Thank you to Irishprincess for the opportunity to do a guest post this week. IP I was sending you nothing but good vibes for your race as I was writing this. ❤️ I can’t wait to read all about it!
As for me, I am just back from a short family cottage vacation. I have a few pics from the trip here. It was supposed to be an East Coast Canada trip which fell through, but we still got some downtime with a bit of canoeing and hiking around the local area. I returned home nice and relaxed . So, of course I signed up for another race, a 50k. A very last minute decision. I have 8 weeks to prepare for it. I’ve done this race once before back in 2021 and I am determined to take this one easier this year, but it’s still a bit tight time wise. I had planned to just back off distance for now, but something kicked in to try another big one before winter hits, so here I am. Life has thrown a number of curves this year which slowed progress on some larger goals, but I feel I still need to try. If it does not work out that’s okay. The process is sometimes more valuable than the result. How about you? What are you aiming for this year? Next year? Maybe a big race or a multi year goal?Maintaining health and fitness? Or something else entirely? Big or small, we’d love to hear all about it.
I’ve got no race plans for the rest of the year. I do want to hit my annual goal of 1500 miles. I’ve still got 522.6 miles to go so it’s doable (just) if I can get back to my normal weekly mileage. The last few months with Covid, Marathon taper & recovery has meant my mileage has been low.
I’ve introduced strength training twice a week so I need to be careful with balancing that. I’ve found two 30 min slots in my week when I can go & I definitely won’t be running home afterwards. It’s brutal & I’m on the lowest weight 🤣
Enjoy your training Decker 👍🏻 It’s good to have big goals.
That’s great RW. it’s understandable your mileage would be a bit lower now but you may find the efforts easier as your system adjusts after your marathon.
Happy to hear your strength work is slotting in nicely too. I’m sure you will get used to the weight over time. This is one area I am sorely lacking.
I’m curious, would you consider doing another marathon next year or something different?
I’m 100% sure that I want to do another Marathon. Just trying to work out whether I will do one a year or every age category. No desire to go further. Respect to you Ultra runners 🤩
That’s brilliant! I never thought of the age category angle. That is an interesting way to approach it. I had a friend with a plan awhile back to BQ later in life since the qualifying times for Boston were just so fast at her age now (mid 40s.)
I don’t think I’m ever going to be fast enough to run Boston. I love that people do have that as a goal though. The age category idea came because I’m running virtually around Australia at the moment. I had this idea that every map of the world I tackle could involve a marathon. I’m due to finish Australia in two years so I could choose my next map based on where I want to run my next marathon. I don’t get to travel much these days so it would make the virtual run more exciting.
Oh that’s a really interesting idea. I remember doing something like this during Covid with one of the local run groups. We all just ran virtually since we could not run together. It was a big success. I hope you do well with it. With an 81% retention rate, it seems like they are onto something at runsoftheworld.com
I’m certainly finding it hard but I didn’t find C25K easy at the start. Just got to keep showing up consistently like I did with running & I’m sure it will pay off. 😍
Thanks very much for hosting this week’s chat Decker. Your photos, as usual, are gorgeous.
I just can’t imagine making a last minute decision to enter a 50K run! But you've done it before and you will do it again. I’m already looking forward to reading all about it 🙂
Thanks for your good vibes for the race. I thought of you all on my way round. I’ve been out all day so haven't had a chance to put a post together but will draft one soon……
That looks wonderful Decker 😍 Kicking back and enjoying a break, getting chance to do the things you enjoy with people you love 🙂👌
Another 50k ! Good for you! Well, I hope so 😀
As I trotted about on a long run on Saturday I thought about my dream - still to be realised - to run an ultra, and wondered whether at 67 I should let it go 🤔. I turned the thing over in my brain as I ran, and decided to leave it on the table (the ultra that is - not my brain! 🧠 😁) as I couldn’t come up with a reasonable excuse not to 🤷♀️
I managed a long run on Saturday while rehabbing a pesky ankle. I have another on the plan this weekend. Eek!😬
On a more serious note I have my late November marathon booked. Hotel with BATH 🛁 bought and paid for! 🙂 My husband’s birthday treat 😁
Have a great running week peeps. Have fun out there 🙂🏃♂️🏃♀️😎🌝
I’m hoping for the best I think you could do an ultra for sure. This one I am doing is more manageable in that it is a flattish short loop around a lake with aid stations at either end. So if there are any issues, help is near at hand. This course was my first ultra too for thee reasons.
Marathon and hotel room? That’s a great birthday gift! I hope the ankle holds up as you work through your training.
The fact that you even mentioned the word “ultra” on here means you want to do one misswobble ! Bet you could …. might you? It would be fabulous to follow your journey if you do. Keep us posted. 💪😀
It’s gnawing away at me but so far my plans have been thwarted by a family wedding in the US which coincided with sudden onset psoriasis which has plagued me ever since 🙄, clashes with other races, injury etc. I wanted a shot at a February one but I wasn’t recovered sufficiently from my November marathon. I didn’t recover well enough to do a March half 🤷♀️😤
I’ve got chance again in Feb 2025 but I’ve got to get this year’s marathon out of the way first. A wet canal tow path in Feb doesn’t sound too appealing though 😁
At the back of my mind is that I’m getting older so need to get it done sooner than later 🫣. If I can nail just one …… 😀
Good to have you with us Decker. Your canoe brought back memories of Canada. Great cross training for everything other than legs!
My exploration of the NRC Marathon Plan continues…..not with a view to running a marathon at my age; this “exploration “ is part curiosity and part feeling I need to know more about hydration, cross training (including yoga) and in-run nutrition.
I reached 13k/8 miles today. It was quite warm, and I knew from the outset that my hydration wasn’t where it should be. The fact that I forgot about drinking until I hit 7.5K didn’t help! Positives; I am running long runs a bit faster and my stride length is now pretty similar on long and short runs and on hills. I think my lack of hydration was responsible for the deduction of two points by VO2 max today…..AHR of 161 instead of my usual long run 139/140. All part of the game. The NTC yoga, strength and stretching exercises are going well; so much easier when you have a video to check yourself against. I am definitely a convert.
10 miles next Monday; hopefully I can complete that given that the Great South Run is a possibility in October.
Your decision on the spur of the moment to run a 50k? Barking mad for most people, but we know that you have that in your locker. Maybe not too early to start training though 😉.
Yes BC you are right. The cottage was on a fast moving river so it was a bit more challenging but we took it easy.
Hydration and sodium intake were game changers for me in Berlin. On long runs, one 500ml flask per hour plus 250 mg sodium tab seemed to work for me but we are all different.
Best of luck on the 10miler and fingers crossed for GSR in September!
I may have over reached on this one but we’ll see.
Were I a betting man I would have a whole tenner (£ not CAD) on you to get the distance. You might have to compromise a bit on time I suppose, depending on how you feel eight weeks from now. When does it start snowing over there?
Ha well I appreciate your faith BC 🙂. Last time around it was pouring rain and the trail turned to slippery mud. So maybe we’ll have better luck this time around. We start seeing snow in late November but we usually get an earlier short lived snowfall or two sometimes in late October. The race is on the 12th so it should be okay.
This may or may not be helpful for you but thought I would share incase it is. On my long runs I take a 30 second walk break every mile to hydrate, fuel or take a salt tab else I also tend to forget to do it. Keeps me on schedule. A couple of gulps of water per mile, a gel every 3miles and a salt tab every 5 miles. You can adjust to what works for you! 👍🏻
Thank you so much for that RunWillie, that is really helpful. You may have heard the clang of a penny dropping as I read your post! Because the temperatures are comparatively low in summer (and the rest of the year!) up here in North East England, I suspect that I have been getting away with bad “in run” hydration for years! Yesterday was different for a number of reasons, and I failed to recognise it: we have had a warm spell, yesterday I ran over 10k for the first time in a while, and I have been pushing my pace up on all of my runs. Hence the problem.
Building milestones into long runs where I take a drink regardless of whether I feel I need one is such a good idea. If I make it a routine I am much less likely to forget, and drinking a small amount often should be better than gulping off larger volumes when I finally wake up to the fact that I need water. That old push to keep running and not walk( the long shadow of C25K) is another factor. I will drop into our local running shop (which is owned by an ultra runner) and see what she suggests by way of salt tablets. I drink zero at home, but prefer to take water on a run for alimentary reasons!! Thanks again 🙂
I can get a 500 ml soft flask in my shorts pocket so I filled one up with tailwind for my long run last weekend. Took a BoBo bar and some Haribo’s too. Just about right for the distance 🙂
Baked a batch of power bars yesterday now that long runs are becoming a feature of the marathon plan. Got a 25k this weekend 😬. Not run at all this week as was unexpectedly landed with the old dawg 🐕 I’m telling myself the down time will help my ankle as will slow, frequent short walks with the dog. Time will tell I suppose 🙂
The rest time should help recover the ankle a bit more. Hopefully the weather doesn’t run too hot on your next one. I usually run anything over 20k with my old Salomon vest which takes two 500ml flasks. For 30k+ runs another two flasks are packed and I switch them up halfway. It also holds up to 6 bars or gels plus my phone and any first aid material plus a light jacket if needed. I recently picked up a 2L bladder I need to test out. On your 25 they will likely have aid stations every few kms that you can refill your bottle.
Thanks missW. Hope your 25k goes well; a walk in the park for you 🙂.
I have a decent dishwasher safe 500ml bottle. I have never tried tailwind; if I am to attempt 26.2 k I need to get this sorted and experiment with a few things now when I am only running 10 miles next Monday. A nice 45 minute 6.74k recovery run this morning. I left out the big hills as one of my right quads keeps reminding me it is there! Save my energy for Monday. I like the build up to long runs; sense of achievement if I make it!!
Quick correction Beachcomber66 - GSR is in October! More time to train and I hope you can make it. 😀🤞
The more I read about your success with cross training and learning more about fuelling and hydration, the more respect I have of your commitment! Exciting times! 💪
Thanks cheeky. It is in my diary for October. I have edited the post so as not to mislead anyone 🙄. Trains seem to be the biggest risk at present!
I have a 10 mile run (not race) scheduled for next Monday, so I am well ahead of where I need to be training wise. All of this cross training etc flows from my decision to explore the marathon plan. I am being spoon fed !🙂
Well I’m now wondering whether I should explore that plan too once Cardiff is over! I do love a plan as you know, and it’ll all help towards training for Bath in March. 😀
One of the very reasons it’s interesting me BC, reading about how well you’re doing. I know I should strength train, but like you, being spoon fed is essential for me, otherwise I won’t. Bit like intervals! Right, I have a date with myself. Yay! 👏
Hi, thanks for hosting this week Decker. I love those photos, looks like such a fun and wholesome trip. What a wonderful place to unwind. It's tough when life gets in the way of our goals isn't it. I love that, with just a bit of renewed energy and focus, you've jumped all over the 50k race - a sign if a successful break if ever there was one. Enjoy the training.
I'm tootling through my plan ready for the Victoria (Vancouver Island) HM in about 6 weeks time. I'm really looking forward to that (and my first Thanksgiving dinner with my brother and father the following day). I already have Lisbon HM booked for March 25, quickly followed by the Monsal Trail HM again in April (which should be a good HU meet up). I'd like to do Cardiff HM in Oct 25, but am in Canada for a wedding the weekend before, so we'll see.
Between Victoria HM and Lisbon, I'm tempted to follow the NRC Marathon plan to see I I can get to that distance again.
All in all, I have plans coming out of my ears and am enjoying running as much as I have ever done. I just need to remain injury free (no small challenge for me) 😍
Yes the break was a needed one. Hoping I have not bit off too much but I have a plan. At least a list of long runs to do.
Wow that is a full schedule Linda! It’s great you can enjoy these races without injuries looming. I hope it stays that way! You deserve an injury free season after all you’ve been through. We have friends in Victoria that have been asking us to come up for the race weekend. Maybe next year we can make it happen.
There's a marathon a half and an 8k and 5k I think. The marathon sold out several weeks ago and the half is now sold out too. Sounds like it has been increasing in popularity each year. I am really, really looking forward to it 😀
I did Vancouver HM (which I loved) but wasn't very well at the time so hoping this will be better. Last time I was in Victoria was about 15 years ago, with 6 kids in our party, so hopefully this trip I'll get to see a bit more of what I like 😍
Ah yes Vancouver it was. This time around Victoria should be a bit more enjoyable for you! On our last trip I recall walking along the shoreline when the tide was out but it was over 30 years ago 🙂
I tried it last year but picked up an injury at the HM distance point. I suspect the injury was caused during yoga, then aggravated by the 21k run (rather than caused by running), so I thought I may just roll on from my HM this year and see how far I get. No GSR for me though this year as I'll be in Canada.
Hi Decker , so nice to see you as the guest host! 😊 Glad you had time for a little break, and gained some enthusiasm to book in that ultra! Good for you, a great focus! Life can definitely be wearing and know what you mean about the curve balls! 😪
I've not much booked in for the rest of the year, a 10k in couple of weeks, will be 55 next year so maybe that will be the year to aim for something! Every run still feels very hard atm, definitely lost some fitness, breathing not great (only a month post covid but didn't get the cough though!) I'm feeling pudgy and a bit downhearted at times definitely! Trying hard with healthy eating most of the time!!
We're just on an incredibly noisy Bank Holiday ferry for a day out tomorrow , staying overnight near Southampton . Can't wait to leave the noise behind arrrrgggghhhh!
Hi Ali, yeah I figured I should pull the trigger before I had the chance to talk myself out of it. Still not sure I made the right call. 🙂
You’ve had more curve balls than most of us lately. It definitely takes a toll. Really good to see you are keeping with the running. 55 would be a nice opportunity to mark a special run. In the meantime slowly getting back into more mileage when you’re ready should help with the overall fitness and mental stress. Go easy on yourself. It will all come together.
Hope you are off the ferry and into a quieter space now.
Hello Decker , wow 50km! I cannot even imagine running that far and I am in awe of those that can do ultras. I hope the training goes well.
I have entered a 10k race in the beautiful New Forest in 2 weeks time, and will also be meeting some HU running buddies there . Then it is the 10 mile Great South Run in my city in October.
The trouble is, my training has come to a standstill with piriformis. I have daily exercises to do so I just hope that I can run again soon. I am going out for a short test run tomorrow to see if it’s improved. I’m not so worried about the 10k as I have run that distance twice in August and if necessary I can reduce to a 5k race. But I really need to be slowly increasing distance for the GSR to avoid the ITB problems I’ve had in previous years. I’ll have to add some clam shells onto the exercise regime. .
Thanks Dexy, I’m counting on cooler temps for the race. We’ll see how it goes on the day. I’m not great in the heat.
The New Forest 10k sounds lovely. It must be so nice to see HU friends in person! I’m sorry about the piriformis and I hope it eases up before the GSR. Did you ever think running would lead to so much maintenance? I still do some physio exercises from when I pulled my IT band two years ago
So impressed!🙂 These problems seem to appear when we are within sight of a big run (GNR and GSR for me). I guess the increasing mileage might make us a bit more vulnerable 🤷♂️. Hope it does one as Cheeky would say.
Thanks Cheeky, I’m picking up a foam roller from my running shop, while UTS does a long run this morning so I’ll just do a gentle trot through the park to the cafe.
PS decided not to run after all. A bit more exercise need first I think.
Hi Decker , lovely to hear from you, Mr Long Distance Aficionado - wow 50k! That’s so exciting, and I can’t wait to hear how it goes, and the training too, of course. 😀
My relatively lowly in comparison HM plan is going well. As I’ve said before on here, I’m going through the NRC 14 week plan using elongated weeks, so I started it in April aiming for the Cardiff HM in October. I’m currently on W12, but this week we’re in Devon and I’m giving myself the week off - just Exeter Riverside PR next Saturday. I did do a 10k race last weekend, so I feel I’ve earned a few days of delicious Devonshire food, and of course we’ll be walking a lot. 😀 🐕
Next up is the New Forest 10k in a couple of weeks too. Exciting running times. 🥰
Thanks Cheeky, just done one run of the plan so far on Sunday. It was an under-hydrated and very humid 25k which, along with a bug I picked up somewhere, did me in for the day yesterday. But I am feeling better now.
Sounds like the plan is ticking along nicely and your Devon break is well deserved after your race last weekend. The New Forest 10 sounds fun. I think Dexy will be there along with a few other HU buddies? Enjoy the weekend!
Indeed she will Decker, and some other chums too. Should be lots of fun - we always have fun at our meetups! 😍
Glad you’re feeling better. Bugs are never welcome, and nor are humid runs either, especially on such a long one as that. Give me cold and crisp any day. Well done though, you soldiered on, and knowing your track record you’ll get to your 50k. 👊
Yes Decker lovely for you to host 🙌 I think it's really positive you've the 50k coming up. It's something that you'll look back on and be pleased you had a go at when you look back in the future 😊
Thanks GTFC, either that or I’ll be asking myself “what were you thinking?” Every long run has to be decent for this to work and the weather has to play along 🙂
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I think you could do an ultra for sure. This one I am doing is more manageable in that it is a flattish short loop around a lake with aid stations at either end. So if there are any issues, help is near at hand. This course was my first ultra too for thee reasons. 
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