Running

Great progress - well done

@Greenbank nice one - glad to see your efforts are delivering such impressive progress - long may it continue!

First run since last Monday due to going out in the evenings and making up other excuses. Did 7.7k in 43 min which I am pretty happy with. Started with going over Denmark Hill too which felt like a good warm up.

today
yes I swam

Today I ran, but I popped into Sainsburys at the end and two of the shop assistants asked if I'd just been swimming. So now I'm a bit paranoid about my hat (yes I wear a hat when I'm running, and no I don't care it's breaking the hardness committee rules).

Do what works for you.

I sweat like 10 sweating things when exercising. I often wear a hat (or a buff worn like a headband/sweatband) to stop the sweat running down into my eyes. I couldn't give a shit what I look like when I run (which is good because old ladies and small children often burst into tears as I lope past).

@hats
How did they know. Were you running with your swimming cap on?...

I'm assuming she was wearing a running hat like this...

I can see how someone might think it was a swimming cap. if they were morons.

Did a 5k time trial at track tonight. 20:47 (according to garmin which is using 3.13mi, strava makes it 20:39 for 5k distance)

new PB by at least 49 seconds.

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/feb/06/owl-attacks-joggers-and-steals-their-hats

J'approve.

great now next year all runners hats will have chinstraps. thanks a lot owls.

oof - sub 20 in your sights.

dont think i'll have time/energy to put in enough speed work to get under 20 until after my marathons now. but think it might become my goal after may.

Must have made a cameo appearance at the Oxon XC league last weekend as well.

It was about zero degrees so I ran in vest, shorts and a buff. I was skirting an awful quagmire section about 1.5km from the finish when some low hanging twigs snagged my buff. I was feeling like shit and was overheating by that point anyway, and I didn't want to impede the following runners by stopping suddenly so I carried on to the finish.

When I walked back the buff was gone (along with a couple of other hats that had met a similar fate). I asked around and none of the marshals had picked it up and the only hat to be handed in was a pink child's beanie. I can only assume that Cirencester Country Park is home to a owl with similar proclivities... either that or some back marker went home with a hoard of sweaty hats.

Help me, hive mind.
I'm meant to be doing a half marathon tomorrow but lost my voice yesterday. I don't really have any other symptoms (well, I have a cough, but I don't feel as bad as I sound). Should I still do the half? I've been tapering and everything.

Depending how I felt I'd start, and plan slower pace, but stop if felt at all crappy. Also depends how much paid to enter vs decent goodybag potential, and more importantly how this might impact future races lined up.

There used to be a saying that if it was neck up only you'd be ok, if below neck forget it, not sure if that's been debunked or not.

Only you can judge how you feel vs what's sensible to do though.

csb - I walked a half with a heavy cold once, wearing a Gorilla Suit (kept me warm). /csb

Ta - my brother also mentioned the above/below neck thing so that's 2 independent sources and therefore FACT. I guess I'll keep an eye on my cough.
I really want to do this one as I was meant to do it last year but the course got flooded, plus I was looking forward to it as a break from the shittiness of work at the moment and an excuse to eat jelly babies.
I don't have a gorilla suit but I might take along some extra layers to keep me warm, including a hat - owls be damned!

That must be Wokingham! I've just been given a spot as a friends brother has decided not to run, will be in a yellow vest and black shorts say hi!

Haven't run over 8 miles since last September so I have no idea how I'll get on!

Do it!!

Yes, Wokingham! I'll look out for you - I can only whisper so you either won't hear me or will think I'm really creepy. I'm going to try find something owl-related to wear to complete the weirdness.

Haha, in the nicest possible way after your last half marathon story I'll just look for a trail of destruction and chaos!

Good luck at Wokingham. And if anyone is doing Chichester tomorrow good luck to them as well.

Final surrey league of the season today. Couldn't get the legs turning fast enough. Next race the Nationals.

We won the league though and I have a big trophy to look after for the year.

R and r before tomorrow's long run now.

Not a bad day, went out trying to run a 1:30 and help a buddy of cracking 90 minutes, felt nice and comfortable, and as he was feeling pretty good he insisted i pushed on, no intermediate timings, but i was about 30 seconds ahead of pace at 7 miles when i left him, and crossed the line in 1:28:02, so a decent negative split. annoyingly 3 seconds off a pb but in fairness i wasn't going for one today but to go out for a controlled run with good form throughout.

how did you get on Hats?

Hey Ed, I looked for you at the start but couldn't see you. I was about half an hour slower than you so you'd probably gone by the time I finished.
I managed to avoid my usual dramatics and didn't fall over/poo myself/anything else. Ambled along quite happily for the first half but had a sulk at 15k and sat down on a verge for a minute before trying to get going again (mainly failed at that). I couldn't breathe that well and was feeling a bit stroppy.
Good event all round I thought, not too many people, nice low key feel to it, lots of cheering from marshalls and residents, free hot chocolate at the end.
I wore an owl hat but didn't even see an owl, let alone have my hat stolen from my head. Darn it.

Ha, i realised when standing near the start line there were a LOT of people in yellow vests!

It really was a great event, the course is fairly rolling but there weren't any significant hills, and the support was fairly good, and most people were friendly, apart from the tit who overtook me after a mile adn had to take the racing line the corner so cut me up, I cant believe I've never run it before - my inlaws live less than a mile from the start!