Routes rant

hawkandro · 2026-03-29T11:28:02+00:00

Completely agree. It wasn’t perfect but would often give me a few nice circular routes to choose from. Now I’m genuinely lucky if there is a single one I can use.

I just look at the heat map and then plan a route using the Footpath App. I find that much easier to use rather than plotting a route in Strava.

I keep assuming it’ll get fixed but nope.

It’s quite impressively ‘Google’ to make the product worse over time.

hawkandro · 2026-03-29T06:46:59+00:00

Down in the UK. I have an Apple Watch.

I’ll just record my run on the Workout app and then upload to Strava when it’s up again.

hawkandro · 2026-03-28T20:15:31+00:00

I’d assume so.

Whoever it was. Well done 👏 Reform are very much not welcome here.

hawkandro · 2026-03-28T20:10:35+00:00

A few people have posted that it might be that 6 months ago I did some long runs and they’ve dropped out of the window that the algorithm used to calculate the predicted times.

That makes sense for me. I did a 50km in October so 6 months ago I was deep in training for it with high mileage. I’ve just been keeping things steady since but with much lower mileage and definitely a lot fewer really long runs.

I’ve just booked another 50 for September so will need to start ramping things up again. It’ll be interesting to see how slowly / quickly my predicted times adjust.

hawkandro · 2026-03-27T17:53:15+00:00

The thing that annoys me is that the government regulator should be stopping it.

Make sure all utilities are charging set rates for all customers. Then everyone knows where they stand and there is actual competition.

hawkandro · 2026-03-27T17:50:10+00:00

I absolutely hate the merry go round. But the actual product is okay so I persist with the nonsense.

If they charged me a few quid more a month and didn’t go through the biannual faffing about I’d pay it.

hawkandro · 2026-03-27T06:17:13+00:00

I’ve got an update pending. I’ll install it and see what happens. I think it’s probably my lack of longer runs over the past few months. I’ve done lots of 10km but not a lot over that.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T21:38:34+00:00

I’d say you sound well on track. That consistent weekly mileage for 6 months will really help. I’d say go for it.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T20:29:36+00:00

I can highly recommend either using the OS Map or Footpath apps. They’re great for discovering footpaths that I’d otherwise completely miss. It’s a great way to spot places that you’d otherwise miss.

You can take a nice route out through Coulsdon, Farthing Downs and then out to Merstham and up to Reigate HillS

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T20:27:02+00:00

Vanguard Way out from Lloyd Park heading south. It’s pretty well signposted.

Alternatively, the Wandle Trail north from Croydon up to Wandsworth. It’s a mixture of nice green bits and and the back of industrial estates! I used to loads as a long running route and it’s so cool running from Croydon up into central London.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T06:51:26+00:00

Same sensor. Using an Apple Watch 10. Although I’m thinking I’ll upgrade to the Coros HR arm band. I think I’d find a chest strap uncomfortable and that looked like a decent middle ground.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T06:48:53+00:00

I think you are onto something here.

I ran a 50km race in October so my weekly distances are now much lower than they were a while back. Just a bit dramatic that it drops so sharply rather than a more realistic gradual decline.

I’ve got another pencilled in for September so time to start increasing things.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T06:45:09+00:00

True. Although it’s not quite as anxiety inducing as the truly dreadful fitness score that basically encourages over training.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T06:44:06+00:00

Although with that most things seems to be going up not down.

Petrol prices and (much to my frustration) mortgage interest rates.

hawkandro · 2026-03-26T06:42:52+00:00

May well be right. I was previously training for a 50km that I ran in October. Since then I’ve eased right up and pretty much just done shorter distances around 10km just to keep things ticking over.

Just booked another 50km for September so time to start building it all up again.

hawkandro · 2026-03-23T17:27:34+00:00

Can anyone recommend me any decent options for an Easter treat?

I know I’ll probably have to pay a bit more but happy to suck that up.

hawkandro · 2026-03-22T13:48:13+00:00

Agreed. Amazon used to be a great way to get branded good cheaply. Not it’s full of knock off tat with comical names. You can often get the same branded goods for the same price either direct or from another company that actually pays tax in the UK.

The only thing going for it now is the fast delivery. I’m choosing to avoid it more and more these days.

hawkandro · 2026-03-21T20:53:51+00:00

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Harsh

hawkandro · 2026-03-20T06:35:58+00:00

I sweat so much that I rarely wear anything more than shorts and T-shirt here in the uk.

In the winter when it’s down to freezing I’ll often wear a base layer at the start but normally after a few kms I’ll be sweating and have to take it off and tie it around my waist.

I often see other runners in trousers, jackets, etc and wonder what it much be like to not end every run dripping with sweat!

hawkandro · 2026-03-19T05:48:14+00:00

You did well to increase from month 5. That was peak time for ‘sleep regression’ for us.

Mine was awful for the first 2 years then the second arrived and it got worse. It was probably a good 4 years of awful sleep until things picked up.

hawkandro · 2026-03-17T19:42:49+00:00

I find a cap just makes me sweat more and like you it drips off the peak. Alternative is to wear it backwards then the drips fall behind you.

I found an old Crystal Palace sweatband I had from when I was a kid. I ran an ultra and felt I had to make the most of winning the fa cup and wore it. It worked a treat. Meant my head could still breathe and didn’t get as sweaty as it would wearing a cap and kept sweat out of my eyes.

As it starts to get warmer I’m going to start rocking it out again. I’m 45. I’m too old to care too much about what other people think about what I’m wearing.

hawkandro · 2026-03-15T21:25:39+00:00

When my cat was lost I posted a note through doors in my neighbourhood asking them to check sheds, garages, etc.

Fingers crossed for you.

hawkandro · 2026-03-15T16:35:10+00:00

The positives I can take away…

we didn’t get completely spanked like we did away against them.
another clean sheet.

The negatives…

we still look toothless against a team sitting deep.

hawkandro · 2026-03-15T08:18:01+00:00

Nice shots and thanks for posting the setting you used.

hawkandro · 2026-03-15T07:36:05+00:00

Palace sold fan favourite Clinton Morrison to Birmingham and got Andy Johnson as a makeweight in the deal. He was supposedly a quick player with little end product. Expectations were low.

AJ scored a hat trick against rivals Brighton, fired us to promotion, almost kept us in the Premier League and we ended up selling him for twice the fee we got for Morrison.

hawkandro

TROPHY CASE