Birthday Run - 10km (39 revolutions around the sun)

dannewton just finished a 10.53km run, that lasted for 62 minutes.
This run helped dannewton burn 850.0 calories.

---

Description from Strava: Well its appears to be my birthday today, and once again its another year older (but not really another year wiser!). The older I get, the less interested I am in celebrating these occasions, and it often feels like just another day... gone are the days of parties and extravagance, I much prefer something more low-key these days

I did have a few presents and cards to open:

The theme this year appeared to be 'running' and 'treats'!

Some new running shoes courtesy of my partner - these are New Balance 880v13

My last 5 pairs of running shoes have all been New Balance, and other than a pair of Summit Unknown trail shoes, the other 4 have all been the same 880v12. They've been so amazingly comfortable, that when they wear out, I get another pair the same.

Unfortunately New Balance (like all shoe manufacturers) regularly refresh the line up, and the Version 12's have now been updated to Version 13. Common sense would dictate that they should fit the same (and feel the same as the previous version) but regular runners will know that this not the case. When manufacturers 'update' a shoe, they sometimes change it so it loses what made the previous version so good. I'll have to give these a go and see if there is any difference

Also running related, are a pair of socks and a running belt

The socks are from MonkeySox. They are a charity created to raise awareness of Multiple Sclerosis (MS, hence the name MonkeySox). The founder of the company was diagnosed with MS, and after researching it, he realised there was very little public awareness of the condition

"Following James diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in July 2016 we wanted to create an inspiring way to raise awareness and funds for the MS community.
Launching in September 2018 we committed ourselves to inspire an active lifestyle for all and open conversations about MS.
We understand that MS is a life changing diagnosis but Monkey Sox has helped us feel more positive, supported and in control." - Source

After finding about the charity on a random Youtube running video, and quite liking the bold and colorful designs, I thought I would buy a pair to support the charity.

The socks looked amazing, but more importantly they were super comfortable, and don't rub or cause any blisters. On that note I've bought several more pairs since, and the Pink and Black ones that I received today are my 4th pair!

The running belt is from Flipbelt, and as you would expect by the name it is a belt with pockets in so that I can carry accessories in while out running. My current running belt is small and can't carry a great deal, whereas this new one I can fit in a phone and keys along with anything else I might need such as a headtorch or some gels

My Dad came round today, and he gave me a card along with the Flipbelt and some treats

It's not a birthday without treats!

He also brought cake:

...and the cake was very tasty indeed!

After eating far too much cake (I believe the correct term is 'carb-loading'?), it was time to go for a little run and try out my new gifts

Last year I celebrated marked the occasion by going for a really long run (a Marathon in fact). This year I was hopeful of at least doing the same thing, or maybe even running further. A popular thing for a certain type of runner is to run your age in miles, so I was thinking a 39 mile run could be on the cards. I had already starting planning routes so in order to complete the distance, and then my hip injury struck 3 weeks ago.

I've sice had physio treatment, and I'm now on the road to recovery, but as much as I'd like to run a long distance today, its just not sensible

maybe I am getting wiser in my older ager after all!!

Instead, I chose to make do with just a 10km run out along the bypass and back. It is still the furthest I've managed to run so thats something to 'celebrate' I guess!

The forecast was meant to be 'sunny' but seems a little overcast to me! It was nice enough out there, if a little on the cool side. We are expecting a change next week with frosts predicted, and even the chance of snow

The run was nice and easy, and I can confirm that the new 'version 13' shoes perform near enough the same as the previous version (although maybe not quite as bouncy or cushioned as the previous ones).

The belt works great, although I only had phone and keys in it, and the socks were super comfortable as expected :-)

And after an hour or so, I arrived back home. I then went through the stretches I mentioned in the previous post, in order to help stretch the various muscles, and so eventually recover from the injury.

For the rest of today, I'm going to be taking it easy. I've got tea already sorted (a spicy meat feast pizza, yum) and the I'll put my feet up and watch some films (it is my birthday after all!).

---

If you would like to check out this activity on strava you can see it here:
https://www.strava.com/activities/12906401396

About the Athlete: Living in the UK, I am an intermittent Runner, but always striving for more consistency. When I'm not training I can be found photographing insects or listening to really loud angry music (which is the best type of music obviously!)

This is an automated post by @strava2hive and is currently in BETA.

If you would like to know more about the @strava2hive service, you can checkout our Frequently Asked Questions.