Did another 4 mile test yesterday. Slow, but good. Took today off and will try an 8-miler tomorrow. If I feel OK on Sunday I’m going to register for the half marathon at the end of July and book the hotel.
Been thinking a lot about what running means to me. I really don’t know what I’d do without it. I guess I would find something.
After last years injury and a few niggling problems I’m working on sprint intervals as well as long runs to get my vo2 max up again.
I’m up to 40 again and at 57 yrs old I’m happy about that. Hoping to keep improving 
I love to run, have been consistently at it since a youngster & I’m 60 now. I was never fast but am holding steady at my age. I also don’t give a shit about time or how I look anymore, I just go out, do the best I can & enjoy myself. I tell myself “good job old girl” haha! It’s absolutely the best motivation I have for not drinking, because I’ll still do it hung over if I can 
Well rested & hydrated is much better! I’ve done 4 marathons (3 Chicagos), lots of triathlons. I was always fast out of the water & bike, then everyone caught me in the run 
It’s all about joy & support for my sobriety at this stage of the game.
Nice misdirection at 4:15 am.
It was still dark so I ran ~9 km instead of 6.5 km. Also first time with a headlamp. And on top it was slope up and slope down.
So just over 2 weeks ago I did my first virtual 5k run and it went well I feel! I did post about it here because I was very excited! I havent been back to running consistently for long, so I signed up for a 3 race virtual series.
So 2 weeks after that “race” I decided to time myself and see how Ive been progressing. This past Monday it had been 2 weeks since my “race” run and I was able to shave off 1 min 6 sec! I was pretty dang happy. The ironic thing is I think I was not hydrated well enough beforehand. So in just under 2 weeks from now Im going to make darn sure Im well hydrated!
My 5k “race” time was: 33:39
My 5k practice time was: 32:33
I am hoping to get my next race time to the 30-31 min range but thats just a tenative goal for my 2nd virtual race. If I am unable to, thats ok!
Ive come so far already since I even started back jogging not long ago, in late March of this year to be exact when I just started slowly with trying some 20 min jogs and 20 min HIIT runs maybe once a week.
I am now up to do some combination of runs 3 days per week as Ive gradually increased my frequency. So far its been a joy!
Just wanted to share! Thanks for reading!
That’s great, congratulations 
How does one find a virtual race? Never heard of such a thing lol! I’ve wanted to get back into racing, not that I have a hope of doing anything other than finishing, but I love the inspiration and motivation signing up for events has always given me. I’ve been running almost daily for probably 50 years, it’s so rewarding.
Hi! I am a huge Disney lover so I got on runDisney and signed up for their series. I figured oh what the heck! The virtual individual races were all “sold out” so I had to do the 3 race challenge which was ok with me. Gives me something to work on and all that!
Virtual races became a thing when covid hit. I had never done one either before now! It is based on the honor system. Basically you go do your run (wherever you prefer to do it) and then record your time. Then you submit it and they send you a finisher metal!
There is also a website that you can go to which lists a LOT of them. Ill send it to you. Im not sure if Im suppose to post links of any sort on here. 
Runkeeper app and Strava have virtual challenges. Some paid, some not. I found a seasonal challenge a few years. I just googled virtual races and the website came up. I got a medal and everything
Well, my test runs have gone good enough. Signed up for the half marathon at the end of the month. And booked a hotel. Not expecting a good time, but it should be fun to be back out there. Races are always fun. I think I mentioned I want to travel somewhere once a month to do a half for a year. This will be month #3.
I love running. It’s the one thing I do where I’m at peace. Don’t think about drinking, don’t think about smoking weed, no problems, no battling loneliness (even though I run alone, ha!), no worries. Today I thought about each stride being a chance to stretch out my hamstrings. That was pretty much it for an hour. Clarity.
My hamstring hasn’t been right for 3 months or more and it really hurt during a 4 mile run yesterday.
Strapped up and forcing myself to rest from running for a couple of weeks. I hate it. I’ll do strength stuff to help it heal and do some gentle stuff. 
So sorry, that sounds really frustrating. Hope you heal quickly and the couple of weeks go quickly
Oh no, Im sorry to hear this. I can read all the passion you have for running in your posts so this is probably going to be a bit of a rough patch… but rest up and you’ll be back at it before you know it. Sending you heal fast vibes your way!
Ironically just a bit ago hubby snd I were on our evening walk and my hamstring started feeling off and tightening up on me. It was completely out of the blue. It was coming and going and sporatic. Hmm.
It looks like I’m getting better after each run. But the most important thing is that I run without any pain in the knees during or after the run. It seems as if my thigh muscles are now able to stabilise my knees.
I’m still quite slow, but that is OK for me. I need running to clear my mind and to be keep my body working properly.
@Brian1965uk I’m sorry to read of your problems.
I hope your hamstring heals quickly!
Yeah I just have to accept it. Oh well!! 
. Hope yours is ok now. Patience is the thing.
Also, question- Do y’all run fasted or have something before heading out? I prefer fasted and it works just fine for short runs but I think I could do better if I gave my body a bit of fuel before heading out. I did a rice cake with peanut butter this morning. Every time I eat before running I get side stitches
I usually don’t eat anything. If it’s a “serious” long run, like a race or an important training run I’ll have a piece of toast. Usually without any butter but maybe a tiny amount. Occasionally I’ll also have a banana. Race days I usually have a small coffee as well.
I just don’t like to have anything to worry about. The more I eat the more I’m afraid I’ll feel weird during the run.
