Platypus' Beginners Guide to Running

My goal is to just get back into it to begin with, I was pretty lax with runs to begin with towards end of the year and knocked out with the silly ankle completely.

Have that 5k in Lake District in May, so hopefully get fit enough not to embarrass myself :D
 
My 2022 goals now are:

1300 miles
Run a 5k in under 24 minutes (27:05 current estimated best according to strava)
Run a full marathon

Maybe slightly adventurous with the mileage seeing as though I've not hit 25 miles in a week thus far but I'd rather go higher and have something to aim for. I'm looking at following Hal Higdons novice 1 marathon training program to achieve the last goal, has anyone followed with success? Hopefully with the extra miles it'll bring down my 5k time naturally.
 
Martynt74 said:
@neoboy

If you have spare time. I spotted a DCRainmaker video on loads of watches. Might be useful to see what features are on various watches.
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Thanks, could come in handy seeing how I never really used one so not sure what's even available.

I basically got the Fitbit Charge 3 to help track sleep and snoring (via oxygen variation, hence why want oxygen sensor) and as it stands use MapMyRun with chest strap to get stats. Obviously during a run I have to unlock my phone with with the fingerprint sensor which can be a faff or plain pain as current winter gloves don't have touchscreen feature.

Having all that data plus various training plans built into something I can see with a flick of a wrist would be great. Also do a lot of that hiking so use altitude app on my phone so having that built in would be awesome too.

Outside of that not bothered about any "smart watch" features so would be turning most things like notifications, messages, etc from my phone off.
 
I'm largely focusing on getting my speeds up again. In late 2020 I was getting my 10k down towards 42 minutes, but a succession of injuries and then covid meant that I barely run from January - July 2021 and it's set me way back.

So I guess pace wise I want to be back under 45 mins for 10k, and I'd like to run a marathon. But I think more importantly I need to focus on other parts of my body - I'm aiming to wake up half an hour earlier on weekdays and to alternate core workouts and yoga, with a view to reducing injury risk
 
manic111 said:
I'm largely focusing on getting my speeds up again. In late 2020 I was getting my 10k down towards 42 minutes, but a succession of injuries and then covid meant that I barely run from January - July 2021 and it's set me way back.

So I guess pace wise I want to be back under 45 mins for 10k, and I'd like to run a marathon. But I think more importantly I need to focus on other parts of my body - I'm aiming to wake up half an hour earlier on weekdays and to alternate core workouts and yoga, with a view to reducing injury risk
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I'm sure it won't be long until your back to where you were, glad to hear you are feeling better now sounds rough :( I could do with incorporating some daily yoga/core work, any links to what you will follow as I'd like to stay injury free as much as possible and know I can be slack with things like that. I got some discomfort in my left knee during yesterdays run which opened my eyes.
 
Bunko said:
I'm sure it won't be long until your back to where you were, glad to hear you are feeling better now sounds rough :( I could do with incorporating some daily yoga/core work, any links to what you will follow as I'd like to stay injury free as much as possible and know I can be slack with things like that. I got some discomfort in my left knee during yesterdays run which opened my eyes.
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Not particularly Yoga based, but just things like Squats/Lunges are brilliant for running. Just need to be careful on form as obviously can create extra pain around the knee! I know lunges in particular always give me knee pain regardless of form. Never really sure why! Youtube is good though generally as there are lots of "Yoga for Runners" or "Conditioning for Runners" type clips.

Similar to you i can be slack on stuff like that, but that's been a big focus the last few months. This is also something i've been following, but might be less relevant for you. @neoboy could be something for you though!
https://basecamptraining.com.au/mountain-proof-ankles/


I got out this morning. Man is was cold. Think my phone said -3C when i got home. Also first proper run in Altra trainers. I know some people don't like them and find they cause issues, but i didn't really notice a big difference with them. Hopefully in a rotation with other shoes they can help though.

I'm also looking forward to getting my body back to normality. I went out on Sunday for 10 miles on the moors and it was pretty tough. It shows the change in mentality over Christmas as in my head i'd not drank much the previous night, but then i remembered it was actually around 2 beers and then 3/4 bottle of red wine. Less than previous days but still a decent amount and likely to cause a significant hindrance to performance.

Also seem to be getting over my cold which is positive so hoping a good way to push on. December saw me hit 135 miles for the month and it didn't particularly feel like i'd gone crazy so i'm hoping to see 120/130 be a minimum base level for me this year and push on towards 160-180.
 
I think we have been spoilt the last few days with the milder weather! I got soaked yesterday midway through the run haha.

I’m still feeling a bit of discomfort around the knee area today when I lift my leg backwards up towards my thigh so will have a few days off, maybe go on a few walks instead. Good start to the new year but I do sometimes forget I’ve only been running ‘properly’ for 5-6 weeks since finishing c25k so maybe I have just done too much recently. I just get impatient!

I’m trying to make sure my form is correct, who knew there was so much to think about when going for a run.

All sounding very positive for you mate, come a long way since I first visited this thread months ago :)
 
Cheers. I knew it would come back fairly quick since i had a decent base. It's amazing just how quickly you can lose it though with an injury. I think the combination of really good consistent weeks is the main driver. I'm hitting 30 miles a week without actually trying to hit 30 miles a week if that makes sense.

This weekend is intended to be a long 5-6hr mountain walk/easy jog. Looking forward to it and going to get up into the Lake District to really pile in some heavy elevation. Had posted a route in the hiking thread (why thats in GD and not in the Sports Arena i don't know!), but the weather isn't looking dry and the route took in a scramble on climb that is regarded as not one to do in the wet so might have to re-think things!
 
Cheers @Martynt74, actual resolution for this year isn't just to return to running and gym but incorporate a proper mobility and flexibility routine. I used to be pretty flexible back in the day for my tall-ish frame being a goalkeeper in school and then Sunday league but I'm so stiff now it's almost embarassing.

I know it's something that can be make be better in running, hiking and even the gym, plus need to properly look at my core strength too.

EDIT: Now that holidays are over also get to find out properly what's happening with that Garmin deal, although not holding out hope at this point.
 
Bunko said:
I'm sure it won't be long until your back to where you were, glad to hear you are feeling better now sounds rough :( I could do with incorporating some daily yoga/core work, any links to what you will follow as I'd like to stay injury free as much as possible and know I can be slack with things like that. I got some discomfort in my left knee during yesterdays run which opened my eyes.
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Thanks! Weirdly it was two torn calf muscles in a row (the left in Jan, then the right in April pretty much straight after getting back to sport). I'm doing daily calf raises on a stair as well as yoga etc so hopeful that it won't repeat itself!
 
I'm not sure on a mileage target at the moment, but having done approx 850km last year (having started running in March) I'd like to increase that quite a bit to hit my sub 2 hour half marathon target.

Broke my 5km PB yesterday, down to 23:45 which I was really pleased with having not really pushed myself at all the last few months.
 
Finally got some running shoes, settled on a pair of Asics that felt the most comfortable. I was hoping to try on a pair of the Kayano 27s but they didn't have my size :( Reading online it says to replace shoes between 300-500 miles, is that correct? Doesn't seem a great deal of mileage, no wonder I have a sore knee you should see the state of what I was running in! Gutted I can't go out in them tonight.

Nice one on the PB daz, exactly what I hope to achieve!
 
That's on a generous side, but also depends in your weight. I started to feel my last few pairs go around 200 mile mark but I'm 100kg +
 
I find it seems to vary around brands. My New Balance 1080 only lasted around 200 miles, Brooks around 250, but my Hoka Arahi went to over 350 and still felt decent at the end and i changed them purely as a precaution. Similar to my Saucony Peregrines, but i guess that's expected as less pounding on tarmac. I guess it comes down to the foam.

As @neoboy mentions, a big factor will be weight. I always find the soles/uppers of my shoes look hardly worn when i change them because my weight means the cushioning has gone. Whereas a much lighter runner could wear the same pair for 800 miles and the soles look absolutely battered.

It does get expensive when you're heavy and running >100 miles a month :(


Another morning run for me today. Also first outing for the Nike Pegasus trainers. Not sure if it's the cold, general fatigue or just not being used to early runs, but today felt awful. Legs were heavy and energy felt low. Maybe i need time to adjust.
 
I'm still mad about how I injured my ankle, literally last 200 metres and I just completely switched off as had to be at work in just over an hour, haven't eaten as was a busy day so was already planning in my head what to grab quickly. All of that knowing and thinking that this is one stretch of the road I had to be careful on due to such a thick layer of leaves covering the ground so couldn't see any pot holes underneath.

I already know this is something that's going to take a long time to properly heal even once I resume running and gym, hopefully not something that's going to be a lifetime niggle like a friend of mine has who messed up his ankle bad some years ago.
 
How's it coping now on walks etc? Around 2 months now isn't it?

Mine still isn't completely right, and it's 4 months now. It's good enough for running on etc, but i sometimes get a pain/ache around the joint, in theory i probably rushed back too soon and ramped up volume but the Spain run kind of forced my hand on that. My fear is that is never gets the chance to properly heal and like you worry that it's always an issue.

I did my right ankle around 8-10 years ago and it still suffers occasionally. I will say that the period i had the least issues with it were when i was down to around 90kg and running regularly and doing gym work. So clearly doing lots of strength work and building up muscle does a world of good for stuff like that!

I think part of my problem is that i'm so overly cautious about it now, that i probably tense up a lot on uneven/boggy sections and end up overloading other parts. Probably why my right ankle has been worse recently as it's taking extra strain. Same with my left hamstring and weird pelvic alignment i have at the moment!
 
AndyCr15 said:
for anyone interested and might be having problems with their knees, the official verdict a left knee medial meniscal tear
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Have been out for light runs this week. The long standing, old right knee issue is the one I feel more, which means the left is feeling a lot better! Neither feel great though, which is annoying as the temps have now dropped to what I would consider 'running weather'...
 
daz said:
I'm not sure on a mileage target at the moment, but having done approx 850km last year (having started running in March) I'd like to increase that quite a bit to hit my sub 2 hour half marathon target.

Broke my 5km PB yesterday, down to 23:45 which I was really pleased with having not really pushed myself at all the last few months.
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That sub 2hr should be fairly within touching distance based on the 5k time. My HM best is around 1:56 but i don't think i've ever broken 24 mins on a 5k.
 
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