I'm a wee bit late with my post (sorry!), so I hope you've been saving up your best chat!
Sometimes we don't feel like putting a whole post up but just want to share something small, so this is a great place for doing that during the week. Please join in the discussion 😊
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My mum is visiting just now, so I've not been out for a run today—but it was an absolutely beautiful blue sky winter day up here, so I'm hoping I'll get another to enjoy later in the week! How's your winter running coming along? ❄️❄️❄️
Have a great week, and enjoy those runs 😊
Ju-Ju, Sqkr, and roseabi
XXX
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Sqkr
Half Marathon
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Hey everyone. Did my easy 5k this evening as the first day of Abi’s plan and managed 39:40 against a target of 40:00 (8min/k is the high end of my slow pace range). Hope you all have a good week.
Hey runners! I'm on my first day of my HM plan too. Went to my club's track night tonight as my speed session. Four repeats of 2 circuits (approx) with 90 second recoveries in between. It was tough! I definitely put more effort in when I'm with other people - not that it's a race, but my secret inner competitive spirit comes out to play! Slightly less tough than last time I did track night so it's heading in the right direction.
Tomorrow I have booked a pilates class as my yoga teacher is away for two weeks. Haven't done pilates for yonks, quite looking forward to it 😊 Happy running and stretching all! 🏃💪💨
I could have run in just my vest the other day! Instead of which I had more layers on than a little. It was boiling - In my merino ☺️ Crop top, vest, merino, windproof gilet,run jacket 🥵😤. Why do I never learn 😩. This was on my hill session 😁
I missed yesterday’s run. I unexpectedly had the hound to look after, so after a day of being dragged about the district - and running here and there with him - come tea time, I thought stuff it
So, off out in a mo, My porridge consumed. Heavy frost today but the sun’s out, it’s not raining, so i’m off. An 8k on the plan I think. Running via Lidl to pick up the festive mince pies.
I’ve got a race this weekend so taking it steady. The only fly in the ointment is my poor feet ☹️ They are really battered. Good news is that the last piece of toe nail hanging on for grim death finally came off. Still got two more nails coming off 🙄. After Sunday I am going to get some of those footgloves that you wear in bed and it sloughs off all the rough stuff, leaving you with smooth feet. Because i’m worth it 😁
Looking forward Sunday’s 10k race. It’s my home town, and a PB course in prospect. It’s usually well supported so there's a good atmosphere I am hoping to be able to spend the voucher I won back in July
Happy birthday to me! My return to form was hampered last week by my second cold in 3 weeks. At least the forced rest means that my hip isn't acting up as much. Enjoying the brief respite from frigid temperatures, I went for a 5.6 k run in the rain yesterday. I completely forgot about my heel until I was on the way back, so things are looking good. I've also run our local parkrun once since I spoke to you all last, and the time was acceptable.
I hope I can manage a few more runs before the ice returns!
Thanks for all the kind greetings. I consider myself virtually healed now, and officially working on getting back into good running form. One downside is that I've started running out of topics for my column. I've bought a headlamp and plan to experiment with it, hoping it will provide fodder for an article.
It's been kinda busy with the extra miles these last couple of weeks - still not enough according to the plan, but that plan is bonkers. Ran twice yesterday - just the way things worked out. Got within 5sec of my HM pace again on a 13k run which I was pleased with. Am starting to record the strength sessions too to get into the habit of doing them regularly. And had two wildlife encounters yesterday - a startled hawk that almost flew into my face on a footpath and a fox on my driveway. No bears though.
I love wildlife encounters, but like to steer clear of bigger animals. I'm planning on trying some forest running in the evenings, and would prefer not to come across any moose or wolves.
I was joking about the bears 🐻 🙂. We’d need to drive north 3hrs to see anything larger than a coyote. Though they can be aggressive and I’ve only seen a couple of them at a distance so far. I don’t blame you for avoiding the wolves and moose. I would like to try some forest trail runs also.
No bears! Gulp 😳. Can you imagine. No, best not I crested my last hill the other day and there on the ground lay a perfect squirrel, stiff with rigor. Perhaps he hadn’t trained well enough poor thing, and it all got too much. I had to titter though as I recalled the dead squirrel sketch 🐿
I'm spending my week mostly wrapped up warm, eating cake and drinking big Christmas coffees, so getting back into running on Thursday (pending postie parcel redelivery) may be rather tough...
I'm also currently deliberating the early bird entry for the Meadows half marathon, which sounds very dull (laps! Urgh) but is literally where I do my easy, local running, and I fear if I'm sitting on my sofa and I hear everyone out there on March 3rd I'll be cross I didn't sign up. 🤔
Yeah but you’re girders! You can hack this stuff You can play I-spy or yellow car or summink. Or disappear into your own thoughts for a while during the dull bits There might be no dull bits. It could all be fab 😁 🏃♀️🎄🎶🎅🥳🌤🍌🍳🥓🍰☕️🏅🎈🎊🎉
Was good to get out for a long run today - after two whole days off I was twitching to get out. Beautiful morning, beautiful run and kept it pretty much within my target easy pace. Only problem is, I'm still getting blisters even with the wide fit Brooks Adrenalines, so am going to have to go back to the shop again with the normal fit, AND return the wide fit to Brooks online
Both feet start to burn from about 8k - that's a long time to be distracted in a HM. I need to find a solution!
I get blisters on the arch of my leading foot in all shoes I've tried if I run distances over 15k, I just have to tape them up preemptively with leuchotape. It might just be related to the mechanics of your running? Taping seems to give me the protection I need on my arch. Still haven't found a solution to the gross blister under my middle toenail which turns it black after HM races. 🤔 Running feet are not attractive feet.
Oh yes, I remember you mentioning that before when this sorry saga started, I had forgotten! At the time, I looked up leuchotape but there were so many options and differing reviews that I ended up giving up. Could you possibly let me have a link for the specific product you buy?
I have tried running with compeed plasters, a 1cm thick layer of vaseline AND twin skin Hilly socks in a wide fit shoe ... and still I get the blisters I suspect you are right about it being the mechanics of my running though, as the shoe doesn't feel at all tight. I even wondered if I might need some sort of insert to keep my foot in the right place, but that sounds like a very expensive route to follow
My black toes after GSR were actually a huge blood blister all around the top and sides of the toe, and when I took the nail varnish off the nail was all black too! Same toe on each foot. Not happened before or since. I have no idea why, but it was absolutely grim. Thankfully holiday season with open toed sandals was over
I have the 5cm wide one, and though it looks like some feeble fabric plaster strip it pretty much sticks down till you soak it off in the bath. I stick a chunk down the length of my troublesome arch and works like a bit of leathery, hard, protective skin, and stops me getting blisters where otherwise I can end up pretty raw and weepy on a longer distance run (gross, sorry, tmi). I haven't tried it on the end of my stupid blistery toe, but maybe I should!
Lovely thanks. I was just looking at this amazon.co.uk/dp/B0056PSXP8/... but yours looks cheaper! I'm also a bit sensitive to some of these sticky tapes - KT tape often starts to itch, but hopefully my feet will be less sensitive to that sort of thing. It's a bloomin' nuisance - you and your toes have my sympathy! Thanks for the pointer.
Oo you are super quick! I just switched the link because his does say 'leukotape' on the inside of the roll! The original link is made by the same people though, so hopefully the same stuff.
The blisters are on the inside, side edge just before the widest part of my foot (nearer the middle of my foot than my big toe) - just above where the side and sole of the shoe join if that makes any sense! So my foot is rubbing on the inside edge of the shoe, despite the wide fitting. Extra wide - which I think Brooks do - seems a bit extreme. I will try to get back to the shop again on Friday and see what they say. I don't think they stock wide fittings so it may mean more than one trip! I've already been back with the standard ones and they rechecked the fit and said they still thought they should be ok, so to try a bit longer and come back if there's still an issue! Since then I bought the wide ones online and have tried both to no avail. So back I will go, with both pairs!
A friend of mine got blisters often but they switched to a double lined sock that worked for them. I believe you can find them on amazon. I have a pair of wrightsocks. wrightsock.com
I have so many ruddy blisters, it’s unreal. I rotate shoes all the time though 🤷♀️. I bought some Altra’s expecting a cure but sadly not. My toes seem to like to hang out together rather than spread themselves out 😁
Week 3 of my ‘advanced’ HM plan this week. I started the week with another parkrun pb, and long run on Sunday, couple of hilly 8km’s and a 10 km track interval session. Day off tomorrow before what looks like a windy parkrun on Saturday. Been looking at the extra parkrun events over Christmas (will not be doing a Christmas Day one) and New Year’s Day where I’m planning to do 2 on the day this year 😁. Of course I have all of this in my plan 😉. See parkrun.org.uk/special-events/
Busy with travelling for work and family stuff running and anything really has taken a back seat. Feeling really slow and fat, need to get back into training for Paris.
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Well done!
My return to form was hampered last week by my second cold in 3 weeks. At least the forced rest means that my hip isn't acting up as much. Enjoying the brief respite from frigid temperatures, I went for a 5.6 k run in the rain yesterday. I completely forgot about my heel until I was on the way back, so things are looking good. I've also run our local parkrun once since I spoke to you all last, and the time was acceptable.
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