Keep at it funk master p!

Started running in March 2017. Struggled to run 5k for the first month, two months in I was up to nearly 10k.

A year on I’ve run 3 half marathons.

I was 17 stone, now 14 stone.

Lunge 10 k in under 25?

Are you hoping to take the wr off Bekele? 😱

I’ve had a good week of running . Coming off the back of a run of parkrun pbs I ran my 50th at Ashton Court on Saturday.

Decided I’d take it easy because I had a 10k next day but somehow knocked a minute off my pb of two weeks before.

Then on Sunday ran Newport 10k and beat my previous 10k Pb by 3:30 and nearly 10 minutes quicker than a year ago.

To cap off my running week I got an award for most improved runner at my local running group.

Scrap the borderline. Just remembered I own a dolce gusto pod coffee device and not a stove pot.

Would take owning an Octavia, a more comprehensive knowledge of frame geometry, an encyclopaedic knowledge of Peak District natural trails and single speed fatbike ownership to ever restore STW stereotype.

Heading towards 50 – tick

Divorced – tick

Have a beard – tick

Own 4 bikes but barely ride them – tick

Have owned a steel bike – tick

Never listen to 6 music – untick

Don’t read the Guardian- untick

Southerner – untick

Drive a Golf – untick

Open fire but no log burning stove – untick

Summary : borderline STW stereotype

I recently bought some Salice sports glasses in specsavers with presecription inserts. Mine were a little more due to my weird prescription but they were circa £100. Good fit and use them due running as well as cycling as they stay out on my head r ally well.

I did Ashton court yesterday too. Not as quick as DD but happy with my new pb there of 26:04.

i think it’s the only time I’ve still been cold at the finish.

Mm93. Really happy with mine. I had an Anthem 26 before but got fed up fettling bearings and for most of my local rides which are a mix of bridleways road segments and bridle paths a 29 er makes more sense.

Great kit selection on the the Pro 29er. I’ve changed the saddle but everything else is stock. Will be putting a wider set of bars on and swapping to Barzos when the MKs wear out.

Can’t go wrong for the price you paid.

My 2016 Pro 29er is 11.7kg so that 12 kg weight is quite believable.

We we just bought my gf a 2003 focus 1.6 Petrol for £350. Had a year’s mot and some of the car’s history was known to us. Checked mot history via DVLA on line and very few advisories and receipts going back the last 5 years sealed the deal.

This one replaced her previous focus which racked up 160k miles .

Great cars, cheap to fix , drive well , and cheap / plentiful enough to buy another if it dies.

Have you considered commuting from Luton? East Midlands run a fast train from Luton airport parkway to st Pancras which is 20 minutes. Choice of cheap hotels due to the proximity of the airport.

Have always struggled to find jeans for that fit well. Similar to you, big thighs but not fat.

A couple of weeks ago I was walking past Gap with a 30% off promotion. Found a style ,their athlete fit which are slim but have more thigh room which are the best fitting jeans I’ve had for years. Decent quality and I only paid £30.

I like my Schwalbe Ones for their ride quality and balance of speed and grip. Wear rate isn’t so great but I’m a fair weather rider and favour ride quality over durability.

Also look at Spokesman and cycle clinic handbuilt wheels.

I saw him with Johnny Marr on the Mind Bomb tour at the Roysl Albert Hall.
There’s a you tube video of the whole gig.
Still love This is the day.

I was in a similar quandary a few months back. Having seen very favourable reviews I’m now a proud owner of a Supersix Evo.
Very comfortable for a race bike. A little more stretched out but surprisingly good at filtering out road chatter.
I also have an older Defy Advanced.

I recently had my bathroom done.large bathroom 6m x 4m.
The work involved 12m2 tiling, plastering walls and ceiling, new suite,new taps, making new bath panel, installing new light.
Cost of work was similar at £2500.
By the time I did the floor and added fittings, new shower screen it was more like £3500 so sounds reasonable to me.
(I’m in the SE so add 25%.)😉

This time last year I started running again.
Slowly but surely I managed 2,3k then in mid February started going to parkrun most weeks.
Yesterday I passed the 209k mark for January and so far have run 27 days in the month including 2 run of 18k.
Quite happy with that.

I did it a bit 6 years ago. Great event. It’s much more about the pariticipation than the time. Lots of places to stop for food and a pint on route and a great atmosphere.

I’ve been using a Tom Tom Spark for nearly a year now for logging runs and biking, plus activity training.
Mineis the basic version without cardio or music but can’t really fault it for the money.
Very intuitive, synchs with strava,gives me my pace , seems accurate and looks unobtrusive when I use it as my everyday watch.

This happened on a pair of Altura progel bibs I had. Got them refunded under warranty.

Another recommendation for the Tom Tom Spark. Just works with minimum of unecessary gimmicks. Use mine mainly to log runs but also on the bike and for swims.
Paid £65 for mine via the Tom Tom store.

My gf has got the bangernomics strategy down to a fine art.
She bought a £2k Ford Focus approx 10 years ago. Said car is now 16 years old and on 165k miles.
Only gets stuff fixed to pass an mot.Hasn’t even had an oil change for 3 years. Had a patch welded on the sill about 2 years ago. Apart from that it just gets consumables. Went straight through it’s last not with just 3 advisories.
Headed for the scrappy this year if it fails it’s mot and we will buy another focus.
Mk1 foci are reasonably reliable , great to drive ,can be serviced anywhere and more importantly cheap to get bits for.

Im 14 stone and 6 ft. If you saw me you wouldn't say I am carrying a lot of timber. Broadish shoulders,44 chest, size 34 waist, and virtually no flab. Most of my weight is probably in my thighs as a consequence of cycling and rugby.At best i think i could lose 1/2 to 1 stone then Id look unhealthy!
Currently running between 40 and 50k a week. Looks s like I am best concentrating specifically on speed work and hills. I did manage a 24.13 this morning so confident I can improve to 23 soon.n

Brenda

Incredibly depressing reading this! I thought I was doing ok, am a 48 year old , 14 stone bloke who has done parkrun since February 2017. My first runs were around the 32 minute mark. At the time I was nearly 17 stone. In December I managed to get to 24:30 and have now run 25 mins dead or better on 3 times.
Hoping to get to sub 24 this year with which I’d be very happy. My best age grading is normally high 50s to 60%.
I run with a couple of 50 year olds which run between 20 and 22 minutes but they are both race whippets and about 11 stone.

The only person I know that runs sub 20 is 17.

I have another running buddy who is a similar age and not a race whippet and he can do sub 23 but that’s down to sheer bloody mindedness on his part.

I’m probably not trying hard enough……..

I went to Normandy last year with Siblu. It’s a French company so as a Brit you’ll be in a minority once on site but the site and facilities were excellent . Pretty reasonably priced to.

Joined the group. Ta

I started running again in March after a lay off of about 4 years. Parkrun is great for keeping me motivated. I started with a time of around 32 minutes now my best is 24:30. I’m also a bit of a parkrun tourist, having run at 12 different venues over the 37 I’ve run so far. The variety helps.

The other thing I did was to join a running group. Long runs are so much easier when you run in a group and I now have lots of friends I’ve made purely through running,

I was training for my first half marathon in November but sprained my ankle , and the next available half’s marathon in December was postponed due to the snow so my first half will now be in February. I’m aiming fir a sub 2 hour time so am working on my pace.

I’ve been out for a 14km run tonight and did the parkrun double yesterday at Ashton Court and Pomphrey Hill.

For 2018 I’ve entered 2 half marathons and am debating to do 2 more. I also want to do a few more 10ks to see if I can improve on my 52 minutes Pb. I still have no real desire to do a marathon though.

With regards to weight loss I’ve shed 3 stone since I started. Might lose another half stone but my build is such that I can’t imagine getting much lighter.

Main advice I’d give is eat well, run in a group with faster people, and run lots of hills.

I have a few bit so karrimor kit , running shorts, tights, long sleeve top and all have been fine. As suggested decathlon is good but there is no explanation to sizing so you really need to try before you buy.
For tops I normally go to TM MaXx . I also have some more mile stuff and it’s been good though my socks have shrunk .

I don’t often comment on threads on here but everyone’s reaction is really heart warming.
I’ve been through a divorce and a bout of anxiety/depression a couple of years ago when I lost my job so can very much sympathise with you.
You mentioned you have gained weight and would like to get in shape. As well as being a keen cyclist I started running in February this year . In that time I’ve shifted nearly 3 stone and like cycling it’s very therapeutic. I joined a local club and also set up a Facebook group to set up local group runs. I often run with up to 10 others and have made a lot of new friends as well as the more obvious benefits of losing weight and improving my fitness. I am running my first half marathon in a week’s time. The improvement in my self belief has also been a massive benefit.
Not saying that running is the answer but just putting this out there as an idea.
Anyway all the best and hope you get on your feet again soon.
Let us know if you need anything for your lads. As well as toys and games maybe we could donate clothes or shoes that our kids have grown out of?
Let us know your PayPal details too.

Some good deals at Decathlon.

SLX 11 speed cassette £30
Ultegra 6800 cassette £45

3 years ago mine cost £1k. About £500 in court fees and £500 for some solicitor advice and get a financial order drawn up.
One thing I’ve not mentioned is approx 60% of the equity in the house, but such is the price of freedom and future happiness!

Love my Tom Tom Spark. Intuitive, no frills watch that covers all the standard bases just fine.
Check voucher codes and Tom Tom store for regular discount. I picked mine up for £62.

Love my Tom Tom Spark. Intuitive, no frills watch that covers all the standard bases just fine.

I have. I set up a Facebook group for local runners. We now have 8 of us from our village doing a weekly evening run.

Have you tried eBay to see if there is a prepainted part?
I lost the towing eye cover trim on my blue Mercedes a couple of years back and with a bit of searching I was able to find a pre painted part in the correct colour for the same cost as the new non painted part.

I recently bought a second hand Tacx 2240. Really happy with it so far though yet to try swift.

I work in the roofing industry.
All systems have their place if installed correctly. I’d choose a reputable installer first over choice of system.
Single ply , ok but only as good as laps and details. Very easy to puncture. We see new builds riddled with defects caused by other trades dropping tools, scaffold,etc. I’ve seen very expensive rubber roofs fail due to poor workmanship.
Felt still reliable,tried and tested but again very much depends on quality of detailing and installation.
Modern generation liquids can be very good, but can vary massively in quality. Roofers think they are a cheap fix and tend to be sniffy about them, especially if brought up on traditional felt, bituminous or asphalt systems but can be excellent if done right.
Roofers’ opinions on systems very much depends on their own area of expertise.
First and foremost go by reputation.
Most of our work is in the commercial or retail sector rather than residential but might be able to point you in the right direction depending on where you are?
With regards to ponding water, this isn’t necessarily a problem in itself but may expose any defects in the laps if a sheet system in the long term.
I’ve had a flat felt roof that has held up fine despite ponding for years.
Ponding issues can be corrected with firrings or cut to falls insulation boards if you want to improve thermal efficiency at the same time.

I have one of the Aldi bikemate moon copies. Great little light.