All in on the Strava club.
All in on the Strava club.
I've been going for runs for a couple of years now and have never really experienced anything I'd classify as "runner's high". Some runs feel easier and you know it quite early on, some less so, but that's it. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.
I did however manage to get a bleeding nipple running 14km today. Burns more than I'd have expected, the bastard. Guess I'll have to tape them for long distances or pay more attention to the shirts I'm wearing.
I've never found running anything but a miserable experience. Weight training and long walkswith MancSeanin the countryside >>>>>>>
I think it’s just the way our brains are wired differently as humans. Two of my best mates were appalled at the idea of running and suggested a load of other shit I should do instead that they love but would bore the fuck out of me. Another loves it and has just pulled the trigger on some expensive shoes. Horses for courses I guess.
Good to see more people catching the running bug.
I'm starting training towards the Causeway Coast half marathon in September now. It's a lovely run, taking in the Giants Causeway on your way. I did it in 1:46:35, finishing 18th, in 2022 so I'm aiming to beat that. I've been mainly running 5-6k over winter so looking to ramp up a bit now and get nice and lean again before targeting those big long runs over what I hope to be a nice, warm summer.
Luckily I have never had the bleeding nipple thing, but a lot of people I know who run have told me this has happened to them!
The other one that seems kind of common that I've managed to avoid is the toenail thing. Luckily all of mine have always stayed attached. Long may that continue.
Tough going today after yesterday’s right result so tapped out after 20 mins at 3.3k. Ok with that as I’ve run every day since Tuesday now.
Drinking tonight and day off tomorrow so another sub 30 min 5k on Sunday is the target.
I’m combining this with removing shit from my diet and the weight is flying off - lost 3 pounds this week.
I usually damage my toenails playing football because I'm an uncoordinated, gangly creature and running can definitely worsen those injuries, though I don't think I've ever gotten one from running itself. I've got a pretty black toenail at the moment that looks like it should really come off any minute, but is hanging on for dear life.
I usually use zinc tape on my nipples and any hotspots on my feet I’ve lost 2 toenails and suffered some horrible blisters.
The Gower ultra I did was a learning lesson in looking after my feet on a 35 mile run a lot of it was over sand dunes and across rivers should have taken time to dry my feet off and removed the sand as best as I could at the check points but I ploughed on through.
Bleeding nipples are awful the pain is ridiculous but taping them up usually solves the problem.
Vaseline on thighs is a good shout to
Haha. It’ll be fine. Just wanted to get something in today as that would have been two days with nothing otherwise.
It’s knackering me but after getting over the hideous start I’m confident it’ll get less and less tiring as my body gets used to it.
Mid-week update.
Friday turned into a ludicrous night out which wrote the weekend off, with no running on Sunday as a result.
Monday 5k - 31:29 - Felt wrong all the way through but was on for a record pace at 4.6k when I suddenly hit the wall. Had to walk for a bit and then ambled over the line.
Tuesday 5k - 29:25 - Normal service resumed yesterday with a this time running pb. Rounded off the half hour by hitting 5.1k at 30 minutes dead too.
Wednesday 5k - 29:29 - Same treadmill settings as yesterday, so no idea why I was 4 seconds slower. Felt grim for the last couple of km's but bloody minded determination saw me through.
Weight loss is now up to 5lbs in about 10 days I think. Sub-29 minutes is the next target.
If you want to make your 5k's quicker it may sound slightly weird but increase your distance but run slower for a while once or twice a week.
Also coming off the treadmill and running on the road might help. I really struggle with pace on a treadmill and will be blowing out of my arse after 15/20 mins because the speed if just constant. Whereas on the road because I can slow down and push when I want/need to I find it at lot easier to have those consistent runs where I improve.
Yeah tempo longer runs mixed with faster shorter runs will help build your 5k speed.
I had a bit of an unpleasant one on the last, pre-marathon long run earlier. The 20 miler. The dreaded "wall". That hasn't got me in a long time. Such an awful feeling. The legs (and subsequently the pace) were gone from 15 miles onwards, I just couldn't get it back on track.
Although I did stick out to 20, which is something. I am a believer that the very hard/outright horrendous ones are worth more in the bank (as long as you see them through) than the easy ones. It builds the mental strength, which is the most important thing in many ways.
I don't fancy the idea of sticking another 6.2 miles on top of that in a fortnight though! I mean I've done it before, rationally I know I can.....I just can't imagine it right now.
Did my first outdoor run yesterday and it was much easier than I thought it would be. Not sure on time as I was using the health app on iphone to track the distance and being slightly distrusting off it I made sure I was well over the 5k, at 5.5k, which was four laps of the local park.
The stone paving was a bit harder on my legs than the treadmill, but the fresh air and navigating dogs, families and weirdos made it so much more enjoyable than staring at the same shit on a treadmill for 30 minutes. Will make it a weekly occurrence at least now, hopefully more if this weather ever gets its arse in gear.
Shame it took so long to get up to speed as there's a local 10k that I've done before and would love to do again, but it's in two weeks and entry is now closed.
Get a Garmin Yev, (or some sort of running specific watch, but I would very much recommend Garmin) you won't look back! Or a stopgap in the meantime the Strava app will track your route/distance via GPS.
And you are correct, the variation more than makes up for the impact on the knees and whatnot. The legs will just acclimatise to that anyway.
Just make sure you're keeping a rough idea of the mileage in your shoes and get some new ones when required. I used to be a big believe that was all bollocks and you could just run a thousand miles into a pair and they would be fine, but it's definitely not the case unfortunately.
I can't do it on the treadmill personally. I mean, I don't own one and don't have a gym membership, so I have no option to. But based on my limited experience in the past it's much better outside.
How long would a brand new pair of trainers last?
Back on the treadmill after work tonight and it’s a new this time running 5k PB in 28:49.
Best thing is that I started at 27 minute pace expecting to struggle to make it to 2k but somehow managed it all the way to 3.7k at that pace. So I now have a path to sub 27 minutes.
Depends on exactly what you are wearing but most standard running shoe’s will be good for 4/500 miles my last pair I worked out I’d done around 700 miles by the end and they were shagged. But some people will do 1000 or so in a pair.
Yeah I would say not to take them past 500 miles a pair ideally. Somewhere between 300 and 500 I would be looking around for a replacement. I've had pairs I have really liked that I have put more miles into, but then when I finally did change the feeling of wearing the new pair made it immediately obvious I shouldn't have been wearing the old ones that long.
Last year I run 1500 miles in total in the same pair of trainers wearing a 60 quid pair of ASICS gt express (sports direct usually having loads of them on sale) without to much trouble I wouldn’t worry to much about anything fancy to be honest, although I would size up and maybe go for. “D” width if you got hobbit feet.
If you start trail running then you will go through shoes much quicker I destroyed the pair of Saucony ultras after about 400 miles though.
If your looking for a way to track your runs and possibly going to be running for longer/further then have a look at the Coros Pace 3 around 200 quid on amazon. I’ve used mine for a 12 hour run and the battery only dipped down to about 70 percent also has breadcrumb navigation if you start using gpx files.
The Coros app also lets you click points on a map and will work out a route for you to run with the distance and elevation which is great.
The dramatic increase in temperature has made running much harder this week. 3.5k and dead on both Tuesday and Thursday before I finally made it all the way to 5k last night in 29:40. Day off today and back out to the park tomorrow. Looks hot tomorrow morning so no idea how that is going to go.
This weekend on Saturday I ran 10.5 miles as part of my training plan which I am following with the aim of increasing my mileage and possibly looking to do a marathon in the autumn with a time under 4 hours and hopefully more like 3 hours 45.
On Sunday I took part in a local 10k race just planning to use it as a bit of a cool-down/training run. Actually ended up running it in 51:22 which in some ways I was quite pleased with. But, I pushed quite hard for the last 3k but think I definitely could have started pushing around 800 metres earlier and I realised that if I had had a proper race prep week and not had a long run on the Saturday I probably could have quite comfortably gone under 50 minutes and realistically more like 48 minutes based on how I felt at the end.
Really enjoyed it though, first race I have done since I did the Brighton half marathon a couple of years ago which I ended up with an injury form so I am thinking about doing some more as part of my training over the next few months.
I've decided to enter a ten k with my bro in July in Salford with the "let's do this" lot. https://www.runthrough.co.uk/event/r...10k-july-2024/
Hoping to get myself up to sub 45 but need to get my trainers replaced asap.
First actual trail marathon on Saturday did the half last year and it was pretty brutal and with the quite strict cut off times on the full distance it be a test to see how much I’ve improved over the year I guess
2000m elevation 8 hours to complete it in with 3 cps at 7, 13 and 20 miles I know I can go the distance but I’m running this alone and it’s a lot of self navigation so going into it with the “if you don’t try you don’t know” attitude.
Finished couch to 5k last week so decided to go out and run a full 5k today. I'd only been running for 30 minutes rather than for distance and it was only at 4mph on my treadmill so I was expecting it to take over 45 minutes. Ran 5.3k (nearest marker for the halfway point was just over the 2.5 mark) in 34:08. Had a little walk break as I was turning and there were also a few sets of traffic lights I had to stop at.
Well pleased with that given how long I was expecting it to take me.
Well done Boyd.
Running still going well and got my this time running 5k PB tonight at 27:23. Done a few longer runs but when I can consistently hit under 28 mins for 5k I'll push onto 7k and then to the big one.
Weight still coming off and lost a stone now.
Fairly sure I had Covid the week before last as I was completely out on my feet. First run back last Monday was 2.25 miles and I was fucked. But cranked out a 5 miler tonight and planning on 10k tomorrow.
I’ve actually been trying to lose weight the last 4/5 weeks and I’ve lost just over a stone from 13st 10 down to 12st 9. With the idea of improving my running. At the minute I’m at a calorie defecit of about 600 calories a day so pushing myself hasn’t really been doable. Once I hopefully get down to 12st or just under I’m going to increase my calories up whilst being mindful of what I eat, hoping that knocking the best part of 2 stone off my weight might make a considerable difference to my speed over longer distances.
27:23 again this morning. Finally feels like I’m getting to or in the much easier stage of running now.
I'm sore all over today.
To break away from the running.
I've decided to up my step count the last few weeks in an effort to lose more of my body fat.
Decided on a minimum of 8k two weeks ago, upped to 8,500 last week and it's now up to 9k for this week. Will look to go up to a minimum of 10k every day.
It's been surprisingly easy thus far, especially on gym days as I'll pace around between sets rather than sitting down, and I'm enjoying the walks I do on my non-gym days.
Hit over 15k the last two Monday's (I do a group Tennis session, although next week is the final lesson) and that seems to be about my limit. Although a good portion of that on those days is jogging/running around a tennis court which is pretty tough on my ankles and knees right now.
7k in 39:53. At 6.5k I thought I’d go straight to 10k, phoning in the last 3k at silly slow pace to dip under the hour mark, but 200m later I felt like death and and had to walk for a bit before running the last 200m to 7k.
Still, more progress
Ah, the wall.
I've ran a load of 5ks over the years (hundreds) but never once managed 10k. I hate running which doesn't help but I always tapped out in the 6-8k region whenever I tried to push on to 10k.
That's crazy that you've never run 10k. It's just a mental battle but just try and break it down into time, it's not that far.
I would pull your pace right back for anything longer. Slow it down and then you will find it a lot easier, once you’ve done a couple then look to speed it up.
I'm not bothered enough. Like I said, I hate running, it's purely a means to an end to have a not-shit cardio base for sports.
I'm basically same as Ben on this front. My weekly run is 7km, and the one yearly event I run is 8.4km, but I've never bothered to go further.
I really enjoy running but have no desire whatsoever to go beyond 10k once I get there. That 3/4 times a week will suit me fine.
Cycling > running.
I agree, but it is also a lot more time consuming.
Just did 30 mins on the treadmill in 26 degree heat without stopping for the first time since starting running again. 5.3k in total and hit the 5k at 28:10.
When the temperature inevitably drops I'll hit 10k no probs and reckon I'll push 5k under 26 mins fairly soonish
Long Course Weekend Wales (Tenby)
What a weekend signed up to the full weekend
1.2mile open water swim
40 mile bike ride
26.2 mile run
Absolutely shit myself leading up to the swim as I hadn’t got round to actually getting into the sea to swim at all and only had trained in the local swimming pool.
Got to Tenby on the Thursday night and went out onto the beach Friday morning to see what it was like actually swimming with a wetsuit on and in open water.
Swam 2km in just over an hour but all the time I was in just deep enough to be able to tip toe if I got tired..
18.00 rolled around and 2000 swimmers all crammed into the pen for a mass start which was fucking terrifying once I got going the the fear seemed to ebb away… seeing people being pulled into the rescue boats 10 mins into the swim sort of filled me with a weird confidence as I felt really strong, the first leg was against the current so felt like I was swimming on a treadmill and not actually moving but before I knew it looked back and realised I was so far off the coast now that I couldn’t hear the music or the cheers of the crowds and the only sounds were from the pretty high waves that engulfed me every few minutes..
Second leg was pretty easy to sight so managed a pretty straight line to the home leg, before I knew it the sounds of the crowds and music could be heard again then a small run to the finish line.
Possibly the most amazing feeling I’ve had so far from finishing something the last two years if I’m honest.
Saturday bike 40 miles, was have great fun on that lots of hills with fast declines think strava had my top speed at 45 mph before I’d start wobbling like a jelly then slow down.. I’d still be overtaken by the elites on these sections that were finishing off the 112 mile ride.. the speeds those lunatics reach are amazing !!
25 miles in and 3000ft elevation my chain snapped so I thought fuck it I’ll run with it till I reach a checkpoint.
Check point reached they said if I went about 5 miles to Narbeth there’s a bike shop there I could get a new chain so in for a penny in for a pound off I went google maps in hand only to get there and it was shut….so I run with the bike another few miles down a main road till I hit the road courses and thought balls to it I’ve run about 10 miles I’ve got a marathon tomorrow I’ll just bin it off and miss out on the medal☹️
Sunday on tired legs lined up with the sole intention of getting under 6 hours and a red carpet finish, first 13 miles in 2 hours 20 then the hills came nearly 2000 ft in the next 13 miles destroyed my will to live but managed to cross the line 20 mins faster than last year and get an amazing red carpet finish!!
Sunburnt and knackered but near enough a tri athlete now 😂
A multi-tool with a chain breaker and a few spare quick links is really essential gear for a long ride. The quick links alone might save you if you're lucky.
Sounds a mad weekend, and an even madder journey you seem to have been on since starting this whole business whenever it was.
#madlad
I'm a twit
Yeah I’ve learnt that lesson now but I really did go into this totally blind and didn’t think of the chain snapping I’ll definitely be buying gear that’s essential next time 🤦*♂️
I borrowed the bike off my mate and had done about 50 miles total in the last year on it and didn’t really think into it more than it’s a bike ride not much can go wrong besides a flat tyre. Stupid I know.
I despise heatwaves like the one we currently have round here. More than 27 degrees every day, even if you get up before 6AM it's usually around 20 degrees. I sweat like a bastard in normal circumstances, but going for a run in this weather I'm drenched within 10 minutes. No fun.
After holding at a 27:20 ish 5k due to the hot weather I felt it was time to push it today and hit 26:20 for 5k. Seeing you’re at 3.8k after only 20 minutes and hitting 4K by 21 mins were such good feelings.
Just need to stop being lazy now and go for the 10k.