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  • It was four and a bit months of no running at all. Much as I hate running I was really beginning to miss it.

    With the C25K it's going to be 6 or 7 weeks or so to get up to running 5k 3 times a week, it's just going to be hard to resist the temptation to run further than I should (it's not fitness holding me back from doing more but the need to build up strength in the ankle).

    Need to combine it with losing weight too (currently 96kg) and need to get down to under 76kg and stay there. Running when this heavy is annoying but I'm used to it, I was ~93kg earlier in the year when I was doing HMs and up.

    Have to think about whether I do the London Landmarks HM at the end of March, there's not a huge amount of time (about 11 weeks if I've worked it out properly) to go from 3x5k/week at the end of c25k to running a single 21km run but I think I should be able to scrape through. Will supplement the gentle running with more time in the pool and on the bike.

    Best bit is I can finally ditch the bike I've been having to use for school running club, been getting too much chat from the Y5/Y6 kids about being lazy - the little shits.

    Did W1D1 today although misprogrammed the watch so only did 7 run reps rather than 8, oh well. Ankle felt odd but it was nice to know I could trust it, without having the all-clear from he physio I would have probably stopped and continued with the rest.

  • Totally get the frustration. I remember feeling almost tearful when I started because it felt like I had lost so much ground.

    I know this will sound controversial but I think that redoing c25k might be partly responsible for setting me up for a two year stretch with no niggling injuries. By taking it gradually meant I came back stronger than even before my injury. I know there's a lot of luck in there too, but just feels like it was worth it with hindsight. I think it also helped me learn to be more patient with my mileage increases.

  • It's going to be frustrating, but stick with it. From reading on here, you've got the mental capacity and willingness to train hard and do hard things (marathons,long distance swims). Use that to adhere to the plan, it'll be a fight with your inner voice - but in this case you can and are allowed to say "shut up head" and not push yourself too hard.

  • I'm another proponent for the slow & steady approach, as boring and long as it seems. Been on and off running over the last few years - normal pattern is this" I'm too fat / unfit, must run to get less fat and more fit - run a lot and lose a bit of weight - get injured and then do no running due to injury" - Last two months, still early days, but have built slowly up to now running 3 x flat 5k per week and a 10k at the weekend, making great progress and nothing (touch wood) hurting too bad.

  • redoing c25k might be partly responsible for setting me up for a two year stretch with no niggling injuries.

    It's 2.5 monhts since my calf went ping.

    My physio has said that I should be good to start running again, if I take it easy.

    That (and the additional 4kg) makes me think that your c25k approach would likely be good for me too.

  • Hello. I'm still running, and have enjoyed catching up on the past few months of the thread (though I've been keeping abreast of some people's runs on Strava).

    In one way, I'm about to come full circle with running (ignoring childhood/teen efforts). It was about three years ago I was cajoled into trying a parkrun after a 30-year running hiatus. In time – after a few months of predictable mistakes and injuries – that led to volunteering, joining a parkrun event core team, encouraging both wife and son to get involved with running and volunteering, helping out at the juniors as well (there's quite a buzz to be had from scanning the barcodes of six-year-olds dressed as a banana and a pineapple who've just tried to outsprint each other in the funnel), first finishes, and an age group course record. Meanwhile parkrun led to me joining a club (one of the developments encouraged by the parkrun core values document), and that opened a whole universe of training, cross-country, camaraderie, track and field, vets' leagues, 5ks, 10ks, HMs, trail runs, and getting very cold standing around between mine and my son's races. Peak dad-life. I've also become quite the expert in tendinopathy rehab protocols and tissue degradation/synthesis research (but would rather not have needed to).

    Now, after much arm-twisting by the more virtuous part of my brain, and having done pretty much every other role, I've finally agreed to be a run director at the end of the month, donning the new and not-very-visible RD's vest, and our crowdfunded defibrillator in its own mini rucksack. Obviously I'm shitting myself, but nothing ventured…

    And prior to that I'll be doing the 20min pacing this weekend (unless I get a bad tendinopathy flare-up) if anyone's looking to cross that particular threshold doing five-and-a-bit laps at Highbury Fields in North London.

    Are we doing goals for 2020 yet? I have mine, but fuck knows if I'll stick to them. Famously fickle.

  • Well done for taking on that responsibility. I'm tempted to return to Highbury Fields park run. Not sure my ego can take how slow I would be, but if I run with a buggy I guess I have a legit excuse.

  • I have enjoyed seeing your 250km weekend rides at blinding speeds be replaced by cross country races at blinding speeds over the last couple of years on Strava.

  • Go for it, but don't be like the occasional psycho participant who's been annoying other parkrunners by using his kid's buggy like a snow plough. Grrr.

    My XC game is weak this year :(

    Never mind. Other priorities…

  • Awesome stuff!

    Volunteering Park Run is my perennial* must-do-but-never-quite-have-the-time list (in my defense, so is actually running Park Run).

    Good luck with the tendon and 20 minute pacing. I hope it holds out.

    * I had a crap perennial / peroneal pun in there somewhere. Probably best to spare everyone from it.

  • Good story with a cliff-hanger. What are your goals then?
    My aim at the minute is to be able to run the local 'red-walk' at the local wood with my dad, and also to hit sub20 mins for a 5k. Very much soft targets: I won't be sad if I don't hit them, they both need to be achieved pre-2020.

  • But not peri peri anal?

  • What's a 'red-walk'?

    Having hovered briefly outside the national top 10 for my age group in 800 (after trying my first ever race at that distance - horrible), I'm aiming to crack the top 10 for the 400 and 800. Need some speed too, so based on stats, time goals are:

    200 - 25 something
    400 - 55 something
    800 - 2.05

    All the fives. I'm not far off, so hoping a much more focused winter and spring will hone the strengths and bolster the weaknesses. Trouble is the way my age increases. I've yet to find a way to slow or stop that process.

    The residual urge to run a sub-17 parkrun persists, but 5ks are just a general fitness thing for me now rather than a target. My 13-year-old son is more of a diesel middle-distance-and-up runner than me, so I think next year might be the one where he bests me in an honest 5k duel. Hope so.

  • If and when I can get over my ITBS my plan for 2020 is to run 1k miles (I've been stuck on 1400km for 3 weeks due to injury so unlikely to get it done this year). I think I'll run more shorter distance races and HMs, with the plan of running Berlin and New York in 2021.
    19min 5km
    42min 10km
    1.5hr HM

    The one benefit of being injured is I've increased my gym work, which should hopefully put me in a better position longer term, so I have some goals for that too but maybe they go into the weightlifting thread!

  • Congrats (I think) on the parkrun "promotion".
    Some very nice targets there, I won't be challenging you to anything much shorter than 5,000m myself then, I'm definitely more of a diesel chugger!

    No concrete time targets for next year for me at the moment, I'm mainly just enjoying putting a few consistent weeks of injury-free running together, and getting somewhere close to full fitness. After the wash-out of the last year, I reckon I'll be very happy to log any top 10 age-group rankings... although looking up this year's rankings on Power of 10, the V45's are looking scarily quick, so I might have to target some obscure stuff like 10,000m and 10 miles. Not sure I'll fit in a proper marathon this year, certainly not a Spring one as house-hunting will be taking up enough energy, time and stress.

    ...Maybe the indoor rowing championships in December though! I'm quite enjoying this at the moment, but just wasn't quite fit enough to think about training properly for this year's event.

  • Just one of the routes around the forestry commission woods, I think it's something similar to this:
    http://www.happyhiker.co.uk/MyWalks/Northumberland/ThruntonWoodandLongCrag/Hiking%20Pages%20-%20Thrunton%20Wood%20and%20Long%20Crag.htm

    My dad runs it every weekend and has done for years, and is a pretty serious hiker. I'm not particularly conditioned to up/downhill or much over 8km so should be trying to get some time-on-feet in but just keep taking myself out for overly excited 5ks.

    Crazy goals and speeds - well done. Will be a cool moment when your son beats you I bet.

  • The residual urge to run a sub-17 parkrun persists,

    Fwiw I found a fast local 5km race easier to get sub 17 at as more folks to chase. /csb

    2020 plans so far are only a reasonable showing at National XC and another slog around Race the Train in Tywyn aiming to crack 1h40.

    I keep thinking Spring Mara pb attempt before I slow down more but need to commit soon if 2020 is going to be the one.

  • Not sure this thread has enough Londoners but wonder if there was appetite to start a regular running club up around Regents park area (open to other suggestions Vic park etc) - either am or pm before work?

    1) Tenderloin

  • that's brilliant news - good luck as a run director.

  • If you are in London then either Dulwich parkrun or the Battersea Park summer 5k series are good places to chase sub 17. I really want to do one of the podium 5ks as well. And if you really really want a fast time then Ipswich and Armagh are fast / short. (I know you aren't in London @rhb)

    Current 2020 plans are to not do a marathon and instead go sub 16 for 5k and sub 33 for 10k. Then at totally the other end of the spectrum to do the Saunders and ROC mountain marathons.

    The first stage in going sub 33 was a failed track session this evening - couldn't get into it. Not a great start.

  • go sub 16 for 5k

    If things go really well in the new year maybe I can have a crack at this with you in Battersea Park one day.

  • Sounds like a good plan.

    Enjoy parkrun this morning everyone.

  • What are the options for mid range running watch? Probably £150 limit, probably garmin, possibly optical hr, easy to download data from watch, small form factor (female wrist), bike mode marginal but would be nice.

  • my wife adores her forerunner 35

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Running

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