Hope this last week has worked in your favour. How's it going with running and with life? Any plans or goals you are working towards? Are you dealing with any running injuries? Any news? Pull up a chair and lets chat about it.
As for me, I am now at the tail end of my home made 50k training plan, and I am realizing I that I may have the distance worked out but the elevation is still a big question mark. For the race profile, I've only seen a range of 2500-7000ft which doesn't help much. But I’m hitting all (most?) of the hills I can find and will just do my best on the day. The heat this week has finally broken and what was feeling like the mid 40s last week is now in the mid 20s which was just right for a long, easy run. Also no more poison ivy adventures this week which I am thankful for. (Last week's run was a nightmare: scorching heat, got lost chasing side-trails, waded through poison ivy, blisters up both legs, run cut short etc.) This week - cooler temps and more sensible running helped get the full distance in. I am enjoying a cold ale in the backyard now.
How about you? For anyone struggling in the heat, I hope you are managing ok and still able to get out for some easier efforts at least. Hope the heat breaks soon.
If you have a race coming up in the coming weeks, we have an August Events Post up still, so go there and tell us what you're up to! :
Have you run a milestone distance recently? 10 miles, HM, Metric Marathon, Marathon or even Ultra? ( 50k and beyond) Then just reply to IPs post here and claim your forum badge:
Wow! I think I can get my head around doing a 50k distance maybe one day but with elevation 🤯 You’re amazing!
I had fun last week looking at options for 2023 for a marathon. Lots of factors to consider but think I’ve settled on one.
Just back from a 8 miler & the sun came out which was very welcome here 😎. I’m hoping to be finally back to my base mileage this week. I’m really just hoping for some consistency for the rest of the year. I was listening to Kipchoge in an interview & I loved this quote from him.
“In running and in life, it’s important to grow slowly, to be patient, but above all, be consistent in training.” Eliud Kipchoge
It’s just another running challenge though. We can give it a good go and see how it pans out. We can do our training and hope it’ll be enough. We enjoy a challenge 😀
I love being out on the trail and get a lot if enjoyment from it whether walking or running 🙂. Not every outing is long, thankfully 😀. The test is the longer ones, but having nailed them it’s such a boost 💥💪
I’m not training for an ultra though but you’re helping my designs in that regard I keep telling myself if I can do 26 I can do 30 😁. Even if I don’t I can enjoy the training 🏃♀️
Morning Decker. I’m in complete awe in all respects of your running. It’s inspiring reading about your training and how you bounce back from mishaps, weather etc. And you treat us to the best photos. 😍 Don’t stop any of the above (except the mishaps maybe!) 😅
We’ve scorched in most parts of the UK this past week or so. Apart from PR I’ve retreated to the comfort of the air conditioned gym, but I’m planning on a 15k run tomorrow morning.
It’s going to be cooler I’m relieved to say, so I’ll be pounding the streets of Bristol. Hope it rains, that would be amazing! 💦 🤞
I have one word for you Decker and that’s EPIC!!! That mileage PLUS hills is just something else. Think I might call you Superman from now on 🦸♂️ (better use it quickly before it gets cancelled 🙄)
I love those photos 😍 the contrast of the colours with the black and white.
I’ve had a good week getting up early to miss the worst of the heat and plodding on with building my mileage back again. A nice slow 12K yesterday.
Not so good news is that my washing machine has died and, until the new one arrives, I’m having to wash my running kit by hand. Blimey, no wonder our women in past times were so strong 💪 At least in the heat everything dries quickly.
Thank goodness it’s cooler here this morning. It’ll make for much nicer running conditions. Now all we need is some rain 🤞
We used to wash our swimming things in the pool’s shower then dry them in our rolled towel and tread on it, doing “The Dance of Joy” 😁. I did that very thing after my post run dunk in my outdoor bath 🛀. Fortunately our running gear dries fast! I’m loving my garden bath 🛀😁. My husband rolled his eyes 🙄
My son and niece while at uni used to wash their clothes while having a shower. They didn’t have washers or a laundry, so would tread their washing. I taught them well ☺️
Just open mouthed with amazement Decker! What an athlete!
The ultras who run our local running shop seem to have a philosophy of “ don’t leave all of your energy on hills. “ Walking on some is an absolute necessity. You will have all of this worked out.
Having a rest day today after Saturday’s 10 mile run in the heat. No run scheduled until Thursday! I may slip in a solo 5k just to keep the legs moving.
I remember the poison ivy from our trips to Canada; the place was littered with signs saying “Leaves of three let it be”. Not a masterpiece of literary composition, but it clearly sticks on the mind! 🙂
Yes you are right about the hills. I often walk most of them to save energy for later on. Sometimes walking them is actually quicker.
Good luck with the heat. From what others are saying, it hopefully will be on its way out soon.
There were no signs where I was BC but in fairness I was well of the trail by that point. On yesterday’s long run everything started looking like the 3 leaved fiend! There were so many plants with 3 leaves! 😅
Hi Decker , you'll be just fine with that 50k even if the elevation turns out to be at the upper end. You're much stronger than me, and I went from 965m+ over 33.16km in training to an event on much tougher terrain with 1835m+ over 46.45k.
Infuriates me though that some race organisers can't be bothered to indicate elevation gain and gradients, particularly if they're organising a trail event. Even small events organised by local running clubs over here give that information!
Storms and rain yesterday finally cooled things off here today, dropping from highs of 38°-44° to probably mid-20s this afternoon. Desperately need more rain, the deficit is over 50% and water restrictions have been in place for weeks. Several minor fires locally - ten hectares of fields burnt 1.5k from us on Friday - but thankfully nothing on the scale of the Gironde or other areas, where they've evacuated tens of thousands of people.
As for running, I'd vaguely been thinking of doing a local trail race (24k, 1000m+ elevation) at the start of September but that's now off the cards. I managed to strain my right leg again yesterday in a failed attempt to catch the neighbour's escaped hen. Obviously. So scrapped this morning's planned 10k and limped around with the dog for 3.7k instead. If there's a village in need of an idiot, I'm available.
I can but wish you all better luck than I'm having - happy running !
Thanks Irishprincess . I know I'm a whiney old bat, but it's just so frustrating and stupid.
I've been really careful when out running, so why I thought it was a good idea to accelerate suddenly uphill with giant strides in an attempt to grab a hen that isn't even mine I do not know.
To add insult to injury, neighbour hasn't yet acknowledged the note I left on Friday saying two hens were straying and I'd rescued one and put her back in her pen for him.
Decker ,that's an amazing challenge but I'm sure you'll be just fine , you're an excellent runner and very determined! Glad it's cooler for you now,I'm looking forward to that here too.Nit.much running done here atm but I did get to parkrun on Saturday,it's the seafront course so always pretty .
This week it's my week off and we are starting sorting out our rental house for moving in a few weeks time ! My doggo George is still taking up a lot of my time as he's not so well, so it's good to have some time off without the pressure of work on top.
We're hoping to get to 2club nights this week, one is up Culver cliff and along the seafront. So should be nic, hope the rain is here by then !
Thanks Ali. Hope you get your place sorted nicely and are able to spend more quality time with doggo George. Enjoy your club runs too! But that probably goes without saying 🙂
HM neophyte here, having run a 1st HM distance on impulse a couple of weeks ago. 50K sounds mountainous - literally, with that elevation!
Running volume currently reduced so as not to overshadow a 5K training plan which ends this coming weekend. Looking forward to getting back to some longer slower running after that.
(Not training for a 5K race, just in hopes of a 5K pb).
Ah Decker , you are the Bear Grylls of running! It all sounds very adventurous although the ivy sounds very painful. You are doing incredibly well and my eyes water at the thought of 50k with rather a few inclines, so much respect!
This end not much to report at all really, just waiting for the cooler weather from tomorrow, when it will hopefully feel a bit less arduous amd more like fun again. I can hear thunder in the distance so fingers crossed! No records have been broken of late, no great distances covered, so I am really looking forward to Autumn in all its glory to start planning further distances and maybe even running on consecutive days! I started C25K in November 2 years ago, so figure I can give it a whirl.
Sounds like an amazing challenge Decker, but I am sure you will nail it! Looking forward to a cool morning for my 23k planned long run this week - I am so appreciating being at that distance and still niggle free - absolutely counting my blessings! Alongside I'm keeping up the weekly long rides ready for my rescheduled 100k event on 4th Sept. Although I love the sun when I'm on bike I really felt it over yesterday's 90k, luckily the suncream did it's job well😄 Have a great week everyone.
Thanks Linda. Niggle free is the way to be! Yes it is an accomplishment in itself at this point in the season. Your rides have been epic too! You are well set for September.
I've not experienced Poison Ivy. I'd imagine it must be worse than nettle stings.
Best of luck at that 50km run. I've been following Dave Dillon/Chase the Summit on both YouTube and podcast. He recently did a 100 mile ultra!
My longest run so far was 26.2km. 50km with elevation is in a totally different league.
In other news my current Garmin training plan has a target of doing 10km in 45 minutes. Three weeks in, and it's giving me lots of identical runs at 55 minute pace.
I’ve never had it before either, I was just exploring a side trail that became smaller and more overgrown with each step when I found my calves really stinging painfully. Then the areas swelled up like a mosquito bite but kept getting larger and more itchy and painful. I just kept running and tried not to think about it 😅. After 24 hrs and some Benadryl it was more manageable.
Thank you. I’ve been keeping an ongoing library of run vids here if you are ever bored. Most are trail inspired: youtube.com/playlist?list=P...
Yes you may see some track speed work showing up in your plan for that type of run 45min 10k is an admirable target!
Decker you really are quite the inspirational runner. I have always admired your positivity and how you deal with adversity. Not to mention your wonderful photography which I’m always in awe of.
Good luck with the rest of the training for what looks like an incredibly difficult run you’ve entered. Mind you I wouldn’t expect anything less from you 👍😊
I’m on a roll with my sprinting as you know. First season has been good for me and I’ve progressed nicely up the rankings but, most importantly, I’m closing in on that elusive 90% age grading for both 100m and 200m. Provided I remain fit, I’ll be working really hard over winter to enter the British and European indoor and outdoor Championships in 2023.
Thank you Brian, I am in turn truly inspired by the amazing progress you’ve made in your sphere of running. I know you will just keep moving forward. Can’t wait to hear all about your experiences at the 2023 Championships!
I have started running along the road for over 1 month. Slow in running pace, about 6-8 min per km. 10k+ every other day each week. Just for the joy of run, don't have any goals and training plans.
The sideway here is bumpy, sloppy for runners. so have to run on the bicycle way. Safety comes first. Only hit the road when less e-motorcycles on road after at 8:pm. Always close to the curb and wear a bicycle taillight on my back.
BE SAFE in run when you have same circumstances. Especially not have a gym or a park nearby and you don't want to drive half an hour to such a place, then sweat like a pig after a distance running and drive another half an hour back home.
btw, thanks for all the sharings here. THE-JOY-OF-RUN POWER.
Sounds like you are in a good place for running. Joy is about the best reason there is. And definitely wise to be safe. I’ve known many runners including myself, to be almost clipped by cars with distracted drivers. I always try to make eye contact especially for drivers turning in the city. Don’t even get me started on the e-bikers and e-boarders….all the eeys! Here in Canada they have no oversight and some of those things really fly.
Thanks Decker. I want to share a small crash experience. Actually I was rear-ended by a E-bike once. That's the reason always be careful when running in a bicycleway.
That guy drove so fast at 9 pm at that time. We were in the same direction, I couldn't see and avoid him. He was behind me and so fast!
His motorcycle hit me on my right side. Luckily, I was still in prime of my life. Only caused me a bruised elbow and a swollen calf on the right-side body. He could hurt me badly if I was 20 yrs old. Or if not my arm and calf took the brunt first, but my ribs.
Things just happened so quickly. No time to react for me. He drove behind me with headlight on. I was close to the curb, so was he. Yet he bumped into me almost the moment I saw the beam of the headlight illuminating the road in front of me and realized there was a motorcycle closing from behind. My mistake was, I wore earbuds and couldn't hear any sound from the e-motorcycle too (actually difficult to hear an E-bike even without earbuds in real world).
Would be safer that always try running in the opposite direction, face the oncoming traffic on the bikeway when run at night (but what if some bikes also go in the wrong direction?) . Besides, always along the curb of the road and jump out of the bikeway timely when find a careless fast bike there.
This is a samll crash story from a runner in a small town in China. Be careful, all
Thanks for sharing your story. Yes those e bikes can really do some damage. Sounds like you were lucky to sustain those minor injuries. The earbuds are problematic too. I have the wireless in ear JBLs. Many runners use the Shokz open ear headphones which allow you to hear traffic and your music simultaneously. I am thinking about investing in a pair to avoid issues like this.
Thanks for the suggestions. Now I use a pair of wireless headphone too. Open air headphones is a good choice to improve the safety.
Some users complain about the accompanying increased sound noise issue when comes the high-note part in music with bone conduction open air headphones. I am not sure whether it is true or not.
Personally, prefer to be a "minimalistic style" runner. Less (gadgets and carry-on items) is more. The best way to safety is without headphones and music. Although still wear headphones most of times for now.
On road with a pair of minimalist running shoes (for experienced runners), no music, no gadgets, focus on the breathing rate, heart rate, pace, running posture, etc., and the conditions and changes of the surrounding area. Talk to yourself. A bit boring in long-distance run but helpful for finding your perfect tempo, acquiring the true joy of running once into the "zone" brought by the deep concentration levels, also could be called the ZEN of running...
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