Still doing a bit of running, haven't produced any spectacular results. Conservatively ran a hilly half marathon distance this morning 700ft ascent under 2 hrs but wasn't racing it, ran the last mile 7.10mi pace though. Last time I tried a 5k it was 22.01 mins but ran 16mins continuous at 6.45mi avg pace the other day training. Had one of those Polar hrm chest straps which started playing up in no time so ditched it for a Coros hrm arm band and been happy with it. 🏃 🏃🏃

Picked loads and now have about 6kg of blackberries in the freezer, all foraged locally from wild thorny brambles which supposedly produce stronger flavoured berries than those from commercial thornless plants. Would've cost about £70 to buy this amount from the supermarket. Will defrost to use in crumbles or just eat frozen with other fruits, yoghurt, seeds and nuts.

Sunday morning #runstr Intention was to keep it aerobic and not let HR get too high but kicked it up a bit mile 9, might attempt another 5k pr soon. #exercise #running

These brakes are a pain in the arse, early IS Mount (International Standard) calipers messing around with shim washers between the forks and calipers to centralise the pads/rotor, manual adjuster on the cylinder reservoir to allow for fluid expansion, the plunger inside has a habit of getting stuck on the adjuster threads so you turn the adjuster and nothing happens, had to ride back with the brakes binding once. Old mountain bike with RockShox isn't really ideal for road miles. When I was in secondary school my mate's dad died and he went ham with the inheritance, he had one of the first carbon fibre full suspension mountain bikes, a GT STS (Really exotic at the time) and also had a Hoffman Flatland BMX which was probably a bit of a tank compared to modern bikes. Skateboard & Bmx vhs videos were quite big back then and he'd probably watched that Mad Mat Hoffman tape where he rode one of his bikes off a cliff while wearing a parachute to test the strength. #bikestr #bikestr

Heart rate figures and zones are individual specific and based on that person's max HR but I was quite happy with 123bpm average for 2hr47 mins of continuous cycling (minus traffic light stops) and just taking a bottle of water. It's only the inclines later in the ride where you start to feel the glycogen depletion in the thighs. #exercise #health #cycling

It can be a bit frustrating trying to get your heart rate down when you first start running but you will see progress if you stick with it. 1-2 months ago, to keep my avg HR in a range of 130-145bpm for this 7 mile route - my average pace was around 11mins/mile, today it was 9.27. #exercise #running #runstr

If you want to lose weight start moving or running, don't associate running with pavement pounding, bad knees, red faced, gasping, heart pounding, if that's all you do it just stacks fatigue, possibly does more harm than good, can keep cortisol/stress levels high if done frequently and risks injury. Lower effort light runs, conversational pace, easy breathing, lower heart rate (not easy when you start, something I still struggle with) no need to be out for hours at a time, forget about speed and focus on effort, walk if you have to, this aerobic steady exercise helps with weight loss and relies more on fat for fuel. It seems to be working for me, I've lost that much weight the skin is loose where my gut used to be, I thought I was around 165-170lb but I bought some scales yesterday and I'm down to 156lb, at 6ft I could actually do with putting some back on as long as it's muscle. Consistency is probably key, for general health frequent shorter runs are better than one grueler a week. #exercise #health #fitness #running

Good watch if you like old dirtbikes and seeing them brought back to life, this one turns into a bit of a saga though.

Haven't touched a barbell in years and my strength training needs some work tbh, I was going to put this old bench out for the scrap man because I wasn't using it and don't really have the room for it but had a go with it just to see where I was at. Going off the last time I weighed myself I managed 3 reps with 83% of my body weight, I didn't have the collars on but that was all I felt safe trying with me being as rusty as the bench and felt I wouldn't be able to do my bodyweight. Gonna keep the bench and try to do some exercises with it but using dumbells, safer and takes up less space. Saw a video on YouTube the other day of Khamzat using 50kg dumbells which is really impressive given his stature and weight class. #exercise #fitness #bones #strength

You have to be careful buying stuff off Vinted because people will try and sell fakes or only show limited images on the listings where you can't see the sown in wash labels etc. Some bargains to be had though on new unused items and there are actually some decent honest folk still out there.

New trainers, better fueling and some training - nearly 14 minutes faster than when I last tried the half marathon distance. Crossing roads, terrain changes, uneven pavements etc but I guess it's the same for everyone who runs locally and not in a race. Hydration vest, x1 500ml soft flask water, x1 500ml soft flask water, salt, 2 tblsp Maple Syrup, 2 tblsp of soft brown sugar (stirred up in a jug first) The mix should be around 52g of carbs so approx equivalent of 2 gels. #exercise #running #runstr

4 mile aerobic 132bpm avg (low for me) 34 second stride to test leg turnover 4:08min/mile pace.

These Hoka Stinson 7 were my first ever pair of running shoes which I purchased about 7 months ago, don't know exactly how many miles they've done but since I got a fitness watch in late December last year I've ran 395 miles so they've easily done over 400 miles mostly all on roads, pavements and asphalt. Hoka Stinson 7 aren't really road running shoes and are more of a trail/road running hybrid, when I bought them I didn't really know anything about running shoes and wasn't aware of things like 'heel drop' 'toebox' 'rocker or neutral' and those Stinson 7s are more on the boaty side - quite a high stack, are more rocker than neutral, not very springy or responsive for speed and probably a tad heavy. This was probably okay when I started because I had lower cadence, was probably over striding and landing more on my heels but now I'm more of a mid/forefront striker with higher cadence I felt I'd be better with something more neutral and responsive. I haven't got money to burn but decided to get 2 pairs that I could alternate (makes them last longer) Shopped around a bit and saved money by buying older/previous year's models, got a pair of Saucony Ride 18 for everyday use and a pair of Saucony Endorphin Speed 4 for tempo, interval, 5k type stuff. The Ride 18 have a dark sole but the best deal I could find on the Endorphins were light grey with a white sole 🫣 Been out in the Rides so far and they feel lighter and springy compared to the old Hokas but still soft. #exercise #running #runstr #footwear

Running faster isn't the issue, it's the ability to hold faster paces for longer, my fitness and pacing needs improving. Tried x2 10 mins but overcooked the first lap a bit at 6.43min/mile pace, 1min40 jog, then another 10 mins but wimped out at 6mins37, pace was 6.53 but I felt it fading so stopped. Haven't tried a flat out km or mile but Garmin captured 4.04 for a km and 6.36 for a mile today. #exercise running #runstr

You see that whitish silver haze in front of the sun? Where I am in the UK we can go days and weeks where the whole sky looks like that in every direction, often featureless and no warmth. "It's just contrails bro, it's just weather bro" - yeah OK then. More and more people on X are posting about #geoengineering #chemtrails, the truth will come out eventually just like the scamdemic.

Never even heard of SARMs (Selective Androgen Receptor Modulators) but apparently they're a new type of drug that are similar to steroids. There's a guy on YouTube that makes fitness related content called Greg Douchette and from watching his videos there seems to be a worrying trend of young men/teenagers as young as14-16 taking SARMs, steroids, Tren etc to get jacked, maybe they see it as a career path - jacked YouTuber, Instagram influencer that kind of thing. World class former bodybuilders such as Dorian Yates, Lee Priest and Jay Cutler have spoken recently on podcasts and interviews of how your average gym bro nowadays takes more gear than what they took when they were competing at the highest level where you have to take stuff to stand a chance. #health #exercise

Tempo 🏃 Didn't really improve much but just slightly faster pace, 10 mins 7.13mi - 80 second jog - 10 mins at 7.16 mi. Last time it was 7.25 & 7.21mi. #exercise #running #runstr

30mins recovery run, 2.5 miles, 125bpm avg, can't get HR any lower unless I walk or the terrian is totally flat 🤷

A bit of a grey zone run tbh, avg HR 149bpm but spent most of the second half over 150bpm, slowed right down on the hills but didn't do any walking. Took 2 500ml soft flasks, 1 water, 1 salted water with 2 tablespoons of Maple Syrup but that's only about 27g of carbs for the 3hr run but given my HR - that probably wasn't enough. Didn't bonk but knocked it on the head at 18 miles as to not carry any fatigue into next week's runs. #exercise #running #runstr

How freaky do you have to be to buy some guy's used 'but in very good condition' shorts off Vinted? Added to favourites 67 times 😂 C'mon man. #laughstr #funny