Weekly Chat 11th to 17th July

[GoGo_JoJo]

Good morning! Is it really Monday already? 🙈🤣

How's your week starting? It's a beautiful day in this neck of the woods. Are you full of plans for the week ahead?

If you’re new or have been loitering and would like to introduce yourself then this is the place to say hello. We’re all runners regardless of speed or distance and every runner is welcome.

Whatever you’re doing, or might be doing this week have a good one everyone!

Photo from yesterday's paddleboarding at Seaford.

From The Marathon Team xxx

~~

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[RunWillie Marathon]

Hi GoGo_JoJo & other running superheroes,

We’re on holidays this week in the beautiful Margaret River so for once no weekly distance goal for me. We will certainly be running the trails so I’ll try and get a good photo.

Happy week everyone ❤️🏃‍♀️🏃🏻‍♂️

A 10k morning run along the cape to cape track.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to RunWillie]

Holiday running is so nice, more relaxed. Hope you get some lovely miles in 👍🏻😁

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

Just be careful where you put your feet RW 👏

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Snakes will be sleeping 😊

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

Sensible creatures 🙂

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Boys were very excited to meet this creature this morning where we’re staying!

Our resident snake 🐍

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

?carpet python…..I would still give it plenty of room 🙂

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Think that’s what it is. One of the boys gave it a pat 😳

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

😳 brave lad!!

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Aren't carpet pythons supposed to be pretty calm, and good as pets? Though in doubt best to leave beasties of all types alone!

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Aussie kids always play with them but they can still bite.

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

That's what I thought. 😀

I'm fine with snakes, but as we have adders as well as grass snakes in the wild round here I prefer to give snakes a wide berth. By the time I've got sufficiently up close and personal with an adder to check its slitty eyes it's not going to be too pleased with me! 🐍💢

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

I’m certainly not keen on brown snakes! I carry a snake bandage just incase of a bite but I would probably pass out before I could use it 🤣

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

Snake bandage is definitely a good plan, and hopefully you'd notice the bite right away and get the bandage in place quickly enough! Fingers crossed you never have to use it.

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Hubby is also sent off in front of me on every trail run so the snakes can retreat 🤣

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to RunWillie]

What does he do, magical incantations or something?! 🤣🤣🤣

✨ "Begone, low-bellied wretches!

Slither hence, and threaten ye not our tread with venom!!" ✨

[RunWillie Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Nothing that special - Just the thud thud normally clears them off 🤣

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

We have adders around here too. People and dogs are occasionally bitten by accident (not seeing the snake). People seem to be ok if they get help quickly, but I wouldn’t put it to the test! Some people have allergies which make things get much worse very quickly.

[Cmoi Marathon]

Hi GoGo_JoJo , thanks for hosting this week's chat, and what a glorious picture!

It's gorgeous weather here right now, and forecast to get hotter - mid-30s - as the week moves on. Current plans include going to an outdoor book fair, finding somewhere to watch the Tour de France live, shopping in the sales, Renaissance group stuff, maybe baking...

Oh. You mean running? That would be nice, right leg permitting, which currently it isn't. Am walking a bit, which is a start, and fingers crossed I'll be able to jog again soon.

Happy running, and other fun stuff too, everybody!

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Cmoi]

Nope, all plans are perfectly valid! Sounds like an interesting week.

🤞🏻🤞🏻 the leg gets back on track, traitorous thing!! 🙈🤣

[Tbae Metric Marathon]

Lovely pic and lovely post.Enjoy your week Jo.👩‍❤️‍👨💪🙏🌟👏👏

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Tbae]

You too Bob, good to see you back on it 👍🏻😁

[RunBrianRun Half Marathon]

Hi Jo I’m hoping to venture into the sea this week.. I’m a proper wuss when it comes to cold water though 😅

I am always in awe at how you manage to do it no matter what 👍😬

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to RunBrianRun]

Well I've managed to get my hubby in now too, and he's a super wuss when it comes to cold. He still struggles to get in, pulling faces and squeaking but once in he says it's really nice 🤣 Saturday at Felpham was super warm, yesterday at Seaford was actually a couple of degrees cooler, but still lovely 👌🏻

[nowster Metric Marathon]

We're back from holidays now, and the country is going into a heatwave.

Unless I can haul my sorry carcass out of bed early enough in the morning, my runs are going to be short and easy this week.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to nowster]

🤣 it was lovely at 5.30 this morning, positively cool. Good luck with your early starts! 🤞🏻

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon]

I was thinking of 10k plus this morning. I got out a bit later than planned (about 9:30) and by the time I got to 9.3k I knew that enough was enough. I stopped for an electrolyte top up (why do they make it fizzy?) and just didn’t start again. 25 C is not a temperature at which a 70 year old should push the boundaries. I enjoyed a leisurely walk back to the cafe for proper sustenance, during which I saw a beautiful hunting barn owl up close! I might have missed it had I still been running. It’s the first one I have seen post Covid.

So we will call this consolidation on my way back to 10 miles. Heatwaves don ‘t last long up here. I did get up to 12k on holiday, but that was on roads whereas today was my usual trail…..so 9.3k is fine for now. Lovely photograph 🙂

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

That sounds like a perfect exchange, a couple of k for an owl! It is really tough in the heat. 😁

I'm not a fan of the fizziness either! It can't be that hard to leave the effervescence out 🤔 unless that would affect its dissolving?

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

I do mix it up a while before setting off for my run, but it still causes ….inflation. Maybe I need to experiment with other brands.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Yes, I find some more tolerable than others! 🤣

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

If you're making in advance maybe try homemade recipes as they won't fizz, or try making up the night before to see if it loses some fizz overnight?

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Option 2 is easier…It involves a degree of foresight, but I will give it a go. Dexy5 told me that she sprayed fellow post run cafe users once when she opened her water bottle! Lethal stuff in the wrong hands. 🙂

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to Beachcomber66]

🤣🤣. Yes I now do plain water in my water bottle but but use zero tablets the day before the run and when I get home after. UTS uses tailwind for long runs which is not fizzy, but that also contains energy to keep going on those longer runs.

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to Dexy5]

Zero the day before and maybe when I get home post run, and water in my bottle should work.Good thinking. 👍

[Dexy5 10 Miles in reply to Beachcomber66]

From effervescent experience 😂

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Barn owl! Lucky you 😀👍

Scorchio out there today 🥵. I ran mid morning on the trail, deciding to do a steady 8k. I was happy to stop running at 8k and walk home 😎🌞

I was out with the dog at stupid o’ clock this morning and I fell flat on my back! A comical banana skin fall 😁☺️ I rolled my foot on a tiny stick 😅. I swear the dog rolled his eyes 👀🐕

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

Flat on your back falls are not good! I did a Fosbury Flop on sheet ice four years ago. Result a fractured spine; other result, starting C25k after I had recovered!

Molly is staying in the kitchen, stretched out on the stone tiles; sensible girl! Today, I saw the first Yellow Hammer I have seen for while too…my lucky morning 🙂

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

Crikey! 😳

I was fine. Soft grass thankfully🙂

The old dog struggles in the heat bless him. He’s having a hair cut tomorrow which should help him

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

We keep our OES cut short in summer; we really don’t get too many hot days up here I am happy to say!

[misswobble Marathon in reply to Beachcomber66]

All that hair! The hound gets like a woolly mammoth if not cut soon enough 🙂. It gets everywhere 😤.

[Beachcomber66 Administrator Half Marathon in reply to misswobble]

OES don’t shed. They just lose a bit in the comb when grooming.Teaching them to stay still is the challenge! If 38k of dog wriggles about there is not a lot you can do!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon]

Hi JoJo, that’s a lovely photo. That water looks so inviting. 😍

My running is going to be off piste for the next couple of weeks. Too hot for running outside - I don’t fancy roads and the common isn’t much better as there’s only one trail with shade. 🥵 I’ll hit the gym tomorrow, and a couple more times before heading off on hols on Saturday to SW Brittany. Holiday running will be in the unknown but I intend to do some regardless. I need to justify the amount I’m going to be eating and drinking after all! 🐖😅

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

🤣🤣🤣 have a lovely holiday! At least we know our heatwave is unlikely to last! 🌧 🌦 👍🏻😎

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Where / which département cheekychipmunks ? Not that it matters much,Météo France seems to think everywhere'll be staying hot for a couple of weeks!

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

We're off to Brittany (Penmarch) - looking hot there too!

[Cmoi Marathon in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Although it's fairly hot there right now, 31° this afternoon, Météo France suggests it'll cool off come Saturday, highest temperature 25°. See here: meteofrance.com/previsions-...

Bonnes vacances !

[cheekychipmunks Half Marathon in reply to Cmoi]

Thank goodness! 🙏🏻🙏🏻😀

[Irishprincess Administrator Half Marathon]

That water looks so welcoming at the minute! What beautiful colours. Nature really does the best colours 😍

Well, I’m back home with mum. We’ve both come through Covid OK, thank goodness. Now to get the running back on form….

I went out on Saturday for a gentle test and did 20 minutes. Everything felt ok fitness-wise apart from a dodgy feeling knee at the end 🙄 No idea where that came from as I haven’t been doing much of anything.

Anyway, I’ve foam rolled and stretched and had planned to go out again this morning but didn't get up early enough to beat the heat. Tomorrow it is 🤞

Have a great week everyone and keep cool 😎🍹

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Irishprincess]

Glad you're feeling better. 🤞🏻🤞🏻 the knee starts to behave!

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon]

Love that photo, so so tranquil. I'm still trundling through my metric marathon plan - enjoying a rare niggle free period (although my hand is still very tender, running has no issue with that). This Saturday should be my 100k cycling event; the weather looks hot but with no shade in the open fenland I'm not sure how pleasant that will be by the time I get to the end ... the organiser sent an email today saying they are 'closely watching the weather' and 'safety is paramount', so I guess there is even a possibility it will be cancelled. We will see!

Have a great week everyone, stay well hydrated!!!

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to linda9389]

I read that as 100th event first 🤣🤣🤣 feels that way, you've been n doing so much!

🤞🏻 you get a breeze for that day, its usually cooler on a bike thankfully. I heard some interesting science saying that cooling your neck is actually a really bad idea, it triggers the area in your brain telling the body to warm up! Cooling, hands, feet and face are the best ways to bring your temp down mid run/ ride.

What did you do to your hand? 🤔

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

And there is seemingly always a headwind in the fens 🤣 Interesting about not cooling the neck ...

I fell about four weeks ago (running in the woods); broke my two front teeth and bruised my hand pretty badly (thankfully not broken though). Need to look where I'm going ... or pick my feet up at least 😍

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to linda9389]

Oh my goodness, how did I miss that one!? You poor thing! Teeth don't grow back you know! 🙈 (one patient years ago genuinely thought they did!) Just looked back, that was quite a while ago, maybe you need physio for the hand? 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

My dentist very kindly 'regrew' my teeth for me 😍 I am 99% sure my hand is just badly bruised. The colour has finally gone but I suspect the bone itself is bruised in a couple of places which are still very, very tender if knocked or pressed. It is gradually, but steadily improving so I'll stick with it for a but yet. At least I can now keep both hands (loosely) on the handlebar when I go over a bump!!!

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Well, my ride has been cancelled. On account of people needing to be out between 11am and 3pm with zero shade in the fens and high risk of heat stroke! Postponed to Sept 4th. Ughh, means I'll have to build up to 100km all over again 🙈

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to linda9389]

That's a bloody shame. All that effort. 👎🏻 entrants should really have the choice, if they're happy to go. 🤷‍♀️

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

I guess they can't win really. At least theyve let me know in time to cancel my accommodation without charge SBD I can make the revised date 😀

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to linda9389]

Oh gosh, yes. Imagine all those hotels losing out too! Yes, rock and a hot plate!! 🤣🙈

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

Accommodation for the new date is proving an issue! Hey ho!!!

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Hello Linda, I was just wondering whether you followed any particular plan to reach the dizzy heights of 100km cycling?

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

Yes ... and no!There were so many rescheduled dates it sort of had to fit round whatever run training I was doing. In principle all I did was extend my long ride each weekend. Although I've had lots of running injuries, repetitive cycling hasn't caused me an issue but I did need to gradually build up time in the saddle and also my hip flexor endurance. I loosely tried to follow the training schedule the Ride the Night event team published (the progression of long rides, if not all the in between rides) and you can find that here dream-challenges.com/media/...

In this lovely warm weather cycling really is no hardship so long as you plan your fuelling and hydrating well. Do it - it's great fun!

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Thank you Linda,Are you managing all this cycling and probably running too, while still working full time?

I am currently taking things very slowly (C25k W4) while hopefully my medial meniscus tear is healing. Also including a very small amount of cycling. Do you live in an hilly area?

[linda9389 Administrator Marathon in reply to over61andstilltrying]

I'm lucky not to be working full time any longer - and will fully retire at the end of November, yay! We do have some hills but I choose my routes carefully! often I drive to a start point so I can skip the worst hills. I use Komoot to plan my routes and always check elevation and climbs before setting out!!! It was only when I was injured and couldn't run that I took up cycling - in an orthopaedic boot 😍

[over61andstilltrying Half Marathon in reply to linda9389]

Yes I remember that 😊🚴‍♀️🏃‍♀️

[Dexy5 10 Miles]

Well done on paddle boarding JoJo. We have lots here in Southsea but I think I’d find it hard to stand up without falling in!Very good for your core muscles.

My intention is to start increasing distance again but I think I’ll wait till it cools down again, or try to get up earlier.

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Dexy5]

Well I can recommend the early mornings, so peaceful and lovely. Just ignore the numbers on the clock 🤣

[Decker Ultramarathon]

Hi Jo, thanks for hosting chat this week. I see you doing so many water activities these days, that perhaps a new group may be needed just for that! 😅 I am of course kidding.

I’ve just been trying to get back into the swing of training after a wedding last weekend threw me off schedule a bit. And I’ve missed a few Mondays since the office opened on Mon and Tues. Will need to get more serious with distance and Elev. soon as my September ultra is approaching steadily. Otherwise all good.

Lovely photo too!

[GoGo_JoJo Ultramarathon in reply to Decker]

Yes, Istruggle to fit it all in at times and it has absolutely impacted my goals! But I'm having fun so it must be good too.

Work is so inconvenient!! 🤣 I think you'll be OK though, you've done it before so muscle memory will kick in! 🤞🏻😎

[Decker Ultramarathon in reply to GoGo_JoJo]

The fun is your key indicator that you are on the right track! 🙂👍🏼

Yes work really cramps my style sometimes 😅