@dooosuk, Start Fitness always has some bargains, the code EXTRA10 gets you 10% off.
Worth looking at the manufacturers website direct too. Nike have the odd bargain, Adidas and Reebok always have the odd discount code kicking around as well.

great 10k time there @lunge

I’ve really got into running this year and thought I’d see where my 10k time was. The last time I measured it was at the final leg of an olympic length triathlon about 10 years ago and IIRC it was just below 44 mins

so had a solo session on our local track and managed 20:24 for 5k and 41:38 for 10k which I was pretty pleased with. I had no idea where I’d be and even thought I could shade it under 40mins at one stage but alas. It was about 6:50 miles (although I could calculate more accurately I guess).

more aerobic training (to spare my niggly injuries) and I hope to be going sub 40 mins and sub 20 mins by end of the year (or at least next spring)

pretty happy with it and really enjoyed hammering the track on my own for 25 laps. It felt good!

sports direct, jd sports, keller sports. Think I’ve used all of those at least once, though sportsshoes gets most of my custom (but nike.com probably gets most of my money!).

@fingerbang, have you got a local parkrun? It’s a fun way to test yourself if you feel like it, no pressure and no cost 🙂

Is there a running equivalent of the singletrack forum?  With similar levels of hilarity, compassion, boundless technical knowledge, etc., etc.?

I tried the Runners World forum, but it appears to be largely dead.

I also appreciate we have this thread  – which is great – but I want more!

fetcheveryone is what I use. It’s much more than a forum, it logs training, has race calendar, etc… It even has a decent chess club 🙂

Cheers @thecaptain.  That looks good.   Signed up and having a look round the forums..

🙂

FRA (fell runners association) forum is quite lively although i don’t go on to

You might have to be an fra member though

@thecaptain looks like a mega resource, cheers Cappy

Can anyone recommend best shoes for running in the lakes? So big , sharp rocks mostly with some soft conditions

Strong uppers is a must as my fell shoes tend to get ripped before the sole wears, particularly on rocky trails

I prefer inov8 or nike as I know my best size in them

Inov8 Mudclaw 300s worked best for me for my BG training and on the day.

Roclites are decent if you’ll mostly be on rocky stuff. The Ultra 260s work for a lot of people but I found them a little wide for my feet.

That’s all based on proper fell stuff – if you’ll be doing more trail running type stuff then I would guess one of the more cushioned Inov8s would work for you. The Hoka Speedgoats are also very popular.

View post on imgur.com

So we had a few days in the Lakes last week and some fantastic weather.
I ran up Barrow Fell which was bloody lovely. The run up was slow and tough but well worth it. The run back down was a killer!
What’s the best way to train for running downhill, apart from just running downhill more?

Thanks @mrb123

I’ve got some mudclaws but thought they’d be a bit unsuited for rocky lakes runs. Like using wet screams down a dry fort bill

If you’ve done a BG round in them however then might give them a try

Well I did switch to Roclites for legs 4 and 5. Had considered changing at Dunmail but ultimately decided I wanted to stick with a full stud for leg 3 as it was wet and there’s some very steep grass coming in to Wasdale.

The Roclites are good all rounders if you’ll not be hitting much mud.

My Innov8’s were OK, but very hard underfoot and the uppers split after about 1000km. Probably great for squishy muddy UK runs, but not ideal around here where it’s all rocks and sand.

What’s the best way to train for running downhill, apart from just running downhill more?

Think you’ve already answered that question 🙂

Think you’ve already answered that question 🙂

I thought that might be the case 😬

There’s stuff you can do in the gym – think single leg exercises on a bosu ball to build ankle strength and coordination, step ups on a box, that kind of thing. But at the end of the day the technique is something you learn by doing.
Another point to consider is that technique is going to be quite region specific. I’m not bad at downhills here in Madrid, where it’s all loose sand and rock, but take me to the Basque Country with all that mud and I’m in trouble. And that works both ways of course – I’ve seen more than one runner from the north come a cropper here!

One other thing that’s critical is to maintain your concentration and lift your feet, particularly when you’re tired and you’re getting to the end of the run. The worst falls I’ve had have been when I’ve caught a toe on a root or rock on what should be an easy trail, often right after successfully navigating a technical downhill.

I use mudclaws for proper fell running but also raced the 3P in them and my feet were bloody sore by the end due to the paving. I then went and bought some roclites (I think) which are better on mixed terrain though nothing like as good in proper mud.

I think Im gonna try the BGR – probably 2024 Spring or late summer. I think next year is too soon as I’d like to (a) recce each leg beforehand so that navigation isn’t an issue and familiarise myself and (b) possibly do some support runs if possible so I can call in the favour?

I don’t have any running mates and I’m probably going to join a new running club by the end of the year (Trawden AC or Clayton le Moors Harriers) so can put the word out there but getting a running mate and support team will need sorting.

Obviously the next thing is proper training and staying injury free

If anyone from STW massive wants to join in then that would be amazing (im currently Barnoldswick but possibly moving to Barrowford, Nelson)

2024 will be my 47th year (*shudders*) so not many bites at the cherry, and a failed attempt with a load of support team isn’t too appealing!

Need to purchase a waterproof for mandatory kit for an upcoming ultra. Looked online at Innov8, Raidlight, OMM, Montane, Rab, the list is endless! Experiences appreciated!

@fingerbang I live in the lakes. I do 90% of my fell running in Inov8 Trailfly G270 (used to be called Terraultra). They’re tough, light, grippy and last well. I’m on my 5th pair, normally get 800ish km out of a pair, which I think is good for lakes running. I’ve tired all sorts of other shoes (most of the Inov8 range!) and always come back to these. I think of them as the Maxxis Minion of running shoes…

My Decathlon waterproof is excellent.

@cat69uk
To my mind there’s two things to look at with a waterproof for the ultra
1. Are you actually going to wear it?
2. How much do you want to spend?

I’ve got a montane minimus stretch – It’s a good jacket, gives me a bit of time to protect me from the weather and weighs naff all so goes in the pack most runs regardless of the weather. The hood is f*****g annoying in the wind if it’s not up because you can’t put it away. I do like the jacket, but it has limitations.

@spawnofyorkshire exactly what I was thinking, ideally you never wear it, but want it to be of use when required. Plenty of OMM Halo + at about £125 which seems good kit, favouring them at the moment.

Still no running for me (since early May) – I have tried rest, tried stretches, tried running on it (on the advice of a physio) and tried light weights exercise. None of it has worked so asked the GP to refer me to the hospital for an x-ray as I don’t have full mobility in my right knee (although I seem to have strength) and I get significant discomfort when first moving in the morning and when trying to get dressed/undressed etc. The doc thinks it may highlight something or it may be the standpoint of requiring further investigations. I hate not being able to run 🙁

I would have bought that OMM but i got my montane for £75

Advice needed, yet again.

I’ve got a local 10k trail race in seven weeks time. I ran it last year in 1:00.59 so I need to knock at leas 59 seconds off my time this time round as I was gutted to be so close to the hour. The race is 10k with about 300m of climbing.

I currently run about three times a week. Usually 5km-7km each time, usual pace is around 6:00/km. I usually aim to do one faster 5k, one hillier run and a longer one if I get the chance.

What’s the best way to get quicker in the next seven weeks?

What’s the best way to get quicker in the next seven weeks?

Intervals and/or hill repeats. At least once a week for the next 6 weeks. Take it easy the week before the race.

very much a virgin runner here after being talked into doing the local 10k at the end of october by my lads girlfriend. she wants to do it with me and is about a minute faster than me per km which is quite a bit really.
ive done 3 runs, 5k first, 7k a couple of days ago and 8k this morning, all of them at just over 10km/h, so at present wouldnt break an hour. thats going to be my goal i think.

problem (for me) is its sooooo boring :D. i tried my earphones this morning but they lost connection after 2 songs for some reason bahhh.
ive been putting deezer and strava on, then heading out the door, but if anything goes wrong i cant fiddle about with the phone mid-run. is there a watch-type jobbie that would match my android phone and allow me to check at a glance what pace im running per km, and fiddle with deezer say?

i guess there’ll be something thatd sync with strava but not too sure about music.

thanks

@mogrim what’s the best way to do intervals or hill reps?
Is it just a case of a minute on/minute off for intervals or something like that?

The closest hill to me is 0.5 miles and climbs 384ft according to Strava. In all honesty I struggle to run up it at the best of times so not sure I’d manage reps on it 😆

what’s the best way to do intervals or hill reps?
Is it just a case of a minute on/minute off for intervals or something like that?

Loads of options, but they’re all basically variations on a theme – do a warm up, then it’s hard effort, recover, repeat. Cool down. Current thought (based on research) is that you need to do at least 10 minutes worth of hard running – cumulative, so doing the minute on/minute off 10 times would be a good starting point. If you’re doing them on the flat the hard efforts need to be faster than your goal pace. For recovery I generally do a gentle jog, I find that if I stop completely the next interval is a lot harder.

I do hill repeats on a hill near me, it takes just over a minute to run up. I then jog back down to recover. Repeat 10 times. I take a slightly roundabout 15min route to get to it, which is my warm up.

If you want to add variety you could do a pyramid workout – start with a 2 min interval with 2 minutes recovery, then 1:30, 1:00, 0:30, and then go back up again. Or do longer intervals. Or base them on distance, not time. Lots of options 🙂

Thanks, I’ll give them a go.

What do you eat for breakfast on race day? And when to eat before a race? (Half marathon)

I posted this earlier in the thread. Key is you are working at high intensity with a recovery in between. Need to be hard but not at your max. Also vary the session to make it more interesting. If you do it in a group be careful to focus on yourself and dont run too hard/easy…

I do a similar session every week. This week:

w/up about 15 mins
3 min Tempo, around 20 seconds slower per mile than my 5k pace
1 min recovery
The below 6 times
2 min at 5k race pace
2 min recovery
15 min w/down

I also try to add a session in at some point of sprints. say 10 x 150m accelerating to full speed, this can be tagged on to the end of a 4-5 mile run and as I get older (im 57) I find my basic speed (I ran 25 secs dead for 200 and sub 54 for 400m when I was much younger) is disappearing.

Rest of my week is steady running with a longer run on Sundays to make up about 35-40 per week.

Does anyone else suffer recurrent acute nail bed infections (Paronychia) from runs?
I’ve slowly upped my distance to 10ks, my dodgy knees are fine, but I’m now on my second infection in a month. Last one cleared up fine on its own.
Doesn’t look like ingrowing nail, and I don’t cut them short. Both times on the same nail (big toe).

Shoes are super comfy, loads of room for my toes to waggle, no blisters or anything similar.
Halp!

Key is you are working at high intensity with a recovery in between. Need to be hard but not at your max.

Definitely. Ideally (and this will never happen!) you’ll be doing the first interval at exactly the same pace as the last, and after that last interval you won’t be capable of doing another at that speed. You can’t set out at max, as by definition the next interval will be below that. The first interval should feel (relatively) easy, the last should hurt.

As winter approaches I’m after a running jacket.
I’ve had a couple before but struggled with them as I get really hot when run and they seemed to hold the sweat in.
I guess when I’m looking for is something light, water resistant and very breathable. It doesn’t need to be fully waterproof, but enough to keep the rain and wind off on longer and slower runs. Anything short or fast I just wear a baselayer and accept I’m getting wet!
Spotted the Harrier Exmoor as a start point as their other trail gear is good, but very open to suggestions.

London marathon at the weekend – the goal was to keep my championship start qualifier, and not much more, I certainly wasn’t going to be anywhere near a PB, so just wanted to tick the box for next year.  6 weeks off with various niggles verging on injuries, then about 2 weeks training wasn’t exactly optimal, but I did think that I could get round in under 2:40 without too much difficulty.  A friend who ran 2:20:08 in Berlin last week was pacing a girl he coaches to around 2:37, so the aim was to sit in with them for as long as possible. This was me filming him on his GoPro coming over Tower Bridge

All good fun and feeling fairly controlled until around 20 miles in, where I drifted off the back, and it was a painful last 5 miles, the last couple very much so.  My watch had gained an extra km around the tall buildings of Canary Wharf so I couldn’t trust either the distance or pace, but looking at the mile markers and my time, I thought that I was fairly comfortable to sneak inside my goal time.  2 km to go, and I was pretty sure I had 9 minutes to cover them in, but considering my splits, I think I read the time wrong and I only had 8 minutes and needed to pick up the pace more than I could manage.  Ended up crossing the line in 2:40:03, a crucial 4 seconds slower than I needed…

Right knee, which was giving me some bother in the lead-up is particularly painful now, but hopefully over the worst of Monday.  Certainly taking a few weeks off before trying to get back into the swing of things, and potentially target a half before the end of the year to get under the 72:30 champs qualifier, but I’d need a few more weeks of training to get the required fitness.

My two favourite windproof layers for running are the brilliant Rab Momentum pull on or (for a lighter and thinner option) the Patagonia Airshed Pro.

@lunge I can’t speak highly enough of the Gore ShakeDry fabric.  Crazy breathable, mega light.  A couple of manufacturers make jackets with it, Gore being one.  I wore mine for virtually all of the Thames Path 100 in horrid weather and it didn’t slow me down much 🙂

An early realisation of how breathable it is was running home from work one day, at a decent effort level, absolutely bone dry inside the jacket, but then discovered a really soggy train ticket in the chest pocket, which had obviously been subjected to a load of sweat passing through the inner surface.