Beginner - Transitioning from Heel Strik to Toe Strike.

[tori]

Not in North Oxfordshshshshire but if you were passing Wokingham on a Saturday am I could take a look at the way you move about and you chuck some spare change into a charity box in return? You also could go to uni of northampton podiatry and get a session with a guy called Richard Thompson.

[Smitters]

Smitters said:

Retraining the way you run can take years. There's a thread on barefoot running somewhere and I wrote an oppressively long post in there on how I'm going. I'll look for the link once not at work.

Page eight of the Minimalist Running thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Oppressively long, you have been warned.

[ewenm]

Smitters said:

Page eight of the Minimalist Running thread: http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Oppressively long, you have been warned.

But definitely worth reading.

[JCW]

OK, a quick update and then some questions...

• Am now starting to complete 5k in 29 minutes, averaging 10.2kmh which was a milestone for me the other day; mid-foot striking all the way comfortably.
• Completed my first 10k run today but plodded round in 1:08:12 - speed dropped to 8.9kmh but I started to lose form in the last 1km due to tiredness; this could have been due to the low speed or just plain knackered muscless although I wasn't breathing that hard but was bored!

Now, the questions...

• I've read that road running is easier as it provides more bounce as your feet rebound off the tarmac but I find trail running, despite the greater concentration required, to be easier and more enjoyable. Why?
• I have my first 10k 'race' in a couple of weeks, so is there anything I can do increase my pace in the next couple of weeks as whilst I know I can complete the distance it will be boring as hell at my current pace?
• My intention is to complete three runs per week between now and then as follows:

Monday - 5k at a good pace to reward myself
Wednesday - 10k at a slow pace for endurance
Friday - interval/fartlek training for speed

Does this sound like a sensible regime or is there a better way of training? Any suggestions for an interim fartlek programme that would be motivating?

[Cybertronian]

JCW said:

OK, a quick update and then some questions...

• Am now starting to complete 5k in 29 minutes, averaging 10.2kmh which was a milestone for me the other day; mid-foot striking all the way comfortably.
• Completed my first 10k run today but plodded round in 1:08:12 - speed dropped to 8.9kmh but I started to lose form in the last 1km due to tiredness; this could have been due to the low speed or just plain knackered muscless although I wasn't breathing that hard but was bored!

Now, the questions...

• I've read that road running is easier as it provides more bounce as your feet rebound off the tarmac but I find trail running, despite the greater concentration required, to be easier and more enjoyable. Why?
• I have my first 10k 'race' in a couple of weeks, so is there anything I can do increase my pace in the next couple of weeks as whilst I know I can complete the distance it will be boring as hell at my current pace?
• My intention is to complete three runs per week between now and then as follows:

Monday - 5k at a good pace to reward myself
Wednesday - 10k at a slow pace for endurance
Friday - interval/fartlek training for speed

Does this sound like a sensible regime or is there a better way of training? Any suggestions for an interim fartlek programme that would be motivating?

In my experience, road running isn't exactly easier but it does yield faster results due to the better energy return you've described. It's harder on the joints due to the firmer terrain whereas trails will give you a wider range of motion and be less of a shock to you legs.

Post this same message in the Running thread in the sports section and I'm sure some of the good folks will make a recommendation or three for you.

[ewenm]

JCW said:

Now, the questions...

• I've read that road running is easier as it provides more bounce as your feet rebound off the tarmac but I find trail running, despite the greater concentration required, to be easier and more enjoyable. Why?
• I have my first 10k 'race' in a couple of weeks, so is there anything I can do increase my pace in the next couple of weeks as whilst I know I can complete the distance it will be boring as hell at my current pace?
• My intention is to complete three runs per week between now and then as follows:

Monday - 5k at a good pace to reward myself
Wednesday - 10k at a slow pace for endurance
Friday - interval/fartlek training for speed

Does this sound like a sensible regime or is there a better way of training? Any suggestions for an interim fartlek programme that would be motivating?

In order:

• Road running is generally faster as the surface is good, and lots of energy is returned to you from the road (although not as much as on track for example). However, the hard surface, the extra rebound for the legs to absorb and the faster pace make it feel harder than trail running. Trail running is excellent for lower impact (more absorbent surfaces) and for working your core a bit too with the uneven terrain needing extra stability control from your muscles. More enjoyable because it's much nicer to run trails than the road.

• 10k race pace - it's hard to make any significant gains in 2 weeks. The standard way to increase pace is to do interval sessions of some sort at faster than race pace. One thing that might make it more interesting for you is to take it steady for the first 5k and then try to pick it up for the second half - you'll have people to chase so catching and passing them is a good motivation to run hard.

• Your training plan looks ok if quite light but that's fine. For your session you have a number of options (good to vary things too):

Fartlek is where you run at steady pace (not slow!) and put in periods of fast work before dropping back to the steady pace (not slow! ). You don't really get any rest. It's good for speed-endurance but is hard work, especially alone. A typical fartlek might be 30 mins running with 5 periods of 2 mins hard in that (or 10 periods of 1 minute). The best coach-led fartleks I've done are where the coach has a whistle and when he blows it you go fast until he blows it again, so you don't know how long you're working for each time. Impossible on your own though unless you've got a watch with a random beep generator
Intervals (or Reps as lots of runners call them) are set time or distance hard efforts with set time or distance recovery afterwards. A good rule of thumb is to have recovery time of half the effort time. Examples might be 6 x 1k at just faster than 5k race pace with half the effort time as jog recovery (the idea being you run faster than race pace, for slightly longer than race distance in total, with rests), or 5 x 3 mins hard with 90s recovery
Hills are like reps but great for strength. Usually I find a hill of medium steepness, grass preferably but any good surface will do. Sprint (or run hard) up and jog back down. I aim for at least 1 minute of effort up the hill and tend to start with 10 efforts (it's a good quick hard session that can be fitted in around life).

With all of this, I'll repeat what I usually say:

• work into it, so don't start off with a ridiculously hard session.
• warm up and down properly (I tend to run to wherever I'm doing my session but whatever works for you).
• try to find a group to run with - Look up local groups on RunEngland or go to your local ParkRun to find other people to train with. It's a lot easier to train in a group.
• come and join in The Running thread - we don't bite (unless you're E38Ross and begging for comments on a photo ).

[JCW]

Some great advice there, many thanks although I nearly choked when you described it as 'light'! I've only just completed the C2K programme...