Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

xdcx said:
Yeah you have definitely got the bug!
Joining a club and running regularly with others will do amazing things for your running, nothing fancy, your mentality towards running just changes, you have both people pushing you and people pushing to run with you. People underestimate the effect of running in a group, it is fantastic.

There is a reason the Kenyans trains in massive groups. Reason all the top runners you see on the telly train in groups. It works, at any level. Mentally and physically it will better you as a runner. So get into a routine with these clubs, get to know them and stick at that, it will do great things for you.

You are a healthy weight, I am honestly not wanting to get into weight and running, it's such a touchy subject between runners especially. All I will say is the more miles you do, the more consistent training you do, you are going to lean out and drop weight. For your longer stuff, if you want to run fast you will need to drop weight but please please please do not take this as me saying "LOSE WEIGHT", all I am saying is this is going to happen if you train the way you plan and want to, you will lose weight, healthily. Do not fear this and no matter what I say, you will worry, but try not to worry about weight. You might sit now thinking what is he talking about, but you will see once you start hitting limits of your natural ability and are training past these, stupid things like weight start playing havoc with you. Don't worry about it!

56bpm resting, that will come down as well. Start doing a check of that each month, I love me some stats and it is good to keep track of this. Last Sunday of every month or something like that take it when you wake up on the morning and are relaxed and chart progress of this. Max HR is a funny one, I don't think you will hit 192 based on experimenting with many people in my group, but some people have really weird HR's, you might be a freak of nature! If you are keen to get your actual max and have a HR monitor let me know I'll give you a wee session to do to find your nearest approx max HR.... Mine was actually 192 measured during V02 and lactate threshold testing but I have never ever got it over 189 in actual training even during balls out 200's, I have tried, but cannot achieve my physical max so it's all relative in a way.
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Cheers again. :)

Will definitely be joining a local club, going to go along this week hopefully on Wednesday and hopefully they'll be a quick group there so I can do a tempo run possibly or at least close to one.

And in terms of weight I've been around a stone heavier before and can definitely tell the difference being lighter now and being just over 12st I guess I at least have a bit more to play with when it comes to wanting to get even quicker over the long distances.

And I'll try and find my heart rate monitor as do have one somewhere but moved in September and like many things it's been misplaced. Not overly fussed by stats at the moment but as I take it even more seriously going forward I have no doubt I will do!
 
branddaly said:
well I think I may have torn my calf again.... goddammit. Next appointment with my Physio is next week, so will get a full assessment from him then. Not as severe as last time, there is no hematoma, and I can walk on it fine, so maybe I'm just being overly cautious.

Had a slight twinge before my long run, massaged through it, and was fine for most of it. Just an occasional twinge, and I'll admit I feared it tightening up, but it didn't. However after the run it felt a little tight. Worked through it with my sprint stick. By the evening it just felt really sore, but has not affected walking. So I'm not totally sure if there is damage, or I've just bruised it myself massaging it. Holding off running, and any weights using my leg, until after the physio session.
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Hope it's good news at the Physio. Felt any better over the weekend?
 
IndigoGorilla said:
Hope it's good news at the Physio. Felt any better over the weekend?
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Its feeling ok, I think I've over-reacted. Training is going ok, I guess I'm just waiting for something to go wrong. Physio appointment is on thursday, so I'll get his advice then; there is still some discomfort around the side of my knee.
It does at least act as a reminder not to take it too fast.
 
Smashed my parkrun pb on Saturday - 21:42. Very happy :)

Been doing more running lately in preparation for a tri in May and seem to have come on loads. Did have a good level of base fitness from cycling though.
 
Brighton Half Marathon is this weekend and I am looking forward to it, but I am struggling to treat it as the training run for Paris which is 8 weeks away and I have a ramp up to 20 miles scheduled in 3 weeks after Brighton, my current longest distance is 12.5 miles. The 20 miler is the thing I'm looking forward to the least!
 
Rob200sx said:
Brighton Half Marathon is this weekend and I am looking forward to it, but I am struggling to treat it as the training run for Paris which is 8 weeks away and I have a ramp up to 20 miles scheduled in 3 weeks after Brighton, my current longest distance is 12.5 miles. The 20 miler is the thing I'm looking forward to the least!
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I'm up to 15 miles tonight for my paris training - also not looking forward to the 20 mile mark but it has to be done! Luckily next weekend is a 'fast' 10KM. Doing the Alloa Half Marathon for my pre race, race

What plan are you following?
 
I've got a plan I gleaned off the Asics Website and fits in around my usual daily stuff. 20 Miles is on 15th March, which I am doing by taking part in the Lidl Breakfast run, then it starts to taper down for Paris.

The plan seems to work for me at the moment (thoughwe'll see after 15miles!) in that my times are improving but I'm also trying not to think too much about the times as that for me is the road to ruined knees :D

I need to sort my water intake out though, I have a drink before I go out for the long run but I know for a fact one bottle on the run (for a 12.5miler) is not enough, so I may consider one of those camelpaks or similar.
 
Got Blackpool half marathon on Sunday. Looking for some advice...

Unsure of how to pace myself. My long slow runs of 15-16-17 miles on the last three Sundays have been around the 5:40/km-5:50/km pace but this feels very comfortable (on my lungs) but my body does ache after the run. I know I'm tired and I've done something when I've finished.

I ran a 10k in 45:11 in November last year and have been pretty consistent with training since, although less 'speed' work this year, just been putting in the miles.

How fast should I run? In my mind I feel like I should be able to get round in about 1:45 and be happy with it, think that works out around 5:10/km.

Should I start running at 5:30ish pace and run a solid negative split? What if I feel absolutely knackered at the halfway point?

Just looking for some advice. Cheers. :)
 
Bear with me in this post... a few questions.

1. What do you guys use to merge 2 Garmin Connect files? I've tried GPSBabel but that didn't work and one on a website that doesn't work. Went for a run tonight with the aim to calibrate my "new" footpod. So calibrated it half way through my run but had to stop and reset the current activity, I know have two activities that I want to merge. Why Garmin doesn't have such a feature I don't know :(

2. First run tonight since my Half in October. Have a blister on my right foot on the left side of the ball. Unsure if it's socks or shoes, do you guys use any particular running socks? It seems stupid to me that I've never really paid any attention to this properly since starting running.
I think it may be time for new shoes too, how do you tell it's time?

3. Really need to invest in some head lights.. was really creepy running through the local nature reserve/park tonight :D Anything recommended? Been fancying these Ay Up Lights for some time now and they'd double up for my MTB'ing.
 
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rhysduck said:
Bear with me in this post... a few questions.

1. What do you guys use to merge 2 Garmin Connect files? I've tried GPSBabel but that didn't work and one on a website that doesn't work. Went for a run tonight with the aim to calibrate my "new" footpod. So calibrated it half way through my run but had to stop and reset the current activity, I know have two activities that I want to merge. Why Garmin doesn't have such a feature I don't know :(

2. First run tonight since my Half in October. Have a blister on my right foot on the left side of the ball. Unsure if it's socks or shoes, do you guys use any particular running socks? It seems stupid to me that I've never really paid any attention to this properly since starting running.
I think it may be time for new shoes too, how do you tell it's time?

3. Really need to invest in some head lights.. was really creepy running through the local nature reserve/park tonight :D Anything recommended? Been fancying these Ay Up Lights for some time now and they'd double up for my MTB'ing.
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I have X-socks, they seem to do a good job of stopping heat spots on my feet, and I don't get blisters from them. In fact only time I've got blisters from running was due to a pair of Adidas Supernovas with the seam rubbing right against my little toe, so not really an advert for any socks really.
As far as new shoes go, I get a new new pair at around 4-500 miles, but then rotate with the original pair until the originals start to get holes/start to feel off (sore achillies, tight calves etc). I stop using the old pair and if the niggles stop then they get retired from running.

For night runs (which has been a while) I use a headtorch. Nothing special, just an LED Lenser one. I'll also take out a small hand torch sometimes.
 
rhysduck said:
Bear with me in this post... a few questions.

2. First run tonight since my Half in October. Have a blister on my right foot on the left side of the ball. Unsure if it's socks or shoes, do you guys use any particular running socks? It seems stupid to me that I've never really paid any attention to this properly since starting running.
I think it may be time for new shoes too, how do you tell it's time?
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More Mile London socks are my fave. Three pairs for ~£10 from their own website or Ebay / Amazon. Happily saw me through half and full marathon training last year, still wearing well.

Shoes I change once they start to hurt. Pre-Garmin I reckon I've got some Nikes with over 1000 miles clocked up. Still okay but bits of the sole are falling off so they got retired.
 
I bought some new shoes in January and the lad in the shop reckoned you want to be replacing shoes after 600 miles (max). Granted he's probably been told that to encourage more sales but I wouldn't go as high as 1000.
 
I replace after about 500/600 miles. They are done after that for me and thats very light on my feet mid/forefoot strike. For people with a heavier stride and landing heel/mid their shoes would be even more beat up after 600 miles. Put 600 miles on a pair, then put a brand new shoe on one foot and the 600 mile shoe on the other and you will be pretty schocked at what you feel!

I rotate shoes a lot for different runs but my generic mileage Nike Pegs I was putting about 220 miles on them per month. So it gets pretty damn pricey! If you are only doing the odd run, a pair of beat up shoes won't ruin you, but if you are running consistently 4/5/6 times a week on tired and repairing muscles, do not take the chance, you will get injured using shoes that are done for so take the wee wallet hit, that's better than getting hurt physcially.

Just avoid being the guy who claims beat up busted shoes are fine and get away with it for months and months to then be the one who eats your own words. I have seen it happen to countless people in my group, every time it's the same "I shouldn't have been using those shoes". Avoid learning the hard way! :)
 
Good news from my physio, my calf isn't torn. Just knotted up to buggery. You know those martial arts movies where the person training randomly decides to kick the proverbial out of a tree trunk? My leg now feels like that tree. I thought I was hardened to deep tissue massage, but he really had to work through, and I was whimpering like a puppy.

So in the theme of the recent conversation, time to rotate my shoes and see if that helps (present pair on only just on 400 miles). Also will lay off climbing for a bit, as that tends to put a huge amount of strain through my legs (and yes, I did go climbing two days before my calf flared up, but its always easier to blame the running).
 
After an Achilles that left me unable to run for 3 months my 5k time has gone from 20:48 to 28:40. Thats a considerably bigger drop that i was hoping for!
 
Also did a half marathon yesterday. Great North West, absolutely atrocious conditions. 1:47. Happy with that, really tried to push myself and it went pretty well!
 
Sorry if it has been covered but what are some decent running shoes that go up to size 13? Dropped 5 stone so far with just the cross trainer, I want to start using the treadmill and eventually run outside.
 
Plenty of options in size 13 - if you search on Sportsshoes.com for size 13, that returns 200 results.

However, it's impossible to recommend a particular pair. Shoes that are great for me might cripple you. A visit to a good local running shop (avoid the "fashion" sport shops) would be a good start - they'll usually video you on a treadmill, be able to recommend what sort of trainer suits you (neutral / cushioned / support etc) and try them on the treadmill.
 
Done something today I've wanted to try for a while - I ran to work.

Hungry when I got to work though, had to have my normal porridge pot and a bacon cob an hour later.
 
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