Running goals, motivation and chat 2026 - Part 3!

I am totally looking forward to the day I get to come on here and tell you all I finished the marathon 4 weeks today

Ha ha I've been heard to say that as well @Whataninterestinglookingpotato. Or, given my advanced age, "your gran can run a 5k" when talking to young people

Well done @Whataninterestinglookingpotato ! Super time for an ultra, especially doing it mostly alone. You look like you are flying to the finish!

Welcome to the thread @runnerducky

I haven't posted for aaaaages, but have mostly been toddling along apart from a week abroad where it was too hot to run.

Hope you are continuing to recover well @BogRollBOGOF

I jeffed a trail HM today. It was a small field of mainly club runners so I was determined not to be last, and I wasn't (quite). It was part of a long distance path which I've been walking in stages, so I thought it would be a good way of getting some miles in but I decided halfway through today that I prefer walking, taking photos and listening to the birds. DH has booked us both a road HM in 3 weeks.

You’ll do it @tinks3110 i wouldn’t even be surprised if you were a bit quicker.

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato 4 weeks out and I am quietly confident of finishing which is what I want. Secretly and quietly hoping for around 4 hours 30 but we’ll see

@tinks3110 i have never done a training run of more than about 20 miles. The injury risk does go up. You just have to mentally prepare yourself that it will be harder and just sit with that. You’ve done the work and it really is a mental game from 20 miles plus. You have to just tell yourself you can do it and just get on with it. Our trail gang always uses Andy glaze the ultra runners saying when there’s 5k to go and we’re struggling a bit. “5k to go! Your mum can run a 5k” I told myself this at the last aid station on Saturday and for some reason it actually helped!! Good luck!

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato i am worried about attempting further than 20 and getting injured. My plan says 20 next week 13.1 week after and then 8.5 the Sunday before the marathon but it is also giving me a pace that I know i won’t maintain over 26.2.

will see how i feel think. Im a bit more confident I can finish the marathon now

I will share this pic though of me racing my little heart out to the finish! I’m so pleased I managed to pull myself together and catch up so much time.

Thank you @JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff a friend actually recommended magnesium to me yesterday and I have brought some. Going to give it a try.

well done on your run. I’m glad the issues with your glutes seems to be on the way to being fixed.

Well done on your long run @tinks3110 looks like you’re smashing it!! You’ll be fine with 20 miles. Are you planning to go over that in training? I don’t tend to but as many say, the race starts at 20 miles and they’re right. After 20 miles it does get harder. From then on it’s a mental game and more about over coming your will to quit than physical fitness.

17 miles done this morning! 😊 found out that one of the ladies from my husbands gym is also doing the marathon I’m doing in 4 weeks so we went out together. Not going to lie the last 2.5 miles were tough but we managed it in 2:54 which I’m really pleased with
I think I am dead now though 🤣 my legs are throbbing so bad.
20 miles next week 🙈

You know @Whataninterestinglookingpotato if you regularly have trouble sleeping I would recommend magnesium glycinate if you don't take it already. I get mine from British Supplements after a recommendation from a colleague. I was pretty sceptical but I must say, since starting I sleep a lot deeper and don't wake in the night. It doesn't make me drop off faster, but once I am asleep, it is much closer to that deep refreshing sleep of childhood if you know what I mean?

I did my lil baby 8.5km jeffing today, but I must say, my glutes were definitely engaging differently to just a few wks back. It is frustrating but I think I am fixing a funky thing in my stride which has been there for years and probably would have impeded progress at some point anyway. So staying positive!

It’s tough isn’t it!! I did my local
half this year on not loads of sleep, though probably a little more than last night and managed ok. The ultra was just a step too far!! But hey. I did it and I’m still alive 😂😂.

I have the best pic of me at the finish that I wish I could show you. It really sums up how I felt 😂. But in the interests of remaining at least sort of anonymous I better not 😂. Though I’ve posted what races I’ve done and what position I’ve finished in enough times that if anyone could be arsed to find out who I am then they probably could 😂

Hey that is pretty damn good!! Congrats.

I did GNR one year and for some reason i just absolutely could not sleep, didn't nod off till 330ish and had to be up at 6. Was unbelievably tired after. Amazing you had the resilience for an ultra in those circs, make sure you refuel and rest xx

Thanks you @TyneFilth and @JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff

@TyneFilth i hope you’re long run goes well tomorrow!! Life does just get in the way sometimes.

glad things are improving @JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff all be it not as quickly as you’d like. Good luck for your run tomorrow.

the ultra did not quite go as I had hoped. I barely slept last night. I don’t know why, I was just wired and I think the pressure was getting to be a bit. So on two hours sleep I gave it my best crack. I was ok for the first 13 miles or so. Then I just felt so bloody tired. At points I thought I would have to DNF as my vision was going funny and I felt dizzy. But I pulled myself together and got on with it. In the end I came in 3rd female and about 11th over all in a time of 5:15. Really I wanted about 5 but it wasn’t going to happen today. I did however catch up at least 5 mins on the second female over the last 10 miles and finished seconds behind her. So not a bad result at all but over honestly never felt quite like that. At cheddar the terrain was tough and my legs hurt and i was worn out, but this was harder to deal with! Still nice pint at the end and was met by DH, dd1 her boyfriend who also runs and a few running friends. I was completely alone for a good portion of the race having to self navigate and 1st and second female both had male pacers and navigators with them. So I feel that I did well under the circumstances.

happy running all.

Hi @Whataninterestinglookingpotato how was it?? Hope you enjoyed!

I am out for 8k tomorrow as an "endurance" run (eye roll) but step by step..... I had shockwave on the TFL on Friday which was pretty spicy but I think has helped.

Hope the ultra is going great @Whataninterestinglookingpotato / has gone great by the time you read this!!

I'm still not getting my mileage up to where it should be, yet. Should have done a 7k easy run yesterday but we've just got a quite demanding rescue dog so I didn't have the opportunity/energy. Tomorrow I need to do 22k+ in 3 hours so I will improve the chances of that by actually programming a route on Garmin today. And doing my physio today.

Hope everyone has great weekends!

@BogRollBOGOF glad you’re feeling a bit better! Let’s hope things are improving for you!!

@tinks3110 17 miles on your own is a fair old way but you’ll be fine. Pick a nice route and the miles will go by quicker than you think.

I have my 50k ultra in the morning and I’m trying to be cool but I’m kind of feeling the pressure. I just want to relax and enjoy the route but so many people have told me they’re betting I come ahead of this person or that person. I honestly don’t care! I have a time I would like to do for myself but people seem to be betting on me or something. 😂😂.

happy running all!!

Glad you are feeling a bit better about your injury @BogRollBOGOF

ive had a steady week, 2 easy runs and feel
like I’m ready for my 17 mile long run on Sunday, slightly worried about all that time out on my own but sure I’ll manage

Thanks @Whataninterestinglookingpotato

50km is a big one!

I did a remedial strength training session in the gym today which went well, with a light treadmill jog. I just need to keep telling myself, my injury had an underlying cause, I'm remediating it, and long term this will make my running better......

Sounds like some good weekends!

A relatively quiet one for me as I am tapering for a 10k next weekend, but I did pop along to a local charity 5k and managed a 28:40 which I was happy enough with, was trying to not get carried away but it’s hard when you’re surrounded by young things sprinting off into the distance! Although I did manage to pick a few of them back up when they started flagging. First 2k felt awful as always then I hit my stride!

My 5k PB is 27:40 but it was the second all downhill half of a very hilly 10k I did, so it feels like I won’t get to improve on that until I run the same race again next year! I have lined up a 5k improvement plan on Runna later in the year though so we will see…

I’m just getting back to a normal running volume after reducing heavily as I had some niggles in both knees/calves. Not sure what it was, it was intermittent in either or both and seemed very random but I haven’t had any pain for the last few weeks so fingers crossed!

I have set my sights on my first trail ultra for 2028, my husband is rolling his eyes and saying ‘I told you so’ as I adamantly told him I wouldn’t ever go further than a HM!

@tinks3110 its normal. When you first start increasing to those distances its feels really daunting. But trust the process, you will be fine and you’ll surprise yourself.

@TyneFilth always a bugger when you get lost! It’s something I’m pretty good at tbh! 😂. Hope you’ve recovered ok.

@JohnnyMcGrathSaysFuckOff i hope your niggling injuries sort themselves out soon! It’s just so annoying isn’t it!!

16 miles of tough trails today with the trail gang. Final practice run before next weekends 50k. Didn’t feel quite as amazing as I did on the 20 milers over the last few weeks, but I’m putting it down to a week of eating and drinking too much on holiday! 😂. Also the terrain was a lot tougher than the ultra route we were practicing before. I feel over once in the woods but jumped straight up and carried on with only a couple of grazes. Really fun morning with the gang though. Looking forward to Saturday.

@TyneFilth this is my worst nightmare!

I did 7 miles easy on my deload week, got 3.5 and 3.5 tues and thurs before my long run of 17 miles on Sunday. I am completely convinced that I’ve not got 17 miles in me 😳 and freaking out at the thought of 20 miles the Sunday after.
someone please tell
me that this is normal in marathon training

Good effort @TyneFilth ! Make sure you have protein for tissue repair.

Mixed day here. I did my 8km run/walk through gritted teeth and my injured glute behaved itself, but my TFL which has been niggling for some time was really grouchy.

It's only sore, but still...... keep on saying to myself, it's a journey back to HM fitness, it's a journey.....