2022 plans

 For 2022 my plan is to have another parkrun year.  Here are the aims:

Milage

This year aiming for 500 miles for the first time in a long time.  This works out at 41 miles per month or just over 10 miles per week.

Not parkruns

I will still keep recording these when I do 5ks outside actual parkruns but no aims.

parkrun events

This is a tricky one as I have 15 events left to do in Scotland but it has been ages since a new event in Scotland started. So I think it could be a year where a lot start and I have certainly heard of quite a few in the works.  I think a more realistic target would be to reach 60 different Scottish events and anything above that is a bonus.

No of parkruns

In total I finished last year on 245 parkruns so all being well I should hit 250 in early February.

Time

Usual target of trying to get under 30 minutes as much as possible. Particulary at Queen's where I haven't done it yet. 

2021 Summary

 I realised I have not posted in a few months and all of a sudden its the 29th December. So time to look back on the year.

Not parkruns

Not parkruns are still a thing and even though parkrun came back in July I have still been doing them throughout the year. Not to the same degree though as 2020 where I did 100 not parkruns in 6 months.   One of the reasons for this is that a lot of those 100 were walks and I when I have been going for walks I haven't been doing 3 miles.  Also when going out for runs with the Wednesday gang, if it wasn't bang on 3.1 miles I would just not bother recording as a not parkrun. Nevertheless I still did 81 thoughout the year meaning I am now on 181 not parkruns total.

Total Miles

This year I managed 468 miles which is the most I have managed in a year since 2016 where I did 472 miles. So the second highest total milage since I joined Strava.

parkruns

This year I managed 18 live events, broken down as follows

8 x Queen's (inc 2 tailwalks, fastest 30.48, slowest 31.58)

1x Pollok

1 x Tollcross

Then the new events, 2 in England 

Preston

Pontefract

6 new ones in Scotland taking my total Scottish events tally upto 44 Scottish events done and 54 overall

University of Stirling

Montrose

Faskally Forest

Polkemment

Levengrove

Perth

Out of the 6 new ones I did 4 were under 30, Levengrove was just over 30 by seconds. Then Faskally was a chatty 33 minutes.

Average parkrun time

I decided to just do the parkrun live events for average parkrun time this year.  So pleased that this is my 2nd fastest average year on record, especially with all those runs at Queen's.

2017 - 31.04 (35 runs)

2018 - 31.52 (46 runs)

2019 - 30.33 (44 runs)

2020 - 31.40 (64 runs)

2021 - 30.59 (16 runs)

Gernerally speaking

In general, I have been pretty happy with my running this year.  I have been a lot more consistent at getting out 3 times a week. One of the reasons for that is running with the Wednesday night gang and also had my brother to run with on Monday nights for part of the year.  Also delighted parkrun is back and fingers crossed next year that it stay's back. 

Plans for next year in the next post.

parkrun update for September

 4/9/21 - First up was my home run Queen's.  I didn't really know what I was aiming for today but started off at a decent pace considering the course.  I managed the first 2 laps ok but duing the 2nd and 3rd hill of the final lap I had to take some walk breaks so maybe didn't pace it as well as I could.  I was yo yoing with folk quite a lot for the whole thing as people would fly past me on the downhill and I would catch up on the ups barring the last lap.  On the final downhill I let go a bit and actually felt pretty comfortable which made me think I might have been braking too much going down the hill on the first couple of laps.  I finished in a time of 30.48 which is nearly a minute off my PB at Queen's. So pleased with that.

11/9/21 - Today was my volunteering for the month and I was given tailwalker so got a run credit too.  Two ladies were at the back who didn't come together.  I always try and work out whether they want to chat or not when I'm tailwalking. While they didn't run it completley running together all the time. They did chat on occasion. So I joined in and chatted with either or both of them most of the way round.  From memory one was from Hereford and the other Penrith area.  Although they were at the back, both didn't walk once so was actually quite a quick tail walk at just over 42 minutes.

18/9/21 - Today I wasn't really sure where I was going till quite late.  A few folk from the Wednesday group were heading to Stranraer to do a 10 mile trail race.  In the middle of the week they found out the start time had been made later so they realised they could do the parkrun too.   But by the time I got round to looking into it, all the hotel rooms had gone.  So I then looked at Perth but again the Premier Inn there had no rooms left.  So I then looked at Stirling and the Travelodge had rooms so I booked up there. It was about 2 mile walk to the start and when I got there a bus was pulling up which made me realise I should have investigated that option.  I remembered the previous day that my gig buddy Craig was always talking about doing a parkrun so I put a message on the gig chat seeing if anyone fancied it. And Craig was up for it since he lives in Stirling so we met up at the start and I explained the ins and outs of parkrun.  We then went to the first timers briefing followed by the actual briefing and we were off.

As expected Craig went off ahead and I settled into a decent pace.  Its slightly undulating but generally flat, 2 loop course round a lake.  There are points going round you think you are further on than you are due to the shape of the lake and this messed with my head a bit. But its a really nice course.  On the second loop I did have to walk bits but was still inside 30 minutes at the finish coming in at 28.37.  Craig was about 25 minutes.

25/9 - Today's run was in Pitlochery on the north side of the town in Faskally forest with the Wednesday social crew.  I stayed in the southern end of Pitlochry as I think due to September weekend a lot of the hotels had sold out.  But the hotel I did stay at was very nice.  Blythe offered to give me a lift in the morning to save the 2 mile walk to the start.  When we got there, there was lots of recognisable faces at this relatively new parkrun event as it was their 9th one.  We found the start and you could see instantly the course started with quite a hill. I had heard it was a tough course so I just planned to take it easy today.  When we started Kirstin had obviously decided the same and we spent the parkrun chatting all the way round.  It is a really nice setting for a parkrun in the forest with all the lakes and its all trails.  Yes the course is tough if you "go for it" as the hills are steep but if you just jog round its an enjoyable experience.  Still managed 33 minutes and its nice to have a long downhill to finish. Although I still felt fresh at the finish. I have to say it does take a few minutes to get my breath back at the top of each hill.  Afterwards we headed to Pitlochery golf club for a roll before I headed back on the train.

The return of parkrun! End of July, August update

Yes, finally! After 18 months parkrun is back, and it feels great.  Parkrun in England started up 3 weeks before Scotland on the 24th of July. I was very tempted to go down and knew some folk from Scotland were making the trip down, but I was a bit concerned they’re maybe a reaction to folk travelling south for parkruns so I thought I would wait to see what the reaction was like and if it was fine or not.  

31st July - Preston parkrun

As it happens there was no negative reaction that I could tell so I booked up a hotel in Preston and headed down on the train on Friday night which just took a couple of hours.  Preston parkrun is right in the middle of the town beside the river and was only 20-minute walk from my hotel, so it worked out well.  The course is 3 laps, starting off going along beside the river then turning up a steep hill. then you have a long gradual downhill which runs parallel to the river, just further away from it before heading down towards the river again.  The steep uphill really slows you down but because of the long, gradual downhills I wouldn't call it a slow course and I managed to get sub 30 on my return to parkrun with a 29.15.

7th August - Pontefract parkrun

I was on holiday with my parents in the run up to this one down in Harrogate for the week and it finished on the Friday. So, we booked a Premier in, in Pontefract. Mainly because it was cheap, and the parkrun was handy for heading home.  Another nice course. It goes in a small lap of the lake to start off which was about half a mile.  Then a big lap going on a forest track type road which runs inside the racecourse.  Then another small lap of the lake to finish.  It was quite busy initially but spread out after about half a lap of the lake.  I got a bit carried away on this one and my second mile was around 8.30.  There are a few hills on the racecourse and the one coming back towards the lake really caught me out.  Before I reached the lake again, I did take a short walking break just to give myself a breather.  And then continued round the lake to finish in 28.44.

14th August - Queens parkrun

This was the return of parkrun in Scotland where I spent the morning marshalling at my local parkrun, Queens.  It was great morning and good to see folk I hadn't seen in a long time.

21st August - Montrose parkrun

I decided to get back trying to get round the Scottish parkruns so headed up to Montrose.  My hotel was about a 20-minute walk from the start which was ideal.  I got chatting to a few folks who are setting up the new Arbroath parkrun, as well as a chap Bob whose home run is Victoria.  The course is very flat as you go up an old air strip before going in a loop which is almost a square.  It's weird I kept on getting a bit disorientated about where I was on the loop due to the gradual turns.  I kept thinking it was going to be the last one before returning to the air strip and eventually of course it was.  I pushed it quite a bit on this one and paced it pretty well finishing in 28.20.

28th August - Queens parkrun

I actually booked off a half day holiday to head up to Aberdeen on the Friday for Ury Riverside but I ended up not booking anything as with the rising covid cases in Scotland it didn't seem like the best idea especially travelling on public transport.  So, I decided to do my home run Queen's today.  I got there about 9.20 and there were very few people about but then Joe appeared, and I got chatting to him as more and more people appeared. Once it started Kirstin who I run with quite often on a Wednesday popped up, so we spent the run chatting all the way round.  I was a bit concerned about the hills today as I haven't really done any hilly runs in a while (well none like Queen's park) but I think we paced it well and ended up only about 20 seconds off my course best with 31.58.  Would love to get below 30 here which is my goal now.

May, June and a little bit of July update

 So, April was my last update.  I missed out May's update as I wasn't really that encouraged by my running during May as I missed a few runs.  2 Saturday runs in fact.  I was always looking forward to these runs during the week but when it came to Saturday, I just never felt great when I woke up.  In June things improved on Saturdays and I got out every Saturday bar 1.  But Monday and Wednesday runs have been good. On Monday's I have been running with my brother quite a lot.  Making up new routes each week. On these runs we are running the whole way and slowly getting quicker. With the last one we did together being under 30 minutes.

Meanwhile the gang I run with Wednesday's is much more of a social run.  Where they intensity of the run can vary depending on who shows up but generally about 30-33 minutes for a 5k so it suits me. We do stop more to chat and if in Pollok park watch the cows.  These kind of runs suit me after work as Wednesdays at work I can go through periods where I working from home and not speaking to anyone so it’s good to get that chat at night.  
Now that June has come and gone, I can tell you that I have done around 220 miles for the first half of the year. I don’t think I reached 400 miles for the year in 2020. In 2019 I did but in 2017 and 2018 I was in the 300 mile range. So, it would be good if I can keep this going and get over 400 again this year.

In July I have started to increase the distance a bit, doing a few 5 milers and a 10k. All very easy. I have half an eye on doing the Great Scottish run in October.  But I reckon it will depend on when parkruns start back up as I imagine I'll be more drawn to them if I do.  Currently England parkruns are due to start up on 24th of July and Scotland on the 14th August. But who knows.

In the meantime I'll just keep trying to keep with my 3 runs a week and maybe even try and stretch it to 4.

April Update

 What I said I would do last month

I hoped to get up to running a 10k by the end of this month

What I actually did

Well I didn't make it to 6 miles. In fact all bar 1 of my runs were roughly 5k.  This wasn't planned its just I never really felt confident enough to take it to 4 miles this month despite not missing a run. I have been getting in a good routine of running 3 times a week.  And also the last 3 Wednesday's I have been running with a group of folk I know from parkrun which has been good.  It's been nice having company on the run which is something I haven't really done for a long time.

What I plan to do 

Hopefully this month I can up the distance a bit.  But if not it is important for me just to keep getting out there and at least doing something.

March update

 What I said I would do

The aim this month was to try and increase my runs to 6 miles.
What I actually did

Well, it didn't go to plan and although it wasn't the best month it certainly wasn't the worst either.  I did get out for 3, 4 1/2 milers in the first 2 weeks of the month alongside some shorter runs.  I wasn't planning to do the shorter runs and hoped to do 4 1/2 milers, but I was either in the wrong frame of mind or just wasn't happening.

Then in the third week I got my first dose of the vaccine which I was surprised to get but reassuring at the same time.  The volunteer who did it told me to take paracetamol that night which pretty much prepared me for being ill. So I took it easy and missed out on a couple of runs for the next few days. I would say I had mild flu symptoms. Not enough to miss work but enough to miss runs as I felt slightly lightheaded at times.  

After that I gradually built things up again and now back up to doing 5ks again.  While my times are slower now, I am not really trying that hard. I'm just enjoying running easy and having plenty left in the tank when I finish.

So overall despite all the dips this month I only missed out on 3 runs and completed 11.

Where’s my head at and a look ahead

I know last month I talked about races and various distances I wanted to aim for. Right now, I am just enjoying the fact that running does lift me out of bad days and down periods.  I still think about doing marathons again from time to time, but those thoughts only really last a few days at a time till I remember what an undertaking they are.  A half marathon seems more achievable, but I reckon when parkruns start up I might just slip into 5k mode again.  

But in terms of what I want to do for April, hopefully I'll manage to get up to 6 mile runs by the end of the month.

February update

 

What I said I would do 

At the end of last month’s blog I said I would just stick to 5ks this month.

What I actually did

The first week of the month I did stick to 5ks. Not fast for various reasons but I got 3 in.

The second week I decided to do what I set out to do in my 2021 plans and try and start increasing the mileage a bit.  So, 2, 4 1/2 mile runs and a 5k.  Took the longer runs slow and just tried to not overdo it.  Then the 5k I did plan to go longer but it was icy which is not my favourite conditions so cut it short.

The third week was probably my best training week in a long time. 3 runs but this time 2, 4 1/2 mile runs and 1, 5 mile run.  The first 2 runs felt good, but I have to say the 5 mile one was a bit more work even though it was just half a mile extra.

The fourth week was not good.  I fell ill on Monday morning and have been off work. Zero running. I was back at work Friday but still feeling a bit of the remnants so I’m not going to rush back into running.

What I want to do next month and beyond

I still change my mind a lot over what I want to do with my running. The thing is I know I can achieve all of it if I just make up my mind and concentrate on one thing at a time.

With parkruns and races potentially starting up later this year this puts my mind into overdrive.  I was halfway through my challenge of completing all the parkruns in Scotland.  Would still like a revenge match with the Kintyre way ultra at some point.  And maybe a marathon again too as its the PB I know I can still beat.

I think I was going in the right direction this month and hopefully I can recover and continue this into March.  I hope over March and April to continue my midweek reasons and build them up to 6 miles. Once they are comfortable, I can start doing sessions again during the week.  Then for my weekend run to be honest I am slightly undecided whether to continue 5ks or keep increasing the distance. We shall see.

January update

 I didn't bother with monthly updates during lockdown last year but I am doing one this month, mainly  to capture where I am at compared to the targets I set my self at the start of the year.  I did say I was going to aim to try and do longer runs and try and get my speed up again.  But really the weather had other plans this month and made it very difficult at times.  This was due to the amount of ice on the pavements and roads especially early in the month.  I don't really mind running in any weather but when there is ice this becomes a real challenge and can even be dangerous as my mum was to find out this month.  She unforetunatley fell on the ice just out for a walk and disclocated her shoulder.  She is fine but will take time to recover.

In terms of myself getting out I would often go out to see how far I get and sometimes due to black ice I wouldnt even make it out of my estate its been so bad.  I do have kathoola microspikes but really they only good if there is a layer of ice that the spikes can crunch into.   The other option was to go to where there is grass but for me that wasn't really feasible.  During lunchtimes I would have to take an extended, extended lunch break just to get there and back as well as run.  Then at night, even with a head torch, I don't fancy running around parks in the dark on my own.

But that's the downsides to this month, but there are plenty of positives.  For a start it wasn't icy all the time! :-) I did 11, 5ks this month.  4 of which were under 30 minutes with 3 of them coming in the last week thanks to the milder weather.  Fastest time was today where I zoomed round the perimeter of Queen's park twice, clocking 28.44.  Another 2 runs were seconds outside of getting under 30 mins. Also Including walks as well as the runs I did 15 (not) parkruns this month.  In terms of going longer I think I'll stick to 5ks just now as I still find them quite hard work so don't really feel ready to up the distance yet.  Also still in the depths of winter so who knows whats round the corner in terms of the weather.  But I'll try to keep things going like I did in January and lets hope for no more ice!

Tribute to John Kynaston

Very sad to hear the news of John Kynaston's passing on Tuesday 12th January 2021. John was such a big inspiration for me to write my own blog which I started way back in 2009 after reading many, many of his blog entries. Not only that but I have him to thank for adding me to the http://whwblogs.blogspot.com/ blog roll which connected me to so many other people in the ultra runnning community. It not only allowed me to share my experiences with them but allowed me to find all about the people in Scotland running ultras. While I still follow whats going on in ultras now, I was obsessed with ultras back then and loved the spreadsheets with splits from races that John used to produce. Pouring over them to see how peoples races developed. In the last 6 years this blog has been focused on parkruns and parkrun was where I met John a few times. The first at Pollok when John was doing his warm up while I was walking to my marshall position and he stopped for a chat. The second was at Linwood a week after he completed the Northern Traverse. He was at Linwood cheering on runners that day and I remember passing him, he gave me such a boost with his encouragement and I remember congratulating him on his previous weeks accomplishment. The amount of content John has produced in terms of blogs, podcasts and you tube videos has been nothing short of phenomenal. I will miss it. He was so enthusiastic and such a great runner too, so disiplined in planning and training for races. It's not surprising that he achieved so much in running. Thoughts are with his family at this difficult time. RIP John

2021 plans (?!)

 Yeah so traditionally this would layout exactly what I want to achieve in the year ahead but for obvious reasons this year its a little bit more tricky.  In the past few years my target has been to notch up as many parkruns as possible and by this stage I would have a number of trips booked in already for the summer. But even with the vaccine on the horizon, realistically I can't see races or parkruns happenning till at least summer at the very, very earliest.

So what to do then.  I don't think there is any point in making plans for the whole year but rather focus on want I want to do and improve upon over the next 4 months.  I did have an idea to maybe train for a virtual half at the end of April and that still is a possiblity.  But I need to change my routine to do that. The problem being I do like the routine I have got myself into last year.  And that was running 2, 3 lunchtimes during the week then on a Saturday too.  If I was to attempt training for a half that would mean I would have to extend my runs during the week which would mean I would have to run after work.  

The other thing I was thinking of doing was really trying to improve my 5k time.  What I have found in the past is though my 5k time improves the most when I train for longer distances.  So to do this again I would have to run after work and not at lunchtimes.  

I think the two aims kind of fit in with each other.  I know how easy it is though just to stay in after work.  But I think it is at least worth a try and see if I can get anywhere with the getting faster and going longer approach while keeping my 5ks on a Saturday.  If I find I'm not going out after work I can still resort to 5k lunchtime runs.

I'll still aim for averging under 30 mins for 5ks and I have another aim here of trying to run more than 20 sub 30 minute 5ks.

Happy new year and good luck with your own running goals if you have them