Hello running friends! Yes, it’s the start of a new week, and with it another opportunity to chat with your VRBs about how your running’s going: the ups, the downs, and everything in between.
Better weather and a decision not to track all my runs have helped me to run more this past week. Less focus on performance, more on the fact that I’m still going!
In fact, I’ve concluded that as a runner I’m not that dissimilar to my car. Small, unremarkable and starting to get on a bit. Bodywork a bit scratched and dented in places, and could do with a good polish. Not a sporty model, but economical, starts reliably despite lack of daily use, and can accelerate when required. Too many short, stop-start urban journeys result in spluttering and unhappiness – longer trips are much preferred! While not designed as a 4x4, it’s equipped to deal with treacherous terrain (well, mostly…) and has no problem pulling up hills. Observers are often surprised to learn just how far it can go in the right conditions, not to mention the overall number of miles under its belt.
So, indulge me, please! If you had to describe your running self as a car, what would it be? A finely-tuned machine with an astonishing turn of speed? A bit of a jalopy? A reliable workhorse, able to take you where you need to go? Maybe yours is a blinged-up machine? Does it drive the same routes all the time, or are they more varied? And is it regularly serviced and constantly polished to keep it in the finest possible order?
Tell us all about it in the comments!
Have a great week, everyone – drive and run safely! 🏃🏃♂️🏃♀️
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Cmoi
Marathon
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I could only think of the yellow 3 wheeled van in “only fools and horses” I had to google to get the name. I’m most certainly a reliant. It’s not pretty but it gets the job done most days 🤣
Onto week 15 of the HM plan. I’m shooting for another 30mile week not 31 miles. Niggle gone 😍
I’m actually a reliant regal if I’m the same as the Trotter’s van 🤣
Wow! Your Uncle must have been driving fast. The top speed of those things are not known to be fast which is why I thought it was my perfect car/running description.
My Uncle was known for being careful with his money. He had a habit of switching off the engine going down hill and just using the brake for speed control. He must have hit a bend unexpectedly!
Centrifugal force (or, as my Physics teacher used to say, "the absence of centripetal force") acting upon an unstable moving object travelling at excessive velocity. That's my guess 🤣🤣🤣
While I have to give you full marks for the sheer stylishness of your choice RunWillie , I really think you're underestimating yourself. I'd say you're way, way speedier than a Reliant!
You’re probably right in the world of Land Rover but I’m still sticking with the Reliant Regal for pure comedy & who doesn’t love that car even though it’s a bit rubbish 🤣
Hi Cmoi. I have just got out on the trails again after 10 days laid up with a chest virus. I was sensible; A slow 3k but with negative splits; and a few coughs!
I suppose I am old enough to be regarded as a classic car. In my youth I was certainly sporty; built for high speeds over short distances (tennis and football mainly). Now ? I guess that I am slow and steady, but there is always the temptation to open up the throttle, usually followed by a trip to the garage; a diesel with a coked up turbo sums it up I guess. Fitted with town and country tyres for trails work, but no spare tyre to speak of. Sat nav is ok, but I am not fitted with a radio, so well equipped for silent running. Finally, sports gear being what it is, some of my stuff has go faster stripes on it; but nobody is fooled! Have a good week everyone 😉
How about a MGBGT, British Racing Green with with wire wheels, very classic, sporty but not overly so. Needs the occasional bit of TLC but has plenty of good miles in it yet?
At the moment I probably very much resemble my actual car - the spare tyre needs replacing, and a warning light keeps appearing on the dashboard! But somehow I’ll jiggle it through its MOT at the end of the month 🤣🤣🤣.
Oh Frenc , what a picture you conjure up! Though personally I'd be happy if I could get rid of my own personal spare tyre rather than replace it... Let's hope the warning light is just a faulty connection - good luck for all your jiggling and jogging!
I’m thinking I’m the slightly bashed about family car, knee deep in crisp packets and bits of food in the footwell and between the seats. It’s taken out by the older kids on Friday nights and mum and dad use it for work. More miles on the clock than it cares to think about. It’s feeling a bit bashed about and would dearly like a rest but, as long as you keep fuelling it up it just keeps on going!
Talking of which, despite being a bit bashed about and having to sit in the garage for a few days due to a rusty wheel, I went out for a drive yesterday and got my second fastest 10 miles! There’s life in this old banger yet you know 😂
Great run TC. We are typical HR runners; happy to poke fun at ourselves, and stick up for each other too. You have many miles left in those legs/wheels!! 👍
Cheers BC, I hope so. I’m actually feeling very pleased with myself, so maybe a slightly smug fully electric car that’s found a working charging point just for today 😊
Couldn’t be a member of any club that didn’t have a sense of humour BC, I’d be too scared to say anything!
BC junior bought a posh electric car. All singing and dancing…plenty of charging points….don’t need a key. Trouble is, as he didn’t need his key to start the car, he left his house keys on our kitchen table before driving 2 to 3 hours home. Had to get a locksmith out! Not all changes are improvements 🙂
Ah, that's more like it, though surely not smug? Chirpy because fully-charged, perhaps slightly concerned about keeping the charge up and vanishing va-va-voom in case of charging problems?
Hmm, I'll buy the family taxi bit TailChaser , but not the old banger reference! I just can't believe you'd be knee-deep in crisp packets either. Unless they're ones you've gathered litter-picking?! 😉
me and the kids had a party in my Escort Ghia went it reached its twice round the clock birthday 🥳 🎉 🎈 The engine was still ticketyboo when I totalled it on an icy patch
Seeing as the Reliant is already taken, I'm a Mercedes in limp mode, I'm sleek and silver and although automatic I won't go faster than second gear. On a sunny day the roof comes down but that bit doesn't always work, I've limped through the winter and Willow has traded me in for a newer shiny black model that has all working parts, shinier and sleeker than ever, hopefully speedier than usual once regular use clears all the creaky bits away .
Oh I love the idea of a limp Mercedes (though shouldn't that be a drag queen name, really?) SueAppleRun ! Here's to having lots more time for maintenance and smooth running in the near future!
Willows mercedes limped through most of last year until it curled up and died, never to be repaired, the sleek black one he has now is what I pertain to after retirement and consistent running. I drove a reliant Robin for years so that was my first choice
Probably a 1 litre Japanese supermini from the early 2000s. Lots of miles on the clock already, but as long as it's maintained and serviced regularly it'll keep going for ages. Not flashy, not a sporty car, not as fast as the newer models, but it does the job.
That's not dissimilar to me nowster , though I'd have thought you were a more recent model, and surely you've got more power under the bonnet? You're certainly much better at regular maintenance, which definitely helps optimise performance!
What an amusing post and I am very impressed with such imaginative responses. I think I’m a dodgems car as I like to run in the company of other cars , and bump into other running buddies occasionally. I go round in circles a lot and only run on the flat ground. Every now and then I get a push forward when UpTheStanley runs behind me and gives me a boost of speed, and occasionally you see some sparks as I go faster. Sometimes I get stuck but a man (physio) will come along to get me going again. I am red!
I would have said that you are a nice relaxed metallic wedgewood green (like a Rover I used to buzz about in). There is obviously fire beneath the surface!
Not at all like a former work colleague of Mrs BC, who was described as being like his glittering ancient Vauxhall Cresta; immaculate on the surface but rotten underneath…ouch !
You summed me up pretty well Cmoi other than a few alterations 😂 'Unremarkable and starting to get on a bit. Bodywork a bit scratched and dented in places, and could do with a good polish. Not a sporty model! economically challenging and starts, despite lack of daily use, and can accelerate with enough warning. Too many short, stop-start urban journeys result in spluttering and unhappiness – longer trips can be attempted with careful planning! While not designed as a 4x4 so don't take off road and has some problems pulling up hills'. 😂 😂 😂
"longer trips can be attempted with careful planning!" is a good point OldManRunning - I lack satnav and can end up on unexpected, not always suitable routes...
Haha great post and such fab responses! Now I’m going to imagine my VRBs as their respective car choices 🤣
I would have to be something like a battered, well-run Land Rover. Running on pot-holed muddy country roads and off-road I need be able to cope with the various terrains of the countryside.
I’m not a fast model but I can venture into the wild a bit and I love exploring so can go for a fair few miles 🤗
Despite doing good maintenance work I do have various breakdowns so I’m not totally reliable. While the engine is in great shape I think the body needs more maintenance and bits keep falling apart from time to time!
But the great thing about this model is that after a little tinkering and fuss from the experts I’ll be good to go again.
Looking at a list of cars that, like me, were introduced to the world in 1957, I would like to be a Jaguar XK150 - sleek and fast, but probably more my speed is the Trabant, a staple of Eastern bloc countries with body panels made from recycled cotton. 🤣
Although, even after several years work I am a prototype still under development. To begin with I suffered recurring suspension failures in the knee department, though thankfully none in the past year.
Currently I am working on powertrain development, reconditioning the engine - with low heart rate running, and the gearbox - improving my cadence.
Bodywork has always been too heavy, due to excess fuel consumption (I realise it's supposed to be the other way around!), and so I am working on alternative fuels via the ZOE personalised nutrition programme.
I have just purchased some new seat covers which I'm very pleased with (photo attached), which have upgraded the infotainment system, as they have a substantial waistband with a "Speedpocket" in the front which does a great job of holding a small smartphone. During a 10K road test earlier this morning I was able to listen to the Radio 4 Today programme.
Running shorts with a pocket designed to hold a smartphone
I was “lucky” enough to be taken out for a spin around country lanes in a restored/rebuilt drophead XK150. It scared the life out of me, or at least the driver did! Stick to something steadier 🙂
my car is a lovely red, shiny thing, a veritable road rocket but sadly it’s a sheep in wolf’s clothing that can barely propel just me over a modest pimple All style, no substance.
Meanwhile I’m a battered old banger, been many times round the clock and ready for the scrapyard 😤
My running has taken a bit of a hit recently. I’m on the mend but spanners keep getting thrown into the works! 😫 I had the ancient dawg for 8 days but that was ok as I did plenty of really slow walks, which I thought helped my calf/back 🙂 I didn’t do any runs though as I can’t really leave him as he pees for England 😁
Last Friday I had the best run I’d had for ages but on returning home my husband had taken really quite poorly. He’s been in hospital since Friday with pneumonia and it’s a very worrying time 😟
I’ve been allowed to see him for the past two evenings so I’m running there and back as it’s not far away. So, keeping the wheels turning a bit which is better than nothing until things hopefully return to normal.
Sorry to hear about your husband misswobble , I hope he's fully recovered soon.
No way are you ready for the scrapyard! Classic cars like you have so many qualities, even if you came off the production line a little earlier than some. With new-fangled all-electronic models all it takes is one tiny error and nothing works, while you're still going despite not quite firing properly on all cylinders!
Thank you 😘. He’s home! They woke him up just after 10,30 pm last night to tell him he was free to go as the test results he’d been waiting all day for had turned up. So I picked him up about 11 pm. It was such a relief
I think I’d qualify as a modified classic. Something like a mustang or corvette. 😀 Stripped out and super charged, for drag strip racing, but also very prone to breakdown and bits falling off 🤣
I can picture it now RunBrianRun , you - tuned to the max of course - striding out to the blocks for your next race, to the sound of Little Red Corvette! Unless you'd prefer Mustang Sally?
I've just had another thought (aided by Google, I confess.) What about Shut Down by The Beach Boys? It's about racing and lyrics include "Two cool shorts standin' side by side" and "dual quads," as well as shutting down those racing against you. 🏎️🏃♂️
I absolutely love this idea and all the replies. ❤️
I’ll be my own car because I like being me! That’s a Fiesta 1l eco boost turbo. Not flashy. Often in need of a good clean after being out in the mud. Full of snacks. Always with loud music playing. A lot of fun going up hills and surprisingly nippy when the occasion arises!
Well my actual car is a Peugeot 205 like the one below (31 this year) And like the car my running self is reliable but with periods off the Rd, but keeps on going. Bit dented and battered by life, but for sentimental reasons won't give up. A few new parts and a bit of a polish and off she goes again!!! Xxx
My husband's Toyota RAV4 is 25 years old and came to France with us from the UK. It's great for confusing other road users, including gendarmes, as it's RHD but on French plates!
Ours had to go back for a retest. Our local garage staff were quite miffed at the testing station's decision not to pass it first time, so they took the car in themselves for the retest and barely charged us for most of the extra work they had to do. I made them chocolate brownies as a thank-you. We've been going to the same garage ever since we arrived here 17 years ago and they're brilliant. xxx
I was humming Tracy Chapman's Fast Car for the rest of the day when I read this 😍
So glad your running is picking up for you.
I'm definitely not a fast car! My engine struggles going uphill, my radiator is constantly overheating at the moment, my joints need an oil change and I could do with getting rid of a couple of spare tyres I seem to have acquired this year. . Other than that, I'd describe myself as a bog standard Fiesta or some such ordinary, small car - but one that could definitely do with a bit of bodywork AND engine work before my half on 2nd April. Hey ho! So long as it's still on the road and running, that's all that really matters 🥰
At last someone's reacted to the Tracy Chapman reference, thank you linda9389 !
Yes, being a weirdo I'm running more without a plan or tracking everything - no pressure, only accountable to myself. Hoping to pick up on some longer routes that I've not done for a while and try some new ones too.
Ah so I think this is dogs looking like their owners and cars running like their owners yes?I have a little Aygo which isn't at young as it used to be...just like me. Running reliably but making a few odd noises especially on steeper hills...just like me. Few scuffed bits and signs of wear and tear... just like me . Bright red .....just like me after a run!
Love this idea and all the imaginative comments. I couldn't think so asked MrCowmannotrunning and he said a tractor cow from Cars - I googled it 🤣 well I have a reputation for being slow....and laid back..... and I suppose that fits my running at the moment doing HR training!! Serves me right for asking and not having an idea myself....
This is brilliant. Not sure what model I’d be but here’s my “advert”
Surprisingly efficient model, able to run on little fuel. Very difficult to start in the mornings and in cold weather. Much happier off-road but will be ok for short to medium runs into town. Can make alarming noises before long trips out but normally settles down and idles away nicely when warmed up.
Would those "alarming noises before long trips out" happen to be a sort of chuntering Vespina ? Relieved that your model - any one in particular, btw? - doesn't start well in the morning either. Mine's just the same, though it likes cold weather, it's liable to overheat in warmer conditions.
Yes, it’s a chuntering or low level grumbling noise that eases after the first kilometre. It tends to be much less common on exciting off-road routes or in new places. It’s much worse when it’s repeatedly taken down the same roads all the time.
Mine doesn’t seem to mind the warm weather - although it does overheat above 25C.
As for the model, probably an old school Mini. Doesn’t look like it would off-road ok but can actually handle more than you think it would and loves nipping up hills.
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