gremlins have had me in their thrall for four days:

the insomnia gremlins; the I've got a new phone and want to take hours setting it up and playing with it gremlins; the clean the house from top to bottom before the estate agents come to chat, then again for their photographer gremlins - leading to the couch potato gremlins and the scoffing unsuitable food gremlins. How fickle this running business is!.

The best bit was when I inadvertently locked myself out of my phone. Having switched from Android back to iPhone, I discovered I could no longer drag and drop the sound file I made myself with sound software of an old fashioned phone ringing, into the ringtones on my phone. I've transferred that tone from phone to phone for years, but Apple have decided to disable the ability to use your own ringtones. So i had the bright idea of restoring from the backup of my old (2014) iPhone. Haha, had forgotten it had a passcode for the unlock screen, so couldn't get back into my new phone as had forgotten passcode. What a plonker! Got the restore screen up and tried to factory reset my new phone via iTunes, but my flakey wifi kept cutting out when downloading the settimgs. In the end i had to get Apple support to download it from their end. So that took up the best part of a day when I should have been running.

Then, this morning when I finally made it out the door at 5.30am after a terrible night's sleep, I encountered the sauna gremlins. i had intended a mid range run, around 5 or 6k, but I was just too knackered. It was like breathing warm soup, the air was so thick. However, I notice my heart rate zones were much more balanced after this run.

[DebJogsOn]

Oh Flick - technology is great until it isn't! I hate how time consuming it can be when it's not cooperating!

At least you got out there today - though agree about the swampy weather - love the sun bit not the steam!

[Hidden in reply to DebJogsOn]

Im a technophile till it goes wrong, then I get grumpy 😡

Oh, boy, was it wvery swampy, even early this morning.

[Sadie-runs Graduate10]

Sounds like you need to give yourself a good old talking to, Flick! I had to do this recently, and I tell ya, it was not pretty, but I can be quite stern and I sorted myself right out and got back on track.

Sigh. It is so humid. I hate running in this, and even getting up early is not making much difference. I am very chesty at the moment too, because of the pollen and pollution. I cannot believe I am about to say this, but I miss winter running. 😱

Well done on getting out there today, despite gremlins! xxx

[Hidden in reply to Sadie-runs]

Im such a weak willed sloth! I adore erunning after the event, and it leaves me buzzing all day. But its often an effort to make myself avtually do it. The sofa, phone, ipad, books and fridge are all too twmpting 🍟🎂🥖🥑🍇🍒🍰🍩🍨

Ive tried talking to myself sternly but myself ignores me 🙁

I ove the summer, but for goodness sake, it was 14 degrees when I went out this morning. I came back with a red face and a heaving chest. My chest is congested too, the dog though not pollen xxx

[Razouski in reply to Sadie-runs]

I was thinking the same thing yesterday morning at the end of my run, Sadie.

[Richard7 Graduate10]

Sounds like you have your hands full and a run was just what you needed. Well done for making the time even if it is at an ungodly hour of the morning 😉 😇

[Hidden in reply to Richard7]

Thank you. Yes, i woke around four and couldnt sleep.

[ju-ju- Graduate10]

Well done for doing it, and your phone situation sounds incredibly complicated. I hope you sort it out soon....

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Thank you ju-ju. The phone was sorted on the day, but I was totally fraught. The phone arrived the same day as the estate agents came to discuss how to manage the cats when they are showing people round. I spent the whole day setting it up and then sorting the rpoblem - they arrivd at 4.30, by which time i was frazzled 😱😰

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Gosh that’s full on!! We have ongoing phone dramas in our house ( 2 teenagers ) and a lot of social media with horses!!

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Luckily im pretty tech savvy (except for the stupid stunt with the phone) and enjoy it, but it was everything at once that day. Im always amazed at how fragile the running is too: tiredness, injury, the wrong food, lack of sleep - so many things that conspire to keep you grounded 🤨

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

I know... it seems so easy but it can feel complicated. A friend once said to me to think about things in a simple way, and that’s how I approach running.

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Ps: social media with horses??

[ju-ju- Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

My daughters horse Princess is quite a star on social media!

[Hidden in reply to ju-ju-]

Ah I thought that might be it. My lurcher Isha is too.

[Sandraj39 Graduate10]

Another one struggling in the heat, here Flick. Thank goodness it has been half term - I have run before breakfast a couple of times this week and also got out early-ish this morning. Back to work next week so that won't be an option. It really is a case of dropping the pace and digging deep isn't it? So yes, the gremlins definately stalk me too, in this muggy weather!!

[Hidden in reply to Sandraj39]

The heat isn’t so bad on its own but coupled with humidity it’s awful x

[limberlou Graduate10]

I had the same thing when I upgraded my iPhone ( from my trusty old 5c to a SE , nothing too fancy or BIG, they all seem to be big nowadays). I wanted to do a backup onto my laptop, as I hate to lose anything, but when I got my ancient HP out it asked for a password and I KNOW what it is but it kept saying I was wrong. I checked caps lock wasn’t on, tried again. About 15 times!!! then I tried every password I have every used , even though I have only ever had one password on that laptop in the 10 years I’ve had it!!... still couldn’t get in.

I usually use my iPad day to day so I messaged my daughter and she said bring your new phone up at weekend and I’ll back the old one up on my MacBook Air. Which I did but it annoyed me and when I came back I had another go and my laptop and this time a message came up which said “ do you want to retrieve password from a previous back up ?” I’d never seen that before but I said yes, then it asked me to insert a USB stick or a floppy disc!!! There’s not even a slot for a floppy disc so I was a bit worried now.

As I only retired from PCWorld/Currys in March I popped in to asks one of the techies to have a look for me. Ben opened it up and tried to switch it on a couple of times...nothing happened. “ oh I’m sorry, you need the cable. It’s so old the batterie’s dead - it needs to work off the mains”. He plugged it in, fired it up... “ right then try your password “

I typed it in starting to say “and then THIS message comes up...” and it just opened up just like that!!! With the password I had used about 40 times by now!!!😡

I could have thrown it out the door right then. I said “ I’ve done that over and over and it wouldnt let me in” Ben said it’s probably a glitch and where he was trying to start it with no power, it possibly just reset it.

[Hidden]

Ah, I need a bigger screen. Ive come down from a google pixel xl and am struggling with the 4.7” screen on this iphone 7, but I wanted a smaller phone for running. The iphone x would be ideal as it has a large screen on a small body, but the price makes it out of my reach. No way could I cope with the iphone se screen. Your experience sounds totally frustrating. At least mine was my own fault. Thank goodness you got it sorted.

I get so fedup with apple wanting a password every time I go into the app store. It was so much easier with android playstore. Though touch id makes everything easier and Im looking forward to using apple pay instead of carrying a credit/debit card. But not today in Aldi as they dont have contactless tills.