Running goals, motivation and chat 2025 - Part 2!

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Hi all, just setting up a second thread - I hope you don’t mind @Jumbojem but the other one was getting a bit close to ending…

Sorry to keep harping on about the weather but it’s still raining up here so instead of running this morning I’m going to get back on my lovely water rowing machine which I’ve neglected totally since starting running back in Jan/Feb. I miss it (and I miss the muscle toning it gave me) so I’m going to get back on this morning for a change.

Might do parkrun tomorrow or a longer run, haven’t yet decided.

Parkrun cancelled here but a late decision as the paths didn’t freeze until 7.30-8am. So I arrived with lots of others but the right call though. luckily we can still run on the beach so did a nice sunny 6k on sand instead. By 10am paths clear again. Hopefully your all be able to get out soon.

@BogRollBOGOF doing a hit style Joe wicks workout with burpees etc gets my HR high worth a try if you can’t get out running and it will build strength. I remember during early Covid lock down I did it daily with kids then two weeks later ran straight up a hill id never got up before yet had done no running in the weeks prior!

Well done to all those getting out. Your beach run sounded lovely @RunningInto

if you can’t get out at the moment @BogRollBOGOF then I second HIIT work outs on YouTube. Not as good as a run but better than nothing. When I wasn’t able to run due to injury I also spent a lot of time at the gym on the cross trainer and stair climber, I was also able to run a bit on the treadmill before I could run on the road. But that does require a gym membership. I have been following a guy on YouTube who does body weight and resistance band strength for runners and I’ve found him to be very good, the work outs seem to target all the right bits.

10 mile social run with a big group from the running club. Quite a few different abilities 7:30 min miles to 9:30 min miles. So plenty of regrouping at points. I’m about middle of the pack at the mo so it worked well for me. Even in the sideways rain it was good to get out and we ran to the local reservoir. It was a lot milder here today and so the rain wasn’t as miserable as it would have been if freezing but my shoes felt like I was running in bricks by the end!!

Hope everyone had had a good weekend.

I've got out for a "run"... well mainly gingerly picking through glazed ice with a few running intervals. I thought it would be better in the fields, but the soil was frozen before the wet snow that slushed and refroze, so the wet hasn't drained away and is sitting on the surface like an ice rink. It's the worst ice I've known.

It's in thaw mode now (I went out before it got too muddy) but the added wetness is making it worse before it gets better.

Next run scheduled for Tuesday so it should be pretty clear by then...

DS had PE on Friday when school was off so the PE teachers set "do some exercise" (we went sledging ✅️) and included a link to Joe Wicks from 23/3/2020. That first video was our only attempt at Joe Wick's lockdown videos and it became clear within 5 minutes that my then 6 & 8yo were not going to play ball with that malarky 😂

Weather is lovely here today and I’ve finally completed my first run for the year. Very easy/ gentle as I’ve had a big break since my last one. Felt good!

Had hoped to run this morning pre-work but it was hammering it down with rain so sat at my desk at home in my run kit hidden under “nice jumper” for video calls 🤣so that I had no excuse but to run at lunchtime. Very humid warm 11c run but good to get a fast 5k ticked off as I can’t run again until Sat now. Hope the snow has melted for you all now to get out.

Well done @RunningInto , glad to hear I am not the only one who does that 😄

Glad you finally got out @BogRollBOGOF

Welcome back @catincar

I tailwalked at parkrun on Saturday with one of our 80+ year old regulars who had decided to take things easy because of the weather. He’s usually in a singlet and shorts all year round so it was funny to see him in his trackies and a long sleeved top. He’s done over 600 parkruns, despite running only being his second sport - his real love is cycling but he had to stop it because the roads got too busy for his liking. We had a lovely walk and I got to know a lot about our town from someone born and bred here.

I ran 4 miles by myself later, and did 9 on Sunday, mostly trail.

Today I had a muddy and hilly 3 miles around my parents’ village. They live halfway up a hill and are surrounded by other hills so no matter which direction i go there’s an incline. It was cloudy and humid but better than the weekend ice!

I've done another run

It's not easy getting up at stupid o'clock, but it was worth getting out even for a short, slow one. I just need to build routine back up this month.

Well done for getting out this morning @BogRollBOGOF ive never been a pre work runner. I’m just rubbish at getting up in time!

club run tonight for me. 7 miles. I wasn’t sure how I’d be after upping my miles quite a lot last week and doing my fastest and longest runs since being injured in the same week but it was great!! I can still feel the injury but I almost felt like my normal self for the first time in 2 months! So that’s grand.

happy running all.

Got a race coming this Sunday, and feeling under trained and under prepared after Christmas. I've not done much speed at all since.

What will be will be!

It doesn't come naturally to me

With a choice of dredging myself out of bed to run in the dark before work, or dredging myself out of the house on a dark evening after work (around mum-taxi duties), morining just about wins, mainly as I'm not already tired from being on my feet all day and active commute.

I did some post-work runs in the autumn, so the appeal might grow in the next month or so as the evenings lengthen.

I'm proud of myself tonight... an hour's nap on the sofa then going to the gym with DH in lieu of my usual class that wasn't on.

It’s even more impressive if it doesn’t come naturally @BogRollBOGOF

good luck for your race @xsquared

i had a very soggy trail run with my dog at lunch. It was throwing it down but my watch told me to do a recovery run and I noticed yesterday that the sheep had finally gone form the grounds of the local national trust where I like to run with my dog. There been either sheep or cows in the consistently since about last July!! So thought I’d make the most of it!! A slow slippery 5k done. If anything my trail shoes are actually a little cleaner than when I started out with all that water 😂.

Hope your race goes well @xsquared . Look at it as being well-rested!

Well done to you and doggy @Whataninterestinglookingpotato.

I did a slow and muddy 4 miles around a country park today. A dog walker congratulated me on being out in the rain, otherwise I didn't see a soul!

I am very excited for the weekend, I'm visiting a friend who lives abroad and dragging her to parkrun on Saturday.

Thank you both, and well done for going out for a soggy run.

Hello! Realise I haven't read or posted on here since around New Year time.
Sorry to hear about spoiled run plans due to frost and snow for a lot of you. We haven't had snow for years here, and only had early morning frost a couple of days. We get wet and windy instead, I think it funnels up the Severn Estuary.
I took advantage of not having any leave over Xmas and DS not going back to Uni until later this month to go on a trip to southern Spain. Weather was perfect for running, sunny and around 9 degrees at 9am. It did make me chuckle seeing locals running in long sleeves, jackets and gloves, they would be terrified having to run in our cold icy conditions so kudos to you all!

Looks amazing @Jumbojem ive been pricing up trips to southern Spain and Malta for feb/march as the constant wet miserable weather is getting a bit annoying. Like you we haven’t had much beyond frost, a tiny bit of snow one morning but nothing to write home about. It’s just been damp! Today was nice though and we went for a walk around the local Iron Age hill fort country park with the family.

I hope you enjoyed parkrun with your friend @OhOneOhTwoOhThree

track last night for me. Starting to get back into my stride and 10/11 mile long run planned for tomorrow. Apparently we are running for 90 mins, so however far we get in that. Unfortunately the forecast for tomorrow is rain and not the nice sunshine we’ve had today. Hey ho. That’s life in uk winter 😂😂

I was thinking. What’s everyone’s thoughts on starting a new thread as it’s 2026 now or should we just fill this one up first?

We've still got decent space on this one for a while.

I ran a parkrun
Pleasing time- around 31 mins, but more effort than usual for the pace, but I haven't pushed hard for a month and have done very little in the last 3 weeks.
I seemed to have been the only one who stripped to sports bra for some reason 🤣

15.9km done this week which is good for just getting back to routine.

I need a plan for tomorrow...

Im helping at an event tomorrow morning - from 7.30- so decided to shift my long run to today (I've tried doing long runs in the afternoon and without a friend, they are generally hard work)
All my runs are mixed up this week due to school parents eve and various other commitments but hopeful for fitting them in somehow. Ill have to do an interval session on my own which won't be fun

So started with parkrun this and just added on miles at the end to make a long run. I expected to do parkrun on my own but found a friend who was happy to chat which was a nice surprise. Anticipated listening to a podcast for the extra part of my run but ear buds were not co-operative. However it was a route I havent done before so the concentration of doing/remembering a new route and getting my bearings was enough to keep me occupied!

I did my first half marathon yesterday! I ended up with stomach issues and im not really sure why.
I had porridge, which is normal for me, about 2 hrs before the run, along with a coffee and banana. I think ill miss all this out next time just to see if it does make a difference.
So, I completed the half, which I was doubting I would 3km in but had to have a couple of toilet stops. Luckily my hotel was on the running route so I just popped in there! A proper loo made it a bit more barebale.

I wasnt expecting to feel so fatigued when I finished tthough. The last 3km especially were a struggle, and when id finished I couldn't stand up in the shower! An hours rest in bed sorted me out and then I was ready to go. I wonder if it was caused by me holding myself to stiff trying not to let my bowels loose control!

Anyway 2hrs 7mins moving time (I stopped my watch) 2hrs 15 mins total time.

Off to read everyone else's updates now.

Did my first parkrun since 2018. I’ve always been a runner but have spent the perimenopausal years getting fatter and slower. This time last year I decided to lose weight and my only aim was to run 3 miles without needing to walk.

23 bloody minutes. I’m almost as fast as I was 20 years ago.

Well done on your park run @BogRollBOGOF glad you’re feeling like you’re getting back into the swing of things.

well done on your first half @SFRSmum bowel issues are a nightmare on long runs!

well done on your long run @Fizbosshoes i used to always take music but now I don’t always. I quite like running without it now and only really take it if I’m doing a very long road run on my own or for race day.

welcome to the thread @Nedsatomicdustbin and well done on your speedy parkrun!!

Sunday long run for me. 11.5 miles in the bag. Nice to go out with the gang again and glad we’re back to long runs. We’ll probably need to run separately in a few weeks as some of us are training for an April marathon and some aren’t. I have an invitation to join the very fast training group for marathon training which I’ll take up once I feel I’m properly back on form, but for now I’m happy plodding around with my usual gang to get my fitness back up.

Well done, that's a great time even without digestive disruption.

Buscopan can help with cramping. I start it the day before as it can help release any retention in advance, but it also eases "fast track" cramping.

That's amazing!

Unfortunately my teenager does those kinds of times so the sod can bound up the course to greet me and give me really sarcastic "motivational" pep talks while I'm panting too hard to tell him to bog off 😂

The joys of running as a family

Well done @SFRSmum on your first half. That's a great time, given the toilet breaks.

Welcome to the thread @Nedsatomicdustbin . That's a brilliant time, and well done on exceeding your goal expectations. I bet you will surprise yourself at how much you can do now as you rediacover your love of running!

Long run done, 10k.
Somewhat grey and grim out there, but I'm proud of pushing out on tired legs. I can feel the December lull, but getting back into routine is the way to get out of that