And there goes another month - another month of walking and weight gain for me! I'm trying to embrace it though, and getting to a few more tourist parkruns while I'm away in Wiltshire. This week was Quakers Walk to bag me a 'Q' - I need some motivation while I'm waiting to run!!! It was my fastest parkwalk of the last couple of months so I'm putting that (optimistically) down to the leg being less painful than it was, and therefore moving in the right directionπ€and telling myself this is just the running break I needed to boost my appreciation for running even higherπ
Anyway, back to business - I bring news!
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βπ’π’We are ready to host our next HU virtual event: HU10 - spring 24 π’π’β
It's been a while since our last event, so there are more details below for anyone who has no idea what we're talking about!
In short we pick a date and invite our VRBs to cover a given distance, running or walking, wherever they choose! We nominate a date for the event and look forward to reading your race reports. If you can set off at the nominated date and time, you have the added boost of knowing we are all on the virtual HU start line together - running on our own, but definitely not alone.
β Distance: this time you will have the option of 10k or 10 miles or both!
β Main event date: Sunday 19th May (however, as always, we realise the date/time might not work for everyone; so in order to give greater flexibility we will accept runs at any time on Sunday 19th May, or at any point during the following week of Monday 20th to Sunday 26th May).
By my calculations, that gives us 8 weeks to train (although I may still be walking)!!!
β How might it work?
In the past we have set up a music playlist (based on your suggestions), we have put together a 'run experience' using the RunGo app and we have even made race bibs available (so long as you have a printer at home!).
β If we receive enough track suggestions, we will compile an event playlist based on your submissions. Let us know any tracks you would like added to the playlist either by sending me a PM via chat or pop it in the comments below πΆ
β If enough people are interested, we can reuse the existing βrun experiencesβ using RunGo. Some people liked it, others were less keen! Think pantomime version of Nike guided runs! πππ
β Finally, we will of course have a winner! In the past, the winner has been the person who completed their run in the time closest to our randomly generated time (after the event closes). Maybe you have a more creative suggestion, but however we choose, we will ensure there is absolutely no requirement to run fast to win this event! ππDo let us know if you have a more creative suggestion!
β We hope youβll be eager to join in (and help make this another great one)
This event is of course entirely free to enter and yet again, there are no t-shirts, medals, socks, aid stations or toilet queues! No training plans or routes will be supplied! Instead, a unique HU experience, run your way π
If you're currently running around 5k, this may encourage you to push to 10k. If you're running at 10k, perhaps it will give you the boost to get to the magic 10 miles. If you're running beyond, perhaps you can use it as one of your speed runs! If ... well, you can use your imagination π
Let us know if you're going to join us at the startline in the comments below and we will add you to the startlist which can be viewed here docs.google.com/spreadsheet...
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Aside from HU10, as always, do please let us know how your own running/trainingβs going (or not) in the comments - good or bad, you can share it all here !
Have a wonderful week, everyone and we look forward to lots of you joining us on the HU10 start line in approximately 8 weeks! π₯°
From your team, Β Irishprincess Beachcomber66 and me x
π For a shiny NEW BADGE for a new distance, head here: 10 miles, Half Marathon, Metric Marathon (26.2K), Marathon, Ultra (50K and beyond) go here to let us know:
Yay yes please to the HU10! ππ₯³πππ I'm really struggling with motivation. I've all but stopped running although I'm walking more than I used to and at a faster pace when my doggo allows it - most of our walks during winter have been one lead so there are always 1000 stops π π π anyway, I'm going to try to get back on track and jeff my way to 10k between now and the HU10 πͺ although there are big changes on the horizon for the Beatlesforever household so it may end up being a walked 10k after all..... Swift recovery, Linda! Wishing everyone a very happy week! πΆββοΈπΆπββοΈπββοΈπ·πΌπΉπ¦π°π
Hello there BF! Sorry to hear you're struggling with motivation and that impending changes may impact you even further, but very happy to see you back π₯° I will add you to the 10k list right now! I'm unlikely to be running it all either, but for the 10k run/walk is my goal and a brisk walk for the 10 miles. So we can walk together if needs be π.
Well done Linda and thanks for getting this together so quickly! I am hoping to do 8k today in my comeback from my achilles pain, so I might scrape 10 miles in 8 weeks time. I really enjoyed last yearβs event, breezing in with a post Covid HM on the last dayβ¦just to add a bit of drama! I hope lots of VRBs and others feel stirred to ignore winterβs attempts to cling on and join in.
That said the icy wind is still with us up here! I took Molly into the garden this morning, just in time to feel the first drops of rain fallingβ¦.so looks like woolly hat and waterproof jacket again today. Itβs ok for Molly, her outdoor attire is built in! Right, breakfast, then up and out β¦suddenly I have a deadline to meet; yay!! π
Hopefully a covid free 10 miles this year BC. I'll add you to the startlist right now. Hope that wind eases off a bit for your run. My laundry is almost airborne right now, but I'm on high alert for rain too! Hope you have a great 8k and that the achilles behaves impeccably for you π
Thank you Linda. I did an easy paced 8k which was interrupted twice by NRC/telephone glitches! The rain was pouring down, the wind was chilly, but it didnβt spoil what was an enjoyable run. I saw my first curlew of spring; I have heard them, but this was the first sighting.
Job done, with an average heart rate of 135bpm. VO2 max now up to 40 from a low of 35 β¦it has gone up consistently in successive runs. Can only be the weight loss.
Achilles was fine. I think my physioβs advice about wearing heel cups for walking is helping a lot. If I forget to put them in, my achilles definitely complains. Hope it doesnβt text my physio or I will be in serious bother!
π what an exciting event and opportunity. Thank you Linda and trust your recovery will enable you to do it too!!
A tentative yes from me.. if my training goes according to plan I would love to do this on the 21st my birthday π β¦. 10K for me please. A real encouragement to get on with the training which for various reasons is not going wellβ¦ π πββοΈ πͺ
What a lovely birthday treat a 10k would be π Hopefully those 'not going well' factors will fade into the background with the added encouragement of running with your VRBs. Wishing you good luck π
Thanks Linda!! Hope the leg continues to get better. Please put me down for 10km! Iβm post viral (shingles) and in my ever greater age I suddenly have clicking ankles and knees so think Iβll not try and bite off more than I can chew - recent grim HM experience still all too clear in my mind!
Thanks Joster. I will add you right now. Shingles is so unpleasant, you have my every sympathy and very best wishes for a speedy recovery too xxx May grim memories fade and clicky ankles and knees quieten as you head for the new target π
Hello Linda, oh yes this sounds fun to me and you can put me down for the HU10k. With holidays and bad weather, I havenβt done much in the way of distance for a while. I ran 7k back in January and 6k last week in a cold wind, so with spring arriving I am now planning to improve on this, starting tomorrow. I also want to find some races to sign up to.
I ran at a weekly local community 5k run yesterday and was pleased with my time considering the 30 mph wind always seemed to be against me. There are no official results; the time keeper just calls out the time as you cross the finish line so itβs more relaxed than parkrun, but still ends up at a cafe. Itβs a great one to do after volunteering at parkrun on Saturday.
So sorry to hear you are still not running, but itβs good that you are still getting out and about while away. Are you able to cycle?
You're on the list now Dexy. I'm sure you'll have no bother getting back to a good 10k again - just be sure to have fun on the way! The community 5k sounds great fun - nice to have a Saturday OR Sunday choice. Looking for races is always fun too.
I've been busy all year, and mostly been away since it played up, so haven't had time to worry too much about it or let it get me down. I'm very much a fair weather cyclist Dexy; hopefully once I'm home again in April the weather will pick up and cycling can be back on my radar!
Oo yes please, how exciting! Can you put me down for the 10 miles please? I'll look for a new route to try out too! It's nice to have a target to aim for and keep motivated. I'm glad to hear your desire to run has returned Linda and you are able to fast walk parkrun, a 'Q' is difficult to find. I hope it's not long before you're running and cycling again. Meanwhile, enjoy exploring beautiful Wiltshire.
I'm nervous about the HM in 2 weeks. I ran 10 miles yesterday, (longest run since I hurt my back mid-Feb). It went well apart from a fall at 11km, there's no damage done fortunately. I could possibly have saved myself from falling, but would have headbutted a lamp post instead! Not a good idea.π
Hi! π. Doh! Tumbling on runs is so annoying but goes with the territory doesnβt it. I blame the council! Itβs either pot holes or lampposts π
I hope youβre ok this morning shug and can push on with your training ππͺππββοΈ
Oh crikey - talk about between a rock ad a hard place! So glad the fall didn't cause any damage, and that your back was happy after the 10 miles. Pre HM nerves are essential - they give you a great spring off the start line; channel them and make them work for you. I'm sure you've got this. Have a great week and try to stay upright!!! π
Oh that's a fab coincidence Cheeky! I'll put you on the list now. I've quite enjoyed walking a few parkruns - the last two, I've had chatty company all the way round too π₯°
Hi Linda9389, put my name for the HU 10K in May, this should be my 50th 10K, I have already run 48/10Ks, number 49 will be sometime in April making #50 in May.
I keep a diary of all my runs going back to 2018, I have just noticed that I ran 5/10Ks on a Wednesday in a row in 2021 and 4/10Ks on a Wednesday in a row in 2022, however, in 2023 I only ran 1/10K in May which was the Healthunlocked 10K on Wednesday 17th.
Oh dear Linda! Here I was, being ok! The excitement of running on Sunday and buying a car on Friday is wearing off, I'm getting back to normal (as normal as I can be) and for the first time for a year I feel more like me.....π€£π€£π€£.And then you come along with the HU10 and blow it I'm back to being all excited again, like an exuberant puppy turning circles when it's owner arrives home. (I didn't pee on the floor though like some excitable puppies do).
Please count me in. I'll run the 10k as that's a distance I know I can run even on a bad day πππ.
I'm way too old to be this excited!!!
Jools2020 how about we meet up and run this one together?
That's so funny SAR! Excited is a good way to be (so long as you're not peeing on the floor that is) - I do hope I'm never too old to be excited. You're on the list! Should you decide to go for 10miles, just let me know and we'll change it - imagine how exciting that would be? π
I'll see how the next few weeks pan out Linda, memories of my hot day almost 3 hours 10 miles last summer makes me cautious to committing to longer than 10k at the moment but if I change my mind I'll let you know. I love still being enthusiastic and excited about things. I have hill sprints coming soon and can't wait π€£
That's a demon you will slay one day SAR, maybe not this May, but ine day you'll cover 10 miles again and look back on the NF run and see just what an impact that heat and your illness had on the 10 miles you always had in you π
Sorry SAR; I claim a monopoly on βown expenseβ age jokes. If you use βoldβ I will have to go for βancientββ¦this could get out of control; we could have spiralling age related word inflation which could end up with pre Jurassic or heaven knows where!You are still a spring chickenβ¦and running very well; that is official π! β¦sorryβ¦must be the after effects of this morningβs run π
Ha ha.... I quite like being this age, but the one downside of having cataract s replaced is I sprouted wrinkles overnight. And lots of them π. But running wise it's been a huge struggle this last year and now suddenly it feels like it used to π
We have both been through very different types of trauma, but running is getting better for me too. We have to make the most of it. 10 miles by 19 May is a big ask β¦..but trying will do me the world of good, and hold my interest, whether I make it or not. The backdrop to my runs is really at its best now with different birds and other creatures emerging in the forest; no need for earphone music in my ears. Just the odd prod from CB to remind me of a detail I have forgotten. Hope we both have a good year. π
Hi Linda9389 well I just have to have a go so put my name down for the virtual 10k please. I will be honest now I will probably walk not all of it but some of the inclines on the route Iβll do.My last 10k was in September 2023. However Iβm getting excited.
Iβve also signed up for the Run Hereford festival in May. However Iβm only running 5k which is the week before HU10k.
Fabulous FL!!! I'll add you right now. Don't forget to add your name to the May events post when it comes out in mid April, so we can all give you a loud pompom cheer for Hereford π
Excellent! I have you down on the list and echo your hopes for warmer weather. I'm sure it will be easier and easier to keep your mileage up as we move through spring π
Hi Linda, Please sign me up for the 10k, I need something to encourage me to keep running when we go to France at the end of April, it's too easy to not run for 3 weeks and it is several months since my last 10k. I ran an easy 7k yesterday and so plenty of time to get the distance back up. This will be my first event of any type even if it is virtual, exciting times.
You're now on the list! Virtual is a great way to start with events and as you say, it's a good motivator. Having said that, there is something very special about a real live event and if you are even half tempted I would encourage you to try one someday; they're not for everyone, but you might find you love them πHave a wonderful time in France.
All the ones we have used todate should still be there to be reused whenever you like π I'm not sure whether I will get round to doing new ones this time (it's quite a bit of work and I'm not sure many people actually used them successfully), but if I do I will let you know π₯°
Linda9389 count me in for the 10 mile please. I've been quiet on here recently but I like reading the posts of others' experiences and achievements every day. I'm still enjoying my running journey and generally run between 5 and 10 km 3 or 4 times per week. Although yesterday evening I completed a 15 km run as one of the Garmin app's March challenges. It was the longest run for me in several months. Living where I do I've not had to contend with the wintery conditions that many on this forum have in the UK and not sure I'd cope now! Hopefully the worst of it is over and more spring-like weather on its way.
Hi there. Consider yourself in!!! I think we have lots of people reading but not posting, that's no problem - 'lurkers' as you are collectively and affectionately known, are very welcome π₯°
Sounds like your running is going really well. hopefully we'll catch up with some warmer conditions here in the UK very soon, but in the meantime we will remain ever so slightly envious π
Hello Linda, Always good to look for positives, so running break to increase your appreciation of running and less pain meaning that your leg improving sound good to me. I've been having a go at running while keeping my heart rate below my MAF number (Maximum Aerobic Function). This has come from beginning Phil Maffetone's book as recommended a while back by RunWillie This has meant walking sometimes, but I thought apparently improving my aerobic base while putting less impact though my challenging knee mat be a win win and enable me to reach the start line of the half marathon that I have entered on May 18th. If I manage that I don't think I'll be going for a long run in the following week, so probably not able to join the HU 10.
Here's to your continued progress towards running π
I think that's a very wise decision. But not wanting to leave you out .... perhaps we can make it an HU Festival of Running, and you can open the event with a Saturday HM then you can wave your pompoms from the couch for everyone running HU10 on the Sundayπ₯°
Aw thank you .. that sounds very special! Me open the HU Festival of Running with my first ever half marathon in a race ssetting!? Yikes! Oh wow! I certainly intend to try and reach both the start line and the finish line and now I shall have even more reason to do so. πππ»ββοΈ
I have been very excited at the prospect of this HM race, even before any mention of he HU event. My husband must really have had enough of my running related talk. Oh dear! My knee is not what I would like, but even so I continue to be excited and live in hope!!!
I do hope that you leg is improving day by day π
That sounds like a tough start to the year. I hope you're feeling a little better now. Should I put you down for the 10k? Sounds like you do not need the pressure of 10 miles right now, but let me know if I'm wrong π₯°
Thanks linda9389 . Weekend will involve food, drink, singing, dancing, possibly performing, visits and a couple of walks up to around 13k. Lots of fun but not restful. Managed to squeeze in a 5k during last year's trip, but 10k or 10 miles in unfamiliar countryside is just too time-consuming.
OOhh!! There is a real event here on 19th May, a brand new event - I was still debating whether to sign up, and whether to do 5 or 10K, but this seems to have decided for me! Yes, 10K for me please!
And could you give me a link to RunGo? I've changed my phone since last time, it never really worked on my old phone, let's see if I can get it going on the new one!
That's perfect! Clearly meant to be π I will add you to the list now. I'll repost the old RunGo links nearer the time, and if I get chance I'll add a new one too π
Hello Linda and thank you, its been a long, long time since I've run a 10k, can you put me down for the 10k please, it'll be an extra incentive to get out there in our fast approaching winter, no excuses! π
bit late to the part, but Im going for the 10km please. Ive got the Welsh 3Paks challenge the weekend after so I think I'd better stick to the shorter distance ! Im still much much slower that I was before all the medical issues and injuries, but Im still running and to me thats what counts! π
Hi Linda,FOMO has struck, please pencil me in for the 10k, hopefully I will still be in one piece after the 7th event, and feel able to give it a go! π«£π€xxx
I think I'll go for the 10 miles please! Gives me an incentive to keep up my long runs now my half marathon is over. Thank you very much for the badge! Now to aim for a marathon at some point in the future! If you'd told me at school I would run a half marathon I would have said no way, but loving this process now!
Excellent. It's addictive isn't it (in a good way of course).If you're a strava user and want to join the strava club, the link is here strava.com/clubs/HU10spring24 It's entirely optional though π
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