Ross Running...

My parkrun PB has been 22:26 since the 3rd of June 2023!!  I clearly haven't exactly been tearing it up on parkruns over the last 15 months!!  And I haven't written anything for this blog in the last four months or so, but nothing unusual has happened in my running world in that time.  But last year I said I would blog every time I managed to get a new PB, and, finally, today is the day!  The improvement was only 12s but it's still an improvement, so I am very pleased.  Also, in January I moved to Manchester, and that means all my parkruns this year have been in Manchester.  Today the location of my overall PB moved from Penrith to Manchester - end of an era😁.  I have been getting close to a PB recently, and today the weather was chilly but nice, so it was a good day to attempt a PB.  I usually do Alexandra Parkrun in Manchester and today was no exception!  I was 87th today, and being in the top 100 at Alexandra is unusual for me!!  It...

My last post was Tuesday the 2nd of April, which was 12 days before the Manchester Marathon.   I said in that post that I had just tried and failed to run 20 miles (32k).  Also all the advice of friends and family was that, given my recent hospital visit, I should wait until next year for the marathon...  The run on that Tuesday was 30k, so close to the planned 32k, but not quite there - and I was done in.  So a 42k marathon seemed impossible.  If I had a few weeks to build up the distance then I thought I could do it, but there was little time left.  What has happened since then... Firstly, I did my usual gentle run the day after the long run.  I find it helps me to get the legs moving, and check out if any injuries etc.  The day after the 30k run I did 8k on the gym treadmill.  A gentle pace, but no injuries and it felt fine.  Last year I think my big mistake was to rely too much on the treadmill, but after the long run on Tuesday...

It's 12 days before the Manchester marathon!!  Obviously due to the head operation at the end of February, my running in March has been kinda limited!!  And my running for the second half of February was pretty much non-existent too!!  Not great training for the marathon, but if I am going to give it a go, what do I need to do?  Clearly the aim now is not to worry about pace, but just try and get round it, ideally without stopping!  Even breaking four hours is not a goal - that's too quick for me in my current state.  But maybe 6m/km is achievable for a marathon.  That would equate to about 4:13h which is, if anything, faster than I should be aiming at!!  The not stopping is bizarrely important to me, because I have a possibly daft feeling that the knee/calf problems I have had in long runs only happen after I stop.  If I keep going, even very slowly, the pain won't start until I stop, which is hopefully after the finish!  So I am lookin...

It's been about 6 weeks since my last blog post and there has been quite a big running gap!  Just over a month ago my head was hurting, right at the top.  That's part of where the metal plates were put in after the TBI.  The result of the previously mentioned bicycle accident in 2020.  So I was a tad concerned but figured probably ok.  I kept on running but took it a bit easy, and then I had to go to Glasgow for a few days for family stuff.  My sister, Jo, is a dentist, so very medical.  I mentioned to her the sharp pain I had been occasionally getting, and she had a look at the top of my head.  She saw a bit of metal protruding from my head, so she took a picture and told me to get back in touch with Preston hospital, and send them the picture.  I did this, and unsurprisingly they wanted me to come in for an appointment.  That was booked for the 22nd of February, and I went and they had a look.  They needed a scan to know how serio...

It's been a month since my last post and today was a long run.  But, more importantly, I've moved house!!  On the 19th of January I moved to Manchester and I've even joined a local running club !  Today was my first long run here, and the weather was sunny and I loved it.  But, oh man, I was slow!  I didn't mind what pace I did it at, I just wanted lots of time-on-legs, and it certainly ticked that box, at 144 minutes!  But my average pace was 6:09m/km, which is only just above walking pace, and I couldn't go any faster!!  I don't think I could have kept going for even 5 minutes longer, but if I can keep that pace for a marathon it would equate to 4 hours 20.  Not quick, but 20 minutes quicker than last year, so it'd still be a success!  There are about 10 weeks to go, so if I can get to a point where I can be comfortable at that pace for 4 hours or so then I'll be happy.  I jogged to Platt Fields for this, which is where the South Manch...

It's been just over a month since the last post, and today was a long run, so I figured worth a post!!  The plan for today's run was 121 minutes, but I am still adding my extra 20 minutes or so at a gentle pace.  That made the plan to be 141minutes in total which was ever so slightly terrifying!!  It was on a treadmill so perfect terrain/weather, and I thought somewhere around 26km would maybe be achievable.  Nowhere near a marathon, but getting there, and I would have been very happy!!  But I failed 😢.  It wasn't a disaster, in fact it was kinda decent really, but one reason for posting is to share my feelings about why I failed!!  I clearly don't know the reason, but I have a guess.  And it is something that I have been thinking for some time now.  Treadmill running is very different to running outside for all sorts of reasons!!  I prefer running outside, but there are pros and cons.  Running outside means not having to go to a g...