'Mature' runners.

Thank you for all your good wishes. The weather was very kind; clouded over as the race began, and there was a pleasant cooling breeze some of the time. Also lots of tree cover. I completed the half in 2 hours 36 minutes by my stop-watch; official time yet to come, but it won't be far out (there was an official clock running about a mile and a half before the end, and it tallied with my watch). That will be a PB by approximately 14 minutes, and I should love to know what Red's prediction was. My, it was hard! I felt I was pushing myself all the way. At the 5-mile marker my watch was saying 54 minutes, which must be the fastest I've ever run 5 miles in.

Ooh, and a TOTP as well!

Got a medal (every finisher did) and a decidedly baggy T-shirt.

Fourth comeback run was a vaste increase in distance to 5 miles. Took 53 minutes but about half of it was off road and there was a big hill near the end.

Redhead
I'm definitely in need of a refit.
There's a lot more to be changed yet.

Columba
PBs are always good news; especially at a mature age. Well done on the 14 minute improvement.

Would the t-shirt be better employed as a mini dress?
JJ

Columba, that was an excellent time, and to get a pb by 14 minutes is awesome It just goes to show how beneficial club running and training is. Well done also on the TOTP!

Celebrated my Sister's birthday today with an excellent lunch in an Italian Restaurant at Hythe Marina. It was a lovely sunny day and the doors and windows were open, giving us a lovely view of the yachts etc. anchored up. It was a big family affair with my sister's husband Alan, who is doing very well in his battle against leukemia and is in remission, Alan's parents, my two nieces, one pregnant, and the other with three children and her husband. We all said though, that it wasn't the same with Mum and Dad no longer being with us.

Looking forward to a run tomorrow in my new Asics 1170's which arrived Saturday morning, and I was wearing them indoors this morning to help break them in. I don't think it wise though to wear them in my half marathon in two weeks time.

Just popping in to see how our superstar got on and...............ta da, a shiny new pb only 1 minute outside my secret prediction which was 2:35!  

Well done Columba, that was absolutely excellent work and you should be very, very proud.  I knew you'd be loads faster on that course and I reckon you could easily take 10 minutes off your time for Hastings now.  I am so happy for you 

Morning all,

OK, it's official, I do not enjoy swimming.  I've tried and tried to enjoy it but after 12 months it's still a struggle to get my breathing right.  I know it's done me some good as it's strengthened and streamlined areas to support my running but I still don't like it.  It's official.  I'll keep it up to the end of the year as planned but I'm not sure that I'll continue with it next year.  I enjoyed the run there and back much more 

TE, it's so hard when special people are missing isn't it.  Good news that your BiL is in remission.  Long may it continue.  Enjoy your new shoes!

Red - I have the same trouble with swimming/breathing. I am trying to learn how to do the front crawl, but having immense difficulty coordinating arms, legs and breathing. If I focus on one, the others go haywire.

Ladies - firstly, are you trying to breathe too quickly? Your breathing should be slow and regular, breathing in with your head turned to one side and out under water.  Have you tried breathing exercises in the water without actually swimming? Stand in the shallow end (you can actually practice this at home in the bath or hand basin) and put your face in the water, turn head to one side and breathe in. Now put your face back into the water and breathe out under water. When you've got that down, try putting an arm up like you were making a stroke but don't actually follow through, leave your hand above the water with your elbow bent by your ear. Now perform the same exercise as before but breathing out in the space under your bent elbow.

Columba -  super result, well done indeed, a PB of any sort is good but 14 mins is stupendous!

Red, yes it is really tough when ones parents are not there to join in, but my niece's new baby, who was born soon after Mum died, was christened with Dad's Christian name. He is such a good boy, who never cried throughout the day, and was always smiling.

My BiL is doing really well, and looks fit and healthy. To see him, no one would know that he is fighting such a deadly illness.

Wore my new trainers in pouring rain this morning, for an easy pace 5.25 miles road run, and they were comfortable and caused no problems. I'm looking forward now to tomorrows hill session in the forest, for which I will wear my trail shoes. They are just about at the end of their useful life, having pounded out 456 miles of off road, and some road. I intend getting the Salomon Speed Cross 3, which are the follow on to my current Speed Cross 2s.

I try to breathe too much and seem to panic when my breathing doesn't keep up with my strokes.  I can breath in under my arm and breath out under water.  I do try to do what you told me originally and breath in every 3 strokes and breath out underwater.  It just doesn't always seem to work out like that.  I think I am officially rubbish at it!

TE, I seem to get a lot more mileage out of my trail shoes as they don't need the cushioning of my road shoes.  It's lovely that your dad's name lives on.

Red, thanks for that! My sister and I were so pleased when we were told the baby's christian name. I agree with you about the higher mileage in trail shoes. I think the reason the rubber lugs have started wearing down on the forefoot, is that we quite often run 1.5 miles or more each way on roads to get to the particular area of forest where we are doing the training session. When I run in the forest myself, I still have .5 mile each way on road to the nearest  forest entry.

Our trainer has us do breathing drills such as one length breathing every 3, next one every 4 (seems to suit me best), then every 5, on up to every 7 which I just about manage, and then back down again to every 3rd. If you try some of them maybe that will help  your body to adjust to not needing to breathe that often, unless you are sprinting of course. What you describe does sound like a bit of panic mode - you really don't need to breathe all that often, except of course if your asthma acts up. I do hope you can get it sorted, I'm not a fast swimmer by any means but I really love gliding through the water completely relaxed and happy.

Hmmm, the concept of me 'gliding through the water' is completely alien to me.  I can glide a long way if I don't have to breathe but as soon as I take a breath then it all goes awry!  I'll keep trying for a bit longer, unless I drown in the process......

Redhead
Welcome to the club for those who find swimming difficult and don't enjoy it. During my lifetime I have had many, many swimming lessons and none have been effective.

TE
The baby naming was a nice touch.
JJ

Red / BIW - similarly. I have excellent breath control when I'm singing, but it all goes to pot when there's water all around! I have only very recently persuaded myself to put my face well down in the water when swimming breast-stroke, and the concept of being largely underwater and just coming up for air briefly every third stroke is one that I can't seem to put into practice. However, I will keep working at it, and thank you for your advice, BIW. 

My official time was 2 hours 36 mins and 9 seconds. And my arithmetic was awry, - it's a 16 minute pb rather than a 14 minute one!

TE - my one grandchild was still in the womb when my Mum died, so alas they never met, - though Mum did know her great-grandchild was expected.

Columba, it seems to be a fact of life that as one life finishes, another one starts. I can clearly remember my Grandfather, my Mother's Father, saying to me as he was dying, and I had just started work, "One just starting and one just finishing."  Getting back to your race, a 16 minute PB is even more outstanding.

I watched the procession of our olympic/paralympics athletes on BBC this afternoon, and feel sad that the Games are now over, and wonder at the future of those that "didn't hit the heights." The superstars will become millionaires and others back to a struggle to receive financial backing etc. to continue. It was a great contrast during the final speeches, where the PM's was met with polite applause, whereas the London Major Boris Johnson's was greeted with rapturous applause.

Here's Charly staking his claim to his favourite toys!

Morning all,

OMG Charly is absolutely gorgeous!  I love his ears 

Columba, well you bettered my prediction then 'cos I reckoned you'd get a 15 minute pb (I must have got the Hastings finish time wrong).  Well done and make sure you enjoy the feeling as it makes all the hard work worthwhile.

JJ, glad it's not just me.

I did some off-road hillwork earlier.  A local farmer lets me run up and down the lines of trees in his cider apple orchard provided I run early when there's no-one about (so they don't think they can just wander around willy-nilly).  It's on a really steep slope and there are 55 lines of trees.  I've never managed to get over 33 and today I did 20 before I'd had enough.  Phew!

Red - what a good arrangement! You can report back to the farmer if his apples have started falling, or if any of the trees needs attention.

JJ - not just Redhead and not just me either.

BIW - what amazing ears, - like bats' wings! Will the rest of Charly grow to fit them? The adults dogs' ears in your avatar picture don't look so startlingly large.

Yes Columba, amongst shepherd dog owners it's an old adage that they "grow into their ears." John used to call Oz "alien dog" when he was a pup because his ears were huge like Charly's are. Pretty good indication he will grow into a big boy!