Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Weather was grim this morning so did some time on the indoor bike , needless to say it gets boring compared to running outside ! All exercise has got to be good exercise for the jelly belly though =)
 
Earth[Tera].bin said:
I'm up for a bit of punishment this Sunday, 42 years old and doing my first marathon in Barcelona. This will be my second organised run with the first being a 5k in Vegas last November, prior to that I'd only run around 8 miles max .

I'm not expecting a great time to be honest, the 4 months training have been stalled by posterior shin splints and the flu. The shin splints being the major pain , literally, and in the end I just had to rest for 2 weeks and do no running at all. As a compromise I shelved the running plan I was following and I ended up just doing long runs every Sunday, which seems to have worked and has allowed to get to 20 miles in 3h39m , would be happy at 4h30m ish but just looking to finish now as it's been a bit of a struggle. In saying that though I've really enjoyed the challenge and pushing myself. Nervous and excited about Sunday :)
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05:00:50 , not the time I was aiming but all things considered quite enjoyed my first marathon. Need to get some decent training in if I end up doing another.

Winner did it 2hr 8 mins which is mental lol.
 
That's marvellous!

Long run last night postponed to Tuesday night due to mothers day etc.

I am hoping to come in under 5 Hrs as well so any comments on how it was would be good. You can do a full race report if you like (Including youtube interviews etc.) :D

Alternatively, just some ideas on where and when you felt good/bad etc.
 
Earth[Tera].bin said:
05:00:50 , not the time I was aiming but all things considered quite enjoyed my first marathon. Need to get some decent training in if I end up doing another.

Winner did it 2hr 8 mins which is mental lol.
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Well done!. Glad you enjoyed your first.


Most Marathon training plans suffer from having a very steep progression in terms of weekly miles, number and intensity of workouts, length of long run, etc. This can lad to injury.

What is not really emphasized a lot of the requirement for a strong aerobic base. If you spend 3-4 months slowly increasing run volume with some long runs now and then, spending some time on hills to strengthen legs, then you build a very strong reliable aerobic base. this is ultimately what determines you marathon performance. The more marathon focused training cycle then extends that long run a little, and adds some speed through track work or tempo runs. Its like the icing on the cake, you need to cake a good cake first. What I actually liek to do is reduce my volume as I get further into the training cycle and the workouts get harder. Previous marathon i would consistently run 80-100 mile weeks 3-4 months out, but then as I start adding track workouts, or long runs with quality, then the miles drop down and I add more rest days, trying to balance the increase in intensity with a reduction in volume.


So my advice is to make sure you recover but then start increasing your run volume carefully, don;t wait around until you are 16 weeks out and about to start you 16 week training program. You need consistent training.
 
My shins just did not like the unfamiliar hard/road surfaces and the initial plan that I was following meant they just couldn't adjust/recover fully, giving some right grief . Actual tender to the touch at the moment, but no where near as bad as they were so I'll take some positives from that.

I'll have a good break and then get back out there taking your advice onboard . Thanks all
 
Finished the Surrey Half in 1:32:05, a PB by 6.5 minutes I think.
Happy to get one on the board this year but had nothing from 14km onwards. Was losing about 10 seconds a km and made the decision to ease off otherwise I risked not finishing at all. Still managed a near vomit inducing 200m sprint at the end. Gutted to miss the sub 90 minute but finished with 0 injuries, on to the Eastleigh 10k this Sunday.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1447073358
 
BlastRadius said:
Finished the Surrey Half in 1:32:05, a PB by 6.5 minutes I think.
Happy to get one on the board this year but had nothing from 14km onwards. Was losing about 10 seconds a km and made the decision to ease off otherwise I risked not finishing at all. Still managed a near vomit inducing 200m sprint at the end. Gutted to miss the sub 90 minute but finished with 0 injuries, on to the Eastleigh 10k this Sunday.
https://www.strava.com/activities/1447073358
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Well done! That is a good time, and way to persevere at the end.

You probably had a slightly too aggressive goal but a sub 90 is probably very close. Slightly slower at the start and you would hit 1:31 no doubt. One more training cycle and could hit 1:28 or so i would guess.

I nearly did the same at a half last year. The only way i stopped loosing much time was because I was marathon training so had a lot of volume and a lot of long runs, plus was racing against other people over the last 7 miles and it was just fun pushing each other on. Passed the finish line in such a state the medics were looking me over!
 
Earth[Tera].bin said:
My shins just did not like the unfamiliar hard/road surfaces and the initial plan that I was following meant they just couldn't adjust/recover fully, giving some right grief . Actual tender to the touch at the moment, but no where near as bad as they were so I'll take some positives from that.

I'll have a good break and then get back out there taking your advice onboard . Thanks all
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It takes time for your body to adapt. You get CV improvement very quickly running, but your bones and joints take longer to catch up so you have to be cautious. Mostly easy running helps limit impact forces.
 
D.P. said:
Well done! That is a good time, and way to persevere at the end.

You probably had a slightly too aggressive goal but a sub 90 is probably very close. Slightly slower at the start and you would hit 1:31 no doubt. One more training cycle and could hit 1:28 or so i would guess.

I nearly did the same at a half last year. The only way i stopped loosing much time was because I was marathon training so had a lot of volume and a lot of long runs, plus was racing against other people over the last 7 miles and it was just fun pushing each other on. Passed the finish line in such a state the medics were looking me over!
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Thanks, I think I might need to invest in a newer watch as my tomtom wasn't accurately showing my pace so I kept running too fast.

If this next link works, this is the finish line video. I'm the guy in the red shirt steaming through at the end.
http://dbmaxresults.co.uk/MyResults.aspx?CId=16421&RId=186&EId=1&AId=134667&YT=1
 
Grrrr is been messing around with my phone recently and everything has reset itself so Strava didn’t get my heart rate.

I had planned for a decent run but my legs have felt tight for weeks. Doesn’t seem to matter how much I stretch they never loosen.

Went out with the intent to take it slow and easy but my right hamstring kept twitching. Ended up cutting it short at around 4miles.

Not sure what I can try to resolve this. I seem to stretch at every opportunity and I’ve not got my feet on one of those Revitive electric pulse circulation things.
 
Marvt74 said:
Grrrr is been messing around with my phone recently and everything has reset itself so Strava didn’t get my heart rate.

I had planned for a decent run but my legs have felt tight for weeks. Doesn’t seem to matter how much I stretch they never loosen.

Went out with the intent to take it slow and easy but my right hamstring kept twitching. Ended up cutting it short at around 4miles.

Not sure what I can try to resolve this. I seem to stretch at every opportunity and I’ve not got my feet on one of those Revitive electric pulse circulation things.
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When you say stretching, what do you exactly mean?

Static stretching is really not going to be beneficial at all and might be making things worse. Dynamic stretching once you have run a couple of miles will help loosen things up if you then want to do something faster. Foam rolling and massage can help loosen tight muscles.

Recovery is also important, after a morning run I like to try and take walking breaks through the day. If you run in the evenings then the risk is you go to bed soon afterwards without being able to walk off the post-exercise stiffness.
 
I've generally just been doing static stretching but have just been doing some reading on Dynamic stretching. Does this website seem to give a decent routine?

https://greatist.com/fitness/full-body-dynamic-warm-up

If i aim to do that before a run, what do you tend to aim to do afterwards? Or just repeat the above?

I have ordered a foam roller so will see how that goes.
 
Seems reasonable those stretches. I dont bother with the upper body stretches but probably should. I also do some circular motions with the knee while standing on one leg, this helps work hip flexors.

Also, tight muscles is just part of the training. This morning I had very tight legs somjust did a few miles to help loosen them. Later today will try my workout. Some people get good results from doing 2-4 mile recovery runs either in the morning before a workout in the evening, or in the evening after a morning workout.

Also there is a difference between tight and sore. Infrequently have tight muslces, but there is nothing painful. I just can't run fast, but since 80% or more of your running should be slow, it is not a big deal. Some rest days will bring back the speed. In training I struggle to hit 6min miles, but last April I ran a 10k at 5:57min/mile pace with just a few easy days.
 
I've been getting some persistent stiffness / soreness in my right calf muscle. I've finally ordered some rollers to try and get it sorted before resorting to physio.
 
Have also found this which seems a little more comprehensive.

https://yurielkaim.com/dynamic-warm-up-exercises/

I had tried downloading a few Pilates/Yoga type apps for my phone to try and start doing that in the mornings to loosen up but they all seemed to have a very expensive subscription payment model.


When i say tight, i mean that i feel i'm being restricted due to lack of flexibility. Sometimes even things like touches my toes is a struggle as it feels my hamstrings might snap if i go any further. I've also started getting some pain to the inside of my calves and recently a short sharp pain in the quad muscle just above my left knee.

These things all seemed to come on around a month ago and no matter how much rest/easy pacing i do, nothing seems to be easing and i think they're contributing to lower back pain too.

Not sure how useful it is but i've also found i slouch a lot, so have bought one of those posture corrector braces. First day today but it seems to be pulling me upright quite a bit at work!
 
ci_newman said:
I've been getting some persistent stiffness / soreness in my right calf muscle. I've finally ordered some rollers to try and get it sorted before resorting to physio.
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I sometimes get this. I find it really helps to give yourself a solid deep tissue massage and lots of foam rolling. Muscles and tends tighten up and some hard pushing and poking goes a long way. Also realize that all these muscles and tendons are connected form the front of your foot all up the calf to the knee and up the legs. So a tightness or issues in one area can result in issues somewhere else. If I am doing a lot of speed work then I start to get PF, but this happens exact same time I get a very tight knot in upper calf and the odd pain in the knees. Running easy, stopping any speed work, lots of foam rolling and its gone pretty quick.
 
Marvt74 said:
Have also found this which seems a little more comprehensive.

https://yurielkaim.com/dynamic-warm-up-exercises/

I had tried downloading a few Pilates/Yoga type apps for my phone to try and start doing that in the mornings to loosen up but they all seemed to have a very expensive subscription payment model.


When i say tight, i mean that i feel i'm being restricted due to lack of flexibility. Sometimes even things like touches my toes is a struggle as it feels my hamstrings might snap if i go any further. I've also started getting some pain to the inside of my calves and recently a short sharp pain in the quad muscle just above my left knee.

These things all seemed to come on around a month ago and no matter how much rest/easy pacing i do, nothing seems to be easing and i think they're contributing to lower back pain too.

Not sure how useful it is but i've also found i slouch a lot, so have bought one of those posture corrector braces. First day today but it seems to be pulling me upright quite a bit at work!
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What does your training look like?
Did you get a gait analysis before buying shoes? Are the shoes decently cushioned? Are they a neutral running shoe?
 
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