Running goals, motivation and chat 2026 - Part 3!

Well done @SFRSmum on your half!! It’s certainly a hot day.

I hope your shoulder is feeling better soon @OhOneOhTwoOhThree

the half went very well thanks all. I’m super proud of dd1 as it was a hilly course and super hot but she absolutely smashed her first half coming in at 1:52. I stayed with her, and watched her closely to make sure she was ok and we even held hands to cross the finish line. It was lovely. I had a wonderful time. It’s amazing how enjoyable it was when I wasn’t running at full capacity. I even did a bit of quite terrible vlogging to remember the day by. I sang, I danced and it was just loads of fun. Dd1 is soo happy with her time and she did amazingly as she has never run that far before.

I hope that @xsquared got on well with the full today in Edinburgh.

happy running all.

Thanks all, no PB, but i knew i wouldn't. There were a few places (the first 5k) where it was really congested so overtaking was difficult, but tbh even if I could the heat was something else!

@xsquared kudos to you for doing the full, in this heat! I was really suprised how many people were collapsed on the side of the road, and also slightly miffed they would only give me one half bottle of water upon completion. Bit daft in this heat.

Currently sat on some steps waiting for my husband to find me, hes bringing ice lollies 🤣

@whataninterestinglookingpotato hope your run went well too.

Hope all goes well in Edinburgh for @xsquared and @SFRSmum and the Great West Run for @Whataninterestinglookingpotato and DD.

I haven't done much since my marathon 2 weeks ago. I had a really sore shoulder, which the physio has diagnosed as my rotator cuff, and have also been working very long hours. I got out for 4 miles along the river on Thursday and had a hot parkrun yesterday.

I'm all taped up and have exercises to do. No swimming (boo, just as it has got warm), and limited yoga but I can walk, run and cycle. Just as well, as I'm keeping a friend company at a 25km cycle ride in s couple of weeks.

Good luck @xsquared and @SFRSmum for Edinburgh today. My friend is running the half after running the 10k yesterday!

dd1 and i are off to the great west run for her first half, it’s going to be 28 degrees down in Exeter! I’m not too worried for myself as I’m not going to be running it at my usual race pace and I plan to stick with dd1. But I am a little concerned for her. I’ll keep a close eye and make sure she stays hydrated.

Good luck @xsquared and @SFRSmum for Edinburgh tomorrow. I remember a few years back it chucked it down and everyone was raging the bag drop bags were left out in the rain, at least you won't have that problem.
That said I find hot weather running hard work. I've been taking an electrolyte drink daily recently, even when not running as I do not drink enough fluids.
Not posted in a while, been trying to do a 5k PB plan but I'm a way off getting a PB as yet. Struggling to get faster at all and seem to be getting slower. Running friend same age as me (50s) getting faster all the time leaves me wondering where I'm going wrong! That said I have had some lovely runs.
No events on the horizon so will enter something later in the year so I don't lose focus, just can't decide if I'd rather trail or road half, two I fancy are a week apart in September so think I need to just pick one.

Hello Everyone,
How are you all doing with running in the heat?
Spare a thought for me for tomorrow, as I'm running Edinburgh marathon. No pb for me this time. I just want to make it around the course upright and hydrated!

@BogRollBOGOF thanks for that, I always imagined they were really intense and painful so never really wanted to give them a go! I might be brave and book in for one.

Anybody running edinburgh this weekend? Im pretty sure someone was doing the marathon but wasnt feeling it this year but cant remember who. Im doing the half, going to take it fairly easy as im still supposed tocbe in recorery from last weekend. I was very good and the only run ive done this week is my local annual 10k, yesterday, I ran it super slow (came i think 4th from the end) but I dont mind, I came away injury free, which was the goal.

Parkrun with my 9 year old on Saturday, shes getting fast! First sub 30 a few weeks ago, then the half on sunday and them im back into full training for the 70 miler in june. Im going to do all my runs after this weekend with my full pack, I've been a bit lax about that and im now running out of time.
Hope everyone has a good Bank Holiday weekend and enjoys the sunshine! Its supposed to be hot in edinburgh.

@BogRollBOGOF glad the sports massage has done you well. I might have to book myself one just the near future, it does sound lovely.

club run for me last night. Dd1 is now fast enough to run with our pace group and she’s back from uni for a week so we went out together last night. Both DDs have said they’re going to come to track with me tonight, they seem to both have very much got the running bug. Though dd2 is still working through C25k.

Pacing dd1 for her first half the weekend. it’s going to be a hot one! So will have to see how she does with the heat as to what pace we decide to go for.

In also signed up for another marathon yesterday for November. I wasn’t going to do an autumn one but this one will be just for fun as loads from the club are going to do it together. So that’ll be nice.

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato wow that’s some run well done. I hope you can sort the stomach issues. My DH struggles too at times with his stomach and not really found a solution he runs longer distances as well. Mostly he runs on an empty stomach not ideal though and has played around with trying those carb drinks on really long runs which helped. I eat gluten free and plain carbs sit better in my stomach too if running.

@SFRSmum I have a sports massage every month and have done for years. I’ve tried a few different people but my current lady I’ve seen for 8yrs. She’s L5 trained and very knowledgeable like physio really helps maintain my long standing niggles. She’s also a pilates teacher so often gives me advice on strengthening bits. If you can find one listed on here Level5 trained normally means they are good www.theisrm.com/

@BogRollBOGOF How do you feel after a sports massage? Ive never had one, and never particularly felt i needed one and if im honest, id worry they'll hurt me 🤣 but ive got 4 more ultras booked in this year so maybe thinking its something i should consider. But then I think, if its not broken dont fix it.

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato I've just completed a 24hr ultra lap event. The format is slightly different to a backyard in that it do as many as you like in 24hrs. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. The night running especially was amazing. The other runners were so supportive, not competitive at all.
Im already looking for my next one 🤣

Sorry I've been absent for a while! There's been some cracking runs, well done all!

Ive had trouble with my stomach on alot of runs recently. Im pretty convinced its diet related, Was wondering if it was gluten but think its possibly fat. Im usually worst effected when im running away from home, so eating easy meals or eating out.
I did a 10 miler a couple of weeks ago that was just awful. My stomach was cramping so bad.

However, this weekend I have done a 24hr event (amazing! Loved it, i definitely am an ultra 'runner') and loaded up heavily on carbs and didnt really have any issues, a slight bit of trapped wind feeling for the first 4hrs but nothing awful. I completed 16 laps, 95km, 3000m of elevation (i musmusttuss like them hilly) and came 5th female. Very very pleased. Considering I walked id guess at least 70% of it

Off to catch up on everyone's posts now.

Well done on your long run with a parkrun included @Iamanunsafebuilding i keep thinking I’ll do this but for me to run to my nearest and then run it and run home again makes about a 20 mile run 😂. Maybe I’ll do it at some point. friends of mine did it this weekend which made an 18 mile run for them. She actually came 3rd female in the middle of her run! And he did a 21 min park run, which on that course is quick!

I had a lovely chilled run in the new forest today. Meeting up with dd1 as I’m pacing her for her first half next weekend and then we’re doing a trail half together in June. She did absolutely brilliantly and held up really well over the 10.5 miles. We have now decided to aim for 1:55 and hopefully faster for the half next weekend! It’s not going to be quite the leisurely run I was thinking I was going to get 😂. Not flat out for me, but not a plod either!

happy running all

@WhataninterestinglookingpotatoI did my local parkrun as part of a 10k today. They changed the route last summer as it’s around a nature reserve and one of the fields cracked badly when it was really dry. I prefer the amended route and I think it’s staying! Well done on your PB and yay for the new trail shoes

Hello runners.

i went to my local parkrun for the first time in quite a while this morning. They had to change the course as its on a working farm and the ploughed and planted part of the old route. I think the new course is actually better and I got a PB for that location. 2nd female too, so that was good. Tried out my new trail shoes and they were fab! Very pleased with them!! Looking forward to taking them on some longer adventures.

hope everyone has a good weekend of running.

@TheDaffsareOutRunning sorry to hear you’re out with injury. It really sucks. I hope the sports massage helps. I brought a massage gun from Amazon for about £20. I’ve been very pleased with it but have never owned an expensive one so I can’t give you a comparison. But it’s helped my healing injury quite a bit.

Anyone got good recommendations for a self massage gun? I do use a foam roller and spiky ball to help do trigger point self massage but wonder if a gun with help too?

Lovely to hear all the running updates I’m sadly on the injury bench proper now. I reduced and reduced my runs but even doing 1x5k easy weekly has left me struggling to walk with hip pain. Cycling doesn’t seem to aggravate it too much but swimming and walking does. No idea if it’s tendinitis or bursitis or old age arthritis kicking in. Got a sports massage later hoping that and some cold sea walking slowly to ice it will help. I have to walk the dog so can’t just do nothing. But feeling fed up at the thought of losing my run fitness yet again as last time it took me 6 hard months to get just a 5k back, it does suck getting older.

I'm back from my Suffolk coast trrail adventure. It was harder than I expected, not least as it was self-navigated and my Garmin is not up to date enough to upload a map, or however it works - so I bimbled along with phone in hand for big parts of it and went the wrong way several times. I spent far too long at the checkpoints with several loo stops/vaseline top ups on my chafed underarms/snacks/chatting to the lovely volunteers. But I did have a grand day out and we went up to the coast on Friday night and came back today so it was a proper mini break.

Thanks for sharing the backyard ultra experience @Iamanunsafebuilding

Well done on your 5k PB @Cantbesure

i did the great Bristol half today. I wasn’t feeling on top running form as I’ve been feeling like I’m trying to come down with something all week and my period is due any moment which always makes me feel a bit sluggish. I also made a slightly poor life choice and did some afternoon day drinking in the sun yesterday so could have felt fresher this morning! 😂
despite that I managed a decent time. My official time is 1:37:08 but Strava thinks I got a PB of 1:36:03. I didn’t, it’s just that the course was busy and so there was a lot of weaving to get round people which increases the distance you run, as it does on the majority of busy races. Still a nice day out as went with one of the other ladies from the club and saw one of my sisters who came out to support.

happy running all.

Did a local 5k last night and got a PB. 27 mins. I honestly don’t think I could go any faster!!

I did an 8 hour backyard ultra, so not a true backyard but run on the same format with an max of 8 yards, it was both fun and hard! I’m not a fast runner at all and the first 5 laps I got back in time to have something to eat and have a breather but lap 6 I got back with only about 2 minutes to spare and I DNF’d on lap 7. I would do another one!

@louise12112 I use it in the morning for a couple of minutes with my coffee. Sometimes I do lymphatic drainage massages I’ve seen on insta. Then maybe a minute or 2 before a run. And about 10 mins after a run including resting my calves on it, thighs, sitting on it etc.