And then a friend on Facebook posts her run...

[Equi-geek]

Morning!

I missed PR yesterday taking Mr E-G to Heathrow for his next month’s work. And I was scheduled for a 35min ‘Steady Run’ this weekend which would fit PR perfectly 🙄

Anyway, I’d never set out from my front door to do a run, because we are so close to the top of a hill our water pressure is non existent and our house is close to the underground reservoir. That high. Which means every run starts downhill and finishes uphill.

Brave pants on. Sahara Dessert Death Race t-shirt on. Quick check to see if any neighbours are about. Off I go to see what will happen in the drizzle.

The downhill start is great to help with toxic 10. It doesn’t feel toxic - I just notice I have a better rhythm after 10 mins in. Fortunately there isn’t much traffic about as it is also the first time I’ve run next to the road. The playlist has me bouncing along a brief flat bit, but all too soon I have to start the gradual incline towards home.

I always seem to have a slow 4th km!! Maybe it was the terrain, maybe the other runner that breezed past me just as the hill got steeper. I’ve misjudged the distance and time and I have 5 mins to go as I reach the end of our road so head off downhill in the other direction.

Quick glance at the watch - I’m on for a PB 😳 and this bit is all downhill 👏🤭 I pick it up a little and can see the shirt of my over-taker off in the distance now dragging me forward. The watch buzzes - done it!! Cool down walk all uphill back home in the drizzle - lovely!!

Unbelievably chuffed at being closer to a 35min 5k than a 40min, and double the elevation gain as my usual Parkrun, I cant resist a post on Facebook 😁👏🍾🎉

But then checking through my Newsfeed brings me back down to earth - a friend has posted her 16km run this morning at a 7min/km pace 😳🤬😤😰 I do see the funny side (honestly!) she started C25k a year before I did and is marathon training - amazing 👏👏👏

Happy running, resting or repairing today everyone!

[telford_mike Graduate10]

Nice, and a 6.xx split to begin with going down the hill, always nice to see one of those 😀 Our house is half-way up a hill so I start going up, do my lap of the village and finish going up again 😬

I bet your friend the marathon trainee lives somewhere flat 😂

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to telford_mike]

Yes - downhill was a great start but still surprised at the time 😂

[Hidden]

I would LOVE to do 5k in 37 minutes - my fastest was 43. You should be very proud of that, especially with hills involved.

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Flick! I think the intervals are helping. I couldn't imagine getting under 40 to start with, so anything is possible.🤗

[Hidden in reply to Equi-geek]

I really must do intervals again

[mountaindreamer Graduate10]

Well done EG! You did brilliantly, so don’t worry you’re not marathon training (yet!) 😊❤️🏃‍♀️ It’s great going downhill for the Toxic 10, isn’t it! I used to for my normal C25k route, and it felt wonderful to get going with gravity assistance! 😂

(Have to admit I’m a teeny bit jealous of your average heart rate there...my pacemaker can’t go that fast even if I manage to get it to give me the max rate! 😳)

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

I can't begin to imaging how you run with a pacemaker - much respect 💪👊. It's hard enough working out timings!

[Hidden in reply to mountaindreamer]

Heart rate is age dependant anyway and slows down as we get older, while resting heart rate gets higher.

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

I know, Flick...but I’d still like the choice...😊 My very fit friend of almost the same age has her pulse up to 194bpm while she’s running & cycling, so I think the age calculations can be a bit conservative.

Sadly for me pacemakers are mainly geared towards the main user age range of ages 70+, though, not those of us who’ve had them since our 20s (and not really those of us who try to be more active).

It’s the fact that I can only reach my highest pulserate now I’m older by activating a crystal in the thing with more arm movement that I’m struggling to make work for me... I need to develop crazy dance move arms to get more oxygen! 😂💃🕺

[Hidden in reply to mountaindreamer]

I wouldn’t worry, I understand that too high a heart rate when older is inadvisable. Mine on a run tends to vary between 140 and 169. I would be worried if it were higher than that.

Your crystal thing with the pacemaker sounds bizarre. Is there nothing else they can do? 😳

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Hidden]

When I was younger, my brain triggered the top of my heart, and my pacemakers relayed that signal to the ventricles to give me a pulse. Now that doesn’t happen reliably when I exercise, so the pacemaker needs to try to boost my pulse when I need it to. That’s much more complicated, hence the use of the magic, motion-sensitive crystal...🧚‍♂️😊

[Hidden in reply to mountaindreamer]

I know next to nothing about pacemakers. It sounds complex and fascinating, and somehow miraculous - though obviously not without problems from what you are saying.

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to mountaindreamer]

That's really interesting, but what a nuisance! I have supra-ventricular tachycardia. So, if I exert myself too quickly, my heart nerves fire up too quickly, and my heart goes haywire and out of sync. It's fine if I can lie down and breathe deeply because the vagus nerve can reset. There is one large thump and its back to normal - I can continue immediately with no ill effect. Scares the willies out of everyone around me though - they think I'm having a cardiac arrest. I've not had an episode in years, now I know what triggers it, but I always wear my park run wristband when I run with SVT on it and my emergency contact - just in case!

[mountaindreamer Graduate10 in reply to Equi-geek]

Yes - I’ve added pacemaker fitted to my new Parkrun card too. Handy option. 😊 That sounds like an unnerving experience. 😳 I simply have no conduction in the middle of my heart - it’s called total heartblock. ❤️

[GoGo_JoJo Graduate10]

Superb. Very well done 👏👏 just imagine where you'll be a year on, given how far you've come already!! 👍😁

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Thanks! There's a lot of winter between now and next year! Lets see how it goes - Obviously my mate has done amazingly well to be putting in 10 miles on a Sunday morning, so I'll never say never.🤣🤞

[Oldfloss Administrator Graduate10]

Brilliant.. go you!!!! Slow and steady is just fine.. and you are not at all slow

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Oldfloss]

Cheers Oldfloss! It feels like I am capable of a fast jog right now, whereas I had to shuffle at the end of C25k with my knees. I am 5'10" so the extra length in the stride helps me along a lot more than most ladies, I think 😉

[Jay66UK Graduate10]

Well run. “Comparison is the thief of joy”! Enjoy the next one.

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Jay66UK]

Shalln't look next time 😂. There are loads of people here faster than me and I'm really happy to see everyone's progress - it's so inspiring. I kicked the green-eyed monster out of my life a long time ago - it really does not help one bit does it?! 👍

[Jay66UK Graduate10 in reply to Equi-geek]

No. I realised early on that if I measure my running against anyone else then I would quickly lose motivation.

Now I delight myself each time I finish a run and I’m astonished when I’ve gone a bit further or faster.

And every run, even a really “pants” one at first glance, turns up gold when I look a bit deeply at all the stats our tech harvests. I’ve had slow runs where there was only a few seconds/k different innpace throughout, or where my heart rate spent most time in zone 4.

Look for successes and you’ll find them.

[ancientrunner Graduate10]

Be proud!!!!

[Ang33333]

I love slight downhills at the start! When we do our lomg runs the first k of railway line is gently downhill! Dis some hills yesterday in the drizzle. Four of them. Got spotted by kids I teach. Very embarrassing as they jogged past me!!! 🤪🤪

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Ang33333]

Fortunately, this morning, there were only runners and dog walkers about - and I dashed out before the neighbours could see me. One takes triathlon really seriously and he's 0% body fat and fit as a fiddle. Rather intimidating!

[Ang33333 in reply to Equi-geek]

Son in law does triathlons and iron man stuff. Sickeningly fit!! 😀😀

[Lorijay Graduate10]

Well done Equi, those intervals are paying off! I took a minute off my last 10k and 1 1/2 min off my 5k which isn't much but ever little bit keeps me motivated for the exhaustion (for me) of intervals.

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Lorijay]

Well done on your times! I'm hoping the faster intervals will keep paying off because they aren't the most comfortable of runs to do!!!!

[Sybilw Graduate10]

Well done on tackling the hill I still hate them and in fact walked a bit this morning as there was an incline and no Sarah to disobey!! My pace must be picking up because despite that it was my fastest 5k (but in fact all very similar). Luckily none of my friends are as fit/mad as yours!! Sounds as if you’d a problem free run - congratulations. How far we’ve come!!

[Jogunlikely]

Hi EQ quick question. Being a newbie which app do you use? Yours appears to give better data than my free Strava.

Thanks x

[Equi-geek Graduate10 in reply to Jogunlikely]

Hi! I can get a bit obsessed with data so this is from the standard Activity app on the Apple Watch 3. But I have enjoyed MapMyRun and it gives more details about elevation changes throughout the run 😁👍

[Jogunlikely in reply to Equi-geek]

I too am a data junkie but I'm not allowing myself to buy any gadgets until I complete c25k. 🤣

I'll give Mapmyrun a go

Thanks