Gels need water, don’t eat them if you don’t have any water.

They seem ok without it to me. You certainly won’t die 🙂
I went out for a slow 17 mile jog on Sunday, and took a single energy gel with me and no water, and felt ok, bit thirsty (but it was 23c-25c) but there’s nothing much wrong with a little bit of thirst.

There are guidelines on how much water a gel needs. Probly about 250ml each I’d guess – so yes, in that situation.

Just had 2 weeks off work with little running in between. I ran the Brownlee gold run [1.7 miles!] Up at Haworth before watching the olympic tri in the pub with A media frenzy, Itv, sky and BBC reporters in attendance. Did ok, 12 min i think but i had pulled my calf and so didn’t think it would be fast. Calf was fine and after a steady 200m i was off.. finished a min ish off the winner.
Next day i pulled my back packing the car with camping gear, so another few days with no exercise. I am back again now, a hand full of tester 2 mile runs at the weekend then a steady 8.5 last night. And i can ride the bike again aswell. 🙂
Prob do some speed work tomorrow then a long one at the weekend, maybe bgr leg 1 on the cards for friday evening.
Unfortunatly all this inactivity ive put on a few lb and missed my darlington 10k race because of the back strain. 😥
Wetherby 10k is my next goal run. my pb race course 36.36 to beat. 😐

Bl**dy ell ….feeling a bit inadequate after reading this thread ………just started running a few months ago …I only do xc running ……I can only manage about 4-5 miles at the moment but working up …

I’ve entered a few off road duathlons in a couple of months to keep me motivated .

I must admit I only started running because I got fed up with the shite weather mtb’ing ..but quite enjoying it now

Did my first trail run this morning . I was supposed to do 10km with 200m elevation . But was convinced to sign up for the 24 km with 500 m elevation . I have never run more than 15km and was very worried .
In the end felt ok and finished in just under 3hours .

Trail running is massive in France and for a small village fete there were about 400 people at the start .

Gels need water, don’t eat them if you don’t have any water.

I have also used them to good effect on long training runs, i.e. 20 miles, with no water.

Currently tapering for my half on Sunday, just been practicing my race pace this afternoon. trying to run 13 miles at about 6:20 minute miles (1:22 or so) is pretty daunting at the moment. My pb is 1:29, but I have run that in training 3 times in the last few months on long runs and the http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/mcmillanrunningcalculator.htm calculator says it should be doable according to my 5k and 10k times…

Interesting calculator that. I’ve been looking into the FIRST marathon training schedules and working out training times and concluded I’m simply not fast enough over the short stuff to do their intervals.

That linked in calculator has a speedster and endurance monster pacing chart, which makes me feel a lot better about things.

Sure you will be fine Dj. Which half is it?
I think the sis gels are pretty good without water. Would it be possible to stash a drink beforehand? if I’m going long ish I will happily take a waist pack. With a small bottle and jelly sweets or flapjack. If it’s an loooong run then callbacks with gels, bars sandwiches and I find frijj milkshakes are great!
I find when I bike home from work after a 4ish hour fast since lunch my blood sugar goes haywire if I have any sugars like gels or even strong sweet coffee. So I try to eat something savoury 2 hr before then nothing till I have started exercising. I’ve had a blood test as.I though something was amiss!
Hth

I have also used them to good effect on long training runs, i.e. 20 miles, with no water.

Carbohydrate takes water to metabolise. You’re either getting it from your bottle or your tissues cos there’s very little in the gel itself 🙂

Sure you will be fine Dj. Which half is it?

Its Burnham Beeches http://bbhm.burnhamjoggers.org.uk/information.html

Looks like a nice little event, 7 or 800 runners I think last year, but some reasonably fast boys by the look of it as some clubs use it as a champs race

Oh, and the best ever pre run / ride food ever is soreen. I have a stockpile. I eat a whole one for breakfast if I’m doing a century on the bike, half of one for breakfast before a long run.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/212331739

Blew up in the last few miles and came in a good few minutes slower than expected. But I think it happened to most due to the heat. Placing wasn’t bad, 24 from a field of 1000 gives some confidence that everyone suffered the same fate, certainly the finishing group I was with were struggling to maintain 7min/mile over the last climb.

Still a PR is a PR

Placing wasn’t bad, 24 from a field of 1000 gives some confidence that everyone suffered the same fate, …

Nice, would love to get that kind of result!

Anyone got / recommend any good 10k intermediate plans? Aiming for 40min, it’s in 8 weeks’ time.

That’s good going DJ….you obviously worked real hard. I’d be happy with that result.

Well done djglover. A friend of mine was doing it. No idea how she did, but when I went out at 7am for a run it was absolutely sweltering, so I imagine it was pretty tough going.

Some pretty inspiring running going on in this thread.

I’m trying to get back to some kind of fitness after 9 months or so out with various injuries. I’m now injury free (touches everything wooden in a 10m range) and slowly building up the mileage but it’s a frustrating process. I knocked 10 secs off my parkrun this week, but at 27:07 it’s still almost 5 mins slower than my PB.

The trouble is I never saw how slow the process was when I ‘got’ my fitness in the first place. I upped my mileage and pace without recording it and the first time I did parkrun I was already at 25:00 pace. Then I was doing a load of miles for the marathon and improvements were huge over a relatively short period.

Still I guess, as long as I’m heading in the right direction, even 10 secs per week will get me to where I want to be!

Matt

I’m now injury free (touches everything wooden in a 10m range)

Watch out for splinters.

I did a 90 min 10k the other day. Mind you it was over Blencathra. It was blowing a hoolie, right up me shorts, and the mist was down on the tops. Back in time for breakfast. Blummin brilliant!

Not run for two months cos of man flu then holidays ,

Heading out tonight to start the build up for local duathlon ,10 mile off road run then the Dalbeattie seven stanes red route worth a look if you fancy a small scale event

http://www.dalbeattiehardrockchallenge.org

37:35 for the 10KM Midnight race in Göteborg tonight. Much better then expected off just one dedicated running session a week, (interval training rocks!)

‘Charmouth Challenge’ Sept 16th – ‘most southerly fell run’ really nice event lots of climbing over Golden Cap in Dorset – 12k only £8 entry – Google ‘Charmouth Challenge’ this event was postponed from July because of the storms

Has anybody got a link to a good half marathon training plan? I’m starting from being able to run 5 miles ok and the half is 3 months away. Would love to go under 2 hrs

37:35 for the 10KM Midnight race in Göteborg tonight. Much better then expected off just one dedicated running session a week, (interval training rocks!)

Thats a cracking time of little training.

Thanks, surprised myself to be honest. I’m doing 4 bike sessions a week, (power meter based training), so I know I’m in form.

Marathon debut next year, schedule based in the three session a week FIRST idea.

My Morning

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/215053583 😥

😀

😳

Some good running going on, good to have so new runners too.
Just back from an 8 miler with my GB international training partner!! Young lass ive been training with has been selected to run as a junior for GB.. She goes to Italy on friday for an uphill only trail run. She had a GB holdall delivered full of GB kit.. well jealous! I had the measure of her tonight though but she will overtake me within a year i reckon.
Couple of 8 milers this weekend and some runs to and from work so 11 off road and 13 on last week plus a shorter dinnertime session. Just need to get back to the early morning speedwork runs whilst all the time im getting closer to Snowdonia marathon so need to start building to 20milers soon. Aim to do 16 at the weekend or maybe more off road. Hope to do Ripon ultra in october just as a challenge so need to incorporate some recces of that… to many events not enough time! 😕
feeling good though [fingers crossed] 8)

Great to see new folk coming along isn’t it? There was a time when I used to feel surrounded by old farts (self included). We had a young woman join us about a year ago, bouncy, skinny, keen, raw. She’s winning stuff now. I beat my mate who’d earned an England vet vest on the fells the other week. He’d had a HUGE layoff. No chance it’ll ever happen again. I’m not racing him ever again now 🙂

Had surgery about 4 weeks ago and have just started running. Haven’t been able to run for 4 years so it’s pretty cool to be out again.

Bloody hard though, and a bit weird in that my brain still thinks it can run (not that I was ever that fast). However my body is not so keen, managed 13 minute miles for 4 miles yesterday, which is not much better than walking speed! Also having to experiment with monitoring/maintaining blood sugars again(I’m diabetic).

Still, better than nothing and will build slowly to avoid any injuries. Think I’m going to have to enter a 10k to give me something to aim for.

I broke my marathon cherry this weekend, with the Hyderabad Marathon in south-central India. Allegedly a tough course, and ~10-15 minutes slower than a flat course, with 290m of climbing, and the finish 85m higher than the start.

Started at the front of the pack pretty steadily, letting the first guys shoot off ahead. I was aiming for a time of sub 3 hours, and gradually reeled a few back in over the hills.

Was pretty pleased with my 2:59:36, and very surprised to be called up for the podium having placed 2nd 😀

2012 Airtel Hyderabd Marathon

It seemed my gel strategy worked pretty nicely too: 2 before the start, then from 40 minutes on, another every 25 minutes or so.

After a cycle and a swim this morning the legs are pretty much back to normal too 🙂

Just need to work in my swimming over the next 3 weeks in preparation for my first half Ironman 😯

Cheers, Rich

Nice time Rich, that’s quite some gel consumption going on there!

I bought a ‘Race Faster‘ marathon pack which was linked to a while ago at silly-cheap prices, and went with the guide which came with it. It said for experienced runners to pop a gel every 20 minutes, for noobs every 30 minutes. I went somewhere in the middle, which corresponded with how many gels I could fit in my tri-short pockets 🙂

Cheers, Rich

Awesome achievement turbo!

Possible stupid question from a new runner. I’ve just started running in merrell trail gloves and I’m very happy with them. Not sure if I should be wearing socks with them or not though. If I should do you have any recommendations.

First run in them on Sunday – 5.96miles in 50.01, way off being fast but any good for a newb?

No experience with the trail gloves, but if they fit OK without socks, and you don’t get any sores from them, then there shouldn’t be any problems.

10km in 50 mins is certainly respectable for a noob, everyone has to start somewhere!

Cheers, Rich

Very happy . my 14 year old daughter announced last week she wanted to go for a run for the first time ,last night on our 2 nd time out she has decided that she loves trail running and wants to do more

pebblebeach
Possible stupid question from a new runner. I’ve just started running in merrell trail gloves and I’m very happy with them. Not sure if I should be wearing socks with them or not though. If I should do you have any recommendations.

I wear thin socks with my Trail Gloves, my mate doesn’t with his. They’re designed so you can wear them without socks, but I just prefer having a thin layer as a couple of areas tend to be slightly rough.

A new runner? Hope you’ve built up to barefoot running nice and slowly?…

Not built up to bare foot running specifically but I do a lot of walking, around 15 miles a week so I’m used to using my legs to get about.

Not built up to bare foot running specifically but I do a lot of walking, around 15 miles a week so I’m used to using my legs to get about.

I’d beg to differ that 15 miles a week is a lot of walking, and it’s hardly akin to barefoot running, I only wanted to highlight the potential injuries looming if you launch straight in to it. Plenty of previous threads on here where it’s been discussed. Anyway, enjoy your running! 🙂

Fair enough but that’s 15 miles of casual walking, lunch time walks, walk to the shops and doesn’t include long weekend walks. I would imagine that to the majority of the population 15 miles a week is a fair bit of walking.

What advice do you have for ‘breaking me in gently”.

Don’t worry. If you can do 5+ miles without any ankle/shin issues then you’re already there.