Sub 3h15

Well, it certainly was muddy, and puddlesome to boot. I did manage HM PB pace, just, despite stopping to retie my shoelace in the first mile (they always come undone when they get sopping wet, don't know why). However, the effort level was certainly not HM. I maybe could have managed one more kilometre at that pace. I have a hilly HM in three weeks time. Methinks marathon PB pace is the absolute best I can hope for. 

Despite having been up early, I must still be 'young' as I find it a real challenge! 

Mennania - good luck with that. 

Gul - impressive stuff indeed. One of my daughters woke me at 4:30 because she'd had a nightmare. I did think about staying up and putting the kit on and doing my 15 miles then. Chickened out and went back to bed for a couple of hours!

Keir - are you trying to pretend that you are still a youngster? Suppose it's all relative - against a lot of us on here, I guess you are!

Jools/Speedy - good efforts in the mud. I must find out where my nearest Park run is. Is there a website? List somewhere?

Also-ran - self doubt is just part of being a successful distance runner!!

Parkrun website 

'Standard' spikes are 9mm and in my very limited XC experience have generally sufficed.  The other weekend I bought myself some 12mm and 15mm spikes and as I understand it, the muddier the course, the longer the spike.  Spikes are also useful on compacted snow

never mind Mimmi- get better soon.

Get well soon Minni

Some nice races and running going on at the moment. Still dry here but it does occasionally get cold.

Struggling to motivate myself to get out at the moment, but once out I enjoy it. Strange couple of weeks. The plan was 30 last week, with 35 this, as a base build up. I ran 38 last week and will be over 40 this. Going to keep it below 45 until mid December. Nothing quick either.

Good going Scooby, I'm down this week but it's a race week so happy to scrape mid 30's. Race prediction tomorrow is 61, but let's see. 

Bit of a first for me this morning - not heading out for a run until just after 9am!! Needed to drop younger Lorenzito off at 7.30am so he could head up to Stoke for a XC run and decided to wait until getting back before heading out for a reasonably relaxed but still quite muddy 7 miles. Not going mad this weekend as I've got another volleyball match tomorrow and then I'm a year older on Monday and I'm not sure what effect turning 45 will have on me!

Sneaked out for 5 Welsh miles yesterday morning as I had the pleasure of an overnight stay in Llanelli.

Get well soon Minni.

I have to say I don't know how Gul manages this.  I'm sitting here bleary-eyed with a cup of tea and a piece of toast, about to head off to the station to catch a train to Bath so that I can run from Bath to Bristol.  'Doing something different' for my long run seemed such a good idea last night.  And the worst thing of all is Gul will probably finish his run as I arrive in Bath!

Poacher wrote (see)

XC spikes would be the only way to cope with this course, any recommendations? What length of spike am I looking for? Or are they always interchangeable? Thoughts welcome.

As Jools says, you can unscrew and swap in different lengths. There are two other factors to think about:
1) The spike show itself will have some sort of grip pattern and the depth of this and position of the spike holes is important. I have had spikes where a 7mm spike does not even touch the ground and others where the same 7 seems like a hedgehog.
2) The metal spikes wear down pretty quickly so I tend to buy them long and use worn down ones when I want a shorter set. It seems silly buying 7mm spikes and throwing them out when they are 5mm when you can buy 9m and use them as 9s and 7s when worn down.

Agree snow is good in spikes, did a parkrun on very compact snow/ice in spikes and beat a lot of fast people in trainers and studs.

Joolska wrote (see)

'Doing something different' for my long run seemed such a good idea last night.

Am taking my cycle time to research new long runs but they are scary. I have a new 22 mile long run in London which links up two branches of the Grand Union Canal to make a loop but looks like it is going to take me 2 hours on the bike to complete (I have done bits from both ends, just need to join the middle now). My home is about 27 miles form the office, I never really think in terms that my long runs would almost get me home.

Nice muddy parkrunning Speedy and Poacher.
Take care Minni.
Good luck to OOlg today. And take it steady SJ.
Jools - Being up early means turning in early too. I went to bed at 9:15 last night and had a lie-in till 7am. Rest day for me too. Beautiful sunny day for a run unless you're heading east.
All being well, my Dad should be coming home tomorrow - everything is now in place.

It was a beautiful morning for a run, Gul (glad things are sorted about your dad): ended up with 16M at 8.04m/m, starting with a 8.57m/m (it was cold...) and winding up around 7.30m/m for the last 5M.  I only with I'd taken my camera because the frost was absolutely stunning, with clear blue skies to boot (the camera on my phone is a bit rubbish, so there's little point using it for anything other than snaps).

Meant to say yesterday: recover soon, Minni.

60:10 at the Brampton to Carlisle 10, missed the target by a whisker

Said hello to sime of your club pals Minni. Friendly lot.

OO - you predicted 61, so surely you smashed your target! 

Nice long run Jools. Mine was just shy of 16 miles, but rather slower. In view of the hilly half I have coming up I picked the most ridiculously hilly route I could. It hurt. 

Minni - sensible choice to miss the race when you have a cough. Hope it clears up quickly.

Last week was a more sedate 8.16m/m on a hilly course.  Having caned the Ashton Court hill yesterday I was craving a flat route today!  Plus Bath-Bristol works really well for a 16-18M run (16M if I finish at work, as I did today; 18M if I run home from the end of the bike path).