My Last Run

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  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Good news on the larger group runs becoming possible GD.  Getting on with it is what we did on Tuesday - everyone was giggling at the end.  Advantage is, if you train in nastier conditions you can also face racing in them.

    Wednesday saw me having an attack of CNBA - I had intended to do some speedwork and had donned the "fast" shoes and headed off for flat ground but I just couldn't face it - don't know why tbh but I had been down all day.  I did 7 miles at an easier pace to do something at least but felt a bit frustrated.

    Yesterday was a bank holiday but kitty nr. 1 decided to ignore the fact and start demanding breakfast at standard weekday time (well she does at weekends too) so I got up and out for a run rather than having an extended lie-in.  Having failed to do my speedwork on Wednesday I gave myself a talking too and got 5.1 miles @ tempo effort done with a decent warm-up and cool-down to make up to 10 miles.  Rather than my flat route down in the valley I decided to stay local and ran the tempo section on an undulating route.  Actually that was more fun - you have to be careful not to overdo the up slopes but have the downs to look forward to!  Some cycling and walking in the afternoon to finish off a pretty active day.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Thanks for the kind words, Guarddog.  I've been blogging about my father's 'hero', John Harrison, who was born in Foulby, W Yorkshire, as was my Dad.  Harrison, a self educated carpenter, dedicated most of his life to securing a £20 000 prize for inventing a device that would measure longitude.  Seafaring became far less hazardous as a direct result.  Aged 80, he got the final third of a total of £25 000, making him a multi-millionaire in the late 18th cent.  He only had 3 more years to enjoy it.  :( Here's one of his marine chronometers.  [Attribution: By Racklever at English Wikipedia, CC BY 2.5, commons.wikimedia.org ]

     
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    I'm pleased to read that Cal is on the road to better health, and that folk are still lacing up shoes, selecting the right number of layers, and shouting defiantly at the changing weather!

    About 8.45 last night, just shy of six miles, taking in long beach stretches, sandy trails by the docks, and grassy paths that the failing light picked out fairly well for the first half hour.  Quiet, no revellers in the dunes but several dog walking parties.  A gym session taking in major muscle groups included leg press @ 90kg, just less than my body weight.  I used to dismiss leg exercises as unnecessary because I ran but the benefits of more strength and stability are helping me stave off injury, I think.
  • Hello folks! How are you all doing?  Well I hope!

    Well, a really mixed bag of running this week.  I will try not to complain too much as I know some people are totally laid up, but it didn't begin well at all.
    The few slightly harder runs I did bought out my left knee issue again, and to make matters worse my bad back returned with an absolute vengeance.  I know how I hurt it a while ago, but unfortunately work has meant I'm driving 1000 miles a week, and it's just got worse and worse, to the point of lying on the floor post work.

    I went out for a 4.4 miler tuesday, and it really was unpleasant, so totally canned thursday's run.  It was my 10 mile race on sunday and decided to give it a miss.  However, by sunday I decided A) the race was just 5 miles from home and B)  the course was 5 x 2 mile loops, so if I was really suffering I could simply call it a day and go home without being stuck miles from anywhere in the Kent countryside.

    Arrived after another painful night's broken sleep.  I'd pinned my race number on my vest but as I got there the sky went black, the wind rose, and it hammered it down with rain!  I run there now and again, and know how exposed it is, so changed to a long sleeve top.  I was torrential at the start line, but jogged the most half-arsed warm up ever and we were off.  Groups of 12, 3 minutes apart, at similar predicted pace.  The rain immediately stopped and I was boiling!

    I was hoping for a 10 x 8:30, my first mile 8:23, but was massively dropped by everyone in the first mile and was soon trundling along solo!  It always amazes me how some days I run and feel amazing, and other days it's like I'm carrying a sack of cement.  I felt awful.  Miles slowed 8:39, 9:07, 9:09, 8:53, really quite poor.
    At mile five I had a word with myself and got my head down a bit, 8:51, 8:31, 8:20, 7:53, and 7:42.  The course was widely recorded at 10.25 miles, but I stopped my time at 10 miles at 1:25:30.  Finish results not up yet.  So not too bad in the end. 

    I had two goals this year in running; to drag myself round a marathon in sub 5 hours, and lower my half time from 1:57 to 1:50ish, so that's a step nearer.


    Cal; that sounds amazing with the rollercoasters!  I would love to do some of those but would be worried about my rubbish back nowadays. Hope the antibiotics work and you get your trip to the dentist sorted.

    Great running Guarddog.  It's great that you and your other half seem fairly evenly matched runners!  Nice to have a post long run Sunday lunch, always appreciated, Blue Pigeon in Worth is my favourite.

    Superb weeks training Hazle, and well done on your huge long run!  Your soakings sound like my pre-run one today, no fun at all.  Hope the cat is settling in.  Our kitten it growing at an astounding rate, and now tentatively going outside and fascinated by everything, strangely bringing in twigs and fascinated by ants.

    Good running Swittle.  By pure chance I have good knowledge of that having read Dava Sobel-Longitude.  A great book I'd wager you've read.  I'm going to have to focus on strength I think to help with my sub-par knee.


    Have a great week all!  4 weeks to Saxon Shore half, how will I get on?..




  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Interesting bit of history swittle.  Good work in the gym!

    Ouch to the back LTT - do you do some stretching for it?  The driving sounds pretty bad.  You did very well in your 10 miler - You might have struggle a bit on the first half but the talking to seemed to have worked well considering how you picked up the pace - all too easy to give up and just jog around or simply step off the course especially if you were out on your own.  To match your 10 mile PB four weeks out from your HM is a good sign. 

    Friday saw me back to work as I didn't seem much point to taking a day off to do nothing much at home.  12.5 miles.  I was lucky to avoid some massive showers - just caught the edge of one rather than the full deluge - at one point the sun came out briefly to highlight an ink black sky, the yellow fields and fresh green trees.  (swittle would put that more poetically I am sure).  Despite the speedwork or maybe because it had gone well the day before I was feeling fresh and energetic from the hips upwards at least and happily trotted around.

    On Saturday I need to apply careful timing again to avoid a soaking - popped out for 5 recovery over lunchtime between various household jobs.  Same route as I had done Thursday's tempo run on - good 10 minutes slower.  I did run a little bit too fast though - I was concentrating on picking up my feet properly and it made unconsciously speed up.

    Sunday saw my first 20 miler since spring 2020.  Actually 19.89 NAD but a round 32km sounds good as well.  Yet another soaking - the forecast had been for occasional sunny spells and showers but the reality was two hours of downpour initially - I was soaked through within minutes of setting off - foaming capris, the lot.  Trudged along nonetheless meeting quite a few well wrapped up walkers with all sorts of umbrellas (was on a flat river route again).   I took advantage of an occasional road or railway bridge to check navigation or unwrap a goody.  The river was carrying quite a bit of brown water but it was interesting to get to the point where it flows into another larger river - I hardly noticed it other than the fact that the water was suddenly a calm deep green.  Crossed over that twice - the second time even got a few rays of sun.  The last hour was a bit dryer but I struggled with tiredness by this point - legs and the rest - need to sort out my fuelling on the long ones.     

  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    LintonTT - there are always going to be races like that, when weather, a niggle, nutrition or another cause will burrow away at the confidence - and sometimes, it'll happen mid-event: setting off too fast used to be a favourite of mine. :(  You can record progress towards your race time goals, and that's worth the angst.  :)

    I read Sobel's book a good while after my Dad published his book.  There was a review at the time that mentioned her 'livening up' some of the storylines with some 'artistic' licence.  Still, her book sold very widely: my Dad's was a run limited to 500, published by the local historical society.  

    Hazel - that sounds like a visually interesting 20-miler, because, rather than in spite of the woolly weather!

    Last night, the sun sank quickly into the west, a boiling, bright orange orb that had knots of spectators shielding their eyes as they enjoyed nature's free show.  The slope away from the Marina's shore was just as steep and softy slippy sandy as I remember: must be 2 years or more since I attempted it.  Form & breathing improved after I slogged along the beach to Burbo Bank, and I got to the leisure centre with head torch help before a mile along the beach, disturbed only by the low, chugging rumble of huge fuel oil engines on the Stenaline ferry to Ireland.  A min. over the hr.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    I like river runs swittle - you can think about where the water is off to and the flow is somehow very relaxing to watch.  It was a good distraction from the rain - don't normally mind rain too much - just a couple too many soakings in the last few days but often due to poor timing on my part.  Ships are nice to watch too.

    4 miles local recovery on Monday - no real niggles from Sunday's long run but noted tired feet in particular and general lack of energy so I made sure to keep it easy.

    More recovery paced yesterday - this time around 9.5 miles in around 1.5 hours.  Around 3 on my own, then met up with my Tuesday group.  I was a bit worried about how to choose between a slow group on a short route and a fast group on the longer route with me with still tired legs but I was lucky that the whole group took the long route slowly due to a couple of summer returners.  Dull grey sort of evening though the sun did come out right at the end - haven't seen it much at all in recent days. 
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    No shortage of water in the weather and surroundings for you, Hazel.  The balmy days of early summer are but a distant memory today, and 48 hours of regular rain spells and strong SW wind are in store for much of GB.  
    Some of the Iron Men are getting 'cylinders', 2m high, on which to 'stand'.  The piles are driven into the sand and new brackets fitted.  Also in shot, a 'pop up' licensed bar and coffee open top bus overlooking Waterloo beach & Crosby Marina.

  • KryptoKrypto ✭✭
    On Saturday I went out to do the 3rd run in the penultimate week of a c25k program. The plan was a 5minute walk to warm up (instead I took the dog out for a half hour walk) then a 28min run. The other 28min runs have all been 5k so far.

    Instead of aiming for a 5k loop I decided to run 5k then head home. I did it, it took 58minutes, but I ran 10k and felt fine after.

    I took Sunday and Monday off, I'll probably just do a 5k tomorrow and build back up again for the weekend.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    c25k got me back to slow running a couple of years ago after arthritis in knee.  Wish it had been around when I started running 35 years ago!
  • Hi folks! Hope you're all well, such a busy week, so a little behind.

    Overall a positive week!  By back is still awful in the morning and my knee still niggly, but I'm going to the docs about my back and my knee,  I will visit a physio if it gets worse.

    My last post was just after my 10 mile race where I got a PB by a second, but it wasn't a great days running.

    Four runs to chip in.

    A ploddy 5 mile recovery trail run.  After a couple of weeks of (very patchy!) sunshine and seemingly daily heavy rain, my trail path is so verdant, like hacking through the Amazon!  Either that or running down the side of fields avoiding the crops, but getting stung by all the nettles!

    Next run; found some interesting-looking trails a couple of miles from my house.  They involved a run along some fast country roads with no pavement.  Decided to risk it, but the run there was dodgy as hell!  When I got there the trails were nothing to get excited about.  My other half thankfully came and picked me up so I didn't have to run the gauntlet again! I ran a bit of local trail. 9 miles in total, but a fairly hard 9 miles.

    I won a modest employee award at work, £100 voucher that could be used at a number of places including Nike online.  Got my third pair of infinity react, pair one pretty much done at 590 miles, pair two just 20 miles on for races, new pair just to be used for training.  Four tempo miles to test them, all OK.

    Sunday I went to mount Ephraim gardens, which did look beautiful, and asked my long term (some would say long suffering!) partner to marry me!  So no sunday run that day, but a cracking day.

    I had today off work and decided that having completed a marathon (and prerequisite training) a while ago, it being week after my 10 mile race, and couple of weeks out from my goal half-marathon, today would be a perfect day for a half marathon PB attempt! 
     Also Strava was doing a may half marathon challenge, and the weather was passable.  

    My half PB is not fast at all, 1:57:58 and from my first year's running.  Off I went and had to keep all minutes sub 9.  Most were mid 8,s  some a little over, some a bit under, and I managed to keep it going today. Time 1:50:57! (Add a minute paused to replace long sleeved top and cap with vest, started 9c but rose quickly and I was sweltering!) 

     Really pleased with that as a marathon and a 1:50 half were my two goals this year.  That said, it was run local to me, meaning a vast 109 ft of elevation over the half distance. Flat!

    I need to start running harder at the start of events, banking a margin of time and hanging on!,  but realise that does take experience/confidence over longer distances.

    So a decent couple of weeks running, knee aside.

    Your running seems absolutely great at the moment Hazel!  Lots of running, long and fast runs!  Have you got a marathon lined up?  I know what you mean about the rain! Daily here, and often heavy.  I got home today and there was a downpour, so that was well timed!  Often 8/9c in the morning's still.  Another fan of river adjacent runs.

    Nice running and writing Swittle,  Are the men being currently reclaimed by the sand?  It is annoying when authors embellish the truth a bit, I remember hearing running book "Born to Run" was heavily livened up and contained a fair bit of nonsense.

    Well done Krpto!  Doubling the distance you were planning with no ill effects is a great sign.

    Have a happy week all, looks to be dry and a bit warmer at last!  Can but hope!


  • GuarddogGuarddog ✭✭✭
    Likewise catching up on things over the last couple of weeks.

    Swittle - love the John Harrison reference. And as both you and LTT read Longitude I must try and get hold of a copy. I saw the adaptation with Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon and found it fascinating.

    Fantastic time on the half, LTT. That has taken a big chunk off your PB and shows the training you've been putting in has paid off. Think a 1:50 half is around the 8:30 min/mile mark so great running.

    Good work on the mileage, Hazelnut. Again you're putting me to shame with the amount you're doing.

    Well done Krypto on the 10K in 58 mins. Doing a sub 60 on your first go, not having run that before, is an excellent effort.

    Weather here, like everywhere, has been pretty poor. The weekend before last we went to Hove Park for a 3 lap run and for some reason I just wasn't feeling it. I'm not sure if it was just running round the park or the fact we're doing a lot of one paced running, but after 2 miles I'd had enough, especially as the rain was coming down. Similarly the next day we got up for an 18k run and as we drove to the Adur it started hammering down. We looked at each other and just said no. I think the break probably did us good.

    Last Tuesday we had the first club run for ages. We think there there were 40 odd there, split into 3 groups - fast, medium, slow. The medium group being the largest and the one we joined in. We did the club's WSFRL race route, supposedly the Hedgehopper 5 but having started at the leisure centre at Portslade it turned into 10K. It's a loop with the out part the tough bit as it's up hill. Really nice to see so many and my partner had made cakes for the occasion. Although that did mean we had to hang around until the slower runners had finished. As everyone was doing the same course that meant we were waiting another 30 mins before they all came in. 

    Saturday Hove Park again, although whilst my partner did the normal 3 laps I decided I would do 400m repeats. I need to get out of the rut of one paced running I feel I'd dropped in to recently and remembered I really felt the intervals helped me last year. Didn't do as many as I'd hoped as my partner finished sooner than I thought. She had a committee meeting afterwards so I hung around until they turned up and then went to the gym. Which is where my problems started. Phone died so I couldn't pay for parking. I decided to go home instead and driving home the car died!! I was stuck trying to charge my phone from the car so I could call the AA. It eventually turned out I'd run out of petrol, although my gauge still had a range of 200 miles. Oh well.

    Sunday, after being out on Saturday evening for a Sri Lankan meal, we did our 18k from Henfield along the Downs Link. Kept it to steady 9min/miles, although the breeze on the way back made it a touch tougher. Felt fine until the last mile, which takes us through a gate so we have to stop to open that. I find that break in the rhythm difficult to then pick up again.

    This evening it's a club run again along the Adur. Although as I type the rain is starting to come down.
  • KryptoKrypto ✭✭
    Ended up doing a slightly shorter version of the 10k I ran at the weekend on Tuesday lunch time, got 7k done in 40 mins.

    Got my COVID vaccine tomorrow at 9am, so with a bit of luck I'll get up at 6am and get through another 7k before I go. I suspect I won't be feeling up for running for a day or 2 after getting the vaccine.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Hey all...another few weeks off for me, this time for health reasons. 
    I thought, after the antibiotics, I'd start to feel better. My gum is no longer sore (dentist still wants to take out that back tooth, though, as it's acting as a food trap) but I had a rough couple of weeks with a sore throat, tight chest, feeling spaced out and very fatigued. Instead of going off to ride coasters with my friends, I ended up at the doctor having tests. Blood tests and chest x-ray came back normal but doc didn't like that my HR had been high on my runs so she's booked me in with a cardiologist in July. I, personally, don't think my heart is the problem, but since my mum had a leaky valve that ended up with her having a stroke, I figure it's a good idea to get it checked out anyway. (I'm not sure what the actual problem is, but I did go through something similar the year I turned 40 and eventually it resolved on its own).
    Anyway, I started feeling a little less awful this week so went to the gym on Tuesday, did 20 mins on the elliptical and some glute/ham stuff and survived. Then did 45 mins on the elliptical yesterday and decided I would try a little run today. I walked a mile to warm up then did 2 miles very slowly. I don't feel amazing and I do feel very unfit but it's a start, anyway.

    Well done on the voucher, Linton, and good luck with the vaccine, Krypto. I felt awful after my first one (AZ) but it only lasted a day. Got my second one next week so hoping it won't be as bad.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    LTT - I hope your aches & pains are now resolving themselves.  Trail & sand help me manage the knee deterioration, along with gym and exercises the physios gave me 2 years ago.  Can't think of a better purchase than 'nooo shooes' :-)  Congratulations on [1] receiving a 'Yes!' from partner; [2] meting your goals.  The HM must be .75 mile 'faster'.
    Re the Iron Men.  Several were listing dramatically in 2019, so the original quite slender piles were replaced with these cylinders driven into the beach.  Some of them are immersed x 2 a day, every day, and the sand base must shift too.

    Guarddog - 'Rest as hard as you train' is the gym owner's take on feeling stale or overly tired.  You'll soon be back on it again.  Welcome social occasion at your club :-)  The trials & tribulations of engineers' best laid plans, eh?

    Cal - you're going through it with your health atm.  I'm sure getting a specialist's opinion on HR is wise, speaking from my own experiences 10 years ago.  Steadsy does it on your training.

    Out for 56 min. last night to view the Budding Moon, one of the native American names for May's full moon.  Huge, distinctly orange, the moon slowly rose over the containers sitting patiently at the Freeport.  The sun had left a legacy of enough light still to be safe-ish to run well after 10pm - but I'd forgotten my headtorch in any case.  Higher in the sky, the moon became a paler yellow, smaller too, so my photos didn't do it justice.  
    I met a man with two chihuahuas walking down the beach: he told me one was merle in colouring, the other lilac.  Just as I finished, I talked to Pete & Jet, his border collie.  He'd just seen a meteorite streaking across the sky.  Always plenty going on in Crosby!
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    swittle, what happened with you 10 years ago?
    I love your description of the moon and the dogs. Living in a tiny flat, I can't really have pets (I mean, it's my flat so technically I can, but it wouldn't be right) so I try to pet as many dogs as I can when I'm out walking. I'm more of a cat person, really, but I do like dogs too and see some interesting ones. There are a lot of poodle crosses where I live - not just labradoodles and cockerpoos (which are pretty common) but some more unusual combinations like Bernedoodles (Bernese/poodle cross). I encountered a shitzu-poodle cross the other day and was hoping the abbreviation for that was a zudle rather than the alternative (though I've since learned they're referred to as a shi-poo.)

    I've been trying to get my fitness back - three more runs and some elliptical in the gym (the last one of those was an hour, which is basically an eternity on one of those infernal contraptions). Runs were 3, 4 and 6 miles. I still feel fatigued (heavy legs and working much harder to do 11 minute miles than I should be) so wondering if there is actually something wrong with my heart or if it's some sort of post infection or antibiotic-induced fatigue. Sore throat has gone anyway, so there's that.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Cal - I had just set off up a slight hill on an off road recce, when I felt what resembled a thump to my chest and breathlessness immediately afterwards.  I stopped for 30 sec., then caught up the others but I was struggling.  After 4 miles, I decided to head back to the start point by a shorter route.  After a battery of tests initiated by a locum GP, I ended up having an angiogram.  This revealed slight narrowing of 1 or more of the coronary arteries.  Aspirin and statins for me, and tablets to lower my BP.  I was 57 at the time.
    I still get breathless at times while running, so I stop: often 15-20 sec. is enough, and I'm on my way again.  The days of training at 7 min. miles are now a distant memory....

    I'll always stop to speak to and maybe stroke a cat, if 'invited' to do so.  Next door's former tom cat loves snoozing on the wall across my back yard.  When I returned from last night's late run [about 11pm], he started up, looking at me accusingly, before shooting under the nearest parked car.

    The warm weather has brought out many dogs and their walkers too - last night's smile moment was seeing two Rottweiler adolescents - one had to be picked up & carried up the steps to the prom, while the other trotted up confidently.
  • Hi folks, hope you're all well.

    Not great at all this week.

    Back has been getting worse and worse, by friday it really was bad.  Decided to get up saturday morning and try and run a fair chunk of the Thanet coast and get a train back.
    Got to 10.3 miles and was in agony, got picked up by OH and have been pretty bad since.

    Going to the docs and dosed up on painkillers, hoping it will settle at some point but has been a bit painful for months really.  Of all the niggles I've encountered, pretty annoying a back issue has sidelined me.  Just purchased a new mattress that cost-wise is causing me more pain then my bad back, so hope it helps! 

    Good running Swittle, always fascinates me how the moon phases affect fishing.  Obviously the size of the tides, neaps and springs, but also how waxing and waning affects how well different fish bite.  I have poor knowledge of dog breeds, but would love a Collie or Spaniel.  Maybe one day.


    Sounds a good training week Guarddog.  Great that you're out training with the club again.  Hope you avoided the rain on your last run!  Sounds a jinxed trip to the gym.

    Hope the vaccination wasn't too bad Krpto, I felt rough after the second one, but only for a day.

    Sorry you're still struggling Cal. Hope you feel better soon.  At least you did some eliptical training I guess.



  • A drop in from a rare visitor here as I tend to stick to the less populated Mature Runners Thread these days. Reading back through some of the posts show some positives but also some worrying negatives (particularly Cal and LTT to whom good wishes are extended).
    Not much to report from me. It's been a bit downhill since peaking with a gale-assisted 5k in 20.57 in March. Since then I've had Achilles niggles and with the deferment of Parkrun, nothing specific to train for. So, running is a bit limited in quantity (the occasional 10k and a weekly 5k) and quality (struggling to dip below 23 mins).
    I'm doing a bit of cycling, a bit less rowing and some semi-loony (at my age) cross-fit stuff.
    Good to see so many soldiering on, often in the face of considerably more adversity than me.
    Just a quick word of inspiration. I was at an athletics meeting the other day. The 800 metres was run by a local runner who is the wrong side of 50. Pretty good - but extraordinary when you find out he's also had a double hip replacement and can run a 5k in 16 minutes in a bit. Just wow!

  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Blimey John, he must be the bionic man. My achilles has been problematic as well - I found doing isometric stuff (just going up on my toes and staying there for 40 seconds to a minute) worked far better for me than heel drops.

    Early morning 5 miler for me - still slow and unfit but I feel a little more normal now so I hope this is indeed the start of my recovery. (I also have a half marathon in July which I could cancel, but would rather not). 
    Then I figured I may as well go to the gym so I did half an hour on the elliptical and 20 mins of weights. Got caught in the rain on the way back, and of course I was wearing a sleeveless jacket. Happy about the lower temperature, though - last two nights have been poor, sleep-wise.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Anyway, progress for me, too. I had a lazy day yesterday (just a walk up to Streatham Lidl to stock up on ice cream as it's cheap and they have some interesting flavours. Got some Asian ones in at the moment - I will not be trying the wasabi flavour, I'll tell you that much). I also had the excitement of witnessing a fox catching a squirrel through the back window, and then having a tug of war with one of her cubs over it. I really hope the poor little bugger was dead by that point, it was pretty brutal.

    So today, I had in mind that I would try for 8 miles and headed back to the Wandle, mindful of the fact I'd had to bail out there last time I tried that route when I started feeling bad. Today was better...I was still working a little harder than I'd like for the pace but I managed to keep going so I could continue through Wandle Park to Collier's Wood and from there along a trail called Mead Path which comes out at Figges Marsh near Tooting. I noticed a funfair there so did a loop of that to check out the rides for my mate, Stevie (who loves funfairs), so in the end it was 9 miles when I got back. 
    Based off my watch, there was noticeable cardiac drift but the first four miles were close to my normal zone so I think things are improving. It was around 14-15 degrees and a bit muggy so my heart would have had to work harder anyway. I think I'm just really deconditioned after all the time off so I'm not concerned at this point. 
    Anyway, it's a good start and something to build on. (Hamstring is still a bit grumpy but it's not at all bad now - I guess the extra downtime did it some good).
  • john bateman 6john bateman 6 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2021
    That's good news, Cal.

    My injuries are no more than niggles really. I too had some good news. I was preparing for a 10k challenge with a guy who rather outclasses me. He's a few years younger so we were going to do it on WAVA scores. I reckoned I'd need to be around the 75% mark to beat him him which is well north of my current 10K times.

    The danger was that in trying to get into shape to compete, I'd just crock myself. However, he beat me to it - and has done a calf. Challenge off and I can relax. Ironically, I celebrated by running a 74.4% for 5K. But 5k is one thing; 10K is another matter, for me anyway. 

    At our age, it's not so much getting to the finish line but being able to get to the start line. Even Mo Farah might know the feeling.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Indeed, John - I've had to cancel a few races this year already.

    I did 5 miles today, just around the common. Already warm at 6:30 when I went out. HR is moving in the right direction, especially as I was a little quicker today (still slow but most of my miles were under 11 this time). Still a way to go - unfortunately I am nowhere near fit enough to do the evening race before my birthday next week (well I could, but it'd be a jog around) but I'm hopeful I can do the half marathon mid-July. Wouldn't be a fast one anyway at that time of year so I'm not too concerned with time at this point though I would like to be under 2 hours.
  • Cal, a 2 hour HM is a good target but mid July might come along quite quickly. There's always that balance between training hard enough to hit your target and not getting crocked whilst doing it.

    It was certainly warm here today, although the sea breeze comes in handy at this time of year. Set off intending to do a sub 49 min 10K and was on the right side of the pace for the first 7.5km. Somehow I must have lost concentration in the final quarter and came home in 50:09. Still not sure how that happened.

    Then cycled home and my chain fell off. Sort of summed up my morning! Worse things happen at sea, needles to say.
  • Cal JonesCal Jones ✭✭✭
    Bad luck on the chain, John. Was the 10K a race or a training run?

    Quite pleased with my run today. I did 8 miles and overall pace was quicker. Ran some new roads (well not quite new - I'd covered them on walks while I was injured) so got some new Strava segments. HR was still quite high but then I was averaging below 10:30s which is 30 secs per mile faster than I was doing last week. 
    Hammy had a bit of a moan too but it'll get a day off tomorrow. I need to get on top of my rehab as I neglected it while I was ill as I had no energy.
  • Hi folks! Back still bad so had a full week off running, which didn't seem to make much difference. 

    Looking for positives, the week off has helped my knee a fair bit it seems.

    Did a very gentle undulating trail 17.75 in an incredibly slow 3:36 including drink stops.  Worked that out at 5:24 pace. I walked the first mile and the steepest inclines/ declines to try and help my lower back.  Felt like I had a good run in my legs the next day, but dont think it worsened my back? I wanted to do another SVN event next month, but need to sort back really. Annoying, this year was going great.  So keen to try and keep my marathon fitness.

    6.2 mile trail look last night, with a quick last mile, so overgrown now, almost impassable!  Bit sore today.  Will get to physio but so busy at moment.

    Glad things are improving Cal. That sounds positive.

    Good 10k time trial John. Hard to run solo runs like that, I'm sure the half marathon one I did is what's done my back!

    Have a good week all.  This hot weather looks to stay for the moment.  It is hard acclimating!
  • john bateman 6john bateman 6 ✭✭✭
    edited June 2021
    Cal, it was just a 10K training run. Rehab seems to be moving in the right direction for you. 

    LTT, thanks. The 17.75 reads like the very definition of  LSD. Sorry to hear about the back. I once heard a phrase about 'the free-masonary of the bad back' and if so then I too have been a member. But it's not a club anyone actually wants to be in. Hope that your membership is very temporary. 
    Your distances put me to shame. Have you a weekly/monthly target?

    I'm going to watching so much football over the next few weeks that I've set up a TV in front of my rowing machine.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    edited June 2021
    Ups - got out of the habit of posting - don't know why. 

    Welcome to Kyrpto - good progress!

    Congratulations LTT - enjoy the wedding planning.  Well done on your employee award too.  And of course on your new HM PB - you are having a good time at the moment despite your back and knee.  No concrete marathon lined up for me at the moment though I have an eye on a couple of events.  Not good on the back, nearly 18 miles is a long way to be in pain!  

    Good to see you back to club running GD.  Cakes for 40 people sounds like a good baking session.  Annoying regarding the car!

    Nice moonlit running swittle.  Lilac seems a strange colour for a dog.  Cats are funny things - I have two and still sometimes don't read their language right as to whether strokes are invited or not.  Carrying a Rottweiler must have been strength training for the owner - adolescent or not.

    I have been enjoying the dog petting count on Strava Cal. Great to see you out running again and starting to make progress.  I would go for a solid get round it HM in July rather than rush the training for it.  The squirrel story made me shudder..

    Nice to see you drop in JB - I did the occasional lurk on the Mature Runner's thread when I saw you were posting there.  5k in 16 mins is awesome enough but with a double hip replacement..  Wise statement regarding start and finish lines! Good 10k time - running hard does take concentration not to ease up I find.  Enjoy the football from the rower!

    I'm still getting out there every day.  I even took part in another race in the meantime.  This felt a bit more like one as I saw other runners with numbers on this time.  Pretty mediocre results but a tough course for a hill race for me - flat and down bits mixed with sharp steep bits.   Also fell a couple of hundred metres from the finish on a final downhill bit but just scrapes and bruises and not too much time lost. 

    Latest run was yesterday in humid and warm weather - 6 x 800m with 200m swift walking and around 200m slow jog recoveries.  Haven't done any intervals for a while so wasn't expecting much and not in those conditions anyway but I was pleased with the results.  Got a few funny looks from cyclists as I upped and downed a nice bit of tarmac which a kind person has marked off in 50m sections for 1k.  I probably had a bright red face.  Bit short of 9 miles in total with a warm-up and cool-down.
  • HazelnutCHHazelnutCH ✭✭✭
    Warm 10k yesterday evening - summer really has arrived now and will stay for the next days.  I need to switch to early runs where I can, but a bit of acclimatisation won't hurt either.  Trundled around a local loop, partly in the woods.  No runners met but plenty of mtbs.
  • swittleswittle ✭✭✭
    Reassuring to read contributions from thread 'regulars' - be they good or not so good news.  The battle with injury never stops, while my struggle for a faster pace was conceded many years ago!
    Too cloudy to see much of the partial eclipse yesterday but very warm sunshine and temps in the mid-20s deg. C were soon back.
    Hour-long steady outings have become my norm, the later the better, but it's just about safe to run without a head torch until 10pm.
    Temperature on the parkrun thread on Fetch Everyone is matching the weather - it reminds me of my first contact: another small pool for big fish to occupy.
    All for now - stay safe, slop on sunscreen, and don a hat!
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