Today was to be the day of the long run so last night I prepared overnight oats for slow release of energy in the morning. Although up early, we didn’t get running at Hayling Island until 9.46 but that’s not bad for us. It seemed quite cool as we drove along with the roof down, and garmin confirmed it was 17C when we started.
UpTheStanley ran with me for the first few km and then did a series of running ahead, turning round and coming back to join me like they do in running clubs. It was very busy along the trail today but cyclists were great at ringing a bell to let us know they were coming up behind us and everyone was friendly. It was good to see so many family groups walking and cycling together. A farmer was harvesting his field on the other side of the hedge and I was glad I had my sunglasses on to protect my eyes from dust in the air. We did the usual route, from the first bench on the right, down to where the Hayling Island Station would have been, touched the fence post (not sure why, but we always do) and then turn back. It’s nice and cool under the trees at the Station end but more open at the start. It was going well and I showed slightly negative splits as I progressed from the toxic 10 through the kms , from 8:17 1st km pace to 7:37 for my 8th km. I was wondering about the 15k I wanted to do and thought maybe I could go up to 16.1k to join Beachcomber66 and Sandie1961 . So it was a conscious decision to stop and get my flip bottle out and eat a few dates at 8k and walk a little. But when I started to run again my legs or my mind just didn’t want to go on. The sun had come out from behind the clouds and I was feeling very hot and a bit light headed so I decided to call it an 8k run and be happy with that. I continued the journey back to the car walking and taking in all the sights, checking out the blackberry picking potential, and admiring the dragonfly flitting from one side of the path to the other, and the acrobatic flight of the avocet. My face is glowing , despite the sports factor 30, and I feel good for having got out there.
The signs of the approaching end of summer are all too apparent with plants collapsing with the weight of their seed heads and thistle seeds bursting out into soft balls and taking flight in the gentle breeze like fairies. During my walk I picked up several pieces of litter and wondered why people think it’s ok to just dump their 7up cup complete with plastic lid and straw and their jelly babies bag. I wasn’t going to pick up the many doggy pooh bags but I wish their owners had.
So a good 8k run and the long one will probably follow when I get up early one morning and just head out from the house. There’s no urgency, as the Great South Run is not until late October.
I hope everyone else had a nice run today, and got out before it got too hot ( or is it just down south)?
No doubt UpTheStanley will be submitting his own report once he has recovered 🤣🤣
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Dexy5
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Good call Dexy, and well done on your 8k. It’s a good distance no matter how you slice it. 👊🏃♀️😀 No point turning a good 8k run into a miserable 15k one. You’re right, summer has returned. I wasn’t running today, but it was toasty on my dog walk. 🐕 Yes, what is it with people leaving poo bags on the floor? How hard is it to pop it in the bin? 🙄🙄
I’m a little disconcerted that it’s meant to get warmer still this weekend when I’m doing the Severn Bridge 10k. 🥵🥵 I’m hoping there’s a cooling breeze over the water ..... 🤞🤞🤞
Ha ha, if it’s going to be breezy anywhere cheeky it’ll be on the Severn Bridge. It would have been a bit hairy two weeks ago. I look forward to your post of that run .
Yes what is that all about? Do they think someone is going to come along and collect them? Or do they think they will biodegrade quicker hanging on a bush?
There are so many considerate dog owners but the few give everyone a bad name.
Good for you knowing when it was right to stop. I did just the same and twice intended to do my 14k but cut it short. As you say, still 2 months to GSR so plenty of time and you are still doing longer runs! I did 6k this morning before it got too hot - forecast over here now is for temps over 30 until we come home so I think there are going to be some early starts 😫 I must remember a carrier bag because the blackberries are looking wonderful!
It’s funny how I felt fine when running but I think once I stopped creating my own breeze, the heat hit me. Silly thing is after collecting a water bottle from the car and doing some exercises, the sun went in again.
Yes timing is going to be crucial to get my first over 14k in. It was a lot hotter than today at the GSR last year but that is not normal for the end of October.
Enjoy the rest of your hols Sandie and hope Hubbie is feeling better.
Thanks Dexy! Hubby is decidedly grumpy as he has to stay out of the sun, is still in pain and feels exhausted. Hopefully it will start to clear up soon but unfortunately shingles is a bit of a long haul condition 😢
Good run Dexy. I have finally got my head around the issue of distance. Whatever I feel like doing on the day, and can achieve is enough. I suspect that another 10 miles will depend on a number of factors, possibly including the alignment of planets! Running is all about the wonderful things we see, the people we meet (actually and virtually) and how much better we feel for getting out there. It is pouring down here as I type; nature's way of telling me to run in the morning! It was hot and sunny only an hour ago, and our garden hosted lots of butterflies including Peacocks and Painted Ladies. No sign of avocets though! Keep running and enjoying it😊😊
Nice 8K for both of us today Dexy, a very good post from you, yes I mean that I ran my longest run ever this morning, 8K in 61.08, I have been gradually increasing my distance 1K per week in an attempt to eventually get to 10K by the end of the month. Next Wednesday I hope to run 9K and two days later on Saturday morning because my parkrun is cancelled I hope to run a10K, I am just wondering if two non running days between those runs is OK.
Thanks, after I ran that 8K I met another lady who graduated from C25K sometime last year, this morning she was running a 5K which she told me she ran it in around 42 minutes, I told her while she was still running on the last 100 metres what I had just ran, I ran that last 100 metres with her, anyway, she is competing in our local 10K event on Sunday 15th September, she asked me if I was running in it, no but I certainly will be there supporting her as a spectator, she told me her son who is a marathon runner asked her to start C25K and entered her to the local 10K last year, she told me that she ran it in about 82 minutes.
That’s brilliant Al, you will definitely get to 10k. Personally, I would put at least one short run in between those long runs so that you don’t exceed the 10 % rule and avoid injury, but you have been running a while now and know what you feel like and how you feel after each run.
PS, might do a short run on the Saturday and leave the 10K until the Wednesday, it has been on a Wednesday that I have been doing the longer runs, I will keep it like that.
Sounds like a lovely run. Sometimes it’s best to stop when you need to rather than spoil a run by struggling for the last half.
I’m hoping to get up early and do my next long run on Friday when I have nothing pencilled in the diary. It’s been a struggle this week with starting TWO new jobs and trying to fit in a run. I only managed 2 runs last week, 1 on Monday and 1 on Friday, then I was busy all day Monday, ran again yesterday but only squeezed in 3k before work. Then I worked this morning in 1 job, this afternoon in the other and then shovelled another 6 buckets of surplus earth round the garden before finally sitting down just now while tea is cooking.
Tomorrow I’m working in the morning and my new back door is being fitted in the afternoon so I am going to have a relaxed evening and prepare for Fridays run. Your long run will be waiting for you when you are ready for it.
Thanks limberlou. Yes I’d read that you’d come out of retirement and ended up with 2 jobs! I’m sure that you’ll adjust to it in time to fit those runs in, in between work and builders. Enjoy the bank holiday weekend, if you get one.
Sounds lovely even if you had to cut it shorter than you'd planned. I must admit, I seldom run/walk because it just feels too difficult to get going again! Experimenting with varying my 10k route a bit at present - up the A3 to Waterlooville this morning before returning via the back roads - a very pleasant 9.5k starting at 8.45 so not so hot as it was for you and UpTheStanley .
It’s funny because on previous occasions where I was finding it hard to keep going, so walked, I’ve had no problems getting going again . This time I stopped just to get nibbles and water out of my flip belt (I’d offered my hydration vest to Stanley for his longer run) and just didn’t want to do any more. No regrets though.
Sounds like a nice new run for you today too JP. Will you run on holiday?
Thank you Oldfloss. Not a patch on your poetic writings but I was brought up in the country and it’s good to escape the city and get wowed by nature occasionally. The change to walking allowed me to take in a bit more of the flora and fauna and then I just sat on a bench and soaked it all in. Lovely.
OldflossAdministrator60minGraduate in reply to Dexy5
It was a lovely day out there. It's a shame to see the signs of summer ending already 👎🏼
Litter is awful and pooh bags really get on my nerves, the poo would break down faster out of the blasted bag!! I usually collect any rubbish I find from grazing fields at least so the animals don't try to eat it. It's not too bad up on the downs usually though.
Thanks JoJo. This run is right along the coast so it just takes a slight breeze for the litter to end up in the sea to become a problem to fish and birds. I thought after the blue planet film that attitudes might change, but it seems to have got worse. There was certainly plenty of horse dung on the path to be avoided, as it’s also a bridle path . 😂😂
Good idea listening to your body and calling it quits when you did. It sounds like a good 8k under your belt today! Hard to believe summer is on it’s way out 😢
Last week it was quite cool and autumnal where I live, but I wasn’t able to run a long one due to other things going on. But this week temperatures are high for the last week of school holidays for many.
I love autumn when all the trees change colour and picking blackberries and finding hazelnuts and chestnuts. I have noticed that lower temperatures bring lots of running events too. Do you get much of an autumn?
Well done and what a lovely post. I could picture it all and the photos are great.
I know we should be happy that the weather is improving but it really does affect the running.
I think you were definitely right to stop when you did rather than push on, maybe struggle and possibly pick up an injury. That way you achieved a really good goal and enjoyed the whole experience.
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How did your parkrun or (not)parkrun go?
