The Running Thread Vol 2

[Smitters]

Mothersruin said:

I've a Fenix 3, had it a while now, reliable and very flexible.

Loads in our team use them and love it.

Maybe we're lucky.

Mines a Fenix 1, but then the cynic in me says that something that's in it's third major iteration that quickly, probably had some big issues initially. I'd like to believe they's good now, and your experience suggests that. I'll admit, I went for it as it offered looks plus function, whereas most running watches (the good old 305 being a case in point) looks ridiculous if worn every day. However, the woeful battery life meant I couldn't wear it all the time and still expect it to record a long run.

I've been struggling all morning - Garmin Express still won't recognise it. I'm just not willing to spend big money with Garmin again. When you want HR and various other bits, it tends to rule out the basic watches too, annoyingly.

[Cybertronian]

Smitters said:

Mines a Fenix 1, but then the cynic in me says that something that's in it's third major iteration that quickly, probably had some big issues initially. I'd like to believe they's good now, and your experience suggests that. I'll admit, I went for it as it offered looks plus function, whereas most running watches (the good old 305 being a case in point) looks ridiculous if worn every day. However, the woeful battery life meant I couldn't wear it all the time and still expect it to record a long run.

I've been struggling all morning - Garmin Express still won't recognise it. I'm just not willing to spend big money with Garmin again. When you want HR and various other bits, it tends to rule out the basic watches too, annoyingly.

The Fenix 2 was poor as well, which a friend of mine still suffers with.

I've a Fenix 3 and it's largely been decent, though suffered from random battery drain a few times since purchasing it in May. Firmware version 8.00 seems to have finally resolved the issue!

[Smitters]

Cybertronian said:

The Fenix 2 was poor as well, which a friend of mine still suffers with.

I've a Fenix 3 and it's largely been decent, though suffered from random battery drain a few times since purchasing it in May. Firmware version 8.00 seems to have finally resolved the issue!

Interesting to note. I was having a look on DC Rainmaker and his day to day kit list includes a Fenix 3, so I can only assume that it's better than previous iterations. I like being able to display a map onscreen, even if it's a breadcrumb trail, and not many watches do that, so I may be stuck with Garmin for a while.

As an aside, I finally got my Sunday LSD uploaded and I managed 18.4 km with a pace average of 6.04/km and an HR average of 135 (max of 144). I'm pleased to be adding distance, but I'm nearly at 20 MAF runs now and I haven't seen an appreciable rise in my HR limited pace. On the plus side, I'm niggle/injury free and I've been able to run more often and back to back because of the very low intensity of the runs, but the decidedly low pace of it all is grinding me down as I feel like I'm shuffling along, not really running properly. Parkruns help blow away cobwebs, but I'm going to have to think seriously in the new year about if I commit to MAF for another three months for base-building purposes or switch back to some quicker running and see if I can't lift my long run pace that way. My May marathon pace is targeted at 5.00/km, which seems a long way off right now.

[anonymous-user]

Seems like lots of watch issues at the moment!

In defence of my TomTom-I've done something with it my old Garmin couldn't do (without a HR strap). I've been feeling under the weather with a cold, so I've done limited HR running.I like the graphic it displays for this and the notifications work well!

As an aside HR running seems to be so slow! At least 1 min/mile slower than my normal steady pace regulating to 150 ish

[RizzoTheRat]

We were planning on doing a double parkrun on new years day, but the Mrs then asked if I fancied a 10k cross country instead. She's now entered us in the Knacker Kracker...at Box Hill... I looked up a Strava trace from last year

https://www.strava.com/activities/477311687 This bloke runs a 45 min 10km and it took him almost 77 minutes to run the knacker kracker. I can only hope he had a bad hangover.


I might be quite slow

[dave0010]

So I've decided to sign up for my first marathon next year. I've become a regular runner and i'm just keen for the challenge. The next marathon here in Melbourne isn't until next September so I have ample time to train.

I havent signed up for a training plan or anything I'm just going to keep pushing my current routine. For me a week looks like the following.

Monday - evening yoga class ( vinyasa )
Tuesday - run 5 miles
Wednesday - run 5 miles
Thursday - run 5 miles
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Long run, distance ever increasing
Sunday - rest day

My plan is to keep the mid week runs at this distance for 3 weeks. Then increase each run by a mile or so for another 3 weeks and so on. I also do basic core and strength workouts in the evening at home.

Can anyone point out any massive holes in this plan so far? I've always been fairly active and excessive daily.

[johnwilliams77]

dave0010 said:

So I've decided to sign up for my first marathon next year. I've become a regular runner and i'm just keen for the challenge. The next marathon here in Melbourne isn't until next September so I have ample time to train.

I havent signed up for a training plan or anything I'm just going to keep pushing my current routine. For me a week looks like the following.

Monday - evening yoga class ( vinyasa )
Tuesday - run 5 miles
Wednesday - run 5 miles
Thursday - run 5 miles
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Long run, distance ever increasing
Sunday - rest day

My plan is to keep the mid week runs at this distance for 3 weeks. Then increase each run by a mile or so for another 3 weeks and so on. I also do basic core and strength workouts in the evening at home.

Can anyone point out any massive holes in this plan so far? I've always been fairly active and excessive daily.

I wouldn't call it a massive hole but what stands out is firstly you have no rest between the mid week runs and have not stated if you have much variation within those distances, I am guessing that because they are all 5 miles, then probably not. There are a million and one ways to split them out. Tempo workouts, sprints another day (I do 1 minute fast followed by 1 minute rest this week just to improve my heart rate at max speed). You will get a massive benefit from mixing the work outs up.

Can you run before work, during work or after the yoga?

Many runners I know do a park run on a Saturday and a long run on a Sunday, this usually works better as people typically have more time at the weekends than during the week...

Also, if you're looking to save time, you could just do the yoga on the matt for 20mins post run on a Monday. I just follow one of the hundred post run stretches which has some yoga moves within.

This is a great resource: https://www.youtube.com/user/Vo2maxProductions/vid...

BTW: I am no expert, my first marathon is next May and I haven't decided on the 'plan' yet. There are some marathon schedules that do not go beyond 16miles long run...

[Smitters]

dave0010 said:

So I've decided to sign up for my first marathon next year. I've become a regular runner and i'm just keen for the challenge. The next marathon here in Melbourne isn't until next September so I have ample time to train.

I havent signed up for a training plan or anything I'm just going to keep pushing my current routine. For me a week looks like the following.

Monday - evening yoga class ( vinyasa )
Tuesday - run 5 miles
Wednesday - run 5 miles
Thursday - run 5 miles
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Long run, distance ever increasing
Sunday - rest day

My plan is to keep the mid week runs at this distance for 3 weeks. Then increase each run by a mile or so for another 3 weeks and so on. I also do basic core and strength workouts in the evening at home.

Can anyone point out any massive holes in this plan so far? I've always been fairly active and excessive daily.

Three run days back to back are a bit atypical, but it depends on what you do, as has been said above. I would allocate a focus to each if you keep all three, for example Speedy Tuesday, then make Wednesday really really easy, or a rest depending how you feel, then make Thursday an above-race-pace longer run for speed endurance.

September is a long way off, so I would also say a couple of things:

You have the time to build your endurance really slowly and avoid injury - you don't need to be running 20 miles in your long run by February.

Doing the same thing over and over can get a bit boring. Something called periodization can bring some focus to your sessions. Essentially, you can run very easy (i.e. long runs), race pace runs, faster than race pace runs and speedwork/hillwork. Trying to focus on them all at the same time is really hard, so breaking the next ten months onto blocks and focusing on one element, like adding distance or really high quality speedwork, for four to eight week segments can make life more interesting.

Rest is training too. Adequate rest is really important to allow your body to adapt, both within the week and in the cycle of weeks. Often a plan would say three weeks on, one week easy.

[KTF]

dave0010 said:

I havent signed up for a training plan or anything I'm just going to keep pushing my current routine. For me a week looks like the following.

Monday - evening yoga class ( vinyasa )
Tuesday - run 5 miles
Wednesday - run 5 miles
Thursday - run 5 miles
Friday - rest day
Saturday - Long run, distance ever increasing
Sunday - rest day

My plan is to keep the mid week runs at this distance for 3 weeks. Then increase each run by a mile or so for another 3 weeks and so on. I also do basic core and strength workouts in the evening at home.

Can anyone point out any massive holes in this plan so far? I've always been fairly active and excessive daily.

You need to mix it up a bit as just doing 5 miles will not get your body used to pushing it. My plan looks like this:

Monday - Rest
Tuesday - Interval work
Wednesday - Rest (or if marathon training, longer (8 - 10 miles), slower run).
Thursday - Shorter tempo run (6 miles or so)
Friday - Rest
Saturday - Parkrun (full tilt)
Sunday - Long run (double digit miles)

A normal marathon plan builds up using peaks so you build up to 18(ish), down a bit for a few weeks, up to 20(ish), down a bit for a few weeks, up to 22(ish), down a bit for a few weeks then on the final peak its the 26 of the race.

Example from here: http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/racing/rws-basic-mar...

[Cybertronian]

Wholeheartedly agree with folks recommending you follow a prescribed plan.

I half-heartedly put a plan together for my first two marathons, and needless to say, I was disappointed with my performance. Working towards my most recent marathon in October just gone, I followed the Pfitzinger & Douglas Advanced Marathoning plan and bagged a 31 minute PB and a London Marathon GFA qualification in the process. I've uploaded the plan with some modifications to make it suit my work week etc for those curious.

I'm not suggesting you follow the plan I've linked to - I had to back off and soften it up a few times during the summer when it became too much. Something more intermediate/beginner friendly will serve you well for your first marathon.

The benefit of following a plan, as others have said, is it gradually, specifically and safely builds you up in preparation for the marathon. For me, I hate tempo paced runs and much prefer to either be running really fast doing intervals, or covering long runs at a relaxed pace. Following the plan forced me to do the runs I dislike, which also meant I addressed my weaknesses.

[Smitters]

Cybertronian said:

Uploaded a plan...

Cheers for that - do the colours have meaning?

Trying to put a 2017 plan together myself, marathon in May as training for ultra in July. Interesting challenge to balance the mileage required with my OH and child not forgetting what I look like. Thinking a lot of late night running and running home from outings.

[VEA]

Where does everyone normally buy their kit from? Wiggle?

[KTF]

VEA said:

Where does everyone normally buy their kit from? Wiggle?

For clothing that isn't a t-shirt its mainly from Sports Direct, Decathlon, Aldi for me as I am not fussy about being seen in this seasons colours and it generally wears out within a year.

For t-shirts I get them from the races and have more than enough to keep me going

I normally get the shoes from start fitness when they have one of their regular sales.

[Cybertronian]

Smitters said:

Cheers for that - do the colours have meaning?

Trying to put a 2017 plan together myself, marathon in May as training for ultra in July. Interesting challenge to balance the mileage required with my OH and child not forgetting what I look like. Thinking a lot of late night running and running home from outings.

No worries. Green denotes an easier cutback week, yellow means a steady typical week, and red is a week for serious mileage, or sessions, or both. Blue is a race week, which featured some taper. The P&D plan only called for 18 weeks, but I factored in racing, holidays, illness etc into the schedule. I came down with something in early September, which wrote off a week for example, and some hard sessions needed postponing due to summer warmth.

I did loads of my weekday runs as commutes home from work and managed to reclaim loads of time that way.

[tenohfive]

VEA said:

Where does everyone normally buy their kit from? Wiggle?

Pete Bland Sports, SportShoes, Wiggle, Cotswolds, Alpkit, Sweatshop...lots of places. Wiggle has a good selection on one website (likewise Cotswold) but I tend to look at reviews and blogs to work out what particular item I want, then see where does it cheapest. Or has it in store locally.

[Smitters]

Cybertronian said:

No worries. Green denotes an easier cutback week, yellow means a steady typical week, and red is a week for serious mileage, or sessions, or both. Blue is a race week, which featured some taper. The P&D plan only called for 18 weeks, but I factored in racing, holidays, illness etc into the schedule. I came down with something in early September, which wrote off a week for example, and some hard sessions needed postponing due to summer warmth.

I did loads of my weekday runs as commutes home from work and managed to reclaim loads of time that way.

Nice one - thanks. Commutes a good idea, though I'm on school run, so that limits the days I can run-commute. Not sure I'm game for winter 10kms at the start and end of each day either, yet at least.

[tenohfive]

Smitters said:

Nice one - thanks. Commutes a good idea, though I'm on school run, so that limits the days I can run-commute. Not sure I'm game for winter 10kms at the start and end of each day either, yet at least.

Do it, it's actually quite refreshing being out when it's early, cold and dark.

[dave0010]

Thanks for the advice all, I will take it all onboard. With my mid week runs the Tuesday is normally at a race pace, Then Wednesday slower and steadier and a fast pace on the Thursday. Then a day or so to recover and a long run.

I like the idea of blocking weeks together like others have pointed out so I will tweak my plans and see how I go. Slowly Slowly I will get there

[ehonda]

Is anyone doing the Farnborough half in January?
It's the first run I've entered and other than a confirmation of payment email in the middle of October I've received nothing else.

Is this normal?
Thanks

[KTF]

ehonda said:

Is anyone doing the Farnborough half in January?
It's the first run I've entered and other than a confirmation of payment email in the middle of October I've received nothing else.

Is this normal?
Thanks

Most races will email the details nearer the time and/or there is number pickup on the day.