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It's been a really good running year; 2223km and 93552m of ascent. I completed by first 100k ultra in a reasonable time. Had lots of fun days out in the mountains with friends. I've bought a scary amount of shoes...
Most importantly, I've turned a corner mentally with what I can achieve. I only took up running longer distances in 2019, now signed up for my first 100 miler next year, I'm definitely making it to the finish line.
I've ridden my bike about ten times this year...
I've really enjoyed this thread, a great motivator. Well done everyone, enjoy the christmas refuelling : )
So, at the other end of the spectrum …
I’ve had a great year and have run 75% further than ever before. 1 x 5K and 1 x 5-10k per week, first 10k in 30 years, broke 25 mins for a 5K and 53 mins for a 10k, first park run, just bought a pair of trail shoes, no running injuries, and really enjoying it. Not sure of goals for next year, but probably speed and off road rather than distance
I have a goal to run my first half marathon in 2023. Can someone point me in the direction of any free, useful, training plan?
Runner's World plans are fine (IME): https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/training/half-marathon/a764179/half-marathon-training-plans/
And this year's running: 2463km total, max distance: 168km, total ascent 117,132m.
Anyway, a question. Like many on here I seem to have acquired my "winter plumage", and could do with shedding a few kg after Christmas. That much is obvious, and less weight = more speed (all else being equal). My question: assuming power stays the same, if I lose (say) 5% of my body weight, how much faster will I be able to run a middle distance race?
Thank You Mogrim!
a whopping 192km for me so far... but i only started running in July and its mainly been parkrun with the odd extra one here and there.
enjoying it.... well, apart from my knees 🙂
Are all running leggings the same? If not what’s a good brand? What should I be looking for in leggings? Do some restrict more than others? I’ve literally no clue about running leggings, but I want to keep my legs warm in my ripe old age of 38
Are all running leggings the same? If not what’s a good brand? What should I be looking for in leggings?
I have some dhb leggings which do the trick.
Cheap enough to give them a go, but personally its shorts unless the temps are below zero.
I run in leggings a lot in winter as most of my running is early morning on Peak District moors and it's usually cold and windy!
I've got a couple of pairs of 2XU compression ones but find them too restrictive. I've got an irritating IT band issue and they feel like they pull in just the wrong way and make it marginally worse). Just picked up some Ron Hill ones and they are fine. Reasonably fitted without being over tight and I don't really notice anything about them - which is a good thing in my book for any running related kit.
My question: assuming power stays the same, if I lose (say) 5% of my body weight, how much faster will I be able to run a middle distance race?
One estimate I’ve seen bandied about is 2s per mile per pound of body weight lost. Which seems a lot to me.
Leggings do differ.
All mine are from Decathlon and range from very thin to almost wooly and warm. The warm ones rarely get used as I find them to much unless it’s very, very cold.
Closing in on 2022 stats.
I only started running consistently from June and set a goal of 800k. I'm at 768k and 13,373m of elevation gain with two days left. A tall order I think...
My Strava profile.
My mountain biking has been really poor compared to previous years. Only 313k with 7,417m climbing. That's predominantly been with the kids.
2023 I'm aiming for >2,000k for running. Three marathons booked in; Manchester, Edinburgh and Chicago.
Mountain biking, I'm aiming for >1,000k.
How do you all find events to enter. Did my first half marathon in Oct and not run since. Would like to do some more events between 10km and half marathon distance if they exist (10 mile?) but not sure where to find them. Thanks
Si entries and Run ABC seem to cover the bulk of events.
Just picked up some Ron Hill ones and they are fine
Nothing new under the sun 🙂 Bought my first pair nearly 45 years ago and they have remained pretty unchanged since. Replace every few years as require for around £15 a pair. I have had others in between but I always wonder why people pay much more for alternatives, it can only be fashion.
When its wet I wear tights and when its warm enough I wear shorts, the rest of the time I wear tracksters. More mile do ones which are good also.
Started running regularly in 2020. This year managed 191 miles, still much better than 2020, but 87 miles off 2021. Had a couple of minor injuries forcing me to take a break in June, and then again in October. Didn't really get back into running in November or December, just under 12 miles in past three months, wet weather puts me off.
On the plus side, I did find the joy/simplicity of just popping out for 10-15 minutes for a short run. In the summer I think I did two days on two days off, more or less, until I got back into it and was able to do 5k with ease again. Yesterday I realized I'd need to start doing that again as my ankles/lower legs weren't particularly happy with me and I'd barely been out for ten minutes. Did another 15 minutes this morning.
There's been a couple of videos in my feed about the benefits of running 1 mile every day (for 30 days), which I'm kinda tempted to try but probably won't commit to.
@dooosuk, Run Britain will have most events too.
And keep your eyes on the social media of local running clubs as they’ll often posts there and others events.
Anyway, my end of year wrap:
348 days active.
3,005 miles ran, 133,000ft elevation gain.
A mere 75 miles cycled (the lowest number on record by a huge margin, no commute is the biggest factor in this).
PB’s in 1km, 1 mile, 5k, 10k and half marathon. And my first ultra ran as well.
Not bad, not bad at all.
Running this year:
504 miles.
17,888ft elevation.
Not a lot but only started running in August 2021. Before that hadn't run in over 20 years.
Just entered my first running event; Paris half marathon. Run a few half marathons on my own and managed 1hr54. Aiming to achieve a 1hr45 during the race.
@dooosuk, https://www.fetcheveryone.com/races-map.php may also be worth a look. Or let us know where you are, someone might have some ideas. It's a bit "you have to know where to look".
I have never managed to wear out a pair of ron hills other than crash damage (and even then a few holes in the knees hardly matters). My only complaint is that they are (were) too short so my wife made me a few sets once she found a suitable fabric.
Speaking of which, sprained my ankle in a flooded pothole on Thursday, I know, rookie error and entirely my fault for not wanting to slow down in the middle of a hard interval. Lots of purple and swelling but nothing too serious, fortunately. Some fresh holes in the Ron Hills!
Ok year finished this afternoon in the freezing rain. Highlights were a 100 mile week in Chamonix and finshing my first Ultra.
787 miles
89,379ft elevation
2023 is upping the consistency, starting with a run every day in January/and no drink! Doing Val d'Aran in July which is my main target.
Well done everyone and wishing an injury free 2023 to you all.
Any recommendations for a run commute/mountain marathon bag? I've had an OMM classic 32 for about 10 years which is on its last legs. My commute involves a train journey, so I tend to have a lot of bulky stuff - full on winter down jacket, waterproof coat, tracky bottoms etc. for waiting at the station after a run. And a laptop if I can't avoid it, and work clothes.
My OMM bag is fine, but I've got a smaller inov8 vest style bag which is more stable, easy access pockets on the harness etc. And no hip belt, which are always just under my ribs and annoying.
Tempted to try one of the Ultimate Direction 30l fastpacks, as it's got a vest harness and a big capacity. Anything similar I should look at?
@cat69uk
Are you doing the full 100 mile VdA or the shorter 100km CdH? Either way, keep a bit in reserve for the last 20km as they're grim as anything!
@mogrim thanks for the heads up. I'm only doing the PDA which is 55k. Why am I saying only?
Solid start with a half marathon boxed off, feeling smug. New Saucony Ride 15 in the sales at sportshoes were great straight out of the box.
Has anyone here run/hiked the Pennine Way unsupported? I can see how accomodation and food etc can be found along the route but was wondering if any strategies for minimising weight in regards to clothing - specifically after stopping each night and wanting a change of clothes. Or is it just a case of taking two sets of running clothes and alternating them to keep reasonably fresh?
So under 100 days to Brighton and first gentle run after 6 ish weeks off due to a combo of illness and just being snowed under at work.
Totally f'd all preparation I had, but have over the last couple of days come to terms with changing my goal to completing it with a mix of running and walking rather than running the whole thing.
If I'm honest (as the first marathon I've entered and not being anthing like a 'runner' before earlier this year) I'm feeling quite releived to have all the self inflicted pressure off :-). Have entered with a load of younger/fitter people from work so now I can let them all steam off and just enjoy the day as much as possible rather than feeling like I need to try to keep up and then ruining the whole affair.
Not sure on what ratio of running/walking I'm going to do, but I think nearer the date I'll have to actually have some sort of plan to stick to rather than just winging it !
Agree that you’re unlikely to really hit peak performance for your first marathon in that time scale but you should be able to have a good bash at it if you’re sensible and reasonably focussed and consistent on building up your mileage. Don’t try too much too soon. Good luck! If you enjoy it you can do another 🙂
Well according to my FetchEveryone 2022 annual round-up, my first full year of running consists of:
131 active days
704 miles
20,620m of ascent
Raced in 15 events (about half of those were Parkruns)
Race PBs of 21:20, 43:06 and 1:42:31 (5k, 10k, HM respectively).
Best WAVA score of 68.1%
I've thoroughly enjoyed my running this year (which has absolutely been at the expense of doing very little cycling!).
Really looking forward to 2023, with a few races already booked. 10k seems to be my favoured distance for racing.
I also really want to achieve the goal I didnt quite manage this year, of a sub-20 minute 5k. I managed 20:20 in a training run - so close!
Any time poor runners here able to point me in the the direction of some useful resources for working with limited time available for running?
More than happy to buy snd read (whilst I have the spare time) books.
Any time poor runners here able to point me in the the direction of some useful resources for working with limited time available for running?
Try Googling "time crunched runner" for more results - the phrase was made popular back in the day with a fairly successful book for cyclists, and is still used today. But most of the plans will boil down to increasing the intensity to make up for a lack of time, which means interval training.
Cheers Mogrim, thats kinda what I thought.
Will go take a Google
Anyone come across Bart Kay on Youtube? A professor in cardiovascular and respiratory physiology, exercise physiology, nutrition, research methods, and statistics. He seems very keen to debunk. Here he is debunking 'the worst running advice ever', might be of interest to some? I've not watched the whole video (45 minutes) or the video he's debunking, but not sure if he's coming from an professional athlete perspective, while the video he's debunking is aimed at more regular folk.
My running took a real nose-dive after August, so I'm well down on last year.
227 days active
4015 km run
26,942 m ascent
Hoping to get back into the swing of things soon.
On the topic of running bags, Ultimate Direction do some really nice well featured running bags, but not cheap. Centurion Running have a few discounted on their store at the moment, but you might find them cheaper elsewhere
LOL at asking others to check out a 45 min video that you've not even watched yourself!
Tell us what it says, then I may have a view.
Not asking you to watch it. Just sharing something I thought might be of interest. Watch it or don't.
Very basic jist though, your training should be at or harder than the intensity you wish to compete at. Never run daily. Easy days are detrimental.
Some of his other content includes a four part nutrition 101 series which starts on the subject of what atoms are made of, mass, inertia, particles, and whether we exist or not.
your training should be at or harder than the intensity you wish to compete at
Thanks. Saved me a few minutes watching that rubbish.
Well that's just a load of complete bollocks then.
Thanks for saving me 45 mins!
The long version: for best performance in sports that are predominantly aerobic, like running more than about 3 mins (don't quibble about the exact number here, it's not vital) the vast majority of your training should be steady work at a moderate aerobic pace (below race pace) with a small proportion of higher intensity work. This has been well established for decades and proves itself year after year in the performance of top athletes across a wide range of sports.
Even that was a lot less than 45 mins 🙂
with a small proportion of higher intensity work
Zatopek?
First couple of runs back after three weeks of #notcovid.
It’s like running in treacle.
Just in case of any interest - I am putting my night fell race on again after a two year Covid break. All funds go the Bolton Mountain Rescue Team and there is a decent p*ss up in the pub after.
https://www.dashers.org.uk/mr-sparkles-dark-un
Zatopek?
Just think how good he might have been if he'd trained properly 🙂
Bit slow off the mark on the Bart Kay video.
Seen one of his videos before…he might be right, might be wrong, not interested as the man’s a condescending d!ck.
Watched a couple of minutes of this video and I couldn’t go any further.
I suspect that exercising for optimal physiological benefits and running speed/efficiency etc may be somewhat different.
What do people recommend as a quick to prepare meal for after a run?
Tend to find im ravenous once back and just want to stuff my face with anything in the fridge.
Looking for healthy, filling options that can be made in 5 mins.