Any Runners On Here??

[GrumpyGregry]

Stayed in cph this weekend. Did my parkrun #46 on Saturday. Ran round slowly with a charming female tourist from Bournemouth by way of Cambridge and had a whale of a time.

Today suddenly got the urge to do some sightseeing (My gig may be ending this month) and was going to take my bike but I suddenly got the urge to go for a long slow run instead. Saw all the main sites of downtown cph, plus the little mermaid and the northern tollbooth. Took a turn around the ramparts of the citadel and then turned for 'home'.

Plan was 10k turned out to be 15k as I hadn't included the distance around the inner and outer ramparts.

Oh yeah; run in shorts in October here and you will be the subject of many lingering looks from women of a certain age! Seems I brightened a few days up.

I hereby declare myself over my tendonitis. Shame I'm a stone heavier than I was when I came out here in April.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Now here's the thing. They say 25% of the Danish population run regularly. The stat said twice a week minimum. And they certainly seem to support a healthy number of running shops in cph.

Y'day I went to Magasin (du Nord) the cph department store in the city centre, and, as you do, I wandered around the running department for a bit. Then I noticed. 90% of the stuff there was aimed at women! There were three small rails for men "Male Running" x 2 and "Male Training" x 1 and about 30 rails of women's running gear. Umpteen shelves of women's running shoes and only one stack of men's. And then it occurred, when I see blokes out running, most of the time they are running with a female partner. (The guys do this weird aggressive "you lookin' at my bird?" thing when coming the other wayy, and will swap sides to put themselves between the woman and the oncoming Gregry - perhaps I fit the description of a typical Danish axe murderer - but they soon discover my beaming smile at other runners "don't let them see the pain" is bestowed regardless of gender). And solo female runners in this part of town seem to outnumber the male ones about 10 to 1. Perhaps the blokes are all down the gym at fitness.dk?

 

[SWSteve]

Went for a run earlier this evening. I've been trying to start again moving into winter as those cold, wet, windy miles in the dark aren't quite as tempting as the summer evening rides...

So, a couple of weeks back into running regularly and I made it to 10K! I'm really happy as this is something I didn't think I would achieve before Christmas. I don't mean to be all humble brag, but I'm really happy with this.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Managed to get out yesterday for my first run in over a month after knackering my knee in a mountain biking off. Did a lovely 4 miles or so through the woods along a river valley up from the coast and back, I was very pleased to find it was less strain on the knee than cycling currently is. I did find I was much less willing to dash down the loose flinty slopes than I normally am though, the thought of coming down again on the same joint is not a happy one.

My running partner is moving away soon so I'm going to have to work hard not to revert to my preferred pootling speed over the winter, or to take a break to "admire the view" at the top of the cliffs!

 

[Stephenite]

Good taste in bicycles judging by your sig
@ChrisEyles

 

[ChrisEyles]

Thanks @Stephenite! Here are two of my favourites, one for fast Saturday morning rides and another for pootling around the countryside:

TBH I am more of a cyclist than I am runner (I certainly don't own that many pairs of running shoes!) but I've been really enjoying my off-road running along the SW coast path since I picked it up again a few months ago. Certainly doesn't make me any faster on a bike but I do feel generally a bit fitter for mixing it up a bit.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

a parkrun in cph for me y'day. many of the usual suspects, my sparing partners, were missing. goal was get round unhurt under 25:00 without looking at my watch to pace it, so running by feel. 24:42 says the email and nothing hurts so it is a win-win. my best time on that course is sub-22 and that seems as far away as the moon at the moment. slowly slowly catchee monkee.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Nostell Priory #66 this morning, for me

My MoJo is wearing away, as it felt like a real chore

A slow/steady 39th/197 @ 24:12

Plenty of Halloween-ers there, may add pictures later, when I've seen some

 

[GrumpyGregry]

parkrun this morning. Probably my last in cph. I was proper chocked halfway round thinking I likely won't do it again. Head was all over the shop.

Gets me one run near my goal of 50 by my 55th birthday so all good.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Gets me one run near my goal of 50 by my 55th birthday so all good.

This was my 54th, & my 50th birthday was last week

If I'd kept going to them, instead of leaving a big gap, I'm not sure how many I could have done by now (even allowing for my working a lot of weekends), as I ran the first ever at Pontefract (plus the precurser, where the route was being run, just to approve it)
This mornings was Pontefracts 230th!

24 runs at Nostell, with the biggest gap being between 15th & 28th runs http://www.parkrun.org.uk/nostellpriory/results/athletehistory/?athleteNumber=141382
30 runs at Pontefract, 1st run, then didn't go back until '76'! (then a gap from '94' till, '120') http://www.parkrun.org.uk/pontefract/results/athletehistory/?athleteNumber=141382

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Plenty of Halloween-ers there, may add pictures later, when I've seen some

A few of todays photographs can be found here................ https://www.flickr.com/groups/nostellpriory-parkrun/pool/

 

[Legs]

WOOT WOOT!

http://www.parkrun.org.uk/sheringham/results/weeklyresults/?runSeqNumber=154
http://www.strava.com/activities/423506902

That is a pretty tough course - nearly all off-road, muddy and slippery with fallen leaves... and uphill for the last mile. First first place :-)

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

I'm weekend off, so I'm thinking about this event on Saturday
http://www.todharriers.co.uk/shepherds-skyline-fell-race/

I've wanted to run their 'Stoodley Pike Fell-Race' for a few years, but it's a travelling nightmare to get to for me
M62, from jct 32 to jct 24 (at 'rush-hour'/'drive-time')
Elland bypass (aka 'autobahn') > Copley, Sowerby Bridge > the valley road, through Luddenden Foot > Mytholm (near foot of Cragg Vale)
Hebden Bridge > Todmorden

Doing it on a weekend might not be too bad, but trying to get there, in good time, for the 'Stoodley' would be grim!


Failing, running the 'Shepards', it's Ilkley CC Cyclo-Cross on Sunday
I could do that instead
But....... £6.00 (fell-race) against, £14.00 (CX)

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Warning 'Waffling On' Alert


Didn't get to the above event at Todmorden, as other (family) matters happened

Managed to run the Nostell ParkRun
The numbers were quite depleted, mainly due to the heavy rain, in the hour leading up to the start, and it was also a round of the 'Ackworth' Grand Prix series (my Club, but I'm not 'GP'-ing)
http://www.ackworthroadrunnersandac.co.uk/grand-prix-2015/4580591185
17th/97 @ 24:01 (poor turnout, when that bad time gets me a top-20)


Plus;
Quite miffed that I missed out on an 'Auld Lang Syne' entry
http://www.woodentops.org.uk/index.php?topic=als&subtopic=home
I've run it in 2012, 2013
I had an entry, but missed it last year due to injury, so had intended making up for it this year

Therefore ...................
It'll be these 3 as the remaining races of the year (barring ParkRuns)
1. 'Harriers v Cyclists'
Exactly same 6 mile route for runners & riders - certain sections favour either group
http://www.bingleyharriers.co.uk/events/harriers-vs-cyclists/
I rode it in 2007 & 2008
Ran in; 2009, 2010, 2011 (DNF, due to collecting a branch in an eye), 2013 & 2014
Damned good fun, trying to beat the 'CX' racers & MTB-ers
Seen here, ins 2nd picture, talking to Ron Roberts ('Wakefield CC'), Paul Milson ('Calder Clarion') & Darrell Bradbury ('Norton Wheelers', but running this time, for 'Dark Peak Fell-Runners')
https://www.flickr.com/photos/hanglebads/sets/72157637737214764
(bottom of page, '94', in Bingley Harriers vest; Phil Thackray; dad of Richard & Robert, the ex GB CX squad/Pace Research riders)



2. 'Stoop'
I've not run this one before, but have covered most of the (5 mile) course
http://www.woodentops.org.uk/index.php?topic=stoop&subtopic=home (check out the photo-tour, on the race page, might be a different matter, if we get early snow!)


3. 'Man v Bike'
Denby Dale Travellers AC
Usually twixt Christmas & New Years Day
Circa 10 miles for the riders, about 6 for the runners
The routes converge/diverge, but same start/finish
Free entry, just bring Mince Pies & an unwanted present, as a raffle prize

No date/time details for this years event

 

[Legs]

D'oh! Tried running the (epic) 15 mile Roaches Fell Race on Sunday but bust a muscle in my left calf at the top of the first climb, 2.5 miles in. I could virtually hear it going TWANG! and there was no way I could carry on. After limping back to the HQ, I just about managed to drive home afterwards - I really needed to psych myself up for the pain to put the clutch in...

I think I'll be walking like Herr Flick of the Gestapo for a while, yet.

Don't have any plans for any more races in the foreseeable future - maybe a Christmas parkrun?