The Running Thread

[Ayahuasca]

Current routine:

every morning: 3.5 easy miles with wife and dog
tues / thurs evenings: 6 quicker miles with running group
monday evening: 4-5 miles trail run with hash house harriers


Currently wearing a pair of old trainers and want to wear them until the soles completely disintegrate, which is not far off now.

[davey68]

Thanks for the feedback. Am looking into the C25k planner now..

[944fan]

davey68 said:

Thanks for the feedback. Am looking into the C25k planner now..

Good show. I did. When I started I couldn't run for 3 minutes. Completed the C25K have now run a 5K race, can run for over an hour, lost 2 stone, currently training for a 5 mile road race which is pretty competitive.

[944fan]

Stupid question time:

Been running for about 6 months as described above, never done running before.

Whenever I try and push myself it is always my respiratory system that gives in first. My legs rarely burn or feel tied but I just can't breath fast enough and I get a stitch.

What's the best way to improve this, other than just running? My current plan has a rest/X-train day on Mondays, currently I do some core work and weights. Is there anything else I can be doing here to better my breathing without hitting my legs too hard?

[IroningMan]

944fan said:

Stupid question time:

Been running for about 6 months as described above, never done running before.

Whenever I try and push myself it is always my respiratory system that gives in first. My legs rarely burn or feel tied but I just can't breath fast enough and I get a stitch.

What's the best way to improve this, other than just running? My current plan has a rest/X-train day on Mondays, currently I do some core work and weights. Is there anything else I can be doing here to better my breathing without hitting my legs too hard?

Cycling and rowing, or a circuits class will stretch your CV system without overtaxing your running legs. Never a bad idea to have something besides running in your exercise plan.

[Highway Star]

I swim, but am originally a swimmer. Quite a few guys at my running club do circuit training as a supplmentary CV exercise.

[V-spec]

Can't say I've ever really felt my legs burning or tired (except maybe the last 10k of a marathon) during running. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. HR and general stamina are the limiting factors for me.

[ewenm]

V-spec said:

Can't say I've ever really felt my legs burning or tired (except maybe the last 10k of a marathon) during running. Maybe I'm doing it wrong. HR and general stamina are the limiting factors for me.

My legs only really burn if doing a sprints or hills session - short reps at high intensity really gets the lactic acid flowing (which gives muscle burn).

Most distance/endurance running is about conditioning the body to use oxygen and fuel more efficiently and to be accustomed to the needs of long, steady-state running. You need to be training/racing short distances to go way over your aerobic threshold into anaerobic respiration and generate the lactic acid. Most for-fitness/beginner runners don't do this, so rarely experience muscle burn.

[944fan]

Highway Star said:

I swim, but am originally a swimmer. Quite a few guys at my running club do circuit training as a supplmentary CV exercise.

Despite mostly running outside now I still have a gym membership with a pool. I went for a swim earlier. I started with a about 20 lengths breast stroke to warm up. I then tired some front crawl but my form is appalling. I looked like a drowning seal splashing all over the place. Almost feel like I need some lessons but I can swim - if I fell of a boat tomorrow I wouldn't drown - I would just look like I am.

Guess I need more practice.

[MrsMiggins]

I had 4 30-minute swimming lessons when I discovered that all I knew how to do was "not drown". Made a huge difference.

Since then I've watched a fair few youtube videos and picked up some further technique hints there which have helped me swim further for less effort.

[E38Ross]

bd of a session today.

4x1mile with 60secs recovery at roughly 10k pace (I averaged 5:48/mile but it was on grass, had a couple of hills and quite muddy!) then 3mins rest and 2x1k off 60secs rest at roughly 5k pace (I averaged 5:38) again, this was off road and had a drag of a hill. 4mins rest after that then 4x150m where I averaged 4:15/mile off 30secs rest.

Including warm up and warm down I did over 9.25 miles! Tomorrow is somewhere between 12-13 miles steady.

[Locke]

Well I'm in Majorca on holiday at the moment and didn't want to have any time off training so when my family have been going on bike rides around the island I've been running along side them.

So far its all been in ~ 30 Celsius heat too.

3.3 miles @ avg 6.15 mile pace along a sandy track to a castle and back.
13.30 miles @ avg 8:15 mile pace
13.20 miles at avg 7:31 mile pace (did first mile in 10:10 as was on a busy path near the beach)

I've only run over 10 miles before a couple of times but from this and given the right conditions I'm confident I could do a sub 1:30 half marathon as I'm always faster when it's cold.

I've noticed my heart rates a lot faster in this weather too.

[3point14159key]

Pouring with rain here and about to go out for a local 10 km race (westspangerlauf).

(formerly use psychology but wanted a new name)

[E38Ross]

Nice 13 miles this morning at 7:12/mile. Other than stomach ache I felt fine. Legs were still feeling pretty strong despite not taking any energy or fluid on board.

[anonymous-user]

12 miles today, nice group of 4 of us moving down the canal.
Pace was a bit frisky at times (sub-7) but overall quite easy so it's looking up for when I start going further.

[Highway Star]

Flat 5 mile race this morning, doubling as the county champs. Was aiming for sub 32.30 (6.30 mile pace), so was chuffed to finish in 30.36 by my watch. Last mile was 6.05 so didn't even die off too badly. Obviously the little extra training with the club has paid off over the past three weeks, am now doing three runs and two swimming sessions a week, all with clubs.

Unfortunately need to take some time off for an op in 10 days time, but hopefully will be back running by the end of the month. Aim is to try for sub40 10k at a flattish 10k at the end of November, which I might be on for given my time today. Might do the Parkrun next weekend, should hopefully break 20 minutes.

[Insanity Magnet]

Back running yesterday after a fortnight battling a gastric bug and some worries about my heart.

Today I felt better and was out for 35+ mins. I'm alternating two minutes running with one minute walking and am limited to just over 140 bpm heart rate by beta-blockers (verified by a stress test at the hospital on Wednesday) so speed not so good - between 4:45 and 5:45 min/km depending on how muddy the path is. Felt great on the way out but was into the wind on the way back so felt as if I had someone sat on my shoulders. I guess the upside of a limited heart is that it will be very difficult to overtrain.

I need to get some off-road shoes now. I fell for the first time in 20 years yesterday in the mud. Thankfully without witnesses.

[3point14159key]

managed 51:14 in my race... including a stop at about 9km to be sick. not really sure why that happened...

got to the end and felt i could have gone faster (as usual then).

most kms i did in 5:00 but managed 4:37 for the last one, so probably should have sped up earlier.

[InertialTooth45]

Did parkrun on Saturday for the first time in a few months. Was 50 seconds quicker than previously but about a minute off my 5k PB. It's a hilly course though and was wet and muddy so was pretty happy with it still. Unfortunately I seem to have picked up a bit of a calf strain. At the top behind the knee, struggling with stairs and it's not great to walk on today. Got a half marathon on Sunday which is the race I've been building up to all year so pretty gutted at the moment!

[HughG]

944fan said:

Despite mostly running outside now I still have a gym membership with a pool. I went for a swim earlier. I started with a about 20 lengths breast stroke to warm up. I then tired some front crawl but my form is appalling. I looked like a drowning seal splashing all over the place. Almost feel like I need some lessons but I can swim - if I fell of a boat tomorrow I wouldn't drown - I would just look like I am.

Guess I need more practice.

I had the same until very recently, there's lots of how to things on the internet but I didnt find them much help, I then had a couple of lessons which really helped. I wont repeat whats in the "how to"s but on top of those the points I found most useful were:
- Really reach forward with the arm and shoulders before entering the water, as an exercise to help try swimming windmilling the arms in complete circles.
- Pull and push the water with each stroke, pull from outstretched to your chest, then push away towards your legs.