Running

That Tom Tom is a refurb - Not sure if that matters?
Anyway, £30 more for a decent Garmin:
https://www.sportpursuit.com/catalog/product/view/id/875111

I'm tempted...

yeah, thats the one I've lost/is missing, that was what I was looking at when I noticed the other

So that's an older model, so you won't get many software updates, if any. The Bluetooth connection to Android devices is temperamental too. It can. E used for running and cycling though, if that matters?

Hi PhilPub,
Did I spot you and your wife running yesterday morning on and near the Thames path?

theres a cycling option on the garmin too, think i'll just stick with that.

cheers

Cheers Phil!

This one?
http://www.chichester10k.com/

Bit of targetted spam: I have one of these (medium, orange) but I don't really get on with it after a couple of trips out. If anyone it's interested for £60 drop me a PM

https://www.montane.co.uk/mens-c1/clothing-c25/windproof-jackets-c12/featherlite-7-jacket-p193

I don't know, have you got a fantastic beard? :) Yeah, we did 15 miles out and back to the ferry from New Cross.
(We're not married but she is moving in when the bathroom's done!)

That's the one. I can't tell you what the route is like because they've changed it for next year, but it's a well established event and attracts a really strong field. I very much doubt they'd want to scupper their reputation for having a fast race so it should be good for a PB.

Speaking of which I have a code for 20% off with them until Jan. Its one use only so first to PM gets it.

Edit: scratch that, on reflection I'd like some Primaloft pants but I don't really need them so I'll give it a miss for now

So for a while my 5k time on my usual route was bouncing around the 27.45 to 27.25 mark and that was about it. This week I've churned out 26.45 on Monday and 25.56 this evening. I'm not really sure what's going on here. I'm not complaining but are these sudden gains normal? Will they continue? Will I finally get under the 25.00 that three months ago seemed like a hopeful fantasy?

An interesting torchlit run round some of the twisting tracks and trails that criss cross one of our local forests.

Had a good idea where I was but checked the compass to confirm how far round the track I was. But it was pointing the opposite direction to what I expected. Enabling the navigation screen on my watch confirmed my original thoughts that I wasn't lost or had forgotten how to read it. Just the compass has become south seeking, and that was definitely confirmed when back home. With it sat next to my sighting compass and needles pointing opposite directions.

.

This is something that has become more common with the proliferation of smart phones, electronic car keys, digital cameras and, ironically, gps units which can cause the good old fashioned compass to flip polarity.

XC fixture #3. Have fun folks if you're racing/spectating.

I know it sometimes happens, but have never seen it occur.

For solo offroad adventures, I've kept phone and compass in the same easily accessible front pocket of my vest pack for the past year. It was fine last time I used it, but threw the towel in last night.

^ Had a moment in Lichfield during EfM where the compass bearing was out against gps. Was confusing, but possibly more related to sleep deprivation than polar reversal.

In other news, got my xc pacing spot on today, also hit 193 bpm on the finish line which was something I didn't think I'd see again as the years tick by.

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I did an endurancelife event in Dorset today. I only did the 16 mile half. The hills were tough.

4s off my 20min/5k parkrun target today.... Next week'll be the one...

Just been and checked that on your Strava, looks, erm, undulating. Those coastal paths do have a habit of dropping you to sea level before rising high again.

Top work @steves a few strides before the start to get the legs firing and and it will be yours.

Nice pacing @rhb, not quite identical but holding it together on a x country race is an example of good work. Did you overtake quite a few people in the second half?

Yes, those coastal paths deserve respect. To run a good time there you have to have done a recce or two. Although the worst bit was possible the shingle on Lulworth Cove at the very end. My brother did his first, and final, ultra, 45 miles of coastal path. BOnkers.

Huge well done to your Brother. Shingle is heavy to run on for sure.

Xc was 3 laps with different profile first & second half, was about 10s per lap quicker (and 6bpm ave higher) each.

Did you overtake quite a few people in the second half?

Plenty, it's much nicer to be picking up places throughout than to go out crazy then gradually drop back, and only means holding back a tiny bit on opening lap. HRM very useful for measuring this as rpe goes out of the window in shorter races I find.

That's a seriously peaky profile, excellent effort. Where did you come?

Big contrast for me yesterday, the Kent County Vets' XC champs was mainly round a flat grassy field in Dartford, with the odd very sharp but very short slope. Going good to firm, so I logged one of my quicker XC paces, 5:34/m for 5.5 miles. We managed to defend our team title for the V40 race (4 to score) and I went one place better than last year by coming third. A pleasing return to something like my best fitness, so I'm looking forward to next week's Southern Counties Vets' XC, although the competition will be a bit stiffer there.

Spotted the Hayfield Santa Dash race yesterday. Most runners coming down off Nab Brow missed the flags to send them back along the reservoir and went straight for the bridge, plenty of shouting and pointing in the right direction from our group as they regathered. Hope they brush up on their map reading before the 25th or there'll be a lot of disappointed kids...

Also prompted me to get round to entering Bowstones on NYE, turns out it's full :(

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