Did a 23 mile mountain trail run yesterday, 4000ft gain and some very rocky sections. Rolled an ankle part way through so kept things very slow with a lot of walking on anything remotely technical,, so pace was about 12min a mile. Was glad I hiked up a section near the end because there as a huge rattle snake on the edge of the trail I nearly stepped on. Ankle just feels siff today so gave it a rest and went on a 30mile bike ride, damn, I way prefer a 30 mile run to 30 miles on the bike!
Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running
- Thread starter platypus
- Start date
Caporegime
Funny, isn't it. I could gear up and go cycle 30 miles at pretty much a moment's notice, but even 3 miles of running is real work for me. I guess it's what you're used to.
Caporegime
Me again...
A couple of runs for me this week, quite interesting for me seeing how pace affects how I feel. On Thursday I did 3 miles (well, 5k) on my lunch break at work. Given time constraints I pushed myself a bit and ended up doing it at 9 minute pace. I was wringing wet by the end of it and even after a cold shower I was still sweating half an hour later.
By comparison, this evening I did 4.4 miles, on a route I was making up as I went along, on relatively unfamiliar turf. I took it slower as I wasn't sure how far I'd end up going. I ended up doing 10 minute pace this time. I was still sweating a lot by the end of it, but I recovered a lot better afterwards!!
I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to do 5 miles now, then I could build up a bit more to 10k. I'm considering trying triathlon at some point so 10k is a decent distance to aim for!
A couple of runs for me this week, quite interesting for me seeing how pace affects how I feel. On Thursday I did 3 miles (well, 5k) on my lunch break at work. Given time constraints I pushed myself a bit and ended up doing it at 9 minute pace. I was wringing wet by the end of it and even after a cold shower I was still sweating half an hour later.
By comparison, this evening I did 4.4 miles, on a route I was making up as I went along, on relatively unfamiliar turf. I took it slower as I wasn't sure how far I'd end up going. I ended up doing 10 minute pace this time. I was still sweating a lot by the end of it, but I recovered a lot better afterwards!!
I don't think it would be too much of a stretch to do 5 miles now, then I could build up a bit more to 10k. I'm considering trying triathlon at some point so 10k is a decent distance to aim for!
Ran 10km for the first time ever yesterday. Id say it was around 40% uphill and some of the hills were nasty buggers. Clocked in at 1hr 07, which I am ok with given A) the hills and that heat ! and B) I couldn't walk 10km in January lol.
Unsure where to go next now. I have a half marathon on the 29th October which i am trying to prepare for in stages. I was running 5km on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday but now i am running 10km on Monday and 13km on Saturday.
Is this a better way to go about it ? Less runs but longer ? Makes sense to me anyway lol.
Unsure where to go next now. I have a half marathon on the 29th October which i am trying to prepare for in stages. I was running 5km on Mondays, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday but now i am running 10km on Monday and 13km on Saturday.
Is this a better way to go about it ? Less runs but longer ? Makes sense to me anyway lol.
Well Done. I would say A long run, but each week make it 10mins longer, (that'll be about a mile) run at a speed you can hold a conversation and don't feel bad if you need to slow down or stop and rest for a bit. Keep adding time until you get close to HM distance if you feel tired knock back the time/distance a bit. If you feel ok after afew days recovery, add some 5km at a slightly quicker speed. As you get stronger maybe find a hill, run up it for 90 seconds, then come back down recovering repeat for 15-20mins.
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Associate
Well done, I'd echo neilw and a long run once a week that you increase a little each week is a great way to go. If you do that on a Sunday take at least Monday off as a recovery day then you could do a short gentle run Tuesday to stretch the legs out. As you were doing 4 sessions before maybe another 5k on Thursday with some intervals then rest till the Sunday's long run.
As you get use to it you could another session or slowly extend out the others. Neilw also hits on another important point, if you are getting tired as you keep increasing, knock it back for a week then start the gradual increase again.
Sunday I repeated the Wycombe 1/2 marathon, about the same pace as last year which I'm real happy with, got a 1:39:21 placing 33rd (18th in category) though annoyed they got the distance wrong again but this time being .1 short compared to .4 long last year. With my training discipline not being as good as it should be this year, I'll take that.
As you get use to it you could another session or slowly extend out the others. Neilw also hits on another important point, if you are getting tired as you keep increasing, knock it back for a week then start the gradual increase again.
Sunday I repeated the Wycombe 1/2 marathon, about the same pace as last year which I'm real happy with, got a 1:39:21 placing 33rd (18th in category) though annoyed they got the distance wrong again but this time being .1 short compared to .4 long last year. With my training discipline not being as good as it should be this year, I'll take that.
Soldato
Howdy. Long time since I've popped in here. Been slowly chipping away, just running as and when I feel like it really. But I'm back home for the summer and have a lot more time on my hands. Took a strava CR (0.9km) back today, by four seconds. Someone took it when I was up in Aberdeen and it's been bugging me 
Man of Honour
Hi all
Been reading this thread over last few weeks picking up tips so thought I'd say hello. Just stopped swimming daily which I had done for last 18months and switched to running. Started doing 5k runs daily 4 weeks ago and got my time from 29mins to 24:59 which was my goal, also mixed it up with a few 10k runs a week. Only issue I've had so far is constant DOMS, I walk with a hobble all the time now. Probably should have rest days but enjoying it so much I don't want to rest. At same time as starting running I gave up boozing also, so weight is dropping off me like mad :|
My goal is 20min 5k, then enter some park runs... but at my age of 46 it's going to take some doing.
Anyone here on Strava ?, I'm using it now instead of Apple workouts, but with lack of people I know running it's a ghost town for me
Been reading this thread over last few weeks picking up tips so thought I'd say hello. Just stopped swimming daily which I had done for last 18months and switched to running. Started doing 5k runs daily 4 weeks ago and got my time from 29mins to 24:59 which was my goal, also mixed it up with a few 10k runs a week. Only issue I've had so far is constant DOMS, I walk with a hobble all the time now. Probably should have rest days but enjoying it so much I don't want to rest. At same time as starting running I gave up boozing also, so weight is dropping off me like mad :|
My goal is 20min 5k, then enter some park runs... but at my age of 46 it's going to take some doing.
Anyone here on Strava ?, I'm using it now instead of Apple workouts, but with lack of people I know running it's a ghost town for me
Hi all
Been reading this thread over last few weeks picking up tips so thought I'd say hello. Just stopped swimming daily which I had done for last 18months and switched to running. Started doing 5k runs daily 4 weeks ago and got my time from 29mins to 24:59 which was my goal, also mixed it up with a few 10k runs a week. Only issue I've had so far is constant DOMS, I walk with a hobble all the time now. Probably should have rest days but enjoying it so much I don't want to rest. At same time as starting running I gave up boozing also, so weight is dropping off me like mad :|
My goal is 20min 5k, then enter some park runs... but at my age of 46 it's going to take some doing.
Anyone here on Strava ?, I'm using it now instead of Apple workouts, but with lack of people I know running it's a ghost town for me
Sounds like you going well. You're just the other side of the forest to me (Totton), Bournemouth running festival is coming up in October, they are very well organized events, If you want to book yourself on one and have something to work towards.
You have Park runs at Bournemouth, Moors Valley, Lymington and If you want Poole supposed to be one of the fastest Parkruns. You'll be middle of the pack at Parkrun running 24\25's
Also have a look at Whitestar running they do lots of friendly running event around Dorest, I'm doing their Bad Cow Half from Corfe Castle in October.
To get a sub20 5km you'll need to add some speed work and slow distance runs to your training. It starts to get exponentially harder to take off time. I've only recently gone sub20, I've been running just over two years, running 25-35km a week on average. I can do a sub21min 5km no problem, going sub20 is really tough. If you really get into it look at joining a club, I think it's Littledown harriers or New Forest Runner are down that way, you'll have people of all abilities there.
Don't feel bad about taking rest days, I run 3-4 days a week
I'm also on Strava https://www.strava.com/athletes/8344409 feel free to add me
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Man of Honour
Thanks for tips Neil, deffo want to start with some events, just want to get to level where I'm not the old guy at back 
Just added you on Strava, amazing times you have... that's where I want to be in a year
edit: had a chuckle at your 'steady sunday half' run, that's me flat out and dead by a few k
Just added you on Strava, amazing times you have... that's where I want to be in a year
edit: had a chuckle at your 'steady sunday half' run, that's me flat out and dead by a few k
Associate
Getting back into it slowly but surely. Half marathon on the 1st October is the next target. Hopefully try and improve on 2:10:14 but at my age (47) who knows
https://www.strava.com/athletes/973449
https://www.strava.com/athletes/973449
Man of Honour
You have same age issue as me Ian, but I got a year on you so that's gotta be worth a few seconds
https://www.strava.com/athletes/22800832
https://www.strava.com/athletes/22800832
Associate
If we're making some strava friends, feel free to add me https://www.strava.com/athletes/5047058
Only thing I'd say if you're starting out, don't pay any attention to others performance! Really you are only ever running against your past self. Sure, it's nice to set a goal but don't get obsessed with it. Same applies to segments...though those CR's are soooo sooo sweet! Reminds me, I need to reclaim a 400m sprint someone pinched in winter by about 2 seconds
Edit:
I should have known this was a bad idea now seeing I'm similar paced with Nielw he'll make me feel bad every time he beats me lol!
Only thing I'd say if you're starting out, don't pay any attention to others performance! Really you are only ever running against your past self. Sure, it's nice to set a goal but don't get obsessed with it. Same applies to segments...though those CR's are soooo sooo sweet! Reminds me, I need to reclaim a 400m sprint someone pinched in winter by about 2 seconds
Edit:
I should have known this was a bad idea now seeing I'm similar paced with Nielw he'll make me feel bad every time he beats me lol!
Associate
You have same age issue as me Ian, but I got a year on you so that's gotta be worth a few seconds
https://www.strava.com/athletes/22800832
I suspect I also have a weight thing against me
This mornings run was meant to be "Easy" but when I look at what they mean by this, it looks like my HR should be down around 90 - 110 and that pretty much equates to a fastish walk rather then a run. I think i will record one of the walks with the dog and see how that fits in.
Physio is telling me that my Achilles is actually now ok and that any pain i am still getting is down to something else. This does seem to be the case as the pain has pretty much gone except if I sit down at work all day and even then it clears after 2 mins walking.
Thanks for tips Neil, deffo want to start with some events, just want to get to level where I'm not the old guy at back
Just added you on Strava, amazing times you have... that's where I want to be in a year
edit: had a chuckle at your 'steady sunday half' run, that's me flat out and dead by a few k
Cheers. Don't worry you won't be at the back, You get people of all abilities at all events. At Parkrun they don't mind if you walk and take an hour
Ohh yeh we're pretty much identical! Your HM time looks good though, I think I'd struggle to get close to 90mins
I suspect I also have a weight thing against me
This mornings run was meant to be "Easy" but when I look at what they mean by this, it looks like my HR should be down around 90 - 110 and that pretty much equates to a fastish walk rather then a run. I think i will record one of the walks with the dog and see how that fits in.
Physio is telling me that my Achilles is actually now ok and that any pain i am still getting is down to something else. This does seem to be the case as the pain has pretty much gone except if I sit down at work all day and even then it clears after 2 mins walking.
One way to check that easy is easy is to try and have a proper conversation with a running partner or call up a mate/wife/gf on the phone. There shouldn't be any labored breathing or forced skipped words etc. At the start easy may very will be somewhere between a fast walk and a slow jog, and this can feel quite awkward. Even when you get faster easy can actually feel quite awkward because it feels natural to run at a faster pace, the problem is that only ever increases your injury risk.
For reference, I do most of my running at 8:20 to 8:40 min/mile pace. I did a 10K in 37 minutes, about 5:56 pace, a very hilly half marathon in 1H:22M so 6:15 pace etc. On recovery days or the start of long run I might actually be at 9 minute pace.
There is a misconception that runnign faster will make you race faster, but the opposite tends to be more true. Running faster increases impact on joints and so increases injury risk. It also requires longer to recover that can reduce the amount of training in a week. Running faster will also reduce the amount of time you can run for, again reducing the training quality. Running faster can also put you into a a state that is neither beneficial for endurance or for peak aerobic fitness (VO2Max). There is a no-mans land between what is actually easy, and what is hard. Very easy to fall in to the trap of running in this dead zone (Zone 3 of heart rate). Runs either need to be at a genuinely easy pace, or you need to work really hard at soemthign like intervals in zone 5 , or potentially a lactate threshold run in Zone 4.5 etc. Furthermore, the benefits of the real hard runnign are much less than you would expect, important for absolute best performance but ultimately your easy running is what will dictate your performance in a race. Consistent high volume of easy running that lets you properly recover and train without injury is the key to seeing high returns on training. And with your easy runs being actually easy, you will find you can perform better in the hard workouts. For example I could run at maybe 7:30 pace without feeling that it i s hard at all, but it causes much more wear and tear on my body and means I get much more tried or can't achieve the same volume. Worse still is if I try and do soemthign like 10x800meter repeats on a track my legs are already toast before I've stared. Running at 8:30 pace means I can nail that hard workout.
Several people in my runnign group have never done intervals sessions, tempo runs, anaerobic threshold run etc. Everything is easy, real slow, they get passed by everyone on the street. Come race day they are picking up the gold medals, runnign 3 minutes a mile faster in a marathon than there Long run pace etc. Even in a 1mile to 5K race they are on the podium
Hi all
Been reading this thread over last few weeks picking up tips so thought I'd say hello. Just stopped swimming daily which I had done for last 18months and switched to running. Started doing 5k runs daily 4 weeks ago and got my time from 29mins to 24:59 which was my goal, also mixed it up with a few 10k runs a week. Only issue I've had so far is constant DOMS, I walk with a hobble all the time now. Probably should have rest days but enjoying it so much I don't want to rest. At same time as starting running I gave up boozing also, so weight is dropping off me like mad :|
My goal is 20min 5k, then enter some park runs... but at my age of 46 it's going to take some doing.
Anyone here on Strava ?, I'm using it now instead of Apple workouts, but with lack of people I know running it's a ghost town for me
The DOMS is a sign that you have run really hard and need to recover.
Same advice as I gave above, make sure you are runnign easy enough. You are very focused on performance so I suspect you are basically racing every training run. This is where GPS watches and strava are really bad. Ignore that stuff, just run nice, slow, comfortable, relaxed, easy breathing/ Enjoy it, let the run reduce any stress. Then once ina a while push hard. If there is a park-run nearby you could do that every month to get an idea of progress.
to begin with I would avoid any of the run specific workouts until your legs have adapted to the training stress and impact forces. In runnign you gain CV fitness very quickly, and if you already have some fitness background you will find your CV fitness easily over-reaches your physiological constraints in your legs. It takes much longer for bones, ligaments and tendons to adapt to runnign compared yo your heart.
Associate
Cheers for that. Whats the easiest way to be sure i have a correct figure for 100% HR? I was always told (way back in the mists of time) that is was 220 - age. If this still holds true then I get 173 as a max HR.
Sadly no easy way. There are some slightly more accurate formulae on Google but all of these just give a population average, your true HR could be 15-20 BPM higher or lower and sitll be in the normal range.
Best method is to get tested in a lab. You run on a treadmill that goes faster and faster until you basically collapse. kind of expensive and not fun. You can make a decent estimate by running a 5-10K type race and totally gunning the last half mile to the finish line, to the point you feel sick and dizzy in a heap on the ground.
I think it is actually better to do some races, even if you don't totally kill yourself, but get an estimate of your race pace for a distance like 5K. Given the race pace you can plug that into on line calculators to find training paces. Then you simply want to run at those training paces, and can measure your HR while doing your supposed easy running pace. Then you adapt this by feel, which is where it is normal to ensure that your easy pace allows an easy conversation, doesn't make you too fatigued over short distances (of course over a long distance even an easy pace will leave you tired). The you can look at recovery and estimate of the run stress. If you have recovered quickly form the run then it was easy enough, if you have aches the next day then you ran it too fast (or you did a longer run, whcih is absolutely fine)