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.

Are contact lens an option @TyneFilth both DD & DH wear for sport but often switch to glasses for work stuff. Hope you can find insoles for arch support I struggle with a sore toe joint and prefer a little arch support but can’t seem to find something that works without aggravating the other. I should really go see someone as it limiting my running & walking more now. Pesky hip causing an imbalance in my running stride is impacting it all.

Hope the hamstring rehab goes ok @Nedsatomicdustbin & great longer run @Whataninterestinglookingpotato sounds hardcore.

Been stiff and achy here probably eaten too much sugar as we had a birthday in the family so more cake & chocolate around than normal this week. Did a weary trail run / walk with dog at sunrise as actually not raining and a nice morning especially now it’s light before 7am means I can get it done before mum taxi duties start at 8am!

Sorry to hear your are injured @Nedsatomicdustbin. How did your jog go?

Well done on your long run @Whataninterestinglookingpotato , sounds tough but you did it!

@TyneFilth that sounds painful. Hope you can get both insoles and eyewear sorted.

I am battling a cold so should not really have gone running. But I was determined to recce the HM after failing last week. Well I was slow and it was hard and I missed the trail a couple of times despite having an GPS download and had to backtrack. Lots of mud and stiles to climb (not impressed with those I have to say), and I met sheep, deer, horses and a startled pheasant. It stayed dry so all in all it was good. Hopefully I will be faster on Sunday.

Hello runners! What a lovely sunny day it is here today!!

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree your trail recci sounds lovely! Good luck for the race at the weekend!!

Well done on your early run @RunningInto i hope you’re feeling less achy now.

its such a lovely day that I couldn’t resist a lunch break run even though i have a gym class booked later. I just wanted to run fast in just shorts and a tshirt without feeling cold! It was lovely. Managed 4 miles in 30 mins with a big hill in the middle. Feeling happy that I’m getting faster again.

club run last night which was dry and not too cold. I enjoyed it despite nearly not going as was feeling quite coldy and not great before I stared. Though I was ok once I got going and felt better for it after. Really feels like spring is coming and I can’t wait!!

hope everyone else has some nice weather and is managing to get out in it!

I've been in taper week before my next race tomorrow (15km G3 trail series, expected to be extremely muddy!) , so just had a lovely lunchtime run in sunshine on Tuesday near work, and a couple of strength sessions this week.

Good idea on the contact lens option @RunningInto although I didn't really get on with them when I tried them last year. And I would be wary of using them for triathlon as I have a horror of trapping lake water in my eyes...

Wish me luck for 8am tomorrow - here's the route profile (fingers crossed the pic attached...)

Good luck @TyneFilth thats certainly looks like an insulating route!! I try and console myself that there is just as much down as up!! Though it does look as if the end is all up hill!!

Good luck tomorrow @TyneFilth . I'll be going on Sunday, we've had a fairly dry week but there's drizzle forecast for race day.

I have had a cold this week and trying to rest up a bit. I ran the race route on Monday as a recce, had a couple of long walks on Tuesday and Wednesday, and went out on my bike yesterday to recce a 20 mile route I'm doing with a friend later in March. We've had lovely sunshine this afternoon so I have Jeffed 5 miles and got home just before it started chucking down with rain. I'm volunteering tomorrow at parkrun instead of running to try to save my legs for Sunday.

I have just realised that i wrote insulating, I meant undulating 😂🙈.

good luck for Sunday @OhOneOhTwoOhThree

did hills last night and off to track in a bit. I hope the rain keeps off.

Thanks @Whataninterestinglookingpotato , hope your track session goes well!

Hope you’re trail race went well today @TyneFilth and the weather was kind to you.

thanks @OhOneOhTwoOhThree it threw it down and I got soaked 😂 but never mind.

today however is beautiful!! So me and the dog did a lovely sunny, very muddy 7.5 mile trail run! It was lovely.

tomorrow is long run day. I’m in two minds. I can do 19 miles with the faster group or a leisurely 12 with the slower group. The 12 miles would be enough as I ran 7.5 today and they’re a nice bunch. It would be nice and relaxing, but part of me wants to do the longer faster run, though I may regret my life choices half way round!! 😂

It was great! I think that "insulating" should be the new safe word for hilly... ;-)

The weather was dry but high cloud and not too cold. Having been wet recently the ground was comedy muddy in some stretches (like running through the great pottery throwdown, I thought at one point!) and the signage and marshalling were superb. I was away in my own dream world at about 13.5-14km and missed a turning so ended up doing an extra 500m, but my watch bleeped for 15km at 1h58 which was inside the 2 hours I wanted so I was happy.

Weathers got even nicer this afternoon so I hope that others are getting out for some lovely runs in the sun!

Great work @TyneFilth , you are inspiring me for tomorrow!

Good luck @OhOneOhTwoOhThree !!

@OhOneOhTwoOhThree hope it went well today!
@TyneFilth well done on that hilly route! Not sure if it was you who asked about glasses, I also wear contacts, and have vari focal ones. Get you about the lake water though, I got mud in my eye at XC yesterday and had to take my lens out mid run as I was worried about what might be in the mud (rural route in the Welsh valleys). Would goggles for the swim not keep most of the water out though? My brother had Rudy Project bike glasses which had a prescription insert, but no idea where he got them.
So, yes, final XC yesterday, extremely gloopy mud and hilly. Thankfully the course was shorter than normal and I didn't put much effort in, just keeping my shoes on my feet and staying upright were my main goals. I've no idea how the speedy crew do those conditions at 7min/mile pace, I can't even do that on downhill road 😂
Next up I have a trail half in a few weeks, should be reasonable conditions though as more like forest track (I hope!). I just need to crack pacing, would love to do an event where at best I run even splits, but a faster second half would be the dream. My usual is to get steadily slower and then a crazy fast last 500m sprint when I see the finish 🤣

Well done on your xc race @Jumbojem sound like a challenging course.

Hope you got on well today @OhOneOhTwoOhThree

well done @TyneFilth sounds tough, but also sounds like you smashed it.

17 mile long run for me today with the gang. Another hilly route and a fairly fast pace. I could have gone with the slower group but apparently I like to put myself through as much pain as possible 😂. It was good though and glad I hung on (despite moaning for quite a bit of it) on very little sleep!

A pleasing weekend of running for me with a sub 32 parkswim/ run and 10k run.

I woke up a bit plegmy on my chest out of the blue a few days ago so have kept my heartrate down and not pushed too hard. I'm a bit tired but not unusually so and otherwise feel well. I had originally intended to do the 10k with a 6k tempo session in the middle, but dropped it to a jeff (RIP Jeff Galloway) and am just pleased to have covered the distance.

I'm also pleased to see snowdrops, crocuses and daffs as well as a sky with light in it! Plus getting milder.

Great work @BogRollBOGOF , @Whataninterestinglookingpotato and @Jumbojem ! Agree with your thoughts on light and flowers @BogRollBOGOF .

Thanks for the good wishes everyone - today went well. I was quite a bit faster than when I did my recce, despite the conditions underfoot being worse and came in on target. I jeffed my way round as I have a bit of a cough and cold. Strava has been unusually complimentary about my effort levels

About to stuff my face and go to bed early - I'm shattered. I keep forgetting that recovery takes longer these days.

Well done @OhOneOhTwoOhThree hope you got a good night's sleep, and enjoyed the refueling!

@BogRollBOGOF same re the spring flowers, makes such a difference to see the lighter nights and spring making an appearance.

Ive got my 30 miler this weekend. First long offical run for me and im very excited. Been off the radar for the last few weeks as we've all been incredibly ill with a sickness bug which wiped me out for a week with illness and then a week with recovery, was horrendous, I managed small runs but nothing over 10k. So I missed the last 2 long runs of my plan. Not ideal but then, my goal for this run is just to complete, with a rough hopeful completion time of under 6 hours. So I think ill be ok.
I did 10 miles yesterday, mainly as a final test, but walked all the hills, average pace came in at 7.05km which I was happy with.

Had my first trail event on sunday too. A 10k, which was so much fun, muddy, slippy, boggy but so so fun. Will definitely do more trail events.

Can I ask, what is the etiquette for loo stops during marathons. The one im doing on sunday is in the countryside. If I need the loo, can I just hop over a dyke and go? I won't get frowned at? There are no loo stops enroute due to location. Ill take wipes and bags to remove any rubbish of course.

In awe of you guys who can cover miles. My long run this week was 12km which felt good this morning. Only 4 weeks to go to my first official 10km so I reckon I can do it without’jeffing’ .

Well done on your trail race @OhOneOhTwoOhThree and @SFRSmum i do love a bit of muddy trail!! Good luck for your 30 miler @SFRSmum is it road or trail? Glad you’re feeling better in time for it.

well done on 12km @TheSlimmingPumpkin you’ll smash your 10k!

club run for me tonight and a steady 7 miles with the gang. It was a lovely evening and it was nice that it felt so spring like even in the dark! I cannot wait for warmer weather and light nights. Winter marathon training has taken it tole a bit!! I’d like the rest of it to me mild and dry!! 😂

@Whataninterestinglookingpotato its described as a trail ultra, ill be wearing my trail shoes anyway! (It's called the Morland marathon if you want a nosey!)
Luckily the weather looks like its to be perfect too, at the moment anyway! Cloudy and sunny, low winds, no rain. Perfect!

Ooo. That’ll be fun!! I’ll have a nose it the route!! I’m doing my first ultra in early July and have a trail marathon booked between that and my road marathon in April. I’m really looking forward to the longer trail events. I feel like there’s less time pressure than with a road marathon and I do love it bit of trail!

I might sign up for a 50 miler in September if the 50k goes well!!

good luck for the weekend!

Hello runners.

double run day for me today as it’s meant to rain tomorrow and I have a busy weekend so don’t know how many miles I’ll get in.
hill repeats 4 miler on my lunch break and then a 5k trail plod with the dog after work. It was nice that it was light enough to take her round the local national trust house grounds! First after work visit there for the year. It was so warm today I almost complained about it! 😂😂

Hope everyone else has managed to get some sunny runs in this week!!

@SFRSmum good luck for the ultra!
Well I don't know what happened to the weather, two days of glorious weather then today had to reach for the winter gear again! At least it's been dry, I hear the rain is returning next week.
I have a trail half in two weeks and this is my peak week, last long run Sunday aiming for 10 miles. I haven't done much long runs but a lot of 5-6 mile runs. I'm definitely feeling stronger so think my base fitness is good even if I'm slow. I like to think of myself as more of a cart horse than a race horse 😂 not fast but get the job done.

Good luck for tomorrow @SFRSmum and you @Jumbojem for your up coming trail race!!

12 solo miles for me today as I have plans later which may involve me not being in a fit state to do much tomorrow 😂. As I wasn’t going as far as usual I thought I’d up the pace and try out a bit of fuelling. I got some voom bars as they were on offer and I really liked them. I’ll just need to remember to open them before I start as I don’t think I could do it without stopping. I also wore my running vest which I don’t usually but took bottles rather than the bladder and it was ok and not too annoying as long as I remember to do up the pockets properly as I lost a bottle at one point and had to go back to retrieve it!

about 8 of the 12 miles were at target marathon pace or faster and it was a much hillier route than anything Newport will have to offer. So that was good.