How are you all getting on with your training? Tell us all about it πππ
There is a lovely, uplifting comment from Mr Fox on last week's post. Telling us about the fabulous time he had running his first half marathon on June 30th he said he has:
"found my smile again" πππ
I love that. And I know it's not always what we want to hear, but I find it can really help to smile when I'm out running. It helps me to pick myself up when I'm flagging - the shoulders relax and the feet lift a little higher, and people often smile back! Give it a try π
Those T-Rexs look very happy, but I bet they're feeling a bit warm underneath π²
Here's a few tips for running in warm weather - please share yours!!
β First off - please don't worry if you're running a bit more slowly than usual. This is to be expected, and makes a lot of sense. Also, your effort is much the same and will pay dividends when the weather cools down again!!
β Ease into your runs carefully - a longer warm-up (although you may not like to think about "warming"!) will help control spikes in your heart rate, and slow down the inevitable rise of your core temperature.
β Take rests as needed. If you're doing intervals workouts you may want to walk your recovery intervals - that's fine!
β And if you feel you need to stop - stop! There's absolutely no benefit in risking your health for any run. Go home, drink plenty of water, and rest xxx
β Use sunscreen - apart from the obvious benefits, the cream will feel nice and cool on your skin!
β If you can, run early in the morning, or late in the evening.
β Find a shady path, and/or one near water.
β Run on grass - it doesn't get as hot as paths do.
β Take a drink with you.
β Dress in loose, light-coloured clothing.
β Think cool! Picture an icy scene in your mind; promise yourself an ice-cold drink or even an ice cream π¦
β Take a cold shower before you go out.
β Throw water over yourself - I like to soak my cap!
β Special roseabi bonus tip: Try a solo aquathlon! Seriously, I love to run straight after a swim without drying myself, and staying in my swimming costume (I have a tri suit now, but I used to just put a top and shorts on over my cozzie π) - it makes me feel really light and cool πππ
HoagyM your plan sounds fabulous, I love the idea of totalling up the numbers of each different activity! And well done for the pastel colours - my plan does look rather gory π
SkiMonday well done, that was a great tactic to add the extra distance instead of trying to run fast in such heat! And I hope this post has answered your question π
I was hoping to run yesterday but just wasnβt feasible as I was travelling back from sunny Weymouth. It wouldnβt be a good idea to go straight from the motorbike to running either when I got home as I was already feeling a bit dehydrated under all my riding gear!π₯΅π
Iβm doing a quick 5K this evening then 13-14K on Thursday, which is line with my plan.πββοΈ
Iβll then do a slow 5K on Friday as weβre doing an unofficial Parkrun at work. Should be about 30-40 of us so a reasonable turnoutππ
Iβm marshalling at Lloyd Parkrun on Saturday morning so a full week of activities planned.
Hi, we do them once a year in a park near my office in north London. πββοΈπββοΈWe also have a virtual group of us from across the country who do (or aspire to do) Parkrun. We have a teleconference about every 6 weeks where we talk about all things Parkrun, individual achievements, issues or whatever people want to talk about!π That seems to work quite well and keeps everyone motivatedππ
Hi roseabi, Iβm back from hols and getting back on board with my HM training this week. Did PR on Saturday, a relaxed 5k with my dog this morning, then Thursday Iβll be off along the towpath for a longer run. Iβll probably aim for 12-15k, time depending. I also have a new hydration vest and bladder to try out. So many useful pockets! Iβve never used one, so Iβll need to make sure the coast is clear before taking my first drink! π π
Depending on style, it may be worth considering a top with sleeves underneath for its first outing. I had some nasty chafing from the straps when I wore a vest top under mine in the heat!
Oh yes good point Linda. Iβll be heading out super early, so hopefully I wonβt be too hot with short sleeves. I always run in a vest in this weather. Donβt want chafing though. No way! ππ
Lovely! Refreshed and ready for action πππ
I think bladders are great to drink from, although I do feel conscious that it must look a bit odd! I've had a couple of comments from strangers about the vest so far, but they were both along the lines of "you look like you mean business"! I'll take that π
I have accepted an invitation to run a 5k race so I have to practice. Parkrun beckons. Ours is dead stony π three and a bit laps too π€¨. Good cake though π€
Thanks so much for all this useful advice - I can imagine myself getting into a right state gasping for a beverage and not being able to get anything out! Iβm going to have a play with it right now! π
Mighty lucky I had a play Flick - I didnβt realise I had to twist the bite valve first and there was I starting to lose the will to live trying to get water out! πAnyway I *think* I know what Iβm doing now. Will find out tomorrow I guess! π
I had a slight hiccup with another cold last week, which put pay to my strength and easy 5k day but I added more strength exercises to my gym session on Sunday. Thankfully it hasnβt lasted long and didnβt stop me doing Parkrun on Saturday.
My next challenge is to get up early enough tomorrow to do 14k as it seems to be the best time of day at the moment. Because of time restrictions, I havenβt managed anything over 12k so far which is a bit frustrating. Hopefully with end of term coming I wonβt have to rush back from a run to make sure everyone has everything they need before they go to school/work!! I really donβt want to get up any earlier than 5am!! π³
I did it!! 14k this morning! Thank you Katnap and the cat (who walked on me and purred loudly in my ear from about 4.30am) for getting me out of bed π and my soaked buff, cooling me down when I reached my Tesco destination.
I ran straight into the sea the sea once, post knackering run on the Isle of Wight. I did take my shoes n socks off first though. Iβd tumbled so was very grubby βΊοΈ A quick dip to cool off and wash my muck off, followed by grub and a giant mug of tea It was gorgeously warm and sunny so I dried real quick We have to grasp these opportunities for fun runs donβt we π
I ran home to T-Rex today. La la la la la la la, la la la. Sheβs my woman of gold and she's not very old ah ha ha ππββοΈ π¦
First run of my new half marathon/marathon planned ticked off β
Oh wow, that sounds idyllic misswobble! I could dive into the River Avon after my long run - but seeing what floats down it sometimes makes it less appealing! πππ
Iβm still sitting on the sidelines waiting to start. Knees are recovering very slowly so I am going to book an appointment with the physio. I was supposed to be running the Adidas City Run this weekend but thatβs not going to happen now. Iβm beginning to think the half marathon in October is looking doubtful now too.
Hi all, ended up doing some hill work on the treadmill in the gym, was ridiculously warm in there! Iβm looking forward to the Brean 10k beach run Saturday so been taking it steady this week. Itβs felt odd not doing my long run yesterday but very aware of not doing two long runs in a week, perhaps Iβm being overly cautious but dread the IC.
Recovered from the groin strain π and came down with a heavy cold π so Iβm not on my plan yet. Ran/walked parkrun on Saturday, but I can currently only run a couple of Ks. My resting heart rate is up by 15-20 from the usual, so Iβm conscious that long runs are going to be super tough and short ones are keeping me fitter than not running. Feeling a little better today and am hopeful that Iβll at least be able to run a full 5k soon. Then itβs a reworking of the HM plan, which will mean less speed sessions I think.
Think I have it sorted now... not 100% over the virus but I can run 2k so I just hit up Nike for a plan based on my recovery mile pace as βraceβ and parkrun as my long run... and itβs given me 1.25 mile runs for the rest of this week (perfect) and next week is 1.25 and 1.75 then 3.0 (parkrun). Currently Iβll only reach 11 miles in training runs, but I know it will probably adapt before race day and even it if stays at 11 max, I should be good to carry on... if not Iβm not going to be to proud to recovery walk a little before running over the line.
I'm cutting and pasting from the post I just put up, since it's been a matter of tinkering and fine tuning to get the heart rate zones where they should be:
"I put my max HR up to 170. It certainly helped and this run was much more realistic, but it's still too low, so I'm going to take SlowLoris 's advice and put it at the max HR I experience when running - well, actually that's been 181 a couple of times, but I'll try it at 178 and see how I go, since that's the usual peak for me."
But all in all I'm really enjoying and benefitting from HR zone training.
I think I need to go back and read some of your posts Flick. My HR rises to high levels when running. This week I tried running at a pace where it stayed below 145 but it was so slow, UTS had to walk.
Nice post Abi. Iβm really enjoying my runs at the moment. Running etiquette can be tricky sometimes, particularly living in βthat Londonβ. I favour a respectful nod to at least acknowledge the shared effort. Iβd prefer to smile and say hi, but especially with women you donβt want to seem like βthat guyβ. πSo a nod it is! On my long run on Monday though 3 women came running past all chatting joyously to each other and they said hello; they looked so happy to be out running. Then an old chap wearing a trilby shuffled past with a stick and did this exaggerated running arms gesture and pointed and said something. I had headphones on so didnβt hear what he said, but I decided to take it as encouragement and gave him a thumbs up.
Current thought is to get past my next HM in September then start to extend a bit, maybe to 30km, so the leap isnβt so great if I want to push on to full marathon.
Oh yes, of course! I am lucky that where I live there are often many 10s of runners about, so it's all very normal - I've had high-fives from a couple of running strangers πππ I know a lot of people get heckled (though the worst I've had was an old chap calling me a "fruitcake" π), but it's nice to get a little bit of positive interaction sometimes.
I can understand some people not wanting to feel visible or βseenβ when theyβre all sweaty and panting though! I bet I looked a right state at the end of my run home tonight.
Iβve never been heckled, but sadly I think this is a βpleasureβ mostly reserved for female runners. My most positive interaction lately was on my bike. I was indicating right on Tottenham Court Road riding against a flow of traffic. Itβs almost always a war of attrition commuting on a bike, but this bus driver leant out of his window to give me a high five! Yeah, maybe he was taking the proverbial, and yes if Iβd actually managed to hit his hand Iβd probably have been knocked off as we were both moving (didnβt stop to think that at the time) but it did make me smile for the rest of the day.
Lots of good advice about summer running there Roseabi. Having done a slow 9k in a wooded area on Monday, I had an evening JogRunSprint along the prom which make me giggle. Iβm sure I donβt look as fast as as I feel during that sprint. ππ weβll see if it helps parkrun tomorrow . Iβm hoping to get up early next week to extend my 12k longest distance.
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