Double post

Our club has a 10k time trial every month that’s now gone virtual. The offroadies came up with a contour challenge – how much ascent you could squeeze into 10k from home without using the same climb twice. 1896’ for me but not good enough for the win 🙂

Keep it going (safely) folks!

Another lacklustre fun from me.

Head/body/heart not in it. Not sure if the current situation plus other home stresses are just getting to me but think I’ll take a rest for several days and reset.

@RDL-82, when I lose some running mojo I find just going out and having fun helps.
Ditch the watch, find some empty trails and just run for fun. If you want to walk, walk, if you want to sprint, do so.
But just have fun.

@stever We used to do similar on bikes in a Strava group, Monday lunchtime climb challenge. Basically cram the most metres of ascent possible in one hour from home or work (no repetition restrictions), good fun getting creative with the routes.

A month now of lockdown enforced non running, it’s going to feel like starting from scratch again! I only got into running last year and it was so unnatural, it took most of a year to feel somewhat like a runner. This year was meant to work on the base (80,000m climbing in 2019!) and aim to finish in the top half of races rather than worrying about making the first time cut. Instead I sprained my ankle and got quarantined 😅

There is a good chance I’ll do my first 50+ mile week this week. Turns out that having loads of time and diving out for an hour or so every day means it’s quite easy to rack the miles up.

shortbread_fanylion
Subscriber
Thoroughly enjoyed intervals? I think you did them wrong! 😀

Perhaps enjoyed is the wrong word (and it probably wasn’t ‘proper’ intervals) but it was nice to be doing something other than plodding round the same old streets. I’m trying to mix it up a bit to stop getting bored.

Was planning on trying a 10k tomorrow but I’ve got blisters from walking the baby with new shoes on so it might need to wait a few days.

Yeah I know what you mean. They straddle a fine line between sadism and satisfying. Definitely worthwhile though to avoid just plodding.

My runnings suffered a bit of late as I’ve been doing a bit more turbo and MTB. Hope to get out early tomorrow though for a nice steady hour.

It’s got me excited about going out for a run rather than being a bit meh. Just wish I had some hills. Might have to run up and down the overpass up the road.

There is a good chance I’ll do my first 50+ mile week this week.

My first 70k week coming up – 10km a day for 7 days. Don’t think I’ve ever done over 40k in a week (prob not much over 30 tbh!). Day 5 was hard but this morning wasn’t too bad (day 6) – heavy legs but beautiful morning and very few folk around early doors. Just tomorrow to go 🙂

I love intervals, the taste of blood in the mouth and the huge high when you do them. Lovely.

I’ve been out running with my two ten yr old girls in the last few weeks (as mentioned earlier). We are doing 1.6 mile runs (just as it’s a good circuit and it’s got a nice climb). They can do it in <14 minutes now (8.56 average mile speed – and that’s slowing slightly for me). Where can I find info on how their times compare to competitive times as I am pretty impressed as neither are regular runners.

That works out at 5:30 /km pace, for 2.5km.

Looking at my local parkrun, there are girls and boys in the 11-14 category running 25 minute 5km’s, which is 5:00 /km pace.

I ran an 11.5km today in 1hr 15, which makes 25.7km for the week – my biggest week so far.

50k this week which isn’t bad all things considered. Looked at this week last year though and it was 125k! Now looking back at photos and reminiscing on that week, two splendid days running south from Hadrian’s Wall to Muker on the Pennine way.

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2iPA1n4]P1040576[/url] by happycrenker, on Flickr" alt="null" />

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2iPxfN6]P1040590[/url] by happycrenker, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/2iPxeic]P1040642[/url] by happycrenker, on Flickr

@johndoh, try finding the local Junior parkrun too, that’s 2km so you’ll get a feel how fast they are. It grades by age too.

Yeah we want to try that but it doesn’t work with it being early on Sunday – they have really busy Saturdays with dance/theatre/ballet/orchestra so Sunday mornings are their only bit of free time.

Sorry @lunge missed your post.

Have done pretty much that today and just had a chilled 45 minutes out with the dog. No rushing. Mostly ran but walked bit and listened to the birds and enjoyed the warm evening sun.

Felt somewhat strange not just ‘going’ for it but enjoyed it non the less.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B-7lkIzhUKL/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Yeah we want to try that but it doesn’t work with it being early on Sunday

I thought all parkruns were 9am Saturday?

Thought I was back on track, being running well and pretty strong but last few runs my ankle has been giving me grief again.

I thought all parkruns were 9am Saturday?

Correct, but junior parkrun is 9am Sunday

After doing regular 5, 10 and a 15k figured I’d go for a full 13 miles today. Last three miles took an age and I was running like an old man as my Achilles started to ache quite a bit. But did it in 2h 8m, so happy with that. Want to get it down to sub 2h for the local half marathon in October.

Done quite a lot of stretching and heel drops on the stairs tonight. Expect I’ll wake up at 2am with cramp 😃

Just went out with MiniMonkey in her pram for our one a day. Bloody glorious out so decided to go for a long (for me) run. Managed 5.6 miles at 10:18 pace which I realise is waaaaay off what most of you guys do, but I’m pretty pleased. Current aim is 10k at under 10 minutes per mile, which feels easily achievable without a pram.

Correct, but junior parkrun is 9am Sunday

Yep that’s right – we have managed it a couple of times but it feels a bit unfair on her. Anyway, I think I might try to get her on the full Parkrun when it restarts (during holidays when they don’t have anything else on).

Are there any other pram runners on here? I sweat like a very sweaty thing, and the foam grip thingy on the pram gets saturated pretty quickly. After Mrs Monkey said ‘urgh’ when she moved the pram I figure maybe I should do something about it.

I don’t really want to wear gloves like I would on the bike – are sweatbands any cop? Then I can pretend I’m in Footloose.

I used to run with the buggy and always got horribly sweaty hands. Never came up with an answer – sorry!!

@turboferret – Brilliant video and a stunning effort, mate! The thing that gets me about fast runners is that they, like you Turbo, just don’t look like they are trying. They effortlessly glide across the land as if propelled by an invisible helping hand. It looks so easy to emulate, until you try to keep up with someone on the track or parkrun and you’re breathing blood, limbs-a-thrashing, basically sprinting just to keep up for a few hundred metres. A different breed. Great stuff! I’ve seen your Strava and you seem to have the mojo back and are getting the miles in.

I haven’t posted here for a while – it’s all gone mad. Missing club nights and interval sessions but Sutton Runners have a virtual 5K every week where we post a 5K on Strava and have an aggregate of our previous times to beat. It’s tough pushing hard on your own. When you’re surrounded by other folk who are close to death and collapsing across the line it feels ok, but I feel a bit self-conscious in the street on Sunday morning trying to avoid people and looking like I’m about to have a seizure. I’ve posted 20:57, 22:01 and 21:31 so far (I think) but the faster ones were aided by a gravity-assisted drop-in. I get points for going uphill, not down, so I won’t win.

Been running every few days to keep sane. Was heading to parks, but they are packed with people around here (not unlike a turn-of there century Impressionist painting) so I stick to the roads now – easier to avoid people by jumping into the empty roads devoid of cars. Not huge mileage – 21K last week, but that’s good for me.

Bought a turbo trainer – good fun, especially when it gets harder going up hill. Nothing like being out. As the roads are so quiet, it’s not too bad on the streets and far less people than the parks.

My goal of a sub-20 monte parkrun seems a bit far off now as I’ve definitely lost some pace over the weeks but I’m not going to worry about it any more – just keep ticking over and build back up again when we are let out.

One thing I’ve discovered is that running in the heat is even worse than cycling. Not a fan of hot weather anyway, but it’s very hard for me to stay cool when running. Throw in some lovely tree pollen and it has not been too pleasant.

Hope everyone is keeping safe, keeping well and keeping sane! Great to read all your stories and keep them coming – all are an inspiration. Cheers.

@flyingmonkeycorps I do a bit of running with a buggy – when my daughter was waking up at 5:15 regularly before the clocks changed she accompanied me for a bit. Nice gentle introduction for a 10-month old, 13 mile runs at dawn!

No issues with sweaty hands, despite being a sweaty bugger, but I do generally suffer with cold hands, and often wear gloves/mitts when others aren’t.

@root-n-5th – thanks 🙂 I was pretty well on form last summer, I was only a bit quicker running a 5k for the virtual 12-Stage road relay race last weekend, but glad to be back on it after my vitamin D deficiency issue. I actually had my biggest week of running of the year last week, with 126km, getting out pretty regularly at 5am. This gives my wife an opportunity to get a bit of exercise in 7-8 before taking charge of children. It does however require a 9pm bedtime so not much evening!

One thing I’ve discovered is that running in the heat is even worse than cycling. Not a fan of hot weather anyway, but it’s very hard for me to stay cool when running. Throw in some lovely tree pollen and it has not been too pleasant.

You get used to it, the heat anyway. The pollen, not so much. It just takes a couple of weeks to acclimatise.

Had signed up for the Edinburgh Half to give me some motivation to commit to training which was supposed to be end of May and got cancelled understandably.

Still keeping the running going and have set myself a few targets to achieve by end of May as finding that getting out, even for just 20 mins or so, is some good head-space.

Probably a daft question but one thing that I’d not quite understood, and some of you may be able to help, is I’m roughly following a training plan from Runners World (RW 12-week sub 1:30 half marathon)), but for some of the intervals I can’t work out exactly what it’s instructing you to do as the distances don’t add up – e.g. Week 5 Tuesday Speedwork – 5 x 1K, 200m jog (7M total) 60mins.

5 x 1K, 200m jog gives you 6K (approx 3.7 miles) so is it that around those intervals you just need make up the remaining 3.3 miles within the total time of 60mins?

@DougD the total will include some warm-up and cool-down after. You wouldn’t want to launch straight into intervals.

I thought that Edinburgh has been postponed, but without a specific date?

yes – sorry, postponed, revised dates for EMF according to the latest email are 5th / 6th Sept or option to defer to Saturday 29th/Sunday 30th May 2021.

Sounds good, thanks, will take another look at those and get the timings / distances worked out.

This was the email I received on 17th March – any update on that?

Also seems to be corroborated by the website

Yeah just edited above as they revised it to 5/6th Sept but as I can’t make that (currently due to be away but will see how that pans out) they also gave option to defer to May 2021

Not a chance that’ll happen in september.

Not a chance that’ll happen in september.

Agreed – I have a place in the Great North Run in September. The last thing I want to do right now is to be in a confined space with another 60,000 people for two hours whilst they pant and spit everywhere.

Not a chance that’ll happen in september.

I’m hopeful some stuff might happen in September* but small local races are more likely than massive things with folk coming from all over the place.

*I’m signed up for Ben Nevis and 3 Peaks.

I have 2 autumn marathons, which were supposed to be spring races – Edinburgh and London. Due to my vitamin D issues I agreed to be a pacer for London instead of racing, 3:15. I was hoping to be building fitness and could then have Edinburgh as my target race. Now they are the other way around, and looking a little uncertain in the current climate, maybe I should look at another autumn race as my A goal if Edinburgh doesn’t go ahead. Maybe it’s a little foolish to be entering races now, but it would be a little frustrating to commit to 18 weeks of 100+ miles without a target….

It’s tough to know how to play things.
I’m also in London in October but still wondering whether it will be viable even then.

I’m getting out every day but not pushing and no specific sessions on the go and I think I’ll keep it like that until we know a bit more about how we come out of the lockdown.

Having said all that I’m quite enjoying just getting out and running around with no goal or target. It’s really quite liberating. I’ll be off out with the dog in a bit and hopefully get about 8m in to keep my CV19 weekly mileage the top side of 50mpw. The weather and dry trails are helping too.

Having said all that I’m quite enjoying just getting out and running around with no goal or target. It’s really quite liberating.

This is it for me.
I had an ultra on April and then a marathon in October. I now, in theory at least, have an ultra and a marathon in October!
But without a proper goal, I’m just getting out and running lots of miles without a care in the world. I’ve struggled to motivate myself to do structured sessions like proper intervals, speed sessions or hill sprints, but that’s OK at the moment.
Just having time to go and run for 8 or 10 miles every evening and exploring paths and routes that I haven’t before is proving great fun.
It’s kind of running as it should be.

Going to try and increase my weekly mileage with a bit more of a set structure from next week, have lost a bit of motivation and I find it hard to just go for a run without a goal or plan in mind. It’s been 4 months since I did my first C25K ‘run’ with 60 second runs 😀

This week I’ve only run once at 6.5km, will get in another run tomorrow/this evening to make it up to 12km or so for the week. Call it a recovery week 🙂

Previous 2 weeks I did 22km and 25km, so I’ll start at 20km for 2 weeks, with 4 runs vs my normal 3, and then 23km for 2 weeks, 26km for 2 weeks, then 30km, 32km, 34km, 36km, and then see how it goes from there…

Today was supposed to be the Newlands Memorial , bah.
Heard rumblings that we’ll be allowed 1hr daily outdoor exercise from 27th, will be interesting to see what 6 weeks of lockdown has done to me running (anyone who actually reads the shite I post will know I was already laid up with an ankle sprain before the lockdown, so barely any running since Jan)

I’ve been keeping things ticking over, nothing more, with a 1h20 gentle but hilly commute by bike, though clothes feel tighter, hills longer…