Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

Bunko said:
Haha I'm sure they will, thanks I just wasn't sure with only doing around 2.5-3 miles a time while I build up if it was worth investing now or not but I'm happy to pay more if it will benefit me for sure!
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There’s definitely a good mid ground. I’m not sure how decent trainers are at sub £50 but you’ll see some very good trainers popping up soon in the £60-£70 range which will be last years models and I don’t think there’s a benefit going any higher unless you’re specifically chasing records.
 
What do you do when feeling fatigued? Today should be my next run but after putting in a lot of hours at work recently as well I'm feeling quite drained. Do you just push through or is it worth taking an extra day to rest? This run will be 25 minutes non stop so looking forward to it to see how I get on.

Martynt74 said:
There’s definitely a good mid ground. I’m not sure how decent trainers are at sub £50 but you’ll see some very good trainers popping up soon in the £60-£70 range which will be last years models and I don’t think there’s a benefit going any higher unless you’re specifically chasing records.
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Any recommendations or names at that price point to start with?
 
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Bunko said:
What do you do when feeling fatigued? Today should be my next run but after putting in a lot of hours at work recently as well I'm feeling quite drained. Do you just push through or is it worth taking an extra day to rest? This run will be 25 minutes non stop so looking forward to it to see how I get on.



Any recommendations or names at that price point to start with?
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The cool thing about running is it gives you more energy which seems counter intuitive at first. When you start, various parts of you will become inflamed like joints, bronchi tubes etc but when they become conditioned you'll then benefit from better airflow and all the other goodies that happen.
 
Bunko said:
Nice one mate, what sort of distances do you do? I've done a couple of runs since the 20 minutes non stop and both haven't been anywhere near as good fitness wise as I felt on that one which is annoying. I have gone a different route now though which involves a decent hill, absolutely ruined me going up that haha. I had to stop on the first attempt but managed it today after pushing hard. The relief when the ground starts to level out! :D

Speaking of shoes I do need some as I'm just running in basic trainers, any go to beginner recommendations less than say £50?
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Hills I find come with time, weight plays a major role, I've noticed I'm getting better as I'm thinning out.
It's the skinny mini's that have me on the hills, but on the flats there's honestly little in it, I'll maintain around 5m/km on a good day, but have been known to hit 4.30.
Distance I'm hitting around 25 miles pw, my joints and age being the limiting factor.
I can do three half marathons per week, but after that my body tells me to bugger off for at least a week.
Every bit of me wants to do more, so I'm hoping it'll come with time, we'll see I can only but hope.

As for shoes, Puma velocity nitro I have and love, but Reebok floatride energy 3 are meant to be just as good.
Pick whatever is cheapest, these are the two I'd choose.
 
jsmoke said:
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The cool thing about running is it gives you more energy which seems counter intuitive at first. When you start, various parts of you will become inflamed like joints, bronchi tubes etc but when they become conditioned you'll then benefit from better airflow and all the other goodies that happen.
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Bunko said:
What do you do when feeling fatigued? Today should be my next run but after putting in a lot of hours at work recently as well I'm feeling quite drained. Do you just push through or is it worth taking an extra day to rest? This run will be 25 minutes non stop so looking forward to it to see how I get on.



Any recommendations or names at that price point to start with?
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It these days where you need to dig in and just get on your trainers and get outside. Time on feet is paramount to getting better. Trust me you get this feeling very often you will suprise yourself how much your body has actually left in it.

Once your out, do whatever you plan dictates for the first 15-20 mins often by this time you will have pushed through your perceived fatigue and find you can do what's left easily. If not then just walk run but finish the session.
 
Bunko said:
What do you do when feeling fatigued? Today should be my next run but after putting in a lot of hours at work recently as well I'm feeling quite drained. Do you just push through or is it worth taking an extra day to rest? This run will be 25 minutes non stop so looking forward to it to see how I get on.
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As said push through it, I've had plenty of times that felt like this, only to hit pb's and feel great for it.
Other days I felt great, only to have the run suck hard.
It changes all the time, I find how you feel had little impact on how you run.
I went out today despite feeling rough, held back and had one of my best runs to date, smashed a half marathon like it was nothing, now having a beer to celebrate what was a good day.

Don't read into it too much, you'll only end up disheartened and give up, running can be very cathartic.
 
Thanks for the advice guys, as soon as I finished work I got changed and headed straight out the door. Amazing how much of it is all in your head, no way I thought I'd run 25 minutes without walking breaks but I did it. Managed a pace of 9:17/mile (5:46/km) so a bit slower than when I did the 20 minute run. I know pace isn't that important right now but I'd like to get a bit quicker.
 
Bunko said:
Any recommendations or names at that price point to start with?
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It's tricky as they can be quite personal to each person. Although @dwarf usually has decent suggestions and i've noticed he's mentioned a few options above.

It's worth heading to a store to try them on. Not sure where you're based but there's usually a decent store in most places with a range of stock. If you can't then i'd run through this quiz to find a decent estimate of what to look for (Not nessecerily a Brooks trainer but to get an idea of the different things to consider)

https://www.brooksrunning.com/en_gb/ShoeFinder


I'd also echo @AndyCr15 post above. I think it's tempted when starting out to go all out on pace and try and run faster every time but it's pretty counterintuitive. Most runs should feel quite easy and not having you gasping for breath :)
 
Also i've done something to my ankle again! Doesn't feel serious, but i was meant to run yesterday but spent a few hours pressure washing the garden so was conscious i may have over-done it by standing so long and decided to take the take off.

When i was on the sofa i was stretching a bit and crossing my bad ankle over my right thigh, as i did i used my hand to pull my foot down to increase the stretch and got a horrendous pain as if something over stretched/tore. Today feels a bit sore again but i'm still walking ok luckily. Such an annoying thing!
 
Liking the Reeboks, especially as we are getting towards the colder mornings so I will go to town and try some on. I'm surprised with my speed as I felt I was going too slow if anything, although it makes sense to slow down for endurance. Next run will be another 25 minutes so I will slow it down and see how I feel. Does speed just come naturally then?

Martynt74 said:
Also i've done something to my ankle again! Doesn't feel serious, but i was meant to run yesterday but spent a few hours pressure washing the garden so was conscious i may have over-done it by standing so long and decided to take the take off.
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Oh no that's not good, especially when you just want to get out there and run, just going to take it easy?
 
I guess it depends a lot on the individual, i'm a slow runner and despite running for years i'd still only put my fast pace around 8 min/miles, but my normal pace is 9:15-9:30. I suppose in hindsight that's never really changed from when i first started though. I've just never really got faster.

For most people, speed seems to just come naturally as volume/experience increases. I think if i really tried i could get faster but it doesn't bother me at all, i'm happy just slowly plodding around.



Yeah it generally feels ok today so going to head out after work. Can't wait till i can just run without worrying. Although last night i came very close to entering a 135 mile event. Luckily i managed to avoid that stupidity!
 
Martynt74 said:
I guess it depends a lot on the individual, i'm a slow runner and despite running for years i'd still only put my fast pace around 8 min/miles, but my normal pace is 9:15-9:30. I suppose in hindsight that's never really changed from when i first started though. I've just never really got faster.

For most people, speed seems to just come naturally as volume/experience increases. I think if i really tried i could get faster but it doesn't bother me at all, i'm happy just slowly plodding around.



Yeah it generally feels ok today so going to head out after work. Can't wait till i can just run without worrying. Although last night i came very close to entering a 135 mile event. Luckily i managed to avoid that stupidity!
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Do you do weights as well as cardio?
It can increase your metabolism as well as being great for leg muscles, which then will help with your stamina and speed as a result.
 
I did go through a phase a few years back (which co-incided with my starting to run), where i'd go to the gym a lot and i would say that was probably when i was my "best" runner from a speed point of view and it's no co-incidence it was also when i did weights on a regular basis. Nowadays i rarely do anything, especially not in a structured way. I always tell myself i'm going to get better at doing weight exercises again but i do it for a week or two and then get really bored. I'll often throw in some bodyweight squats/lunges during the day at home along with calf raises etc but nothing in a proper routine and it rarely lasts long enough to make an impact.

I have started cycling which i'm hoping will help my quads especially muscles, but i know that really i should do more mobility/weight work. Especially spending so much time sat down during the day it plays havoc with flexibility and will no doubt be playing a part in the amount of injuries i incur.
 
Really good TED talk that popped up on my Youtube about the 80/20 training plans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MALsI0mJ09I&ab_channel=TEDxTalks



I got out last night, i kind of skipped a session as Sunday i was meant to do a 20 minute run, but i ended up doing around 25 minutes which was technically what the plan said to do today. It's a really bizarre thing as i get some discomfort for around 30-60 seconds at the very start, then it feels absolutely fine for the remainder of the run. Then i get home and get some aches and it wasn't right when i woke up this morning. Not painful or weak, just that feeling that it's not right if that makes sense.
I'm going to try and ring a physio and get some guidance as i don't want to over-do anything by getting back to easy 30-40 minute runs 3/4 times a week but i'm not sure what i really need to be watching out for.
 
Had a great run earlier, slowed it down as suggested and made light work of the hill that I struggled with a few runs ago. Perhaps I was just going too quick and tiring out too fast or I'm getting fitter lol. Overall pace was 9:41/mile (6:01/km) but for the first mile it was 10:10. I did pick up the pace a little towards the end as felt good once the terrain evened out. Can't wait to attempt 10k runs in a few weeks, wouldn't have said 2 months ago before I started c25k, what is happening :eek:
 
Bunko said:
Had a great run earlier, slowed it down as suggested and made light work of the hill that I struggled with a few runs ago. Perhaps I was just going too quick and tiring out too fast or I'm getting fitter lol. Overall pace was 9:41/mile (6:01/km) but for the first mile it was 10:10. I did pick up the pace a little towards the end as felt good once the terrain evened out. Can't wait to attempt 10k runs in a few weeks, wouldn't have said 2 months ago before I started c25k, what is happening :eek:
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Awesome. Great work. I think those C25k training plans are great for getting people motivated, but i found they took things very slowly when my daughter was wanting to start running, and with a reasonable initial base level of fitness you can make progress much faster (without going crazy and risking injury).
That sounds like a great nice easy pace to start with too. As you feel more comfortable you can always mix things up and add in some lamp post sprints etc into the mix.



I did my first full 5k today. Quite happy with that although probably a little faster than i'd have intended. Steep hills still cause some issues on my ankle due to the angle but the rest all seemed ok. Also realised it's now around 6 weeks from the injury and i told myself i would lose weight to help with recovery. That's not actually happened!
 
Thanks, I agree the app can be a little slow but I'm up to the point where it's non stop running and if anything the constant stop start nature actually just makes you realise you want to continue running rather than stop for a walking break. Well done on the 5k, seem to be making progress every day that passes.
 
Yeah, i just need to be careful of overdoing it now. I'm also unsure whether i need to continue having days off inbetween runs or whether doing 2 consecutive days would be ok.

What was hilarious was doing some single legged balance stuff last night which was incredibly bad on that ankle. Definitely still a lot of weakness in there!
 
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