Morning run 😁

Morning runners!

Day off today, thought I’d go for another little run. I also ran Sunday, as I feel

Getting back to a more regular routine will really help me, as my stamina is currently a little down.

This morning was a nice 25 minute run along road/canal towpath. Lovely to be out in the fresh air, and I could feel that my legs just knew what they were doing. My breathing settled too, and pretty soon I was in a comfortable rhythm. I was definitely less out of breath than last time.

Looking forward to next time. Bring it on!!!

[MickGJ Graduate]

Lucky you to have a canal nearly. Really looking forward to my next narrowboat trip so I can run along the path and just get picked up when I'm done.

Do you find cyclists an issue or do you all manage to avoid each other?

[Hidden in reply to MickGJ]

Towpaths are a great idea, so long as they are maintained well, so your narrowboat trip should be great for running. You may well outpace the boat though!

I haven’t seen a cyclist for weeks, but dog walkers and other runners are a regular sight.

Enjoy your narrowboat trip, I’ve done that, it’s fun!

[Fishypieface Graduate]

Way-hay - nice one! Sounds like a good run, which, as we know, is never to be sniffed at! Always nice to have one of those in the bank

[Hidden in reply to Fishypieface]

You know what, you’re right. With doing less over the winter I’d completely forgotten about the run bank lol

[quirkybee Graduate]

Hey Neil

That is great to hear. You do far more running than I, but I find my stamina is poor at the more, together with weak legs and I think if I had to decipher which was worse, I'd say my legs, I can cope with bring out of puff, but maybe I need strengthening exercises for my legs.

You are doing great though, fair play to you. Lovely to hear from you 😊

[Hidden in reply to quirkybee]

Nice to hear from you too, and thanks for your kind comments. You hang in there, right? I know you can do this, but no-one will care if you go slow. Lack of breath probably just means you should back off the pace for a bit. You’ll be fine come Summer. I have faith in you!!

[Sadie-runs Graduate]

Glad to hear you got out and about, Neil! Regular running is good, and not all runs have to be long. Now the weather is improving (slightly – cold snap coming everyone!) we can look forward to more pleasant running conditions...I now notice it is getting light by the end of my early morning runs, which gives me hope!

I have got back up to 5k but not sure if it is getting any easier. I made a personal best of 33:05 mins this morning, which I was pleased with, but my breathing was hard, which tells me I need to slow down a bit! I have two virtual 5ks coming up to keep me motivated – a March "Run Like a Timelord" run and a May Star Wars run. Very excited about those.

Happy running Neil! Keep it regular...

Sadie-runs x

[Hidden in reply to Sadie-runs]

Hi Sadie!

Well done you, that PB of 33:05 is good, you're doing great! You're right about the breathing I think, I forgot that a couple of runs ago and struggled, but breathing seems to be the key to telling you if you're going too fast or not. I sometimes wish I could run with a (very light!) oxygen tank strapped to me.

Running regularly, ever few days, also seems to be a good thing doesn't it? I've been guilty of going too long between runs, mostly for good reason, but sometimes just because I'm a bit of a wimp and don't like cold/rain/wind/hills etc. Which kinda narrows it down a bit lol

Your virtual 5ks sound like fun, I shall clearly have to look into this more myself. Not done any competitive running yet.

Oh and when you said "keep it regular" my first thought was "Well, I eat plenty of fibre..."

Have a good day Sadie!

[Sadie-runs Graduate in reply to Hidden]

Hoots! i think it can be harder to see any improvement if you don't run regularly, but I totally understand how hard it is to fit in if you have a busy life/kids/aversion to rain and cold weather! I must admit I always scan the weather forecast at the start of the week to work out when best to run. I am not a fan of running in the rain, but do it if needs be.

Virtually 5ks are not really competitive runs, I don't think – you are still just competing against yourself! But, a little of the entrance fee goes to charity, so that's nice. I have not even park runned yet! I literally do not have a competitive bone in my body, and run mostly for the joys.

And running keeps you "regular" too.

Have a lovely Friday, buddy.

[Hidden]

Canal running very useful none of those pesky hills to worry about. Great to see you running regularly - it does get a bit easier at this time of year, although just seen the weather we may all need the thermals again soon. Nicely done Neil

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Yes I've seen the weather report too. Can I get away with shorts with longjohns underneath I wonder? What I am happy about is that clearly the days are getting longer and on average the weather should be getting better. I started C25K about 6 months ago, and soon it became Autumn, then Winter. Now I get the chance to run during the hopefully-better weather period. I'm really looking forward to some longer runs, more flexibility about when and where to run, and I'm determined to do my first parkrun before too long!!

[Richard7 Graduate]

Nice one Neil. Have your Canal Workers finished now then!? I went the opposite direction down my canal this morning and ended up having to climb a load of steps to go under a road and up the other side to a lock and pub (closed) then I got gravel in my shoe!! Not the run I had hoped for!! Still it was a lovely morning to be out - glad you got to enjoy it too.

[Hidden in reply to Richard7]

Gravel in the shoe is a pain (literally!), that's happened to me a few times. I must admit that I do get a bit annoyed when things disrupt my planned running route.

The canal workers are mainly volunteers with a few canal and river trust staff around to supervise, so it's nowhere near finished, could be a few more months, but they are only doing it on Fridays at the moment. I have told myself I must help out one Friday as a regular user of the canal towpath. They are doing a good job actually, but it's a lot of work, and of course all the materials have to be shifted from the nearest canal bridge down the towpath. I shall keep you informed Richard

Have a great day, Neil.