Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Does anyone run in Altra Escalantes? If so, any thoughts?

I've been running in very minimal Inov8 shoes (about 13mm stack height and low drop) for a long time, but it's starting to get to my knees so I'm after similarly "minimal" shoes with slightly more cushion, and maintaining the wide toe box.

The Altras look great and get great feedback, but dropping £120 on a shoe I can't find in a shop to try on anywhere is a little risky.
 
All good last night. will be doing a few a week until we go on hols and then stepping it up once back. First time in ages that I haven't used tape on my feet and no blisters (or even hotspots) Will carry on and hopefully only need to use tape on odd occasions.
 
manic111 said:
Does anyone run in Altra Escalantes? If so, any thoughts?

I've been running in very minimal Inov8 shoes (about 13mm stack height and low drop) for a long time, but it's starting to get to my knees so I'm after similarly "minimal" shoes with slightly more cushion, and maintaining the wide toe box.

The Altras look great and get great feedback, but dropping £120 on a shoe I can't find in a shop to try on anywhere is a little risky.
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I have a pair of escalantes. I normally use maximal cushioning shoes. The escalantes offer a comfortable ride, nice and springing despite being fairly minimal. I need more of a show for every day running though.

The upper is very comfy but I fjndvthe tongue can easily become folded over a little and if you don't keep it pulled up then it bruises the topic my foot and I get acute pain. This doesn't sound like I'm selljngnit well but I actually really like the shoe. I mentionthis tongue issue just as a warning of you buy them, not to dissuade you. Most running shoes have a big padded tongue that stays in place, escalantes is minimal inbthis department.

Shoes look quite smart so I often use them when travelling.


They supposedly last a long time without degradation.


The toe box is wide as with all altra shoes which is great. But The shoe itself is not wide. However, the top if very stretchy like a glove so it doesn't seem to be a problem for mybsquaee feet.

There is zero drop, so you would want to transition slowly in to them. Zero drop does help force a natural position
 
Is there a running tracker/app that gives you feedback and tells you to up your pace, etc? Just thinking that my current watch beeps at me each KM and I can gauge roughly how I'm doing, but the motivation between measurements depends on me.

I only have a basic Polar watch (M400) but that has been good enough so far; I've also recently started listening to music on runs I've had to take the iPhone (in a flip belt) meaning that I could potentially use a much wider variety of apps now.

Not keen on having anything to look at (that would end in tears) so it would need to be audio feedback.

It's not something that I'd need on every run, but might be a useful tool on those solo runs when motivation is flagging.
 
Most do that.

I use Strava on my watch and you get cues for Distance/Last Split/Average Pace at every mile (presumably the same for kilometers). That's not much different to what you get now though, just a little more info.

Do you mean you want something thats more trainer based so can give you a prompt if you're falling under a set speed etc? Can you not just glance down at your watch to see current pace?

Otherwise i believe there are more training based apps but think they're usually subscription based.
 
Marvt74 said:
Most do that.
Do you mean you want something thats more trainer based so can give you a prompt if you're falling under a set speed etc? Can you not just glance down at your watch to see current pace?.
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Yes, sorry for the poor description, something to shout motivational slogans at me (or just prompt me to run faster) when I slack off - I used to obsess about the times on my watch so much so that it killed any joy I got from running, so I'm not sure if this will work or not, but the thought of having something prompting me as opposed to me prompting myself makes it sound a bit easier.

I'm clearly not very good at taking responsibility for things. Need a fall guy.
 
Do times bother you? For me i'll glance at them after a run but generally don't care if i've ran 9:30 or 11 min miles. I just enjoy being out running, some days are naturally slower than others. Just depends on how your body feels.

If you want to bring times down then something more interval based would be better. Do some specific speed work and then over time you'll be used to the faster paces and that'll become your new "normal" so to speak.
 
I only ever look at the time when I have finished. Sometimes, I even avoid looking until it has synced :-)

I always use the watch in Km and it pops a full screen up for the time for the last km. Normally it sits on a full screen HR display and I have it set to buzz if i go above the relevant zone.
 
I live somewhere quite dull for quick local runs (as in ones I don't have to drive to), I've had a few solo runs recently when I hit the 'why do I bother' point - even with music on I struggle (I have the bone conduction headphones, great for hearing when a tractor is going to run me over, not so great for losing myself in music).

With friends runs are fine, so it's just filling the gap on those long roads where motivation flags and my brain starts questioning the logic of running...

I am not a fast runner, so times are only really measured against what I have ran previously - but I did get caught up in number watching, much less bothered about checking every KM beep now which is better for enjoyment, but still...

If there are alternatives that I should be considering for long boring runs when it's all a bit flat, straight and dull (but I still need to be aware of passing traffic) then please suggest those instead!
 
You say you live by the sea. That's an awesome place to be able to run!

If you're getting bored check out audiobooks/podcasts. I sometimes find with music you're thinking. I've heard 10 songs so that means i'm ~40 mins in. Got ages left. Whereas with a book you get lost in the story and don't focus on time at all. I listen to a few football ones which always make me laugh (Peter Crouch one and Quickly Kevin). Some fictional podcasts i've enjoyed are Limetown and Uncle Berties Botanarium. Otherwise just find something about something you're interested in.

The main problem with podcasts are the adverts. I started one last night called Blackout but feels like there are ad-breaks every 5 minutes!
 
Ha! I really need to update that - it's not so close to the sea now; fens are wet, but not really the same...

I do like the Peter Crouch podcast, but never thought about using podcasts on runs, probably a good idea as it is just needing something to break monotony - I am guilty of doing the song-to-KM calculation too...
 
Depending on your age then (given it's a 90's football podcast), give Quickly Kevin a go. It's hilarious and has some great guests like Paul Merson who at one point talks about a game they used to play where they'd put money on the table, then sit around drinking wine and taking sleeping pills. Whoever was the last standing took the money.

Some great insights into football back then. Plus there are loads of series to work through.

Plus i find most are around 40-50 mins long which is about my average run time.
 
And that's probably why i don't show much progression/improvement. I don't focus on things like that, so if i feel out of breathe i just ease off!
 
Marvt74 said:
And that's probably why i don't show much progression/improvement. I don't focus on things like that, so if i feel out of breathe i just ease off!
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I suppose that is a good way to do it. If you feel out of breath you know to slow down/walk/etc. I do find at times that the music could be a nice distraction, when I'm pounding the pavements with the cars and lorries going past. If it was down the towpath with the birds singing, I'd probably be less inclined and would rather enjoy the bird song.
 
More useful is an alarm for HR to make sure you are not going too fast.

What does it matter if your pace drops latrr in your run? I tgink thr bigger issue is yoh are likely starting out too fast.

I would be very concenred about any device that aims to make you run faster. Almost everyone should be doing the opposite outside a race.

What is happening to your HR at the end? Are your keeping in the right HR zone or starting too hard
 
This is why I only have an alert for moving into HR Zone 4 and then each Km. They are different buzzes and so I don't really need to look at the watch at all :-)
 
It's not so much about pace - it's about the fact that I am hitting a motivational wall when running solo; so not a fitness issue, but a mental one? That's why I am warming to the idea of finding a few podcasts to listen to as opposed to finding an app to shout those catchy motivational slogans at me when I start to falter.

As I mentioned earlier, I have gone through the watch checking obsession phase and all that did was kill any enjoyment I had; so I am not overly fussed about speed, it's just about shutting up the annoying "whhhhhyyyy?" questions that pop into my head on longer runs - so the idea of having a virtual trainer to shut that up was my first thought.

Also, to clarify that these aren't massive runs! We're talking 10k maximum of late.
 
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