Official Running Thread

Badger · May 7, 2018

The Complete Badger said:
Wow, they are gorgeous! I’m very jealous of anyone who is looking that good on the start line. I can’t believe New Balance has completely passed me by until now. I’ve just placed my order for the lime green 1400s to rectify this.

How many pairs of running shoes do people tend to have? I’ve only ever had one at a time. My current pair have completely ripped down the left hand side of the left shoe so my foot is now in contact with the road when I run. To be fair I have done about 700 miles in them. My previous pair (which have now been called back into emergency action) have worn so thin on the base that it feels like my foot is rubbing on a nail when I run. I sense my ‘buy one pair and run them into the ground’ routine isn’t the best idea!

I should start getting some commission from New Balance!

I brought this up a couple of months ago. I used to be like you and just have one at a time, but that has changed over the last year or so. I currently have:

Saucony Ride 10 - From last July, at the end of their life and just used for gym
Saucony Ride 9 - Bought in January. They've done 400km, so they're still fine for the odd short run.
Saucony Ride 10 GTX - Won these in a raffle in December. They're GoreTex so great in rain and snow. Also done about 400km.
Saucony Ride 9 - Bought in April for yesterday's race. I broke them in with about 100km. Plenty left in them
Saucony Ride 9 - There was a sale on a few weeks ago. Haven't worn them yet.
New Balance 1400 - As mentioned. I got these over a year ago but stopped wearing them when I started doing longer distances. I might give them a go again for a 5k.
Merrel trail shoes - For the odd occasion I do trail running.

I tend to buy shoes whenever I see a good sale. I didn't pay full price for any of the above shoes. You'll notice I often go for a previous year's model because they're cheaper and there's very little difference (if any).

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

Badger said:
Mississauga Marathon completed!

It was an absolutely perfect day for running. Around 12-14C, cloudy, barely any wind. So I had no excuses.

I started the race with a clear idea of the pace I wanted to keep. Try for 4.30/km pace at the beginning and see how I felt as the race progressed. This would have put me on course for my target of sub 3.15.

First km: 4.17

F**k it, I'll just try and run the race as fast as I can.

It turned out to be the right decision. I latched on to a few different groups of runners as the race went on. The best was for the last 6-7km there was a women being paced in by a couple of guys, at the same pace I was trying to keep. I think I would have really struggled without them to latch on to. There's so much willpower involved at that point in the race, when thoughts that you're not going to make it start creeping in.

I crossed the line at 3:06:39 (3:06:33 chip time). Faster than I could have hoped for. I'm one super happy (and wrecked) runner

Awesome running!! Well done!

dazzer6666 · May 8, 2018

big nuts said:
Yes fair play to anyone competing the full 26.2 miles across the three days. Saw [MENTION=474]Mr Blobby[/MENTION] at the start who was on his 3rd leg. He enjoyed the first two races so I'd like his view on Burgess Hill as I thought the course was a bit dull and ugly.

Worthing two years ago was bloody hot, but I reckon this was a good 3/4 degrees warmer and nowhere near as flat.

The biggest positive for me were the abundance of water and excellent marshals. The set up pre and post race was also good.

Burgess Hill dull and ugly ?? How very dare you [emoji23][emoji23][emoji23][emoji23]

The course is absolutely crap........I guess it was difficult to find a suitable route that avoided closing too many roads. The first year of the MSM they used the nature reserve at Bedelands, but apparently it churned the paths up too much. It was modified again a couple of years ago when they moved the start/finish to the school from the town centre as there was a point on the course that was getting too dangerous with traffic on an unclosed road. The organisers have done a good job sorting the issues out really. Hope you enjoyed going up to the water tower [emoji106][emoji16]

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

Greg Bobkin · May 8, 2018

Artie Fufkin said:
Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

That's a fantastic effort! Can't see many getting PBs yesterday – the weather was pretty brutal...

knocky1 · May 8, 2018

Artie Fufkin said:
Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

Great effort. The body just isn't ready for that sort of heat on the day after training in the cool and wet, cold and wet and cold and freezing for the 6 months prior. Sounds like you adjusted just right for the sudden heat.

I'm just off to do some sprint intervals at a pace which seems to be becoming the benchmark NSC marathon pace......

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

Greg Bobkin said:
That's a fantastic effort! Can't see many getting PBs yesterday – the weather was pretty brutal...

Thanks so much! Nice to get marathon #3 under my belt. Learnt a lot from it so hopefully with a proper marathon-specific training build up, a bit of luck with friendlier conditions and staying as injury free as possible I'll go better next time. A couple of friends are doing Valencia in Dec. so I might do that but the ultimate goal is build up to target a sub 3 in 2019.

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

knocky1 said:
Great effort. The body just isn't ready for that sort of heat on the day after training in the cool and wet, cold and wet and cold and freezing for the 6 months prior. Sounds like you adjusted just right for the sudden heat.

I'm just off to do some sprint intervals at a pace which seems to be becoming the benchmark NSC marathon pace......

Cheers! Yep definitely not used to running long at that pace in that sweltering heat. Everyone was trying to grab as much shade as possible even if it meant being nowhere near the racing "blue line". All the best with today's sprint intervals!

dazzer6666 · May 8, 2018

Artie Fufkin said:
Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

That’s fantastic in those conditions. Pal of mine was the 4.00 pacer, had no-one left with him after half way......

Badger · May 8, 2018

The Complete Badger said:
Your seven pairs suggest my one is inadequate then! It's interesting you buy shoes for certain activities too. I think I need to at least get two pairs so I have something suitable for marathon training and something lighter for parkrun/10k.

To be honest, I bought the New Balance shoes thinking they would be my new shoes for all road running. It soon became apparent they are only good for short distances, that's why I moved on to the Sauconys. They're good for short and long distance.

I would recommend getting trail runners if you're planning on going off the road though. The difference in grip and stability on the trails is quite substantial. They're terrible for running on a road though!

Badger · May 8, 2018

Artie Fufkin said:
Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

That's a fantastic effort, well done. It must have been brutal in that record heat, especially without training in anything like that.

Badger · May 8, 2018

The Complete Badger said:
Okay thanks. So I can use the NB 1400s I ordered last night for my parkruns etc, meaning I just need to find something suitable for long distance. Any suggestions? I will take a look at Saucony. That's another brand I'd never heard of until this thread.

Yep, they'll be great for parkruns. It took me a while to get used to how light they are. I wear the Saucony Ride, which is a good neutral model. A lot of my running friends rave about the Saucony Kinvara, another neutral shoe with a bit more cushioning and a higher arch.

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

dazzer6666 said:
That’s fantastic in those conditions. Pal of mine was the 4.00 pacer, had no-one left with him after half way......

Thanks very much! Just unfortunate (for us) that we took part in a marathon on the hottest May Bank Holiday ever... I'm hoping everyone made it home ok yesterday.

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

The Complete Badger said:
Your seven pairs suggest my one is inadequate then! It's interesting you buy shoes for certain activities too. I think I need to at least get two pairs so I have something suitable for marathon training and something lighter for parkrun/10k.

Incredible result. Well done! I went out for a training run on Sunday aiming for 21km and ended up limping home after just 8km drenched in sweat and ready to collapse. Doing a 3:07 marathon in those conditions is superb and you'll smash sub-3:05 in my favourable weather.

Thanks so much! :thumbsup:

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

Badger said:
That's a fantastic effort, well done. It must have been brutal in that record heat, especially without training in anything like that.

Thanks very much! Well done on the 3:06!! That is brilliant! :bowdown:

Artie Fufkin · May 8, 2018

Badger said:
I wear Saucony Ride. They're a great neutral shoe and very comfortable. Having said that, I do have quite a large blister on my second toe after yesterday, but I think that comes down to poor toenail management!

If you're looking for a super lightweight shoe just for short runs I'd also recommend New Balance 1400. They're too light for a long run, but fantastic for anything up to 10k.

Another new fan of Saucony here! Spent the last few years running in multiple editions of the Nike Pegasus but decided switch to something different in Jan and gave Saucony a go. I have a pair of Saucony Freedom ISO's which I absolutely love. It took a little while to get used to the lower heel drop (4mm) but I think they're a fantastic lightweight responsive neutral shoe. I ran yesterday's marathon in them and they were ace. I also have a pair of Saucony Kinvara's (again a lightweight neutral 4mm drop shoe) but I haven't done much mileage in them just yet but they feel good too.

Guinness Boy · May 8, 2018

Artie Fufkin said:
Hey guys, Milton Keynes Marathon for me yesterday - a short race report. Boy it was hot! Only jumped into it a few weeks ago (impulse decision as a result of London changing their GFA qualifying times) so went into it a little undertrained but was keen to get an idea of where I'm currently at. My weekly volume since Dec. has been decent so felt in pretty good shape but signing up 3 weeks out from race day I hadn't done enough marathon-specific single long runs. Then a week out it was clear to see the weather wasn't going to be in my favour to go for my GFA target time of under 3:05. I was pretty gutted waking up yesterday morning knowing that the heatwave was going to put a stop to it.

Race started at 10am. I just wished it was 9am (or even 8am!). It was already very hot at 10am with the sun beating down. I set off with the 3:15 pacer with the aim to stick with him for the first few miles to see how I felt. I felt ok after a couple of miles in so decided to kick on and try to get close to my Brighton 2017 PB of 3:12. I actually surprised myself as I felt relatively comfortable right up until mile 23 despite the unforgiving sun and paced it ok. We were getting cooked out there. Mile 24 onwards was a bit of a blur to be honest. It was tough to see runners shut down and collapsing in the heat. There were quite a few in bad shape. Even a couple of pacers had to drop out and a few didn't make their finish times. The finish was inside MK Dons Stadium and as I entered the ground I looked down to my watch and saw I was quickly approaching 3:08. I was determined to get a 7 in my time so sprinted the last 300 metres around the pitch (just what you need after running 26 miles!) and managed to cross the line with a chip time of 3:07:58. Super happy with a new PB and placed 29th but slightly disappointed to miss out on the sub 3:05. Unfortunately it wasn't the day for it.

The marathon itself was ok. I don't think I'll rush back there next year. The course is far from flat as advertised. You're either running down dual carriageways with multiple hairpins or zigzagging on uneven, undulating tarmaced pathways through parks. It felt more like a trail marathon in southern Europe yesterday. The organisation is great though. The marshalls and volunteers were brilliant. I definitely learnt a lot for next time though. One is definitely "respect the distance" and two "the Marathon will find you out"!

I think I've just about cooled down!

Brilliant run. I was baking just lying on Lancing Beach with an ice cream :lolol:

Artie Fufkin said:
Another new fan of Saucony here! Spent the last few years running in multiple editions of the Nike Pegasus but decided switch to something different in Jan and gave Saucony a go. I have a pair of Saucony Freedom ISO's which I absolutely love. It took a little while to get used to the lower heel drop (4mm) but I think they're a fantastic lightweight responsive neutral shoe. I ran yesterday's marathon in them and they were ace. I also have a pair of Saucony Kinvara's (again a lightweight neutral 4mm drop shoe) but I haven't done much mileage in them just yet but they feel good too.

I love Saucony too. I need a stability shoe and am currently wearing a pair of electric blue Guide ISO. Incredibly stable and comfortable and, on the flat at least, my speed has been increasing without me really thinking about it. No blisters either. Plus I wore them with the blue home shorts, white REMF t-shirt and blue base layer at Brighton half and actually looked co-ordinated rather than like someone who's been thrown through the hi viz section of a Sports Direct by Giant Haystacks.

knocky1 · May 8, 2018

Guinness Boy said:
Brilliant run. I was baking just lying on Lancing Beach with an ice cream

I love Saucony too. I need a stability shoe and am currently wearing a pair of electric blue Guide ISO. Incredibly stable and comfortable and, on the flat at least, my speed has been increasing without me really thinking about it. No blisters either. Plus I wore them with the blue home shorts, white REMF t-shirt and blue base layer at Brighton half and actually looked co-ordinated rather than like someone who's been thrown through the hi viz section of a Sports Direct by Giant Haystacks.

Oi, watch it! Those Asic Gel Hyperspeed 6 are the bees knees weighing in at 170g well worth the acid yellow. No longer in production though.....

If anyone has tiny feet here are a pair at a bargain price. https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00HG5H...t=&hvlocphy=9045811&hvtargid=pla-356487426848

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