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This year i'm determined to be more organised with race entries, so i've just knocked up a table of all the ones i'm doing (so far), when entries open etc... 265 miles in total and 84,868sq.ft of climbing. Ha!
Really getting fed up with this weather as well. Went up Beinn Dubh on Wednesday night and honestly think i'd have been drier if I swam in the Loch! It was truly grim.
National (Scottish) XC this weekend, although i'm not racing, but going to watch the mayhem. Should be fun!
Next Race: Edale Skyline 22nd March.
Beinn Dubh must be one of the steepest bogs in the world!
Haha very true. The middle "flat" section was comical. Also got pretty lost coming down, which shows just how quickly you can get lost if the weather is poor (and dark) and you come off the path:
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Wouldn’t be too concerned, you’re probably more likely to win the Euromillions 😀
Called it @mogrim - some 11k applicants for 280 dorsales, chances of getting a start somewhere between Bob and None. I actually had a good feeling though - being injured increases oneˋs chances of success!
@mrsparkle - unfinished business with the NM. DNS last year after hire car shenanigans on the way up. Missed the start while waiting about 3 hours for a tow truck on Easter Sunday. I'll do it this year even if it means hobbling round on crutches...
Never done the Teenager. The Anni Waltz (as was) is an tough enough race.
Did the Teenager last year and it was great. Absolutely fried though, it was roasting for April!
Couldn't be arsed running in 60-100mph winds today, so went to the gym instead. They have put in one of those powermill step machines. 100 floors on that doesn't half get a sweat going, I'll be using that way more than the dreadmill I think. 😊
lol @bob_summers, also failed to get a place at Zegama. C'est la vie!
Monday @ 10am sign up opens for the 3 Refugios race, it's a cracking trail race in Madrid if anyone else is up for it. Bit of dutch courage here but if anyone wants to come I'm happy to put you up for a night or two 🙂
https://www.copadehierro.es/cross-3-refugios/inscripcion/
New runner here and overdone it earlier in week. Now I have a new issue ,Shinsplints. One leg only, right and really painful last 5 days. RICE?
Shinsplints can turn into stress fractures if you ignore the (albeit incredible when you have got to that stage) pain so best being patient and allowing them to heal. Ice and NSAIDs if you can take them and maybe some foam roller. Try to find the tender areas and ice regularly. Don't be tempted to run again too soon as after a few days they may start to feel better but it will return. Give it a couple of weeks then start with short slower runs and build up slowly.
And lots of calf stretches and strengthening for shin splits. Sufferer here too and just been having some physio - all to do with tight / weak calves for me although sure there are different causes.
Back into running after a grim cold (sorry MrSparkle - missed your darkun due to feeling like crap). 33km this week and many of them in the hills. Was feeling a bit tired yesterday but did a new local parkrun - went reasonably quickly but wasn’t flat out by any stretch - only 15 secs off my PB!
Ooh... Well I just ran my first half marathon (Brighton).. Furthest I've ever ran! Little prep, but felt strong, and my partner and I stuck right to pace to finish in 2hrs and 3 seconds!
Looking forward to sore legs tomorrow eh!
DrP
Superb DrP!
I love post race sore legs, great feeling!
Advice needed for newbie.
Currently I can run/plod 5 to 6 k, but slowly (ave around 6 to 6.10 mins/km). I want to be able to run 10 k in the near to mid-term, at a slightly faster pace, say 5.30 mins/km. Doesn’t sound too outlandish to me, at least compared to feats of athleticism in this thread.
What’s the best way to do this? Keep extending distance, or keep same distance but try to run a bit faster?
I started in January and am now beginning to enjoy running. Even on these dark, rainy, windy nights. Can’t put my finger on it though!
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
Bonni, shorter and faster and longer and slower will both make you quicker IMO. But mostly it's just running more that makes you better at it.
I'm pacing the Big Half on Sunday, which is probably a bad idea given how my legs are at the moment, but hey ho. I received the flag I've got to wear yesterday, so ran partway home with it to see how much of a pain it is
The rucksack is nicely designed, sits well on the back and doesn't move around. The flag is however about 5 feet tall and creates a significant amount of drag.
Hits on trees, and if there happens to be something spiky in them, this can happen
I'll certainly be working pretty hard to run 1:20 at the weekend :O
@Turboferret - hopefully the wind has died down a bit too by then as it looks like it could be a bit of a sail, which I imagine would be no fun!!!!
Enjoy...
@alanf fortunately the forecast for Sunday suggests that it'll mainly be a tailwind, but it'll be a headwind for a few miles. It'll affect me a lot more than anyone without a flag, so I think I'll have to capitalise on the initial tailwind to bank time for when it's in my face. Hopefully my pack won't be upset at this strategy!
You'll need to run faster than the tailwind, other wise that thing will be wrapping itself round your napper!
Has anyone experienced/fixed weak/inactive glute med? Whenever I try and start running I quickly get injured (currently rec fem tendinopathy) and the physio always says it's due to weak/inactive glute med.
I always start off running small distances (<1 mile) and build up really slowly.
I have done loads of work trying to fix this but never seem to fix the problem.
Is all this "weak glute" stuff nonsense? Has anyone fixed it?
Cheers,
Mick
@turboferret - yeah the pack will be stuck to you like glue, hopefully they're not an unruly mob and give you a break. I'm sure you'll pace it to perfection.
Just out of interest, does this qualify you for a free go next year or some other event?
I'd be useless at this as I don't wear a watch or know how fast I'm going so it could be any time come the finish. I'm sure the punters would not be happy with that!
I've ran a couple of ultras with a lass who's in the same boat, she does a shit load of squats, lunges, whatever etc to overcome.
Advice needed for newbie.
Currently I can run/plod 5 to 6 k, but slowly (ave around 6 to 6.10 mins/km). I want to be able to run 10 k in the near to mid-term, at a slightly faster pace, say 5.30 mins/km. Doesn’t sound too outlandish to me, at least compared to feats of athleticism in this thread.
What’s the best way to do this? Keep extending distance, or keep same distance but try to run a bit faster?
I started in January and am now beginning to enjoy running. Even on these dark, rainy, windy nights. Can’t put my finger on it though!
Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I'm close to the end of the couch to 5k, and after I'm done I'll aim to run 3 times per week, with a normal 5k, a shorter run with hill repeats, and a slower, longer run, starting at 6k and increasing by 0.5km every couple of weeks.
That should see me able to run 10k comfortably within a few months, and also improve my 5k time.
My run today was week 8, run 3:
3.27 miles / 5.26 km
28:02 elapsed time
8:34 /mile / 5:20 /km average pace
New 5k PB of 26:22
OK guys, I'm using a Fossil Wear OS smar****ch to track my runs at the moment, using the strava app. It's.... OK. ish. Drops about 10% battery for a 30 min run, the optical HRM can be really consistent one run, then WILDLY inaccurate the next (190bpm 4 minutes into a run, you say?), and only does basic stuff (distance, pace, laps, HRM). I love seeing the live pace as this really lets me run at a consistent speed. I don't see me stopping running anytime soon.
Been looking at the Suunto 7 as a 'best of both worlds' with the intention of rewarding myself in a few months after I hit a target or 2 - 10k in 52 minutes/5k in 25 minutes for example.
However, looking at something like a Garmin Forerunner 245 music, jeebus they offer just so much more than even the suunto. But, only basic notification/smar****ch features.
I use a wahoo bolt with a HRM chest strap for MTB/gravel riding, and if I'm honest have stayed away from the garmin gps devices for multiple reasons. Are the garmin sports watches/android app a lot better?
Sleep tracking, external sensor support, no touch screen (give me buttons!!!), 4-7 day battery life, accurate gps and HRM, cadence, offline spotify music, the list goes on - all things my current fossil sport lacks. And the Suunto 7 is also lacking in a few of these areas too (sleep tracking, external sensors, battery life, spotify offline).
Thoughts? I'd keep my fossil sport as I'd wear it when I want to look 'smart' and not 'sporty' as it's much more discrete than a big sports watch.
Thanks ta11pau1.
Your plan sounds like something I could work with.
Best of luck with your progress.
I thought I'd stick my head up in here and say hi. I've been following this thread for a while now and it was the inspiration that started me running by following the C25K back in November which has kinda snowballed to where I am now (comfortably running 10k and having completed a 10 mile run, both off road and which I'd have laughed at when I started out!)
I kind of diverged from the C25K plan around week 7 though as I had run a sub 25 5k on the Week 6 25 minute run and that was no longer the 'target'. I still followed the basics but it became more about time running than completing the distance as I'd obviously achieved that and I started to do a few interval sessions to keep me interested. Now I'm running 4-5 times a week - mainly lunch runs at work at arond 30 minutes and a longer run at the weekends. Also haven't been on a bike for about 6 weeks as I find running that bit easier to do just now (no muddy bikes to clean afterwards).
@ta11pau1 when I started in November I was using my Garmin Instinct which I'd bought for mtbing rather than using my Edge 500. At the end of January I bought a Forerunner 245 (non music) as I didn't see myself stopping running. Best thing I did as it shows so much more than the Instinct does for runs. They both have their uses but for running the 245 is a brilliant watch and I do like the Training Status metrics it builds as you use it as I find it useful for gauging where I am on a day to day basis.
The one area I find they aren't great in general is the optical HR, when I started out I used my HR strap with the Instinct but eventually gave up as it kept slipping down on me and became a distraction. I stopped using it and relied on the Instinct's OHR, it worked but it wasn't that great compared to the strap. Having a read around I noted some reviews saying that as sensor was on your wrist it can be succeptible to temperature i.e. your wrist is cooler than the rest of your body (until warmed up) and this can cause issues with reading HR. I bought a Polar OH1+ which goes around my bicep and it works fine, no issues with it reading HR accurately and is in a warmer position on your body. I'd also say it's far more comfortable to wear than a chest strap.
I'll also add that we have 4 Garmins in our house - the aforementioned ancient Edge 500 that has never had an issue, the Instinct is over a year old with no issues and now my 245. My wife has a Vivoactive 3 and that has been fine for the 18 months she has had it as well. Maybe we have just been lucky with Garmin!
@alanf the reward for pacing is free entry and free clothing and trainers. I'm told it's great fun, but that might be more for a medium paced London where there is a proper party atmosphere with huge crowd support rather than a brisk half, so we shall see.
I'm normally pretty good at pacing, and a GPS watch makes it almost idiot-proof, although they go nuts around Canary Wharf so I'll have to keep that in mind.
Agreed, not sure whether it'll be better to have the flag dragging me back, or wrapped around my coupon 😀
@alanf for some ultras, if you volunteer one year you can get an entry the following year, which is sometimes the only way of guaranteeing that you get in. Not sure if you have to pay or not
@Turboferret I've seen some of those ultras, in fct my mate did that for the 3 peaks cyclocross this year so he can do it again next year...
So basically you get to do a tempo run and get some free stuff too. I suppose that's a bonus.
I take it you're doing London again this year? Although I know you've been struggling with the legs/pelvis. How's the training panning out now? I'm struggling a bit with a dodgy heel/ankle at the moment which I think is probably plantar related, but hopefully it's on the mend and I should be OK for London, fingers crossed.
meh. 2 months to the day since i sprained my ankle. getting better slowly but still can't run more than a couple of km without quite a lot of discomfort. started doing quite a lot with a balance ball so we'll see if that helps.
turbo'ing is getting boring.
Well done Dougie, sounds like you have the bug!
@alanf basically I'm still buggered. I switched the run commute to cycling for a few which felt fine at the time, but legs were no better when I tried to resume running afterwards. Had a couple of weeks complete rest, but again, legs still not cooperating. The runs aren't too bad while they're happening, although I'm not particularly fit at the moment so they haven't been quick, but I've felt utterly ruined afterwards. I'm halfway through my 10 week course of high dosage vitamin D, and in theory low vit D could fully explain my symptoms.
Racing London is off the cards, but I'd still like to participate in some way. To prevent myself from ignoring my condition and utterly killing myself in the race I've stepped into a pacing role instead. A friend is injured so I'm taking his place as the 3:15 pacer which should be a nice steady long run with a party atmosphere. I'm hoping to be back on track for Edinburgh marathon a month later, but that's not definite either....
All in all, quite frustrating. If it were something tangible and easily diagnosed with a predicable recovery period it would be much easier to deal with.
I had some plantar issues a few years ago, lots of rolling helped - the more painful the rolling, the more effective it seemed to be!
The Garmin running watches are very good indeed, if you're going to keep running they are well worth the outlay.
The 245 is the latest model and so has the latest HRM. They wrist based ones aren't as accurate as a chest strap but they're not far off. The music works well too, downloading a playlist or podcast from Spotify is easy and then you just need some Bluetooth headphone for it to talk to.
In our house we currently have a 35 which is a really good, basic running watch that does as much, if not more, than most people need, a 645 Music which has a load of extra functionality and a 235 which is also cracking.
@nobeerinthefridge yeah, it's well and truly caught. I used to hate running as I always tried to go to fast/far too quickly. Following the C25K had me take it far steadier until I was comfortable and I then noticed I was pushing the distances up just by running for 25/28/30 minutes.
I've signed up for parkrun and done one so far - Hazelhead, Aberdeen. Need to go back and see if I can improve my time a bit. Thought I'd do them regularly but I've found I prefer being out on my own doing bigger loops of the trails I normally ride on which is great fun.
@jam bo same boat here (4 weeks ago tomorrow) and just got in my 2nd run today - 5km on the beach. Ankle is still swollen, the bone on the outside is twice the size as the uninjured one, though the physio wasn't concerned. I've sprained my ankle a few times but wasn't running then, so didn't really pay much attention - don't know what's normal or not. Seems to have normal range of motion, I get the odd twinge but have been walking and riding without pain. Running feels very awkward and alien, and I'm terrified of placing the foot badly on the usual lumps and bumps in the sand, but I've entered an 18km fell race at Easter so I've got to get started really.
Which bit hurts? Would be worth a visit to physio in your case surely? Also check out the propioception exercises shown in places like the Prehabguys (YT, insta..)
its not painful, just uncomfortable. I've done a few 3-4 km runs a few days apart that were ok-ish and then did a run back to back days. stopped after 0.5km and walked home.
I'd rather get it right than rush it and do it again. watched quite a lot of those Bob & Brad videos and doing a lot of the exercises from them.
also running London in 60 days, but I need to take another week off to heal shin pain. Really low down on my shin. Where I fractured my leg 2/3 years ago.
Thought I’d do them regularly but I’ve found I prefer being out on my own doing bigger loops of the trails I normally ride on which is great fun.
Dougie, whisper it, but running on MTB trails is great fun, it turns out that single track running is as good as single track riding!
parkrun is great to push the competitive instinct and thrash yourself a little, and it's really satisfying getting those PB's.
But long miles in the hills and the trails will always be what I chase.
@lunge ha, yeah it's just as much fun picking 'lines' on foot as it is on a bike. In fact it's given a different perspective of my local trails that were becoming a bit mundane due to riding them over and over. Also, as I have the Cairngorms just a short drive away I'm keen to up my distance and do more trail running (which is what I'm more interested in rather than road) in the mountains over summer. Something differnt to the mtb and hill walking but accomplishing the same thing - being out in the wilds.
I liked the parkrun I did and I will need to go back and see if I can beat my time (currently sitting at 22:29) which should be do-able as I'm a shade over 20 minutes for a 5k right now (weather and course dependent!) - maybe the competitive spirit will push into sub 20 territory!. I've quite a few to choose from around me so there is variety without repeating the same parkrun every Saturday if I so choose!
It's been great reading everyones journey in this thread with some great advice along the way from those that have been doing it for quite a while. I'm looking at a few events to push myself and challenge my comfort zone (without overdoing things)
Running my usual MTB routes was a real surprise. The descent from the transmitters on my local mountain down to the village is a real gem* - 45mins of ridge singletrack, tricky rock gardens, nadgery woodland descents - and it's just as good running it, except you enjoy it for about half an hour longer!
*From Mt Jaizkibel down to Lezo, if anyone knows it from a BasqueMTBtrip
I've given a couple of Park Runs a go this year, they're cross country'ish ones in Delamere Forest.
The first one I did with my eldest (7yr old) and we ran 27:40 for the 5k, pretty good really for my first time running in 4 years and his longest run ever; the previous furthest being about 2k in a school cross country event.
Last weekend he had a cough so I went by myself and could go a bit faster, and managed the course in 22:49 and 5th V40 chap so can't grumble. I managed nice even splits too.
I'll probably keep it going through summer when I'm not racing MTB's that weekend and hopefully it'll help with my cyclocross racing next winter.
@chakaping @mogrim
Re runner's nip...
Hairy tits and tape are not good either! 🤣
Hi all, new to this forum and noticed a running thread - excellent. I have suffered from the runner's nip situation and have my definitive cure - works for me, but YMMV. Micropore seems to have staying power - did an ultra with the stuff and it had stayed on. No problems at all.
Micropore tape can be got at anywhere really, Boots is the stuff I bought. You just need a square every time, though I cut it into an octagon, just thinking that that way the corners won't catch on material of the top you're wearing.
Just my observation that even stuff dedicated to running can really chafe in certain conditions, say if sweating. My Salomon running top is horrible for that. I now use a merino top sometimes, and just now a Howies Merino baselayer under a tech t-shirt. But still with the nips taped.
Had my first aborted run today, my watch decided it wasn't going to keep a gps signal so by the time I'd warmed up, run for 2 minutes, realised I had no distance or pace info, stopped for a minute, tried again and run for a minute, then stopped for 5 minutes restarting the watch, I was cold again and after 5 minutes of running decided to call it a day as my form gone to pot, my right ankle felt like it was going to give way on every step, my left shin was aching more than normal, and now afterwards, my legs are aching more after 10 minutes than they do after a 30 minute run!
I'm done with the fossil 'sport', had enough of its issues and unreliability.
So, cheapest place for a forerunner 245 music?
I'm training for a half marathon in a little less than a month.
Did 15km last night at a decent pace, for me. But again my knees started hurting after about 13km.
Any thoughts from that rather vague description?
Sounds like runners knee, https://www.runnersworld.com/health-injuries/a20854077/whats-the-best-solution-for-runners-knee/
It does indeed, thanks lunge.
I think I need to look into some exercises and maybe get assessed by a physio, as I know my legs are a bit wonky from when I had a bike fit.
@jambo
What do you mean by "uncomfortable"? Its natural to have soreness/stiffness even a bit of repeated swelling (IANAD) after a bad sprain. Depending on level of discomfort I would be tempted to carefully push on and see if you can "go through" it.
NSAIDS (if you can take them) plus ice about 3 times a day will help. Balance ball/ballons are very useful
I would be tempted to carefully push on and see if you can “go through” it.
Aye, I can see both sides of this tbh, reading about fell runners continuing on when going over on an ankle in many different books, but I've also seen some subsidence in my own ankle swelling by having 3 days off running at the weekend there.
I went on a hill training run last year with a large-ish group up on the moors, I went over on my ankle, it bloody hurt as well, and if I'd have been on my own I'd have stopped for sure. I carried on, and it never really caused an issue, either on that run or the days after*.
That has made me push on through some issues, maybe foolishly, who knows?.
*Every chance mine wasn't as bad as yours jam bo, just my experience.
What do you mean by “uncomfortable”? Its natural to have soreness/stiffness even a bit of repeated swelling (IANAD) after a bad sprain. Depending on level of discomfort I would be tempted to carefully push on and see if you can “go through” it.
that approach was working ok when I was leaving it 4-5 days between running. stiff and uncomfortable when running but no lingering pain. its the 'push/spring' off the ground that hurts and I guess why walking etc is fine. tried a run 2 days after another and a lot more discomfort, enough to think it wasn't worth pushing it.
coupled with an unfortunately placed outbreak of eczema in the bridge of my foot, another two weeks off seemed like a sensible option,
gonna try again later today to see if a bit more time and lots of balance ball exercises have made a difference.
Best of luck mate.
I daren't do much more than jog on sand for now, that's after 4 weeks yesterday. It's still swollen too.
It's moot though - entered 5 trail races this last month and didnt get drawn in any of them 😂 I think this year will be about learning to ride an MTB again
Was nice to run along the beach today without getting soaked, hammered with hail, or blown aboot like a chip poke.
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The final week of C25K begins.
Week 9, Run 1
3.48 miles / 5.6km
29:59 moving time
8:37 /mile / 5:21 /km average pace
Had to use the GPS on my watch rather than the watch + phone gps and as well as the very poor GPS track, it also dropped 20% battery on the 30 minute run...
A garmin forerunner 245 music has been ordered!
nice one @ta11pau1 I think those were about the same as my numbers today!
I put a brace on and went down the beach again, this time mixed jogging with a few sprints, some zig-zagging along the foreshore (it's canted at quite an angle so certainly gets the ankle moving), then strapped it up with that rubber band stuff, forget the name, and did some hopping and propioperception stuff.
Wondering if it's too soon for a gentle trail run, or if I'm getting a bit too excited.
Anyone got experience of the Swede-O?
I put a massive hole in my head headbutting a lock hasp, so didn’t run at all. Another couple of days rest...
I did a mountain marathon / ultra in Asturias, north Spain yesterday, 57km in total with 3600m of climbing... and I'm hurting now 🙂
It's an absolutely stunning part of Spain, as green as Wales but much warmer. There were even daffodils out at one point. But damn it was hilly, and as a Madrid resident I'm not used to that much mud! Of course there's a reason for all that green and mud, and it did rain a bit at one point, but mostly it held off and I seem to have got my first sunburn of the year.
Next ultra is 6 weeks off, and there's work to do as it's a proper 100km+ race. Back to training it is then.
Ben Nevis ballot entry in. 🙏🏻🤞🏻🙏🏻
That went ok. 6km off road, ankle is still sore but bearably so. It’s a bit odd in that it starts hurting as soon as I run, stops as soon as I stop and doesn’t seem to have any lasting effects.
Seemed a lot more stable than when I tried running last.
Hopefully I won’t be crippled in the morning.
Anybody else do the Duergar out of Rothbury on Saturday night? First time running it for me. Absolutely brilliant event. Pretty brutal weather conditions on Simonside, with high winds and horizontal snow.
Well the Big Half went pretty well, albeit with a bit of a major error.
I was pacing 1:20, which according to the results puts me in the top 1.5% of finishers (306th out of 22125). However, my number suggested I was to be in the B wave, and it when queried no-one around me wanted to run anywhere near that time. I moved forwards into the A pen, but didn't move close enough to the start, so didn't cross the starting line until over 3 1/2 minutes after the gun, and again no-one around me was running anywhere near 1:20 pace. I ended up scything through the field virtually solo until about half-way by which time the differential between my pace and those around me had come down considerably.
After this point I started to pick up a few followers in my group which was nice, as it seemed a bit pointless to be just running past people while wearing a flag 😀
I was actually a bit ahead of pace, as I wanted to get a bit of time in the bag early with a tailwind to counter the sections later where we would have a headwind. As such, the people who started ahead of me, who I caught, were actually on course to finish pretty much exactly on my 1:20 target.
All in all, it was good fun, and the legs came to the party, as I wasn't entirely confident of my abilities, given recent issues.
Felt pretty good afterwards too, no sore legs Sunday night, and I've had a couple of gentle trots since, so perhaps I've turned the corner and am on the path to recovery 🙂
Reminds me of a bike race where I was wearing a different colour dorsal to everyone else. After a brief spell of thinking I was special, it turned out there were two races in the same town. Well done for turning it back round!
Well after missing out on the draws for the 5 races I wanted to do this year, finally got "lucky" with the 42k trail I did last June. Just the small matter of returning to training. Did my first jog yesterday not on sand (hilly 10k to work) and the ankle felt okayish except when changing direction, and being terrified of it folding again. Took forever though, hope no-one I know saw me...
@mogrim Was that in Cangas?
What are peoples thoughts on calf compression socks/sleeves? I see TurboFerret is wearing them and wondered whether they'd help with the calf issue I can't shift?
Also, having started running at NY I've noticed that now I've upped the distance I run in a session that more often than not the first 2 miles feel terrible and the remaining 2-4 miles feel much easier. Does this change?
I received a yellow number years ago for the GNR. Didnt pay any attention until the day when it turned out to be an elite number. I was on the front line with a rope between me and 18000 other runners.... Made the first mile quite interesting....
What are peoples thoughts on calf compression socks/sleeves? I see TurboFerret is wearing them and wondered whether they’d help with the calf issue I can’t shift?
I suspect they're snake oil...and still wear them...
For longer runs, I think they help slow down fatigue in my calf muscles where I've had a few issues in the past but in truth I have no idea if it's in my head or not.
I also wear them for cold runs as, and again this may well be in my head, they keep my calfs a little warmer and stop the odd ache and pain.
They're also great for trail runs as they stop nettles stinging my legs.
@mogrim Was that in Cangas?
@bob_summers that's the one. Made a nice change from the sand and rocks of Madrid 🙂
It's funny what a difference a couple of days makes.
I'm still on track to hit my target of running 1,000km this year. I typically run 5-7km 3 times a week but have been flirting with some longer runs when time allows.
Monday i went out and did 12km. Felt terrible all the way round, had to stop and walk quite a few times for 30 seconds or so. Just felt terrible slow, heavy, "lumbersome" if you like. No rhythm.
I went out again today and did the same loop. I didn't stop and made it round at a 4:55min/km pace. According to strava i clocked my best 5km time (22:53) and 10km time (52:25). I don't really care about the times but it was one of those runs where i just felt strong and fast the whole way.
What a difference a couple of days make!
As things are going rather well with my running I decided I needed a few targets to keep me motivated and interested. I figured events were the best thing so started to have a look around at trail races and came across the Kielder Ultra weekend. While I have no intention of doing an ultra anytime soon I did see they had a shorter 32km/20 mile route and thought that was ideal - a challenge but not something that would leave me broken, had a chat with my wife and we booked a long weekend in the area and I sorted an entry for the race. My intention is soley to complete the distance and enjoy the day.
This lead to having another look about for something a little later in the year and (having read about it on here) I decided I'd enter the Arran Tarsuinn Trail race in June (with another excuse for a family holiday weekend). A work colleague is also entered in this one so I might have a bit of company to start things off.
Also contemplating an entry to the Run Balmoral trail race which will be 2 weeks after Kielder, this one is local(ish) so doesn't need a weekend away! After doing the 20 miles at Kielder the 15 miles at Balmoral should be easy, right?
@dooosuk I have been wearing compression socks for quite a few years for racing (not training) and as I've been improving every time I've worn them, I suppose psychologically they're a help
I think this was about the first time I wore them. The combination of the then new magic Nike 4% shoes, long socks and being better able to cope with the warm conditions meant I finished in a totally unexpected position. Or maybe it was massively increasing my training volume...but either way I haven't wanted to mess with the formula! Who knows if they actually have any beneficial effect
Another benefit of this running lark.
I no longer have a suit that fits me, one in particular that I couldn't possibly have squeezed into 2 years ago, now hangs off me.
Did I say benefit? Gonna cost me a packet!
😊
and the ankle felt okayish except when changing direction, and being terrified of it folding again
2 weeks of using a balance ball a couple of times a day and my ankle feels a lot stronger and more stable.
had a chat with my wife and we booked a long weekend in the area and I sorted an entry for the race. My intention is soley to complete the distance and enjoy the day.
Sounds pretty much what I do - it's reached the point now my wife decides she want to go somewhere, then asks me if I know of any race there...
A mate is from a village up there @mogrim and was nagging me to do it a while back but my ankle had other plans. He mentioned another from Cangas later in the year which comes recommended but unhelpfully I don't remember the name. Was an acronym so guessing the TPE in June.
2 weeks of using a balance ball a couple of times a day and my ankle feels a lot stronger and more stable.
Going to progress to that now I can trot on the flat. Spend a lot of time at work balanced on one leg with my eyes closed which must look odd but no-one has ever mentioned it 😅
Any tips for running shoes that handle muddy trails better than road shoes that don’t cost the earth?
I've just bought a pair of New Balance MT590 V4 for £40 inc delivery, bought them as a pair of hard wearing everyday trainers for work etc but seeing as they're trail shoes I may well do a few trail runs on them too 😉
£35 + £5 postage from here I went with the slightly less garis khaki ones. They're a little tighter on the toebox than my Asics but seem pretty comfy on first impressions.
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Also got my Forerunner 245 delivered yesterday, not used it in anger for a run yet, but I can already tell it's an altogether different best to my Wear OS watch...
Edit: Some posts have gone missing - I was quoting someone, honest.
Any tips for running shoes that handle muddy trails better than road shoes that don’t cost the earth?
The Kalenji trail shoes from Decathlon are great for the money. They are a tad narrow but are fine as long as you’re not doing mega-mileage in them.
NB are bloody small, Kalenji are too narrow for me.
Just buy whatever trail shoes your brand of choice has cheap on sportshoes.com mate. I like a lot of room in my trail shoes, I'm size 10 in shoes, but go 11.5 on my trail shoes. I'd be at least a 12.5 in NB.
NB are bloody small, Kalenji are too narrow for me.
NB sizes may come up small but they're not particularly narrow IME. (Which may be what you're saying here, not sure!)
And the Decathlon shoes aren't that cheap, you can probably get better from other brands if you look around.
Any tips for running shoes that handle muddy trails better than road shoes that don’t cost the earth?
I got a bargain pair of Asics trail shoes from the Asics outlet after reading about it on here.
NB sizes may come up small but they’re not particularly narrow IME
No, I found them to have plenty room width wise, just short.
Go on sportshoes.com, and filter everything for your size, trail, and cost window. Plenty about that will be around the Kalenji price.
Edit - asics outlet too as above, free delivery and returns.
Edit – asics outlet too as above, free delivery and returns.
And an extra 10% off if you sign up for One-Asics or whatever it's called. Ended up with a pair of Gecko XT for under £30.
And the Decathlon shoes aren’t that cheap
They work out better in the UK. The MT2 I use is 60GBP, vs 80EUR in Spain - ie same price as last year's Inov8