Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

[Ian_Eb]

Well, the running in November is taking a slow start. Mainly due to getting horrifically drunk on Sat, falling over and heavily bruising my leg etc. On the plus side, I managed to miss the massive stone trough with my head and am therefore still alive!

Hurting less today, so hoping I can get going by the end of the week.

 

[Martynt74]

Ooh nasty, i was fairly drunk on Saturday too and i seem to have pulled some muscles in my stomach as i got bad pains there on Sunday night, but no issues in the toilet department. It's a weird one!

Found a run report from the run i've signed up for. It's a really good read and i'm always amazed at people who can remember so much after a run to write something up like that.
https://life.tomwright.me.uk/post/185654006562/benissa-perimetral-2019

Big issue in that is one of the guys in his group got medevacked off the mountain after suggering vertigo on the climbing elements..... Some scary looking pictures too. I've been in the mountaineering thread and got some advice on some scrambles to tackle in the UK to get some practice in.

 

[Somnambulist]

You'll find a lot of runners who'll often say that some of their best runs are when they can't be bothered and force themselves to go out, and feel they're running really slow and then look at their watch and realise they're hitting personal records, then other times they can be feeling great, running at what feels like a fast tempo pace, then look and realise it's slower than their easy slow pace.

I think that for those of us that don't live and breathe running it can be hard to get a real feel for these things. Obviously if it's your life and you have your diet/training absolutely nailed on it's probably a bit more consistant.


With the hunger thing it's a tricky one to advise, i'm not sure whether it's best to give in to that and eat, or whether if you force yourself to ignore it then your body will just get used to it. I'm gonna tab @Somnambulist in here, i know he doesn't usually appear but he always seems very knowledgable on nutrition so might have some good insight.

I’m not really sure what the question is!?

 

[Martynt74]

I’m not really sure what the question is!?

Sorry wasn't very clear, it was in relation to the post below around always feeling hungry due to increased cardio and whether it's better to just eat at those times or whether those cravings would reduce if you wait it out.

I have stopped my 5 minute warm up walk so that could be why as I am taking it steadier at the beginning of the run too. Glad it's not just me though thinking the body is a weird thing I need to curb the hunger though, since running I am just constantly hungry!

 

[Martynt74]

Timed todays run well. Got out during lunch and it was quite pleasant. Got home and the heavens absolutely opened to torrential downpours!

 

[hux]

Timed todays run well. Got out during lunch and it was quite pleasant. Got home and the heavens absolutely opened to torrential downpours!

Likewise, that's why I've gone and ordered me a shakedry jacket.
I'm not getting caught out like that again.

 

[Somnambulist]

Sorry wasn't very clear, it was in relation to the post below around always feeling hungry due to increased cardio and whether it's better to just eat at those times or whether those cravings would reduce if you wait it out.

Oh right. Yeah doing a lot of aerobic stuff seems to lead to increased hunger, which isn’t surprising because if you’re racking up the miles it’s pretty energy intensive. This obviously can be the undoing for a lot of dieters who don’t track intake as they burn a load of calories running then feel famished and eat them all back and more compared to someone creating more of a deficit mainly from just reducing food intake.

Unless you’re doing sprints etc you’re not going to be using much if any dietary protein, or breaking down proteins from fat-free mass either as a result of or to fuel the activity, so fasted/fed isn’t a big deal and is down to preference, and/or if you’re trying to lose/maintain/gain weight, how many meals you prefer to get that food in you, what time you like to eat and train.

If you’re a serious about performance and improving your ability to switch between substrate utilisation efficiently etc then it can matter more and there’s strategies for nutrient timing as far as carbohydrate cycling around training goes but I’d have to dig out my course materials as my memory is hazier on the aerobic training stuff as I’m mostly a gym rat.

 

[Bunko]

I personally feel I need to eat a bit better overall. I am eating better than I used to, the only vegetable I'll have is broccoli which I have every day now with eggs, meat (usually tuna, chicken or bacon) & rice but have begun eating more fruits as well like melon, blueberries, pineapple, grapes as snacks instead of crisps & chocolate. I know I should prioritise vegetables more but it's a start I guess lol. I've swapped all white produce to wholegrain as well (rice & breads). I've never been great with food and can happily eat the same thing every day which is probably a bad thing. I've wondered a lot recently if I'd benefit from something like huel?

Anyway just managed another run, that's week 7 complete 2 more weeks and I'll start the 10k training. Honestly it surprises me every time I finish a run at the moment that I'm still doing it and also that I'm... enjoying it!

 

[AndyCr15]

I know it might not be directly comparable, but fuelling while cycling was one of the things I learnt the most about, later into my cycling. As I started going further and longer, it's SOOOOO important to take on carbs. As has been said, I think some people try not to because the reason they're cycling is to lose weight, but actually, you need fuel to keep going. Generally anything over an hour and you want to take something on board. One gel is only about 80 calories and cycling an hour should burn 600 to 1,000, so a couple of gels an hour will still leave you with a deficit. Most of my rides are 3+ hours and include at least one coffee and cake stop. I will definitely feel hungrier later in the day, but this usually means just an extra bagel or bag of Popchips. All in, maybe 800 more calories, but I burnt 2-3,000 cycling. Also, my allocation for breakfast is around 700 cals and I usually only have some porridge before heading out, so I have 4-500 cals spare anyway.

 

[Martynt74]

I know it might not be directly comparable, but fuelling while cycling was one of the things I learnt the most about, later into my cycling. As I started going further and longer, it's SOOOOO important to take on carbs. As has been said, I think some people try not to because the reason they're cycling is to lose weight, but actually, you need fuel to keep going. Generally anything over an hour and you want to take something on board. One gel is only about 80 calories and cycling an hour should burn 600 to 1,000, so a couple of gels an hour will still leave you with a deficit. Most of my rides are 3+ hours and include at least one coffee and cake stop. I will definitely feel hungrier later in the day, but this usually means just an extra bagel or bag of Popchips. All in, maybe 800 more calories, but I burnt 2-3,000 cycling. Also, my allocation for breakfast is around 700 cals and I usually only have some porridge before heading out, so I have 4-500 cals spare anyway.

Yeah, i think anything longer than an hour needs a little more thought, but below that i don't think it's really needed. Maybe grabbing a banana before a morning run is an idea if you've not eaten but i don't worry about gels really unless i'm aiming for over 2 hours. As you say cycling is different due to the length of time you end up on a bike.

@Bunko something like Huel is fairly decent. I find that my meals tend to break down to Breakfast 500kcal/ Dinner ~500kcal/Tea ~700kcal. If i've done nothing then that's pretty much ok, with the odd apple etc thrown in. However if i go for a decent run then a Huel in the evening to add another 400kcal in makes sense. Still likely leaves me in a calorie defecit which i'm after for weight loss but doesn't leave me feeling too crap the next day.

I found when i started 2020 and was aiming to lose weight, but improve running a lot too that i was hugely under eating and it really affected my longer runs.

 

[Bunko]

Managed my first 5k today on the step up to week 8 of C25K. 5.08km (3.16miles) in 28 minutes flat with a pace of 5:30/km (8:51/mi). I didn't go all out, a little quicker on the second half but I'm quite happy I guess. It is pretty flat with the route I took which obviously helps, I'd like to be sub 25 minutes so hopefully training for the longer runs will help with that.

 

[SPG]

Good effort a sub 30 is nice time for your first effort, the PB`s will keep on coming as long as you keep at it for a good 4-6 weeks. Then you will hit the wall and have to step up the training for harder gains

 

[Martynt74]

Yeah. It bodes well for the future.

I managed an hour last night. First time trying consecutive days so not sure really whether it was a good idea to go out longer. Feeling a little swollen today. Tried to keep it really easy. Not sure if it's lost fitness or not but even slowing pace down to 11min/miles my HR was 155-160 which was annoying as i was consciously trying to keep that low.

 

[Bunko]

Cheers guys, it was nice to finally hit that 5k mark I must say, I was expecting it to arrive on 'Week 9' with the 30 minute runs. I just really hope I don't end up getting bored and stopping as that's usually my style with everything

At least you are continuing to make progress mate just listen to your body I guess so you don't overexert yourself. Might try and pick up a cheap smart watch to measure my HR as I am quite curious now.

 

[Martynt74]

Wow, i needed a new headtorch as the event needs one with a replaceable battery. At the moment i have a cheap £10 USB rechargeable thing from Amazon which to be fair has always done the job ok.

It's been tricky knowing which to go for. A lot of people recommend the Petzl Nao+, however at ~£120 plus a spare battery (custom Petzl thing - £55) it's a lot of money to be spending.

I saw an LED Lenser H8R on Amazon in the warehouse section for £60, plus it takes standard 18650 batteries which are cheap/small, it also comes with a 7yr warranty! It arrived yesterday and i had a play with it. Absolutely crazy the amount of light it projects on the high beam. I hadn't really considered i'd get much improvement in functionality over my existing torch but it's actually very impressive. Downside is that it doesn't fit the "Used - As New" description and there was some moisture in the battery compartment. Can't decide whether to just deal with it or return it for a full priced new version.

There's also the Nitecore UT32 which seems to get good reviews which is another option. Petzl also do a "Core" version which seems good and quite a bit lighter than the others which might be a positive.


Also got a new 10L rucksack coming today. I have a 5L one from Decathlon which has been fine, but it doesn't cope with much stuff beyond the hydration bladder and starts to get very "lumpy" when you start adding jackets/food. Have stuck with Decathlon as i just can't justify the prices of the Salomon/UD bags at >£100. I am however questioning whether i should've gone with the 15L version. I have goals for longer runs in the future and am wondering whether i'll just end up buying again in 12 months!

 

[Ian_Eb]

I would stick with the 10L and see how it goes. Adding another 5L might tempt you to put too much stuff in there. Also, if you wait, maybe you can get an app enabled one that you could then complain about on here

 

[Martynt74]

I would stick with the 10L and see how it goes. Adding another 5L might tempt you to put too much stuff in there. Also, if you wait, maybe you can get an app enabled one that you could then complain about on here

Haha there's the dream!

Good point about loading it up. I'm generally not a fan of carrying too much and i get annoying running with stuff in my pockets. With regular aid stations i don't think there's too much i'd ever need to carry. I was debating moving up to a larger sized water bladder, but 1L is probably sufficient in reality.

I'm debating trying to try out some running poles at some point. Should help to relieve my ankles on uneven ground if i can get used to them. A mate has some he uses for walking. They'll probably be heavy but should hopefully give me an idea if they're beneficial or not.

 

[Ian_Eb]

In other news, got on the treadmill last night and it was much easier than expected. Will take it slowly to make sure nothing goes horribly wrong before I venture back outside on my zimmer frame!

 

[Martynt74]

Dammit.

Wednesday night I debated a 10k but stopped early as thought it wasn’t a good idea.
Yesterday I saw a sports therapist to get some advice as to how safe it was to push on. He did something with an ultrasound and a muscle scraper which has really helped with the swelling.

Today I went out and felt good. Pushed hard up hills and took it easy on flats. My lap button went weird though and when it pinged for 6 miles I carried on a bit as wanted to hit a 10k this weekend. Sadly when I ended the run it was only 5.5miles.

Not not sure trying another one tomorrow is a good idea or not!

 

[Bunko]

That's a shame but a great effort! What are you using to measure your runs?