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This is why I love being old!! I’m in the 40-44 category and only need a 7:44 mile for my bronze which I know I can do easy. I’m actually quite enjoying not chasing times at the moment but equally annoyed that I won’t get anywhere near my targets for this year.

@Xen what will a sub 20 give you county Standards wise? I’m going to be stuck at copper again this year as I’ve got not motivation to train properly. I won’t even get my silver club standard this year as they changed the times 😭

I have a Garmin 735XT primarily for, once this lockdown shizzle is over, duathlons as it records my transitions as well. As I’m also doing at some point Swim Serpentine, I need the option of open water swimming. Eventually I’d like to give a triathlon a whirl and again, the 735XT gives me the option to track this. Garmins are a brilliant piece of kit. I add my club training sessions on as workouts plus the Garmin training plans are handy. Picking up on a point made above - running slows can actually be harder on your muscles. Run/Walk is frowned upon by some of the more ‘elite’ runners amongst us. If used correctly, the renown Jeff Galloway technique of Jeffing is an incredibly efficient way of running. My running partner is returning from 7 months out with a nasty injury so we set the run/walk ratio to 60:30 and bashed out a sub 30 5k today. Our fastest split was 7:35 and we averaged 9:29 mm which for someone who has had to literally start from scratch after bashing out silver standard times last year, it’s pretty good going. People have run sub 3 marathons using this technique which again shows when executed correctly, it’s a brilliant way to run and reduces injury. I help at sessions with a group that is a feeder group to my club and find that W hen I run slower, I use a different technique and notice the fatigue in my muscles more so when I run at my normal pace, I pick up niggles. As for knees, when you run downhill, the tendency is to lean back. This will kill your knees and back. You should lean forwards and create more of a bicycle motion with your legs. Arms should be relaxed. It’s a very different technique to running uphill.

The blue one on the left is my all time favourite. Belonged to my dad and gets its yearly outing every last home game of the season.

I like the thought of Equinox but laps make me want to poke myself in the eye (with the exception of HOTH because I love the Humber Bridge). West End 8 came up on my FB memories this week as well photos from Bosworth Half. Never thought I’d say it but I’m missing the LRRL! I’m also missing my weekly parkrun blast and considering I’m not a fan of parkrun, that is saying something!

I’m thinking of adding the Thames Path Challenge alongside London to Brighton next year. I’m bored at the moment so really want to see as to how far I can push my body. One of my close friends did Escape From Meriden last year and clocked up insane mileage. WhiteStar running and How Hard Can It Be look like some good events. My favourite is Hell On The Humber and may go 12 hours next time instead of just the 6 and pray bridge sickness doesn’t kick in again. I tend to be a solo runner and living in the middle of nowhere I rarely see anyone so joining a club has helped for motivation and decent training sessions - virtual ones aren’t as much fun.

Have you ever thought about doing an ultra? I’m 2 marathons down (should’ve been 3 & 4 this year but that’s looking unlikely) however I’m doing 100K straight through next year. I was meant to be doing it this coming weekend and was about to up my training when all this current craziness kicked in. Managed to defer it so at least I’ve got something to work towards again. I’m actually holding out hope for a small scale ultra still going ahead in September so I’ll do that instead - it’s only 35 miles so not too taxing. Feeling a bit ‘meh’ about running at the moment. Trying to enjoy it without having anything to train for. My club have set up a couple of time trial routes so we can aim for our standard times but I miss racing. I’ve lost 30-60 seconds a miles and it’s so frustrating!!

I need to get my act together. 5 weeks ago I breezed a 20 miler and now I can’t get over 5.... @StriderHiryu do you not fuel your long runs??? I can wing a half with zero fuel and tend to run mostly fasted (drink of water and off I go) on 10 miles or below. I’m seriously impressed at your 20 mile time on just water! My 20 mile time is around 3:25 and I take fuel every 2 miles and either water or active root every 5k. Doing a virtual challenge for May where I have to run in multiples of 4 miles so hoping to get back into double figure runs.

I’m a Nike girl. Used to run in the Lunarglide 9’s, currently in Epic React Flyknit And have just purchased the Zoom Rival Fly 2. I refuse to spend a lot of money on trainers. Brooks don’t suit me but are a very popular brand. I’ve got an amazing pair of Saucony Liberty ISO’s which are great for short distances. I go by fit and feel. If you can, order a few different pairs and see which you get on best with. Brooks have a 90 day return policy even if you’ve worn them.

Some half marathon routes do have facilities along the way however I’ve dived into pubs or a Costa Coffee before (this was in London). I’ve been known to hop over fences if I’m out in the countryside during a race. Start/Finish - yes they do have toilets Normally have bag drop offs to leave your stuff. A few smaller races I’ve been to I’ve had to either leave my stuff in a village hall or in a tent. As someone once said to me, we’re runners not thieves.....

Totally agree with anyone can run a marathon. I went from couch to marathon in 6 months. Totally screwed my first marathon as I made it all about time. Second one, mucked around a bit by stopping to speak to friends/family/strangers with dogs and had an absolute ball and knocked a ridiculous amount of time off the year before.

I am gutted that my marathon has been postponed to September. It would’ve been marathon number 3 (London 2018, Brighton 2019 and fingers crossed Brighton again). I actually quite like marathon training and the actual marathon as it makes you realise what you’re capable of. My 100K ultra has been postponed to 2021 so, assuming it goes ahead, I’m putting all my energy into training for Brighton. I’ve reduced my mileage right down at the moment a)to reduce the chance of any niggles/injuries and b)all I need to do is keep the legs ticking over. In normal life, I run 4/5 times a week with Sunday always being a longer run. Struggling with this at the moment as need to combine a cycle as Ride 100 hasn’t been postponed or cancelled yet.

I’m basing it on my experience and 6 months on the side lines..... There’s been no real research into it and there’s actually a lot of contradictory articles (isn’t there with everything!) From what I understand the it band is tissue and not a muscle. Giving it a good bash with a foam roller won’t particularly help it or stretch it. The best thing to do is to rest and work on the muscles around it - my issues came from my glutes and hips. Yoga, Pilates etc will really help with flexibility and your core which in turn will help the hips etc I am absolutely no expert as it’s not a field I work in. All I have learnt is based purely on experience and an amazing sports therapist who is regularly tasked with fixing me.....

IT band issues suck. The best thing to do is stretch, rest and stretch some more. IT bands should not be foam rollers. Roll around the quads and hamstring but because the IT band is not a muscle, foam rolling should be avoided. Not that it will help at the moment, the best fix for it is a visit to a sports therapist and/or a osteopath. As with a lot of running related issues, the pain you feel is most likely referred pain and you may find that the root cause of the issue is from your hips or somewhere. Spot the runner who’s had a lot of issues and has learnt the hard way! I really can’t be bothered to run at the moment as even though I live in a tiny village, the world and his wife all of a sudden seem to run. I managed a pathetic (for me) 10 miles last week but on a positive, I walked 30 miles across 5 days. Small positives I guess......

Spent last week recovering from my 20 mile race plus I quite frankly couldn’t be arsed so took the bike out instead. Rest day today then back on it as of tomorrow 😩

I’m using the time to gain a qualification in Understanding Mental Health in Children and Young People as well as rekindling my love for baking. Teach my youngest to ride a bike Up my cycling mileage as my 100 mile cycle is still on at the moment Run for enjoyment and not because I have a race And to have a lie in!

Desford 5 cancelled 😩

I’m gutted about Brighton as even though I’m about distance at the moment, I feel good enough to finally get a marathon right. Enjoy a break from it all and then crack on with the LRRL races to bring the fun back.

Ryan will be back on top next week as I’m having an easy week and keeping the mileage low! I needed a decent run today as my head is just not in the game at the moment. I struggled to do parkrun yesterday and seriously thought about f*****g my ultra off. Today was a day where the fuelling went to plan and I managed to talk myself out of my wobble. I need a marathon now though so going to see if I can hunt out a low key event 🤞🏻🤞🏻

If you fancy a decent 20 miler next year, Oundle is the place to go! Single lap, a little lumpy but great fun! Decent medal and t shirt as well....

The best thing to do is quite literally do your own thing. If you’re on strava, have a look at mine (I think I’m only girl in the Strava club). Somedays I’ll do a mile or 2, I’ve bailed on runs and I’ve had a couple of DNF’s. Two and a half years ago I couldn’t run for s***t. Yes I whack out the mileage now however I’m distinctly average. I’m normally the last runner back for my club but I’m good with that. I hate running but it’s become a habit that I weirdly don’t want to break. Music is a great thing to run with and also remembering to switch up your routes will help. And if you fancy it, parkrunning is a great way to shift the yuck feeling.

It was my first ever league race 😳 Shepshed and Swithland were the awful ones for me and I’m still trying to convince myself they never happened....

West End 8 is for both affiliated and unaffiliated runners - it’s before Swithland 6.

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Running outside is a game changer. I train mainly alone and there’s nothing more soothing than getting out there and just seeing where the legs take you. I do try to do my longer runs with other people to make sure I run at a comfortable chatty pace. A little over 2 years ago I couldn’t run for s***. I was at least 4 stone overweight and thought it would be hilarious to enter the London marathon ballot. Yep, I got in. Went from couch to marathon in 6 months, completed it and never wanted to run again. Started running again in May and as the weight came off, my times dropped and it didn’t become easier, my goals just became different and I pushed myself harder. I guess what I’m trying to say is that once it becomes a habit it does become more enjoyable. If you can, go to a parkrun on a Saturday morning and just try to enjoy it. As for water, I don’t take water out with me unless I’m going over 13 miles. At races etc, I use the water stations if needed but never take my own. Now that I’m entering the realms of stupid distances, I stick my hydration pack on and use that for fuelling my longer runs.