general running thread

I came down with a stinking cold on Monday so no runs for me this week.

Please I'm also doing the Royal Parks half in October. I've got the London 10,000 at the end of May first then nothing till October. I also need to increase my overall strength, and particularly my upper body so I have started doing some HIIT workouts with wighs incorporated. I particularly like using a kettle bell.

I find our ParkRun course really tough. It's 3 laps but there's one sod of a hill to get up 3 times. Today was good though cos I ran all of it except half of the last hill

I'm gutted that I missed my local ParkRun today, it's such a beautiful day. I'll definitely be going next week, the whole family is coming and the DDs are really excited about watching me 'race'. Hope they won't be too disappointed that I don't win

I'm just back from my local parkrun. It was my first time at this one (just moved house) and I really enjoyed it. What a glorious morning to be out running.

Hi Melliebobs - you sound like you're doing great. I only got going last year so quite the novice too! Hi Nicknocknoo. Sounds like your aims are similar to mine. I'm running the London Parks Half in early Oct.
Went out at 6am to run this morning, 6 and a bit miles. My 10k pace was five minutes faster than the 10k race I ran. Shows what some nice weather can achieve! It was unbelievably beautiful this morning. For the first time in a while I ran feeling happy and enjoyed all of it. The sun just gave me such a buzz. I finally had that "Ooh this is great" run that I've been missing for a while. The last few have definitely been a bit of a slog with the wind being annoying or my legs feeling tired and heavy. But today I ran a flat route and just enjoyed what was around me, the time to myself and I felt like I could've kept going but I'm nervous about doing too much, ramping it up too soon. So next week I'll try for seven miles and slowly slowly....
Have a great weekend all. Lovely to have so many of us posting, it's great for motivation.

Hiya. I got into running properly 4 months ago (10 months after dd1)

I've been going to park run when I can and runs in my free time. Just got back from park run n our course is a bitch with 3 big hills

But just signed up to 5 5ks between now n end of July and a 10k in August. Never run more than 4 miles so far so the 10k will be a biiiiiiiig challenge

Can I join in please? I started running nearly a year ago and built up slowly. Having suffered from PND I run mostly for my mind and the joy of actually having achieved something in my day :) Was really pleased when I managed a half marathon in March! I then trailed off a bit but as I have a 10k next month and another half marathon in September, trying to ramp things up again. Nice 10k run in the sunshine today and managed to knock five mins off my last time! I wish I could just work out how to get more energy - I don't get why I still need to keep stopping or why I don't get much faster in short runs :(
And Hedgepig - ds2 was a rubbish sleeper until he was 4.5 (I remember posting on Facebook that I was so tired I wanted to run away but didn't have the energy to move!). Now age 5, and after much bribery, he sleeps all night (mostly) and only wakes me up after 6am - there is hope!

Blooming heck Pleaseput. I'm exhausted just looking at your list
I am so tired atm DS2 (age 4) is such a poor sleeper he wakes up most nights and it is taking its toll

Hi all! A good week for me. Two swims, two four milers, a five miler, a HIIT class and a six mile run to do this weekend. I would really like to see another half a stone go off the scales and my strength go up. I need to get my arms and abs stronger and my glutes/quads as my aim now is to get my pace up a bit on the shorter runs and build my stamina on the longer ones. Eau Rouge the wind is such a devil! I've found the shorter runs a killer this week because of running into the wind. It's been v tempting to give up. My pace is slow - between 10 and ten and a half mins per mile. I would really like to get it under 10 for long periods so that I'm running for less time!

That's what it felt like! After 1k I gave up and started running back the way I came. My pace for the first k was 6.37 and the second was 5.56

Sounds like one of those cartoon moments going backwards as you were trying to go forwards

Apparently there's been a massive dust storm today, cars couldn't get through because the visibility was so bad. I live at the edge of the fens so I get all the wind but still have hills to run up. Lucky me

I had to abandon a run the other day because I was trying to run uphill into a 25mph headwind. Only managed 2k in the end.

Eau Wimpole is muddy and mostly off road (is that the right term for running) good fun. Oh and it has a bugger of a hill near the start. Good fun not to busy . I was hoping to go on Saturday but DH want to do his hobby 1st thing on Sat (and he hasn't been for ages) so I can't go :-(. I am doing the Wimpole 10k in May. I imagine it is very windy in The Fens at the moment ,

Just spotted that you did do it after all- how did you find it? Wasn't that hill at the end awful? I'm off to buy some trail shoes this weekend to get through all that mud without sliding all over the place.

Hello all, I'm a C25K graduate. I'm doing 5k three times a week at the moment and aiming to build up to 10k eventually. I've entered a 5 mile (they don't do km in the fens) in July.

Kiwi Do you mean Huntingdon Parkrun? I went, it was ace. I'm not going this weekend but I am the weekend after if you fancy meeting up?

Nice to see other Cambs folks on here. What's the Wimpole Parkrun like Hedgepig?

Bugger I just deleted my post before posting grrrrr . Kiwi you will get to enjoy running outside, it is lovely out there at the moment. How exciting another Cambs resident, my local Park Run is at Wimpole. I haven't managed to run it many times as DS1s football keeps getting in the way .

I went out this evening in the sun it was fab. I was just planning a short run but I got lost (twit) so it was a bit further than planned. I walked the last 20mins so as not to over do things.

Hedgepig, I'm also in Cambridgeshire!
Chaos, I do know about shin splints. I have suffered them in the past too. They need stretching, there are two ways. One is to stand on the edge of the stairs, almost on the balls of your feet with your heels hanging over... and stretch them out. The other is sitting on the floor and using a scarf around your foot - pulling the scarf towards you.

I ran my local parkrun on Saturday, miserably! But ran 3.5 miles on the treadmill comfortably today.
One day I will be saying how well I did running outdoors :)

Well done Hedgepig! Good 10k time too! You must be pleased to have done it! I went for a five mile run today and it was sunny and I took my jacket off! Oh that felt good. My legs felt heavy though? wasn't expecting that after a few days off i was expecting to run feeling all springy. I had to stop and stretch to lighten them up a bit. I felt best when I was really warm between miles 3-4. and by mile five I was just focused on the end. I really do wonder if I'm cut out to run half marathon distances [hmmm]?
I guessill find out...

I might have been skippy at the start I was more crawley at the end. (Blooming phone )

I'm guessing it was slippy, though skippy sounds fun too. I asked because there was also a 10k running at the same time where we were.

Legs are sore but not too bad. I've got quite a lot of chafing though (silly amateur mistake) which is sore. Hope your feeling ok.

Hi itsaboat I'm in Cambridgeshire, the run was at a new torn called Cambourne just west of Cambridge. It was mostly off road through a country park, it was very skippy in places . How are your legs this morning ? I am a bit stiff.

I think the temperature caught a lot of people out today Hedgepig, I saw 3 people collapsed on my run today.

And congrats on your run btw, that's a very respectable time. Where was your race?

Evening I did my 10k run, cripes it was hot (18 degC) I am not used to running in double figure temperatures. I really struggled the last couple of Km I just had no energy at all. But anyway I finished the time was 1hr09min so not brill but ok. As I turned the last corner there was a poor woman collapsed on the floor with paramedics giving her oxygen, I hope she was OK. She was so lose to the end.
Anyway I'll catch up tomorrow , I've got to sleep now

Thank you please. I'll try the ice later. I'm glad you posted that because my instinct was to go the other way and have a hot bath and some deep heat later. I think I'll have tomorrow and tues off and see how I go on weds. I'm gutted because I was planning to up the distance to 4 miles on my runs this week but I guess I'll just have to see how I go.

Shin splints are probably from running too far, too fast, too often, too quickly. Here's what I recommend: RICE: Rest, Ice, Compress, Elevate. Get a paper coffee cup, fill it up half way with water. Stick it in the freezer. When it's frozen, peel back the cup till you have a frozen stick/block. Rub the ice into the sore bits (it will hurt). Keep rubbing it up and down. It will feel numb. Wait a bit, repeat. Keep it up as long as you can bear! This brings fresh blood into the muscle and will help with healing and repair. If you have compression socks wear them afterwards. Elevate your legs. Keep off running for a bit and start back slowly. Hope this helps. Good luck!