Today's Run

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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

21.6 reasonably brutal kilometers today. Windy, wet, and sodden ground. Add in an overly active brain, a wife with a cold and serious dream twitching last night, and 3 hours "sleep". I was not looking forward to a run today.

Managed to drag myself out of the house eventually, canal to start to avoid the beating I knew I was going to take. I'd planned a hilly route with 1,100m of climbing. First kilometer was the flattest of the day and one of the only bits where I'd not be going up or down. Vally was 13 degrees, tops were about 2. Difficult to layer appropriately. Thankfully I had a tailwind for the first three climbs, after this it was where the wind was going to beat the living pants off me. Up on the open tops for a large traversing section - reduced to a power walk.

Ate and drank while walking and decided to add one final climb in - straight into the headwind, but it has a great descent off the backside of it. 20mins later, running hard down the descent and my legs go behind me, no chance I can quick step this fall and catch it. Arm out, really rocky descent, need to keep my face off the gritstone. Manage to land on my hand and then side of my face hits the ground next - don't quite scorpion - knee takes a smash off a non moving chunk of rock. It's a long time since I've done that. Not shaken, more amused than anything, I know exactly why it happened: i wasn't engaged with the act of descending - I was thinking about what I had to do for work on Monday. Stupid.

Met the wife and child in town then walked up to the house to survey the damage. Torn tights, damage to knee, bruised ego. Complexion and mullet as vaguely exciting as ever.

3 hours, 21.6km, 1,050m of vertical. Grand day out.
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Bearlegged
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Re: Today's Run

Post by Bearlegged »

Oops.
Glad to hear you've not done too much damage. GWS.
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PaulB2
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Re: Today's Run

Post by PaulB2 »

Hills sound dangerous :shock:

The plan was for a longer (for me) slow run today so went out to the canal at Baswich and then back via the infamous hospital. 7k in just under 46 minutes with a nose bleed inducing 32m of elevation.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

75 mins before food, I do like fasted runs, should do them more. Went out at a reasonable pace enjoying the first real Spring morning we've had. No wind. Just birds. Was wonderful.

11km, 300m of vert.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Today's Run

Post by Dave Barter »

Lovely evening here so set out to run a permissive path I’d not been down before. Legs a bit jaded from a long walk on Sunday but they still managed to put out a few watts. The new loop was a fantastic run that I will definitely do again but 1800ft of climbing and 11 miles have done for me.
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sean_iow
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Re: Today's Run

Post by sean_iow »

I had to run an errand on the way home from work so took the opportunity to run somewhere different for a change. A nice run along the coastal path from Seaview to Bembridge and then inland to loop back to the start. Went past St Helens Old Church, the remains of the tower are painted white as sea mark and there's a WW2 pillbox at the base.

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No idea why they thought they needed a pillbox on the sea wall pointing towards Portsmouth, if they were coming from that direction then presumably the mainland was already occupied and as it faced the Solent I'd imaging a German Naval gun would soon remove the pillbox.

7.3 miles and a nice flat 405 feet, 1 hr 2 mins
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summittoppler
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Re: Today's Run

Post by summittoppler »

Heres what Sean Conway got up to in January. A fun watch.
He ran 496km in a month.

https://youtu.be/2nkSA9XkLw8
BAM: 2014, 2018 & ......
2024 Bikepacking nights: 3

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/summittoppler/

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/user/jefbricks/videos
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PaulB2
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Re: Today's Run

Post by PaulB2 »

Popped out at lunchtime for 5k in 31 minutes at a steady pace. Warm but windy - had to take my waterproof off half way round as I was just too warm. I never seem to get my clothing right when running.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Today's Run

Post by Dave Barter »

New shoes so faster! 8.3 miles with 1300ft of up saw me run 8:28 mile average. Trails are getting drier now which helps.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Opted to ride yesterday, so a slow run today. Took in one of the closer hills 380m in one quick (steep) burst. The rest was nice and flat. Easy hour.
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Chew
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Re: Today's Run

Post by Chew »

PaulB2 wrote: Wed Feb 24, 2021 2:16 pmI never seem to get my clothing right when running.
The rule I was given, is to dress for it being 10 degrees warmer than it actually is.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Very personally dependant. My legs and head run hot, my hands and torso cold. Always awkward.

I tend to dress inappropriately and change as I go along. But as a fell runner I tend to have a bag of some form 90% of the time.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Lovely run last night. FInished my last lesson of the day and got out the door straight away. Sunshine, first real sunshine of the year. Shorts, light T-shirt and a windproof. Gloves on for the first 15 minutes until my hands warmed up. Up into the sunshine, along with a tail wind, stop to stare at the lambs, smile at the newly growing bluebell shoots. Spring is here.
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PaulB2
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Re: Today's Run

Post by PaulB2 »

I always start off chilly and end up stripping of layers as I go - by the end i'm in just t-shirt and shorts and carrying all the extra layers. I've got a bum bag somewhere that I've never used, I should try that.
ScotRoutes
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Re: Today's Run

Post by ScotRoutes »

Aye, first (short) shorts run of the year yesterday. Very pleasant with lots of birdsong. I'd already decided on a slow one so did a Zwift session when I got back home too.

I usually wear thin gloves and a skullcap/peaked cap. I think I just have cold hands when running. I'm also pretty paranoid about being caught out and would rather take a windjacket or very lightweight waterproof than not. I have a couple of pairs of shorts with a cargo pocket or I'll just take my UD "vest" if it's a longer run.
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PaulB2
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Re: Today's Run

Post by PaulB2 »

Another lunchtime run in the sun, 6.1k in 36m. I wore a T-shirt and some old capri style running leggings with a bbb gilet over the top as a windbreaker which seemed to work fine once I'd warmed up - the first km or so is always a bit rougher but having my knees covered seemed to help, though no clue if that's psychosomatic.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

PaulB2 wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:47 pm if that's psychosomatic.
That boy needs therapy, psychosomatic,
That boy needs therapy, purely psychosomatic
That boy needs therapy
Lie down on the couch! What does that mean?
You're a nut! You're crazy in the coconut!

First thing that popped into my head - such a great tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COn1X78mx_0

Now off to run our club virtual race route for Feb. This is going to be brutal.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Well that was brutal.

47mins 39seconds (club virtual champs so that matters!) with 7.8km and 381m of up.

No top end speed any more after all this ultra training, I can run fast on the flat and motor along on the up. But running fast on the up....no, this is not a thing.

4hour run tomorrow, then 90mins on Sunday and that's another 3 week block over. Rest week will be great next week.
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sean_iow
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Re: Today's Run

Post by sean_iow »

PaulB2 wrote: Fri Feb 26, 2021 2:47 pm having my knees covered seemed to help, though no clue if that's psychosomatic.
The roadies I know say it's important to keep your knees warm which is why they have knee warmers on, something about the fluid in them? But it doesn't matter why it works (real or imagined) as long as it works.

I had thought about going for a longer run today, 20+ miles and maybe even out to 30 if I was feeling it, but I didn't have the motivation, it wasn't the distance, I just didn't want to use up 4 or 5 hours of my day running.

The sun was shining all day though so I thought I'd make the most of it. It feels like cheating here with all the up Dave and Greg run so I headed for the nearest big hill (for here) which is Ventnor Down and also happens to be the highest point on the Island. I can get there from my house with less than half a mile of tarmac and then it woods, bog and mud fest, good job the horses have destroyed the bridleway up the north side of the Down or it would have been too easy :roll: I did make it to the top though and the view was worth it.

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Difficult to capture with a phone but I could probably see as far as Brighton to the east. The chalk is the cliff at Culver and I could see the Solent beyond and Portsmoth and the Spinnaker Tower. Off down hill on the south side of the downs, follow the road north (I'd only spotted there's a footpath next to the road all the way from Ventor to Shanklin recently, I've only been going past it for 50 years :roll: ) then turn west and up the bridleway back to the top and run along the ridge.

Spotted these guys which made me smile, for several reasons

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They look very timid and tame and indeed barely looked up when I took their picture, so nice to see them out working, the National Trust put them there to keep on top of the scrub. But it also made me smile as I remembered tales from the annual round up when they get a health check. They are not keen to be driven back to the corral, the hill is 15% or steeper and they are much faster than the volunteers trying to shew them along, then end result, by all accounts, makes chasing a cheese down a hill look positively tame :lol:

I pick another way down (the 460 feet 17% bit they run up in the IOW Fell Championships - on reflection it's easier to go up) cut across the road and straight up the other side of the valley (which is steeper still and has wooden steps in sections to give you a chance) and back to the top again. I pass the walker who I saw at the start of my previous descent and by the look I got she'd worked out I'd only run down to come back up again :lol: I'd decided by now that 3 ascents was enough, though I didn't go down to sea level each time to it that cheating? Maybe next time :smile: I pick a different route off and head for home, via Shanklin for good measure. By the time I get to my door my thighs are burning to the point I actually wince when I sit on the doorstep to untie my trainers, so that's a good sign?

17.2 miles, 2 hr 54 min 2278 feet

Time for a beer.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Give it 48 - 72 hours then let me know how your legs feel :) DOMS is soon to be your friend.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Great run today, nearly foiled by lack of sleep - damn you full moon and clear sky making the room too bright!

Woke up to the valley in an inversion, 5 degrees, but no wind. Brew, second brew, opt for shorts despite the temp, get dropped off at next town down the road while wife and daughter go off to do some climbing with a mate. First climb is brutal as ever. Up to the first summit, quick scramble through the crag to the top (graded a moderate technically), up and on to the next top (quick potter up an easy F3) then off onto the trail.

I've had a route in my head for a year now that combines some of the best climbing we have with some of the open moorland that is so difficult to navigate on. It got dubbed the Calderdale Climbers Round while out with a mate last year. I've managed to do an abridged version I dubbed the Calderdale Boulderers Round as I visited the crags on my list where you can boulder, but not have to climb a route, to get to the summit. I've a plan to do the proper full round in the next month or so - I think it'll be about 56km all in.

The third outcrop I'd planned to visit is harder to get to on good track - it necessitates a massive chunk of open moorland (death by tussock) being crossed with zero ground to map features. It's the reason our MRT was formed after a farmer was lost 50 odd years ago in a snowstorm one winter. His body was found 3 months later. It's one of the most wonderful places to run through, if you can navigate :)

Third top and a quick fondle of some wet gritstone (don't want to damage, so no climbing) and off to the 4th, 5th and 6th that form a ridgeline opposite the playground that is Widdop. Cross the road and up and over the crags at Widdop through the gully then off again to get to Scout Hut and into Blake Dean. Opted to jump off my route to take in two more steep climbs.

Today was a replication run. Trying to prepare for the 3rd leg of the Paddy Buckley in the Moelwyns. If you've run near Hebog and Cnicht you'll know how tough the ground can be. No way to explain it other than tough. Can't get down there, so this was a decent approximation.

27km, 4hrs, 1100m of vertical. Two gels, six Skittles (not packets), 1 granola bar and 600ml of water.
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PaulB2
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Re: Today's Run

Post by PaulB2 »

It was glorious in the sun today with very little wind. Went out to the canal again, 7km in 45 minutes followed up by a sausage sandwich.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Agreed, today has been beautiful. Shorts, t-shirt, socks shoes and a cap. Nothing else required, nothing else brought. 40mins uphill to the highest point. Stood there for 5 mins in the sun and silence. 5km winding descent back to town.

1h 10m, 11km, 450m of up and a lot of time spent smiling.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Today's Run

Post by Dave Barter »

Today was too nice as our place was rammed with tourists again. I had to set out late in order to get clear trails. All went well as I ran over to the River Dart and through empty woods but then the hills bit hard and the last 5 miles home were a grovel. 2950 feet of ascent over 14 miles in a little over 2 hours.
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GregMay
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Re: Today's Run

Post by GregMay »

Similar here Dave. I held off until much later in the day than normal and went round a route that you're only going to find locals on. Was blissfully empty until I ran back through town. Massive groups wandering around together. The line of cars to drive into town was absurd.
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