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?

@Fibrous
thanks for that makes perfect sense

I think a Garmin is the way forward but I’ll just keep my Apple Watch for general life stuff. I hope I’d get away without wearing both for runs but who knows 🤣.

I accidentally discovered my Garmin 255 talks to the music app on my phone and I can FF/ RW/ pause. I accidentally knocked and held the left down button and got a lovely surprise

I had a sports massage at the end of last week. I knew my body was tense all over but my OMG, MY BODY WAS TENSE ALL OVER 😂 I felt like I was losing an arguement with a steam roller, and by the time I needed to stand up I was totally out of it. Fortunately the car was a 5 min walk away which reactivated my brain.
When I came to do parkrun, I was still recovering from it, but at least my body felt like it was working in a co-ordinated way for the first time in about a month. I managed a steady run and actually enjoyed it.

So far this year my parkruns have been affected by storms and DS's DoE volunteering (he's autistic so I've done some roles with him for his confidence), but he's nearly done on that so I'm looking forwards to a return of parkrun consistency.

I have a thai massage lady.
steamroller is her middle name

if feels so good when the pain is over.

HM training on hold as got shin pain last Wednesday after my run, so just generally moping around like a misery guts. Not really pain today - generally legs a bit sore after a lower-body Pilates workout yesterday. Too afraid to test it out too early though. No really plan for getting back to - this is always really difficult with hypermobile EDS, hip dysplasia etc. as I am never "fully pain free" and if I put off exercise too long, I tend to get other pains popping up because of lack of muscle. Hence me trying to keep my hand in with low impact Pilates and yoga. I'll get back to the pool once it reopens after it's annual closure.

Pretty sure it's totally my own silly fault - I have a couple of pairs of shoes and had worn one pair for three runs in a row (I'd usually switch around a bit more than that), despite having been looking online for over a month for a good price to replace them ... I clearly new the foam was on it's way out and shouldn't have been wearing them! Also had been a bit lax with yoga compared to previous training cycles, which I am also bitterly regretting now.

In the meantime, I will run vicariously through your posts!

Morning Everyone. @Trickedbyadoughnut sorry to hear you're benched- could it be shin splints? I always find those tricky to fix- sometimes they just seem to get better if you ignore them, and sometimes definitely not!!

@BogRollBOGOF I have my fortnightly massage tomorrow - tops of my quads and hips are a bit sore so I'll get her to focus on those. Already slightly dreading the pain but it is needed. Will also try to get to Parkrun on Saturday- haven't been for a few weeks due to various things - will decide on Friday if I'm mentally in the zone to push for a PB or not.

Did a nice 15k around the harbour this morning- mix of road and packed trail. I normally run with some friends but they've gone on holiday so was just me and my podcast. Still a bit tired from my race at the weekend but felt pretty okay.

Also splashed out on some new road shoes. In Asia I always used to run everything in Hoka Challengers which are a hybrid, but since moving back to UK, I've gone more for dedicated trail and road shoes because mud. Like my Topo trail shoes but not wild about the Hoka road shoes, so taken a chance and ordered the Topo road shoes. Will report back. Also ordered a sample pack of Torq gels as I've heard good things. Trying a new online independent called Northern Runner- I'm trying to shop local but my local shop just seems to never have any stock and a bit limited on the brands that I prefer.

Finally, is anyone else slightly horrified at how much they crave the validation of the Strava "Athlete Intelligence"?? 😂. I really hate that I'm enslaved to an AI bot.

@LaPalmaLlama yes, pretty sure shin splints: I had them many years ago and it feels the same. I am not usually very good about stopping when injured, but I do have the fear of the stress facture when it comes to shin splints so trying to be wise for once!

@Trickedbyadoughnut I'm on wrist-watch with DS after a rugby injury in PE. Hopefully it's "just" a sprain. He's got some hypermobility in his hands. I'm not sure where else as it was only picked up on a dyslexia assessment. T'other DS is hypermobile in several joints. He thinks it's relaxing to lounge on the sofa with his leg behind his head! I do wonder about EDS as he has very stretchy skin and it commonly co-occurs with autism.

As much as my inflexibility is annoying, at least there isn't the constant worry of injury risk that comes from unstable joints. I hope you're back running soon.

Had another good run today. I've got 3.5 weeks to train for my next race! But it's "only" a 10k and less than a month since my HM, so the stamina is in the tank. A bit of concentration on pace will be good.

I've ditched the long-term Garmin HM plan (again 😂). I like them for shorter distances but find the pacing and route planning too constrained. I've picked up a Runner's World 4wk 10k plan and manually programmed the workouts in.

I'll try a Nike Run Club plan for the next HM...

I did my first half with Nike Run club, really like the audio guided runs.

Nice long run today, trying out my marathon shoes for the first time (have used the same modl before but not this specific pair), mostly super bouncy, just one annoying rub spot. Also working on getting my nutrition sorted - bought loads of decathlon fruit jellies which are dangerously edible and seem to digest well, plus I have giant corn for salt. I want to experiment with an isotonic drink rather than my regular tailwind (hypertonic) as I was finding I wasn't drinking as much as normal because I was getting loads of carbs from the jellies and didn't want anything else sweet. I also want to test the gels they have on course just in case I need to use them.

And yes I do sneakily like the strava AI comments - I know it's rubbish but it still strokes my ego nicely!

Hope you're on the mend soon @Trickedbyadoughnut .

What shoes do you run in @UnaOfStormhold? I can only buy the decathlon jellies the day before or I just scoff them like sweets. They also do these really nice marzipan bars and their fruit puree pouches are the absolute bomb albeit a bit big to carry so only really good for ultras or lap races.

Quick 6k round the park for me today- it's gone really cold again although nice now the sun's out. Nice and dry underfoot though- hasn't rained here for about 10 days. Such a contrast to last year.

Got out for a 5k last night. I've realised if I time it right then DP will make the dinner while I'm out. He runs too so we can swap. I'm not usually particularly motivated for evening exercise, I always end up cancelling gym sessions if they're in the evening, but seems I quite like an evening run, especially if followed by a bath. I guess it's the lack of faff compared to a gym session, which involves a drive.

Did a runners cooldown yoga online - yoga with Tim - which was very enjoyable.

I have resisted having the jellies when not running as I can tell it would be a very slippery slope! Plus they're too expensive to.scoff!

I race in Hoka Rocket 2 - super bouncy carbon plated without too much heel-toe drop. T
For training I liked saucony liberty and now use kinvara as they're light and flexible.

Went out for a long run today - 11 miles - to see if my injuries were sufficiently recovered to let me do the half marathon I'm signed up for later this month. They were fine so looks as if it is on. Really happy as it is at Hampton Court so you get Henry VIII to wave you off and some lovely muddy trail through the Home Park at the end. However I will simply be running to finish rather than get a time as I think its better to play safe at this point.

Great news @Londonmummy66. I've never done HCP but my sister works there so I should try and do it next year. I'm doing Richmond Marathon in September so same neck of the woods (sort of).

Park Run sandwich for me today- basically run there, do Park run and run back, just over 18k in total. I find it's a nice way to break up a longer run. Wore my new Topo's. Wasn't too sure about them initially but had a good run (close to PB on parkrun) so they must be doing something right. They are super light anyway and a minimal drop which I like. If anyone is thinking of trying them, be aware they run quite small- I wear a 7 in normal shoes and a 9 in Topo's with a thumb width in the toe box.

Might do a v casual 10k along the beach tomorrow morning but got to drive DD half way across the country for rugby so might just have a lie in instead.

@LaPalmaLlama - thank you - it is my favourite although the final 3 miles are often a slip and slide through thick mud. I am planning on unleashing my new trail shoes to cope with that. I've been eyeing up the Richmond half as I love that stretch of the Thames Path - it was my long run stretch when marathon training. It always feels like the Georgian equivalent of millionaires row! Sadly I think that training for a marathon throughout the summer would be too much for me as I hate the heat but I tend to try and keep myself no more than 3 weeks off being able to run 10 miles so a half is more manageable.

I really miss proper running.
but I don't want to risk more injury either.
have booked myself into a gym for a couple of months so I can get on the ellyptical trainer for some cardio.

@bloodredfeaturewall is the injury getting any better? Maybe time to go see the terrifying Thai Masseuse 😂. My friend got injured and trained for a 100k almost entirely on an elliptical and the step machine and it did work pretty well.

@Londonmummy66 I reckon it'll be fairly dry as hasn't rained properly for weeks- I know this because I'm waiting to "Gro More" my hedge (middle aged goals) and CBA to get the hose out.

@Fibrous love your work timing your runs to avoid dinner prep and good work on the evening run. I am deffo a morning only runner. I can only do evenings if I am meeting someone or doing club.

Hello all! Just checking in. It is 3 weeks to my trail 15 miler so I'm starting to worry a bit. Still haven't ordered new trail shoes, so need to do that this week so I can get a longer run in them to test beforehand.
Had a lovely 8.5 mile trail run on parts of the route yesterday. An absolute slog at the start, running partner said we'd only done 5k in 45 mins and I was pretty puffed out. We'd done a lot of walking to that point. However, that part had been mostly uphill and the next 5 miles were fab, just a few very boggy bits but mainly very dry. I have a big bruise on the side of my foot though where a loose rock got me so def think I need more robust shoes.

Need a new running bra as mine is old now and chafing me on longer runs, any recommendations for larger chested people? I've always had shock absorber also have an M&S good move one which is my newest but least favourite.

@Jumbojem - you've got this - you'll be fine. I have a large rack and find an underwired bra works better. I like the Freya ones as they are really supportive.

Hi runners, I've had a few days off with a sore glute/hamstring. Self-diagnosed (thanks to Dr Google and a friend with the same symptoms) piriformis so doing lots of stretching. I did a 7 mile hilly trail loop today and was pleased that my first and last miles were virtually the same speed (the bits in the middle were slower thanks to mud and hills). I had a steady parkrun yesterday (although the fastest I'd been on that course for a while) and a short scamper on Friday.

@Jumbojem I went to Bravissimo for new bras and ended with their own brand Swift sports bra which I really like.

Good stuff @Londonmummy66!

Sorry you are still sore @bloodredfeaturewall. Hope the gym goes well.

Happy hump day everyone. I am full of cold but managed a 6k on Monday and then a nice relaxed pace 15k today with an equally bunged up friend, having a therapeutic moan about our teens. Third cold this winter. When will it end??

@Jumbojem when I still had boobs I wore Ennell bras which have a massive line of hook and eyes and do up down the front- believe me, your bad boys are going nowhere in one of those. 🤣. Sadly these days I’m pretty much good with a crop top.

Currently off running with a horrible sinus cold, eyeing my Manchester training schedule with a bit of nervousness. Luckily I got last week's long run in before falling ill, and hopefully will be well enough to at least do this week's long run at the weekend. Frustrating as I struggled on with runs in the grey and damp and now the weather is beautiful (if cold!) I am stuck indoors.

Hope you’re feeling better now @UnaOfStormhold . I’m recovering from my cold now but could have done without it.

incredibly crappy run this morning- decided to do 20k at marathon pace which I just about managed but felt like a struggle when it really shouldn’t have- massive head wind going out, niggly hip flexor and I just didn’t really ever feel like I got into my stride. Kind of disappointing after some really good runs in the last few weeks but there you go. Some days it just doesn’t happen.

Please can I join! I started running at the beginning of this year. My goal was to do a 5k run (no stopping or walking). Being able to do that was a really big deal for me! After a few runs I worked towards 5k in 30 minutes. Today I managed to do it in 29 minutes so I'm very pleased with myself. I find having a goal to work towards helps me stay focused. Not sure whether to aim for further or faster. I don't think I could keep up the pace for another 1k. Does anyone have any suggestions for running goals I could progress onto?

That's brilliant @Tinkerbellflowers . There's no reason why you can't go for both further and faster.

To go faster with the 5K, you could attend parkrun and see your time improve under race conditions. Running with others will push you along.

To go for longer, find yourself a 10k training plan perhaps, book yourself on to a race to give you that extra motivation.