Topic: General Running Thread

[red_Mark1980]

I was convinced it was an attack on me. Like I said when I started running in ons I've had to have three different sizes in different shoes.

In normal none running trainers I'm almost always 8.5

[Raul!]

Hope everyone is well and running strong.

Finally looks like I might be getting back to some regular running, after a terrible 2021 which saw injury, health issues, injury and injury. And a loss of motivation as a result, after having run 4000k in 2020. Fingers crossed for 2022.

[Circa1892]

Hope everyone is well and running strong.

Finally looks like I might be getting back to some regular running, after a terrible 2021 which saw injury, health issues, injury and injury. And a loss of motivation as a result, after having run 4000k in 2020. Fingers crossed for 2022.

Glad to here you’re getting back to it. You’ve had some phenomenal achievements over the years so hopefully there’s plenty of miles ahead of you next year.

Had a pretty ropey year running wise myself. Had weird blisters all over my feet for about 7 months which meant no running. (Turned out to be a very rare side effect of undiagnosed coeliac disease weirdly). Stopped eating pizza and pasta etc and managed to get back onto it for a few months. Been mainly for weight loss at first (I put on all the weight I lost in 7 years of running), but a block of proper training has got me back under sub-40 for a 10k this weekend and heading towards 19 mins at parkrun. Hopefully 2022 is a good running year.

[Drinks Sangria]

Good stuff Raul and Circa.

6km in 24:58 for me last night as I pushed the pace a little bit more whilst maintaining in my comfort zone. Swimming in between my injuries whilst not running has been a godsend, it's preserved my fitness far better than last time I was injured, whereby I felt like I was almost starting from scratch.

Going to do a slow 5km tonight then have another couple of days off. Tried the new Pegasus' out, not quite as form fitting as the previous mark.

[damomad]

Good stuff Raul and Circa.

6km in 24:58 for me last night as I pushed the pace a little bit more whilst maintaining in my comfort zone. Swimming in between my injuries whilst not running has been a godsend, it's preserved my fitness far better than last time I was injured, whereby I felt like I was almost starting from scratch.

Going to do a slow 5km tonight then have another couple of days off. Tried the new Pegasus' out, not quite as form fitting as the previous mark.

That's a brilliant pace for 6km, immense considering you are coming back from an injury too.

Have a buddy who is doing the marathon next year with me so we are logging all our runs on Strava, definitely makes the training more motivating.

How do people feel about weight training and running? I was an avid gym goer for years but packed it in recently as the only training time I have is to run. Not sure if it's detrimental overall, doesn't feel like it so far.

[Drinks Sangria]

That's a brilliant pace for 6km, immense considering you are coming back from an injury too.

Have a buddy who is doing the marathon next year with me so we are logging all our runs on Strava, definitely makes the training more motivating.

How do people feel about weight training and running? I was an avid gym goer for years but packed it in recently as the only training time I have is to run. Not sure if it's detrimental overall, doesn't feel like it so far.

Cheers mate, it was the first time I've pushed myself since coming back. Next year I'll give it one last swing at getting under 16:30 for 5km then move on to longer distances if I'm that bit too old to be getting that much quicker.

I think the right weight training really helps - I ran 18:15 for 5km around July 2020 I think, then a friend who's an elite athlete designed me a gym plan and I started doing a lot of core stuff and functional work - deadlifts (light but volume-driven), squats (full depth with lighter weights, heavier but shallow depth) and lots of explosive stuff, weighted box jumps etc. I definitely felt fitter and more powerful for it, with better endurance when I needed to go quicker for longer. The only issue is what you've said Damo - time. Last Summer through the entirety of winter, with all the restrictions, I had a load of spare time. I was running sometimes twice a day, going out 5 days a week and doing the gym on some days. Now my job is hybrid, I have 3 days in the office a week, with an hour commute each way, which shortens the day hugely for me. I used to finish at 17:00, be on a run or in the gym by 17:15 and finished for 18:00. Now, I'm not even home until 18:30 - 19:00.

Despite that, I do want to find a happy medium, maybe 3/4 runs and 2 functional weights sessions a week.

[kevlumley]

I’ve dropped right off a cliff. Bit of isolation and nothing signed up for means motivation has gone.

I bought a new pair of trainers online recently. Same make as my last couple of pairs so bought the same size. They feel a little tighter and during my first run (about 5 miles), I had a sore big toe on one foot. Haven’t been for a run since. Do trainers ‘give’ a little after a few runs? Can I get used to it? It have I wasted Ł100?!

The perils of buying online!

Personally i wear the trainers for a few weeks out walking about. Breaks them in a little bit. Nowhere near as tough to do with new leather shoes, but worth doing. Then i don't do long runs in them, just short runs until you get used to them and they break in a bit more. So don't throw away your old ones whilst you do this.

[kevlumley]

Raul nice to hear from you and glad you popped in. Good luck with 2022, at least you can start from where you want to.
Circa1892, sorry about your diagnosis, but that is half of it, isn't it, finding out what is up. That is impressive 10km pace, i think a lot will be encouraged by those times and be getting into those sort of training blocks. Nice work.
Drinks Sangria, similar kudos to you, if you are breezing a 6km at that pace, the only way is faster on races.

I am trying to push the 1km pace. Im getting anything from 4:11 to 4:30 on 1 km intervals and probably can do a 4:20 per km pace on a 4km threshold run. As circa1892 wrote, training blocks really help. SO hoping those paces will increase in 2022.

[Keita Success]

Cheers mate, it was the first time I've pushed myself since coming back. Next year I'll give it one last swing at getting under 16:30 for 5km then move on to longer distances if I'm that bit too old to be getting that much quicker.

I think the right weight training really helps - I ran 18:15 for 5km around July 2020 I think, then a friend who's an elite athlete designed me a gym plan and I started doing a lot of core stuff and functional work - deadlifts (light but volume-driven), squats (full depth with lighter weights, heavier but shallow depth) and lots of explosive stuff, weighted box jumps etc. I definitely felt fitter and more powerful for it, with better endurance when I needed to go quicker for longer. The only issue is what you've said Damo - time. Last Summer through the entirety of winter, with all the restrictions, I had a load of spare time. I was running sometimes twice a day, going out 5 days a week and doing the gym on some days. Now my job is hybrid, I have 3 days in the office a week, with an hour commute each way, which shortens the day hugely for me. I used to finish at 17:00, be on a run or in the gym by 17:15 and finished for 18:00. Now, I'm not even home until 18:30 - 19:00.

Despite that, I do want to find a happy medium, maybe 3/4 runs and 2 functional weights sessions a week.

Don't suppose you're allowed to share that plan, mate?

[Drinks Sangria]

Don't suppose you're allowed to share that plan, mate?

Yeah of course, are you wanting the supplementary weights plan or the running sessions?

The running tends to be one hard session a week, one outside the comfort zone but not as hard, and one recovery run with a couple of easy runs thrown in.

[Jamesie]

Yeah of course, are you wanting the supplementary weights plan or the running sessions?

The running tends to be one hard session a week, one outside the comfort zone but not as hard, and one recovery run with a couple of easy runs thrown in.

I’d be keen on the weights plan too mate.

Hope everyone is well. Ran a 10k just before New Year, my fastest in three years but still a couple of minutes off my best. Hoping to get some shorter stuff in after the Liverpool 10 Miler in March just to get the legs turning before the marathon build starts.

Anyone else got anything exciting coming up?

[red_Mark1980]

I'm slowly plodding my way through a marathon plan.

It seems so much tougher than my first plan back in late 2015.

Milan in April and then Chicago in October.

[Crimson]

Had my first longer run for quite some time during Christmas (20k+) and had another one yesterday. Just getting the miles in, not looking at the pace really. Did one long one per month last year, so might restart with that.

Only slight downside is the lack of decent routes from my doorstep, that doesn't include hundreds of meters of incline. I have access to mountains which I love running on, but only in Spring/Summer really. Running in the City or very urban environments is not really interesting for me, so I tend to reuse the same routes. A bit tedious when going on longer runs. 

[Jamesie]

I'm slowly plodding my way through a marathon plan.

It seems so much tougher than my first plan back in late 2015.

Milan in April and then Chicago in October.

Also running Chicago in October, although only a handful of my close friends know this.

I’m always wary of telling too many people after getting injured in the build up to Berlin in 2016.

[Dench57]

Can anyone recommend some decent trail running shoes for under Ł100? Looking to get some in the January sales. All-rounders since I run on dirt and concrete. I bought some Adidas Terrex less than a year ago for Ł60 or so but they're shite quality, already got holes behind the heels due to wear and it's not like I've been running them into the ground, I only run casually for exercise, few hours a week at the most! Or do running shoes just have a short life by nature and I'll need to replace any once a year anyway?

[red_Mark1980]

It's about the mileage really mate.

Someone running ridiculous mileage a week will burn through a pair quicker than someone doing parkrun on a Saturday and another run a week.

The "rule of thumb" seems to be you'll need to change them between 300 and 500 miles ( or 500 to 800km). Some people will run longer and be able to get a lot more wear out of them.

I've only ran in Adidas once and found them not to be durable for me, but I know others run in them and love them.

The ones you mentioned are for trail also? Is that where you run mostly or a mixture of road and off road.

I've used  https://www.sportsshoes.com/ loads over the years and they do have a range of prices. What you might find is that you may get last season's shoes at a lower price as they look to bring out a Spring / Summer 22 version.

So something with AW21 may be a cheaper alternative.

Sorry I've not been much help, but it's tough to recommend a shoe to someone else.

ASICS have seemingly lasted well for my girlfriend (until she developed expensive tastes and can 'only' run in trainers that cost Ł150 now
  )

[Dench57]

It's about the mileage really mate.

Someone running ridiculous mileage a week will burn through a pair quicker than someone doing parkrun on a Saturday and another run a week.

The "rule of thumb" seems to be you'll need to change them between 300 and 500 miles ( or 500 to 800km). Some people will run longer and be able to get a lot more wear out of them.

I've only ran in Adidas once and found them not to be durable for me, but I know others run in them and love them.

The ones you mentioned are for trail also? Is that where you run mostly or a mixture of road and off road.

I've used  https://www.sportsshoes.com/ loads over the years and they do have a range of prices. What you might find is that you may get last season's shoes at a lower price as they look to bring out a Spring / Summer 22 version.

So something with AW21 may be a cheaper alternative.

Sorry I've not been much help, but it's tough to recommend a shoe to someone else.

ASICS have seemingly lasted well for my girlfriend (until she developed expensive tastes and can 'only' run in trainers that cost Ł150 now
  )

Cheers! Edited my first post to say Trail running shoes, as I'm kinda 50/50 between pavements and grass/footpaths at the moment, and with this weather they can get a bit muddy. Just want something durable and comfortable really, I'll check out some ASICS AW21s while avoiding Adidas I think!

[Crimson]

Cheers! Edited my first post to say Trail running shoes, as I'm kinda 50/50 between pavements and grass/footpaths at the moment, and with this weather they can get a bit muddy. Just want something durable and comfortable really, I'll check out some ASICS AW21s while avoiding Adidas I think!

I use VJ Irock 3 for muddy, slippery runs and (currently) Salomon Ride 4 for dry trails on rocky terrain. The latter has great cushioning, but lacks in grip on wet surfaces. The former is the opposite. The VJ-grip is unreal at times and unless it's on ice, I've never felt like it would give.

https://www.vjsport.fi/uk/vjirock-3.html
https://www.salomon.com/en-no/shop-emea/product/sense-ride-4-21.html#color=48570

[Circa1892]

Dipped below 19 minutes at parkrun for the first time since late 2019 which feels like progress. Been doing intervals on the treadmill which seems to be doing the trick. Hopefully the year ahead sees less race cancellations now the govt have decided Covid doesn't exist...

[damomad]

Dipped below 19 minutes at parkrun for the first time since late 2019 which feels like progress. Been doing intervals on the treadmill which seems to be doing the trick. Hopefully the year ahead sees less race cancellations now the govt have decided Covid doesn't exist...

Brilliant effort! I have mine down to almost 20, hoping to go under this weekend. I feel the volume is really helping, longer runs at a slower pace have built the strength up in my legs. Been considering going back to a treadmill for a couple of months, I prefer running on grass but it’s a real slog on most of the pitches near me. What sort of intervals are you doing?

[kevlumley]

Well in circa, you obviously get out what you put in and smashed an old record

[Drinks Sangria]

Good going Circa, cracking time that.

Damo- running on grass is a lot of effort, especially in the winter. Do you mix it up with some road runs or other terrain?

My progress has been halted recently again. I contracted covid and even though I was without symptoms, that was 10 days without running (having not ran for 3 before that) and due to a work event tonight and tomorrow, footy on Thursday, it will be Friday before I can get out again. Horribly stilted progress for since I've recovered from my hip issue, but at least spring is round the corner and longer nights for running. My whole Spring and Summer will be about building up again.

[Crosby Nick]

After a very lazy end to last year and sluggish start to this one I’ve tried to start pushing myself to run more in the week while I’m still working from home. Really finding it hard to push myself beyond 3-4 miles at the moment though. Probably need to sign up to a half marathon to motivate/scare myself into going further.

[Crimson]

Good going Circa, cracking time that.

Damo- running on grass is a lot of effort, especially in the winter. Do you mix it up with some road runs or other terrain?

My progress has been halted recently again. I contracted covid and even though I was without symptoms, that was 10 days without running (having not ran for 3 before that) and due to a work event tonight and tomorrow, footy on Thursday, it will be Friday before I can get out again. Horribly stilted progress for since I've recovered from my hip issue, but at least spring is round the corner and longer nights for running. My whole Spring and Summer will be about building up again.

Likewise. Cannot wait for Spring and longing for long Summer days spent running around in the mountains 

I have my booster on Monday and hopefully that will go well without side effects. My running suffered greatly after my second dose, but of course I didn't have serious issues.

Sad to hear you got Covid! Though, I'm sure it's almost inevitable to get it now that every country is opening up.

[Drinks Sangria]

Likewise. Cannot wait for Spring and longing for long Summer days spent running around in the mountains 

I have my booster on Monday and hopefully that will go well without side effects. My running suffered greatly after my second dose, but of course I didn't have serious issues.

Sad to hear you got Covid! Though, I'm sure it's almost inevitable to get it now that every country is opening up.

Cheers mate, I was fine and touch wood aren't feeling any after effects, it's just the disruption to life. Well aware so many people had it far worse than I did. Sounds like it knocked the stuffing out of you a touch - I've some mates who said the same.

That sounds ideal, I've never really bought into a lot of runners saying winter is so brutal, until this year. I think because the past two winters my progress has been coming on leaps and bounds, there's been the motivation factor to get out whatever the weather. Now I struggle to move my arse around at a decent pace, it's that much harder to make myself go out into the cold or wet. I do love running in a good pour down in the summer/spring though, something primal about it.

Longer nights is what I'm waiting for now, I much prefer running after work than getting up at 05:30 in pitch black to squeeze 10km in with no food in me.

[Circa1892]

First ever first place at parkrun today. Chuffed with that considering I barely ran last year up to November. Granted it was only a first place because none of the fast people who usually do it were there but it still counts.

[damomad]

Good going Circa, cracking time that.

Damo- running on grass is a lot of effort, especially in the winter. Do you mix it up with some road runs or other terrain?

My progress has been halted recently again. I contracted covid and even though I was without symptoms, that was 10 days without running (having not ran for 3 before that) and due to a work event tonight and tomorrow, footy on Thursday, it will be Friday before I can get out again. Horribly stilted progress for since I've recovered from my hip issue, but at least spring is round the corner and longer nights for running. My whole Spring and Summer will be about building up again.

Been running on roads mostly, but the longer distances are making the difference! Did a 19.41 parkrun today, first ever sub 20, one for the bucket list!

Something I’ve tried to implement: following the feet of someone you want to hit the pace of, has paid dividends.

Winter is shite but all the training during cold nights will pay off and give you a solid base in spring so stick at it🙂

[Drinks Sangria]

Been running on roads mostly, but the longer distances are making the difference! Did a 19.41 parkrun today, first ever sub 20, one for the bucket list!

Something I’ve tried to implement: following the feet of someone you want to hit the pace of, has paid dividends.

Winter is shite but all the training during cold nights will pay off and give you a solid base in spring so stick at it🙂

Well done mate, good stuff!

Going out today, been getting some shorter ones in recently and starting to feel a touch stronger. March will be where I see the progress.

First ever first place at parkrun today. Chuffed with that considering I barely ran last year up to November. Granted it was only a first place because none of the fast people who usually do it were there but it still counts.

Nice one! A win is a win! If it makes you feel better, there's people who actively monitor typical Parkrun winner's times and drive over the country to compete in ones they think they can win  Or my mate, who goes to places to set the course record and try and set a time that won't ever be beaten (usually sub-14).

I've never won a Parkrun myself even having ran sub 18:30 a couple of times at them. I once did one where I thought I was miles in front having had to start near the back, ran 18:29 and finished 2nd with the winner having ran 16:25! There was then a 4 minute gap until 3rd place came in. One of the odder runs I did, was around a small lake in a town called Congleton, just south of Manchester.

In a few weeks I'll be doing the Countess of Chester one that's not too far from me.

[red_Mark1980]

First position. But we all know parkrun doesn't have a winner as it's not a race 

Some of those Facebook groups are a minefield.

Have you ran Chester before drinks sangria? Was my local for around three years. I much preferred the alternate course as it offers less chance for slipping in the mud if it's rained.

[Drinks Sangria]

First position. But we all know parkrun doesn't have a winner as it's not a race 

Some of those Facebook groups are a minefield.

Have you ran Chester before drinks sangria? Was my local for around three years. I much preferred the alternate course as it offers less chance for slipping in the mud if it's rained.

I haven't mate, because I used to largely run Parkrun as a pacer for a couple of mates who were trying to go sub 20, I'd usually go up to Croxteth for the run there.

Chester is the closest to me but my plan has been somewhat derailed, in the best way, as my partner has surprised me for my birthday with a weekend in Rome. There's worse reasons to miss Parkrun!

I'll be doing Chester on the following weekend as I'm there for a stag do, so I'll head into town early and run, then the weekend after I've promised to pace a friend round Delamere Forest (looking forward to that one) who's wanting to go under 23:00.

[red_Mark1980]

Rome eh? Lovely.

Delamere is great, I mean it's not Rome. One of the points of having a girlfriend who is also into running is if we are away for a weekend anywhere she's always looking for the nearest parkrun.

She's adamant we are getting to one about 80 miles outside of Chicago when we are over for the marathon in October.
She does have family and an old friend in Chicago so we'll hopefully hit them for a lift.

[weebroalan]

Mark: how is the mara training going? Saw you had a long one on Strava the other week

Raul: good to see you back at it. Good luck with the training

Circa: cracking result at parkrun - you gotta be in it to win it! I don't know about you but first time I was leading a race I was cacking my pants that someone was going to catch me.

Nick: I always find a race in the diary ramps up the motivation levels. But defo agree that this time of year is much harder to get motivated. At least the evenings have started to noticeably change lighter sooner

Finally got my place at UTMB after 5 years of qualifying races so its all guns blazing for Chamonix in August now. I've got a 40 miler in the Brecon Beacons in March and Andorra Trail 105km in June as 'tune-up' races. So plenty to focus on now and plenty of reason to get out onto the hills.

[red_Mark1980]

Holy crap Alan, that's great! It's almost 200k isn't it? Fair play I feel sick thinking about my 16 miles this weekend.

It's hit and miss to be honest. I'm checking the miles off but I think it's going to be another slow one. I keep saying it, but I think these will be my last marathons.

I don't really enjoy much of the race or the training so I need to tell myself that in a couple of years when Katherine starts talking about a marathon in some far flung place.  Either that or make her pick ones that have a half on the same day 

[weebroalan]

Mark: it’s 171km with >10,000m of ascent. Altitude is 2,500m which will be interesting! I go through periods of struggling with training. And then other times it’s easy. This time of year is always hard but hopefully with spring around the corner things will pick up. At least you get to see a nice city!!

[red_Mark1980]

That's unreal Alan. I think I remember you and Hartless talking about it ages ago.

Are you able to do any altitude training (aside from that 'tune up race').

I'm looking forward to the days after the marathon. We are staying until the Friday so may even get out to another city on a day trip

[weebroalan]

No altitude training apart from Andorra. I think the key will be running a bit easier to compensate for the oxygen deficit.

That’s nice to have a couple of days in the city after the race. I’m normally rushing back home after races to get back to the wife and kids. Looking forward to when they’re a bit older and I can hang round and see the sights a bit more!

[Crimson]

Is the coverage of the UTMB as good as the GTWS? I always stream the races. Production quality is like Tour de France or the like. 

[weebroalan]

Crimson: it’s pretty good these days. It’s a full live stream for the weekend with live commentary. They have YouTube channels for each race and in different languages. They’ve pumped a lot of money into it and expect even more this year with the World Series kicking off.

Those GTWS videos are ace. The Sierra Zinal one of Kilian this year was brilliant

[damomad]

How's everyone been going?
 
I've had 4 sub 20 minute parkruns in a row, pushing 19 now. It's an amazing feeling passing runners who months ago I'd be watching sail off into the distance in front of me.

Did a half yesterday in 1:40 and definitely had a bit more in the tank. my goal is a 3:20 marathon in May, might be biting off more than I can chew but I'm enjoying the process!

[Circa1892]

damomad - that's great going. Out of interest where were you at before the sub-20 streak? If you're training for a marathon I'd imagine you'll dip below 19 a few times between now and then.

Good work on the half - which one was it? If you can do sub-20 5ks I think you could go into the 1.30s before too long. On the marathon - is it your first one?