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?

@Jumbojem newports not a bad shout. That’s very reachable for me and probably wouldn’t need to stay anywhere. Ill
have a look.

Would be interested to know what Newport is like as that’s close to me and they have a 10K and a half too I think - the town itself (sorry, city) and the surrounding area inland can be quite hilly but I think the marathon goes out the other way around the Gwent levels which are lovely and flat.

For those who run in the morning before work - what time do you go out and what do you do about eating beforehand? I never feel hungry first thing in the morning but I've read running without eating is really bad for females/hormones.

Wrote a post then lost it when I tried to edit…,

At my fittest, I would get up around 6am, have some coffee then head out and run anything from 5k up to 10 miles depending on time, tiredness etc. never had issues with food/ hormones etc. that was in mid-late forties… and I could run a sub 2 half and 25 min 5k. I used to run 2 or 3 mornings plus longer runs etc on weekends.

i like early mornings in Summer as it’s the coolest part of the day.

unfortunately I’m now mid fifties and dealing with injuries, back surgery etc so not able to do what I used to, but hope to get back to at least some of the distance if not the speed eventually.

I always prefer to run fasted @roamingcat if under 10k I find it easier just have a cuppa tea before I go. I’m in my 50s tend to go out 6-6.30am before work as my teens can look after themselves

I can do parkrun on a glass of water. I perform better if I drink something sweet or eat a banana.

That's about my limit on what I have in my tank without fuelling.

I never eat before I run, @roamingcat . I feel sick if I do. Just coffee.
The only exception is on marathon race day when I force a banana down first thing. Reason being that races don't tend to start til 9am or 10am so I need something to bridge that gap. I don't eat before shorter races or before training runs, but for runs of 2+ hours I'll take gels or blocks with me.

If I do a short training run or parkrun early, then I would have nothing or a few sweets (jelly babies/haribos)
The first time I did parkrun without eating breakfast first , was my first sub 20 parkrun (a long time ago!)

For a 10k race or longer I would have cereal at least 2 hrs before for a race, or 1ish hr before for training runs
I take gels or sweets for runs that will be 10 miles +

I wouldn’t bother for park run as it’s at 9am and only 5k. More than that then I would. I managed to stuff down a couple of slices of toast and peanut butter before my 9am 10k at the weekend and really felt the benefit of eating more compared to the last one I ran. I’m quite lucky though and I can’t eat and run and not feel sick. Though I can’t get the gels down me mid run.

Thanks all - maybe I just need to try without and see how I feel!

@sparticle it has been intense, I had one doing a levels and one gcse's. Although my older one is quite laid back and just said they went "ok". The younger one studied a lot, coming home from training he said it was weird not having to think about going home to revise. Hope it went well for yours. We are off on holiday for 3 weeks next weekend, so we can all have some down time.

Morning all, did anyone get to parkrun? I went with DD12 and my goodness it was so hot. She grumbled all the way round - she does like running but seems to want to moan a lot whilst doing it!

I kept my promise that I wouldn’t check the pace once on my watch and we would just run as we felt. I think we still did it in about 31 minutes which I’m happy with considering the heat.

It’s clouded over now and is due to rain this afternoon and pretty much on/off for the next two weeks… ah the joys of a northern summer!

@Jumbojem DS is pretty laid back too which is fine normally but didn’t work so well with his mocks. Enjoy your lovely long holiday, outside of the main school hols too ☺️

Lyme park parkrun for us today… very hot, lots of walking but it is very beautiful and well worth a visit… uphill start, undulating rocky trails and grass then uphill for the final 3/4 mile on grassy track

Well done that’s near me. Brutal in this heat but satisfying. One of the hardest in the UK. I ditched parkrun and went for a long flat run instead and somewhat regretting not going out earlier (meant to leave at 7 but it was closer to 8. So hot by 9.30ish)

No (slow!) parkrun for me today 😞 my big toe started hurting on Thursday. Not sure what's going on with it! As I hadn't run since Monday. Feels a bit bruised under the pad of the big toe and occasional pain on top. Not happy about this, I'm supposed to be following week 9 of couch to 5k, two sessions to go, so close to finishing!

I did a trail run this am, just over 10k on some routes I've not run for 4 years (according to strava segments). So lovely and quiet in the woods, apart from when a plane came in to land practically on my head as the woods are towards the end of the runway! The route home was past some new build houses where they have put in some gravel paths and wildflower meadows on the edge of the development, absolutely beautiful this time of year.
I had been watching an insta story on running form, getting more mobility in the hips, lifting the knee and pushing off from the mid foot. I did feel faster when I tried it but I fell once and nearly a second over tree roots/rocks as I am not lifting my trailing foot enough. Maybe alone in a quiet wood is not the place to test out new running form! Also brought home the fact I could do with some strength work as my quads were feeling it.

Just a standard, steady parkrun at my local. Leg/ ankle behaved.

I think the heat had put some off. Given that a large nearby event wasn't on, I was expecting it to have felt busier.
Already 28⁰C when I finished!

No parkrun for me today as I had entered into a 5k/10k charity run local to me. It didn't start until 10.30 so the sun/heat/humidity was hideous, but I came away with 3rd overall female in the 5k race, even got a little trophy and had to stand on a podium for the presentation 🤣 So many people who had entered the 10k had to stop at 5k as the heat was just too much.

Well done to everyone who got out and ran today in the heat!!

no run for me today as have been down to Plymouth with dd2 to a uni open day. I did to a very warm track session with the running club yesterday evening though and will probably try and get out first thing tomorrow for a short run, but meant to be doing some costal path walking with friends a bit later in the day so we will see

Well done @thepurplepenguin for coming 3rd! That’s impressive!

Well done @Sparticle for your time at parkrun, and anyone else who managed to get themselves up for parkrun in this weather!

That's brilliant @thepurplepenguin !

I was undecided about how to run parkrun today because of the heat, as I use parkrun as my tempo run. First km is always the slowest for me, but then I averaged to 4:24m/k for the rest so ended up running pretty much the same time I've been running for the past few weeks.

Well done @thepurplepenguin!

I did a new one near me. Lots of tree cover but I think that mostly stopped any breeze, making it more hot and humid. A really nice course though.
My parkrun time was 38:30, but I timed it with my sports watch at 37:30. I wonder what the heck happened there?

20,000 steps done today 🫠

Oooof <flops on to thread>

I did my trail marathon (and a bit more when I missed a turn) in hideous heat today. We didn't set off until 10.45 so it was already madly hot then (DH had been out at 7.30 and was complaining about how hot it was) I wasn't sure when I set off if I'd finish but took it steady and walked a lot and drank gallons of water and tailwind. Don't think I will be able to move tomorrow!

Well done @thepurplepenguin !