Free training log and race listings for runners, bikers and swimmers

LindsD asks: Congratulations! Well deserved

What advice would you give to anyone starting running? xx

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Linds! I'd say, start gently and build up slowly and steadily. I started with the old 'Run 3 minutes, walk 1 minute and repeat' training advice from Race for Life. I used to long for the one minute walk and thought I'd never be able to run for more than 3 minutes but you do build up the stamina and the muscles - and I didn't get any injuries or niggles!

The Mighty Fleecy asks: Ooh congrats! Ok, where does the fetch name come from? (Cos you are not really lazy!)

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Fleecy, and thank you for my alternative name of Latterly ;-). When I joined Fetch in 2010 our much loved Labrador Daisy had just died, aged 15. Much as I love Flossie, Daisy was what some people call my 'heart' dog and I wanted to acknowledge that. And I think I *am* an innately lazy person, but I try to fight against it as much as possible. Much as I'm a thin person cunningly concealed beneath layers of blubber :-)

tulip asks: congratulations LD! I enjoy your blogs from the seaside and the Scilly Islands :-)

If you could choose another new place to explore and run in, where would that be?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Tulip! Hmm... I'm not massively keen on wild moors and mountains but ideally somewhere on the coast, with an interesting city to trot round, would be my ideal running destination. I love somewhere with a great view, or interesting architecture or just local quirkiness. We haven't been to Italy enough, so next Spring I'm thinking a city break somewhere like Florence would fit most of that bill - pity it's not on the coast but at least there's a river!

Bintmcskint asks: Nice one, LD! You are stranded on a desert island. You can take one type of food, one book and one Fetchie. What and who do you take and why?

LazyDaisy says: Wow that's a really tough question! One type of food...something fishy/shellfishy - moules mariniere perhaps? I remember we had a fab turbot dish in France many years ago, it would be very nice to have that again. Not a plateau de fruits de mer though - pulling mussels from a shell is as far as I want to go, I don't like having to use nutcrackers and winkle-pickers to get at my food.
One book - years ago I'd have said Catcher in the Rye but I think I've outgrown it. 'I Capture the Castle' would keep me company until I was rescued (I *am* going to be rescued, aren't I?) or if it was going to be a long stay on this island, Great Expectations would fit the bill nicely.
One Fetchie - no, sorry, I can't do that! :-0

All the Fetchies I've met have been interesting, decent sorts and I'd love the opportunity to get to know any of them better. If it was a Fetchie I haven't met yet, well, I'm sure we could find plenty to talk about. If they had shelter- and boat-building skills that would be a bonus :-)

Serendippily asks: Well deserved Daisy! Who was the first fetchie you knowingly met and where?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks! Ah that's easy. Forest Plodder and I were at university together and lived in the same house (and shared the same mice under the floorboards!) She was already a marathon runner when I took up running, but it wasn't until she mentioned recording her training on Fetcheveryone that I heard about the website. Up until then I'd been recording my running in a book! Once *I* was a Fetchie, I think the first Fetchies I met were Bint and Pompey Paul - and Fleecy too I think? at the Great South Run. I did see RRR-CAZ at the GSR the year before but wasn't sure if it was him and was too shy to go up to a man I didn't know and say 'Are you a Fetchie?' I have no such qualms these days :-)

pedroscalls asks: Congratulations LD well deserved. My question is if money and time were no object what route or race would you really want to do.

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Pedro! Tricky - many people's 'dream' races are marathons or even ultras and that's more my idea of a nightmare. However, having loved Sydney when we visited years ago, the Sydney Half marathon would be fun! If I could be sure of staying injury free as well as having the time and money, I'd love to run (or run-walk, probably) the South West coast path, staying at comfortable hotels or B&B's en route, and with a good massage on hand when I needed it!

Diogenes asks: Congratulations LD. What is your best running memory or experience?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Dio! That's a difficult question to answer because there have been quite a few. It could be something as simple as a club run along the Cotswold edge on a summer evening, when the views stretch for miles in all directions and it's just wonderful to be able to run in a group of friends and listen to larks singing and watch the sun set behind the Malvern Hills; or again, a run in the middle of winter with frost everywhere but I'm all warm and toasty. Races are generally not my 'best' experiences as I always think I could have done better. However doing a triathlon last year is one of my proudest memories. It was well out of my comfort zone but I did it, I finished strongly and I wasn't last!

Pompey Paul asks: Nice one LD :-)

So when are you going to run a marathon? And which one would it be?

LazyDaisy says: I honestly don't want to run what you might call a 'traditional' road marathon. I know I would have to train properly for that distance, but having done the odd 14 mile run in training for a Half, I know the boredom of grinding out the miles on the long runs would ruin the enjoyment of running for me. Having said that, crazy though it sounds, something like Beachy does appeal, because it's more like a day out with a bit of walking allowed and friends for company :-)

FML asks: Well done LD

What is your favourite race distance and why?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks FML! I think it's probably 10 miles - far enough to be a challenge but without those annoying last three miles of a Half :-). The next best distance is 10k because I still harbour hopes of getting decent WAVA scores at that distance!

Columba asks: Many congratulations Daisy! I should like to know, when did you start running, and what inspired you to do so?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Columba! I was about 50 and a bit bored - the children were disappearing off to university, OH was heavily into his cycling, my job involved a lot of driving or sitting at a desk and I was doing little physical beyond walking the dog. A weekly aerobics class wasn't enough. Race for Life was fairly new at the time and I thought I'd give it a go. I didn't know any runners so I just followed Cancer Research's training plan. I didn't really get the bug until I'd done two or three RfLs though - then I cracked 28 minutes for the 5k and decided I'd keep going. I nervously entered a race organised by a club, thought they seemed like a friendly bunch, joined the club and that was me hooked :-)

runnyeyes asks: I know your training year has been totally disrupted with the elbow fracture, but have you any thoughts on what you might target fir the end of this year or next? You work so hard in your races..even if you chastise yourself in your reports!

LazyDaisy says: Well I have the Gt South Run coming up in October, and I would like to finish that feeling I've done a good job, so I need to get cracking on some longer runs! As you say, I've had to DNS quite a few races this year so this may be the first year for some years that I won't be getting an age-group trophy at the end-of-year club awards ... but there are still some races left in the series that I can enter and *should* be fit enough to do ok in, so I haven't given up on a 2017 trophy just yet! Next year I really would like to do another tri - OW - but that will be a huge mountain to climb!

Mandymoo asks: Congrats LD. Your just back from a run what is the first thing you do?

LazyDaisy says: Stretch! I'm a big believer in the value of post-run stretching but always seem to forget the pre-run dynamic stretching, don't know why. Then it's a big glass of water.

Sombrero asks: Congratulations LD. A worthy winner. If you had an invisible unicorn, what would you call it and would you feed it cake?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Som! Edith. Most unicorns I know, invisible or not, get a bit fed up with being called Princess Pinky-Linky or similar. I would feed *everyone* cake. It's hard to be stroppy when you're being fed cake.

Autumnleaves asks: Many congrats - what made you take up open water swimming? X

LazyDaisy says: I wish I knew AL! I am very suggestible (?sp) and as a running friend had done it I thought it might be fun to try it out. Maybe I was an early adopter of FOMO :-)

I swim in the sea on holiday every year but somehow I didn't realise quite how different real, front crawl, OW swimming is to bobbing about lazily for 10 minutes or so! I am glad I did take it up though, I've met some really good people through it, and it can be very enjoyable. (It can also be horrible but I prefer to think positively :-)) I'm hoping I can get back in the lake before too much longer.

Night-owl asks: Congratulations LD What is your favourite book of all time and why?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Owlie! I think anything by Jane Austen (except Mansfield Park, Fanny is too wet) or Charles Dickens would fill my top ten. Austen is funny, clever and insightful, and Dickens creates such a vivid world. Mind you, I used to love the Famous Five stories and really enjoyed reading them again to my children when they were small, because they evoke a fantasy world where children can have exciting adventures, come out on top and still have cake for tea :-)

Lip Gloss asks: Congratulations LD, do you prefer road running or trails?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks LG. Road, for sure. I'm a bit wimpy on trails as I'm always worried about twisting my ankle. Having said that I do love running along the top of the Cotswolds on the short grass the sheep graze on, because of the fabulous views. When I go out for a run by myself it's pretty rare that I'll chose a trail run even though we live within 100m of some great paths!

decorum asks: Congratulations. If, by magic, you became a cartoon character would BusyLizzie be your alter-ego or your nemesis?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks, but I'm not sure how to answer that question Decorum! I don't think it would be my nemesis because I can multitask like a demon if need be. I do admit though that my BusyLizzie persona has taken a bit of a back seat since I gave up work - it's so true that when time is short you waste far less of it. I can spread my busyness over more hours or days now :-)

BaronessBL asks: Many congratulations LD - have you ever considered taking up cani-cross either with Flossie or any other dog?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks BBL! Not really, because Labs are not bred to run and run like some other breeds, though I know some people do run with their Labs and the dogs love it. Our first Lab developed quite bad arthritis, and we've tried to protect our subsequent dogs from going the same way by not over-exercising them as juvenile dogs. In addition to which, I'm not mad keen on trail running myself :-)

Carpathius asks: Hurrah! About time you won this

How did you get into open water swimming?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Carp! Great minds think alike - see my answer to AL above!

HappyG(rrr) asks: Many congrats LD. What advice would you give to someone looking to take up running or recently started looking to keep it going? Congrats again. :-)

G

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Happy G! As I said above, start gently, but once you've got going, my very top tip would be to join a club. I wouldn't have run half as much, or had half as much fun doing so, as I have as a member of a good (ie, friendly and inclusive) club. In some ways now parkrun fulfils the role of a club in that it's both friendly and inclusive and you can get to know other runners, but there's so much more to running than 'just' a 5k on a Saturday morning. Enter a race or two, cheer on other runners, arrange some training runs with run buddies - can't beat it!

McGoohan asks: Well done LD.
Wherefore Sidmouth?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks! We wanted somewhere within reasonable driving time - we love North Norfolk, and Cornwall, but getting to either on a Friday would take far too long and we felt we'd end up hardly using the house because of the time spent in the car. We also wanted somewhere that didn't completely die in the winter. We'd been to Sidmouth once many years ago and liked it so one dull December weekend we went and had a recce. Only 2 hours 10 minutes to get there - first box ticked; even on a miserable day there were plenty of people out and about (including a vintage cycling group which OH took as A Sign :-)), it wasn't just full of OAPs, there were interesting shops, a cinema, and a theatre. Second box ticked! Luckily the type of house we wanted was within our price range, unlike the ludicrous prices in South Devon. Oh, and finally, son2 lives in Exeter so we get to see more of him than we might have done otherwise. It's been a great choice, and we love spending time down there at any time of the year.

northernslowcoach asks: Congratulations lovely Daisy - where would you like to tourist parkrun?

LazyDaisy says: Why thank you! Anywhere would be good and if there was a big Fetchie turnout that would be the icing on the cake! I'm planning on Poole parkrun on Saturday 29 July, and of course I'll be in Copenhagen in September. My core team mates are actively thinking about a road (+ferry) trip to Bere Island parkrun.ie which does sound pretty special!

westmoors asks: Congratulations. Who would you most like to meet and why?

LazyDaisy says: Thanks Westmoors. That's an interesting question, and it's a hard one to answer. By nature, I love meeting people - I will and do talk to anyone - and most people are interesting or intriguing or thought-provoking -or worrying! :-). I'd like to meet David Cameron to know if he manages to sleep at night having unnecessarily foisted the referendum and its consequences on us; conversely I'd like to meet the Dalai Lama as he seems such a thoroughly decent person and I'm sure I'd come away feeling positive and joyful :-)

ChrisHB asks: Why Latterly? And do you read much in other languages?

LazyDaisy says: My Fetch initials are LD. Not long after I started posting on the 700 thread I shared TMI with the lovely people on that thread about an unfortunate running incident courtesy of my cantankerous colon (tm V'rap). Fleecy, in that compassionate, kindly way she has ;-)

immediately dubbed me Latterly D...... :-)

To my shame, I never read anything in French or German these days. I should, shouldn't I? I have plenty of books I could read - a whole trunkful of novels from university days. Maybe once I've finished my 'Read a book published in each year of your life' list I shall get that trunk open again. I know what book I'd start with - Celine, Voyage au Bout de la Nuit. I'm an optimist, not a pessimist, but I remember being really engrossed in that novel.

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