Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Update on the weight loss, I'm now at 187lbs, so lost 17 lbs since the start of the year. Its been a fairly constant 1.5 lb per week since the 2nd week. (lost 5lb in the first week). All my food, and drink (including beer much to my wifes annoyance), has been added to mfp, and its pulling in my exercise calories from Garmin. (Originally it was Strava, but Strava seems to overstate my calories.

The affect I was hoping for was the reduction in my heart rate so that I could begin to build up a decent base level of endurance. My resting heart rate is now 50, and my average for my last 5 mile run was 145, with the peak at the end of the run being 155.
This is a huge improvement from January where for a 3 mile run my average was 156, but the peak was 173.

Milage isn't increasing as quickly as I hoped, my calf is still being weird. It was good for a week after my physio session, but it nowfeels tight/pulling at the start of the run, but loosens up after a couple of miles. Working though it with a stick I can't find any knots. Not had anything quite like it so I'm not sure what is up. Might have to take a couple of weeks off and see it that clears (already stopped any weights that use my legs, and no speed/tempo runs).
 
Had a good week of running last week, finishing in a 10k PB of 48:13. Sub 45 should be my next goal i think, but that was tough on the legs. Of course the day after i get a sore throat and a temperature so that'll help with training :(
 
Could someone kindly check my running log? I have no idea what I'm doing. Just running, mostly at an 80% effort but randomly sprint or go fast near ends of runs.

I did a 5K today and didn't beat my PB despite upping my miles over the last month. I run barefoot/minimal so it's been hard upping the miles but I'm finally recovering fast enough to run once every other day. I think this week has been the only week where my legs felt good within one day after a run.

I was thinking about going back to this 5K program I started last October.
http://running.about.com/od/racetraining/a/intermediate5K.htm Back then I only got to week 4 because my legs couldn't handle it, a 10K made my hip hurt, or then my thigh, or foot. Now I can run for 20K I think I could handle it. Then I could benefit from an actual running program. Or should I just focus on upping my miles to get faster, enjoying the fact I can recover faster and start some real progression with mileage?

Here's my parkrun times.
http://www.parkrun.org.uk/hull/results/athletehistory/?athleteNumber=1183242

//---------------------------------------------------------Running Log 2015 (Missing 6 Months) -------------February
Week 1
02/02 Monday = 8 Miles [Asphalt / Concrete]
04/02 Wednesday = 5.5 Miles [Asphalt / Concrete]
05/02 Thursday = 3.4 Miles [Asphalt / Concrete]
05/02 Thursday = 1.5 Miles [Asphalt / Concrete]
07/01 Saturday = 3 Miles [Asphalt]
21.4 Miles

Week 2
09/02/15 Monday = 8 Miles @ 2 Hours (Pain in left forefoot) [Trail]
11/02/15 Wednesday = 5.7 Miles @ 1 hour (Pain almost gone) [Grass]
13.7 Miles

Week 3
17/02/15 Tuesday = 12.4 Miles (Slightly rolled ankle on sloped trail dodging a puddle) [Trail]
19/02/15 Thursday = 6 Miles [Asphalt feels hard/tiring after running on earth over a week [Ashpalt]
!!!Suspect dangerous inury in left foot, deep pain, no strength in left foot, hurts to curl toes up/down. Will be training on the bike for a couple weeks.
18.4 Miles

Week 4
27/02/15 Friday = 4 Miles (Recovery run after week off from suspect metatarsalgia injury? No parkrun tomorrow :( [Grass / Asphalt] + 1 hour ride
//-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
March
Week 1
01/02/15 Sunday = 8.6 Miles (Amazing progression run with two 400km sprints and ending in 1km sprint, feeling strong) [Asphalt]
03/01/15 Tuesday = 3.7 Miles (Blisters almost healed on left foot after 5 weeks. A little barefoot running, ground feels a lot warmer than in January. Go very very easy this time or more weeks off!
05/03/15 Thursday = 10.4 Miles (Windy day, a long run, calves feeling it this week, gonna spin legs out on the bike later) [Asphalt / Concrete]
07/03/15 Saturday = 6.4 Miles (5K Race + travelling there/back. 21:28, thought I would break 20 mins after upping my miles but there was 18mph wind, I was wearing a hoody, only had 6 hours sleep and my legs were still recovering from Thursday... Hopefully geuine excuses!
29.1 Miles
 
Trafford 10K today. New PB of 40.11 so that's 31 seconds off. :D

Played football on Wednesday which battered my legs so feel I can still do better hopefully when it comes to racing shorter distances again more often in summer. Fingers crossed.
 
Managed 17.5miles yesterday, however this morning my knee is crippingly painful to walk on. So naturally I've got it in my head that it's the ITB issue flared up and not post-17.5mile aches. I've got the 20 miler in Kingston this coming Sunday, I suppose I'll know by Wednesday if I'll be able to manage that or not, then it's taper time till Paris in April...arrgh!
 
Time for a week or two off. My leg is still off, right calf sore as hell, and slightly swollen after a slow 5.5 mile run. Some pain to the right of my knee, and into my thigh. really don't know what's going on with it. Next session with my Physio is the 18th, so I'm going to take a break from running either until then, or till the pain/soreness has completely gone.
Its gonna be a bit of a slog as I was enjoying the extra food :(
 
I recently took part in the Inverness half marathon on Sunday which despite the weather forecast being terrible turned out to be pretty good and there was sun (or at least no rain) most of the way round. Did anyone else run it?

It's the first time I've ever run that far, I've done a few training runs in the 9-9.5 mile region but didn't get as many long runs in as I wanted due to having a cold a few weeks before. The chip time was 1:44:05 and the gun time was about 1 minute more than that but I had no real expectations beyond wanting to finish in 2 hours or less. I don't know if it matters but my Parkrun PB is 21:41 (I think) so based on that is this good/bad/indifferent as a time?

I'm giving some strong consideration to doing more half marathons or 10k runs - any tips for bringing my time down?
 
Good running - time sould good and seems to tie up with your 5k time

Early last year when PBIng I was doing park runs in 19'14 or so and my Half time was 1'29 something

As for getting faster my recommendation is to join a local club cheap and excellent when training with others
 
Did my first Half yesterday, 13.5 miles in 1hr 45m. It's taken me 38 runs from having never done any running before, pretty happy with that :)

Can anybody recommend some socks? I currently run in Planet-X Thicky Merino socks (they're super pro for cycling), but my feet start to hurt at the arches at around 9 miles.
 
semi-pro waster said:
I recently took part in the Inverness half marathon on Sunday which despite the weather forecast being terrible turned out to be pretty good and there was sun (or at least no rain) most of the way round. Did anyone else run it?

It's the first time I've ever run that far, I've done a few training runs in the 9-9.5 mile region but didn't get as many long runs in as I wanted due to having a cold a few weeks before. The chip time was 1:44:05 and the gun time was about 1 minute more than that but I had no real expectations beyond wanting to finish in 2 hours or less. I don't know if it matters but my Parkrun PB is 21:41 (I think) so based on that is this good/bad/indifferent as a time?

I'm giving some strong consideration to doing more half marathons or 10k runs - any tips for bringing my time down?
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Well done man :)
I live in Inverness, been injured a while but we use the HM route as a part of our long run now and again. The day before your race last weekend was absolutely mental weather up here. I feared the worst for you all but on the day you actually got amazing conditions, especially for on the way out miles 2-4ish. Was very surprised and happy for all you guys running it considering the state of things on Saturday.

My training mate finished 3rd. He's never won it yet he's had a couple of 3rds and a 2nd but they are bad for bringing in 4th tier Ethiopians or this year won by the Eritrean boy who trains in Glasgow which is a bit of a sore spot for some guys at these races rightfully so.

UV said:
Did my first Half yesterday, 13.5 miles in 1hr 45m. It's taken me 38 runs from having never done any running before, pretty happy with that

Can anybody recommend some socks? I currently run in Planet-X Thicky Merino socks (they're super pro for cycling), but my feet start to hurt at the arches at around 9 miles.
Click to expand...

Nike Elite Cushioned, I have about 6 pairs, pretty sure 2 of them are a good year old now done thousands of miles and they are still spot on. Highly recommended!
 
Going to start doing some running first thing as part of my show prep. 45 minute running around the local parks.

Can anyone recommend a decent running shoe? Budget is about £50, I had my running style checked at a shop and they said I have the very slightest pronation but not enough not to wear neutral running shoes.

I'm literally clueless when it comes to what to buy, all I need is something that will help protect my knees, other than that I'm all ears

Thanks guys
 
It doesn't matter what shoe you buy, they won't magically make you run better. It's up to how you run.

If you want to protect your knees then don't overstride/heel strike as that sends the impact forces from your heel to your knees rather than your calves with a mid-foot strike. If your calves don't feel like they're going to explode after taking up running for the first time, you're doing it wrong.

It's normal to have a slight pronation in the gait cycle, for shock absorption when the foot flattens.

You could go out and spend big money on the latest and greatest shoe but it won't help you run better. It won't absorb shock better either, you really think a thin layer of rubber is going to absorb 3-4 times your body weight? Especially if you lift. Fancy soles don’t actually stop us from getting a shock when our feet make contact with the pavement. They just stop us from noticing it. That's why people get messed up knees and never saw it coming, because the shoes just let them run and run and run. You don't want strong shoes, you want strong joints and bones. Shoes are like painkillers, they take away the pain but eventually you'll pay it in debt via injury.

If they wasn't wearing cushiony shoes their legs would soon let them know they've ran too far that day.

I really don't think you need to buy any running shoes if it's just for show prep. Just use any flat shoes that are lightweight and flexible.

Learn how to run if you want to avoid any injuries. Running shoes are all hype and marketing. It won't take long if you haven't been running, you'd be a blank canvas with no bad habits from bulky running shoes.

 
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Knew that would come up haha. Bet it's his body and not his shoes that make him a great runner though.

Even most elite athletes use barefoot running in practice, to help keep their technique honed (even if they don’t realize that’s what’s happening). Then they race in shoes, because that’s who pays the bills.

Kenenisa Bekele is one of the fastest runners to grace the planet but he's always injured. That's the price you pay to be faster in shoes.

Obviously, for most of us, we’re not going to get sponsorship running even moderately fast in shoes. If I ever get under 13 minutes in the 5K (Trololol) I might consider putting cushioned shoes on.
 
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Trying to ease myself into running (after my last "do a 5k with no practice" hurt a lot, though less than you might imagine).

Anyhow. 1.2 miles, small hill, massive pain in my legs. Waa.

Again, I've been doing a lot of cycling training so some of it is down to that but my legs really aren't used to the kind of stresses running put on them.
 
Nate Silvers said:
Knew that would come up haha. Bet it's his body and not his shoes that make him a great runner though.

Even most elite athletes use barefoot running in practice, to help keep their technique honed (even if they don’t realize that’s what’s happening). Then they race in shoes, because that’s who pays the bills.

Kenenisa Bekele is one of the fastest runners to grace the planet but he's always injured. That's the price you pay to be faster in shoes.

Obviously, for most of us, we’re not going to get sponsorship running even moderately fast in shoes. If I ever get under 13 minutes in the 5K (Trololol) I might consider putting cushioned shoes on.
Click to expand...

They don't race in shoes just because that's who pays the bills. :rolleyes:

I understand the points you're making don't get me wrong but to go all out against shoes is just silly to be honest. And shoes do help, it's not just all marketing hype. But then it's about making sure it's the right type of shoe.

I get that barefoot/minimalist running is your "thing" but it's not an approach that suits everybody.

And anything said by someone who eats 30 bananas a day should be taken with a pinch of salt.
 
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Nate:
Absolutely ridiculous statements being made.

The VAST majority of elites and sub elites get given shoes and training gear for free, they make NO money from their shoe sponsor, simply get given free gear. So they are not wearing their sponsors shoes to pay the bills, they need to win races to pay the bills, and if they were running around barefoot they would not be winning races. Mo Farah is an example of someone making money from sponsors, Paula Radcliffe was another, worldwide known superstars. Look at the 5 guys finishing behind Mo in races, they are not getting paid to wear Nike gear. Period. Appearance fee and race winnings is what pays the bills.

The truth of the matter is that yes, fast runners do train barefoot in the form of strides on the grass, a 20min exercise once or twice a week. They don't head out running about on concrete for a 5 mile run in their bare feet. Well, because that's stupid and they will get hurt. It is not possible to be a fast runner without posessing good efficient running form. All of these guys running fast around the track up on their toes and landing forefoot train in cushioned shoes for their easier runs and very minimal racing flats/spikes for their sessions and racing.

Go watch some videos of the massive training groups in Iten, Kenya. 100+ Kenyans, unheard of, never been out of Kenya capable of <29min 10K just training to try and make their big break in life and get a race and sponsor. NONE of them in bare feet.

I'll get Bekele on the phone just now and explain to him the only reason he is injured all the time is because he wears shoes. Seriously....


IG:
You are a gorilla by name dude, unsure if you are poking fun because 30 bananas a day is ineferior to your gorilla banana consumption? :P :P
 
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