Socks

If you've done 10-mile runs, you can at least be sure of getting round OK, even if the last bit might feel a bit tough. And i agree with the other comment - not really any point doing any speedwork now as it's too close to get any benefit from. I'd just keep doing what you've done so far, but maybe shorten the Sunday run by a couple of miles this week, then generally take it a bit easuer next week with 2-3 short runs. I quite like to run an easy couple of miles the day before a race, so would probably do something like 4-5 on Tuesday and Thursday then very easy 2 on Saturday. Everyone has their own wee thngs though. Glad I asked about Musselburgh there - their website doesn't menton it and I had no idea it was already open.

You doing Musselburgh again this year, Morrison? Will probably see you there if you are, as I'm hoping to be there. Interesting to see the rough targets folk are looking at. At the moment I'm completely uncertain, and I'm not even sure what distances to target. I was going to do two marathons ths year again, but having already missed the Spring one, I don't know if there's much point going for one in September. Having been out so long, might be better just trying to get up to a reasonable pace for 10k and half marathon. My first race of the year will hopefully be the black rock. Not back to it quite yet, but I think I should finally make it out by next weekend. It'll almost certainly be a pish time, but I'm not really too fussed for now.

That's a great effort to finish, given where you were for fitness only a few months ago. I'm sure it would have been painful but once the soreness has worn off by the end of the week, hopefully you feel like keepng the running going. That takes a lot of willpower to get through to the end despite knowing you were strugglng for fitness when you started out. You did much better than me anyway - I didn't make the start line never mind the finish. I had a few days booked so decided to go down anyway. I went along to watch for a bit today, and glad I did - great atmosphere all over. What a speed the elites go at when you see them close up!

Black Rock 5 entries open just now, if anyone fancies it. You'll need to be quick though!

Great going there Morrison, that's some improvement. How did you find the training this time? Did you go harder at it, or just a case of being more used to the distance after a few previous shots at it? On the cross training stuff, I hardly did any last year, other than some core exercises that I tried a few times and got really bored with. Having got into swimming in the last 6 weeks though, I'll try to keep that going once I finally get back to running, but maybe not every day as I do just now. It works quite well going before work - for some reason I can swim no problem at 7.30, but any tme 've tried running at that time I just can't function.

Aye, I'm the same with the uphill/downhill thing. I'm not quite equal pace on the two, but in races I pretty much always go past folk going uphill and get caught on the way down. It always annoys me as well. Nice parkrun in Kirkcaldy yesterday. One of our regulars, who was there most weeks running or volunteering almost to the end, died last week. She was well known for her bright gear, so in tribute a lot of folk ran yesterday in stuff as bright and garish as they could find, including the guy who's the main organiser running in a pink tutu! I was timekeeping rather than running, but nice to be there regardless. Good luck everyone with the marathons coming up in the next few weeks.

Stu, it might be that you've done too much, too soon. You've obviously improved a lot to have gone from being able to run for just a few minutes to doing 11 mile runs, but when you push up the mileage too quickly you're at much higher risk of injury. If you've been doing regular exercse before, it might not be such a big deal, but the generally accepted rule is not to increase mileage by more than about 10% each week. You have to be careful with it, particularly so when you're new to runnng long distances, because the muscles and joints take a while to get used to the battering they get when you run. Hopefully it won't be too long, but when you do get back to it, go easy on it for a couple of weeks and don't start back before you're ready. I realise that's a good one coming from me after my own recent injuries!

This injury is the worst I've ever had. Not in the sense of giving me pain or stopping me doing things, but just because it's so easy to aggravate it - Friday morning was the best it had been for ages, but then I briefly forgot about it and tweaked it again by turning round too quickly. That'll be another week or two then... I said last year that, inspired by Reina's efforts, I'd like to have a go at a triathlon some time. So trying to be positive about it, I'm looking at all this time spent swimming over the last few weeks as preparation for that. I can't swim properly yet as that aggravates it as well, but a ridiculous looking modfication with my knees clamped together lets me get up and down the pool. Did 60 lengths yesterday and the same today, and for the first time felt able to really push it today - nice to get that feeling again that you get after a hard running session.

I'd be a wee bit wary of that advice. There are a few online calculators that predict your time for one distance based on another (I use this one: https://mcmillanrunning.com)but my eperience last year was that it was pretty close for all distances from 1 mile to half marathon, but way off for the marathon. It just felt like a different game altogether. When I put my 5k PB in (18:37) I get a marathon time of 3:01. My actual times last year were 3:21 and 3:25, and even though I felt fitter when I did that 5k time, predicted marathon times are still optimistic. Everyone's different and it'll depend on how much traning you can do, but really wouldn't suggest gong off as fast as that.

Decent time there Morrison if it's a hilly course you were on, got to be pretty happy with that and especially so if you've been having bother with injury. Got to say I was thoroughly pissed off not to be able to use my place at Alloa today. With weather that good, I'm pretty sure I'd have ran a PB, and had my training kept going the way it was in December and January I might well have smashed it. Ach well, always next year I guess. Unlucky there folks, sounds like a pretty tough day for the rest of you. Hopefully the injuries don't last too long. On the watch thing, I got a GPS last year, but I don't really use it for pacing in races. It's handy early in a race for making sure you don't go off too fast, but beyond that I don't really check the pace that much. I find it much more useful for training, and in races I'm quite happy just going by how I feel on the day. Mght change I guess as I get more used to having it.

Unlucky there Scorge - right decision though. You could probably get away with a shorter race but to run that kind of distance with a heavy chest wouldn't be great. Not bad going there at Inverness, Chris. I always find it hard on a warm day, and especially so when it's not been like that when you were training. I like the course there. Sorry to anyone who was interested in the Forth Bridge 10k - I'd have posted a reminder, but it sold out in 11 minutes, before I even knew it had opened! It's a shame numbers are limited to 400, but the route doesn't really allow any more. As for summer half marathons, Barry Buddon near Carnoustie was good last year and I hope to do it again this year. It's n late August though, rather than July. I still haven't managed out running, so pretty much no chance of making London now and definitely won't make Alloa on Sunday. New target is to be fit for the Loch Leven half in May.

Ach, forgot about SS6. Just noticed though that the Seven Hills is open at the moment so have entered that. Seems to be along similar lines to SS6, and I'm sure will be similarly painful. Miraculously my various injures all seem to be just about away. Will give it another couple of days just to be sure then will hopefully get some decent training done in the next few weeks. After such a lengthy lay-off, that'll no doubt be painful too!

If it's any consolation, I'm definitely not running better than you! After the initial injury, I got something else that's just about gone now, but then on Friday as a result of hobbling about and putting all the weight on the other leg for weeks I seem to have got something similar on that side now. Give me a break with this! It's getting to the point where if I don't get out by the end of the week I might have to give London a miss as I've just lost way too much training time. Good luck with D33 though Scorge, and I suppose just keep in mind that you managed to finish after your Loch Ness adventure - surely can't be as hard a day as that again. Good to see most of the rest of you going well too. Wee plug here for our club road race that folk in Fife or Edinburgh might be interested in. Forth Road Bridge 10k is on 14 August with entries opening in a couple of weeks. It usually sells out pretty quickly, so if you fancy doing it, get in early. It's a decent route over the bridge and back, with loads of cake at the end.

Just noticed that 250 more places for Alloa half were made avalable yesterday, if anyone still wants to do it. I'm pretty scunnered with this injury. Felt OK last Friday and went for as easy a 3-mile jog as possible to try it out - even that was too much and it set me back quite a bit. I feel almost ready to get out again but after last week I'll give it a few more days this time, and so another race this weekend slips by. It'll be about 3 weeks out altogether, and that's really frustrating because my training had been so good over December and January and I'm sure I've lost a lot of that fitness. Still I suppose it happens to most folk, and it would have been worse had it been right before one of the two races I really want to run good times in. The first of those is another 4 weeks away (Alloa half) and I've still got more than 2 months til London, so wll hopefully still be in reasonable shape for those.

Running in that weather isn't nice, but I always find it pretty satisfying when you come in after a long run in those conditions. I usually treat myself to an afternoon sleep after it! A really frustrating week for me. Felt a wee tweak in a muscle at the top of one leg on last Sunday's long run, but didn't seem like anything at all, so I just carried on as normal. Felt sore midweek though fully expected to do my race today, but thankfully realised yesterday morning that I was being a muppet for even thinking about racing with it like that. I'm disapponted as it was a race I was looking forward to, but t was the right decision. Injuries are so annoying, it's so frustrating to be sitting doing nothing when the rest of me feels completely fine.

Nah, Morrison, my parkrun win was at Kirkcaldy; have only done the Dunfermline one once and that was the very first one . Back down there today and my time was just slightly slower! With melting slush most of the way round it would have been daft to push it, so was happy just to chat through bits of it and take it a bit easier than normal. Finished just outside 20 mins, and although my slowest time it was still a decent tempo pace so a worthwhile run. I got a pair of trail shoes this week, as my first three races this year are next week's multi-terrain half that apparently includes bits in a field, then two proper trail races. I'm a wee bit concerned as I don't think I'll get a chance to run off road to break them in before next week, so might be a day of blisters! Still though, will be good to race again after what seems like an age since the last one in early November.

I'd suggest just entering that 11k race this year. It's definitely achievable - once you get the breathing sorted out, you'll be able to run for much more than a couple of minutes without much bother, and you'll be surprised at how quickly it comes together with a wee bit of effort. It's good to enter a race to give yourelf a target - seriously, just go for it.

And you too - can't argue with a PB. Are you still on for D33 this year? Not bad going there, Morrison - maybe the loss of speed for now is just a reaction to that mental Disney thing you did? Even if you're not running hard, a half and a marathon on sucessive days is fair going to take it out of the legs, so you're probably just not recovered yet. Reykjavik marathon sounds great. I was thinking of it as well as I fancy going to Iceland anyway, but probably a bit pricey this time. My training has been going OK, but looking forward to the first race of the year in Forfar in a couple of weeks. I've been at parkrun most weeks, either running or volunteering, but it's not quite the same as a proper race. I was amused to come first 2 weeks ago in an OK time, but none of the normal fast folk were there that day. The last week has been the heaviest I've ever done with slightly over 60 miles including 18 today - I'm definitely feeling it and will be glad of a day off tomorrow. It felt absolutely roasting on the way home today!

The thought of running the mornng after being out til 4am is about enough to give me the boak! Good going to get out there after a night like that, no way I'd ever have managed it. One parkrun was plenty for me this morning, but at least it was a good one. Great weather for a quick run (although a wee bit icy in places) and I astonshed myself by getting round the normal route in 18:37 - nearly 20 seconds quicker than on last week's easier route, and 26 better than my previous best on the same course. Well pleased with that!

I think he's just a quiet, humble guy who doen't like too much attention, and is uncomfortable with anything that treats him as a big figure in the history of the club - obviously the complete opposite of Leishman in that sense. That was a good day at Ayr in the bowling club, to be able to speak with him about some of the good days from his time as manager. It was funny when he perked up and had a laugh when I mentoned his rant at Willie Young at Motherwell and the battles he and Dick used to have with Alex Macdonald and John McVeigh at Airdie. I had to talk too much though, because the other Pars fan who was old enough to remember had turned into a starstruck wee lassie! He's undoubtedly my favourite Pars player or manager, but I'd never say that to him because it woud make him uncomfortable.

Well done everyone who either made their mileage target or completed Marcothon in the last few days. Soe decent running in there. As for the question on how to make one leg work harder - I just try to push off harder from that foot, and force it to rotate properly and push up fro the ball of the foot. The left shoe always wears ridiculouly at the heel and not at all at the front while the right is much ore even. Not sure if it'll work though - if not then I might try the hopping suggestion! I've found it a real struggle to get myself out this week. Maybe to do with loss of routine with being off work, but I've had quite a few days where I really had to force myslef to go out. Morrison - not sure if you saw it but the Loch Katrine half looks like being put back to later in the year. If you want to do Alloa in March intead, you'd be better to enter soon as it's at about 2200 entries just now (out of 3000). Last year the last few hundred seemed to fill up pretty quickly once it got past new year.

I don't use an HRM, and none of the runners I know use one either. Others might have a different view but from the quick try of one I've had, I just found it more hassle than it was worth. I sort of achieved the first of next year's goals a week early, doing my first sub-19 at Kirkcaldy parkrun on Saturday. I say sort of, because it was a different route to normal with an extra downhill section as rerouting was required due to flooding. Still though, it was a good run on a horrible day, and hopefully I'll get under 19 on the normal route soon. Recently I realised I have a very lazy left leg, and that pretty much every muscle on that side, from arse to toe, is much smaller and weaker than the equivalent on the right. I've started doing some strength exercises focusing on that side, and have short spells when I'm running where I force the left leg to do more of the work (the increase in pace when I do that is amazing) but too early to say if it's having any effect yet. Anyone else ever had a similar issue?

My most immediate goal is to get under 19 mins for Kirkcaldy parkrun; did 19:11, 19:06 and 19:03 recently and it's annoying me a wee bit. Shouldn't be too long though I don't think. Beyond that, I should be capable of PBs in 10k, half and marathon if I avoid injury, as I feel much stronger now than I was a year ago. I'm doing Alloa half in March which will be a year since my last good run at that distance, so I'm hopeful of knocking a fair bit off in that one if I have a good day. Rough targets at the moment: 10k: 38:30 (currently 39:44, done on a terrible day) half: sub-1:27 (currently 1:28:56) marathon: sub 3:15 (currently 3:21:56) Will see how it goes though, as there's not much you can do if you get injured or ill before a race. I'm really enjoying it at the moment, so if that continues then my training should be good, giving a decent chance of improvement.

Don't worry about posting here and not being as quick as some folk. We all have our level, and things are relative to that, and one of the great thngs about runnng is that folk of all abilities can compete in the same events. Hard to say what the recovery time for the injury will be - probably best just to go by how it feels. Everyone's recovery is different, and you probably can't expect what you find online to apply every time. Once the pain and bruising is gone, maybe try a short jog to see how it feels, and gradually increase speed and distance untl you're back where you were. However, and be strict about this, if it hurts and you know it isn't doing you any good, stop straight away. It's tempting to carry on, but it isn't worth it. I put myself out of acton for 3-4 months last year because I was deterined to complete a run when still not recovered - I felt OK to start with but could feel it getting worse the further I went, but I tried to finish even though it was obvious looking back that I shouldn't continue. I had to hobble the last mile home very slowly and could barely walk for a month after that. It was entirely due to my own stupidity, because if I'd stopped when I should have, and rested for another week, I'm sure I'd have been OK. You're definitely doing the right thing going easy with it, frustrating as it feels. I think I was about a month from getting started to getting back to where I was before the njury but it'll vary from person to person, based on loads of different factors. Hope you're not out too long - it's so frustrating when an injury prevents you doing anything, even though the rest of you feels fine.

You'll be fine going to a running club, Reina. I went to one for the first time in July and was nervous as well, more because I'm naturally quite introverted and find anything new like that quite difficult. What I can say though is that it's absolutely been worth it and I'm really enjoying it now - I just find it much better runnng with a group for some reason, even if we're running hard and there isn't much chat. As an example, I very much doubt I'd have forced myself out in that freezing, pissing rain tonight had it not been for a club session. Parkrun volunteering is also surprisingly enjoyable - have done it a couple of times in the last few weeks and will probably keep doing it. Aye, well done anyone trying Marcothon - I thought about it but didn't fancy it. Not that much happening for me at the moment. First race next year will be Forfar multi terrain half in early February, which looks like qute a tough one to begin with. I was lucky to get our club's one place for the London marathon in a draw, so looking forward to that. I've mainly been trying to build my long run up and managed couple of 16 mile efforts the last two weeks, so should have a much better start point this year when I start pushing it up in January.