Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

If you can get down to a local running shop and try a few on as it's about your feet more than the brand. I personally have asics cumulas air for my last 2 pairs, before that I had some random Nike (half a size too small that messed up my toes) and addidas before that. The addidas were pretty good, and half the price of the asics but I feel the asics has a better fit and are lighter.

Today see's me back at 1/2 marathon distance after building myself back up over the last couple of months (took winter training waaaaay too casual), this being the 4th week into a 10 week race prep. Feeling pretty happy and finished the last 5 miles faster. Was probably about my limit though and rounded out a 31.5mi week. I'm hopeful if I keep this up then come Windsor 1/2 end of September I can get that sub 1:30.
 
Hope everyone's training is going well.
I've been doing lots of easy running, trying to go further on the long runs. Also getting in as.much trail runs as possible but not a lot of options close by. Legs have been tired from the extra hills and trail work, but a good tiredness without any aches or pains like you get doing hard track workouts and tempo runs on hard asphalt.


Yesterday I got my first proper ultramarathon training running. 29miles in under 3:57, 8:10 a mile and a little shy of 2000ft despite doing hill repeats from mile 15. Was a good run to learn hydration and fueling. Tired legs this morning but I feel great. Might do 3-4 miles to flush out the legs
 
Kris_90 said:
^Just casually mentioning you ran a marathon yesterday :D

Can anyone recommend a decent running shoe? I want to start running more often and after reading the last couple of pages I think I've been asking a bit too much of myself. I'm going to start off slower and progress slowly. That said I'd like to get a decent pair of running shoes so any recommendations would be welcome.

Cheers
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If you pace yourself then running a marathon distance is not hard in itself. A marathon becomes incredibly difficult when you try to race it. A popular begginers marathon training plan involved long run up to and beyond the marathon distance for example, but with lots of walking involved. Humans are evolved to run long distances at modest paces.

As for shoes, it's pointless people naming brands and models. Totally depends on your feet and stride. You need a hair analysis and then try on several pairs.
 
10k race today, my 3rd year in a row doing this one. Down from last year which isn't a a surprise due to my winter "training", but still placed 14th with 49:44.

It really is a brutal course, 5 big climbs giving 920ft of climbing, and I for some reason did hill repeats on Thursday which probably did not help. Still, good training for the July 1/2 which is a hilly one....maybe one day I'll do a flat course and see what my real pace is!
 
That is a good time for a hilly course like that, especially with that pre-fatiguing your legs!


I woke up with my legs feeling better than they have in weeks,very werid given such a long run yesterday. Did 4miles on a treadmill just to flush the legs, had to restrain myself. Only obvious signs of the epic run is that I just can't stop eating!
 
I've just been out and run 6k, mainly to see if I could. It's strange being new to running when I've got 5 years experience cycling - I know I can cycle for like four hours at a time without much bother, but running is totally new, so I feel I need to stretch myself a bit to find my current limits. Anyway, it turns out I can run that far, so hurrah. Pace of 9:56/mile. I might settle in at running 5k regularly and then try to build up to 10k in due course.
 
D.P. said:
If you pace yourself then running a marathon distance is not hard in itself. A marathon becomes incredibly difficult when you try to race it. A popular begginers marathon training plan involved long run up to and beyond the marathon distance for example, but with lots of walking involved. Humans are evolved to run long distances at modest paces.

As for shoes, it's pointless people naming brands and models. Totally depends on your feet and stride. You need a hair analysis and then try on several pairs.
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Thanks - I just wondered if there was a particular brand/model of shoe that was good but I'll get a gait analysis done.
 
D.P. said:
IMO, avoid. Vibram were sued for millions because there is no evidence to support their claims and people were getting injured.

Running shoes and biomechanics are quite complex so nothing is black and white so you can make anything work, people run in high heals after all. In time you can learn to adapt to run barefoot/minimalist but really I don't see the point. You can also run naked and learn to to cope with the cold or get tanned skin to rescue cancer risks form the sun but I prefer to wear clothes. The minimalist movement has kind of died off, most people are going the opposite direction into the maximal cushioning running shoes with the likes of Hoka etc. Eben at the profesional level, guess what the Nike sub-2hour project designed as running shoes for the fastest men on the planet? Not some flimsy running flat but a maximum cushioning shoe.

As Semi-pros points out, changing to a radically different minimalist runnign shoe will require significant adaption to avoid injury, which means starting with much slower paces, shorter distances and more rest days. The end result after months of re-training is probably pretty meaningless but could potentially mean you are at a higher risk of injury.

There is a lot of bogus pseudoscience out there which is a shame. The popular false-hood is that runnign injuries increased rapidly at the same time as the advent of modern runnign shoes in the 1970s, which is complete ****** because that is also when there was a massive increase in the opularity rf running, people were runnign higher volumes at faster paces (the average Marathon time has declined a lot), modern training techniques liek intervals etc. A properly fitted runnign shoe will provably reduce injury risks.
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semi-pro waster said:
I haven't tried the Five Fingers but if you're changing to a radically different type of shoes then it could take a significant amount of time to get comfortable and you may have to change your running style along with it e.g. if you're a heel striker you'll need to adopt a different running motion so you're up on your toes more etc. By all means try them and see if they work for you, if it does then great but if not at least you've learned something. Part of the joy/problem is that there's lots of theories about what works best but as far as I can tell it's often a very individual thing and people's bodies will often compensate for their less than perfect technique or whatever is technically sub-optimal - general principles will give guidance about what works but even then there's probably some room for individual adaptations.

I did the Edinburgh Marathon at the weekend and it felt like it was by far the worst run I've ever done, over 20 minutes down on my time last year. I felt good for the first 6 miles or so (albeit despite best efforts was going a touch faster than intended), ok up to halfway and then had absolutely nothing left so the next 13 miles were a huge struggle including even having to walk for some sections and stop at the water stations for brief spells. I'm pleased that I made it round but I'd put it down to willpower rather than athletic ability. It did seem like there were quite a few people finding it tough on the day judging by the numbers walking in spells plus far fewer people finishing inside 3 hours and that despite both 2016 and 2017 being sold out there were around 400 fewer finishers this year - some of that might be BA's fault though.

Still it's done now and that's enough of me whinging so while I could put forward excuses about why it didn't go so well I'm going to try and take any lessons I can from it and do better for the next marathon.
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Thanks for your replies guys,
After doing more reading it would seem it's for the hippies and vegans... I'll stick to my trusty Mizuno trainers for now I guess, I have an event in Sept so don't want to have to relearn how to run... I have run 10k every day for the last 10 days and didn't have any issues (although they weren't fast) so I guess my current shoes aren't really a problem :)
 
I need some advice guys.

My fitness level is zero and I want to change that. Day-to-day I'm sitting at my desk with a mentally taxing job which leaves me with little energy to go out and do any for of fitness. I know I have to break the cycle and get off my ass but in the past I've gone out for a run a few times, seen no improvement and given up.

My ultimate goal would be to run a 10k in a good time, for a nearly 42 year old. My main issue has always been not seeing any improvement, so I get demotivated. I fix problems for a living so I'm used to quick rewards I guess.

I'm not overweight or in bad health, just lazy and demotivated. However I do want that to change.

Can you guys give me some advice and motivation please :)
 
You should see good performance improvements in speed in your first few weeks, but I'd suggest focusing your goal on duration of your runs to start with as then you can see that improvement very easily. Then once you get to about hour long runs you can then start seeing if you can go further but in the same time, which means you're getting quicker.

When I started I focused on distance and speed, now a days my goals are mostly around time spent running (I will still occasionally do it **** it run, where I test my 5k/10k speed outside of a race)

I've never been myself but I know a lot of guys here use parkrun as a way to test their improvements over time
 
Prophet said:
I need some advice guys.

My fitness level is zero and I want to change that. Day-to-day I'm sitting at my desk with a mentally taxing job which leaves me with little energy to go out and do any for of fitness. I know I have to break the cycle and get off my ass but in the past I've gone out for a run a few times, seen no improvement and given up.

My ultimate goal would be to run a 10k in a good time, for a nearly 42 year old. My main issue has always been not seeing any improvement, so I get demotivated. I fix problems for a living so I'm used to quick rewards I guess.

I'm not overweight or in bad health, just lazy and demotivated. However I do want that to change.

Can you guys give me some advice and motivation please :)
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Do your workout in the mornings and not after-work. that way you wont feel too tired/lazy to to run, you wont end up missing workouts due to working late or fitting in evening chores. Yes, waking up early sucks but you get used to quickly and you really appreciate starting your workday already having achieved a great work out.


Don't worry about runnign times at all. I don't see why you expect quick returns on investment. Moreover, unless you are regular racing or doing VO2max tests on a treadmill I don't see why you would see any changes. Instead, make sure your runs are fun, and mostly easy. Running fast will not see any quicker improvements, it will just leave you tired, take longer to recover and will increase injury risks. Running pace should be conversational, so run with a friend and have a good chat or take a phone with you and talk to the wife.


Ultimately you just have to have faith in the process. I spend 20 weeks in a marathon training cycle where I spend most of my time running at about 8:20 pace or slower, yet I can whip out a 37min 10K time, 1:22 half marathon etc. Due to the accumulated fatigue of training I can find a 20 mile training run at 8:00 pace very tiring, yet on race day 6:35 pace for 26 miles is realistic.
 
NoNameNoNumber said:
Thanks for your replies guys,
After doing more reading it would seem it's for the hippies and vegans... I'll stick to my trusty Mizuno trainers for now I guess, I have an event in Sept so don't want to have to relearn how to run... I have run 10k every day for the last 10 days and didn't have any issues (although they weren't fast) so I guess my current shoes aren't really a problem :)
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If there are no problems then just keep using similar shoes IMO.
 
First time back out since March when i did something to my Achilles. Physio told me to start again as she thinks any lingering pain is actually unrelated to the tendon and more to do with muscles after taking it easy :-/

Anyhow. 5Km in 36 mins is only 9 mins slower than my best and I did take the dog with me today. Mind you, no one out and about at 6am around here.
 
Any idea's on what's the best android Couch to 5k app, paid or otherwise? Would like something with a rough calorie count, distance travelled, pace, elevation, map of route taken if possible. I get most of that for free with MapMyWalk but would like it integrated into a C25K app.
 
Itchytrigg said:
You should see good performance improvements in speed in your first few weeks, but I'd suggest focusing your goal on duration of your runs to start with as then you can see that improvement very easily. Then once you get to about hour long runs you can then start seeing if you can go further but in the same time, which means you're getting quicker.

When I started I focused on distance and speed, now a days my goals are mostly around time spent running (I will still occasionally do it **** it run, where I test my 5k/10k speed outside of a race)

I've never been myself but I know a lot of guys here use parkrun as a way to test their improvements over time
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I think running with others will be my best route. There are some local clubs so I'll check them out.


D.P. said:
Do your workout in the mornings and not after-work. that way you wont feel too tired/lazy to to run, you wont end up missing workouts due to working late or fitting in evening chores. Yes, waking up early sucks but you get used to quickly and you really appreciate starting your workday already having achieved a great work out.


Don't worry about runnign times at all. I don't see why you expect quick returns on investment. Moreover, unless you are regular racing or doing VO2max tests on a treadmill I don't see why you would see any changes. Instead, make sure your runs are fun, and mostly easy. Running fast will not see any quicker improvements, it will just leave you tired, take longer to recover and will increase injury risks. Running pace should be conversational, so run with a friend and have a good chat or take a phone with you and talk to the wife.


Ultimately you just have to have faith in the process. I spend 20 weeks in a marathon training cycle where I spend most of my time running at about 8:20 pace or slower, yet I can whip out a 37min 10K time, 1:22 half marathon etc. Due to the accumulated fatigue of training I can find a 20 mile training run at 8:00 pace very tiring, yet on race day 6:35 pace for 26 miles is realistic.
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I don't expect to see quick returns on investment, I just have a hard time staying motivated when I don't see them. I know I have to change my mindset, which is what I'm struggling with.

Every other sport I've done, when in my teens and 20's was team based so as above I think I need peers to motivate and keep myself on track.
 
Had a slight setback in my running journey... 4 broken bones in my right wrist :mad:.

Three of the bones have healed but the Scaphoid hasn't yet, meaning I will be in plaster for the next 5 weeks (8 in total). Thankfully my consultant has put me in a removable cast so I can shower after a run, but has limited me to 10k. So my journey has taken a different track and i'm trying to use it as a positive by making as much of my runs as possible up hill, because of this my cardio has improved dramatically and I actually feel fitter even with a two week break. Looking for a target event to train for in West Sussex, so will do the Chichester half and locally the Valley challenge if cast free, any other events in Sussex that you guys are attending this year?

The break happened at BikePark Wales at 10am on an uplift day, funny bounce left me off balance and planted into a tree at 20+mph. Rode the rest of the day, drove 190 miles home, washed the bike, then went to A and E ;)
 
Prophet said:
I think running with others will be my best route. There are some local clubs so I'll check them out.




I don't expect to see quick returns on investment, I just have a hard time staying motivated when I don't see them. I know I have to change my mindset, which is what I'm struggling with.

Every other sport I've done, when in my teens and 20's was team based so as above I think I need peers to motivate and keep myself on track.
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For years I tried to get in to running but always gave up after 4-6 weeks. The biggest mistake I was doing was trying to race very training run, I would always try and run faster and go further each run (or at ;east every few runs). Everything got harder and harder, it felt like an impossible challenge and I hated the prospects of going out for a run because it was so daunting. I also kept injuring myself or just working so hard I wouldn't recover in time for the next run. I also got dismayed at the apparent lack of progress, but that was entirely due to runnign too fast and too hard which meant my my muscles were fatigued and I could never hit the faster paces I imaged I could. About 2 years ago I started again and was close to stopping again because I just wasn't motivated in exhausting myself doing something I thought was boring. The I got some good advice to slow down and just try and enjoy runs, to vary the length and intensity of them, and make sure that some runs really are just a short and easy jaunt. I also set myself a goal to run a marathon, and that was key to keeping motivated and not giving up even if I got bored or frustrated.

Not every run will go well, you wont always notice improvements, you wont always be in the mood to run. But if you set a big goal like a Marathon then you stop making excuses and just get out and do it. It doesn't take long to then develop a mindset that looks forward to the runs o and doesn't mind doing a hard workout even if you aren't motivated because you know it will help you achieve your big goal. 10K is a realistic goal, the goal will be to set a reasonable time but you might have a hard time getting a reference for what is fast. Good thign is you can do lots of5k and 10k races to get a feel. You could also consider runnign a marathon with a goal of just finishing or finishing close to 4 hours etc. This gives a lot of bragging rights etc. that can be motivational, e.g telling your friends that you completed a marathon is quite regarding as few people have done that and they all imagine how hard it must be (its not with modest training and a conservative goal). A good 10K race can then be seen as a step towards that goal. This has the advantage of stretching out a timeline. E.g. maybe next spring you sign up for a marathon but have a 10K at the end of summer and a half Marathon end of the year. You are then not worried about week to week improvements but a long and steady improvement

I hate running with others but if that is something that appeals to you then join a runnign club or find out which of your friends run or want to start training with you.


Above all, you might think you aren't making improvements but undoubtedly you are . To really see an improvement you need to do a race, or keep a very close eye on heart rates and paces on a fixed course. If there is a parkrun nearby you could race the 5K once a month and see the changes. Otherwise it is just about having faith in the training.
 
SixTwoSix said:
Any idea's on what's the best android Couch to 5k app, paid or otherwise? Would like something with a rough calorie count, distance travelled, pace, elevation, map of route taken if possible. I get most of that for free with MapMyWalk but would like it integrated into a C25K app.
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I would just use Strava and do whatever workouts are in your prescribed program. I know if you get Strava premium they have some training plans but not sure how they integrate and TBH, I don't really see the point. What are you hoping for form an integration?
 
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