Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Best wishes for a speedy recovery IG.

Today was fartlek of 1 min fast then 1 min at easy pace, having skipped my hard training last week was not looking forward to it but felt I managed to keep pushing my pace for the 13 reps (meant for 12 but miscounted). Legs will be looking forward to rest day tomorrow.

Sunday's long run my goal is to hit 2hrs, maybe 2:15, and rather than increasing from easy pace half way I'll do my last 30-40 mins at closer to race pace, more if I can. Will also test out the gels to see if they'll work for me come race day.

And training at dusk/night sucks, 2 large puddles today for soaked feet :(
 
Just completed my key long run of my training cycle, a very Daniels'-esque 22.3 miles with 10 miles warm up and then 11 miles at goal pace, actually somewhat faster than goal pace, before 1.3 cool down.

22.3 miles in 3 hours 2 minutes, average pace 8:11 per mile.
First 10 miles at 8:45 per mile
Next 11 mile at 7:40 per mile, with hills
Final 1.3 in 8:08 (progressively slower).

Legs were definitely tired by mile 10, this was a big week for me with a very fast 13.1 mile in 1H:39 on interval+tempo run on Wednesday I hadn't fully recovered from, but that is fine because the aim of this run is to push your legs when they are pre-fatigued (some advocate doing this the day after intervals). First couple of miles of the speed work were probably the hardest actually, just making that transition form easy slow to fast. I was planning on 8:25 pace as that is what I was thinking of as my goal pace, but using perceived effort and actual heart rate 8 minutes a mile seemed ideal.
After 4 miles of this pace I then had to do a long gentle climb and was worried my pace would falter, i didn't want even effort but to step it up a gear. I actually sped up a little on the hill and each mile seemed to get easier and faster with the last being the fastest as a final push. One negative was once I slowed down running seemed to get much harder than I expected, something I should take as a warning in case I do have to slow down in the marathon it wont make life much easier.



Plenty of recovery time needed from this week. 4 weeks to the marathon so next week will be a very slight taper, apart form intervals I plan the rest of the runs to be much slower than this week. Probably another 20 miles but at 9min/mile.
 
Disappointing time for me at the Bham half today, didn't put in the training I should have and started out way too fast meaning I ended up walking the hills at the end as I'd got in my head and got a poor time of 2:12. Lesson learned train more and pace properly.
 
King85 said:
Disappointing time for me at the Bham half today, didn't put in the training I should have and started out way too fast meaning I ended up walking the hills at the end as I'd got in my head and got a poor time of 2:12. Lesson learned train more and pace properly.
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Sorry to hear that it didn't go so well for you but as you say it's something to learn for next time and you know there are straightforward ways to improve which is good.

The Thames Half Marathon was today as well and despite also probably going out a bit too fast it went a whole lot better than I expected. I did the first 6-7 miles in about 1:30:00 pace which was a bit of an accident but I started quick and it just felt comfortable so rather than easing off to what I'd thought I'd aim at before the race I tried my best to keep going, I did fade over the latter half so ended up with a chip time of 1:33:22. However I've got to be pretty happy with that, it's over 10 minutes quicker than my only other half marathon time. The McMillan running calculator was surprisingly accurate as well, I've just checked what it thought I'd do based on my best Parkrun time and came up with 1:33:50.
 
Well done semi-pro, cracking time too!

Managed 16.5 miles in my last "long" long run before race day. Really quite happy, averaged 7:51/mi and did miles 12&13 faster at about my goal race pace. Mile 16 my legs were spent but it didn't slow me as much as I thought. I think my goal of 1:40 is easily doable, I'm really hoping I can bring it down a little more.

Good news, tested the gels and worked fine however I must remember to not try an use them whilst heading up hill....
 
semi-pro waster said:
Sorry to hear that it didn't go so well for you but as you say it's something to learn for next time and you know there are straightforward ways to improve which is good.

The Thames Half Marathon was today as well and despite also probably going out a bit too fast it went a whole lot better than I expected. I did the first 6-7 miles in about 1:30:00 pace which was a bit of an accident but I started quick and it just felt comfortable so rather than easing off to what I'd thought I'd aim at before the race I tried my best to keep going, I did fade over the latter half so ended up with a chip time of 1:33:22. However I've got to be pretty happy with that, it's over 10 minutes quicker than my only other half marathon time. The McMillan running calculator was surprisingly accurate as well, I've just checked what it thought I'd do based on my best Parkrun time and came up with 1:33:50.
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Great time!

I did a test run today with new gear. It started off just above freezing point so was perfect to try a long sleeve shirt and gloves, but more importantly my first ever run with running tights. Sure was nice when running into bowing wind in the shade but did feel slightly warm in the last miles in the sun. Does seem complex to dress for a marathon that might start at freezing point and warm to 12-15*C by finishing time. A downside of the running pants is they had no pockets of decent size for my phone (I always take it for emergencies) so I had to take my water belt. This won't work in the marathon because I won't have enough storage for my intended 5 gels plus haribo.

I also broke in my new running shoes (saucony ride 7s), they are the same as my last pair but I realized recently how overdue their replacement is. Did something like 700 miles in them., which reminds me a conversation I had with a neigh our about marathon costs. I remarked at how expensive they are to enter and he said that is only 1/4 of the cost because you will go through 2 pairs of shoes and then a load of gels in training. He then said lucky he doesn't enter iron man tris because they are $1000 a pop!


Edit: the run was 10 miles at about 8:25 a mile keeping heart rate around 150. Felt good and appropriately easy after my 22.3mile @ 8:11 Long run on Friday
 
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King85 said:
Smashed it, great work!
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Itchytrigg said:
Well done semi-pro, cracking time too!
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D.P. said:
Great time!
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Thanks guys, really quite chuffed with that. I'll take a few days off running to recover but aiming to be back for Parkrun at the weekend, I'm getting close to the first milestone of 50.

Itchytrigg said:
Managed 16.5 miles in my last "long" long run before race day. Really quite happy, averaged 7:51/mi and did miles 12&13 faster at about my goal race pace. Mile 16 my legs were spent but it didn't slow me as much as I thought. I think my goal of 1:40 is easily doable, I'm really hoping I can bring it down a little more.

Good news, tested the gels and worked fine however I must remember to not try an use them whilst heading up hill....
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Sounds like the training is going well so good luck with the half. Up hills does sound like a bit of an error though. :)

D.P. said:
I did a test run today with new gear. It started off just above freezing point so was perfect to try a long sleeve shirt and gloves, but more importantly my first ever run with running tights. Sure was nice when running into bowing wind in the shade but did feel slightly warm in the last miles in the sun. Does seem complex to dress for a marathon that might start at freezing point and warm to 12-15*C by finishing time. A downside of the running pants is they had no pockets of decent size for my phone (I always take it for emergencies) so I had to take my water belt. This won't work in the marathon because I won't have enough storage for my intended 5 gels plus haribo.

I also broke in my new running shoes (saucony ride 7s), they are the same as my last pair but I realized recently how overdue their replacement is. Did something like 700 miles in them., which reminds me a conversation I had with a neigh our about marathon costs. I remarked at how expensive they are to enter and he said that is only 1/4 of the cost because you will go through 2 pairs of shoes and then a load of gels in training. He then SIDS lucky he doesn't enter iron man tris because they are $1000 a pop!
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Would an arm sleeve for the phone be an option? I've never run with my phone so don't know but see lots of people with them.
 
semi-pro waster said:
Would an arm sleeve for the phone be an option? I've never run with my phone so don't know but see lots of people with them.
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It would but I have never needed an arm sleeve before and TbH I would probably find it more distracting. For my casual runs I can certainly leave the phone behind but I like it for emergency calls if I injure myself. It is also useful as a secondary tracking device to compare distances, and also sometimes I change the running route and useful google maps to figure out where to go.


For the marathon I won't have my phone but will need more storage for gels, 3 gels packs and a handful of haribo just squeeze into my water belt, but is really want at least 5 with me, 1 to take 5-10 minutes before the race and then every 5-6 miles, and preferably a spare for the last miles.

Anyway, I am pretty sure I am going to build on my current fitness and do a marathon in the spring so will need to train through winter, thus I will need at least 1 or 2 more running tights.
 
In an effort to compromise with the wife and spend more time together, I agreed to start running with her 2/3 times a week. I'm 36 and i've never run outdoors before, have done treadmill in the gym about 3 years ago for a few km at a time.

In my head I thought I had a decent level of fitness, I was wrong. :D We only did 3.5km in a loop from our house, mainly flat with a small hill at the centre point. Took me 24 minutes, it's pitiful...I worked that out as 5.4mph, an 11 minute mile.

I've got bambi legs today, pain is mainly in the calves which i've never had before either, i'm more used to pain in quads from doing barbell squats.
 
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SixTwoSix said:
In an effort to compromise with the wife and spend more time together, I agreed to start running with her 2/3 times a week. I'm 36 and i've never run outdoors before, have done treadmill in the gym about 3 years ago for a few km at a time.

In my head I thought I had a decent level of fitness, I was wrong. :D We only did 3.5km in a loop from our house, mainly flat with a small hill at the centre point. Took me 24 minutes, it's pitiful...I worked that out as 5.4mph, an 11 minute mile.

I've got bambi legs today, pain is mainly in the calves which i've never had before either, i'm more used to pain in quads from doing barbell squats.
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Haha enjoy the pain, keep it up.


Done a new 15k PB yesterday - 15.06 km - 01:15:27 , 2.05 mins quicker than last time, and mid week a 5k PB, 5.03 km - 00:23:27.
 
SixTwoSix said:
In an effort to compromise with the wife and spend more time together, I agreed to start running with her 2/3 times a week. I'm 36 and i've never run outdoors before, have done treadmill in the gym about 3 years ago for a few km at a time.

In my head I thought I had a decent level of fitness, I was wrong. :D We only did 3.5km in a loop from our house, mainly flat with a small hill at the centre point. Took me 24 minutes, it's pitiful...I worked that out as 5.4mph, an 11 minute mile.

I've got bambi legs today, pain is mainly in the calves which i've never had before either, i'm more used to pain in quads from doing barbell squats.
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We all start like that mate - if you can manage 2-3 runs a week you'll be amazed at your progress.

DP - that 22.3 mile run sounds like a beast of a training session!

Really nice half time there semi.

..and Hank, knocking in those PB's, super work.

I'm upping mileage as my knee recovers. 11 mile LDR yesterday and it felt ok, some aching but nothing sharp. That was my first 30 mile week in a while and feeling good overall (famous last words....)

Cheers
 
The Darkness said:
We all start like that mate - if you can manage 2-3 runs a week you'll be amazed at your progress.

DP - that 22.3 mile run sounds like a beast of a training session!

Really nice half time there semi.

..and Hank, knocking in those PB's, super work.

I'm upping mileage as my knee recovers. 11 mile LDR yesterday and it felt ok, some aching but nothing sharp. That was my first 30 mile week in a while and feeling good overall (famous last words....)

Cheers
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thanks. Feels really to have have ticked off such a key training run while keeping it together and not exploding. i really felt like i could do another couple of miles sub 8 minutes but knew I had pushed my body far enough for a training run. Was tired the rest of Friday and was ravenous, couldn't stop eating all day. Saturday I awoke absolutely fine, no real aches, no pains, which I always take as a very positive sign that the training was in the right zone.
Something I just realized was I ran 13.1 miles in about 1H:40M after a 9 mile warm run to end a 70 mile week. My official 1H:44: half marathon race time is evidently a useless predictor now, as I suspected for some time.



Today i did 16.5 miles in my "medium" long run. I mostly tried to run by feel and keep my heart rate under 150. My heart rate seemed a little erratic and my legs were tired form cumulative fatigue but it was still a good run, not very taxing and I averaged 8:18 a mile. I did the last mile in under 7;40 mostly to test myself and found it basically the same to run 7:40 as 8:40 on tired legs, something I observed 2 weeks ago on my supposedly easy 17.5mile long run. I really wouldn't have wanted to run much further, Fridays run was catching up by mile 10 but not in a big way.


My plan this week is to still have a high mileage week but much less intensity than last week, except perhaps my intervals. Runs will be slower and I am trying to figure out paces that keep my Heart Rate below 150, that is around 8:25 a mile for me I think, which will set the slower speed for my marathon pace I think. However, i currently believe somewhere in the 3H:30M to 3:35 is safe time for my first Marathon. Probably something like 3H:25M is theoretically possible but that is too much risk for me.
 
Looking good there D.P. I'm always amazed at you guys putting in that many miles a week, just how do you find the time? Last week I had about 35, weekdays is not easy with getting kids to school then when home also trying to spend at least a little time with them before their bed times.

Having a little bit of discomfort in my left achilles today just when its extended when climbing stairs, at the minute it appears to have gone but will be keeping a close eye on it, that aside really happy with how good my legs are feeling after yesterday.
 
Itchytrigg said:
Looking good there D.P. I'm always amazed at you guys putting in that many miles a week, just how do you find the time? Last week I had about 35, weekdays is not easy with getting kids to school then when home also trying to spend at least a little time with them before their bed times.

Having a little bit of discomfort in my left achilles today just when its extended when climbing stairs, at the minute it appears to have gone but will be keeping a close eye on it, that aside really happy with how good my legs are feeling after yesterday.
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I'm lucky that I work from home and have a flexible job, so no commute and the ability to start late or early. I have a working lunch, make up time in the evenings and weekends, and recently simply work less:p. I alternate dropping off/picking up our child with the wife which gives more time in the morning. I also try to get out early, in the summer it gets so hot I have been getting out well before 7am.
 
I started running at the beginning of the year after a health check at the Docs end of last year (said i needed to lose the weight!).

I've done various 10ks and local parkruns over the year and did the Robin Hood HM in Sept in 2:00:41 (:mad: wanted sub 2!). Lost about 2 stone and feeling great. Run 3 times a week, Tues, Thurs and long run Sunday. Deffo got the running bug!

I've put in for the Manchester Full next April (didn't get in London Ballot) so will start the training for that in December...once i've found a decent plan to follow....anyone else doing it?
 
I'm not doing Manchester, but I'll be training at the same time as you (for Edinburgh). Great work on losing 2 stone already, and I know what you mean about the bug - its addictive alright.

DP - remind me what race you are training for?
 
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