ContraryMaryMary Member

An extreme geomagnetic storm means we got to see Aurora Australis (the Southern Lights) tonight. Very, very rare to see them this far north - in fact I didn’t think it was possible. Very pretty pink sky!

Parkrun this morning. I volunteered to check the course beforehand, netting me an extra 5k and a nice warm up. Wasn’t super keen on having to leave home at 6:30am with the sun not up and another frost on the ground. Beautiful morning though which made it totally worth it. Curiously I was colder on my second run at 8am…

Getting it done. Good man.

Back around the usual loop for me this morning - my 8km with the massive hill. It was a pleasant run today, the only stand out feature being the frost which froze my fingers completely. We don’t usually get frost this early - in fact, this is almost as cold as winters get here in Auckland - but we’ve now had two in two…

Sorry to hear you're struggling @scott6255. I totally get it though, I'm just coming out the other side of a good six months of struggle running. Before you abandon it totally, it may be worth getting a health check up - things like B12 and iron levels. And perhaps, rather than giving up running for the foreseeable future,…

Just the usual Kiwi OE - most of us head to the UK for a couple of years in our 20s - it’s a rite of passage or something. Probably to do with the fact we’re so far from everywhere else that if we want to explore Europe we have to move there. I worked in admin in the city, earning enough to travel around a bit. Still so…

@daria0919, Garmin relies on algorithms so can be wildly inaccurate at predictions. To get an accurate heart rate, your watch has to be pretty tight (too tight for me to wear comfortably all day), and even then, it still can be inaccurate, but as @scott6255 says, as long as it’s consistent, it’s effective for tracking (and…

I lived very near where you are now for a couple of years about 20 years ago, in the Isle of Dogs. Seems a lifetime ago now, and I’m itching to come back.

Awesome race report @themrwobbly, I only wish I still lived in London so I could run it! On that note, the temptation to finally run a full marathon is really starting to tug. Don't really want to do the Auckland full as, while the half marathon is fabulous, with lovely rolling hills (actually, quite a few hills) and the…

First run for May done. Just 5k to see how the legs are feeling - pretty good as it turns out, but not ready for hills yet!

Yes! Two of them. We were on the third floor so really felt them. And so noisy. I've been in lots of earthquakes, and the more I experience, the more I hate them. My heart was racing - a pre-run workout if you will. Horrid.

Yes, I’m on the right. The blonde is my friend Kirsty who we’re convinced is part mountain goat - she finished 40 minutes ahead of me and was 9th woman home. My other friend Anna is also speedier than me. However, only two years ago I could beat them both in a road half marathon - Kirsty’s gotten faster (although I’ve…

Let’s see if I can up my distance for the month. Aiming for 40km per week. Including parkrun every week as my speed work.

So sorry you’re having to deal with so much right now @AlphaHowls. Sending hugs. Congratulations on hitting six years streaking, and thanks for sorting the May thread. And hugs for you too @martaindale, I hope your sense of smell comes back quickly. Take your recovery slowly - listen to your body. Mine was very clear on…

Had my trail half today. It was beautiful, and slow. It was on a mountain bike trail - not my favourite- so a lot of up and down, which was pretty hard work. Lots of lovely running through the trees and one killer hill where all the trees had been felled so you could see exactly how much further you had to go, which was a…

My youngest had football training this evening so I took the opportunity to run suburban streets while I could. And what a run! Felt amazing, like I was flying - it was so easy. Felt like my form was perfect. First time I’ve felt like this in many many months. The iron must be starting to work and no doubt the couple of…

I’ve finally seen the GP about my low iron (I had a blood test and saw the results and have been self medicating as today’s appointment was the earliest I could see the doctor again). Paid $79 to be told I have low iron and that the over-the-counter tablets I selected were better than the ones she could prescribe so I…

I love runs like this!

Still waiting for the iron tablets to kick in. I am feeling better mentally (brain fog is lifting) and the restless legs have gone while I’m sleeping however, the stamina for exercise has yet to show up. I went for a short run this morning while my daughter was at a dance lesson. It was a beautiful day out and I was in a…

Run well @daria0919 – 10k races have their own difficulties, number one being you have to run fast and, ideally, without walk breaks (can’t be sauntering along like those 100 milers do, ay @7lenny7?) I’m laughing @laurs9191 – signing up for races while recovering, sounds like something I’d do. We’re pretty lucky here in…

That’s weird. Water has zero calories.

Fries are the killer - you’ve got about 500cal in fries alone. The burger will probably be in the 600-800 range depending on the bread, size of patty and amount of cheese and mayo. I’d log 1200. Enjoy the skiing and the burger - it looks delicious.

The others are right, you look fantastic- hard to believe you’ve done 100 miles. I look a wreck after 5k!

You’re amazing @7lenny7, an absolute legend. Sounds like you ran a pretty flawless race - just a few tweaks for next time! I can’t believe they were packing up the finishing Shute - that is so rude. If anything, more needs to be done for those finishing nearer the cutoff - you’ve been working longer and harder than the…

Following on my my general lethargy and slow running, which I thought I’d fixed with an osteo adjustment (which has helped hugely), I had general bloods done at the GP and see I’m anemic, which explains a lot! Starting iron supplements and eating all the steak from today. Heres hoping it makes an impact before my trail…

School holidays have begun here so I headed down the line with the family for the weekend. We took the girls on a cycle ride through the Karangahake Gorge, stopping off for a history lesson at the old gold processing plant. I haven’t cycled for ages and my bum complained quite a lot so I spent much of my time wishing I was…

Amazing work @Laurz9191, that’s an outstanding result.

@7lenny7 has been logging walks on Strava - he’s clearly in recovery mode.

I did a run with my girls and a friend today as a fundraiser for sports equipment for the little girls' school. We got off to a great start but after about 3km Miss 10 started complaining of sore feet - said her arches were hurting, and Miss 12 was forced to walk thanks to sore knees. The knee complaint was legit - she's…

Looks like a fabulous spot @7lenny7. Have a great day tomorrow Stick with it @yirara, I’m glad there’s no pain and am hoping your running mojo returns soon. Enjoy your time in the hills @martaindale! I survived my manic day yesterday and actually managed two get two features written while loitering at diving and dancing so…