Now there’s next to zero chance of me competing in anything, hack squats can get to fuck. My gym owner who trained us loves hack squats as a supplementary exercise; he’s not wrong, they are excellent bang for your buck but I don’t think anything else has made me puke as much outside of sandbag runs.
Do hack squats give you the benefit of both squats and deadlifts then? I used to do both but found it 1) a little bit much when trying to fit everything else into my regime and 2) tricky to get on the squat racks at the gym. In fairness the gym has expanded now.
I could possibly get on board.
Nothing will compensate for regular squats. Having the weight on your shoulders makes it a complete total body exercise. No doubting they’re great especially when looking for extra volume, but they’re not a “level one” exercise like back squat and deadlift.
I'm a twit
That is a really fucking dumb exercise.
11 miles Christmas morning, followed by 5k yesterday to get the lactic acid out of the legs.
This wind completely sucks any joy out of running though it’s just horrendous.
Agreed, wind is the only weather that will actively put me off going out for a run. I mean rain isn't ideal but once you're wet you're wet and that's it. Wind is just constantly demoralising throughout.
Been a while since I posted in here, not sure why I’m even really updating my progress here but as last year came to a close I’d managed
Run 1800 miles swam 6 miles cycled about 150 miles in the summer
Exercise hours over 400
211 days active doing at least 1 hour of exercise
Lost 6 stone
I’d planned on signing up to a half iron man but the cost was ridiculous 600 just to enter plus add on fees booking fees by the time I’d book a hotel food etc was looking at close to a grand for one event that was less than 60 miles away in Swansea..
So I decided to basically do my own.. went over to the local pool swam 2km got on my bike and went off for 40 miles then got home put the bike in the shed and run 13 miles easier than actually doing the Half iron man but still fun to complete.
This year has started off amazingly entered the Chepstow half marathon which was my first 13 mile run a year earlier managed to take nearly 50 mins off my previous time and came in around 2 hours 10 mins.
Last year my first mile I managed to run without stopping took me 17 mins 22 seconds
Monday night during the mile speed test with my running club I managed a mile in 7 mins 37 seconds.
This Sunday is my biggest test yet and I’ll be honest I’m shitting a brick I’ll be at the start line of Run,Walk,crawls 10th anniversary of their Brecon to Cardiff Ultramarathon 45 miles.
I did want to get down to 16 stone for this but a family holiday and Christmas set the weight loss back a bit so I’m hovering around 18 stone still.
I’m planning on running an ultra every month this year and to complete the Pegasus Slam April I’ve signed up to BigMoose charity ultra which is 7 days after I’ll hopefully completed the 40 mile Pegasus Cannum Ultra🏃💨
Hopefully I’ll manage to stay as injury free as I did last year so fingers crossed.
Seriously impressive - amazing the gains you've made.
An ultra every month? Fucking hell.
My hear rate has lowered from a resting rate of 79 to 46 now which is quite impressive I’ve got a picture of me finishing my first 10k to me running my first ultra or it’s during one of the trail marathons I did the difference is quite startling.
Not sure how you upload a picture on here otherwise I’d show.
One of the best things of all this though is the feeling of walking into a clothes shop and just picking something off the shelf without having to try it on and knowing it will fit instead of scouring Asda or the like for something in xxxl
Awesome stuff man, keep it up
Upload to Imgur and then post it here.Originally Posted by Andrew
The minefield of 3XL indeed horrific. As is the new minefield I'm in which is the fact that I seem to be between sizes for shirts right now.
https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1UHo...F0MXFiOW4wNA==
That might take you to my instagram account basically full of pictures from some of my runs etc
Actually that’s a link to a reel I made the before and after picture is the last one that pops up.
Fair fucking play lad.
Thank you.
46 is a great resting heart rate. When I was at my fittest I was always around there but recently creeped up to 51/52 as I do more weights. You've inspired me to go for a run today 👏
Completed my 2nd ultra Brecon to Cardiff 44 miles in 11 hours
First 26 miles were my fastest ever think I cleared that in 5 hours 30 mins or something conditions over Brecon were awful but managed to get a 90 min gap between the cut off times for check points 1 to 4 managed to then keep a average pace of 13 minute miles up to mile 35 I think then my legs were gone made the mistake of sitting down for to long at the last check point in my defence the hot dogs and coffee were top notch!!
Knew I had around 2 hours to make the finish line and with it being only 5 miles away I basically hobbled back to the finish line.
Made another mistake at the end didn’t get changed into dry clothes straight away instead headed to the cafe and bought a coffee met up with some of the other runner's I’d met along the way, then I think I got mild hypothermia as I couldn’t stop shaking so hobbled to the car and sat there with the heating on full blast pulled myself together and headed home.
Few blisters on my heels inner thighs feel like someone’s rubbed me down with sand paper but the weird part is which I didn’t expect is the places I’m aching and it’s hammered home where I need to focus a lot more on..
Ab and stomach feel like I’ve done a million sit ups arms and shoulders are in bits but all in all I’m not in to bad a shape!
https://ibb.co/myPVDSK
Recently started running again and my shins are killing me from about 2km in. Relatively normal for that to be the case when I've picked it up before after a period of inactivity for the first couple of goes, but I must have (tried to) run about 8 times now and it's still happening.
Any ideas? This better not be one of the many benefits of getting old. I like running.
Have you got a good pair of running shoes?
Running shoes is the big one. But how far are you running? Maybe worth cutting down the actual distance as well to get used to running again.
Thanks for the tips gents. Changed tack and went for just running until it hurt and then stopping. Day on, day off arrangement since then and just completed 3km in under 20 mins without stopping and seemingly minimal pain.
Pathetic time and distance I know, but feels like genuine progress from the absolute disgrace I was in the post above.
The endorphin rush is sooo good.
I feel like something in me must be wired wrong. I've never had this endorphin rush everyone speaks of. Only ever exhaustion.
Gonna try get back into a running rhythm, maybe head to some park runs.
I've a couple of friends who say similar so I don't think you're alone, for me it feels like a warm tingly glow over your body if that helps to narrow the feeling down.
I’ve only really got a rush from running when I’ve completed a distance I’ve not done before.
Burst into tears completing my first marathon then my first ultra I was elated crossing the line but then broke down having food in the hall afterwards.
Right then. I’m cranking up the mileage now did 12.5 miles on Monday. Half marathon this Sunday and then a 2 hour long run the following Sunday.
My normal half marathon pace is 1.50 to 2 hours but my last couple of long runs I’ve found really fucking hard and I’ve hit a wall around 7/8 miles even though for example I pissed a 7.5 mile speed run on Wednesday this week.
Ideally that 2 hour run in a weeks time I’d like to be doing 14 miles or so in that time.
What can I eat/drink prep wise before my long run to stop myself hitting the wall and should I be saving things like energy gels for about half way through the run only. I’ve been taking one before my long runs but I’m wondering if that’s causing me to go out too hard(which feels fine at the time) then I’m crashing an hour in.
Finally hit 5k without stopping, clocking in at 32:25. Still a long way to go but first target achieved. I’m never getting as unfit as I was again.
I'm really struggling on my runs at the moment and it's probably due to my trainers just barely having any padding. I'm no where near 4 minute kilometres anymore which makes me sad.
Yeah my last pair I think I ended up doing about 700 miles in and I realise when I replaced my trainers at the end of January that the difference having trainers actually doing what they should be doing is unbelievable. The feeling for the first 2/3 weeks was like running on clouds, I'm about 200 miles into them now and can already feel the difference but I'm not going to leave it as long to get my next pair.
They're cross fit trainers (cheap) so I can literally feel stones under my feet. I want to get some of those cloud Hoka running shoes.
Right, after fighting through the pain barrier I can now 'run' 5k every time and dipped below the 30 min mark at 29:42 this morning and it no longer hurts at all. The human body is an amazing thing. Loving it and need to keep it up now. Would love to get to the stage of running 10k 4 or 5 nights during the week and then having the weekend off.
I'm on week 5 of couch to 5k now and I've got the single 20 minute run coming up next.
Those Brooks running shoes I spent what I thought was an obscene amount of money on were worth every penny. My ankle is fine and they feel like running on clouds.
I really struggled with couch to 5k. The stop start nature of it really didn't sit well with me and I even ended up pulling a muscle in my chest, which having never felt before made me think I was having a heart attack.
It's been harder this time due to never having been heavier or more unfit when I started, but the "run Forrest run" approach seems to have worked again.
Did the stopping and starting lead to you pulling a muscle in your chest?
What was your "run Forrest run" approach? Just run as far/long as you can and then go a bit further/longer each time?
I assume so, but will never know for sure.
Yeah, basically that. Everytime I've started before I've walked/run again after a breather to 5k, but I had to just stop when I was starting out this time as (due to being so fat and unfit) it was actively damaging me trying to carry on.
Talking of which, it's absolutely insane that we celebrate fat people at all in society - I feel physically sick every time I look at myself in the mirror. Fair play to those who don't, but even on a practical level it's just horrible being that overweight.
I feel like I'd give up on the running part too soon and start walking if I just left it up to how I feel. I like the structure of the programme so I can tell myself "I just need to run for X more minutes and then I can walk again".
Going from two 8 minute runs with a 5 minute walk in between (the last day I did, week 5 run 2) to one single 20 minute run seems like a big jump though.
That's just women though, isn't it? And it's all bollocks really, they just want to look like good people. That's why you see so many of those inane GOTCHA videos floating round, like this:
Nobody - apart from Baz, because he's a sick pup - thinks Lizzo looks good. Which is why they all took it as an insult, despite calling her "a 10".
Keep those running trainers on Yev. Yasssss king.
My current approach to running is trying to incorporate a slow longer tempo run in with something a bit faster and shorter (oo er). All a little pointless though as I'm having a knee op is a few weeks which will reset it all.
Whats the knee op about? I've done something funky to mine. Over the phone physio seens to think it's muscular and that 2 weeks off with a subsequent rehab programme of bs exercises is going to get me back but I'm fucking fretting here.
Nice one. Thinking back to when I started out you've honestly cracked one of the hardest bits.
Now you've got the 5K down you will be surprised how relatively easy the jump to 10K is. One day will just feel good and keep going and it won't seem like much of an effort at all.
Honestly, compared to going from no running at all to cracking 5K without stopping doubling up to 10K is an absolute piece of piss. You will get it in no time.
Cheers Alex, I've periodically run before so the feeling of getting to this stage knowing that's the hardest bit done was immense. I think the fastest I ever did 10k was just under 50 minutes but today's 5k in 29:42 felt a million times more satisfying given how hard getting back into it has been this time. I fucking love the feeling when you get far enough in (usually around 3.5k for me) that you KNOW you've got it. The stitch isn't coming, the legs feel fine and breathing is good. Elation all the way to the end even if it's still hard.
And you're bang on with it getting easier. When I was properly fit in my 30s (running 10k 4 or 5 times a week) I was only ever really interested in doing 10k, but one day I just kept going and got to 16k before stopping. I was getting bored and having hit 10 miles I figured that was enough but it's always stuck with me how much easier it was to keep going than I expected.
I'm gonna run a few more 5ks this time, aiming to get the pace down to sub 29 or 28 minutes and then start extending the distance gradually at 30 minute 5k pace. I want the first 10k I do to be in under an hour. Anything else just feels a bit lame.
I ran once. Makes you think.
I've created a run club if you want to be even weirder and more boring about running. https://strava.app.link/OmXMEPS0TIb
You should try making a decent post once.
TTH Meet 2024 doing a 10k in Izmir?
Totally agree going from nothing to 5k is the hardest steps you will take.
Couch to 5k is harder than going from a marathon to your first 50k or even longer distance as by then you have built up a certain mental resilience alongside the fitness needed to do it.
Keep going though sign up for a 10k or a half marathon to keep pushing yourself.
Absolutely this. The "runners high". I always thought that was bollocks that runners just told non-runners but it's definitely not.
When you hit a stride and it all clicks, you know that not only have you got it in the bag but you're actually enjoying yourself in the process. It's very satisfying when it happens. At the risk of sounding an absolute cunt it can be quite a meditative feeling at times when this happens, I find. I honestly feel like I do a lot of my clearest thinking when I reach this point, it's not unusual for me to go for a run just to think a problem through.
Anything Strava related, I am there.
It has to be?
I've asked Copilot to make a logo for the group and I think it's smashed it. AI is taking over.
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