Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

JustBen said:
Alright Chaps, I've got a Garmin Vivoactive (the first one) and been tempting to upgrade it for a bit. I have noticed on Wiggle they have the 645 music. Any thoughts on this one? It is cheaper than the 245 yet has music and garmin pay so seems better.
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The 645 is now discontinued by Garmin. It was the first watch out of the new generation so will likely be the first one replaced when the new watches (forerunner 55, 255, 655, 755, 955, fenix 7 etc) start coming out this year. Compared to the 245, the 645 has a barometric altimeter, Garmin running power, Garmin Pay and a metel bezel. It's a bit heavier and more "premium" than the 245 but has many of the same features. It also has the older GPS chip which is less power efficient but supposedly more accurate.

For the £200 wiggle have the 645 on offer for, it's a great deal. Garmin support and update old devices for years so you won't have an issue there. It will likely be replaced by the 655 in a month or so but that will be nearer £400 when it's released.
 
Yeh I noticed the battery doesn't seem great but I work from home so charging it isn't an issue.
I get paid on Wednesday so probs grab it then, I will have to grab some headphones too, will get those bone conducting ones as I can only hear in one ear so having normal headphones is in not ideal.
 
Battery should still be decent enough and give you a fair few days, plus they seem to charge really quick. My Fenix 6 seems done in about an hour and lasts around 10 days or so.

Still no running for me, although my weekend was full of DIY so didn't have time/energy for anything else. I need to drop a form off with a local business to get permission to cut some trees down. That's around 0.5miles away so going to test my foot out on that. It's feeling mostly better now, although some discomfort has moved its way round to the top of my foot now. I definitely think i'm close to just needing to be put down!
 
I picked up the 645 about a month back as the price was too good to ignore and my 225 was having issues dropping gps randomly or locking up.

I use to use my apple watch during the day then use the Garmin for runs, but now just use the Garmin as it looks nice and does all the things I liked about the apple watch and is obviously much better for running.

Battery on the 645 probably lasts me about 4-5 days, that'd likely be 12-24 ish miles maybe half of that using music with bluetooth headset. From full charge I did an 18mile run with headphones and I think it was about 60% left at the end, maybe a little more. Nowhere as good as the 225 which I think would last close to 3-4 weeks between charges, but the 225 had no "smart" abilities aside from bluetooth sync.
 
JustBen said:
Yeh I noticed the battery doesn't seem great but I work from home so charging it isn't an issue.
I get paid on Wednesday so probs grab it then, I will have to grab some headphones too, will get those bone conducting ones as I can only hear in one ear so having normal headphones is in not ideal.
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As other people have said, the battery should last you a fair few days. I usually just charge my Garmin when I'm in the shower which keeps it topped up.

I have the Aftershokz Aeropex bone conducting headphones which are fantastic. For podcasts and audio books they are amazing and you can still easily hear your surroundings if a bike/car is coming up behind you. They can also handle music ok, no way near as bad as I was expecting, but in-ear headphones will be better, especially for bass. I haven't tried the cheaper ones so can't comment on them.
 
Martynt74 said:
Anyone tried/seen those Allbird trainers?
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I'd never heard of them before (I'm sure I'll be inundated with their ads now I've done some searching!) but I might try them, actually for work rather than running. Everyone talks about how comfortable they are and the plain black are very plain and I'd be allowed to wear them with my suit. If I could find a discount code, I'd probably pull the trigger...
 
My forerunner 645 music turned up today. I wanted the aftershox headphones but opted for some MPOW Flame solo bass ones which seemed good for £25 on a amazon lightening deal.
Also got Spotify premium for the music and podcasts.
I've setup Garmin coach with the 10k target and the 2nd coach in the list. Nipped out today to do the benchmark bit. Looks like a decent idea.
First thoughts on the watch are that it looks good, really light and easy to set things like Garmin Pay up. One thing i did notice was that syncing spotify playlists took a wile and seemed to hammer the battery. I was sat at my desk so no issues there.
I've neglected running for a couple of years now and finding it shocking how bad i am at it.
Also think i need to get back to the shop for my shoes to be replaced as they are not quite as comfy as they were a couple of years ago. I went to Pete Bland sports in Kendal last time and got some brooks ones which have served me well. I'm almost tempted to try my Nike 270's out running as they're comfy around the house.
 
Glad you are enjoying the watch. Apart from the initial setup or if you change your playlists, Spotify usually syncs only when your watch is charging as it does use a lot of power. The Garmin coach is a good feature. It's good to have a structured training plan like that to get you out the door regularly. You should see good improvements if you're able to stick with it.

Looking at the 270s they are lifestyle trainers and not designed for running. The heel in particular looks like it could be quite unstable. I would definitely recommend going to a running shop and trying on a few different shoes. Looking at what Pete Bland sports offer they all look to be quite high end. For what it's worth, if they recommend a stability shoe I would opt for the Hoka Arahi 5 and if they recommend a neutral shoe I would go for the Brooks Hyperion Tempo. What's most important though is to find what fits you best.
 
Yesterday was the last of a block booking with a personal trainer and whilst i enjoyed it, i got a discounted rate as we couldn't use all his gym equipment. It's now gone from £20 to £28 a session and whilst still not too expensive it pushes it above where i my justification level is for something like that.

I looked at Strava and realised just how little i'd been out running recently and having heavy legs from lots of squats/lunges for a few days after a PT session didn't help.

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Got out today for a run, legs felt a little heavy but my plan is to really start trying to get back into a routine with running. Was aiming for my 3.75 mile loop but felt ok and at the 2.8 point i have an option where i can detour for a 4.4 mile loop, so went for that. Hit 3.5 miles though and my legs got very heavy and can feel some tightness in my calves/ankles so going to roll the crap out of them later on.

The plan is to get out on the same loop tomorrow/Friday and then rest Saturday and get out for a 10k on Sunday.

One thing i've been wondering though. I know when starting out it's important not to do too much too soon. Does this also apply if you've had a few months out? I'm wondering if it's safe to go from 5-10 miles a week for 2 months or so to then ramp up to 30 miles a week, i think i should be ok as long as it's easy running, but i'm nervous of nitroducing niggles again!
 
2 weeks of steady and slow, before you ramp back up to normal levels. This activates your body`s recovery and nervous system to the the loading.
 
Martynt74 said:
One thing i've been wondering though. I know when starting out it's important not to do too much too soon. Does this also apply if you've had a few months out? I'm wondering if it's safe to go from 5-10 miles a week for 2 months or so to then ramp up to 30 miles a week, i think i should be ok as long as it's easy running, but i'm nervous of introducing niggles again!
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Good to hear you've been able to get back out again. Generally, coming back from an injury that has kept you out for a few months it is very much like starting out again. The important bit is as SPG says; you want to have your effort very easy until you've been 100% niggle free for a couple of weeks. In terms of volume, you would usually look to build it back up at the usual 10% each week. However, if you are used to much higher volume before the injury you can ramp up a bit faster once the niggles have disappeared.
 
Cheers, most of my running is at a very easy pace anyway (or at least what should be an easy pace if my fitness hadn't gone down the pan!)

Definitely felt good being out again though it's annoying seeing lovely sunny days like this wishing i was up in the hills and yet i'm being sensible and reminding myself that running over uneven moorland is the best way to destroy my ankle!
 
Haha well that didn’t go to plan. Wife wasn’t feeling good so decided to run when she went to bed.

Went out around half 7. The sun was setting and it was a lovely evening. I decided to take the most scenic route I could think of which led me through a few fields.

The ground was fairly firm so nothing too reckless fortunately but I can feel some light swelling now I’m home. So just sat with an ice pack as a precaution.

Just couldn’t resist!
 
dwarf said:
Looking at the 270s they are lifestyle trainers and not designed for running. The heel in particular looks like it could be quite unstable. I would definitely recommend going to a running shop and trying on a few different shoes. Looking at what Pete Bland sports offer they all look to be quite high end. For what it's worth, if they recommend a stability shoe I would opt for the Hoka Arahi 5 and if they recommend a neutral shoe I would go for the Brooks Hyperion Tempo. What's most important though is to find what fits you best.
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Yeh thought the Nike may not be the best trainer. I have had a look at the Brooks i've got and they are these: https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_gb/brooks-vapor-4-running-shoes-men/110250.html
Pete Bland sports was all pricey trainers IIRC, wasn't much less than £80 or so. Think i paid somewhere near £100 for mine. I'll stick with what i've got until i can get there again and try a load on.
 
JustBen said:
Yeh thought the Nike may not be the best trainer. I have had a look at the Brooks i've got and they are these: https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_gb/brooks-vapor-4-running-shoes-men/110250.html
Pete Bland sports was all pricey trainers IIRC, wasn't much less than £80 or so. Think i paid somewhere near £100 for mine. I'll stick with what I've got until I can get there again and try a load on.
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Yeah, those look like quite rigid support shoes so they are not going to be massively comfortable. Support shoes have come a long way recently though so I think you'd probably benefit from a newer pair. The Hoka Arahi 5 is supposed to be very good. Asics might be worth avoiding. They are historically very popular with runners so they tend to not risk too many changes with their shoe updates. Consequently, their support shoes are still quite similar to the pair you already have (heavy and rigid).

There's no harm sticking with the shoes you have for now though. Best to just get out there and enjoy your running.
 
One of the 645 music's sounds tempting I keep taking out my old iPhone SE with my Fenix 3HR to listen to podcasts/Spotify

HR seems allniver the place with my watch atm - sometimes under reports (gets stuck at 150) sometimes over reports - sometimes just right

Was consistently spot on 12 months ago and earlier maybe I need to try a factory reset

Managed 8.5 miles off road tonight - to the sea wall and then along sea wall - pretty windy so quite hard work today

Maybe 170 average HR was because of wind but my body was saying was more like 150-160 maybe was picking up my cadence

Bit frustrated with my new Guide 13s I've had so many guide 8, 9 etc with no issues (even my 3 year old way past usable date ones gave me no issues or pains) these 13s seem to give me quite sore sides of my feet - not a pain have had from running before. They fit perfectly just get sore on a run not sure if arch support or what has changed
 
My achilles just doesn't seem to be getting any better and concerned how bad these things can get if they decide to get worse.

@Martynt74 Did you do anything in particular with yours other than rest? Any exercises I can do to help?
 
No, didn't really do anything other than try and stretch/foam rolling my calves, maybe some ice occasionally too.

I'm still not really back running properly yet. I keep having a feeling of swelling around my ankles despite them not actually looking swollen. It's really weird, along with some tightness in my ankles too. It's starting to really annoy me!
 
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