'Mature' runners.

mcs, well done for running cross country so early in the morning.

Red - yes, I believe it was hypothermia.

Been swimming (in a nice warmish pool)

Afternoon peeps,

We're lurgified here.  Mike started with a raging sore throat on Saturday and was completely knocked out on Sunday/Monday and still feeling very grotty today (which is mean 'cos it's his birthday!).  Last night my throat started to get sore and today I'm feeling very heady so I'm just pottering around playing nursey.  I'm blaming the man who serviced the boiler on Thursday as I remember he said he'd just recovered from a virus and I told him to stay away form me 'cos I'd got a marathon to run.  Unfortunately Mike stood chatting to him.  We'd planned to go out today and tomorrow but I suspect he won't be feeling up to much tomorrow either 

You won't be surprised to hear that I haven't been running today 

Red, bad news that you and Mike have gone down with the lurgie. Your resistance to infection would have been low anyway, after your marathon, so you had very little chance of avoiding the germs going round in your house. The woman on the cash out in the supermarket had a sneezing bout just before swiping my purchases, and said that there was a lot of it about. Hope I don't get it.

Out with the running club this evening. 5 miles, all in town, included a few uphill sprints and short tempo runs.

Happy birthday to Mick, and Red I hope you and he are both soon recovered.

Whilst setting out for a 4 mile jog on Monday, I felt a cramping in my right calf at about .5 mile, so immediately turned round and walked back. Last night at Club, we had a figure of eight session, with each being .77 mile. I took it easy, so as not to aggravate the calf, doing just 3, and although it ached, I did not feel that it was going to pull.

I'm having a rest day today and hope to do a slow jog on Thursday. I have the Lordshill 10 mile race on Sunday, so am hoping to be fully fit for that.

Afternoon all,

Still lurgifed here so no running but am keeping active as best I can although I'm tiring easily.

TE, very sensible.  We're expecting a placing from you on Sunday 

Edited to add a link to my blog with photos from Beachy Head (you'll have to copy and paste as I can't do links on RW using Safari!)

http://www.extremeknittingredhead.blogspot.co.uk/

Red, I logged into your blog and am very impressed with the photos, write up etc. It is such a professional site. I remember looking at it several years ago, when you had run the Southdowns Marathon. Did you set it all up yourself? The Marshalls must have been very brave, standing in the wind for hours on end. I hope the kilted bag pipe player was wearing thermals

I'm hoping for a placing on Sunday, but the age category is again 60-70, giving me very little chance of a first 3 placing.

Poured with rain all day here. Was working so had to drive 40 miles through it, and then back again. Sheets of water on the roads in places.

Off to look at Red's Beachy photos.

3.7 miles off road this morning. Got soaked to the skin after started in sunshine!

Redhead
Hope you avoid the bug.
A club colleague of mine ran Beachy as his first marathon and ran it in 3:10. He was 4th or 5th.

TE
Make it a tactical race if you want a place. Start near the front and don't let anyone with grey hair come past.

Columba
Glad you made the journey safely.
JJ

Morning all,

Well I've succombed to the lurgy.  I fought a valiant battle but by yesterday afternoon I was feeling very grotty and not good this morning either.  Mike's a bit better but it's gone to his chest which is unusual for him.  Mine is on my chest and in my head and I rarely get a head cold so I'm not happy.  Will be doing some boring paperwork today; the sort of stuff you leave because it's dull but necessary 

TE, glad you enjoyed my blog and thanks for your kind comments.  Blogger is very easy to set up as there's lots of guidance and templates you can follow.  I have to keep a degree of professionalism about it as journalists often visit it to see what I'm up to or to get background information.  I also get people emailing ARUK after they've read my blog asking to contact me or to do some fund-raising themselves.    I set it up for my 50th birthday challenge and never intended to keep it going but it's proved a useful tool in getting my message across.

LOL at JJ's comment to TE
"Make it a tactical race if you want a place. Start near the front and don't let anyone with grey hair come past."  It doesn't seem fair to be in a category with such a large spread of ages.  I bet you still come high up the list.  Is the weather forecast OK for the weekend?

Columba, sounds as if you had horrid conditions for your drive.

JJ, what an excellent time for your club colleague.  Very impressive.

No running today. Legs are a bit tight. Went to London instead to deliver a big chest to elder daughter. That's not a double entendre.

Redhead
Sorry about your chest  - and head. Hope you feel better soon.

My club colleague hasn't yet discovered that marathons hurt. He'll slow down soon.

TE/Redhead
I've been complaining for years to race organisers and England Athletics about grouping everyone over 60 into one category. It's the time when the age degeneration curve is getting steeper and steeper so it's clearly unfair. We wouldn't think of, say, putting 30/40/50 into the same category but at this stage the age degeneration curve is much less steep than 60/70/80.
JJ

I am just getting back into some running after a few months off with patellar tendinitis.

I have a place for VLM next April, so I need to start getting back out there.

JJ, making it a tactical race etc. if only it was that easy! It really is so unfair grouping all over 60's into the one category. On the whole, the over sixties runners are still very competitive, having competed in the 40 and 50 age categories when standards were much higher than today's. There is also only one  prize for the first in the category, whereas the seniors' often have first 4 or more. How old is your race colleague who did such a fantastic time?

Red, hope you and Mike soon feel better. The forecast for Sunday is showers in the morning, clearing after midday. The temperature should be 11 deg.

MF, welcome back! Hope you have now fully recovered from pt now, and congratulations on getting a VLM place. Hope you will keep us updated on your training.

Red - hope you can shake off that lurgy pretty soon.

TE, I borrowed your hill reps today, - warm-up, then 4 x (3x45seconds) with jog-back-downs and 2-minute walk breaks between sets. Then trotted home by way of cool-down. Was a good session, helped by the fact that the sun shone (though the wind was cold). Rained first thing, and raining again this evening, so i chose the best part of the day.

Columba, glad that you have tried out "my hill reps session." Hope you feel the benefits.

Morning all,

(Dons face mask so as not to spread the lurgy)

Another non-run day and I'm getting twitchy!  Feel a bit perkier today but definitely lacking energy.  I've made a cake to make us both feel better (Mike' still coughing up gunk, poor love).

JJ, I wanted t make a comment about chests but my brain is too muzzy 

TE, how come the over 60s only get 1 prize?  That's not fair at all.  I think they should get extra special prizes.  Hope it goes well for you anyway.

Hi Frog, we are honoured to see you again.  How the Womble?

Columba, well done on your hill reps.

Red, I wish I knew why the over 60s only get one prize. I suppose it is because there are fewer racers in this category, compared with the younger age groups. There have long been arguments where an over sixty races faster than a forty or fifty year old and doesn't get the 40 or 50 prize, in fact gets nothing at all.

Bought a pair of Salomon Trail Pro 5 shoes this morning and am looking forward to trying them out in the forest next week. I'm still getting a slight twinge in my right calf and am hoping it's gone by Sunday. I will have to start the race at an easy pace, as per previous two half marathons, and if all is well, increase the pace. This is very disappointing, as I had been planning to go at race pace right from the start.

You're kidding!  If an over 60 comes in before a 50 year old then they don't win that category?  That's ridiculous.  It should be judged by time and if the 60 yo is faster then they should beat the 50yo to the prize.  I'm not surprised people have grumbled about it.

Hi Froggie
Hope you will keep posting your VLM training. You will need to start now and build a decent aerobic base before launching into proper marathon training programme.

TE
I reckon the system for awarding prizes in over 60 categories infringes the Age Discrimination Act. Wish I could afford to test it.

Redhead
Can't wait until your head clears a bit.
JJ