'Mature' runners.

Woke to snow, and it has been falling all morning and continues to do so.

Think I'll stay in!

Matsum re the heart training comments, I find that depending on the strap you can get varying readings very quickly. But going high suddenly and then dropping down is not an issue as long as she is medically fit should not be an issue more likely to be equipment clitches. Speedcross 3s I have had this last week are good for off road and not good for ice, not much is good for ice apart from crampons or yaktraks, though two years ago I put a load of elastic bands that the postman drops outside our office door on my Asics and they worked quite well on the ice. Generally my commute home is off road so I dont need to go on ice, just mud and snow at the moment. The idea of a treadmill this weather sounds good, just got no where to put one in my pad. STAY safe folks.

matsmum.
Finding maximum HR is only part of the figures needed. Also required is resting HR and from these you can work out the Working HR. The heart rates for the various types of training are then worked out from WHR.

These frequently feel easy at first but never forget that as you train and get fitter you get faster for the same effort.

HRM can be very variable at times so the 190+ reading may be just an aberration. Very often when setting out on a run the contact is too dry and gives a false reading. As soon as a bit of sweat (glow?) appears the contact is OK and readings are reliable.

This link is quite a good one. It's fairly simple and written by a guy I know well who used to work for RW.

columba
Would you mind keeping the snow in Wales please.
JJ

matsmum
Trythis link  too. It says much gthe same thing but in a slightly different way.
JJ

Very heavy snow here, causing chaos on the roads, rail and airports, as usual. All schools closed, and most buses cancelled. Police are warning drivers not to set out unless absolutely essential. The QA Hospital has cancelled all Outpatient Appointments.

I feel sorry for the elderly who are reliant on their Carers, who might not be able to get to them.

Haven't ventured outside yet, but the snow is several inches deep, and I will walk to the supermarket to test the conditions. May well not run today, which is a real pain, as I need to get the miles in for my 20 miler in February. It's conditions like this which make me wish I had a treadmill.

Take care everyone, as I'm sure some of you have worse conditions than me.

Bit of snow here in Derbyshire but nothing heavy really, a lot of media hype. Roads have been well gritted. Ran down the trail in the snow making the first prints apart from the odd fox and badger drag across the paths. Like running in snow it works different muscles for sure. Just started snowing a few more fluffy bits. Stay safe and no slipping and sliding out there.

Walked to the supermarket wearing my Salomons. The snow was turning slushy, but hasn't stopped. I may go for a run this afternoon by keeping to the grass verges along the Beaulieu Road in the forest. If the snow gets heavier, I will probably stay indoors and get the hoover out.

Snow really thick here, and keeps coming. Schools closed (neighbour's children are building an igloo in their front garden) and the rubbish / recycling people haven't been, either cos they can't get through or cos they're all otherwise empolyed driving snow ploughs and gritters. I walked down to the main road to see what it was like; semi-clear in the middle, and some traffic moving cautiously along it, but very little. While I was there, a snow-plough came through; but no sooner had it gone than the snow started filling-in the clear path again. Drifting, too. 

  Not going anywhere.

Might walk into town tomorrow.

Afternoon all,

Hope you're all snuggled up inside.   The concept of running outside round our lanes or across country is simply a non-starter as it's treacherous!  Yesterday afternoon I went out for a recovery run and had to turn back after 2.5 miles as any bit of lane that was in the shade was like  a sheet of ice and the verges are deeply rutted mud so impassable.  The snow is settling in today although it isn't too deep yet.  Treadmill for me tomorrow and probably Sunday at this rate.

Matsmum, sorry to hear your daughter has asthma.  Mine was only diagnosed last year after a couple of scary incidents when my throat closed up and I couldn't breathe.  I put it down to hay fever, although I'd never suffered before and saw the doctor who suspected I had asthma when I told her the things that happen when I run.    After several different meds I'm now on the Symbicort 'smart' program which is a combined inhaler giving a low dose of  steroid together with the part that opens the airways.  I take it morning and night but can take it more during the day if I have a bad session such as what I'm experiencing at the moment.  It's the pits and has really affected my self confidence.  Good news about your treddy though - I find mine very useful, especially in this weather!

Stay safe everyone and please don't take any risks in dodgy conditions.

I finally decided against risking a run, as I have to go about .5 mile on tarmac before I enter the forest. I had contemplated running in the road, but this was also risky as a lot of drivers hadn't bothered clearing the snow from their side windows, so might not see a walker, runner, cyclist or horse rider.

Luckily, our club session was able to go ahead as planned, last night, as the snow hadn't started, and the roads weren't icy, although a bit damp. We did pyramids comprising 1,2,3,3,2,1 efforts. There were several sharp right hand corners on the circuit, so I slowed down for them. Most of the runners sped round them, but I'm still being cautious of falling whilst the ground is a bit dicey.

Just enough snow here to be a nuisance. I'm feeling the cold which is quite unusual. Blood pressure checks today at my GP to complete my MoT.140/70 which is quite pleasing for an old man.

Out searching this afternoon for a friends dog that had gone missing a long way from home. Failed to find it. Received a phone call this evening to say that the dog had turned upwet and cold at 7:00pm which is its dinner time.

TE
We always seem to train based on distances. Using time as the unit(s) of measurement is just as effective.
JJ

Afternoon all,

Impossible to run outside here today so did a short but useful treddy run - 3 miles of hill reps this morning (struggled a bit with my breathing again) then a 3 mile recovery run this afternoon.  I'll be on there again tomorrow as the forecast is for more snow and temps down to -10 tonight - yikes!

JJ, glad to hear you're still alive and have the proof   Good news about the doggy.

TE, you are wise to be cautious.  No point in taking risks in this weather.

Stay safe and warm everyone.

Red, minus 10, that's really hard core Very wise to keep to the treddy.

I decided to risk a short run this morning, as the snow has been thawing, and the roads fairly clear. I just ran 3.5 miles, which comprised a mixture of walking, jogging and running, on pavements, roads and grass verges. The snow on the grass was about 3 inches deep, so was good for the quads in having to lift the feet out of the snow.

Tomorrow is a forest run with club colleagues, and I hope to do at least 10 miles. I do agree, however, with JJ, that time on the feet is equally as important as distance covered.

Stay safe everone, and if you are racing tomorrow, take care and don't take risks.

Snow forcast for tonight and tomorrow. Supposed to be going to London tomorrow  for MrsJJ's birthday lunch with various family members. Ho hum!
JJ

No question of running here; snow very deep. No question of using the car either, as it's hidden under a mound of snow and my drive has an uphill slope. If I could have got the car cleared, up the drive, and along the uncleared cul-de-sac where I live, I would have been ok since the main road has been cleared. As it was, I walked the 2 miles into town and back, with shopping. Milkman didn't deliver today, so had to get milk as an absolute minimum. Enjoyed the walk and wished I'd thought to take my camera. 

Morning all, it's minus 2 at the moment and not expected to get above freezing all day. There are 2 inches of snow forecast for the south east today, which includes the forest. I'm looking forward to the forest run, but not the drive to meet up with the others. The main roads were clear of snow yesterday, but may well be icy this morning.

Hello everyone, first of all thanks for all the advice about the HRM. It is much appreciated and it has been passed on to daughter H.

I have missed 2 training runs because of the weather. It is much warmer here now - a couple of degrees below,- but cold enough to stop a thaw setting in. I did 13 miles this morning by keeping on the main road which has been gritted. I just kept running to the post office and back!!!  It was quite good though since I didn't need to carry a water bottle and could leap into the house for a wee. It took 2 hours and 40 minutes (the run, not the wee) and the wind was so cold that it hurt my sinuses.

JJ - great about your blood pressure. Mine always goes up when I go to the doctor, so now I take it at home and keep a record. Great about the dog finding its way home. My grandfather who lived in Broadstairs, Kent, had a greyhound and when his daughter moved to London she took the dog with her as her pet. The dog went missing and eventually turned up back with my grandfather. He had found his way back by following the railway line.

Columba - lots of snow where you are!  When I was at Aber I stayed in Alexandra Hall on the sea front, and later in a flat in the main street with my husband. We were teenagers but felt so grownup.

Red - I think that the inhaler you have has an accumulating effect, doesn't it? Which may mean that your symptoms become less troublesome. Daughter L 's bouts are brought on by infection, but thankfully are quite rare. Lucky us having treadmills. Well, I haven't quite got mine yet!  It is being delivered next Friday.

Little K is now in purgatory in case the stage 2 county trials, which are scheduled for Wednesday, get postponed because of the weather.  She is now doing 6.8 min miles. She is tiny, like a little gazelle with spaghetti legs. 

What is the hardest most testing run you have ever done? 

Afternoon all,

Well it certainly wasn't -10 here last night as there was only a minor frost and the temp was -2 when I fed the horses.  Started snowing early on though and hasn't stopped.  I walked 2 miles to the next village to get the paper and then back again across the fields.  The B road had been gritted but our lanes haven't so are impassable without a 4x4 and even they are struggling on the steep bits.

Needless to say I went on the treddy and did a leisurely 10 miler (it' a step-back week) without incident which was a relief.

Matsmum, you'll enjoy your treddy in weather like this.  Have you used one before?  My most testing run was the Kent 50 miler (which was actually a double-marathon of 52.4 miles).  Tough but enjoyable   You're quite right about the accumulating effect of my inhaler but I've been taking it for over 6 months now and am getting frustrated.

JJ, did you venture into London?  Happy birthday to Mrs JJ whatever you did.

Columba, it's quite bracing walking out in the snow isn't it?!

TE, hope you managed your forest run.  There's no traffic moving round here now and it's really quiet and still.  I had considered running the Canterbury 10 miler today but I'd never have got there, even if it actually went ahead!

I had a meeting with DeNDRoN scheduled for tomorrow in central London but there's no way I'll be able to get there now so have sent my apologies in advance.  Even if I managed to get to the station, which is 7 miles away (mostly on little lanes), there are bound to be train cancellations and then there's the worry about whether you can get home again! I don't mind getting snowed-in sometimes though.

Red, I did the forest run this morning which could be described as "the run from hell," although we enjoyed it. To give you some idea of the conditions, it took 2.44 hours to run 11.75 miles. I will do a more detailed write up later.

The Stubbington 10k was today, but none of us had entered and we all agreed that even if we had, we wouldn't have risked driving there on the icy roads. It is always a popular race and fully subscribed. I must check on the web later, to see if it was cancelled.

Decided today to try a run in the woods, using the shoe "snow chains" I bought about a year ago but never needed to use because we didn't get a real winter. Not so this year. I decided to go for a run in the woods with Nemo and try out the chains, so duly fitted them and set out up the hill. Nearing the top I suddenly realised the right one was missing. Nothing for it but to turn around and head down again - of course I found it nearer the bottom than the top of the hill! Thought maybe I should swap shoes for a slimmer pair, this done, we set out again. This time I thought, let's go the opposite way round the circuit, so running down the hill again instead of up. Reaching the road at the bottom, guess what? I found the left shoe had no chain! So up we went yet again - this time we went all the way back round and I didn't find the missing chain! By now the snow had turned to ice rain so Nemo and I went home - well that was a failed experiment. Good idea, but only if the damn things stay on your shoes!

Just took my vegetable peelings outside and everything is covered in sheet ice - somehow don't think we'll be driving to work tomorrow morning. Website for our workplace is showing road condition "Red" - which means keep vehicles off the roads.