Adam Easy Wishes Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 Shin splints are a fucking nightmare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 17, 2014 Report Share Posted April 17, 2014 2 questions for you seasoned runners.1. How do you keep track/ set your pace? I've been back at the gym and its easy on the treadmill but when I do run outside the gym I always seem to go bombing off even though I am not aware of it and then flag quicker than I should.2. During my 5k at lunch today I started to feel a pain up one of my shins. Could this be caused by the wrong trainer or bad technique or could it just be a strain? It feels perfectly fine now. Any suggestions welcomed. The only way to get an exact and consistent measure of pace is to get a watch. A phone is OK, but not as accurate and you can't just glance at it if it's strapped to your upper arm. If you're serious about running and like stats then a watch is a must buy in my opinion. You can usually get good deals on older models. Garmin have just released a couple of new ones so their old ones will be getting punted cheap now. If you're not bothered about exact measurements of your pace then you can use your phone and have it shout at you every few minutes, otherwise it's just a matter of getting to know your body and how it feels to run at a certain pace. Most new runners will run their long runs too fast. The pace you should be running a long, slow run feels frustratingly slow when you first do it but an LSR shouldn't be about speed, just getting miles under the legs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scorge Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 (edited) Is there such a thing as 'runners block'? Finally back out 3 times a week at shorter distances, but feeling very heavy, slow and struggling. Beating last year's BH time feels like a massively tall order.... Edited April 22, 2014 by Scorge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Not in response to your question (coz I've no idea... i'm a noobie) but I'm now blasting through my morning runs with energy to spare (2 miles). Again, it's not a lot but if you could have seen me doing 2 miles a few months ago you'd laugh. Thinking about getting serious with it and buying some 'gear'. What are the essentials? I've got a great pair of trainers but I just wear a pair of trackies and whatever t-shirt comes to hand. Wondering if there's a good thing for holding my phone, good sweat-proof earphones. Weather will be getting warm so anything that keeps you cool. Suggestions welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Weather will be getting warm so anything that keeps you cool. Suggestions welcome. Avoid cotton or anything that doesn't dry quickly. You don't have to spend a fortune. Would go with a technical T shirt designed for running (these dry quickly and "wick" sweat) and a pair of lined running shorts (no need for underwear). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Is there such a thing as 'runners block'? Finally back out 3 times a week at shorter distances, but feeling very heavy, slow and struggling. Beating last year's BH time feels like a massively tall order.... Happens to me all the time. Coming back from my long injury felt like running through sand. Can also happen on the first run back after being ill. Usually doesn't take long to feel back to normal, anything from a few days to a couple of weeks of solid running should do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSJ81 Posted April 22, 2014 Report Share Posted April 22, 2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 23, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Not in response to your question (coz I've no idea... i'm a noobie) but I'm now blasting through my morning runs with energy to spare (2 miles). Again, it's not a lot but if you could have seen me doing 2 miles a few months ago you'd laugh. Thinking about getting serious with it and buying some 'gear'. What are the essentials? I've got a great pair of trainers but I just wear a pair of trackies and whatever t-shirt comes to hand. Wondering if there's a good thing for holding my phone, good sweat-proof earphones. Weather will be getting warm so anything that keeps you cool. Suggestions welcome.Well done! I agree with Chris re: tech t-shirt and lined running shorts. Things I could absolutely not do without on top of the above are proper running socks. The double-lined ones in particular are great. Keeps my feet dry and helps to prevent blisters. My feet seem to blister very easily - it was always really bad in my football playing days but the running socks help a lot with it. That said, if you're sticking to 2 miles on your runs, it's probably not massively necessary. AND - I don't think everyone suffers from this blistering thing in the same way as I do, so could just be an added expense that you don't need (cos they ain't that cheap). Can't help with earphones though I'm afraid - I run to the sound of the chirping birds and sometimes arctic lorries. Again though - well done on keeping going and on making vast improvements! It's a great feeling! After my 9 days or so of no running a few weeks back to try and get my calf back in shape, I'm now on week 3 of getting back on it and it's going great again. The first week back was really tough going actually. After just over one week of no running, my legs were so heavy and stiff even after just an easy 30 minute run. I managed to do a shortened version of the hills session the next day, then rest day, then 30 minutes easy, then a progressive run, then a recovery run on the Saturday. My legs only started to feel okay on Sunday! Last week was a different story though. Ran 4 days in a row, including a cracking hills session and a good threshold workout. Rest day Friday and then 60 minutes easy run on Saturday which came out at sub 8 minute miles. Ace. So far this week, I've done an easy 30 minutes (came out at just over 8 minute miles) then an absolute beast of a hills session yesterday. Basically running up and down a fairly steep hill for 6 minutes, 2 minutes recovery 4 times. Ended up running up and down the hill 16 times over the course of the workout. Really tough, but good! 45 minutes easy planned today, then 60 minutes easy with 15 minutes of threshold (sub 7/mile) chucked in, recovery 20 minutes on Friday then first ever Parkrun on Saturday. Soft target is to go under 20 minutes, but with one eye on going sub 19. Will see how it goes...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted April 23, 2014 Report Share Posted April 23, 2014 Cheers lads. I'll go to the running gear shop and have a splurge I think. It'll give me that extra boost to keep at it because I'll want my money's worth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Went and ran a hilly 6 miles last night at a bit below race pace and got round in 50 minutes dead (http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/486357194). Did it to see what shape I was in before the Baker Hughes so I'm pretty happy. If I don't get under 50 mins for the 10k I'll be really pissed off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Went and ran a hilly 6 miles last night at a bit below race pace and got round in 50 minutes dead (http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/486357194). Did it to see what shape I was in before the Baker Hughes so I'm pretty happy. If I don't get under 50 mins for the 10k I'll be really pissed off.Good work - haven't looked at the profile etc but if you call it 'hilly' I'm sure it is actually hoorin' hilly...Baker Hughes is flat so surely it's on.How are the legs? Have a crack at Parkrun tomorrow morning and see if you can go sub 24? That would be a great indicator you're in sub 50 shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Good work - haven't looked at the profile etc but if you call it 'hilly' I'm sure it is actually hoorin' hilly...Baker Hughes is flat so surely it's on.How are the legs? Have a crack at Parkrun tomorrow morning and see if you can go sub 24? That would be a great indicator you're in sub 50 shape. My parkrun PB is 23 mins I think (set ages ago) and I feel faster than I did then. Got a leaving do tonight so not planning to do any running tomorrow. The route wasn't as hilly as some of my runs. Just to Crathes Castle and back along the railway line, but the path up to the castle is uphill all the way and the return leg on hill of Banchory is a steady hill too. Nothing major, but enough to add a minute or two per mile to my pace. The slowest splits from last night were 8:57, 8:29 and 8:28. The 57 included walking up some steps and crossing the A93 and the other two were the hilliest bits of the run. The first mile was 7.50 and it's all downhill. I've run it in 7mins before so could have done a 49 minute 6 miles if I'd pushed harder but wanted to set off slow as I had a headache and a dodgy stomach. Plan for next two weeks is lots of proper hills and club training then take it easy with some light running the week of the race. Once Baker Hughes is out of the way it's into Half Marathon mode and starting to attack that 2 hour mark and maybe get close to 1:50 by the end of the summer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Right - if you feel faster than 23 minute shape, then you should definitely be able to crack that 50 minutes. Possibly smash it. Richard Keys style. And fuck yeah - sub 50 and you'll be all over the sub 2 hour HM. I'm starting to wish I hadn't entered the HM at the end of May and just entered the 10k instead. I think I could swing a swap to 10k if I could be arsed sending them a sob story. I can't decide. The calf injury a few weeks ago has meant building back up again and the longest run I've done since March is probably not even 8 miles. I now don't have time to fit in any runs longer than that with Parkrun this weekend, Benromach 10k 2 weeks later, then Baker Hughes, then it's HM. Hmmm... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Went and ran a hilly 6 miles last night at a bit below race pace and got round in 50 minutes dead (http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/486357194). Did it to see what shape I was in before the Baker Hughes so I'm pretty happy. If I don't get under 50 mins for the 10k I'll be really pissed off. Jesus... I have a long ways to go. I timed myself for the first time this morning - 2 miles in 16 mins and that was as fast as I could manage. I was utterly fooked 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Jesus... I have a long ways to go. I timed myself for the first time this morning - 2 miles in 16 mins and that was as fast as I could manage. I was utterly fooked That's the same pace I was running. Add another mile like that and you've got a 24 minute 5k... If you can do 8min miles over 2 miles then try doing one longer run a week at a 10-11 min/mile pace . That's how you build distance. Start with 4 miles, or 5 if you're feeling good. Don't worry if you have to walk bits. Time on your feet is more important than speed for these sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Exactly what Chris said. Smashing 2 miles as fast as you can is "speedwork" really. It will take you a long time to get any quicker without injuring yourself without adding in some longer runs. 8 minute miles is a decent lick by the way - a benchmark of sorts. To build on what you've already got, Chris's advice is bang on. Try slowing down but running for longer distances. 10 minute miles would be the absolute fastest if you're top speed for 2 miles is 8 minute miles. Don't make the mistake that pretty much everyone makes (me included!) early on of trying to run at your top speed and just increase the distance. It's demoralising at best and leads to injury at worst. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 Yeah, good advice. I wanted to do 3 miles this morning but was pushed for time so I figured fuck it, i'll book it for 2 and see what happens. TBH at the moment, i'm more about just getting my heart rate going and getting out of breath more regularly than i'm used to (otherwise known as 'exercise' I believe) rather than honing my running - the running part i'll focus on next. I timed myself more out of curiosity today but I think i'll start being a bit more strategic with it soon - like you suggest, try keep a 10 min mile pace and increase the distance, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 The other good thing about adding distance is the more miles you do the faster you get. One of the easiest ways to get your 5k and 10k times down is just to do more long runs. Sure, eventually if you want to get really fast you need to add interval training, sprints and hill training to really get big improvements (the old adage of you can't run fast in a race if you never run fast in training holds some water). But for the majority of runners upping the mileage is the biggest way to improve your times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarmaTsunami Posted April 25, 2014 Report Share Posted April 25, 2014 So, I finished the Couch to 5k last year and was really enjoying running around Newtonhill/Muchalls and then I started doing interval training at the gym and just fucking hated it. I stopped and haven't really been out running since, despite a few half-hearted attempts to get back into the C25k thing. However, I'm going to make next week the one where I go out and do the first three runs and hopefully that means I'll get back into the habit proper. I'm determined. I really want to run a marathon next year so I need to start training soon and maybe do a few races between here and there. I'm not fussed about times or stats, I just miss the enjoyment of it. Living where I do in Tillydrone I can run along the Don at the moment but wonder if anyone in the city has any recommended routes that I can start from where I am so when I actually get onto longer distances I'm not stuck running on/next to roads. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 26, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 19:34 for the parkrun.Pleased with that in the bloody wind!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 26, 2014 Report Share Posted April 26, 2014 19:34 for the parkrun.Pleased with that in the bloody wind!! Well done! That's a bit brisk! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scootray Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 3 weeks to go until Baker Hughes. My training hasn't begun yet, bar the couple of runs a few weeks ago. I was playing a friendly game of 5s 2 weeks ago and sprained my ankle quite badly, but looking to get back out on it this week, possibly today. Football is definitely off for the next few weeks as I seem to have a tendency to get injured, which I can't be risking. 19:34 is speedy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ca_gere Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 A guy at my work had been raving about these vivobarefoot running shoes. He's an ultra marathon kinda guy so I figured he'd know his shit and id been considering getting a pair at some point. They're 100 quid plus though. Walking my dog yesterday I go past a mexican family having a stoop sale (a really common sight where I live) and there's a pristine pair of vivobarefoots just sitting there. 4 quid I paid for them and they fit perfectly. So chuffed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gladstone Posted April 27, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 Wow. 4 quid!!Be careful running in barefoot shoes - break them into your routine very gradually. If your feet/legs/body are used to the cushioning from normal running shoes, it will be a totally different experience/impact etc.I've been gradually reducing the cushioning over the past 2 years and now have a pair with zero cushioning but run 30 mins max once per week in them at the moment. I have slightly fallen arches apparently so I need to be careful of creating problems with neutral running shoes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted April 27, 2014 Report Share Posted April 27, 2014 Yeah you need to start slowly with barefoot/minimalist shoes. Your feet will feel battered and your calves will fucking hate you so do no more than a mile or two in them at a time to start with. Having said that I wholeheartedly recommend ditching heavily cushioned shoes. It promotes good running form and I feel better with light shoes than heavy ones with inches of padding on the heel. I don't run "barefoot" but have switched to shoes with no or very little "heel drop", basically the height difference between the heel and the toe. Again it promotes good form (landing on the front of the foot instead the heel) and the shoe is lighter. I still like a little bit of cushioning though just to save my feet feeling battered, especially in my trail shoes for the rough stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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