Reply With QuoteYep. Pain is addictive. When I signed up for my first it was going to be my “one and only” marathon. Fast forward 3 years and I have run 8 (9 if I include Virtual London 2022) with no end in sight to the madness.
Cheers mate, definitely a great experience and I can see why people run them all the time
Only a few months ago I said I’d never run a full one, now I’m looking for the next one!
Yep. Pain is addictive. When I signed up for my first it was going to be my “one and only” marathon. Fast forward 3 years and I have run 8 (9 if I include Virtual London 2022) with no end in sight to the madness.
Big congrats Demonloop, amazing time! Currently mid Atlantic on a flight to NYC to take part in my first marathon with my daughter on Sunday.
^^ So jealous! Good luck mate!
Good luck with NYC @Space Traveller. Toughest marathon course I’ve done so far. Even better vibe than London though and that’s hard to beat. Hope the weather is on your side.
I was in the one and only camp, but ended up doing 17 - last one was 1995. Dropped out on two, Slough, cos it was 3 laps and after 2 I decided I was off my 3 hour pace. Then at 12 miles in an Ironman when my body came to a stop - but that one was only 3 weeks after the Nice Long Distance Triathlon Championships.Originally Posted by FK77
More up to date todays parkrun was meant to be sub 26 minutes, part of my recovery from being knocked off my bicycle 14 months ago. Today was to be my first run as a 75 year old, but was tripped early in the event, fell heavily and was winded. The lady that tripped me stayed and helped me up, and we ran together, but finished in a disappointing 27.5 minutes.
Thanks mate, had an amazing time. The weather was just about perfect. Went from 25° on Friday, to about 13° and still sunny on Sunday, with a nice breeze. Ran the whole race with my daughter, who didn’t stop once. Met some amazing people and generally had the best time. Brilliant, life-affirming event.
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Rutland Water 10K night run tonight, new pb!
Saw that on Strava, good work!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Cheers Dave!
What are the best parkruns in your neck of the woods? I need to make a trip to see my Dad in Wolverton, so thought I'd try to do it on a Saturday and do a parkrun first.
Very well done for giving it a go..which event was it ? I've done a few ultras myself and they can be crazy tough but addictive in a daft way
Did the Cotswold Trail marathon today. Great weather and beautiful scenery.
955m of elevation but managed it in 4:06 and first male veteran. Showing those young whipper snappers there is life in the old dog yet.
Well done that man! Age is only a number!
Great work this year all, great to see.
Been a busy end to the year for me so running has taken a back seat. But, Cambridge Half next March and for the first time ever I am actually training proper with a plan in place . Two weeks in and feeling great, I can feel the benefits already.
Deffo recommend
Pitch
Christmas Day parkrun for me tomorrow - as normal at Canons Park. Still in (very) slow recovery mode since accident in 2023. Started off the year at 32 minutes, hopefully tomorrow around 26 minutes - though the times do not matter too much, as often I am the only 75+ doing the event!
Yes, been some impressive achievements by TZ runners this year - well done all!
Personally I didn’t hit a single race goal in 2024 but still satisfied that it’s going to be my biggest year distance-wise: 3,361km (and counting), up from previous best of ~2,710km in 2023. And didn’t pick up any new injuries.
Hoped to become a fully fledged member of this thread in 2024, all was going well till mid- year, doing 6 miles in 47 mins which pleased me at 66, unfortunately my right knee decided it didn' t want to run any more and the last few months have been spent persuading it otherwise. Tried running again last week, took it v. steady, tried again a few days later, knee ached but much better than it was.
Decided to give it another try today and managed 35 minutes on soft ground, had a walk to the pub at teatime and the knee feels OK ( ish). Didn' t feel it walking home thanks to Mr Beer!
Glass is looking half- full rather than half- empty, 67 in January but hoping to keep running next year, sub 25 min parkrun remains a target!
Good luck to y'all, I have every respect for anyone who' s prepared to put one foot in front of the other, to quote the Nike T Shirt......Just Do It!
I'll be out in the morning for the Christmas Day Parkrun, meeting a friend at my local one.
Here's to a good year of running for people in 2025!
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
10k in 47 mins age 66 is a superb time !
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Doing the Inverness half in March myself, first half ever.
Decided to just bite the bullet, my plan is 3 runs a week, 2 smaller runs and one longer run.
I used to be good at it in my younger days...........I could' ve been a contender! Short middle- distance running was my thing, never was a true distance runner, did 1 half- marathon in 78 mins but never did another because I hated it.
Unfortunately I' ve a long history of running- related injuries, by 26 I was virtually finished owing to a torn achilles which never fully recovered. Ironically, following surgery in 2023 to fix a bone spur on the same heel I' ve had no problems, should' ve had it done 15 years ago. Still managed a few reasonable 10 ks under 35 mins on limited training but never got the best out of myself............I have a great future behind me!
Just completed 37 mins in the local woods, off- road definitely helps. Recovery will take 2-3 days till my ageing legs are ready to go again.
2024 has been a good year apart from the knee issue returning, a combination of weight training and intense cardio in the gym has worked for me, probably trained as hard this year as I
did when running seriously, only disappointment is the limited running. After losing around a stone I look like a runner and feel like a runner again, but realistically my running has to be managed v. carefully. 40 minutes running 3 times/ week combined with 3 gym weight sessions is a reasonable target.........avoid trying to run too fast and definitely avoid hard surfaces!
Best wishes to y' all, don' t over-think it and definitely don' t overdo it, getting injured is far easier than getting un- injured!
Went out this morning intending to run between 3 and 4 miles. Weather really gloomy here in north Wilts but good for running so ended up doing 6.
Need to keep myself ticking over at my age so I can increase the distance in the new year. Signed up to Cardiff half in Oct.
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Nice and easy 4 miles last night in 38mins, plenty in reserve at that pace so it felt.
I’ve been trying to keep the legs moving over the Xmas period too, but a combination of seasonal cheer, family days out and friends nights out has made it hard to get some runs squished in.
Did 7 miles yesterday, 5 on Boxing Day and 6 on Xmas Eve, way down on my normal mileage
Looking forward to healthy eating and normality in January.
I’m doing longer Sunday runs, I’ve got the Wokingham Half late feb (hoping for a sub 2 hour) and then London marathon late April (hoping for under 5 hours) Has anyone got any races lined up?
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I’m doing the same (13 miles today)
Have a half and two marathons lined up, the first full one might not happen, but the later one will.
Tough to squeeze in too much lol
Oxford Town & Gown 10k in May for me, nothing else as yet. There's a 10 mile in February that I did last year that I'm sort of tempted by, but not sure my fitness is there.
Dave E
Skating away on the thin ice of a new day
Still have a tiny bit of hope to get a London Marathon spot but other than that nothing big planned. Might look into a marathon for Sep-Dec if London doesn’t come through.
I did a race this morning though - Hyde Park 10k - traditionally on New Year’s Day but was rescheduled to today due to bad weather on the 1st. I only resumed running yesterday after a small illness break and not 100% even now. Plus dealing with an insane amount of work-related stress has resulted in a dip in motivation. So was happy even though it was well over 3 mins slower than my PB. Reminded myself that I dragged myself out of home to run it because I already skipped a HM in Nov and a 10k in Dec due to not being mentally ready. So managed to break that alarming trend today!
Doing the Inverness half in March, first one ever.
Up to 6 miles pretty comfortably at the moment, joined a jogging club to help with my motivation 😂😂
I don’t have many lined up for the year, but am doing Pendle Way in a day in a few weeks and have also entered for The Lap in May and September.
I’ve done Pendle Way a few times now and did The Lap for the first time last May.
Our club's next half marathon training block started last night, and this year we have a "1.30 section"
Last night was 1min on / 1 min off @ 6.10 pace x12, I'm sore today!
Wish me luck!!
Not feeling it today after 2 x 12hr night shifts and not a lot of sleep. Even my Garmin was telling me to take a rest day but the sun was shining and might not get the time for another couple of days so managed a 5k. In training for the Lakesman Duathlon (90km on the bike then into a half marathon) so got to get out there😁
First run (yesterday) as a 67 year old, birthday was Jan 4th and owing to the weather and catching cold I haven`t run for 10 days. Steady 40 mins off road, tricky combination of frozen ground, ice and mud kept me (literally) on my toes. Dodgy right knee is holding up OK to moderate punishment, target of 3 runs/week of around 45mins looking far more achievable than 4 months ago when I was convinced the knee needed surgical intervention.
Strongly advise everyone who runs to include some gym work, can`t stress this highly enough, a couple of weights sessions/week really does pay dividends. Alternating running and gym days is a good training regime.
Last edited by walkerwek1958; 15th January 2025 at 21:53.
Did 10k in the gym tonight (no way I'm going outside in this weather 😬) and am now reminded of the lovely runners nips issue!
I remember my first half back in 2005 and the official pictures are slightly ruined by the nip height blood stains on my white shirt 😬😂
Anyway, I used to use a product that worked really well, butI can neither find what I had or remember its name other that I think it had the word "glide" in it, but might be imagining that. I do remember after being recommended it googling it at work and regretting it, obviously useful for other purposes!
Does anyone know what I might be thinking of? Or any other solutions (other than vaseline and plasters).
Thanks!
So after spending new year in hospital after a road accident (6 broken ribs and broken collarbone needing a new plate and 12 screws), I managed to gingerly test things out on the treader this week. First jog couldn’t get me faster than 8min/km pace as at least 3 ribs are still broken and the shoulder and torn trapezoid muscles ache. But I’m tired of being mostly immobile for all Jan. Managed 6km @ 8min pace. Body said it had enough as I can’t fully breathe in yet. Then tonight I had to get out again. Managed 8km at 7:30pace. Popping painkillers 30mins before helped. (Dihydrocodeine and Paracetamol) Need to be ready for the London Winter Run 10k on 23rd Feb. Was originally hoping for a PB (47mins), but that isn’t going to happen this year. Need to keep pushing. Determined to come back stronger. Pain is just weakness leaving the body.
Bodyglide? Worked well for me in the past. Or squirrel’s nut butter, which I’m using now and prefer.
For nipples though I just use micropore tape - gently eased off in the shower afterwards.
Well, that post has aged badly! 3 days later I did almost the exact same run, undulating paths around woods, aiming to get 40 minutes in again. Was going like a good 'un, 2 minutes away from the car, finishing on a firm level path, when pain developed around the outside of my calf, which progressed to the knee within a few strides. No warning, just came on, no twisting or slipping involved, just putting one foot in front of the other at around 7.5-8 mins/mile pace. Had the good sense to stop and walked back to the car rather than struggle on. Within a couple of hours the knee was painful to walk on, next day even sitting with it supported was uncomfortable.
11 days later it's a lot better, but no way could I consider running on it. Back to where I was last August, really should get an MRI on it to find what's going on and whether another dose of keyhole surgery is worth considering. What surprised me was how the knee broke down with no warning, 3 days earlier it was subjected to exactly the same rigour and felt fine, OK in the gym, all indications were that it had recovered and was standing up to 40 minute runs. I`ll never understand how the human body can behave like it does, as a clock-repairing buddy of mine once said.........we're made out of the wrong stuff!
Birth certificate is the big problem, it reminds me I was born in 1958.
Good luck to y'all, keep training and stay healthy, I have to accept my running days are probably over. Gym for me, with the dreaded cross-trainer for a cardio workout 3 times/week.
surely get the MRI Paul...don't delay do today. my motto fwiw...
Sorry to hear this.
Last edited by Passenger; 28th January 2025 at 19:24.
Thanks buddy, that's good the advice.
Can`t face going through the NHS process and being offered physio (waste of time) then being forced to have an X ray (after a wait) then a wait for results, then an MRI (eventually) then a wait for results. Sensible way forward would be one visit to hossy with an x-ray and MRI carried out.......get all the info and find what's going on, but it doesn`t work that way. In order to get anywhere in a sensible timeframe I'll end up paying for a private consultation and MRI. It['s possible that the cartilage on the bones has worn to such an extent that keyhole won't do much good, but it's also possible that meniscus cartilage damage is causing the problem and it may be fixable........again. That's what I had done 8 years ago when I tore it racing the dog downhill on a rough path, I think it was already damaged but that f***** it big style. Never forgot the look of contempt from the dog as he literally looked down his nose at me when I pulled up sharp in pain! Dog's now almost 12 years old bless him, his running days are behind him and I suspect mine may be too.
Strong advice to any runners is to avoid injury, do all the right things (stretching, good shoes, not over-training), and run on soft ground if possible. Gym work to build strength, and don't do too much running till your weight is near-optimum if you're new to it.
Haven’t used BodyGlide and the likes but I swear by NipEaze. Rain or sweat with shirt friction, doesn’t come off even in the shower. As long as you stick it to dry skin.
Bodyglide, that's the one! I might try the micropore tape suggestion too, it's just ripping hairs out in that area is a bit unpleasant 😬😂
Thanks another one to look into 👍
Doing 20 min pacer in Antrim yesterday. It’s tricky enough due to the inaccuracy of the gps with the tree coverage. I’d 3 guys with me who I brought the whole way and 2 of them pb’d which was brilliant!
Well done on the pacing. My 5k pb is 20min flat..I was so annoyed after the race. One second off a sub 20
I was racing today. The Trim 10mile. Great race on a fast enough course. 73min so happy with that. Plenty of room for improvement though which is good.
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Great running! Had a couple of friends running in that today.
There was a right few from up north at it. I ran the Raheny 5mile last weekend and the weather was shocking to say the least..plenty of nordies at it too. I think it's the biggest 5mile on the island.
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Was looking forward to running outside today for the first time in a while especially as it was a nice day but gone down with lurgy yet again 🤬
Not ideal with seven weeks to go to the Reading Half.
Might explain why I found yesterday's bike ride harder than expected I guess.
Argh!
Had an annoying cough the last 3 weeks, feeling better today. I´m looking forward to a run down through the mountains to the beach tomorrow.
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