The running thread continues into Spring

[sfxmum]

just to house the runners

Actually popsycal has great advice - join a running club.

Or you could come and run after my almost 3 year old ds who has just learnt to ride without stabilisers and goes bloody fast. I have done lots of fast short sprints over the weekend - perfect interval training

i am biting the bullet in a months time and am going to join our local running club - trying to decide which one though

sfxmum - how did I miss you out! Well done You will look back at your first race through rose-tinted spectacles

popsycal - go for it. Joining my running club has done wonders for my running and expanded my social circle.

sfx mum, well done you too! Next thing you know you will be doing a half, in Africa with me! Hatwoman, it was the Safaricom Lewa Marathon. You should put it on your list for next year, come and join me in a ladies team. One man said he had found it easier to do the London Marathon than the half marathon at Lewa .

And special thanks to MrsW who made a donation.

Popsy, I think you should not stop for a tactical walk in the middle but start off slowly as you suggest. Keep it slow and steady and ignore all the others who dash off quickly at the start. You can do it.

My knee feels much better today and I am thinking about the best way to ensure it doesn't happen again. I am planning my next half for October, it is a road race and is pretty flat so it should be 'easier'. I think lots of hill training and some interval work should strengthen my knee, what do you all think?

omg themaster! I just googled it - sounds incredible - and the altitude . when I was fit and ready for my marathon I did a run at that height - I was on a ski-ing holiday - just 3 miles odd - and it nearly killed me. do you live/train at that sort of altitude?

just found this story about last year.

I'd love to do that - perhaps I could persuade dh and dds that we need to go on holiday to Kenya and then throw that into the pot, as it were. No access to altitude training though - I reckon it would finish me off...

In Nairobi we are already at 5,000 ft so the difference wasn't too vast for me, however when I first started running last year it almost killed me! It's amazing how quickly you can adapt. The altitude also makes the sun so ferocious...

Yes the lion story is well known. I saw some zebras and a gorgeous giraffe but thank god no ellies.

Oh do come and join me next year, I would be delighted! I promise to arrange an awesome holiday for the whole family, beach and bush and a small run for mummy. In all seriousness I am going to recruit an all woman team, all I need is 10 idiots volunteers.....

Count me in

Will just have to pesuade dh And start saving...

oooooooh

Oooh, sounds really tempting! Oh DH...

Congratulations to you both for fantastic runs and times! Master M, your run looked incredible and your description of it was very evocative.

Sfxmum, so pleased your first race was a good experience. Which one are you going to do next?

Definitely would agree with everyone who recommends joining a running club. If nothing else you get to discover new places to run in your local area, and you get pushed to do different things too which is good for me as I'm a bit one-paced when I go on my own.

Went out yesterday at 11.30, was absolutely boiling hot (ok, not as hot as Kenya!) and I was rubbish - only managed 5.5 miles and none of them were fun.

it kind of makes me think - almost seriously - that using races in exciting places wouldn;t be the worst way of deciding where to go on family holidays. dds are 7 and 9 now - so we're gradually edging away from doing self-catering in Brittany (been great but it's starting to get a bit tedious now)- and trying to rediscover the wanderlust of our more youthful days. and I've always thought that going somewhere to do something - rather than just look at it - is much more interesting.

MrsW, actually at the moment you are hotter than Kenya In Nairobi just now it is only about 18 deg, I've got a warm cardi on!

Hatwoman, at 7 and 9 your dc would absolutely love a safari, take a week, half in the Maasai Mara, half in Lewa, then post run fly down to Mombasa for a week in the waves.

My two boys are 6 and 4 and would LOVE a safari holiday! Might even make watching me run a bit more bearable for the poor boys - they are always most disgusted that I never actually win the races I take part in.

we took dd1 to South Africa and Zimbabwe when she was one. dh used to have relatives in Zim but, apart from a few distant cousins he doesn't really know, they have left now . we honeymooned in Zim too - was incredible, saw lions, rhino (made me cry they're so beautiful), wild dogs, and lots of the more common stuff - hippos, elephants, not to mention a scorpion (in my bed...). I dream about going back and taking the girls.

[please do excuse/ignore my musings and go back to talking about running...]

hello all

so much talk of Africa is making me nostalgic I was born there and spent most of my first 4yrs there, have to say most if the memories are from pictures and stories but always wanted to go back though perhaps not for a Marathon

have not been out since Sunday (thanks all) just seems to hot at my usual time so might have to set the alarm and go early tomorrow

and btw thanks for the indie soup podcast much more my kind of thing

I haven't been watching Coronation Street but I had to laugh at this (warning, DM link!):

www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1196578/Pictured-Secret-lovers-Kevin-Webster-Molly-Dobbs-side- Coronation-Street-fun-run.html

It describes it as a 'fun run' but later on it says it's a half-marathon which is no fun run! And I'm not sure how long they've been training, but of course we all go from never running to a half-marathon straight away...I also felt like a Real Runner when I thought "hmph, she'll not be happy running with two cotton vests on, silly girl".

sfxmum - glad you like indie soup runner

Oooh Master, well done, that sounds amazing. Am very tempted to join your crazy scheme, but all things being equal would quite like to have another baby next year and perhaps the two are not compatible!!!

Well done on everyone's recent achievements. Have been up north for a few days and haven't run in....eh...9 days. Eek!

Was supposed to tonight, but have been travelling with DD all day in horrible heat and need to get to bed early tonight so am getting back on track tomorrow.

Have only 12 days till my 10k and feel like my training has gone all to cock so need to sort myself out.

Happy sweating everyone!

Went out last night with running club - i reckon the running club is great - id give up too easily otherwise!

But god was it hot - not like Kenya though - thats amazing.

My knee was playing up a bit last night though so hope just a twinge and it will be ok Thursday.

I have a 5 miler in a few weeks which im bit nervous about - not run that far yet and im quite slow! Be the first proper race Ive done apart from Race for Life

oh too too hot. have been getting up at 5.45am but only have time for 6.5k. usually there is nobody around but now heaps of runners all trying to go early.

You poor things, in all that heat. I bet it rains the minute I step back onto blighty soil next Friday. We are celebrating the end of school - yippeeeeeeeeee!

I popped out a 5k from school to home this morning and it felt good. The knee held out. I have realised however that I do really rather need to push myself out of my comfort zone.

I am taking dd on her school cross country course this sat to coach her for September. Poor child.

lol badger

Many fond memories of Africa here too. I lived there on and off from age 1 to 12 (Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Swaziland) and also visited Mozambique and Ghana.

Went back to Zimbabwe in 2005 with kids (they were 4 and 6) and they loved it too

Popping in again - haven't been running as much recently but was very pleased going out early yesterday and doing 3 miles. Have my race for life on 19th and am really going to try and push myself when I do it