Recovery Run in the Sun

[HoagyM]

Well, all I can say is big respect to all of you who have been running in this heat!

Instead of my usual early morning runs, today I decided the only way I could fit in a run was to go out at 5-ish after the football. And showed remarkable restraint by not drinking any alcohol during the match by the way 😱😄

But wow, it was tough - this was the weekly 5k, and acted as a recovery run after my 10k last time out. I had hoped to better my 5k PB, but it was not to be - never managed to really find my happy pace, and my breathing was pretty ragged throughout.

So I just pleased to get to the end. And suffice to say that the degree of face redness and amount of “athletic sheen” were higher than any of the recent runs 😓

Still, great to get out again and I certainly feel better for doing it... but next time, it’ll be back to the early morning starts, I think 😄

[Berksrover Graduate10]

Madness! Was as hot as ever here at 5 and I did have a couple of beers during the football, but well done on completing the 5k, I will be out in the morning, 4k or 8k for me

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to Berksrover]

Or maybe 9k. You nutter

[AlMorr Ambassador Graduate10]

Good post from you HoagyM, I will not comment about the football as I am Scottish.

Sometimes living in Scotland does have some advantages when it comes to early morning runs. This morning, for example, I listened to the 5.30 weather forecast on Radio 4 which stated that a weak cold front had passed over Scotland and the temperature was between +5 and +9C compared to Englands +15C to+20C. So at ten past 6, I had a drink of water and half a banana, went outside, had my 8 minutes warm-up walk, then ran my final 30-minute post graduation run in the 46F/8C cool temperature before having breakfast and well before the eventual maximum afternoon temperature of +25C/77F in the afternoon. Difficult getting personal bests in this heat, even elite runners find that difficult.

[HoagyM Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

Thanks - yeah, even with the heatwave down here, it has often been quite chilly at the start of my 6:30-ish runs. But it certainly heats up after that - this was the first (and hopefully last!) time I’d ventured out in the heat.

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to AlMorr]

HoagyM will always be an elite runner to me

[Saartjie Graduate10]

Well done Hoagy you're doing so well with your running! I also resisted a drink during the footy with the intention of going out. But flip...it was so hot I just couldn't do it! I am planning to try a treadmill run tomorrow. Haven't been on it since I started this programme but this heat is starting to get to me.

[pinkaardvark Graduate10]

Traditional theory states that recovery runs are about clearing waste and lactic acid from muscles after a long run ie the day before. Contemporary thoughts are they help in trainng by giving you an opportunity to run in a pre fatigued state and as such co-opting different twitch muscle fibres into your run. Whichever viewpoints you subscribe to you should not be aiming for a Pb.

[HoagyM Graduate10 in reply to pinkaardvark]

Fair enough, sounds like I shouldn’t have used the term “recovery run”, just meant one where I was not pushing it too much. Of course another PB for a 5k noob like me, where my pace is still naturally improving, is not as big a challenge as it would be for a seasoned runner.

[sallenson Graduate10 in reply to HoagyM]

Well that's you well and truly told then...

[sallenson Graduate10]

Bonkers man Now repeat after me, "Real men do it early..."

All I could manage at 5 yesterday was a half-assed wave from the hammock

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10]

Yikes Ian I haven’t been following you either!! Naughty me. I am now. 😊 Another great run to add your mileage count. Well done buddy. 🙌🏼

[HoagyM Graduate10 in reply to Ripcurlrana71]

Thanks stalker, aka virtual run buddy 😄

Btw I like that July distance challenge on Strava that a few of us are doing, first month I’ve done a challenge like that. Nice too see how we’re all doing.

[Ripcurlrana71 Graduate10 in reply to HoagyM]

😬😬 Yes great challenge - just started them myself too.

[Tasha99 Graduate10]

Go out after 8 in this heat! Well done for running anything at that time!

[HoagyM Graduate10 in reply to Tasha99]

Wasn’t an option as I had to cook a meal as soon as I got back... and I’d missed my usual early morning slot that day due to the excesses and late night of the night before... and I knew that I couldn’t do early the following day (today) as I had a golf match kicking off at 8:00...

...hence 5pm was the only slot. Not ideal, but hey, I survived

[David_G]

Well done HoagyM, you got through it in this heat and humidity! 😊 Any result is immaterial, just getting out there is enough in my view 🙂

Let’s hope this weather cools down a bit, as it’s forecast to do over the course of the next week 🌥

Good luck with your next outing 👍

[Dexy5 Graduate10]

Well done HoagyM , Parkrun was hot enough but I think the temperature continued to rise all day while I was recovering with litres of water and glued to ⚽️ 🎾⚽️