morning and ran 4.5mls. I seem to have lost a bit of (cough) 'speed' from a couple of weeks ago as it was only 10:55mm pace .. but that could be due to not enough sleep last night. A nice bonus when I jumped on the scales this morning after my run. I weigh myself once a week after my weekend run and today I was 13st 13lb so a couple of pounds off. I've been hovering just over 14st for a while and my previous lowest weight was 13st 8lb at the end of 2015 so it would be nice to get back down to that weight again .. and it would help my running with less weight to carry around.

    Been in the garden today pruning back a plum, cherry and apple tree that had grown too tall. There's another apple tree to prune but it's the biggest of the lot and needs the most work to 'tame' it so I've left that until last.

    In case anyone else is interested, on Thu 17th Sky Arts is moving to Freeview Channel 11 where it will replace the Sky channel 'Pick' that's currently there. Looking forward to seeing some of the concerts/documentaries I've seen advertised but never been able to see because I refuse to pay for Sky and have a satellite dish installed.

  • So, made the mistake of listening to the radio before going out on my weekly 13k. There was an interview with guys doing the virtual Great North Run. I thought that I’d have a crack at doing the half marathon distance and try to get within 2 hours.
    In the event managed 2.02 which included a fall which left my elbow rather bloody. 
    So, something of a mixed morning for me. Nice to know I can run a half decent HM on a whim, anyway and almost compensates for the pain. Mrs JB not impressed.
  • Good afternoon all,

    WtnMel, I'm not sure about how many club members will be permitted to meet up, now that the rules have been changed yet again. We only recently had approval from EA that we could have up to 12 in Covid approved conditions. We will no doubt be getting emails from our coaches clarifying matters. I don't have a problem, as I always run in a bubble that never exceeds six runners. 

    Good luck with your golf with Alan on Monday, I'm sure that it is only a matter of time before you beat him.

    A shame that your walk round Snowshill Manor was rather spoilt by the crowds, not all of whom were socially distancing, and probably not wearing face coverings where appropriate.

    Well done for getting out very early again for a run, and also for starting to lose weight. That will certainly help you to speed up. I imagine strenuous gardening is also a help in burning calories.

    Thanks for the tip about Sky Arts moving to freeview channel 11. I don't have sky or any of those pay for channels. I don't watch must TV anyway, and have no desire to sit for hours watching box sets.

    JB, well done for running the virtual GNR in such a good time, without the usual preparations; sorry to hear about your fall, and hope no real damage has been done to your elbow.

    I've probably mentioned previously that I'm doing the virtual New Forest Half Marathon Monday week, and would also like to go sub 2 hours. I won't be able to do this though, as some of my running buddies are running it with me, and I won't leave them behind.

    I've run 44 miles this week, which is the most for several years. Not ideal though, as one is supposed to taper before a race, and not increase the mileage. I will have to take it easy during the week, so that I am "rested!"
  • WtnMel - The place that I do my swimming (Pennington Flash, Leigh) is where the UK Ironman begins. I've wanted to give it a go for some years now but the cost (£500+) and aggro from my better half has prevented my entry to the event, so I merely observe and admire from the shoreline.

    Hillstrider - I'm afraid your probably stuck with me now for some considerable time. Hope I don't end up boring everyone to death.

    JB6 - Great result for you today. I'm beginning to feel that I've joined an elite running forum, judging by the times and WAVA scores published on this board. Had to smile to myself when hearing of Mrs JBs reaction. In such circumstances, of which I have had many, my wife mutters something along the lines of 'idiot' whilst fighting any signs of sympathy for my pain/injury.
  • john bateman 6john bateman 6 ✭✭✭
    edited September 2020
    HS and RM, many thanks for the kind comments. I was pleasantly surprised how well the run went. I generally hate longer runs and have only run a 13km for the previous 3 Sundays so this was something of a stretch. Although the time wasn’t great, it was exactly the same pace as my most recent 13k and felt fine. Even odder, apart from a couple of national class scabs, I’ve got no after effects. indeed my problematic Achilles and knee feel great. Perhaps long slow runs are the vehicle for running longevity?

    Im now going to lick my wounds. Not easy when one of them is your elbow!
    RM, anyone on this forum accusing another of being a running bore would constitute an open and shot case of the pot calling the kettle black! You are among friends and fellow addicts here.

    HS, by sticking with your pal and denying yourself a sub 2 hour time shows that you are a gentleman. I’ve still got some friends who have never forgiven me for leaving them behind as I zoomed off on the London to Brighton bike ride in 1999. 

    I know this isnt isn’t a football forum, but I have to observe that Brighton will be a Sky tonight slaughtering the Flash Harrys from the Kings Road aka Chelsea.

    PS RM are you from Bolton? This morning I resigned from a small job I have at the University. Just wondered.
  • JB - No, not Bolton. I'm from Wigan, where John Bateman is revered and hero worshipped as one of our great rugby league players. Don't know where you find the energy :)
    I'm actually looking for a nice part time job, having just finished a six month stint delivering meds to vulnerable and self isolating folk, as a volunteer.
  • Yes, RM, it’s all a bit tiring, especially as I needed to run home to Sussex via the hard shoulder of the M6 after a hard game.
    Ive only been to 2 RL games but one of these was St H v. the Aussies in the early 80s. One of the two sides was playing the game at a far higher level than the other. I’ll let you guess which!
  • Good morning everybody, just thought I  would pop in to see how you all are. And as usual you all seem to be absolutely fine with lots of achievements and planned runs to post about!  Kind of comforting  when everything  else seems to be changing minute by minute. 

    RF - I  hope you are still going to call in and check on us all. You are an inspiration,  and I have enjoyed reading your blog so much. We all wish you and your wonderful  partner much happiness as you hang up your running shoes.

    Redmist, hello!  I see you are already well established on this thread and  I  look forward to hearing  what you are up to.

    JB6  That's pretty amazing, just deciding  to run at the last minute  and achieve  such a brilliant  time!  I did it too, but took a lot longer than you!!!  I struggled with the heat  and I  ran to the coast which was not the  best idea because  it was teeming with people  who were having a day out together before Mondays rule of six.  Nobody was social  distancing  and I  was dodging all over the place! I  feel I  earned my hoodie ( very cosy ) and medal anyway.

    This may be a bit disjointed because I  keep having to go and help David. He is now very immobile  and has to use his mobility  scooter  even to go down the garden. We have had to isolate  since the end of January  because he is quite vulnerable. Can't see it getting better any time soon sadly.

    HS - I  really could have done with those wings on Sunday! 

    Must go, but may be able to call in later.  Cheers for now.






  • Good morning everyone, it's bright and sunny which is always the way on my rest days.

    Redmist, as JB said, there's no chance of you being considered a running bore. 

    JB,  it's interesting that you say that you have no after effects from your impromptu half marathon run, as I'm finding similar reactions after running 44 miles last week. I ran 15k in the forest yesterday morning with Sarah H, and my legs were still feeling strong. 

    There may be 3 buddies accompanying me on Monday, so it is just possible that we might not "stick together" for the whole virtual race. I received my "race number" yesterday, and am looking forward to a longer distance "race", after over 6 months of running not-a-park run every Saturday. I will still do one this Saturday to keep up my 100% record, but obviously much slower than usual. The following week we have the Hardley-a-Round route challenge, where we will try to navigate to run under 13 miles.

    Hi Matsmum, it's good to hear from you again! We are looking after the wings, which have been modified from time to time, and are now super fast. Well done for running the half marathon in the heat. It's always tougher in those conditions.

    Sorry to hear about David now being more immobile. It must be awful isolating all these months. I will put the wings to good use on Monday. We will actually be running it on our club's Solent Half Marathon route, which we are very familiar with. Hope to hear from you again as and when it is practicable.
  • Best regards Matsmum. Not sure I'm well established, but I am here for the long run (apologies).
    Just heard that there's a 10K at Tatton Park, Cheshire in October, so I may well go for that as my first event this year. They (Run Through) held a 10K there nearly every month last year. I caught one of the last ones in 2019 and quite enjoyed it, despite the torrential rain. It'll be good to see if I've improved at all after my training this year and a nice easy event like this looks ideal.
  • Morning everyone,

    JB - there's no way I could just go out and run 13mls .. I've been running 4 or 5mls fairly regularly, so even upping my run to 6 or 7mls would probably do me in. Sorry to hear about the fall though and hope the elbow isn't too bad now. 

    HS - the chance to run in a bubble of 6 people would be a blessing .. my running has all been solo for the last six months. Impressed with your 44ml week - not sure I do much more mileage than that in a month! I did see a comment on Strava from one of your friends about you being a 'machine' :)

    Redmist - I think my friend Sam(antha) sometimes swims at Pennington Flash but lately she seems to swim at some other place (don't remember name). Don't worry about this being an elite forum - I'll keep it grounded with my plodding along.

    Matsmum - nice to see you pop back on here. Shame the coast was busy when you were running there. Sorry to hear about David being more immobile.

    We had another trip to a National Trust place yesterday and visited Charlecote Park (between Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick). An hour's drive, so we popped into the cafe before doing anything else and had out first 'out out' coffee since March. It was very warm so we walked down an avenue between trees and back the same way rather than being out in the blazing sunshine.

    I managed to run earlier this morning - just over 5mls and apart from a slower first mile, mostly at around 10:35mm pace. There were a few more dog-walkers, pedestrians and other runners out this morning than I've seen lately - so a bit more dodging and weaving about needed to stay socially-distanced at all times.
  • Thanks for the positive comments including matsmum’s very kind posting.

    RM, coincidence as I too, after much prevarication, decided to sign up for a local 10k in October. To that end I ventured out this morning a ran a seasons best 10k of 48.48. Didn’t have much left in the tank after that.

    Mel, you certainly get out and about. Mrs JB and I went to Petworth yesterday. It’s near the Hampshire border so HS might well know it. I think it must be one of the poshest little towns in the UK. We counted 40 shops that just seemed to cater for the very rich. In short, this was not austerity Britain but OK yah Britain. We then drove back past Glorious Goodwood and Cowdray Park famed for its polo. And I don’t mean the mint with the hole!
  • Good afternoon everyone,

    Redmist, good luck with the Tatton Park 10k if you decide to run it. Hope this years training does enable you to beat last years time!

    WtnMel, thanks, I surprised myself really, logging all those miles. I did wonder whether you would be able to see others kudos and comments, as you don't follow them.

    Sounds good, your visit to Charlecote Park for coffee and a nice walk.

    Well done, getting out for another early morning run.

    JB, well done, that's a cracking time for a 10k! Hopefully, you will run even quicker if you do the local 10k race.

    I'm afraid that I haven't been to Petworth. If it's posh, they probably wouldn't let me in.🤣.

    This morning, Sarah H and I did the Independent structured session of 1 mile. We did a longish warm up, set our Garmins, and set off for a mile lap round the large field. We started at a really good pace, but about half way, my Garmin suddenly flashed up "+2," whatever that means. I couldn't read the text below without my reading glasses. It also stopped recording. This necessitated a stop, resetting my Garmin and starting again, from where we had stopped. The mile was part of the lap we would have been still running on, but as we had to get back early, we turned off and ran the last part down a very bumpy hill, and through some mud, and past white cows with horns. In the circumstances, I was reasonably happy with my 8.13, and Sarah was delighted with her 8.44 pb.
  • JB, that is an impressive time. I'm looking to break 1hr.

    HS, should be relatively easy to improve on my last Tatton run. Can't bring myself to state the time, although I did finish 3rd in my age group. There are few on this board that would have won their age groups, at least.
  • Good afternoon all, 

    Matsmum - You’re back! Hooray! So nice to hear from you again, and congratulations on your recent HM run. It must have been very frustrating though, and tiring too, to have to dodge the crowds at the coast. I haven’t run anything near to a HM distance for a few years now, so much respect to you (and John B) for taking on that distance in the heat. Sorry to hear that you and David have had to self isolate since January, that must be very stressful and frustrating for you both. I imagine you must have felt particularly aggrieved at the hordes of people you came across at the coast who were not socially distancing. People can be so selfish, or at the very least very thoughtless. I agree that the situation isn’t likely to get any better in the short term, you can only take each day as it comes and try to adapt as and when changes occur. If my saying that sounds like I am coping well don’t be fooled. I hate this virus and the changes to my life that it has brought about, but as it looks like we are in it for the long haul we have no option other than to just get on with it. It doesn’t stop me moaning about it from time to time on this forum though.

    RedMist - I wouldn’t call this a forum for elite runners, all abilities catered for on here :)  which is fortunate as I am a bit of a plodder too. Good luck for your 10k next month if you do decide to enter. As I’ve mentioned before on here although I would love to enter an organised event, whether 5k or 10k, I don’t feel I want to run the risk of catching the virus, however slight that may be. My husband is 70 and has ongoing heart problems so I feel it wouldn’t be fair to take any unnecessary risks. 

    HS - I agree with the comment that you are like a machine. I wish I knew your secret, you seem able to increase your mileage, run a variety of distances, and keep improving your times, all the while remaining injury free. You should start your own social media page (or whatever they’re called) explaining your method, I’m sure you would get lots of followers! 

    WtnMel - I’ve just had a quick read through the (many) posts since I last dropped in, but I don’t see anything about your golf match with Alan on Monday - did it still go ahead? I’m very envious of the trips out to NT places that you and Margaret do, they always sound enjoyable, even if a bit crowded from time to time.

    JB - Who’s a speedy boy then? What a great time for something done on a whim, pity about your elbow but hopefully that is now well on the way to being fully healed. I see that not content with a great HM time you then ran a season’s best for 10k three days later. As I said - who’s a speedy boy then?

    Runningfox - I was so sad to read your post, sad not only for you but your lovely partner too. Your decision must have been really difficult to make, knowing how upset she would be. I know your health problems have recently prevented you from running as much as you used to, and it’s obvious from your blog how frustrating you find that. However although you say you wouldn’t get any enjoyment from running on flat grassy areas I hope you might still venture out from time to time to get some enjoyment from nature and being outdoors (I can’t believe you have thrown away all your running kit). In any event, keep up your visits to us here, we’d really miss you if you didn’t.

    I’ve been a bit too busy to do much running myself, although we have done some walking this last week, and I’ve done my usual Pilates, yoga and circuit training. Today I went for a 6 mile run (thanks Garmin for refusing to locate the satellites) and I was surprised at the number of people I came across. I thought that by going out just before lunch, and in drizzly windy weather, I should have my lovely tree lined route to myself, but no such luck, and after counting 15 people in the first mile I stopped counting after that.

    Some other brief news - Steve has now been fitted with his 7 day heart monitor and intends to try some gentle cycling and jogging before returning it. Hopefully that will give us a good idea of what is happening when he exercises. Staying with the health theme - we had a visit from Matt Hancock a couple of days ago. He visited our local hospital, which is on the edge of our estate, just a three minute walk from where we live. We only found out about it on the evening news. Steve says if he’d known he’d have gone along and thrown a pot of paint over him (seems reasonable to me).
  •  Aquarius, I think I would also be tempted to throw a pot of something beginning with p over our Matt. But it might not be paint! A 6 miler is not to be sneezed at. Well done. I generally set 10k as my maximum so I’m not sure where the HM distance came from. I think that when I get into a bit of form I want to cash in. This is usually followed by injury!

    RM, nice to get on the podium with a 3rd place. One of the things I’ve noticed is that 

    a. I’ve slowed up since hitting 65 but
    b. the numbers in the 65 category thin out
    c. so ideally I’d target events that had results in the 65 to 69 category rather than 60 to 69.
    I mean how can we compete with youngsters who are freshly minted 60 year olds?

    HS, I get these idyllic visions of your various courses! On the Garmin issues I’ve only been using one since Xmas but I now swear by it. If it let me down I’d swear at it. Seriously, I think it’s made a difference to my pacing which helps performance. I’ve noticed recently that across all distances my final km is one of my faster and even sometimes the fastest. I’m not sure if this is optimal but it’s good for morale!

    Rest for me today. Might hop on the rower for a sweat fest!
  • Good morning all,

    Aquarius, I don't really have a secret, except that I have been running for nearly 40 years, and have always stretched after every run/race, and know when to ease off if I get any twinges or aches. I'm also more sensible now in my old age, so try not to overdo it. I do advise and run with many of our club runners, so that they can benefit from my experience, knowledge etc. If there is a secret, it could be that I have always been a good judge of pace, so don't "bust a gut," by pushing too hard. 

    Good to hear that you are still persisting with the pilates, yoga and circuit training and went for a 6 mile run yesterday. Strange that you are still having problems with your new garmin locating the satellites.

    I hope that Steve's heart rate monitor does enable the readings to clarify the way ahead.

    I hope that Matt got a warm reception, and I don't mean a friendly one. Does he only have one tie? I've only seen him wearing that pathetic pink one😁

    JB, I stopped comparing my current times with those in my prime, some time ago. I have always been competitive in the Vets. categories, and am now looking forward to when I'm 75 (in December,) and being the youngster in the pack🤣

    I'm very lucky living only a half mile from the forest, and having so many routes to chose from. I'm also lucky in having many lovely friends to run with, which is so important, especially in the current coronavirus climate.

    I also find that my last mile or k is often the quickest, but that is how I have always run. There is nothing like a sprint finish in a marathon!

    Enjoy your rowing session!

    A rest day for me today, and I went to the Hygienist this morning.
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