How are you all getting on with your running and training this week? Got any fancy plans for your upcoming runs in the week? Lots of us have had our exercise rules loosened a bit, so it could bring a great opportunity to get out a bit more if you are able! The weather is mostly lovely right now, and of course all the bees are out filling their pockets with flipping POLLEN. The sun has brought it all out! Gahhhhh. I'm not sneezing too much just yet, but have a very itchy nose when I wake up each morning. A portent of dooooooooom. How do you all deal with allergies when you're running? 😅
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If you are interested, there are plenty of workouts you can do at home from the YouTube library over on Strength & Flex, why not take a look!
I hardly dare say it, but I think I've got off easy this pollen season. I'm allergic to hazel and birch, and both are almost done here, and I've hardly noticed them. Thank goodness I started taking my meds in time. Last year I coughed for two months, which would have been a bit confusing if it had happened this year! Too similar to a corona cough, I suspect.
My left ankle is finally improving, but now my right one has gone wonky, so I'll try to stick to 3 runs this week. I'm sorry the speed challenge is over, so I'm going to do my own speed challenge at my #notaparkruns. I'll try to force my overall pace down for the 5km.
After my partly wet run, the weather stayed strange yesterday. We went for a forest walk, and kept getting hit by flurries of snow. Then the sun came out, and it turned really warm. We have a saying in Norway - you can never sure that winter is over until after May 17th - the national holiday. Even with climate change, this still seems to be true.
Heyup! PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SPEED CHALLENGE IS NOW FINISHED!!! I will post a Tuesday catch-up as previously.
Sorry to hear that the pollen is biting again, Squeak!
I'm enjoying my lockdown-friendly workouts at the moment, killed it on the indoor bike and the stairs this weekend! My VO2 max went down last week, which just goes to show that Mr Garmin knows nothing!! 😁 I am working to break my 5K record sometime this month, so it'll probably go back up again soon...
Comeback run today, after second layoff with a painful knee!! Only a slow 2k, but it was so good to be back running again. I tried the Irish Princess lean! Touch wood, everything feels fine. I feel tons better just for getting out and being a runner again.
Some pollens, particularly trees and rape, give me asthma. I take a preventer every day (reaction to dust etc means it is a chronic problem anyway). I always carry a reliever when I run, just in case. Thankfully I don't often get the blocked nose, sneezes etc. A big problem for some people though. Next job today, try to work out what the new lockdown guidance actually says!
The lean needs work, but it felt ok. It made me try to engage the thighs and glutes more and consciously move the pelvis more, so that I was carrying the trailing leg through better and creating a stronger push off the ground too....so using these muscles better. Probably makes no kind of sense, but it felt like I was bringing more muscle to bear, with less pressure on the calves and knees. Work in progress 🙂
I know what you mean. It took me several runs before I began to notice any difference at all and even now it’s still tiny feelings. Based on Jae’s advice also I’ve let my pelvis move rather than try to keep it still and I must say that running feels much more “free” and more fluid.
It reminds me of something Laura said, I think in the consolidation podcasts, about making a circle with your heels...which for me involved a higher carry through of the leg.....something which was lost in my early focus on extending distance (which meant running really slowly and with a short stride to start with). Now that I am speeding up the distance runs, proper form is more important..... hopefully engaging the additional muscles properly should help avoid overuse injuries on the bits we can't run without...knees and calves. I am going to stick with it. I can feel a difference so thanks IP. 🙂👍
Oh no Squeak, two of my boys have hayfever and it looks so miserable...
I've had a pretty good week. Thanks to roseabi 's speed challenge I ran a km way faster than I would've thought possile, then on Saturday I tried out a 'duathlon' (just 5k run, 20k ride, 2.5k run, not standard distance). I thoroughly enjoyed the 'duathlon' and will repeat it for sure. Never having mixed running and riding I was pretty conservative with the first run, so there should be scope to improve time a bit. The new 'unlimited exercise' guidance means I feel able to carry on with my cycle training again. If everything stays the same my aim is to hit the 100k in early June (not too much later than planned). The focus on a riding goal means I should be able to have fun, relaxed and enjoyable runs 👍. Have a good week everyone, take care.
Like C3PO we’ve been cast with some lingering winter weather. On Saturday I did my long run around a lake and got hit with harsh winds and snow pellets for much of the way. This morn we are having a mini snowstorm, but its not settling just yet. Been having some GI issues yesterday, so I am taking an extra day off and will see how it feels tomorrow. I took a mileage break last week too and may ease back in again tomorrow.
I can sympathize with the allergy sufferers too. I used to get really bad hayfever but seem to have grown out of it in adulthood.
I have a funny relationship with my hayfever. Once I've unglued and rubbed my eyes to death in the morning, I try not to think about it and a bit like everything else, I get distracted and then concentrate on something else. Quite handy really.
I'm currently on the 11th day of my first bash at 'Run Every Day' and, generally speaking, it's going ok so far, no new niggles which is great <touch wood>. It feels a bit selfish as I have to use my one session of outside exercise on myself, which is ok on a Monday & Friday when I take the kittens out with me but then I can't go out with them again for a walk, so family walks & bike rides have gone down the toilet. However, thankfully, this can now change, yay!!! And maybe I can hit the 10k steps without having to wander round the living room for half an hour to make them up 😂 I've gone down from the 125k category in the Garmin weekly challenge to 65k and it's embarrassing 😂!!
Also looking forward this week to hopefully getting some compost and some plants for my tired garden if the garden centres are open? Or do I have to sneak into Wales for that?
I love that photo 😍 As a passionate gardener I love just watching the bees sometimes doing their thing in and out of the flowers. It’s so relaxing....the soft buzz on a summer’s day, the faint perfume wafting around....oh I could get carried away 🌺🌼
It’s freezing here today and very windy, such a change from last week. In fact yesterday I had dressed ready to go out for a run and once I stepped outside I went back and changed into warmer clothes!
I’m still running every other day, but after the latest announcement I feel happier that I can get back to my longer runs. I missed my Pilates class last week but did one this morning and so am back on track again. I’m still doing various workouts and exercises every other day. My husband ordered a stationary bike in preparation for winter weather as he’s normally a gym bunny and we’re doubtful that gyms will open any time soon. The bike arrived this morning and so I’ve got that now as another option, whoop whoop 👍🙂
I hope everyone has a good, safe week and happy running to all 🏃♀️🏃🙂
Me too IP! 🥶. I stepped out the door in vest and shorts. It was taters out there 😳. Nipped back in sharpish to get my merino long-sleeve on. I could have done with gloves as it was so cold and windy 🌬 Brrrrr.
It’s bitter. In fact we lit our fire last night. Thought we’d abandoned that for the summer 🙄
I planted my bedding plants a few weeks ago so was a bit concerned today when I went out to check them. They’re fine but I did talk nicely to them beforehand so they obviously remembered 🌺🌼🙂
It is freezing today IP. My poor old birch tree has only had a full loading of leaves for a couple of weeks and it’s been pushed all over the place. As long as we don’t get any frost as I’ve just dead headed the hydrangeas 🥶
Yeah I pruned mine last week (it’s always tricky to get the timing right isn’t it?) and apparently we’ve had a frosty night. I haven’t been out yet so 🤞 they’ve all ok.
It was evil today! Not sure we're big fans of the Dice Man. I left the burpees to the kids and just did lots of planks! That was good! I'm going to run tomorrow then do the workout, see if that works as I might have woken up more!!
Today was the start of my official half marathon training plan ready for my runaversary half in Sept. I’ve been procrastinating over whether to start it or not but decided that I needed to have some focus so out I went for my benchmark run.
My aim is to complete the race, I would like to run the whole distance if possible and would love to do in about 2hrs 45 if I can. Last year I did my first 5km at the same event in 44 mins and I walked as i much as I ran.
On my non run days as I no longer have the pool and gym I have taken up cycling. That was a huge challenge as I hadn’t been on a bike since school and I found uphills impossible so had to push my bike but I am improving each and every time I go out and managed 15 miles on Friday.
Thankfully I don’t suffer with hay fever but my other half does and sneezing was a big part of our weekend.
Hi Sqkr, along with many of our running friends I took part in the Speed Challenge. That really helped me and I improved my 1K time by over a minute👍
I’ve recently got a Garmin Forerunner and I’m enjoying using it and seeing all the stats! My VO2 max was up from 48 to 49 which apparently is going from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Superior’ for a chap of my age😳😊 I’ll take that!💪🙂
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