Archives for October, 2012
Posted on Oct 31, 2012 under Club Runs, Fun Runs |
The Sweatshop Hyde Running Group Jekyll & Hyde Monster Mash Halloween Run asked participants to turn up in fancy dress for a 4 mile run combining both groups and welcoming runners of all abilities!
I arrived in my Friday the 13th outfit, complete with hoodie, ski mask and meat cleaver, already glistening wet from rain, rather than the fresh blood of victims along the way!
The outfits were all really amazing and I didn’t even recognise the Devil behind the counter in the shop! This Motley Crew of Ghouls, chainsaw murderers, vampires, witches, imps and zombies went out into the wet October evening and wreaked havoc on unsuspecting public and delighted children alike! We even stopped by the home of one of the running group members and several runners raided the children’s sweet bowls! Check out this bunch of impish, ghoulish, devilish runners! (Pic courtesy of Jackie!)
This cast of jogging oddities raised a few eyebrows and occasioned several appreciative beeps of horns, thankfully no pile ups were caused at the shock of seeing this gleeful lot going full tilt up and down hills in the sodden conditions.
Our illustrious coach nearly suffocated in his mask, and I must say running in full horror movie regalia was a hot and breathless affair, but I managed to run and kept to a sensible pace, and hopefully the leg will be OK come tomorrow!
Posted on Oct 29, 2012 under 3k, Easy Runs, Injuries, Jogs, Slow Runs |
10 days or so since I went to the sweatshop Hyde 5k group, leg flared on weightbearing somewhat after that so decided not to run.
Have opted into the Halloween run this Weds, as would like to have a bit of fun in fancy dress. The plan was to go swimming today but the school hols somewhat messed up that plan as the pool was closing in 10 minutes when I got there.
So decided to do a short run, and see how my leg was holding up – was aware of discomfort in the lower right leg as usual after the first step, and it was present all the way through the run, despite going at the meagre pace of 7 mins or slower per km. Felt fine fitness wise but really not sure what is wrong with leg now, it’s been 2 months since Salford 10k, have rested up for weeks at a time, but this problem isn’t going away – just hope it’s not another winter of no running as visits to the pool could be costly!!
Posted on Oct 17, 2012 under 5-10k, Club Runs |
Had a free evening so decided to head to the Sweatshop Hyde running group. I hasten to add, the 5k group, not the speedy 10k lot – not just yet, anyway!
Decided to jog to the shop as a bit of a warmup, and saw one of the crew in his car, he joked I would get there before him with the traffic!
Felt a bit strange arriving for the 5k, but saw a few familiar faces from the Ron Hill run on Sunday, and then we were off, I tried to take it steady but then felt comfortable and sped up a little, and after the first hill, and a bit of a stop, kept up with the front runners for a while. It was quite challenging in places with the hills, and we were “encouraged” to run back to meet up with the back markers at a number of points, which resulted in running nearly 6k in the end and doing a few of the uphills twice!
I felt good and was able to sustain a good pace right at the end, though I felt my hamstring protest a little. Didn’t feel too bad at all on the hills and felt strong all in all. So with the 2.5k to the shop, and the 5.8km group run, I managed to do a shade over 5 miles, which is pretty good going considering the time I’ve had to take off lately!
My leg did feel a little niggly still, so will see how it responds, but there was no real pain after the run, just a sense that I need to be careful with it!
Posted on Oct 14, 2012 under 5-10k, Club Runs, Milestones, Trail Running |
Have not been able to make the Hyde Sweatshop Running Community runs for over a month, both due to my injury woes and also the fact Mondays and Wednesdays have been inundated with client bookings in the evening. So when I recieved an invitation to run a 4 miler with Ron Hill this Sunday morning, with free breakfast to follow, I felt I couldn’t really say no!
It was a bright, albeit chilly morning, definitely a few notches down on the thermometer, especially early in the morning. I wore my long sleeved top underneath my short sleeve SRC yellow top, and my tracksuit bottoms. I put the old-ish trainers on as I expected we might hit the muddy trails!
Got to the shop and it was still quiet, chatted to a few people, and soon some familiar faces arrived. I had to remind myself I have not had much running for a month, so didn’t want to start trying to maintain whatever pace I had last time I was there!
We set off into the bright Sunday sunshine with Ron Hill leading, and I held back my pace, feeling tempted to try to hit the front markers but knowing that might not go down to well with my legs or lungs! Chatted to someone I hadn’t seen before, and felt quite good at the pace we were going. When we hit the trails around the Tame valley things got very muddy, I was able to attack the hill before Mill Lane and put on some bursts of speed, but then waited for back markers at various points. We went through the woods and up the stairs in the hillside, I took it easy, and then there was a bit of a detour back up to the canal path, which was extremely muddy. There was talk of ecoli and plague in those dangerous puddles as people tried to avoid them but I just went straight through a few – I hope I shall survive!
On the hills up to the shop I watched a few roads and stayed with the person I had chatted to at the beginning, and supported her to the end, as this wasn’t really a run to go hell for leather with pace, but I really enjoyed the company and the bright sunshine of the run.
I felt quite good at the pace I ran and it didn’t feel like I hadn’t been out for a run with other people for so long, so hopefully the swimming and the few jogs I’ve managed have kept my fitness ticking over.
Work permitting, I might venture back to the 5k Wednesday group, and will hopefully meet some more nice new people as well as familiar ones, and I can slowly build my distance and pace back up so I can enjoy some long winter runs.
My leg and back seemed to hold up well on this one. But my trainers certainly needed a spray with bleach solution and a dunk in hot water, and are now steam drying on the radiator, ready to eat more mud another day, although the evening runs will probably be on roads from now on with the dark nights!
Posted on Oct 06, 2012 under 5-10k, 5k, Injuries, Musings, Regular Runs, Slow Runs |
Another 5k with mixed feelings, right leg never felt 100% but seemed to survive if I kept the pace really slow. Had been swimming earlier in the week, which is great, but at £2.80 a time can work out more expenseive than hitting the road!
I have a current theory about my injury, which goes back to the fall I had over the summer, cracking my back hard on a rock. I’m wondering if I compressed a nerve, as when I had 2 weeks off running, some other symptoms I had, such as a mild numbness in certain places, subsided, but seem to have returned along with starting running again, so am wondering if running is putting pressure on it and this is in fact what is causing the leg pain…
I will see what happens after this run. It may be that I need an extended break for the nerve to uncompress itself (funnily enough, after swimming, and stretching my body out, the symptoms greatly ease). Maybe I will even have to quit running altogether.
Good or bad news? Who knows! I’m thinking of the Zen story where a farmer’s son breaks his leg, but thus avoids being conscripted into the army and killed. Maybe my injury will help me avoid a rendezvous with a truck or maniac gunman…
Posted on Oct 03, 2012 under 5-10k, 5k, Injuries, Regular Runs |
A very gentle 5k run to test out my legs. Was ready to abort at any minute if I felt pain, must admit legs didn’t feel as solid and dependable as I would have liked… Wore my tracksuit bottoms for the first time with long sleeved top, felt quite chilly out there.
Set a very sedate pace of about 7 mins per k and soon warmed up. Lungs and heart seemed to respond well, and managed 5k without feeling any sort of discomfort or breathing hard, will now see how the leg reacts to this, before deciding what to do next.
