My Last Run

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  • Fantastic race performance, Hazelnut, and well done on the PB. That is a rather swift time and it sounds as if it was an interesting course. Good work on the run yesterday, again a decent time as well. Not surprised you were yawning.

    Well done on being able to get out for a run, Cal. Hopefully there's no adverse reaction to it. Sounds as if you were like a greyhound released from the trap with going faster than you'd planned.

    That's some rather vibrant colours you've got for runners, LTT. When you look at what people are wearing these days it's amazing the colours choices we now have. Towards the end of when I played football coloured boots were just starting to come in, but being 'old school' I always bought black boots and kind of took the view anyone playing in brightly coloured boots was a bit flash. Now I'm quite happy to run around in dayglo yellow. You should try Worthing PR if and when it starts again as it's one of the quickest courses in the country. Although the start is a bit of a bottleneck.

    11 miler yesterday starting at Saltdean, running past and tapping Ovett's foot and turning at the Peace Statue on the Brighton/Hove border. No wind, but an overcast start, partner paced it at just under 9 min/miles which strangely felt easier than Saturday's effort. Returning back along the undercliff path the sun finally broke through the clouds and sparkled on the rather still water which made us both smile. Getting into the last 2.5K I did mention that we'd picked up the pace, going at about 8:20 min miles but the comment "Think of the roast later" seemed to indicate that she was happy to push it on. So I stepped it up and felt quite comfortable when the shout came out "We've now doing sub 5 min kms", so I consciously slowed down. Which was the trap as she then raced off and quickly opened up a 20m gap on me. Took a real effort to close that up as I'd lost my rhythm and in the last km we were matching stride for stride with neither of us willing to back off. The last mile we covered in 7:40 with the discussions on either side as to who pushed who. Managed the 11 in 1:36 and augurs well for pushing towards trying to get under 1:50 for the half next year. Met up with friends in the afternoon in Lewes for a roast lunch (Rights of Man in the High Street, Cal), which was very tasty. Although the dessert may have been a step too far.
  • john bateman 6john bateman 6 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2020
    Some serious distance being logged in these parts. Impressive. I’m mainly a 5k runner myself and rarely venture much beyond 10k. My last marathon was 3 years ago. It was around an open air velodrome in Preston Park, Brighton which Guarddog will know.. It was 72 laps of a horrible circuit which might be great for bikes but not for runners. It was a bad decision and when  I saw that only about 50 of us turned up I realised that this was a rather eccentric event. I’d trained for 4.15 and ended up with 4.50 and almost the last over the line. 
    A couple of weeks ago, when folk were running a virtual HM on the day of the GNR, I thought, on the spur of the moment, I’d see if I could manage the distance and did it in just about 2 hours.
    But today managed a bit of a hilly 4 miler .......in slow motion! 

    PS can confirm Worthing Parkrun is indeed a very fast course. But the wind can be fierce. Have done it many times although funnily enough Hove seafront was my PB.

  • Hove Prom is another good one, john, although the fact there are, I think, 3 180 degree turns I find a bit frustrating. And it is, like Worthing, dependent on the wind, but you don't really get so much of a bottleneck at the beginning. Have you tried Seaford? Did it fairly near to when they introduced it, so it wasn't that crowded. Bit of a wait for coffee at the end, though. Lancing Green is another one I quite enjoy, interesting start on the grass before moving on to the prom itself.

    As for Preston Park velodrome know it well and I've regaled this thread with my virtual 5K performances round there over the summer, managing a 22.23. Have to admit I didn't find it too bad for running as long as you stayed on the inside.

    Well done on the hilly 4 miler and also doing a virtual HM. 2 hours is not to be sneezed at, especially for a spur of the moment effort.
  • Guarddog, I’m a parkrun tart I’m afraid and have done all the local ones. Littlehampton is quick. Bognor is very slow! Bevendean is pretty deadly and if you hop across into Hampshire, Queen Elizabeth  Park is a bitch. I’m a flat track bully, if a short, light, old git of 65 can be a bully!

    The velodrome marathon was organised by a hard core outfit who even organised one in a multi storey car park a couple of years ago!

    One of the really bad things about that PP marathon was that as you were overtaken, I.e. lapped, you had to give up the inside line. This meant that weaker runners ran further and at a worse angle. It wrecked me.

    I think I’ve guessed your club as they tend to turn up mob handed, in a nice way, and have some very, very good runners. Brighton and Hove is something of a hotbed of running........hence I tend to stick with Worthing! Oh for the speedy return of  our Saturday morning fix.
  • I'd love to do Bevendean, partly for the challenge but partly as it has a small field and I can get a high finisher position. :D I did manage to do QE before lockdown - it was a mudbath - I walked down the grassy hill. One of my worst times ever! But hey, I got my Q.
  • Name the club in one, John  ;) . We do tend to group at PRs at the beginning of the year for the grand prix series. The other attraction is my partner's cakes after the run. We've also done some volunteer takeovers, including at Bevendean  which is, as you mention, deadly. Although being timekeeper is very easy there with the numbers. Still waiting for the all clear so that Cal come come down.

    And can understand the velodrome would have been tougher if you're being pushed further out as you're lapped. 
  • Oh god I bet...I've been timekeeper at Tooting and Clapham Common and it's absolutely crazy. Not my favourite role, it has to be said.

    John - it was a similar thing at Dorney, even though that was fewer laps. Found myself being forced out on corners by the fast guys.  Of course I didn't get to finish that one.

    Did 5 miles today. It was grey out so I was deceived into wearing long tights, which I bitterly regretted as it turned out to be 15 degrees.
    Hamstring noticeable but bearable (is it bad that I'm already thinking about races?). Pace was once again sub-10 as I was concentrating on my form and trying to run tall and get off the ground a bit more, but I will have to rein it in a bit for the next one, I think.
    QL pain has gone, so I guess the rest did that some good.
    Tomorrow will be a lower body gym day so next run will be Thursday. If that goes OK then I'll try to do both Saturday and Sunday.
  • john bateman 6john bateman 6 ✭✭✭
    edited October 2020
    G’dog, I’m going for Arena 80. Even the women vets intimidate me!

    Cal, Well done on your Q. You earned it! I’ve worked my way through most of the Parkrun alphabet but I suspect a trip to Poland would be required to complete it!  

    A nice 6 mile very slow stroll through the West Sussex countryside with old (and I really mean old) friends today. Funnily enough I’m a very slow walker. My goodness the scenery is lovely this time of year. 

    Feeling a bit creaky so it might be a rest day coming up.

    Impressed with the gym work. I’ve got a Concept 2 rower and I’m pretty hopeless. If you wanted to design the physique of a lousy Rower you could do worse than use my dimensions! 

    PS. I got so fed up with being lapped on the dreaded velodrome event that after about 8 miles I stayed permanently out of the inside lane.
  • John - I always find rest days welcome. Pretty sure a few of the guys on this thread have told me a rest day is more beneficial than a hill/interval/easy day. No disrespecting Hampshire please - born and bred in a town there, even if I don't live there anymore ;)

    Cal - good pace on the 5 miles! Have fun in the gym, would be interested in knowing your routine.

    GD - Awesome running on the 11 miles! I'm in the process of switching clubs at the moment (my current club is still back home, a mere 117 miles away...) and would hope to be more engaged than I usually am with the volunteering etc.

    Hazelnut - I am always in awe of your running, your times, your workouts.

    (That goes for most people on this thread, to be fair. I've learned so much from you all in less than a year).

    Ran a 10k on Sunday in a new post-kidney stones PB of 52:37. Was glorious to be out in the morning. Took yesterday as a rest day before heading out tonight. Same route, but managed it in just over 55 minutes. My legs felt really tired, and after turning around at the halfway mark I was running into a headwind. It was horrible but ahh well, just chalking it down to a bad run/run route. 

    If anyone wants to add me on Strava or whatever, more than happy for you to ping me a message so I can give you my account handle etc.
  • Getting behind again..

    I would have hated the lapped marathon John. Well done for completing that. Prefer the longer distances myself - short and fast hurts more (though I suppose for much less time..).   I will likely try a 5k to 5m time trial in a couple of weeks though - should be "fun". 

    Jealous of the parkrun talk - we don't have them here in Switzerland (I'm from Northampton originally, not the most exciting place in the UK).  Haven't been to many of the above places either (vague recollection of pebbles on Brighton beach).  I sometimes look up where they are from curiosity.

    Good pre-roast 11 miler GD.  A sub-1:50 HM does sound doable on that. 

    Does sound like progress Cal.  Good idea to work on your form. 

    Well done on the 10k MalMal.  Two fast 10ks close together would be a tough prospect.  I guess that was what your legs were telling you. 

    Lovely time of the year still indeed (nice pink sunrise earlier).  Running is much easier now the summer heat is over.

    4 mile recovery on Monday around the local fields.

    Standard Tuesday group outing yesterday evening, though I did add a bit on before the meet up for 8.7 miles.  Four of us out which is okay for the time of year.  Really must change the batteries in my headtorch - I say it every week and don't get round to it.  Plenty of tractors busy out in the fields in the dark - sugarbeet harvest is still very much ongoing.
  • I didn't mind timekeeper in that instance, Cal. I can imagine that at a PR with 400+ runners it's a lot more pressured. Favourite was being a marshal at Eastbourne as you got to use a walkie talkie. I'm a sucker for a walkie talkie. Good work on the 5 miler and hopefully no reaction from the hamstring.

    Arena 80 strike me as being a serious team, john, I'm not in their league. It's Portslade Hedgehoppers, we intimidate no one  :) . For a friendly club with a reputation for being on the "veteran" side of things we do have some quick runners and came third in the West Sussex Fun Run league last year. If and when we get back to PR, and you see us in our vests, do come over and say hello. I'll likely be the one holding a cake tin.

    Good running MM and glad to hear you're getting back in to it again. Are there many options for running clubs to join where you are? I have to admit I wished I'd done it years ago, but as I worked away from home most of the time there didn't seem much point.

    Well done on the two runs, Hazelnut. Have you thought of investing in a rechargeable headtorch? I bought a couple last week which have a USB connect and they got a run out last night. The sub 1:50 has been a target for 3 years now.

    5.7 mile "bubble" run last night. Now completely dark when we head out, although fooled by the mild weather. It was 16C and so long sleeves weren't really necessary. A full group of 6 and all of a similar standard, so not too much having to hang around when we regrouped. An interesting route with some cheeky hills thrown in which I tried to convince my partner were doing her good. I'm not sure she believed me. A sprint finish at the end running up one of the hills at Hove Park. Unfortunately my sprint rival managed to get the jump on me and given we have a speed session tomorrow I didn't have it in me to try and push it.
  • G'dog - Ah the Hedgehoppers! My son lives in Mile Oak so on your club's doorstep. (One of my sons runs; he's the other one.) I also used to teach one of your key members (clue - he too lives in Worthing - a really nice chap). Well done on your league position - you clearly punch above your weight for a smallish club. Love to say hello sometime. (What age category are you, if you don't mind me asking?)

    Malteser - great run after your nasty illness. As for Hampshire it's a lovely county - I've done the Hayling Island 10 miler a couple of times and it was a very high standard. Also a few other parkruns on your (old) patch. Southsea is a quick one!

    H'nut - Wow, Switzerland. Must be some amazing scenery to run in. A bit surprised you use miles rather than kms. Do you run with ex-pats? Night time running sounds like a tricky business (I tend to trip over in broad daylight!).






  • The amazing scenery is about 90 mins drive away John, I live in the rural, farming midlands you could say - but yes, feel priveleged to have good access to it.  There are some great places in the UK too - I love the wilds of northern Scotland. Just a bit of a pain to get to from anywhere really and in the near future no chance of getting there.  Completely different to the jigsaw / chocolate box atmosphere you get here in many mountain areas.  I do actually work in km but convert it to miles for here.  :D  I tried switching to miles in training but didn't like it at all - a mile takes forever to tick over compared to a km.  Don't actually know any ex-pats around here - they tend to be in the region around Zurich and Geneva and other big cities.  I run with a local Swiss group but am not in an official club.

    Tough interval session yesterday evening - 6 x 1k (there you go..) off 3 mins recovery.  With a warm up and cool down.  Legs and mind went oooo after the first 300m of rep 1 already but rather than giving up as I have in the past I told myself sternly to get on with it and the session turned out ok though reps were a bit down on last week's.  Likely I am still recoverying from the combination of Saturday's race and quite a bit of mileage since.  Had a bit of extra recovery on the second having to step aside for a wide piece of farm equipment before starting and a quick drink afterwards (trough in the nearby farmyard needing extra distance).  Good conditions again - mild and no wind.  Maybe a bit muggy which meant it was harder to breath - could also have been that I didn't lay off the sparkling water early enough before running.  Plain water is boring but better for running fast for me at least. Construction work was going on on the railway line right next to me - nearly had a heart attack the first time the sirens went off right next to me to announce a train was approaching but soon got used to it.
  • john - I'm a long way off my alphabet - I got my I at Ifield Mill Pond (in torrential rain) but still need a U, Y and J in this country before I even think about chasing down a Z abroad.

    Hazelnut, I am forever being startled by emergency vehicles deciding to start their sirens when they get alongside me. I swear they're going to give me a heart attack one day.

    PM'd you, Malteser.

    7 miles today - didn't go out until 10am. I think my faster pace is partly down to going out later but may also be due to being more recovered and doing stuff like step-ups on the big (20") box at the gym. I was quicker today too - averaged 9:50 for this but the last mile was slower and my legs felt a lot less bouncy by that point. Not sure if that was fatigue (I did train legs yesterday, although not with weights) or the fact the wind picked up towards the end and I was running into it for a spell.
    I felt a bit more confident today so ran down and along Wandsworth Common then back via Clapham Common. Managed to get across all the roads (including the South Circular) without stopping, which was a bonus. Achey bum still in evidence but definitely not worse. Felt the QL a little bit towards the end though. However, achilles is still behaving itself.
    I'm actually considering a race on Halloween (it has a nice themed medal, heh) - is that a terrible idea? There's a range of distances and I quite fancy the 10 mile as I don't get to run that very often. (It is a lapped event, mind).
  • Cal, if you are London based you must be spoilt for choice with parkruns. The only one I’ve done up there is Bedfont Lakes, a really nice course. Alice Holt Park was my PW, closely followed by Reigate I think. Both hilly courses. I too had a crack at Ifield which I liked. Those step ups sound brutal and my knees are aching just thinking about them. You are doing better in your alphabet chasing than me, but living down here in the Deep South is a bit of a disadvantage.

    H’nut, thanks for the detail on your location. There must be an interesting back story as to how you got there but this isn’t the place. I still live in the town where I was born and about 300 metres from the pub where I met Mrs JB in 1972! And they said it wouldn’t last ie the marriage not the pub. They both have, but have each relied on a fair old amount of alcohol to do so!

    Rest for me and a foam roller on the Achilles. Ah!

    I've been into a bit of cross training so a bit of body weight stuff for me today.
  • Hi folks!, just a couple of short runs so far this week, a 4.5 and 3 miler.  Signed up for the week end's 10k race.  Heel is OK at times, but not great.  If it's bad I guess I can just jog in if it hurts on the day.

    Agree with you on the football boots GD. I played football for many years and always went for darker boots too. What shocks me is how light some of the new boots are. Some are under 200 grammes, crazy.  The club running sounds like it's going great.

    Great running as always Hazlenut.  My one dislike about running is my long sunday morning run knocks me out a a bit for the rest of the day.  Fine if I'm not busy, but not great if there's loads to do!

    Glad to hear the achilles is improving Cal.The race is a difficult decision.. At least if it's a lapped event you can bail if it hurts.

    Do hope I can get some mileage going soon.  Really have lost so much fitness compared to last year. 

    Watched the World Half marathon championships on BBC Iplayer.  Both races were great!, although I felt sorry for the runners that fell in the women's race.  Great to see a bit of racing though in 2020.

    I have never Strava'd as I was advised it can lead to increased injury, but see as I'm always injured anyway maybe I'll download it!

    Have a happy week all.

  • Linton, it's the high hamstring tendon that's the bad boy of the month...achilles is being good for once. Although it was a little bugger all summer!
    I only signed up to Strava this year myself when my club participated in a (virtual) mob match with another club and they wanted Strava evidence. Turns out I like it a lot. I've found a lot of great new routes by looking at clubmates' runs. Segment chasing can be addictive but that's also fun too - I've even created and named a few myself.
  • Would go for the race Cal if you feel like it.  10 miles is a good distance.  Strava does help with the inspiration for new routes and segment chasing can be a bit of fun I agree.  I'm not that much into it that I would pay the premium version, the free is enough as I have other analysis tools I use.  Good 7 miler - looks like you are getting over that injury now.

    Wouldn't see it as an injury risk if you don't overdo the segment chasing LTT.  Good luck with the 10k.  Build your mileage up slowly - if your Sunday runs are wiping you out regularly you are possibly doing them too long / too fast.

    Like your chatty style John.  It was luurrve that got me to Switzerland via Newcastle and various places in Germany.  Hmm don't think my achilles and a foam roller would be good friends. 

    Bit over 10 miles yesterday afternoon.  Damp (from above and below), grey day but I actually quite enjoyed the conditions - the constant pitter patter of raindrops was very relaxing and it wasn't particularly cold.  Woods are turning all sorts of nice shades of brown and yellow now - just the odd bit of flame red.  Having done intervals on Wednesday and a hard progressive run planned for Sunday I kept effort levels sensible - in particular over the undulations of the second half.  
  • Would that be a certain Mr Millen, john? If it is then you're right he is a really nice chap with a very deceptive turn of pace. There's been many a time in PR or in league races where I've tracked him thinking I could pounce, only for a gap to open up that I couldn't get across to and left wondering how the hell did he do that when he didn't seem to speed up. And I celebrated my 57th birthday 2 weeks ago and trying to figure out how that happened.

    Hazelnut love (or luurrvve) does make the world go round. It's why I'm now where I am as well. Well done on the 10 miler and also the intervals. Think the slightly cooler conditions now make things a bit more comfortable, although it's still quite warm. 

    Football boots seem to be like slippers these days, LTT (much like runners I guess which are incredibly light). I suspect the balls are a bit lighter as well, but  someone raking their studs over a foot without too much protection would sting a bit. Good luck with the 10K.

    I'd go for the race, Cal. There's not that many events going on and I think we all need something to look forward to. I have to admit I'm really missing them, especially having done so many last year. And found out yesterday the Brighton Half has been moved February to June, which means conditions won't be perfect.

    Was supposed to be the speed session yesterday evening and I had psyched myself up for it. Then as I was winding work down I was pinged on Teams by one of the guys in India who was having a panic over a change he was doing. There then followed an hour long call going through the documents and the steps he was supposed to be performing. My partner passed on the idea of going on her own so having finished the call I did dinner.

    May have been just as well as although I was in the gym at 6am this morning I didn't have the same enthusiasm I normally have and figure I might have been overdoing things a bit. We plan to drop down to a 5K tomorrow and hopefully the weather will be kind on Sunday for the LSR.
  • G’dog, got it in one. Lovely guy and I should imagine he’s a good club man. A belated happy birthday, you young pup.

    Will test the Achilles tomorrow. And have the ice pack on standby. I might be joining the overdoing it club.

    Hazelnut, with your name, I’d be disappointed if you didn’t mention the trees!
    But you are right as there’s are some gorgeous colours on display.
  • Autumn is a lovely time to run, Hazelnut - not sure whether I prefer that or Spring, when the blossoms and daffodils are out and the air is full of hope. I'm less enthused about the other two seasons.

    GD, I am always surprised at how old I am (I'm 53). Mentally I barely feel like an adult. My body likes to remind me that is not the case, however.

    Joh, hope your achilles behaves. Mine can be a right little bugger, although it's taken a back seat to my other problems for the moment. Yay?

    Run today: the intention was to do a couple of warm-up miles then do three at around HMP to see how that would affect the hamstring. Did three easyish miles, but after the fourth mile a bit faster (didn't quite make HMP - it was between HMP and MP) I realised I was not mentally and physically on for pushing myself today, so did a cool down mile and called it quits. I've had a couple of patchy nights and I don't think the grey, windy weather helped my mood either - I felt much better during my two runs during the week.
    Hamstring didn't seem any worse on the faster mile, but QL is niggling again, which is annoying (it was yesterday, to be fair - perhaps it didn't like some of the stuff I was doing in the gym).
    I've entered the 10 mile anyway, so will have to make sure I get more sleep. Extra hour tonight should help.
  • Somehow thought you were younger GD.  Don't know why.  Agree on taking races as they are available at the moment and if you feel happy with the setup.  HM in June could be nasty.  This isn't meant to be nasty in any way - how do you get on with errm Indian English?  I often have calls there too and find it hard to understand - my German customer is more used to it and translates..  Have a good LSR tomorrow.

    How was the achilles John?  

    Enjoy the extra hour's sleep Cal.  Nice test run today, if you are still niggling then better not to push it too much if you are racing next week.

    Two very different runs - good soaking yesterday on a short recovery with reluctant legs.  I would quite happily have turned round after a mile but managed just short of four at least.  Wet enough that I got out the waterproof jacket for once despite the warmth.  Combining that with shorts was a good choice - stopped the boil-in-the-bag effect.

    Today beautiful weather - freshly washed sky and less damp from below.  Went to measure a few things at the new flat and then got dropped on the way home to run the rest.  5 miles a bit too fast, then 6 x molehills and 8 x strides.  
  • Hello again folks. It's been a very long time!
    I'm still running and trying to do some races. All the ones I've entered this year have been cancelled but we live in hope. I'm starting a new block of training next week for an Ultra at the end of January - 48 flat Norfolk miles. Fingers crossed it will happen.

    This morning's run was 7.5 miles out across the marshes near my house. Nice and boggy with grazing/paddling Ponies, Grey Herons and a few Canada Geese. Steady pace and found there's still a bit of go in my legs. I've done very little since the virtual London. Hope you are all well and enjoying your runs. 👍🏃
    I run, therefore I am.
  • Did some Achilles stretches that helped. Also when I went on my rower  I didn’t use footstraps as I’ve noticed in the past that the rowing has maybe been irritating the Achilles and the foot-straps put a lot of strain through the ankles. It doesn’t help that I have no technique whatever and any power I generated is from brute strength .
     Net effect of these ploys was that the problem has been eased. So a steady 6 mile for me this morning, managing to avoid the downpours. Tomorrow morning the stroll to the paper shop will reveal just how much difference the therapies have made.
  • Will!  Lovely to see you here again.  Good luck with your Norfolk ultra training. 

    Positive news on the achilles John and good run timing. 

    Tough but pleasing progressive run yesterday - 11.5 miles starting at recovery pace and ending with about a mile at  just short of 10k PB pace.  Ideally I would have done a whole HM distance but I progressed the faster end too fast and decided to call it a day before I really had to.  Actually I did do a bit more than a HM in total as I added on a couple of miles of necessary cool-down.  Lovely day for it - I was out at 8:30 am to avoid having too many people on my route - quite a few other runners out in mostly long gear and sometimes woolly hats - I got a few strange looks in shorts but it was about 8 degrees when I set off and 12 on finishing so not THAT cold.  A leisurely walk in the woods later in the day with OH as well.  Worth it as it is chucking it down again today.
  • H’nut, good session. It’s probably an impossible question to answer but I’ll ask it anyway. What’s the standard like when you go to competitive events compared with the Uk?
    I only ask because my one and only experience of running overseas was in Canada. I wondered where my 42 minute (this was a long time ago!) 10k would place me in the field and I remember being quite disappointed I.e. the standard was a bit higher than I’d typically find in the UK. I think this might have been because this seemed to be a big regional event with folk coming from a fair old distance, so it drew a good standard of runner.
  • Will, I've missed our bird spotting talks - welcome back! Ultras seem to have more chance of going ahead than big marathons and halves - I daresay they lend themselves to distancing a bit more.

    Glad your achilles is a bit better, John - I've had a bugger of a time with mine although it's behaving at the moment. I found heel drops did absolutely nothing but I had more success with static holds (ie, just going up on tiptoe and staying there for 40 seconds to a minute).

    Hazelnut, I see a lot of overdressed people when I run. I ran in shorts on Thursday but leggings again today. The temp is a bit up and down. I've fond that since I now have my menopause coat, I don't need to wear as much as I used to. :D

    I was going to do a longer run yesterday but started feeling cruddy on Saturday afternoon - scratchy throat, sneezing and general grottiness. I seem to get this a couple of times a year but can usually shake it off before it turns into a proper cold. So I opted to do absolutely nothing yesterday and run today instead.

    Still had a bit of a scratchy throat on waking but felt better, although I could feel my hamstring a lot more (so I guess sitting on my arse all day is one of the things it doesn't like).
    Thankfully neither seemed to bother me on the run. I had an enjoyable 8 miles running down to Earlfield, along the Wandle to Collier's Wood then back to Tooting along a trail path I discovered during the summer (which is now a bit muddy) and up the hill back to Tooting Common. Could feel the hammy but it wasn't bad and I gave it a little push around an obscure little road loop near the end where I have a Strava crown. After the hill back up to Tooting Common I felt my HR was a bit too high so had a cool-down walk the rest of the way home.
    Scratchy throat has gone but back feels a bit achey so I've just had a good soak in Epsom Salts.
    I should be fine for the 10 miler on Saturday though I'll judge how much I can push myself on the day.
  • Hi fellow MLRers!

    My 10k was a bit of a washout, both metaphorically and physically! but still a great morning out.

    The course is through the Stour valley flanked by lakes one side, and the river Stour on the other and is really picturesque. It's fast too; when I ran it last year first place was 32ish I think and I ran 48 minutes three months after starting running, So a PB course in the right conditions.

    Unfortunately, from fishing there in previous years, it's very prone to flooding being just above the water table in winter (race originally planned for late march).  On the saturday night I was forced from bed in the small hours from my recycling bin spinning down the side of our house in 50mph winds and driving rain and feared the worst, and was not wrong.

    I arrived and got my race number and went for a warm up, the sky turned black and it rained that perpetual, heavy rain where you're soaked to the skin in seconds, and did not relent at all. 

    Instead of the normal, going off in waves, it was two runners at a time, 2 m apart, every 10 seconds.  Organisation was great, but I ended up right at the back through my own fault, which was unpleasant, standing in the driving rain for a good while and meant a lot of people to try and pass. 

    On getting down the course, sure enough, it was ankle-deep puddles, basically a muddy cross country course.  I'd worn my brand new Kinvaras, and you could either try and skirt the muddy puddles (slow) or smash through the deep, brown ponds.  I just couldn't in my new shoes!  but by the turnaround point it became clear I'd have to, or be seriously slow, (my poor trainers are no longer fluoro yellow, but autumnal sludge brown!).

    I don't normally drink on 10k, but went for a water bottle that I grabbed, dropped, and it rolled away! Kicked on but finished in disappointing 50:07, not great; but 40/144 (normally 300ish, sign of the times), and a decent age group placing. last year's 1st was 32 minutes, this year was 36:xx, highlighting the differing conditions. My ankle/calf injury is really bad today, but went for a nice walk in Broadstairs, hopefully it will ease.  A well put on event, and good organisation, just shite conditions! but any race this year is to be appreciated. The two races I was training for, Ashford 10 and Canterbury, 10 both now pulled.

    Good going GD, going to the gym at 6am is commitment indeed, I'm going to try and do a speed session a week, if injury permits.  Good going.

    Hope the injury is going OK John B, it's my achilles/calf that hurts badly, a new one, that hopefully will not be a long issue, but bad today.  A 42 min 10k is great, even if it was a while back.

    Hopefully all niggles improving Cal, my next race is also now a 10 miler back at the disused colliery where I ran in March. I love autumn too, when the rain holds off. Hope the sub-par bug subsides.

    Great running Hazlenut, the contrast in weather echoed here in thanet, yesterday's heavy skies replaced by bright blue today, typical!, but enjoyed my coast walk.

    Good to hear from you Will, glad all's well in this strange year, and nice you're still enjoying your running.

    A couple of days off now and see how my ankle is with a gentle run.




  • LTT, good race given the terrible conditions! I do love the look of the kinvaras...brand new, that is! I usually run up the Stour Canal, though it may be a different part of the UK to where you were.

    Haven't run in a week due to my soleus/ankles/shin splints being rather sore, even when lying down on the bed or trying to sleep. Nevertheless, attempted a hilly 6 miler yesterday as the ankles/shins didn't feel too bad throughout the day.

    About 5 steps in, my shins/ankles flare up and I know it's going to be a bad run. I didn't feel right before setting off (may have eaten too much). About two miles in, I was doing about 10mm pace which I just felt was too slow for me, but I was dying, so instead of doing the full 6 mile route I cut it short and decided to do 4.2 miles, stopping short of Cardiac Hill (not sure I could manage that after the really steep incline at 2 miles). Overall pace of 9:35mm which was gutting a bit, as I always try to get under 9:30mm or 9mm but I guess for coming back from injury, whilst having an injury, on a hilly course, it's not too bad...

    Need to figure out how to get rid of shin splints and to ease the soleus now
  • Cal, Re the Achilles, I guess it’s just a case of shopping around/ trial and error and seeing what works for us as individuals. One of the great things about forums such as this is that we can share ideas and thanks for yours.

    LTT, that sounds like a really sterling effort. I lived in Canterbury for a year in the mid 70s and thought it was a really nice place, although I wasn’t a runner then. My in laws live there and they are mad keen cyclists and I get the impression that cycling is very big around there. I had a mini break in Folkestone a couple of years ago and while I know it has its detractors, I rather liked it. A bit like Hastings which is nearer me and which divides opinions. But so do most places I guess.

    Malteser, when I read what you are going through injury wise, I feel like a bit of a wimp. I don’t like the sound of Cardiac hill! How steep is it? Good luck with the shin splints, a horrible condition.

    I ordered myself out of the house to try a quick 3 miles. My 6 mile pace on Sunday was around 9.30 mm and when I do one of these I get worried that I’m losing whatever pace I’ve got. So relieved to knock out a 22.04, but boy I was knackered afterwards. 
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