Running goals, motivation and chat 2025

[Jumbojem]

All welcome! A place to share or goals and achievements and to motivate each other along the way.
A virtual mumsnet run club perhaps?

I have been on a half mara chat group the last few years but currently not training for one. So, my 2025 goals are:
Now until spring - get fitter for a 15 mile hilly trail run event in April.
Summer - try for a 5k PB, try to get faster?
Autumn - maybe do a half mara? Cross Country again ( I am slow and old but love this).

Who else wants to join me?

Got a drizzley but warm 10k ticked off at lunchtime. Was running in just a T-shirt at one point & wished I didn’t have full length leggings on as it hit balmy 10c.

Another one owning up to runcrastination - though cyclecrastination is worse as there's so much potential tinkering to be done! I have had a few workouts this week where I was feeling very low on motivation but took the "get changed and start the workout even if I don't do it all" approach and as usually happens it wasn't so bad once I got over the inertia.

My tip for cold race starts is to wrap up in a foil survival blanket, which can be folded and pocketed when it's nearly time to go. They are surprisingly warming and pack very small and light. Plus I like the feeling that if I had to stop mid race I would have something to keep myself a bit warmer in. I have also used one in the past for someone who was lying on damp grass feeling a bit faint at the finish line while we waited for the first aiders to come along.

I'm continuing to experiment with on-the-go-nutrition - I've found kendal mint cake really doesn't work for me but dried apricots are much more palatable. I have also discovered salted giant corn from the health food shop makes a great portable salty snack (like a tortilla chip that doesn't fall to crumbs within the first km). I'll still use tailwind for a lot of my fuel and hydration but I can't really carry enough so I'm planning to carry a bit of solid food and take plain water from aid stations.

I am very ready for warmer, brighter weather - last weekend I was halfway round on a long run and felt a bit chilled even with two long sleeve layers, full length leggings and gloves. Tonight I had a 45 min easy heartrate run and opted for the treadmill as I just couldn't face any more drizzle and gloom. But I do really love getting out and about. As marathon training goes on I've been having fun plotting longer routes to favourite or new places - found a lovely track down to the sea last week, so I'm planning to explore that a bit more this weekend with an extra 10 minutes of time to play with. Looking forward to exploring when there's a bit more warmth (but not too much!) in the air.

Yet another weather warning coming in this weekend geez it’s been so so wet here this year way above average rainfall. Got a muddy trail run with dog in early this morning. Love that it’s now lighter in mornings again and we didn’t get rained on this morning yay! Now got damp dog sat on me when I really need a shower but she’s all snuggly warming up. Nice it’s Halfterm so my teens are still asleep & I can enjoy my post run cupoaT in peace.

I’m doing a local half marathon on Sunday, I have the real thing in six weeks so just going along to plod slowly and hopefully finishing in under 2h30. It will be the first half I’ve ever done when I’m not aiming to be under 2h (and in five attempts I only managed that once!). I was looking forward to it but the winds on Sunday and likely rain is going to put a dampener on things I fear

otoh I am going to have to dust off my shorts as it’s suddenly a lot warmer

Much warmer today, I didn't love it, I love really cold for running anyway. I'm going to have to adjust as we get into spring

Good luck

Great to see you @Trickedbyadoughnut, hope you are recovering. I ought to to be sitting on my hands but went out last night for 7 miles on the basis that my bad leg wasn't feeling any worse after Sunday. Limping a bit today.

Hope your run goes well this weekend @Clearinguptheclutter.

I did 12 miles this morning, the weather was dull but very mild. Back to shorts for now, which i prefer. Went at a deliberately slow pace but even then had to walk in places as it was ridiculously muddy and slippery, and some of the grass was like a swamp! I didn't want to wear trail shoes as they are not that comfortable for a long run and around 70% of my route was on road but my road shoes just didn't cut it in the mud.
Good luck for tomorrow @Clearinguptheclutter

Shorts? Shorts? Craziness!! I've only just abandoned my gloves and my beanie is still firmly on my head! Shorts might come out around April. Parkrun for me this morning and I managed to squeak in under 23 mins so v v happy with that. Getting up earlier and having a double espresso definitely helped. I think it's time to start focusing on distance now though. Need to start getting those longer runs in now it's warming up a smidge.

@LaPalmaLlama well done on your parkrun time, sub 23 is usually my aim - but not always doable!

It was about 8° that's fine for shorts, for me, today. I race or parkrun in shorts even if its 0°, but wear capri leggings for training runs if its cold. I'm lucky that my hands generally warm up quite quickly, so almost never wear gloves, but I did wish I had them for the first 3k of last weeks race! I saw lots of snowdrops on my run this morning which made me think spring is on its way, hooray! (Hopefully the paths - and parkrun - might dry out a bit soon as well)

Lovely sunny day for my long run today, actually feeling a bit too warm for once. I need to get a massage as my legs are feeling very tight at the start of runs, though next week is a lower intensity week which should also help.

@LaPalmaLlama I'm shorts and tank at 0 degrees

Nuts I know. I feel pretty good when everyone is in big coats

@EasternStandard Yeah, it's so weird. I used to run quite warm and I'd be the one that never wore a long sleeve top. Then I moved to Asia and I think I just overacclimatised to enable me to run in 36 degrees with 90% humidity and now after 15 years there I can't acclimatise back, despite being back in UK for 3 years now. I did bin the beanie this morning- still had a buff but thats more like a hair/sweat band- I wear those year round.

@Fizbosshoes My friend and I were actually saying that we're not convinced gloves help that much unless its super windy when they reduce the wind chill- otherwise they're just a placebo and your hands would warm up by themselves in about the same time.

Anyway, just did a sort of "tempo" 8k just on the roads - quite undulating round here so my (non existent) glutes got in on the action.

Hope those planning runs today have good ones!

Well, everything felt OK so went and did my tempo run on Friday and my long run yesterday and, fingers crossed - I still feel OK, as in, usual leg soreness after long run but I don't think I can feel anything sinister. This week is a "deload" week, so hopefully that'll be just the ticket.

I am an overdresser then get roasting during my run kind of runner. Did 18k yesterday, with 5k at conversational pace, 11k at tempo, then 2k cooldown. Was wearing thinnish leggings and a long-sleeve tshirt with a light gilet that is windstopper on the front and very breathable at the back - was about 9 degrees but cold wind and mizzly, so was about right til halfway through, then tucked the gilet into my Flipbelt. I shouldn't have worn a cap though, my head was too hot!

I never seem to get the right outfit for my runs!

still on the recovery bench.
but as foot is getting better I might try a short run/walk this week to test the waters.

Hope the toes behave @bloodredfeaturewall

got a nice beach run in this morning dodged the downpours ahead of a very stressful morning. It was good to clear my head as I run as much for mental health as physical at the moment.

I like to keep my legs warm.as it helps slightly with tight calves. They don't like being cold!

Well done on all the running in the past week. Having got off the injury bench I then went down with a stomach bug the tail end of which would have made running anywhere more than 3 minutes from a loo a bit tricky. Finally managed to get out and do a little over 5k tonight - took it gently as I'm hoping to get some hills sprints in tomorrow. Half in a months time is looking a bit less likely but as the final 3 miles are always thick mud its not one where I'd be looking at a time anyway.

Are you marathon training @Trickedbyadoughnut ? Training sounds like it's going well.
I never wear gloves, my hands soon roast in them, but I'm a big fan of tops with thumb holes just to get through that first 10 minutes until the blood is pumping.
Had a few days off running as went to London, saw DS and his clubmates running in the Cross Country Nationals at Parliament Hill. It was very muddy and hilly, glad I wasn't doing it but kudos to those who took it on.
Got out for a run tonight with a few faster paced sections. Last XC this weekend then I will be fully focused on longer runs and hills as my trail 15 miler is 5 weeks away. Trying not to worry that I've never run that far on road, let alone on hilly terrain. I need to think about fuel, and check if there are water stations!

@Jumbojem on for another half end of April, but had kept up my running since last October's half and so this year's plan has longer runs sooner! I do occasionally think about a marathon, but I think I'd need to get faster so that my long zone 2 runs wouldn't take all day!

Hopefully your XC season has set you up nicely strength wise!

Love this thread!! My one biggest underlying goal this year is not to get injured and let it hinder my progress. Been struggling with shin splints all of last year, lots of on/off periods.

Also want to be able to run a half ideally soon! Been running consistently for almost a year now and have ran 17km longest so just trying to get over the mental block and prove to myself that I can finish the distance of a half.

Goals surround hitting weekly mileage of 45km consistently without getting injured really, and making strength training work for me rather than it being a chore.

Sounds like your almost there @ploshbug ! I've always used training plans and have run several HMs with a max training run of 16km (as per the plan), although ideally I like to do an 18k, but I've never run the full distance in training - the taper should take care of the extra for you.

2k walk/run intervall yesterday
ok so far as the foot doesn't hurt more than before.
still a little sore generally

@bloodredfeaturewall good news if it hasn't made the pain worse

@Clearinguptheclutter sorry, I completely missed your post - how did your half go?

Managed a slow but steady 16km today, all going well for my half in 3 weeks.

Bad news though, my ankle does need surgery 😫

Already dreading the recovery for that.