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?

It was such a lovely day today I awarded myself a long lunch break and went for a run. Five miles, and the first time in shorts for me since last summer. That’s it now until Sunday’s half.

Sorry you need surgery @TrackDay

Well done mini- @Jumbojem. One of my colleagues said his daughter had been running there at the weekend. I had no idea there was X Country in London.

Good stuff @bloodredfeaturewall

@ploshbug sounds like you are ready. I’ve only gone up to 10 miles this time in training ie 5k short of HM distance. As I’m old and slow and done HMs before I know I’ll be OK (not boasting, I will be steadily run/walking at the back of the pack).

Well done everyone - I've managed a few shortish runs this week and had a lovely sunny 5 miler this afternoon. Feeling that my running mojo is coming back!

Thank you @Trickedbyadoughnut and others I was very happy with my half at 2.17.08 given

1. absolutely diabolical weather. Really windy and quite rainy
2. it was trail and although mostly not too bad there as a 6k stretch along a narrow and uneven canal towpath. Had to take care to not end up in the water!
3. I didn’t feel fully prepared, my main focus is another half at the beginning of April

anyway very happy and hopeful to aim for 2.05 at the next one as I wasn’t running at my max deliberately. I have tried to get under 2h several times and only ever managed once, a very long time ago. I think those days are def gone sadly!

However, I feel more confident than ever though of doing my first marathon. October I hope.

it was glorious here today so just managed a fairly fast 7k

It was a lovely day here too but so so wet off road everywhere so had to do pavement 7k run but nice to get it ticked off before work.

Oh and today was the first outing for my running sunglasses which was very exciting!

no shorts yet, but next few weeks they’ll be dug out I think!

Enjoying a lighter deload week and the aftereffects of a very thorough massage!

Oh no! Hopefully you can keep moving to help with the recovery.

Good morning! Looks like it's going to be a nice sunny day here so I'm going to go for a slow hilly run, aiming for trail but if its mega muddy I may change my mind! There is a traffic free cycle path which is great for a no need to think long run route but it's flat and my trail half has over 2000 ft of elevation so I need to get some hills in my legs in the next few weeks.
Have a good weekend runners. Good luck to anyone racing this weekend!

If you can do 17 you can do a half. Worst case scenario you will end up walking a bit at the end but in your case that sonds unlikely. If you are managing weekly total mileage of 45k then that shold make it more than doable. I've been ramping up my mileage last few weeks in preparating for last sunday's half and the 2 weeks previously managed about 35k total. I did manage one 18k run but I don't think I needed to have done it.

I know what it's like though wondering if you can do it. The truth is you can and in the future you might well be abe to do one with minimal specific training and will wonder how you ever thought that you couldnt do it!

Brilliant, sounds like a more than respectable result! Well done (and 2:17 is my second fast HM time, so I think that's pretty fast personally 😆)!

@UnaOfStormhold I am also enjoying a deload week - it's nice to "just" have an easy 10k on the plan for this weekend.

@Londonmummy66 glad the mojo (and the sun) has made an appearance!

@JanuaryOSunshine I love the inner smugness of having done the run first thing :)

@TrackDay really sorry about your ankle, I hope you find an amazing physio and the recovery is better than you expect

OMG- had to de-ice the car this morning for the school run , but WHAT AN AMAZING DAY!! Blue skies and sunny - spring is nearly here. Did a gorgeous 15k around this lovely wetland bay near me- mixture of road and hard packed trail (Yes, I had my mittens on! And my beanie- deffo no shorts today! ). Was 10 secs/km under PB marathon pace which makes the whole thing seem more possible given marathon not till September (although I was blowing a bit in the last 3k so still some work to do). Probably also should have eaten first but I only decided to do that distance when I was already out of the door. I do need to be more strategic/intentional with my training- I downloaded a marathon plan and then I just ignore it. My watch is like "do you want to do this vomit inducing tempo run you're supposed to do?" and I'm like "nah I'm just gonna jog along the beach with the dog and get a coffee". Then wonder why I don't improve.

@ploshbug you will deffo be ok for a half if you can do 17k and are hitting 45k per week.

Great to hear about everyone else getting out in the sunshine, albeit still getting slightly soggy feet. Seems to be drying up a bit though, and so much better than last year- I did a 50k in Hazlemere last April and it was ankle deep mud/water at least every 3k. It was still good but I did have a bit of a sense of humour failure at points.

@Clearinguptheclutter @LaPalmaLlama You both are the sweetest, thank you so so much for the encouragement and support! Loved hearing your thoughts and hope you are having a nice week!

It's amazing to run in the sunshine at long last. It's been such a dull and gloomy 12m.
Hopefully we'll have a decent spring this year. I barely remember last year's and the flowers seemed to arrive late and fade early with all the mud and rain.

My mojo is picking up. The gloom was so uninspiring. It's not even the satisfaction of pushing yourself out into something like rain.

hello all! How have the long runs / runs been today? I’m off on a 25km this afternoon and so anxious about it! Does anyone else get super nervous before long runs?

I'm on a much needed cutback week so have been taking it very easy. Went out for an easy run in the sunshine earlier though actually ended up walk running and enjoying the spring which is finally starting springing! Back to it next week.

Mojo is coming back here too!!! The back has settled and I'm doing my physio absolutely religiously to support it. Actually did 5km while chatting yesterday. Never thought I'd be able to maintain conversation and run. Milestone 😂

Hello all. Did my trail HM today at a steady run/walk. It was such a gorgeous day to be pit in the sunshine.

Better today with the clear air and sunshine. The milder weather has been slowing me down but I need to take inspiration from the warm weather runners on here.

The sun makes so much difference. 11k for me this afternoon and although it was still cold it was lovely in the sun. Loads of people on the beach ( not in bikinis obviously 🤣 but kids with buckets and spades and lots of people playing beach cricket etc). I’ve decided to do the 24k race on Saturday that I entered months ago. It’s going to near kill me but it’s supposed to be a nice course and it’s trail so I don’t need to go out too fast and hilly enough to justify some hike breaks. Also there’s cake!

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree well done on your half- what sort of trail was it? Like paths or mainly staggering across fields?

@Starlightstargazer not so much for long runs but for fast runs like park run where I am super scared of the pain to come!! Hope it went well for you.

My body is curently hating running. The last 4 runs have felt really grotty. I'm attributing it to holiday weight/ gain bloat and the early days of cleaning up my diet to deal with that affecting energy. (Oh and hormones joining the party)

Arrgh, it's so bloody tough finding the right balance (I'm short so this gives me less margin between energy/ weight loss/ weight gain. I think I just need to suck up a grotty running phase for some longer term gains as my body adjusts. It's quite a good time as I recently raced and have a good while before I hit heavy milage.

Dr Tracy Sims has great research into women's performance levels in relation to our cycles, and how to best combat the times our hormones are making workouts feel harder work (it's not in your head, it is harder!)

Highly recommend reading her books.

I'm definitely in the dead-legs stage of the month aside from fuelling issues.

These days it's a relief to get to day 1 of the cycle as over the next couple of days the energy comes flooding back. 😁

@TrackDay any take home messages? I'll look up her books too!

Quick 5k on the treadmill today as went to the gym. Remembered why I hate treadmill 😂