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The normal advice is, once you have found a brand you like, stick to it (Saucony for me). Your problem sounds like the shoe is too wide and your foot is moving around a little. Don't try tightening laces more though or you'll get pinch points that'll become very uncomfortable.
@turboferret - that's a cracking effort!! Good luck getting it validated!
Had a cracking run in the fells last night. Such a clear, sunny night after a horrible murky start to the day with cloud down to valley level etc. Underestimated timings a bit as the climb out of Ennerdale straight up Pillar was steep and slow as lots of wet ground and running water. Didn't see a soul in 3 hours of running!
Some pics to follow if I can figure out how to upload them!
I've got a Suunto Ambit 3 sport with HR belt and chargers etc up for sale, let me know if you're interested.
@dashed - a tale from my climbing days.
We were heading for Pillar but one of the group had been sharpening a large circular saw blade for a guy that lived just past the locked gate by Ennerdale Youth Hostel so we had to deliver that.
The guy looks at us and our kit and asks "Where are you going lads?", "Pillar Rock", "Oh, hop in, I'll give you a lift to the bottom of the track up to it."
As we were walking down to his car a couple of friends pull up in the car park. By the time they've got ready and walked over the crest of the small rise we are long gone. "They'll be just round the corner, put a bit of speed on and we'll catch them up". Round the corner and, "Crikey! They're shifting, long straight coming up, we'll see them then."
We are sat at the foot of Pillar Rock sunning ourselves when I notice two figures coming up out of the trees. "Is that Dave?" "Bloody hell it is!" They'd only taken about fifteen minutes longer than us to get there. "You lot don't half shift!" he notes on arrival. Err ...
jolmes Member
I’ve got a Suunto Ambit 3 sport with HR belt and chargers etc up for sale, let me know if you’re interested.
Thanks. I just had a quick look at it. It looks like a good activity watch, but perhaps not really what I am after; it looks a bit overkill for my requirements I think.
Thanks for the heads-up though.
@whitestone - must be quite a slog up to Pillar with rack / ropes etc but looked good rock and will definitely need to make the effort to climb there some time soon!
Great pics Dashed.
Club social run this evening, Coniston Old Man from the Sun. Forecast looks pants and I've no way of finding out if I'm the only one going up (all done via Facebook which I don't have) so might be a lonely trot up in the rain.
Thanks Jondoh. So how can I negate this? Good socks that have the banding in the middle of the foot?
@dashed - I were fit back then! Pillar's great, always quiet. Looks "dirty" but it's just because it's dark rock and the routes themselves are fine. Despite it being north facing you can pretty well climb in the sun all day: start on the Shamrock (the left hand side of the crag) in the morning and work your way round to the west face for evening climbing.
Thanks Jondoh. So how can I negate this? Good socks that have the banding in the middle of the foot?
I am certainly not an expert but I would say that socks won't help, you would need to get better fitting shoes I am afraid.
Looks like Sunday into Monday for my PB attempt. It's not ideal weather but it's not looking significantly better at any point in the window I have.
After a few big goals that haven't come off I'm hoping this one will!
Fingers, toes and everything else crossed for you bro! 💪🏻
Best of luck Spin!
Does anybody know someone who repairs Garmins? My fenix 3 hr isn't charging, and a replacement port hasn't worked. The stock answer is send it to Garmin who will take a flat £129 to repair a three year old watch that goes for about that on eBay.
@paulneenan6 I tend to get hard skin on the balls of my feet as I land on the forefoot then twist slightly on push off. It gets sore sometimes but tends to adjust so it must toughen up. You could try twin skin socks, they may help. They are a faff to get on but maybe a solution until your feet man up 🙂
Cheers Surfer and Nobeer.
A friend's son has just gone under 20 minutes at parkrun for the first time.
At 9 years old.
More tales of excellence on here I see. That’s amazing for a nine year old!
I trying to build up again. Just did 2 miles and my knees didn’t hurt! I think not pushing myself is the key.
However, my toe hurts! Is that normal? Maybe should do the laces tighter?
Dunoon half marathon yesterday, was all going to plan for a sub 1.40 then the wheels fell off, average speed just kept drifting and drifting...😂
Was just incredibly hot for the 6.5 outward miles, then turned back into a headwind. Oh joy.
Ended up with a 1.47, which given the conditions, I'm not too unhappy with. Going by the chat in the pub after, everyone did the exact same, even guys that have been running for years.
It's all good, miles in the legs and a lesson learned.
To paraphrase the Cowboy, sometimes you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you.
Had to sack my PB on Snowdon about midnight last night. No issues up to that point but the weather crapped out. As often happens, by the time I realised I was getting cold I was already very cold indeed. Taking waterproofs off to layer up meant that everything was soaked and by this point I was shivering pretty badly. My margins were already quite narrow and I reckoned that left them even narrower so instead of carrying on along the ridge I dropped into Llanberis.
Met some very nice tipsy locals who gave me taxi nos and recommended a hotel that would still be open if they didn't work. So I ended up spending a (very reasonable in the circs) £70 for bed (about 5 hours of it) and breakfast (bloody massive!). Hitched back to my van in Capel Curig this morning and I'm now back in Inverness. All in all rather a surreal couple of days. Think I'll take it easy for a bit. 🙂
Great mantra from a great film Spin.
When you get to your level, I'd imagine the weather is pretty much the deciding factor between success or coming back for another day.
Ride on cowboy. 😊
It was a classic example of everything being fine and then suddenly not being fine.
I thought I'd be pissed off if I didn't do it but I'm not because it would have been (even more?) stupid to carry on like that.
What's next on the cards for you Nobeer?
Not a huge amount, caerkettan hill race will see me doing the 6 of 12 bog n burn series, river ayr way 40 miler, then jedburgh 3 peaks is 38.
Had a strong feeling of envy at all my buddies doing the Devil on Saturday!.
What about you?.
Think I need to regroup a bit. Ben Nevis is the next biggy.
Aye, feel a bit like that myself.
I look at some of the stuff guys in the club are doing, mega training, big races, and wanna do it too, but then...
I love my family time, hill walking and cycling, and have to remind myself that I can't do everything.
All in all, in 18 months I've came a long way, as has my wife, she's also done her first ultra, and is planning bigger! 😊
Nowt to you lot but after training for my hilly 32 mile ultra and the Yorkshire 3 peaks and no speed training at all I managed a 21.32 parkrun which is a 31 second pb 🙂
Well done mate!
That’s top work firestarter. Well done!
Have avoided Parkrun myself this Spring/Summer but I might pop down for one soon. Funny how a lot of training for long stuff can lead to a fast short one. My boy did his 17th junior Parkrun on Saturday. He got a Pb of 10.01 but I haven’t made a big deal of it as it was assisted by some hand holding after some little shit tried to elbow him off the path when he went to overtake him. It was an older boy and there was immediate bawling and a lot of “come on, ignore him, keep going, don’t give up...” I felt really bad for him. 😢
But once the tears stopped, he got some resolve, he caught the other kid, more elbows and this time my lad took a swipe at him. He put one more sprint in and then blew up. “He’s gone to pieces daddy...” 😂 [This is all very childish.] I made sure he waited at the finish line to applaud him over the line...not my finest moment but jaysus, can’t boys just behave themselves sometimes?!?
Unlucky with the weather Spin ☹️ Discretion is often the better part of valour though. There’s always another day.
Next up for me is an 18km trail run while I’m in France in August. Need to plan some stuff in for Sept/Oct before the “biggie” in November.
look at some of the stuff guys in the club are doing, mega training, big races, and wanna do it too, but then…
Everybody's different, some folk thrive on big miles others on less. I try not to let others programs dictate what I do but more miles is a big temptation!
and the Yorkshire 3 peaks
CX, run or walk?
Well it was a run Spin but it turned into a run and walk with a spot of the runs in the carpark toilet after trying a new drink on the way Haha I somehow hadn't realised the size of the task either but I enjoyed it. From car to car it was 6hr40 so need to try harder lol I thought under 6 was on the cards as my strava was 5hr20 but that was moving time doh...
Well done Darcey junior
Another well done for MiniDarcy, kids can be little gits sometimes right?
I've been really slack the last few weeks, with family and job stuff taking up a bunch of time but after seeing how tubby I am in a photo the Mrs took I've decided it's about time I started making the effort again. So lunchtime run yesterday (boy it was warm, I usually run early morning) round my usual work loop. Only about a mile and a half, and really ****ing slow, but it felt good to be doing something again.
Skateboard / rest day today, then I'm going to run again tomorrow, early morning if MiniMonkey permits, lunchtime if not. I need to get back into the habit of at least a couple of short runs in the week, then a longer run or ride on the weekend.
somehow hadn’t realised the size of the task either but I enjoyed it.
I think it's a great day out and not to be underestimated, it's a long way! Have you done the race?
Anyone any experience/thoughts on race to the king? 53 mile ultra along SDW from Arundel to Winchester.
Looks good, Mrs is keen, but it's a shit long way for me to drive if it's a bit naff.
No not the fell race spin I just did it on my own as a thing to do to prep for my first ultra. There is a 50 mile ultra that includes the 3 peaks a friend has done before I might give that a bash some time
The fell race is a good event although it's more of a trail race really.
Question for you fast ****ers - what is your limiting factor when running at PB speed (say at 5k and 10k pace)? Legs, breathing etc?
I’m curious as when I’m flat out it seems to be my stomach that gives in first! Not really a stitch (generally only like running on an empty stomach anyway) and not lungs, but somewhere below my ribs I get a horrible ache which seems really debilitating and I have to ease off - despite my legs feeling fine. I’m guessing it’s diaphragm and the answer is simply run faster more but curious to know what others feel.
Having done many failed attempts to get back into running i have restarted. this time i am mixing it up with hills and cross country, way more satisfying and gives me a challenge that makes me want to improve where i could just hold my own on a road.
However my left ankle is rolling constantly, anyoen got any good tips to buidl up some core ankle strength before the foot actually falls off?
Dunno mate, however...
Rolled my ankle quite painfully on a group hill training run, if I'd been solo, I'd have stopped for sure, but it was a beautiful night and I was really enjoying it, so carried on, maybe another 5 miles of rough moorland descending.
I was convinced it would be huge in the morning, but it was fine, a tad bruised, but fine. I have read in many fell/hill running books that these guys tend to err towards the thought that this kind of thing toughens up the ankles, which goes against medical advice that rest is required.
But that was 6 , mibbe 7 weeks ago, and I've felt nothing since, and did a few hill races too.
Purely anecdotal and completely non-scientific, but it's my tuppenceworth!.
Rolled my ankle badly a few years ago. Physio recommended some exercises including standing on one leg using the weak ankle and closing your eyes so you concentrate on balancing. Another one involved sitting with the ankle leg resting on a footstool then using a resistance band going around the sole of the foot then trying to turn the ankle left and right whilst holding the band either end for resistance.
Got home from work last night and really didn't fancy running (wife and kids away for a couple of nights so I fancied just slobbing it with beer and loud music) but forced myself out to do a fast 4 mile hilly training run (ran 10 miles on Sunday at training pace so wanted to get a tempo run in ahead of another training pace run this weekend). Anyway, I felt really good so pushed myself and got a PB by 9 seconds (32.57) and also a PB on the long 1 mile uphill slog which I have been determined to do all summer.
Then I got home and had beer.
Mrsheen try a wobble board. Amazon do a blow up one which is very good
Devil of the Highlands at the weekend was crazy hot and a lot of runners struggled with 30C+, especially when climbing out of Glencoe at around half-distance. Quite a high DNF rate and many experienced ultra long distance folk coming in around 1 to 1.5 hours outside their predicted times.
Seems we were quite lucky though in another sense; biblical rainfalls on Sunday afternoon led to the railway line getting washed away at Crianlarich.
After being race medic at over a hundred ultras in Scotland over the years, I finally took the plunge, finishing mid field. I also succumbed to the RD's generous offer of a beer in the heat at the finish. Bad idea and I only just kept it down...
Late update to the thread - did my main A race this year, the Lake Placid Ironman just over a week ago (and just got back, hence the late update...). If you've got the money and the chance it was an excellent race, possibly one of the best I've ever done when it comes to organisation and more importantly local support - there were loads of people sitting outside their houses, cheering us on all the way. Upstate New York is also stunning, loads of small lakes and beautiful green forests.
Final overall time was 12:26, nothing too special but more or less what I expected. I definitely need to work on my bike for next time!
@highlandman - just searched for info about the line closures - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-49285949 Let's hope it's not as bad as the similar landslip on the Settle-Carlisle line a couple of years ago, that took several months to complete.
Awesome stuff, well done mogrim and the highlander!
However my left ankle is rolling constantly, anyoen got any good tips to buidl up some core ankle strength before the foot actually falls off?
I'd go and see a good sports physio - sounds like some neuromuscular and proprioception training exercises might be beneficial.
I ruptured my ATF ligament last year - less than a month before a 6 week snowboard trip to Canada.
Physio had me doing various things including 'dancing over a line' and standing on one leg throwing a ball at the wall and and catching it, and one legged knee dips on a balance board to improve proprioception etc and reduce instability.
Did a multi terrain (half road half trail) 10k last night while on my hols, pb of 46.19 in hot humid wind and rain, had it all. That's two pbs in two runs, I think I might sleep in my tent and eat crap more often Haha and the panther brewery medal doubles up as a bottle opener bonus 🙂
10 mile training run today - took 9 minutes off my PB and completed.it in 1hr 31. Still room for improvement if I am to get my target time at the GNR.
10 miles here too, though lots of it was spent knee deep in floods.
Bloody brilliant though. 😎
I'm getting a bit fed up with carrying my large phone on runs so and as I have an Apple Watch 1 without GPS it is the only way I can time it with stats.
Looking at a GPS watch and the Garmin Forerunner 35 looks good value and does what I want. It would be nice to have colour, but then the battery life suffers. I also like the fact it is not touch screen.
Any feedback on these? Are they good enough?
Cheers!
Lots of fokks in my running club use them, supposed to be very good.
I wouldn't worry about battery life, even the colour ones will be better than your aye watch.
I get 5 days from my vivoactive 3, I run 25 miles a week, and bike 4 or 5 hours too.
Takes about 40 minutes to charge from flat.
So something like a Vivoactive - would that be more accurate at tracking distance than my Fitbit Blaze connected to my iPhone XS?
root-n-5th
I’m getting a bit fed up with carrying my large phone on runs so and as I have an Apple Watch 1 without GPS it is the only way I can time it with stats.
Looking at a GPS watch and the Garmin Forerunner 35 looks good value and does what I want. It would be nice to have colour, but then the battery life suffers. I also like the fact it is not touch screen.
The Forerunner35 has just been replaced by the 45, but there doesn't seem to be a massive difference between them. A bloke at work has the 35 & really likes it. I think he gets over a week between charges.
I bought a Forerunner 235 the Saturday before last. It lasted a week with 4 runs before I put it on charge (Sat afternoon). When I plugged it in, it reckoned there was still 20% battery left, but I had an 11km run planned on Sunday, so didn't want to risk it running out during that one.
If you want something a bit more fancy, the Forerunner 235 might be worth a look; it is fairly heavily discounted because it's being replaced.
Mine was reduced to £160, but then i got an extra 10% off because I was buying some shoes from the shop - so in the end it only cost me £144.
I am having an issue at the moment with Garmin Connect crashing my phone (a Lenovo P2) but I think with Garmin that's par for the course.
I've got a 235 and it's great, it managed to track my 32 mile ultra whilst being connected to the phone and used live Activity tracker all the way round so the mrs could see where I was and still have plenty of like left
So something like a Vivoactive – would that be more accurate at tracking distance than my Fitbit Blaze connected to my iPhone XS?
God aye.
There's a bewildering array of garmin options, pick whatever one suits. I like the vivoactive 3 as it can do big days in the hills, and has enough functionality for the sports I do.
Others prefer stripped back options like the 35 etc, there's good comparison tools and the likes all over the net.
Thanks for the replies!
If I went for a forerunner I think the 35 does what I need - the 45 looks a bit nicer with he colour screen but not sure worth the extra for me a the moment. the 235 looks huge!
Now that Vivoactive 3 looks impressive - what does that give me over the FR 3 other than colour and a never case? I guess more profiles and trainman stuff. Is the Garmin coaching stuff good as I do like the idea of it - not sure the 35 has it.
On another note, I've done four short runs in a week and my knee doesn't hurt!!!!!! You probably don't get what a big deal this is for me, but I'm just back from doing my 2 mile loop - I'm building up slowly so give me some time to build up dustance - and the knee is just a knee, not a throbbing mass of pain!!! Calves hurt a bit, but not too bad.
Also, the nasty little kick of a hill in the final section was agony last week, but today I got up it with relative ease. Feels good!
I'm not sure of the of the differences tbh, I used to have a vivoactive hr and went to the 3, tbh unless you go top end fenix I'm not really that sure there's a huge amount of difference in all of them.
The vivoactive 3 has more 'lifestyle' stuff which I like, as I wear it 24/7, whereas some prefer the likes of a 735 and only use it for activities.
In terms of knees, running has been the Best thing I've done for it, it's way more stable and stronger than before I started 18 months ago, by a country mile.
Knee problems, along with the old 'It's boring' trope are bullshit spouted by folk that have never done it, or are too lazy to start.
I'll admit that I had to push through some knee stiffness when I started, but that was due to a wee op I'd had done a couple of years back, so not unexpected.
But push through it I did.
Thankfully. 😊
^^ Yeah, the more I am running, the more I have realised how lazy cycling makes the body as you can quite effectively isolate a few muscle groups when sat on a bike spinning away. Since running more I have found various niggles, aches and pains and have had to see a physio to help me identify where my weaknesses were and alter things accordingly (for me my right glute wasn't firing properly and my calf was compensating for it. The net result was that my hips weren't straight. A few exercises later along with a focus on making my glute work on steady (ie slow) runs seems to have alleviated many of my issues.
Not sure single speed mtb feels lazy! Give the upper body a good seeing to too. Not sure how good running is for that but I suppose you are moving the arms.
Not sure single speed mtb feels lazy! Give the upper body a good seeing to too. Not sure how good running is for that but I suppose you are moving the arms.
Sure I can appreciate SS is going to give a fuller workout (I had one for a while myself) but in my experience running uses the whole body much more than riding does.
Not sure single speed mtb feels lazy! Give the upper body a good seeing to too. Not sure how good running is for that but I suppose you are moving the arms.
If you're gonna break riding down into specific types of riding, then the same can be done for running. My achievements are fairly low key compared to some others on here, but one race that was 16.5 miles and over 7000ft of climbing most certainly gave a full body workout.
I'd also say that road running asks more of your core strength than road riding does.
Canny sit down on yer trainers... 🙂
Yes, running feels as close to a time trial as I get without a bike. I don’t doubt it’s great for the whole body, but it’s remembering to keep form that I’m working on, so I use the core and arms to prevent injury. Slowly does it for me.
As for 16 miles and 7000ft I would have gotten a full body workout from crawling!
I was about to purchase a garmin FR35 for £100 but have just seen the FR235 on amazon for £130. I’ve read that it is a very similar device functionally but looks nicer.
One thing I was looking forward to on the 35 was the virtual pacer but the 235 doesn’t seem to have it. Can anyone confirm or deny this?
Cheers.
I bought a Garmin ForeRunner 235 yesterday. Was going to go with the 35 but liked the idea of colour, the IQ store thing, it looks better and a few other bits. It's a bit of a change from the Apple watch as the resolution is not as good and the menu system is a bit clunky, but I still use my 10 year old Garmin 705 on the bike and that is still going strong and I'm used to it.
Went for a run today and it was amazing to be honest. Picked up the GPS in about 5 seconds, press go and that's it! With the Apple watch it was open Strava on phone, lock phone and store in belt pocket, open Strava app on watch, wait for it to open. Press go, wait, check it has started, wait some more, yes it's started, or press again, then run. And to get the info when running it took about 5 seconds to display on the screen. Difficult to stop to with a swipe the a push, especially when tired and sweaty. Screen on Garmin is great for quick info, KM alerts give pace info, and the stats in Garmin connect are amazing!
I might try to convince myself that I'm an 'athlete' of basic needs so I just run, look at the distance and time and that will do nicely... but wow, look at all those stats, and how do you know my stride length and all that stuff? Apparently I have a VO2 max of 46 but no idea if that is correct or how relevant it is. I realise it's all a bit vague and not entirely accurate, but all that info is quite interesting.
Oh, and the battery - sleep patterns are a whole new thing to me as the Apple device would need charging every night. Still got 75% battery on the Garmin after a day and a half. Liking it so far!
Knee still not hurting. Building up to a Park Run soon.
Excellent, they're bloody awesome bits of kit, I'd give up my phone before my garmin! 🤣
I changed my Garmin 235 for an Apple Watch 4 which is better in pretty much every way except for battery life..
At 3 times the price it bloody should be! 🤣
Once they sort the battery life I might be tempted again. I realise the 235 is a compromise and an old model that has been replaced, but I still think it is very good at what it does. So far missing shortcut to apps, countdown timer and the ability to respond to texts. I can live without those.
I get from 7am one day until about 11pm the following day with 20%ish left. With a couple of runs logging GPS etc. Doesn’t need to be tethered to a phone anymore but if you are then it uses the phone GPS to save battery.
Just to change the subject from watches... I got out with our six month old yesterday for her first run.
We both loved it, despite it chucking it down all the way - she twittered happily for maybe the first mile, then just looked out the window for a bit, then (annoyingly) fell asleep about a mile from home, so I had to walk back in the rain.
Still great fun though, feels like a slightly different workout pushing a pram.
I did a full Ironman last year and loved it having only competed in two other tris at the start of last year, and that was just turn get the hang of transitions, what to expect, etc. Loved it, but it's a whole step up from running and cycling as individual disciplines. Now I just eat cake, although I did do the London 100 ride the other week as I've done the marathon too I'm one event away from a London Classic Medal. Then I'll retire...
I'm trying to remember who on here scalped himself on a canal bridge recently - well I did something similar myself yesterday...
Since the arrival of infant #2, I haven't done any weekend training, restricting all of my miles to my usual commute. Probably not a great marathon training strategy to skip all the long runs, so decided to get a long run in early Monday morning. Mapped out a new 20 mile route I hadn't run before, and it was all going well until I got to this tunnel:
I approached from the opposite side, and assumed that the height sign related to the tunnel. Apparently not, as I run almost full pelt into that dirty great pipe with a massive clang 😮
I took a few minutes to compose myself to work out if I was about to collapse, had I fractured my skull, was brain oozing out etc
It certainly nipped a bit, but didn't seem much more than a bonk and a scrape.
Upon the advise of several medic friends I did pop to A&E last night, and triage said the wound didn't need anything, but concussion was more of a concern. I didn't fancy waiting 3-4 hours to see anyone else, and wasn't feeling sick etc, so headed home.
Not sure if it looks better or worse 24 hours later. Large swollen bump not visible on photo
Still got a banging headache though
Ooyah.
Us baldies don't have much protection eh? I've lost count how many times I've lost skin to the shed door....
Ah yes, the shed has taken a good few bits of skin, but has never threatened to knock me out 😀
tf ouch!
Started properly training again last night with my club, did an inverted pyramid of 1600m / 1200 / 800 / 400, hurt a bit at the time but felt great after - it's nice to do a bit of speedwork again after taking a few weeks off post-ironman, and tapering beforehand. Now just need to find a new target race to keep me motivated, maybe the Seville marathon which has a convenient date at the end of February.
Aye, I've kinda realised I've been going through the motions at club track night, decided to up my effort last week and enjoyed it so much more. Picked a couple of guys who are generally 20 metres ahead after say a 400m, and stuck to them as long as I could.
Next race won't rely on speed mind, 40 mile river ayr way. Really looking forward to it though, just looking at it as a day out on my local MTB pootle trails. Finishes 2 miles form home, so be rude not to.
Had another 10k trail run and another PB 45.52 now so this long and steady miles lark seems to be working:)