Greetings fellow runners. I hope the world is treating you well!
Wherever did January go I wonder? Spring is sounding closer ...
Apologies for posting a little late in the day but I'm back in Canada and it is only 6:40am and -11C here as I type this. I do hope it is a little warmer wherever you are ❄️
At the weekend I finally got to run the Okanagan parkrun (that's where the photo was taken); I have been trying for about four years now to make this event, but for for one reason or another (weather, injury, lack of transport, closure, covid ...) I never managed it. This Saturday was forecast to be -8C with the wind chill but I was going, come what may!
The pre run briefing announced icy conditions, and they were not joking!!! I minced my way gingerly around this course with another 35 determined parkrunners, dodging ice patches and hugging the edges of the trail where there was loose grit and debris to give some purchase, and have finally ticked it off (with a time that should be possible to better should I make it back again).
Ice is not for me though - I hate the stuff when walking and it absolutely terrifies me to run on it! This week is forecast to remain cold, with snowfall again on Wednesday - I will take the runs as and when I can ... but most definitely with much caution!!!
Post run we headed to a couple of big sports shops to pick up some stuff for my father; somehow I picked up a gorgeous run gilet and pair of leggings at an absolute bargain basement price. Oops 😍That was a real unexpected bonus! A happy day 🥰
How's your running going? Are you fighting the weather? Are things going your way or does it feel like an uphill battle at the moment? Do tell us all about it below.
Whatever this week has in store for us, let's make the most of it and have some fun!!!
The Marathon Team xxx
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what a great photo - no way I can imagine running in that though - what a fantastic effort and commitment!!
I’m getting small runs in to build some fitness back and establish routine before embarking on a full training plan in a week or two. It’s nice to be back running regularly!
The snow was at the side of the trail. The trail itself had been cleared but the banks of snow had begun to melt across the trail and it was that wet that had frozen overnight. Yuc!
Regular running is the key isn't it? Well done for getting back to that. Once you start the plan proper that should help even more. Enjoy!!!
What a lovely picture! And well done on finally doing this particular parkrun you’ve had your eyes on for an age. Perhaps a dog sled run might be more apt in those temperatures 😁. And well done on picking up a bargain, happy days.
I think a dog sled run would be even more scary Frenc - at least I had the option to break into a very slow walk every now and again 😍. I have to say that it all looks wonderful through the window or through a camera lens 😊
Aw bless you Linda thank you for asking! Well, I start week 5 of C25K tomorrow - I had to give myself a stern talking to at Christmas - and I feel that slowly but surely my leg is starting to behave (proximal hamstring tendinopathy apparently). I’ve never had anything that takes so long to improve! But restarting and shed loads of patience has had me staying active while still ‘resting’ and I’m delighted things seem to finally be on the up. 😊😊😊.
That's so good to hear Frenc. It's incredibly hard being patient during recovery isn't it? But keeping active pays off in spades and the 'up' is only ever just around the corner (much easier said once the corner is passed of course) 😊
Thanks so much IP! For a minute there I thought my running days were over 😩. Have learnt the art of patience anew though and hopefully there’s a bit of light now at the end of a 9 week tunnel! 😊😊😊
Hello Linda, How lovely to be back in Canada 🇨🇦. I am very envious of you doing an overseas parkrun, although I don’t envy you those conditions- it was bad enough with the heavy frost on the promenade 2 weeks ago. It reminded me of our ski holiday in Colorado in 2019, when it was so cold that we had to purchase full face balaclavas. UTS even wore his in the evenings when looking for somewhere to eat, which would have scared a few people in the UK. It sounds like you’ve picked up a few bargains there.
Thankfully it has warmed up and dried up here so we are hoping to get out more and increase distance again, starting today with a Billy Trail 8k.
Love the photo! Windchill is truly evil isn't it. Though I guess you are ised to that living on the coast!!! 8k along the Billy trail sounds lovely, especially if it has warmed up a bit, enjoy 🥰
Love the masks! We had a farm student from Colerado come to stay with us last year and she told us of the temperatures they get! Hard to believe or comprehend! Not just the lows but the high highs too!
It is such a beautiful place Cowladyrunning . We haven’t been there in the summer but our accommodations have always included fans in the wardrobes. Autumn must be lovely.
Hi Linda. I was exchanging messages with someone in BC yesterday. -11C doesn’t sound like fun. Good to get in a run and remain upright.
Today was long run day with CB. 10k with a 80m total ascent, just to keep it interesting!I didn’t get out until late (11:37 am) because of a welcome phone call from our youngest, so I included the hill by way of punishment! Once again, I didn’t pay much attention to my watch and kept going according to feel and the occasional instructions through my earphones. A bit of a pattern is developing. This run was at 6:50/k, just a shade quicker pace than last week’s 8k. So as distance increases, I seem to be able to increase pace a little as I go.
I have an interval run and tempo run later in the week, with coaches other than BC. There may be a bit of good cop/bad cop going on here. The coach for the hill intervals last week was very much no nonsense…”go go go “….!
At least my hamstrings behaved. I am back to the physio on Thursday for a follow up appointment, but things seem to be headed in the right direction.
When I got back from run, it was a case of quick shower and out with Molly for her 4 mile walk and cafe pit stop. Where has the day gone? Lots of nice chats in the cafe, Molly got lots of fuss, and sausages…..good job I am retired. A really good day, even if I did have to skip lunch 🙂
Yes we often say that if we go out for a run , the whole day disappears. We did find a warm cafe for a lunch, but of course we had no dog to take out. 🐶
Lol. I spend far too much of my life 'exchanging messages with someone in BC ' ... BC 😍 It's so nice to be here and chatting in person for a change. You seem to have really found a groove woth the NRC guided runs, despite the earlier scepticism- that's excellent. It does give an extra dimension to training doesn't it?
After my -8c walk this morning I stopped into a cafe for a coffee (not my usual poison) and cake ... and immediately thought of you and Molly 😍
Thanks Linda. I do like structure, so having a plan always did work for me. I don’t like being ordered around, so the slightly eccentric delivery probably helps in that respect too. Molly is very much the same! I think one of the benefits of the plan is that it encourages me to go further and faster, but at a steadier rate than I would have chosen left to my own devices. If the trend continues, I can see a 10 mile pb coming out of this, but if it does, it will be just an accidental product of following the plan, and it won’t be a quantum leap. Time will tell 🙂
Thanks for being our Canadian correspondent linda9389 !
Yes, it's a little warmer here. It's been around minus 3° most of the week, with permanently grey skies, but I think it made it to 2° at one point yesterday! Very little running due to sheet ice (see photos in my reply to last week's chat) but I've been walking the dog and doing some yoga.
Managed a very slow forest run (walking the dodgiest surfaces) yesterday, only 4.1km, but 144m elevation gain. Photo attached. As I was still upright and uninjured - the forest track felt safer than the icy patches on the road - I decided against pushing my luck by doing more.
Hopefully I'll be able to run more over the coming week. Though it was trying to snow again this afternoon...
Wishing everyone happy, safe running!
Looking back and ahead on a snowy, icy, muddy French forest trail running route
Thanks Beachcomber66 . Tbh I find forest tracks like that that less scary than inch-thick sheet ice on tarmac.
Really needed to keep my wits about me running back down on the road through the forest: one minute it was clear dry tarmac, then I'd round a corner and have to negotiate road camber, ice and grit. Fortunately there was only one car and I stopped while it went past!
Oh crikey! My heart is in my mouth just looking at that! I tried walking a trail through trees alongside a creek yesterday. The sign at the top said 'closed because of ice'. I thought I knew better. Turns out I was wrong and had to turn back after 100m🤣 I will return to it another time!
Staying upright is definitely priority after what you went through last year. Here's to a thaw (and all the mud that goes with it!!!).
I typed a detailed reply linda9389 but I can't find the post anywhere! So here's the short version: isn't it funny how we all react differently? I was happier and more confident in the frozen forest than two days later on mostly thawed roads and flatter tracks. The latter were horribly slippery with slush and really liquid mud, and I find it frustrating having to walk where normally I'd run at a reasonable pace.
Finally back to 10.5k today, first time into double figures for nearly a month. About time too!
Thanks Linda, it does. I'd been getting going again nicely, but for almost the past two months I've been either sneezing and coughing, or sliding about on ice! 🤧🥴🥶🙃
And I have new kit too... 😉 Must take and post photos of my sportsshoes haul, and what I hope will turn out - they're not here yet - to be an absolute bargain from Vinted! 👍😁🥰
What a place! I would absolutely love to run somewhere like that. Hopefully the right kind of snow will fall and you’ll be able to get out this week. I’m with you on ice. Icy tarmac is a firm “no thanks” from me!
Your run sounds like a real experience! It looks beautiful on the photo but I can't imagine running in it.Weather where I am just north of Bristol was perfect for running today. Cold for the first 10 minutes then off came the gloves and really comfortable and, finally, just warm enough in the sun for the cool down !
Looking forward to trying some shorter quicker runs towards the end of the week-time for a break from the long ones for a couple of weeks.
It's surprising how warm we get isn't it ... as we looped past the start/finish point I stripped off my jacket and threw it to the marshalls to collect at the end!!!
Varying distances is a great idea - keep it fresh 🥰
Beautiful Canada 😍 I’m keen to run Canada virtually once I’ve made it around Australia.
Week 10 for me on the HM plan. 28 miles this week with the long run being 8 miles. It’s super hot here so that might feel like a Half. Kiddos go back to school tomorrow so I’ve made it through the 8 week break.
BC certainly i beautiful ... but your beach looks very, very tempting right now as I'm due to head out into a -12C windchill for my run today ❄️. Well done for getting through the school break - does that mean more 'you' time for a while or does it just make your run timings even more inflexible?
Oh my! That's just amazing. I always l always much preferrred when the children were on holiday to term time (although I didn'trun in those days). I did survive the cold yesterday, but it was no fun at all. As forecast, we now have snow with more to come. The challenges of being a runner hey?
Great photo Linda. This all sounds very familiar even though I am in Ontario, not beautiful mountainous British Columbia. I’ve been avoiding going out in the very cold this season, but I did get out on Saturday (around -8 or so I think?) after a fresh snowfall and though not the most efficient running, it was very pretty. I also came across one rather large fallen tree along the way.
Fallen trees, and long power outages whilst the damage to power lines is fixed, are features of Ontario that I don’t miss! Good job most residents out in the wilds seem to have generators. Well done on getting out for a run Decker. Running in beautiful surroundings on fresh fallen snow is fun. 👍
It’s true BC. I can still remember wrapping the kid’s Christmas presents in a hotel lobby years ago when we were kept out of our home for almost two weeks after a brutal ice storm knocked down power lines and trees all around us over the holidays. Thankfully never been that bad since.
Wow that is so beautiful. Soft snow is definitely preferable to ice (until the feet get wet anyway!). -20's though - wow, that's just incomprehensible for the southern softie of a Brit that I am!!! Wrap up well 😨
Hi Linda and everyone. Beautiful photo but that’s cold 🥶right there. I’m so glad our cold spell (relative) here is over, I was getting fed up with putting on so many layers and feeling cold all the time.
Well done on ticking off the parkrun. It must be especially sweet after you’ve wanted to do it for so long. And a special well done on finding the gilet and leggings, always a feel-good moment when that happens 😍 I love a bargain.
My running has been ticking over ok but I was in a bit of discomfort after my 10K on Sunday, with achey hips. The run itself was fine, it’s only afterwards when things feel awry. However, I’m going through a process of elimination to get things fixed once and for all (changing bed, changing seat I usually sit in, different stretches) and things are good so far 🤞
I’m trying for 11K this weekend so that will be a test.
Ahh, yes ... mud! We had plenty of that before I left ...
SOrry to hear you are still having niggles. Hopefully it is only because you are being so super aware that you are noticing everything, minor or otherwise. May the 11k revive the faith and repay all your efforts.
you’ve made me feel guilty now as I sit watching the wind buffeting the trees. I’ve been outside, briefly, and the wind chill does make it feel colder 🥶. Dunno whether I’m going to attempt to jog though 🤔
I’m pleased you ticked off your run 😀👍🏃♀️ Very brave too in the circs 🥶😀
I just did a horrible run in -3 ... well -3 when you could get out of the wind which was ICY! The difference for me is that there are no better days on the horizon. If tomorrow was set to be nicer I too would have waited it out 😍. Instead tomorrow is windier with snow to boot!!! Enjoy the run once the weather is better. Is your back improved?
Oh dear, so your back is still bothering you? You must be getting very frustrated 😠 We now have the forecast snow and I'm very glad I ran yesterday. I should be able to see the lake and a town from the bottom of the garden but the weather has really closed in!
It rained! As soon as I got out there 😁. Still, it wasn’t cold 🙂
Yeah I’m still uncomfortable but I felt ok last night post slow jog earlier in the day. Dog walking tomorrow. He’s very slow these days so we’ll be well matched 😀🐕
Congratulations on finally completing your BC parkrun. I looked into Whistler when we were there last year, but it appears to have fallen victim to the pandemic and never restarted ☹️ Your shopping bargains sound just the ticket 🥳
After 2 runs with my club last week, which resulted in breathing problems, slow times and coughing for a good hour after each one, I decided to consult my gp. She suggested I have a damaged airway following all the infections I’ve had since October, which is being irritated by exercise, and has prescribed me an inhaler for immediately before a run while it hopefully improves. I have decided to do RED February (on the basis it’s 3 days shorter than January 😂) so will give it a go on a short run tomorrow and see if it helps. Wish me luck!
I use my asthma inhaler (preventer) before each run. I have created a tidy (ish) pile of stuff I mustn’t forget. I hate setting off and having to come back for something!
It surprises me how few parkruns there are in BC! There is one 20 minutes away but this Okanagan parkrun is 45 mins away.
That's not nice news about your breathing, but you must be very relieved that the GP was able to give you something. I hope it really helps and you storm your way through February - that's an impressive goal 💪😊
I’m massively envious of your Canadian trip. Enjoy! Glad you’ve already found some bargain kit that might help you stay warm!!
It’s been another good week here. I’m definitely feeling back on track now. The NRC HM plan continues. The eight mile run wasn’t much fun-I’ve realised the reason anything over 10k is daunting is because I absolutely hate carrying water in a hand held bottle (that’s all I’ve got at the moment). I ended up leaving a bottle en route so I could just have a drink every time I looped past it but that meant my route was pretty dull. Got it done though. Coach B threw a few surprise pace pick ups in which was not welcome at the time but fun when they were over! One speed run and a few short easy runs. Looking at my stats for the month, this is my biggest total to date and I’m pleased with that.
This week I’m going to try and sort some sort of hydration vest so the 15k long run can be somewhere a bit nicer!
You must be a couple of weeks ahead of me MissU. I have just completed the 10k run and am gearing up for a tempo run. Most of the runs look better in retrospect!
I am enjoying the plan really, more than I imagined I would. Getting serious now though….😬
It’s such a good one! I did it to get ready for my first half in October. That time I started with ages to go and took my time with it. Weeks lasted longer than a week. This time I’m following it with a tighter turn around for April and it feels like it’s ramping up really quickly! I’m really enjoying it though. The speed runs were an unexpected source of enjoyment!
I’m on 8 weeks to go but I’ve somehow gained a week so I can take a cut back if I need to. That thought is keeping me going! Five runs a week is a bit much so I’m aiming for the long run, one speed run and an easy run or two. Speed tomorrow I think if my legs are less sore from yesterday’s strength workout!
Well done on the plan progress, not to mention the ingenious solution to the drink problem. A hydration vest or a belt and bottle will really make a difference and I have to agree, a satisfying route is so important if you are to enjoy the long runs. Happy shopping 😍
How wonderful that you’re back in Canada Linda! Sounds a bit brisk, but knowing you, you’ll deal with whatever’s thrown at you! 🥶
I’m currently in southern Tenerife with my 2 daughters and 2 grandsons. Our annual girlie trip that was postponed from 2020, and this time with 2 little ones in tow. No, they’re definitely not girls, but that’s ok. 💙
I went out for a 5k this morning and was immediately rueful of the fact that I didn’t pack shorts, only capris. Holy schmoley, the shock to the system, having done my last run (PR) on Saturday in 4 layers! It was therefore a rather pathetic figure who pressed the button on her watch after pleading with it to click over to 5k 🥵 A ridiculously slow last km, directly into the sun and I learned my lesson - believe that it can be hot somewhere in January 😅 I’ll go out much earlier next time. Even so, it was lovely to be running along the familiar route I did last time we were here in 2019.
More runs to come before the week is out, but no speed ones and no WAY am I running back up the hill to our hotel. 🥵🥵🥵🥵
Have a fantastic time away! It looks gorgeous there.
The heat must be something else when you haven’t had any build up to the hot temperature. Sounds like you did brilliantly to finish without keeling over!
Thanks MU! I was happy when it was over, and pleased with myself for completing the 5k. Compared to last summer at home it wasn’t even that hot, but you’re right about the fact that I didn’t build up to it. I was a wonderful shade of pink! 🥵
I can just picture it because I’ve been there. I managed 4k at 730am in Greece last year but I was still so hot and bothered that passers by were stopping me to check I was ok when I was walking back to the hotel! Hopefully have a great time rewarding yourself for today’s sunny run…I’m guessing there are lots of lovely options available to you!
Oh wow, how beautiful is that sky. What a lovely trip to be making, lots of memories to be made I am sure. And runs too! Perfect!!! It's funny how hard it is to pack the right stuff to jump into a different climate. Still, a few early morning starts should get round that for you. Are there any parkruns in Tenerife?
That does look a beautiful place to be, mind you you can keep the ice. I have stumbled through January with very little running but some good dog walks, but I did hand my notice in at work and have big plans for May,
Oh wow! Big changes ahead for you then. May will come around before you know it too 😊.
I'm really missing my long walks at the moment (and my legs are missing them even more!); they definitely keep everything ticking over nicely and will stand you in good stead for when you are out running again 😊
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