The Annual Running thread – beginners/ultras/whatever

Bloody cold today eh 😯
And windy down here, QECP was quiet early on so nice to rattle around virtually on my own except for the few Dog Walker types.
Bit boggy in parts, damn cold on the old section of the SDW to the north of the park, them normal sloppy clay on the southern side.. nice and loamy in the forest cover (and this is really why I come here a lot) 11k up and over and in and out..
Lovely.
Sun s shining and did I mention the cold?? 😆

Started running August 2016 after taking my wife to various running events and thought I may as well have a go as being stood watching. Did too much too soon and ended up injured for 6 weeks but started again and built it up slowly.
Just turned 59 and mainly do Parkruns and a few 10ks, my 5k pb is 23.36 and 49.07 for 10k, I know I’m not fast but I really am loving it and this thread has inspired me to get out there and try and push on and keep improving.
Just signed up for two No ego torch races in Dalby Forest which sound like great fun, anyone else done them?

Well while we are talking injuries this morning I managed a stupid one. I slipped and fell in the shower catching my side on the side of the bath. Oh does it hurt, prob cracked a few ribs. The annoying part is that I have been on call last week so looking forward to running outside! Boo indeed.

Discovered these spikes for running on ice – Stabilicers Run[/url].

Big advantage is that they have replaceable spikes/studs.

Also other models available.

You will lose little if you dont run today and wait until tomorrow but if you run today then lose 10 days through injury, that is a big deal.

This, +1000.

You could try these for ice: https://www.zavas.com/product/115583/crampons/crampons-city-track.html Pretty sure Decathlon has something similar but I can’t find the link.

Cheshire xc champs for me on Saturday in Delamere forest. I’m slow and old but had a decent race with some good battles. Came in ahead of a few people that normally beat me. Today a real soul run on the hill with lots of frost and crisp air. Scrambled up the gully on the front of the hill and fannied around taking pics. 7miles and 1200’ of climbing, coffee and poached eggs for breakfast. Happy days.

Orienteering shoes have metal studs in (for traction on wet wood, but I’ve found they work well on ice)

https://www.compasspoint-online.co.uk/product-category/orienteering-fell-running-2/footwear-for-orienteering-fell-trail-running/orienteering-shoes-metal-studs-dobbs/

I really need to get on top of my running this year, although my move to Vancouver may interrupt things a lil.

I managed to get out today and did a muddy 9km, with some parts that you could barely walk through, and really enjoyed it. It was a slow 41 minutes (my best 10km is a fraction over 40 minutes), but I’ve done very little running in the last month or two, and the conditions didn’t help.

aracer – Member
epicyclo » I think something with the same sort of spikes as I have on my bike tyres would be ideal.
Orienteering shoes have metal studs in (for traction on wet wood, but I’ve found they work well on ice)

Thanks. I never thought of checking orienteering stuff. They look good.

I’d prefer with replaceable studs though. They’re no doubt better than what I’m using, but I’m only getting about 50km out of what I’ve been using, so I’d hate to spend that much on a pair of shoes and wear the studs out in say 200 km, ie a month to 2 months use.

I can see a bodge coming up. 🙂

A wee 5k pre-work run this morning at 7, was -4 and felt every bit of it!.

@epicyclo – Nokian do orienteering “boots” that have replaceable studs. Not sure where you get them these days.

Epicyclo – Have a look at Kahtoola nanospikes.

Surrey XC Champs yesterday, no over-distance problem, our 12km race was actually 11.5 🙂 I go better over the longer stuff, the 5 mile league races are a bit fast and furious for me.

4th man home for our club in 17th, part of the gold winning team. 4th time in 5 years now 😀

Only issue being snapping 2 spikes out of my almost brand new shoes.

Hoping for some warranty sympathy

Cheers, Rich

As mentioned on the ‘Sub 20 5k thread’ on Saturday I managed a 19:59 at Preston Parkrun which was quite pleasing. Yesterday I did the first of the (bloody excellent) Kendal Winter League fell races at Scout Scar and was 39 seconds and 7 places faster than last year. I’m enjoying the ego massage while it lasts..

7miles and 1200’ of climbing,

That’s pretty normal for me (live in Calderdale) even a run to the canal and back (5miles) saw us climb 700ft. I could do with some flattish running tbh

Going to try out with a running club tonight. They look like a sociable bunch and do a C25K programme.

A lot better – what you have probably aren’t good quality steel, the studs in O shoes are tungsten carbide and don’t tend to wear out – I’ve certainly not heard of people having problems with that and personally I’ve got a couple of years of use out of them before the shoes fall apart rather than the studs failing. Though it may depend on what you’re running on – lots of tarmac will doubtless wear them quicker, I don’t normally do very much of that in O shoes.

aracer – Member
epicyclo » I’d prefer with replaceable studs though. They’re no doubt better than what I’m using
A lot better – what you have probably aren’t good quality steel, the studs in O shoes are tungsten carbide and don’t tend to wear out – I’ve certainly not heard of people having problems with that and personally I’ve got a couple of years of use out of them before the shoes fall apart rather than the studs failing. Though it may depend on what you’re running on – lots of tarmac will doubtless wear them quicker,

No tarmac, but lots of rock.

However that sounds reassuring.

I’ll check out how wide they go – I need a really wide fitment.

Local XC race (Peco race in Leeds, Roundhay Park) yesterday for me.

Tried the set off fast and try and hang on approach as it was only 4.4 miles. Ended up being start fast, die in the middle, recover a bit, die again. I hate these short runnable races and they hurt so they must be doing me some good?

This weekend I am back to more familiar terrain. Running the Trigger fell race this coming weekend. Nice 24 miles from Marsden to Edale across the tops in some nice wintry conditions.

Got halfway up Mt Battock yesterday until ice/snow/ice/snow combo made me quit.Did 4 miles this morning and it was -7 when I started so I did it in a primaloft waistcoat. 😳 I am “racing” at Hedgehope this Sunday, anybody else?

Injury update: looks like 8 weeks off for me. Nothing obviously broken (I like my physio, I don’t like going to A&E so we’ll have to go with that level of assurance) but 8 weeks is a conservative ‘consider yourself injured’ time as the ligaments have been somewhat traumatised. Still gives my dodgy left knee time to recover as well 😉

Moved the Half to April. Determined to do it even if it means being a little slower than I would like. Then I’m retiring. My body is clearly rejecting running!

First park run on Saturday. Lloyd park in Croydon with a fairly average 30,09 mins. Great fun but dear god was it slippy in places, especially getting up and down the halfway hill! Any suggestions for some slightly more offroad / trail suitable shoes that wont get destroyed if i use them on the pavement as well? Or is better to have a pair for each?

Generally off-road shoes have little to no cushioning so can be pretty harsh on-road, a short section of a couple of Km is fine but I wouldn’t use them for a road run. Conversely the cushioning of road shoes can lead to a platform type feel off-road. Some reckon you are more prone to ankle problems as a result. I always had separate pairs.

Proper thick mud/bog and tarmac is a challenging combination that’s for sure. I find my terraclaws are pretty good for less challenging mixed/road conditions such as you tend to get on many parkruns.

first run tonight with my local Sweatshop running community group. And I won!

(not really – was sensible and opted for the short route, 2 miles whereas the proper runners went out for a longer route. But among the old, lame, unfit and news year’s resolution / never run befores, I killed them. 17 mins for allegedly 2 miles, with a couple of pelican crossings on the way)

Depends how your running form is – if it’s good you can get away with less cushioning and if you do much/most of your running off road in low drop off-road shoes then you also get used to that and “normal” road running shoes feel like wearing high heels*. I’m not up with the current Inov8 range, but those Terraclaws look pretty similar to the Roclites I still use for mixed conditions like that – not what I’d choose for a long tarmac run, but they’re fine for a mile or two of it and work great on rock. Though if you just want a bit more traction for easy trails where stability isn’t an issue, then lots of options – I guess Salomon is probably the default option for decent cushioning with good traction.

* I bought some Salomon Speed Cross shoes in a sale a few years ago – wore them to run once and since then they’ve been consigned to general walking duties, found it really strange having such a high heel – if I was to do tarmac running I’d either use my low heel Inov8 road shoes or dig out some old racing flats

Don’t use SpeedX’s for road running.
They weren’t designed for that.

Well no, but in that case I’m not sure what they are for – heel is far too high for proper off road.

I was thinking more of the soles than the drop or cushioning. I’m happy enough in lightweight shoes on and off road and mudclaws are my usual choice for the latter but they are slow on tarmac and the lugs are starting to break up. (ok mudclaws aren’t actually light but low cushioning and drop).

I’m not entirely sure what to do. I will join a club and want to get sub 3hr marathon.

Beyond that more trail running and less injuries, either.look at shorter trail runs and 10ks, or go for ultras.

I suspect the former will fit in better with looking for a good marathon time, any comments? Ultras can wait…

I bought some Salomon Speed Cross shoes in a sale a few years ago – wore them to run once and since then they’ve been consigned to general walking duties, found it really strange having such a high heel – if I was to do tarmac running I’d either use my low heel Inov8 road shoes or dig out some old racing flats

I had a pair years ago and although they look the part I didnt think they were great.

Another option for studded ice trainers are icebug, Scandinavian brand not very common over here.

Some of those for sale in the link I gave earlier for orienteering shoes. They’re not really orienteering shoes (upper not all that tough), but presumably get sold as such because of the metal studs – there don’t seem to be too many options now Inov8 have stopped making them and moved into other markets.

cynic-al, depending on the club I suspect you’ll probably have to do most marathon-specific training by yourself anyway. If you want to do a good marathon, then just running as much as you can (short of injury risk and overtraining) is probably a good place to start. Run a lot, not too hard, with the occasional 10k to see where you are. Many find 3h to be a tough target, but it obviously depends a lot on natural ability and training commitment.

I find it so hard not to get competitive with my running.

I just want to run to keep fit, keep the weight in check and get some fresh air 2-3 times a week. The issue I have is I always end up trying to go further/quicker and usually get injured after 6 months or so.

I’m a stats geek so there is no way I can entertain not logging/tracking my runs on strava.

Any tips to keep my competitive nature in check?

Listen to podcasts? As an occasional jogger I used to find running hard work and struggle beyond about 20 mins. Once I stuck with it running more regularly for a while (even just twice a week at first) I found it much easier to cruise along for ever increasing distances without too much effort. Enjoy the views and relax a bit. Further or quicker occasionally is good but more important for a stable long-term habit is to get into a comfortable routine.

@djambo if you find yourself going too hard, have a look at MAF technique.

What is MAF?

Principle seems sound, get faster at a lower effort as opposed to getting faster at top speeds. Better long term apparently.

I haven’t stayed committed to it, but it has made me realise not all efforts need to be a hard effort to improve.

Definitely agree with the comments on Salomon SpeedX3’s.. Some folks (like me) love em’, some hate them.

As always with shoes it is important to get them to both fit and be comfortable, this is challenging when there are so many brands out there to choose from.
I like SpeedX3’s because they fit me, yes the heal is higher than most trial shoes and there is certainly a large amount of cushioning in that area. Quite why they’re so built up is a bit odd, and I’ve noticed on the latest SX4’s that the heal is lower and less dense.. so maybe after all this time Sal have taken on board what a lot of folks have been saying all along.
But SX3’s I have have been excellent, and continue to provide masses of grip and comfort. I’ve been using them for 4 years and maybe I should change Brands, but like most folks it’s a difficult decision when injury or lack of comfort may be the result..
However, further up in the thread I did mention I’ve bought some ON running Trail shoes and will be trying these out when its a dry day, until then I’ll continue to blat around the trails in my Sals.

djambo – Member
I find it so hard not to get competitive with my running.

I just want to run to keep fit, keep the weight in check and get some fresh air 2-3 times a week. The issue I have is I always end up trying to go further/quicker and usually get injured after 6 months or so….

I run for the joy of it not and no other reason. To get the best out of it running on hills is best IMO. Uphill gets you great views and you can work as hard or as easy as you like. Sometimes I’ll beast myself to “clean out the lungs”, but usually it’s a cruise.

I never run in town or on surfaced roads/paths.

I find carrying a camera with the intention of getting at least one good pic each day stops me slipping into an obsession of shaving off a second here or there. I also go off-piste a fair bit which adds to the interest of the run, and it’s amazing what you can sometimes see off track in the woods or heather.

I never run in town or on surfaced roads/paths.

I never run alone off road, ever. Only ever run around town this time of year, and streets that have pavements, houses and street lights.