Welcome to another week - I think it’s Monday, but who can tell any more? 😄
How's everyone been getting on with your running and other training over the past week? Tell us all about it!!! Are you getting your socially-distanced outside runs in? The pic today is a collage of my last long run in the nearby Kortright Natural reserve. My new favourite place.
If you're new here, or just reading currently, welcome! And this post is a great place to introduce yourself if you're ready to do so.
As for myself, I’ve been using this downtime to find some quieter natural parks and trails like Kortright that I don’t normally go to. Today (Sunday) was an easy pace but hilly 32k in preparation for the 50k which may or may not happen in Oct. 🙄 It was hard going but still worth it with some lovely art gallery grounds at the end. I am hobbling around like an old man now 🙂
If you are interested there are plenty of workouts you can do at home from the YouTube library over on Strength & Flex, check it out!
Haha, I knew I would miss something!! I’ve corrected the month, but was thinking with the time difference, most people in the UK would be seeing this on Monday, so I left that bit alone 😁. I had to run around so many people today, but you do eventually get used to it. Glad your running is going well too.
I've only been for one recent 5k jog in the last month! Luckily my basic fitness level seems to have held-up remarkably well much to my surprise, although an easy 6.00 paced 5k was rated as TE 3.5 on my Garmin (yikes!) I think I maybe need to sign-up for some HMs and marathons at year's end anticipating they might go ahead. Got to get my mojo back somehow....The lockdown has not helped either in my case as my work situation is crazy busy (teleworking a.k.a always on call) Apologies for having been AWOL from this forum for so long!
Good to see you back at it Lordi. It’s got to be hard to balance work/home in this environment. For motivation, I joined a group where you put a distance goal down for the month and share your progress with the FB group. People doing 50k all the way up to 700k. No pressure, just support. I will put a post up as it is open to runners all over the world and helped me put down more mileage. And best of all free. You just need an account at raceroster (also free): raceroster.com/redirect?id=...
Looks fab Decker, but such a long way! And hilly too 😱.
I'm sticking to 3 runs and 3 rides each week - that structure is really helping me feel grounded. It's been wet - absolutely soaked four days on the trot - but I've enjoyed most of it 🤔. Thus week, as there's less traffic, I've started running the lanes I usually cycle; that's put me right back into a green setting, although it does make the runs a bit longer so will keep a close eye on my foot! Also not worrying about inclines - in many ways they feel easier running than on the bike!
Here's to a new week of safe, happy running and exercising everyone 😊
Sounds like a good plan Linda. You’ve been so active! I don’t mind the rainy runs if it is not too cold. It was so hot yesterday, my shoulders are burned now!
Last week was a mixed bag, but mostly good. I managed to fit in four 5 k runs. My ankle still isn't happy, but I think I'm going to try a longer run this week and see how it goes.
In really good news, my 8-year old decided he wanted to get a PB on his #notaparkrun, and simply smashed it. He got a 5 minute PB on our first run at that location. His times have steadily declined since, so this was 18 minutes faster than last week. A friend of ours asked if he could join us, so he and hubby ran at the appropriate distance from each other, while my youngest and I ran together.
Not too much running here but more than I thought when I tot it up I guess! last Sunday I managed my 1st 10k for a good while as a challenge set by run club as a charity fundraiser. Then Tuesday for our virtual "Tuesday Nighters" a 4km with a hill I was very surprised to conquer,followed by club online boot camp, and Thurs was the start IWRR club 5km summer series, 1 run a month on same route and try to improve, I just scraped under 30 mins but found very hard! And Friday 20km cycle on errands ,1st one for nearly a year and still recovering!!! 😂😂ouch!
Apart from that lots of dog walking and gardening.
We shall see what this week brings,stay safe everyone xxx
Lovey photographs... The fox is beautiful..it is my totem animal
Happy May
I am not running far..but at least I am outside the garden... and enjoying it... I am getting a tad more adventurous and did nearly 3K yesterday!
Lots of exercise going on though.. I have my small gym and I have the garden for yoga etc.. and Holly Dolke is giving some great indoor workout sessions
Add to that LOADS of gardening and projects... I feel ready for sleep most nights
We are lucky..our local small garden centre is delivering stuff..free of charge within a three mile radius!! I have stuff growing everywhere!!
Love the sculptures, very much in the native tribe's style I think. They look great in the natural setting. Running? I have done some but got myself wrapped up in a Ski challenge which skis until Friday. I read somewhere that cross country skiing is one one the most challenging things you can get into and I now have no reason to disbelieve the claim! The coming weekend also sees the lifting of much of our lockdown and means we can ride our bikes outdoors and travel just a bit more without the need for paperwork. So a week to look forward to and a return to a bit more normal. Take Care Out There.
XC skiing is really challenging! And seems to need strong coordination too. Hats off to you. Enjoy your introduction to outdoor normalcies too. Be safe out there!
Lovely photographs, lovely setting. I have run 4 times this last week and walked on the other days with hubby. I am following a 12 week half marathon plan and start week 8 today - 2 x 7.3k and 1 x 12.9k long run. Eeek! Getting warm here so need to get out early in the day as I am relatively slow so end up running the last kms as it is getting warmer. Quiet where we live and going out early means no issues with avoiding people. Have a good week everyone.
Sounds like a good strategy Fran! It’s good to have a structured program. Yes leaving early allows for cooler (and quieter) runs. Best of luck with your plan.
Another Groundhog Week started for me today with my bog standard “out and back” 5.5k. Not that I’m complaining, I love my route, and I’ll be sad when I can no longer run straight from home. Or maybe North Somerset Council would consider a pavement for our road one day ...... 🐖 🐖 ✈️
Actually last week was slightly different in that I ran a spontaneous extra 10k on Friday. I had an email from the Simplyhealth Bristol 10k (was meant to have been yesterday 😥) saying if we ran the distance and submitted evidence by today, we’d get our medals. I’m shallow with bling, and I went straight out and did it. One can’t have too much bling can one?! 😅🏅😍
I’ve also started doing Joe Wicks with my daughters ...... cripes. And I thought I was fit! 😳 Plus Adriene threw in a side crow last week too - what the heck?! 🤣
The pavement thing. You can lobby your council. It worked here ! We’d had a road put in with room set aside for pavements but they never got made. So annoying and silly. Anyway we got it sorted by pointing out the glaring omission but it took some doing. We had to shame them Road between A and B so presumably connecting two residential areas, but why discriminate against pedestrians 🤷♀️. It was completed in time for the town’s half marathon too Don’t give up on it. Keep raising the issue. If necessary drag it into the public domain
We also got a bridge over the bypass reinstated which carries pedestrians and cyclists to the station. It’s marvellous 😃
That’s interesting about your pavement MW. Good for you! 😀👍
Our issue is that our semi-rural road is totally inappropriate for the amount of vehicles that use it, plus it’s probably not even deemed wide enough for a pavement in places. We’re right near Bristol Airport which has grown a lot over the last few years, and the amount of traffic using it under normal circumstances is ridiculous. It’s also a national cycle route - super scary for the cyclists! They too are loving it being so quiet at the moment. 🚲
Definitely worth asking the council to consider it though. Running from home is so easy. 🏃♀️🏃♀️🏃♀️
Out of action with a knee niggle relapse. Thought it was ok, resumed the speed challenge last Tuesday, and ended up with pain again. No swelling this time, so that's progress. Resigned to taking another week off. Walking is ok so Molly (our dog) will be very happy 😊
My own fault though JP. Shouldn’t have tried to run at that pace so soon after the last issue. I managed sideways jumps from one leg to the other without pain tonight, so headed in the right direction. KT tape helping too. No speed challenge blast this week or for some time though!! 😬
Those are lovely carvings, especially the fox. They remind me of some carvings in the arboretum where I run sometimes in normal times. They have a wolf and dogs and the Gruffalo. I must take photos next time I can run there.
The running is still going well and I’m getting a few longer runs done. It was cooler here last week which suits me much better 🙂 I’m still sticking to my usual exercise routine and all is going well.
The garden is looking fabulous if I say so myself and has never looked so weed-free but the other jobs I put on the list at the start of lockdown have not been touched 🙄 I mean, who really wants to clean kitchen cupboards when you can go outside to play? 🤸♂️🏃♀️🎈🎉
Yes the gallery has some really beautiful sculptures on the grounds. I’d love to see pics of your arboretum carvings too! Going outside always trumps indoor housework! 🙂
I had a little worry a few days ago when I found some fungus around a tree that looked as if it might be honey fungus which is a killer in the garden and would have devastated almost all growth 😭 but I’m a member of the RHS and they have a free advisory service so I sent them some photos. They just got back to me this morning to say it’s NOT honey fungus! Phew! Happy days 😀 I would have had to get trees pulled up and everything 🙀
We’ve got dying trees which have been taken out. Dutch Elm apparently They were only small. I’ve got a tree in a pot that’s going in the gap. Not sure what it is. It’s a English native I bought them for the gaps in the hedge, and this one was left over. I knew it was a good idea to save it My neighbour told me she was grubbing out the hedge so she could put a fence up 😁😁😁. Really? 🤷♀️ Pah! Some folks ey. She chases me round in her posh car while I’m out running to complain if branches come over her side of the boundary. I know she’s there but I ignore her 😁.
Looking back at my Strava records, I sure did work hard last week!! I've been having a day off today (including mostly keeping away from my pc - ha!) as I'm not feeling tip-top, but I'm hoping to be back at it tomorrow!!
I've been running for 6 months but usually post on the Bridge to 10k platform. I never really came on here much as I've done HM distance but feel a full marathon may be beyond me. I usually run 3 times a week around 20-25 miles per week average. Hope everyone is keeping safe and getting out there.
Sounds like a great approach GTFC. The marathon forum here is open for anyone looking to go beyond the 10k group for questions, discussions and ongoing support. I also felt the mara distance was way beyond my sights but it is strange how goals work sometimes, as you get to one it sometimes opens the door for another one and you wind up surprising yourself. To be at HM stage in 6 months from starting is great progress! All the best with your running and hope to see you again here soon!
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Apologies for having been AWOL from this forum for so long! 
