The Running Thread
Discussion
If the kids are small enough you have the challenge of how quick you can get round with a push chair, we've got one bloke regularly doing 20 mins ish with one.
Quite a lot of people take their kids to parkrun but I think it only works well if both parents run, as it then becomes a family morning out and the kids get to really enjoy it. Several of my PB's have been running with a mates 9 years old daughter, I'm only a minute off her PB now
Parkrun's also probably a lot more useful to the new runners than the more experienced. I've met loads of other runners though it, so I now have other people to run with and get out and run more because of it. If you're already well motivated to run regularly that's not a benefit to you in the same way it is to me.
Quite a lot of people take their kids to parkrun but I think it only works well if both parents run, as it then becomes a family morning out and the kids get to really enjoy it. Several of my PB's have been running with a mates 9 years old daughter, I'm only a minute off her PB now
Parkrun's also probably a lot more useful to the new runners than the more experienced. I've met loads of other runners though it, so I now have other people to run with and get out and run more because of it. If you're already well motivated to run regularly that's not a benefit to you in the same way it is to me.
Edited by RizzoTheRat on Thursday 21st May 11:27
RizzoTheRat said:
Parkrun's also probably a lot more useful to the new runners than the more experienced. I've met loads of other runners though it, so I now have other people to run with and get out and run more because of it. If you're already well motivated to run regularly that's not a benefit to you in the same way it is to me.
Speaking for myself, I still find it immensely useful even after 3 years of regular attendance. It allows me to "race" others and get a good VO2max workout, which I'd struggle to do on my own to the same level.It also gives me a gauge to benchmark myself on for what sort of shape I'm in, though the danger with it being weekly is that I have in the past lost sight of the bigger picture due to one or two bad 5ks.
Smitters said:
Agree re Parkrun MCB. My closest is a 30min drive, so hardly practical, but one on the doorstep, as mates of mine have would be different. Plus a burn up in a Saturday would kill my LSD Sunday run. However, I do think there's real value in taking your kids to it, to see people running for fun, so that may take priority when the ewe lad can run himself.
For a long time my closest parkrun was Ashton Court, Bristol which is 15 miles away or so - I've never been. Now we've got a local one, I can do a 30 min run to the event, do parkrun and then 30 min run home. Good Saturday session done before 10am.As a very experienced runner, it's a useful addition to the options but I'd always treat it as training rather than a target. I'd be interested to see stats of how many people who start running with parkrun go on to do races or join a local club. I get the feeling there are lots of parkrunners who do few other events, but that might just be my erroneous impression.
ewenm said:
I'd be interested to see stats of how many people who start running with parkrun go on to do races or join a local club. I get the feeling there are lots of parkrunners who do few other events, but that might just be my erroneous impression.
One particular club at my local event has tapped into the touchstones that a lot of the new-wave of Parkrun attendees would relate to - inclusivity and begineer-friendly. They've done tremendously in new member sign-ups as a result rather than the "earning your dues" approach some clubs can have a reputation for.For me in many ways, Parkrun kind of is the running club I've been looking for. I've no want or desire to join a traditional club (at least right now in my life) and it's become a bit of a running joke (pun intended) that myself and a few other pals I've met through Parkrun feel the same way - we've found unity through being unattached. I do plenty of events locally and do my best to spread the word to my non-club peers who may otherwise have missed out entirely. Parkrun got me from a state of being unable to break 2 hours for a half marathon after 6x attempts (2:07 was the closest) to now consistently being able to run under 90 minutes for the same distance.
My other half has recently gotten into Parkrun, and is doing well on the early upward curve by taking 30 seconds or so off each week. As much as I would love for her to move on to 10ks, half marathons etc, I know she won't. Parkrun is convenient and casual enough to give her what she wants, and I suspect this is the same for many that you've touched upon above, Ewen. But is that necessarily a bad thing? Would these people have joined a club, or entered a local race anyway if Parkrun didn't exist?
Absolutely not a bad thing at all. For me, there are two aspects to a running boom. The most important is increasing participation - get more people out and running, any pace, any distance, the health benefits are huge. parkrun does this really really well.
The second aspect (for me) is to improve standards across the board. The depth of quality in UK middle/long distance running is dreadful - we have no-one who can get near the UK marathon record, whereas 30-40 years ago sub-2:10 was expected. I don't know how to fix this. I hope that lots more people at the grassroots of the sport can encourage the youngsters thinking about a sport to commit to, to choose running and then maybe we can find the next Steve Jones/Seb Coe/Mo Farah/Paula Radcliffe/Jo Pavey.
The second aspect (for me) is to improve standards across the board. The depth of quality in UK middle/long distance running is dreadful - we have no-one who can get near the UK marathon record, whereas 30-40 years ago sub-2:10 was expected. I don't know how to fix this. I hope that lots more people at the grassroots of the sport can encourage the youngsters thinking about a sport to commit to, to choose running and then maybe we can find the next Steve Jones/Seb Coe/Mo Farah/Paula Radcliffe/Jo Pavey.
Cybertronian said:
RizzoTheRat said:
Parkrun's also probably a lot more useful to the new runners than the more experienced. I've met loads of other runners though it, so I now have other people to run with and get out and run more because of it. If you're already well motivated to run regularly that's not a benefit to you in the same way it is to me.
Speaking for myself, I still find it immensely useful even after 3 years of regular attendance. It allows me to "race" others and get a good VO2max workout, which I'd struggle to do on my own to the same level.It also gives me a gauge to benchmark myself on for what sort of shape I'm in, though the danger with it being weekly is that I have in the past lost sight of the bigger picture due to one or two bad 5ks.
A few local running clubs also use them as the graduation for the couch to 5k training plan so I wouldn't say that it is just for beginners.
ewenm said:
The second aspect (for me) is to improve standards across the board. The depth of quality in UK middle/long distance running is dreadful - we have no-one who can get near the UK marathon record, whereas 30-40 years ago sub-2:10 was expected. I don't know how to fix this. I hope that lots more people at the grassroots of the sport can encourage the youngsters thinking about a sport to commit to, to choose running and then maybe we can find the next Steve Jones/Seb Coe/Mo Farah/Paula Radcliffe/Jo Pavey.
I think this one's a toughie and is more down to a societal and generational change than anything else.The Marathon Talk podcast has had some brilliant interviews over the last year with a few old-boys (the Bill Adcocks one stands out) where they all talk about their generation having fewer distractions and vices compared to modern day life. There were also plenty of household names produced through the sport, some of which you've named above - I'm too young to remember the Coe vs Ovett wars, but an older friend of mine tells me it was fantastic for generating interest in running. We simply don't have that these days. Besides a select few British runners doing well, most races tend to be won by east-Africans, and bar a few, most have little character or personality to them (though no fault of theirs) to generate much of a pre or post-race buzz. A good example was the recent London Marathon, where Kipsang vs Kimetto was the billed show-down, only for the race to be won by a relatively unknown Kipchoge. There was very little for the media to work with regarding his win, and much of the buzz was around Paula Radcliffe anyway.
Running is certainly enjoying another boom era, but it's still perceived as a bit sad and naff by the general public (how many of us have been heckled whilst out for a run?) where sitting on their arses, dying slowly from over-indulgence is the preference. I think the UK's system (if you can really call it that) in place simply can't combat the societal and generational changes taking place. Kids don't aspire to be top athletes (unless you include football) - they'd much rather get a quick-fix 5 minutes of fame through X-Factor or some other reality TV tosh. The school system doesn't help where only the top handful of sporty kids are nurtured, with the rest just making do until it's time for them to leave school.
I've just recently finished the new book by the chap who wrote "Running with the Kenyans", this time spending 6 months in Japan. Over there, running as a career is very possible due to their system of corporate running teams. It's not necessarily a better system, because many of the corporate runners burn-out or quit due to injury, though it does solve the problem of depth in national running by being a viable career move.
Apologies for the string of long posts - it's a slow afternoon in the office...
Edited by Cybertronian on Thursday 21st May 15:33
More distractions - yes.
More sedentary - yes.
More options - yes.
How to resolve? As you say, it needs to be cultural and generational. Schools can encourage sport but parents need to step up too. There's no excuse for unfit kids. IMO running is becoming more mainstream and less geeky with kudos to parkrun getting "normal" people out there.
The Japanese running scene is amazing. I've had a few runner friends experience it. Something like >250 runners sub-65 in a half-marathon! Interestingly, very few challenging the East Africans as if there is a performance ceiling for the Japanese. You'd think that depth of talent would produce a few world-class athletes.
More sedentary - yes.
More options - yes.
How to resolve? As you say, it needs to be cultural and generational. Schools can encourage sport but parents need to step up too. There's no excuse for unfit kids. IMO running is becoming more mainstream and less geeky with kudos to parkrun getting "normal" people out there.
The Japanese running scene is amazing. I've had a few runner friends experience it. Something like >250 runners sub-65 in a half-marathon! Interestingly, very few challenging the East Africans as if there is a performance ceiling for the Japanese. You'd think that depth of talent would produce a few world-class athletes.
I finally did a session of longer intervals, before breakfast this morning. I was looking to determine a baseline.
I read about one for 10K runners that was:
2 miles with 5 mins recovery, followed by 4 x 1 mile repeats with 5 mins recoveries (with 2-weekly increases, up to 3 x 2 mile intervals)
I decided to base the intervals on estimated time to approximate the distance (which worked out to be quite close) and didn't have enough time to do all of the mile repeats so did 2 mile, plus 2 x 1 miles.
-With a warm-up and cool-down it was 10.5K.
My pace for the intervals was 4:10-4:20/Km (6:42-6:56/mile) according to Strava (with 3:38/km for one 500m segment) -better than I'd hoped, but not as quick as I'd like yet.
My target for this year is 10K at 4:00/km, so it should be do-able, given that this was first thing in the morning (and I'd ridden fairly yesterday and a tempo run earlier in the week), with junctions, road crossings and dog walkers to negotiate.
Would 500m or 1Km intervals be better for building the speed that I currently lack?
I read about one for 10K runners that was:
2 miles with 5 mins recovery, followed by 4 x 1 mile repeats with 5 mins recoveries (with 2-weekly increases, up to 3 x 2 mile intervals)
I decided to base the intervals on estimated time to approximate the distance (which worked out to be quite close) and didn't have enough time to do all of the mile repeats so did 2 mile, plus 2 x 1 miles.
-With a warm-up and cool-down it was 10.5K.
My pace for the intervals was 4:10-4:20/Km (6:42-6:56/mile) according to Strava (with 3:38/km for one 500m segment) -better than I'd hoped, but not as quick as I'd like yet.
My target for this year is 10K at 4:00/km, so it should be do-able, given that this was first thing in the morning (and I'd ridden fairly yesterday and a tempo run earlier in the week), with junctions, road crossings and dog walkers to negotiate.
Would 500m or 1Km intervals be better for building the speed that I currently lack?
Edited by MC Bodge on Friday 22 May 21:07
ewenm said:
I get the feeling there are lots of parkrunners who do few other events, but that might just be my erroneous impression.
I'm sure you're right, but I think there are also lots who do enter other events, maybe at a very vague guess a third are club runners who enter lots of events, a third are less serious and enter an occasional local 10k, half or full marathon and a third never enter anything else, which is all fine as overall more people are running and some start at parkrun, find they're quite good and migrate into one of the more serious groups.john2443 said:
I'm sure you're right, but I think there are also lots who do enter other events, maybe at a very vague guess a third are club runners who enter lots of events, a third are less serious and enter an occasional local 10k, half or full marathon and a third never enter anything else, which is all fine as overall more people are running and some start at parkrun, find they're quite good and migrate into one of the more serious groups.
The biggest streaker at the Newcastle Park run is on something incredible like 100 unbroken runs. It kind of makes me a bit sad that she's spent 100 consecutive Saturday mornings waking up in the same city.Just back from what was meant to be a gentle and short first run after the half on Sunday. It started well and then slowly went downhill as I saw more and more people in front of me that 'had' to be overtaken 
ended up doing a quick 5.2k. I'm looking to do a 10 on Monday, a 5-6 on Wednesday and then having a couple of days rest before the Marathon on the 30th.
ended up doing a quick 5.2k. I'm looking to do a 10 on Monday, a 5-6 on Wednesday and then having a couple of days rest before the Marathon on the 30th. I did a good point-to-point run yesterday. My wife dropped me off part-way home from a day out and I ran back -as I sometimes do by bike. It was a bit further than expected (I took a route along paths and quiet roads as far as possible) and there was a headwind all the way.
There was very something satisfying about making my way home on footand the point-to-point put the distance into more perspective than a circular loop does.
Having suffered running-preventing injuries for so long, I still find it surprising that I am currently able to run 11 miles (ok, so not exactly an ultra) over mixed terrain without problems -long may it continue!
There was very something satisfying about making my way home on footand the point-to-point put the distance into more perspective than a circular loop does.
Having suffered running-preventing injuries for so long, I still find it surprising that I am currently able to run 11 miles (ok, so not exactly an ultra) over mixed terrain without problems -long may it continue!
thelittleegg said:
Running point to point really does make you look at distance in a different way, doesn't it? On a regular run from home, the furthest away you'll get from home is only half your total distance. Last year I began running home from work occasionally, a 13 mile run, and when I left the office, it really gave me a feeling of "bloody hell, I'm a long way from home!".
Glad to hear that your running has been injury free as well
Cheers. I think that gastroc and soleus strengthening, plus skipping have helped a lot. The various glute and core strengthening and flexibility work also seems to have been beneficial (I am also much more comfortable on my drop bars on my bike too).Glad to hear that your running has been injury free as well
Running 13 miles home sounds like quite an undertaking. My shortest route home would be about 15.5 miles. It is possible that I could build up to that, although I'm not currently intending to. My plan is to get faster at 10K distance.
Edited by MC Bodge on Monday 25th May 20:17
First post here.
After doing very little in the way of exercise since school (now 36) other than a little cycling I started running recently. Originally intended to start C25k but suspected I wouldn't be disciplined enough to go out 3 times a week (work gets in the way a lot) so just started doing my own thing over a 4k route. 6 runs over 3 weeks and my pace has been:
6:42/km
6:32/km
6:26/km
6:33/km
6:19/km
6:01/km
I feel like I'm going in the right direction but just wondered whether this kind of progress would be typical if I followed the C25K programme or not (hard to say I know but...)
My plan was to be able to run the 4k without the need to stop/walk (which I did for the first time 2 runs ago) then extend the route to 5k.
Only looking to run for general fitness rather than any marathons as running is about the only thing I can fit in around work.
Any thoughts much appreciated.
After doing very little in the way of exercise since school (now 36) other than a little cycling I started running recently. Originally intended to start C25k but suspected I wouldn't be disciplined enough to go out 3 times a week (work gets in the way a lot) so just started doing my own thing over a 4k route. 6 runs over 3 weeks and my pace has been:
6:42/km
6:32/km
6:26/km
6:33/km
6:19/km
6:01/km
I feel like I'm going in the right direction but just wondered whether this kind of progress would be typical if I followed the C25K programme or not (hard to say I know but...)
My plan was to be able to run the 4k without the need to stop/walk (which I did for the first time 2 runs ago) then extend the route to 5k.
Only looking to run for general fitness rather than any marathons as running is about the only thing I can fit in around work.
Any thoughts much appreciated.
You are certainly improving. I would try to do 3 times a week.
Concentrate on running with short strides and quick,light feet rather than striding out and plodding with hard steps.
Maybe make one of the runs a bit shorter, but faster.
The thing with running is not to push it too hard/far too soon when you do get faster, though.
Concentrate on running with short strides and quick,light feet rather than striding out and plodding with hard steps.
Maybe make one of the runs a bit shorter, but faster.
The thing with running is not to push it too hard/far too soon when you do get faster, though.
I was certainly a little cautious on the first run as my main concern was making it home in one piece! Definitely aiming for 3 times a week when I can (roughly every other day to have a "rest" day between runs). It doesn't feel like I'm pushing myself "too" far at the moment (it doesn't seem to take me too long to recover for example) but at the same time a continuous 4k run doesn't feel in any way easy. For example, I can easily find my legs are burning and my chest wants to explode, but slowing down the pace a little brings things back under control IYKWIM.
I guess part of my reason for posting was some reassurance than I am roughly on the right track to some kind of fitness, and that not doing the C25K wasn't a massive mistake. At the moment it feels enjoyable and rewarding without being onerous and tiresome, so that in itself would suggest I'm on the right track.
I guess part of my reason for posting was some reassurance than I am roughly on the right track to some kind of fitness, and that not doing the C25K wasn't a massive mistake. At the moment it feels enjoyable and rewarding without being onerous and tiresome, so that in itself would suggest I'm on the right track.
I had a really enjoyable run yesterday evening. 8.4k at around 4.30 was tiring but I am really getting into my short, fast runs ATM. It really does break the monotony of long runs and it seems to have had a really noticable effect in a very short period of time. Just one more run to go until Saturday.
I'm meant to be doing the trail for the GB team for the Euro Mountain Running champs on Sunday but it's looking unlikely as I've been struggling with cold symptoms for what feels like weeks. I'm now wondering if it's hayfever rather than a cold as I don't feel particularly unwell, just congested. Time to start experimenting with some hayfever remedies I think.
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