New life experiences at age 68 should probably be treasured, but hitting the wall for the first time was definitely not on my list 😕
Aiming for a new longest run at my hoped-for Great South race pace (13k at 5’30”/k, I knew I’d started too fast doing the first 4k in 21 mins🙄, but hung on and still had the best part of that minute in hand with 3k to go, so 3 * 5’50” would have done it. And I was trotting along reasonably happily at 5’40” or so coming up to 11k, when ........... I just came to a stop! Walked a few paces, tried to come back to a jog - nothing there, nothing to do but stop the watch and walk home🚶🏼♂️
Have to try that one again, then 😀. No problems with the legs, or with my breathing - just ran out of juice 🤔
Onwards and upwards 👍
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UpTheStanley
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It was a little warm and Dexy always says I don’t drink enough (water 😀). But I think I’ve just got to start marginally more slowly - but how??? Legs won’t play!
Have you a really long steep hill anywhere... Not that I am fast compared with you.......but I do use a long slow hill here, to keep my speed down on a longer run
Hydration can play more of a part in this than we think... I am always reminding Mr OF too drink more water, he is now, and has remarked on the effects of that... and no, not just more visits to the loo x
Definately sounds like an empty tank there, UTS! 😮 Never mind, good luck with keeping that pace down a little next time out - that target pace is still waiting to be claimed. And remember, it will be cooler in October for the Great South Run! 🙂
I think Equi-geek might dispute that Sandra. Last year was the hottest GSR I can remember. However, it was probably the least windy too , which is usually the killer on the homeward leg. I am hoping for cool, cloudy, and a tail wind for the last few Kms.
How weird UTS. Sounds like Popeye in need of his spinach. Guess that makes Dexy Olive Oil! Reading your post has convinced me that today's purchase of a drinks bottle for use on long runs wasn't such a mad idea. At least you didn't suffer any injury.
Methinks : maybe a little more fuel, a little more hydration, and not going out at the hottest part of the day may have helped. Not to mention the phrase ‘start off slow and then do negative splits ‘. But there’s nothing worse than a converted runner to give advice.
😂😂😂😂. It does sound like the constitutional equivalent of an engine running out of petrol and radiator water and thus overheating and grinding to a halt at the same time.....but I mustn't add to UTS' woes by agreeing with you; wouldn't be polite 😇
Did you get any warning? My hat is off to you for getting to that wall... I’m looking forward to finding it myself! I’m pretty sure I won’t be running sub 6/km when I hit it too! You’re really 68 and not just saying that for better parkrun grading???
Today the run was impossible... next time you try it it won’t be.
I’ve been 68 for 4 whole weeks 😀, honest! No, no warning - happy plod 🏃♂️to stop 🚶🏼♂️in 10 paces. Thanks for your last sentence - I certainly hope you’re right 👍
It’s warm out there... I pride myself on my hydration, but this morning the urine colour test was a massive fail (tmi, sorry). After drinking 4 litres yesterday, and going to bed acing the same test. It’s tough out there right now, but I think every run we do in the heat helps us acclimatise a little more.
Are you trialing in run snacks/gels? The instant wall thing interests me as you know where it is... if it was gradual that would be less helpful... I’d like to know where the wall is to then plan carb boosts accordingly.
Definitely hydration and especially a lack of electrolyte- give it a try? I found the same issue when trying to up my distance- legs just stopped working. Electrolyte does the trick for me.
Oooh I’ve never hit the wall and don’t really want to. Sounds horrible.
You’re very fast and the weather is energy sapping atm. I ran a very slow 5K the other day and every step was hard. But I also know I didn’t drink enough water the day before ......
Oooh wow UTS! what a strange thing. Hope you are feeling great now and have topped up the tank! Sorry to side with Dexy here, i know this could cause trouble, but maybe you need to rethink the time you go out for this run? Better luck next time, I am sure you will achieve your goals!
ps. your speed/pace is truly impressive, i can only dream of that currently and i'm a few years younger! What a legend you are!
Thanks for all the interest, support, ideas, advice etc so far received in this thread - instead of individual replies I'll just tag you all so you know I've just done this single supplementary - so that's Oldfloss , cheekychipmunks , Sandraj39 , Beachcomber66 , UnfitNoMore , Couchpotato2 , MadDave , Irishprincess , alisonx , JonathanP , Bluebirdrunner , over61andstilltrying and Katnap , not to mention Dexy5 .
In trying to work out what happened, I looked back at all my race-pace runs of 10k or more, but particularly at last month's successful 12k. That was done at the same time of day (midday!! ), with similar wind, temperature 1 degree cooler (19 v 20), no difference in (lack of ) particular preparations that I can recall. This time, I started about 6 secs/k faster for the first 4k and was still 6 secs ahead of the previous time at 10k. But that said, I was 2 mins 35 behind my time for the Bristol 10k back in May, where I'd done a slower start, picked things up such that the 5k times were very similar, and had a much stronger second half. So to me it looks like poor pace judgement at the start.
You're all shouting "hydration" at me, and although as I say I don't think I did things any differently than usual this time, it has never been something I've worried about. I will try ahead of the next run, though, and when I get arrested for indecent exposure (there are no handy bushes to facilitate wild pees on Southsea prom) I'll blame you all . But I find the taste of Dexy's electrolytic additions absolutely horrid …..
Some of you asked how it happened - it was literally 10 paces from trotting along, confidently working out how much I could afford to slow down if I had to, while still making my target time, to having to come to a dead stop. It really was, as they say, like hitting a wall, except for a lack of bruises. Not recommended if you can possibly avoid it .
I also worked out that taking just 1 more second over each 100 metres at the start would ease the initial pace off to what seems to be survivable. But if my legs want to go, they want to go at their pace ….. it's different when I'm doing a deliberately slow longer run, especially if my pacemaker is with me, but this one was meant to be testing. If I do start a bit slower on my own, I don't find it easy to pick things up at a fixed point later on. Maybe I should set up the dreadmill at 5'30" pace and churn away for an hour and a quarter - what a horrible thought that is!
Anyway, enough moaning and introspection for now, I'm volunteering instead of parkrunning tomorrow, and Sunday is always a day off, so let's see what Monday brings with fresh legs and a bladder well-filled until final pre-run preps. O & U rules , thanks again for your support.
Good to see you found some reasoning... I guess a couple of seconds per km can make a difference, but I have no clue how to run that accurately, I’m happy if I’m within 20 seconds of target pace tbh.
Could you run up the Eastney end to avoid the boys in blue on a pee stop? Assuming there’s still a nudist beach there... boy did I get a surprise the first time I took a walk from my new house behind the yomper! 🤣
Interesting, let us know how you get on Monday. I’m also not sure why my leg seized up on my last 10km I was really relaxed at the time but maybe it’s one of those things or maybe I hadnt warmed up quite sufficiently despite feeling v warm. Enjoy volunteering tomorrow
Good luck! The weird thing I find about electrolyte is that it doesn’t make me want to pee any more than usual - it does encourages my body to sweat a lot more, which I guess helps with cooling, reduced fatigue, etc. and in my case I’m convinced the magnesium stops my muscles from cramping up, so the old legs keep on moving.
Something else that worked on my last HM was to take an energy gel with caffeine in it at around 18k - that really hit the spot. The caffeine really seemed to make a difference, as the energy gel I took at around 11k without caffeine had no effect at all.
Can’t wait to get off the IC and trotting again, but I promised the physio I’d stick to the plan to get this damned hamstring up to strength.
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