I have been tempted to make a return to park run of late though fear this will be a reality check as I doubt I'll be anywhere near my PB now. I've not been since 2015 having amassed just over 100 runs. Looking to mix things up a bit over the winter but having ditched the road shoes (and taken a vow never to run on tarmac again!), it would have to be an off-roader. May have a go at Worcester which is largely on woodland trails.
Pete Shakespeare - U/A
Going downhill fast
Thanks, you're both right, and I realise that it is tame in comparison, I just need a break from it. There have been periods of quiet on that thread that make this place much more welcoming, but when they get going I come on to see what folk have been up to and it's just a long list of B-word posts. Without even reading them it's depressing and not what I am looking for right now, it's dragging me down and I need to fire up and be surrounded by positive energy. It would be great to be able to ignore posts from that thread in the activity feed, but I can't find an option for that.
Absolutely no doubt whatsoever that it is extremely off-putting PeteS, everyone is just sick of it all, we need places to escape from it all. I realise saying this as someone who is really new here is somewhat challenging, but I can only live according to my truth and everything is saying to me avoid this negative toxicity. Everything I have been working so hard on the last couple of months is all about being more healthy, strong, fit and positive and it is none of those things.
I am good, I am not upset or anything, just taking rightful action to look after myself, leaving is a bit of an overstatement, sorry, I will still be around in the hope that it all ends soon, only another month or so with a little bit of luck! Then we can get back to this being a fell running forum
===
Yes - back to training! The timing is good actually, I am away for a week felling trees, restoring old coppice and building fascines for erosion control; chopping things up with billhooks and axes, no computers, no phones or even any mobile network signal, living wild out in the woods in the middle of nowhere, cooking healthy vegetarian food on a camp fire with super tough and lovely people who care about the world and actively work hard to make things better; it's brutal hard work all day every day from dawn till dusk - which makes for about as hardcore a training week as you could imagine. I doubt I will get any actual running in, though what usually happens is that I lose a little bit of weight, my arms and core tone up and I come back feeling really good - that to me is healthy and positive
Good luck with everything and catch you on the other side!!
Good luck DM. I envy your week away - sounds great!
Pete Shakespeare - U/A
Going downhill fast
PeteS you need to get in a club and get on the XC.... that will set you up for the following Fell season.... in fact I think the first Birmingham League XC fixture (division 1) this year is in Worcester!Originally Posted by PeteS
Yes Pete - you are quite correct. That really is what I should be doing. However, I have reached my mid-fifties and don't really have the urge to compete anymore. I still do the odd race as you know and aim for a reasonable time for my age group but generally, I'm just glad to be still out there still doing it and trying to remain injury free. My body won't take the bashing it used to get and doesn't heal as quickly when it does! 😁
Tonight's training was a hill rep session which amounted to a total of 8.5km/515m of which 2.5km were flat warm up/down. Lots of short, sharp, steep stuff on a wet and muddy Clent Hills. Early rain eased off to leave a lovely evening, the last rays of the autumnal sun making a tough session bearable.
Another hot, sweaty uphill session tonight.... brings today’s total to 8 miles and 4900ft...
Our local parkrun has been cancelled for tomorrow. Part of the route is on the towpath alongside the canal. Apparently the word "alongside" in that description is not currently accurate, following the recent rain.
In his lifetime he suffered from unreality, as do so many Englishmen.
Jorge Luis Borges
Both the Severn and Avon are very high. No major flooding yet but only a matter of time given the sodden state of the land around here.
Had a run out at the local Parkrun this morning... after a couple of stunted weeks training, followed by 5000ft of hard work yesterday, wasn’t expecting much, and so it proved...
20:37..... over two minutes off my pb time. Even after the first short and flat lap of around 4 minutes, I was 15 seconds down on pb pace. Even though I was certainly not pushing it, I should have been keeping it below 20mins if not around 19:30.... but blew some cobwebs away which was the main intention.
More important to get some quality miles in this week, ready for next weekend’s Breidden Hills Race.
I think I'd be pretty chuffed with 20:37 these days. Looking back at my times from 4 years ago, I was regularly sub 20 and knocking on the door of 18mins when injury brought that to a halt.
I fancy Breidden Hills but it is the day after Worcestershire Beacon and I'm not doing both. Definitely no Fishwick in my DNA! Will make a decision towards the end of the week based on the weather.
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