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Another thing with running I’ve found (and any racing sport really) is that a lot of people don’t push themselves and suffer enough, so they perform waaaay below what they could if they really went into that dark place.
This is a good point, but I find I need the buzz of a race, even if it’s just parkrun, for me to embrace the pain. Ask me to run at a proper fast pace even for a short run solo and I’d laugh at you. Put me in a race and I can hold much faster pace that what I train at.
@lunge. Yes, very good point! I’ve forgotten what it’s like to run in a big race (although I did an XC in Croydon in October - 5k, soon after my ultra and found I had good legs and was able to hold someone off for 2k). I hated solo efforts when it all began a year ago, but I’ve got much better at it over time - feels normal now. I’m hoping I can push myself even more in a group event and get a pb in parkrun when it comes back.
Decided to push it a little this afternoon and just did a 10k in 59.32
Actually feeling fine after that so clearly the slow pace running is helping. Time to push it faster next time.
An ultra appeals at some point, we are near the greensands ridge which is a decent distance and a really nice route to have a crack at in time
Is that the time under he hour? Great stuff!
I like the idea of ultras more than marathons. With the latter you go for a time and it’s hard, but an ultra is about finishing so far more relaxed and easy going. I guess they are both good and suit different people. I suspect you’ll see me lining up for a marathon in the next couple of years though.
It’s a perception thing. If you say to someone you did a marathon in 7 hours they’d think it was a bit slow (although we all know it’s still a great achievement), but say you did 50k and it’s: wow, how did you run so far???
@root-n-5th Never done a running warm up - just stretches & a few things to get my core going so maybe that’s the first thing to try to get me closer to sub 20 then.
I like the idea of a parkrun as well. I’ll look into that when things get better
I was a bit surprised to be honest, i was just enjoying the run rather than going for any type of time.
Will see what i can do next i guess but am more enjoying running rather than chasing times
You've done a 5K and now you're thinking of an ultra? Don't. Really, don't. I don't think there's anything particularly exceptional about finishing an ultra, but you still need to work up to them. I do them, my friends I go running with do them, and for all of us a *short* weekend run is a half marathon. So I'd strongly suggest waiting another couple of years, and building up to it.
I think that suggestion was that it was something to aim at in the future. Not do it next week 🙂
Probably good advice. Just from a personal view point - October 2019: 5k was a good run, 10k was very long. October 2020 - did a 50k. I’m not exceptional but I built up to it. 50 mile or 100k might be a different story! Gotta aim for something but maybe a half first.
I'm not saying it's not possible, but it's risky. FWIW in 2013 I did my first marathon at the end of April, then did an (admittedly "easy") 100km ultra in September. But before that I was regularly running 20km every weekend, and while training for the marathon I upped that distance to 25-30. Not huge distances, but definitely a pretty big jump from a short distance run like 5K.
An ultra is a huge step up. I’m doing my first this year off the back of consistently running over 60 miles per week. Like above, most weekends have a half in them, and 20+ miles in total.
January 2011 - Did Janathon (run every day, distance immaterial but something every single day for the month) from a starting pint of piety much zero running in 6 years due to injuries. Ran 150 miles in the month.
August 2011 - finished the Grand Raid des Pyrenees, 50 miles with 5,000m of ascent.
It's doable, but yes, build up. I've never run a road race of any form, they don't interest me, but trail ultras can be fun.
@lunge How far is your ultra? I suspect a proper one. A 50k is very doable for a lot of people, but not running at pace. People in my group walked a bit, jogged a bit and still came in under 8 hours - a pleasant day out in the country. Felt a lot like a sportive/long distance mtb thing, and I’ve done a few of those that were longer than I was ready for - dragon ride and SDW spring to mind. It wasn’t a hilly one, and obviously running it fast would be tough. Depends how you approach it.
I’m not saying go mad and push, get injured and be unable to run for 6 months, but it’s good to have goals, and is there a point having a goal that is easy?
40 miles on rolling trails.
I’ll get round, no question, but I’m a competitive sod so want a time. I want to do it in under 7 hours, closer to 6 would be great. 6 is 9 minute miles and I can’t work out if that’s really ambitious or really doable.
My new favourite shoes are the Roclite G290s. The heel drop is a bit low (4mm) if that sort of thing affects you (which it did for me but got used to it). They feel far more nimble and lighter than the Roclite G275s, which feel wooden in comparison. They're great all-rounders and don't think that the grip is much far off a mudclaw, and much more durable than that of the X Talon, which I've always found wears down a bit too quickly for my liking. I also think the orange and blue colour scheme is great in the flesh.
Furtehr to my post above, I love running in my X Talon 230s, as they are nimble, however having spent more time in more substantial shoes, I prefer the extra protection you get from these than the benefits of a lighter shoe. The protection offered by the G290s is much higher than the Talons. For an all dayer in the hills I'd prefer fit and protection over lighter weight. I also reccomend the Salomon Wildcross which I was surprised by.
@lunge Have you ever ran the Sandstone trail? I did it a few years ago now and its a lovely route, quite flat but goes through some quite unspoiled areas. The record is 4:10 and I sneaked under 5 hrs when I did it but I wasn't hammering it and hadn't run the last section so had to keep an eye on the map. Think its 55k.
@surfer, no, but looking at it, it looks beautiful, and it's not far from home either. That maybe a summer option for when we're allowed out.
Calm and order has returned to the Lunge household.
After ordering and returning various shoes from various manufacturers, the latest of which was a pair of New Balance FreshFoam 1080v10's (felt soft under foot, very weird and restrictive upper), finally I get that most reassuring of texts "This is DPD, Archie will deliver your order from Nike today between 9:19 and 10:19".
And breathe.
A fresh pair of Peg 36's is in my hands. Lovely.
May still try some Brooks Ghost if I can get them cheap mind you!
I have ran in Hokas for a few years now (should say jogged really) due to arthritis in my big toe joint and the stiff forefoot of the Hoka's helped. I spotted the Nike Fly 3 claimed it had a stiff plate so bought them late last year. Only jogging a few miles a week now (would like to do more) but they are really comfortable and better than the Hokas as they have a more natural propulsion feel to them as oppose to feeling like you have a huge midsole between you and the ground. For a forefoot striker like me they are very good
@alanf, you know it.
Interested in the mention of Hoka's, anyone had any success with them? The website has a try for 30 days and send them back type arrangement so I may be forced to have a look
Interested in the mention of Hoka’s, anyone had any success with them?
I love my One One Rincons. Very light, and a nice fast shoe - not ideal if you're a heavy plodder. They look like they're going to be really high with that weird outsole, but it's an optical illusion and they're actually pretty normal.
@Pieface
That's ace, thanks for your thoughts on them. Sounds like the Roclite 290 is the one to try and you're not the first to suggest that route. My main concern was that they'd be too much shoe for my local trails and paths, but if the 290 is a bit more nimble then its worth a pop.
this is getting as bad as the "what tire..." threads!
I’d be tempted to go shorter.
Probably something like 5 minute warm-up, run 15 minutes, 5 minute cool down.
And do that for about the next half dozen sessions before slowly working back up in distance/time. Avoiding that downhill for now too.
4 miles is 6.5km, which is quite some distance to just jump back into, you can afford to build up to that a bit more.
Each time you rest, the calf is going to revert back to former state in terms of how it will react to a run, so you may want to try and do more frequent shorter efforts than a longer less frequent run. Shorter/longer will all be relevant to what you’re doing now.
well the 'comeback' starts here. did a minute of calf rolling (just cant get the hang of it, it feels awkward), then 5 minutes on the rower for a warm-up. thoughts were that its 5 minutes of my leg constantly bending plus raising the heartbeat a little. is rowing ok as a warm-up to a run would you say?
then a short 11 minute run, 1.2 miles i think strava said. knee felt slightly better, its 'there' but not as uncomfortable as before, and the calf didnt get chance to start tweaking.
would you recommend going slightly longer each day, or every other day?
thanks
Interested in the mention of Hoka’s, anyone had any success with them?
I have ran in them for a few years now. I only started running in them due to arthritis in my large toe joint and their stiff forefoot. I always preferred running in more traditional shoes but the Hokas were just a way of me protecting my feet and still being able to run.
They do quite a range and not all are the large volume clown shoes, they do much lower profile shoes as well and spikes and racing flats.
They are as well made as any other shoe and very good quality and even the most voluminous ones are still much easier to run in than they appear. They are very low drop, not that that has even been a concern for me. Of all the models I have had I like the Speedgoat the best and they seem to include all of the features I like, thickish midsole, firmer (but not stiff) forefoot and a good outersole for off road stuff.
If I didnt have foot problems I wouldnt choose them though
is rowing ok as a warm-up to a run would you say?
I think something more specific to running would be better. start by walking then very slow jogging. Anything that elevates the heart is helpful but you want to prepare the muscles you are going to use.
would you recommend going slightly longer each day, or every other day?
I would be ultra conservative, build up the distance slowly and run every other would be my suggestion. Calf injuries strike with little warning and you really need to stop immediately you feel anything. IMO if you stop as soon as you feel the first twinge you will limit any damage and be good to begin again a couple of days later at the reduced level. If you try to push on even a little bit you may cause weeks worth of damage. Frustrating I know.
edit: just 1 tip. I never carry my phone when I am running (other than several hour runs in the hills) but I came unstuck with this injury on 2 occasions. both months apart but the first occurrence was about 3 miles from home (loop course) and I had to walk back and I think that made it worse and set me back weeks. The same happened again a couple of months later when I thought I was totally over it. I had ran a lot in between so there was a high degree of confidence in the leg but at my age (56) it is so common that I take my phone with me now on most runs which I dont really like...
I've just ordered a pair of the Rincons. stupidly went from a 0mm drop trail shoe to a 10mm drop road shoe (asics cumulous) as it has played havoc with my calves, to the point I had to abandon my long run at the weekend.
Rincons are 5mm, and they arrive today 🙂
Re Roclites: if you’re the sort of person who pokes toe holes in shoes, no matter how short your nails (even when the big toenail has dropped off in my case), you’ll hole roclites in half a dozen runs. Trailrocs (why are the names all similar) not so bad. I moved, for now, to Pegasus trails for the harder packed stuff - they have holed already but only on the inner layer, the toe bumper covers it. X talons for the mud, seem to be holding up ok but get little use.
Week off here resting a nasty sprain. Had a trot on the beach Saturday and it was pain free so just off to try a bit more. The sprain itself seems ok, the swelling and tenderness means most shoes hurt, it swelled up so much the skin blistered and it’s itching like buggery.
Seems to be healing better than the one last year which iirc took a month to start trotting on sand.
Had a clear out so if anyone wants any neutral size 12 running shoes then let me know. Couple of pairs of Peg 36's, a pair of 34's, some ASICS Cumulus 20's and a couple of other random things. All have 300+ miles in them but they'd be fine for someone who doesn't have Imelda Marco tendencies like I have.
What I have left is below, we have:
2 x Nike Vaporfly Next%, one pair used, one to be saved for races.
1 x Nike Streak 7, and if I can find another pair I'll buy them, fabulous shoes.
1 x Nike Terra Kiger 7, lovely low-drop shoes for the trails around here.
1 x Nike Pegasus 37, not a big fan of these but I'll wear them for slow runs until they wear out.
3 x Nike Pegasus 36, my favourite all round shoe and I stocked up.
1 x Nike Pegasus 36 Shield, mainly bought for when I'm run director at parkrun, I can run up in them, not get cold wet feet when stood around and then run back.
1 x Nike Pegasus 34, the finest Peg made? Perhaps so, my last pair.
2 x Nike Pegasus 36 Trail, or are these the finest Peg's ever? Hmmm....
1 x Nike React Miler, a heavy, ugly but super comfy slow day show. Least exciting pair of shoes I own, but functional.
1 x Decathlon Kalenji XT7, super grippy in the slop, a touch narrow, a bit heavy, but I've run a 1:35 half in them so they must be OK
1 x ASICS Cumulus 20 GTX, pretty average these are, they only just escaped the chop, I suspect they won't next time round.
I'm not saying I have a shoe problem, but...
Crikey, so how many pairs are you keeping lunge?
I can't take the piss though, I have more pairs of cycling shoes than that.
Those are the ones I’m keeping! The ones being discarded are out of shot.
@lunge - looks familiar, although I'm 3 stripes rather than swoosh and that's not including the wifes!
Still, I think we have a way to go before rivalling @turboferret
You clearly need to spend more on bikes.
😉
You clearly need to spend more on bikes.
Given I ran 3 times as many miles as I cycled last year I’d suggest that’s not entirely true!
1 year anniversary of the last parkrun today. I’ve really missed it.
It was a wet and muddy Banstead parkrun a year ago. First time there as Nonsuch was flooded so had been cancelled. I came in at 21:59, which was ok in the slop. The target last year was sub 20, though wasn’t expecting it there as it was tough going and I didn’t know the course, but it never happened. I’ve had to drag it out of myself solo this year.
Parkrun is a good motivator indeed, and the community spirit is what makes it good, something we’ve all missed over the last year.
Roll on June! It’s going to be crazy busy so get those jabs.
My asics trail shoes have split about a 1cm hole near to little toe joint, bought at start of lockdown as forgot to bring the ones I keep at work home. I've just done 200 miles in them, is that acceptable or should I complain?
@mattcartlidge you have nothing to lose in complaining, bar an email and some time, so I certainly would. I would expect most trainers to get in excess of 500 miles before developing holes.
Great thats what I thought, only other trainers I've had an issue with split after a matter of weeks (this was 1st generation new balance minimus) they replaced them.
We're they FujibTrabuco's by any chance?
It's worth an e-mail but I'd be surprised if you got anything. 200 miles is not huge but for trail shoes that get a tough life is not completely unknown.
Gel Venture 7, felt extravagant at £62 normally spend under £45 so a bit disappointed as they are really comfy.
Am feeling comfy at 10k now.
Wondering what might be an interesting challenge this year.
Anyone got any suggestions?
Not looking at increasing speed as am not bothered about chasing times, comfortable at 10kmh so wondering if there are any good ideas of longer distance runs with nice scenery. Preferably off road and doable in a day with driving from Bedfordshire.
Cheers