Be Excellent To Each Other

Lets have a running thread. Who runs? Have far do you run? Can you run fast? Do you have the runs? Does curry bring it on?

I hope it's not just me and MrChris otherwise this will be a slow, crap, thread, because I don't even like him that much.

Since the marathon I've run once, in a 10k. Since then I've sat on my arse and my legs have turned to playdough. I'm deferring my place in the GNR to next year although the London Marathon 2009 ballot results are out in a month, and so if I get a place it'll be all pistons go.

Seperately I've got my eye on a 10 mile race that I did last December (and came last in!) that I might go in for again, just to see if I can improve on my previous time.

Fuck you, buddy.

I still haven't got around to starting running. I'm still very interested. I need to visit my local running shop, as there's no chance I'd bother trying without wearing comfortable, running-specific shoes.

I'm still in the walking stage. I do 3km at 6kph at the moment.

Come on then, how quick do you go?


Decent walking pace, that. A minimal jogging pace is only 8kph, so you haven't got far to go until you can fap your way around 5k. After that you can do a few low-key 5k races and focus on building the time. Tis' what I did back at the beginning, and I never came last

The only way I would do the unseemly thing of running is if someone is chasing me with a chainsaw.

Cycling FTW.

I am a runner. I have done 4 marathons - only one of which went well, Edinburgh last year - some halves, a few 10s, lots of 5ks and some oddities in between, and am a member of my local club. We're not the best club around - far from it, in fact, priding ourselves on including anyone and everyone who's interested, and on being friendly rather than off-putting, which suits me well.

That said, there's a good group who are a bit quicker than me which really brought my running on - having joined in November I caught them up and was second home for the club in our half marathon championship (bear in mind many many other people beat me, but I was second of our lot) at Fleet in March, then got injured so am just getting some pace back. Reckon I am now where I was late last year, so with luck I can get back to my Feb/March form only without the pains.

I run at club nights on Monday and Wednesday, try to do a longish run at the weekend, and help out/run at the free 5k time trials (several of them around the country, a bit focused on Surrey at the mo, where they started, but there's one in Brighton, Leeds amongst others, and they are highly recommended if you want to get quicker - http://www.parkrun.com/).

As for quick - well, no, not compared to the quickest, but I'd hope/aim to be in the top 10% of most races.

I don't do any running (anymore), but I've started cycling the 12-mile round-trip to work. So far I seem to be doing OK, but I could do with a better bike.

When I was running I was only managing about 3 miles (usually took me about 30-35 mins). Slow eh?

Fuck that, I quite like my knees

Is that why you shaved your head Myps? Less drag?

It was one of the reasons. Not drag, but the faff of washing/drying hair at work.

Well that's pretty bloody quick then

I have yet another website where I log all my running times and whatnot. Sadly unupdated for quite some time.

They get stronger. Feel my mighty knees!

10 K: 01:00:57

See - now that's just annoying. Come on - 58 seconds for the big round number and glory!

Dude, I've been trying to crack 60 mins for 10k since I started. That one damn near killed me. So close yet so far, although the course I run for that one is 5k gentle uphill, then turn around and 5k back. Perhaps on flat I'd be (would have been - Ed) faster.

Mrs Chris and I have done 10k in about 52 minutes.

I used to run 5 miles a day, in about 40 minutes

I currently run 4 miles three times a week, at about 28 minutes.

Leisurely pace, really.

Mrs Chris did the London Marathon in 4 hours, but I'm not so stupid as to try running such an unnatural distance.

Something of a myth, the idea that running harms knees, but it'll definitely exacerbate anything that's already wrong with them.

http://www.pacesetters.com.my/resource/articles/wc_knees.htm

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-241-285--12232-0,00.html

I did the St Albans Half marathon in 1:53:28 two years ago which wasn't particularly pleasant given the stinking heat of the day and the lack of shade on the route. My chosen rehydration beverage of Summer Lightning didn't work particularly well either.

Haven't done another event since then, but still get out occasionally, I find road running incredibly dull which doesn't help - would like to get back into orienteering and maybe a bit of fell running though (harbour an ambition to compete in the OMM formerly KIMM at some point).

Must work harder on moving to somewhere with hills to go and gad about on - suggestions for well paid jobs in the Peaks welcomed.

I'd rather take all of the health benefits of running rather than worry about my knees.

I wimped out of that last year - not that I had a place, just a friend of a friend lost his running partner at the last minute and I could have bombed up there and had a go at it. I've since nattered to said f of a f, though, and he's a bit quick and I'm a navigational nightmare, so he'd have ended up a little frustrated.

I'd still like to have a crack at it, but possibly just the 'B' or (is there one?) 'C' event. One of the useless beggars from work did the B last year and if he can...

UNFINISHED BUSINESS.

Set route classes are Elite, A, B & C and then there are the Long, Medium and Short Scores - if I can get my Nav back up to speed I'd really like to get involved in score class at some point.

I used to run a bit, never competitively but I'd have a jog down by the canal a couple of times a week. That changed when I moved into London, as I much prefer running through countryside than through streets, but I had a 3 mile jog last week down the Regent's Canal to Limehouse and really enjoyed it. Fuck expensive trainers, mine came from Sports World or some similar awful chav haunt, and cost £10.

Well, this is good timing. I have recently started jogging, from complete scratch. Having a little difficulty motivating myself at times, as I don't seem to be improving at all.
I am jogging about 2.5 miles in 25 minutes, not exactly speedy, but as I say, this is from scratch. I don't have a watch to time myself on.

if they put a football in front of me i'm an excellent runner. I've always been the fastest guy in the class. It still amazes me that without any sort of training, every now and then i play football, and i'm still faster with the football than the other without it.

It takes a while for much improvement to come - and often it's so incremental that it's hard to look back and really see how far you've come, though you could always go full spod and keep a log (quite good for motivation, too - ooh look, I ran 3 times last week. Just one more this, then). That timing sounds pretty fine; if you want to improve, vary it, so try one day of intervals (shortish bursts, say 400/800m quicker, with rests) or a tempo run (try the middle mile at a higher pace, then a nice slow end) and one that goes longer - say going up to 4 miles. And no machismo going for the burn (not that you seem like the type, in the nicest possible way) - if you struggle at all with a longer run then make it into a run/walk, where you run for x minutes, walk for y and be strict about it.

Once you can do 4-5-6 miles then experimenting with routes gets easier, because you can be more confident that you'll get back without conking out, and then you can vary things more, doing the odd short and sharp one and some long slow ones.

He's not your buddy, guy.

He's not your guy, friend.

Fuck off my thread, pal.

Where were you, JBR, with all the handy running advice when I was busy killing myself in April?

Ooh, you know - Paris for the marathon, then hobbling injuredly.

I used to be a dead fasssst runner, over sprint and medium distanced. But that was when I was 14 I haven't done any proper running in ages. I keep wanting to get back into it, but because I haven't done it for so long there's that inital metaphorical hill to climb. I'm sure you'd know what I meant if I graphed out "Effort vs Results". As in, it's a massive effort to run round the block twice currently and it just leaves me knackered and foolish looking

Heh, yes. That's why I plan on doing it at night, all in black wearing a balaclava. This is foolproof.

Thanks for the tips JBR. I am trying this plan actually. I am (aiming for) 2/3 times a week on my normal, relatively flat route. Then once a week on a longer 5 mile run, although this has only happened once so far (I only started 3 weeks ago). The main problem I have is my right calf aches for days after running, even with loads of stretching, I think I must just run strangely.

Have you been to have your running assessed professionally? Presumably if you're warming up/down properly, it's probably in the shoes or you're some sort of spaz.

Who the hell would be interested in assessing my running?

I think it is probably because I have always had a dodgy left knee so favour my right leg considerably. In muscle size my right leg is about an inch greater diameter than my left, so I think I must jump off that more or something.

I looked into my local running shop, and they assess your running, apparently for free. They measure your feet, have a look where you put most pressure on your feet, and record a video of you running on their treadmill in several pairs of shoes (probably not all at once) to give you advice, or something. It sounds quite interesting, and apparently any proper running shops should do this.

FTYFYFYTYFYFYFYFFY

I could have said that, but then I'd be an acronym* twat


* acronym is an adjective now, FYI.

Since when was Gait an acronym?

Erm, since unresearched ignorant assumptions were the basis of fact. I sure fucked that one up!

Oh, okay, I think I have a running shop near me. Well it is called sweatshop, I have obviously never been in there, but it is either a running shop, or child labour camp.

The sweatshops are usually running shops. Teddington one is deputy-managed by a very nice man from my club, in fact, and they certainly do analyse your gait there, but then that's the flagship shop.

Calves are weird, though - seems like everyone gets tight calves, and despite the battery of stretches available, none of us can exactly fix them.

I have had a lovely run tonight - 5 sets of 1 mile interval runs, with 400m jogs in between. Didn't think I'd complete it on the second, but did and now, ahhh, the air is rushing through my lungs and my body is ready to say "oy!" tomorrow.

I have a calf stretch I use that, since I started using it, has eliminated the problem completely.

It's almost impossible to explain via the medium of text however. If anyone is interested, I will try

Oh and for my exercise contribution I went to the gym and as usual nearly passed out from exertion.

I'm interested, even if it does end up tying me in knots to try and understand. Try me (tie me).

Basically:

You find a nice vertical wall, and place one foot against it so the foot is also vertical. This is impossible unless you have bionic joints, and so your other leg needs to be back, and your front leg bent to accommodate the angle of the foot. Here is a diagram. Fear my mspaint skills.




The stretch comes, and comes on hard, when from this position you keep your foot flat, but lean forward, making your front leg more vertical, like so.



I hope this makes some vague sense. With the foot vertical, trying to then 'stand up straight' really puts a lot of nice stretch on the muscle.

It's the only one I do, and it works for me!

Definitely makes sense, and I will give that a go tomorrow, ta, along with a few others for to stretch out my arse muscles. The muscles around the backside, that is, nothing to make access easier or owt.