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Official Running Thread



Bozza

You can change this
Helpful Moderator
Jul 4, 2003
55,770
Back in Sussex
Fair play to the people posting impressive times.

As put earlier in this thread, I'm a complete non-runner but got drunk and agreed to do the Brighton Half next year.

I play football a bit so hoped I'd have some sort of "base" fitness.I've decided to start straight at 5k and done two runs so far. I set off from my house and I was BEYOND cocky when at 3k I had all the energy in the world.

"This is an absolute breeze" I thought. Then it all went a bit SLOW and HURTY and I STAGGERED home. 33mins.

Now, NSC, this is where I need your help. Do I keep running 5km's and IMPROVE on those or is where I just try and go a LITTLE bit further each time, even though it's still not easy?

Thanks!

My first run was on January 23rd when I ran 3.8m, so 5km-and-a-bit. I only did that distance as I was determined that regardless of how slow I was, I would not run less than 5km! I almost certainly didn't have your level of base fitness.

Looking at my Strava log, I ran the same distance a further six times over the following two weeks before starting to up the distance a bit with a longer Sunday run. On April 5th, around 10 weeks after I started, I ran my first half-marathon distance and my pace for that (9:42/mile) was significantly quicker than my 3.8m run in January (10:40/mile).

I think most of us who are relatively new to this will testify how quickly your body can improve, both with regard to distance and speed, if you stick with it.
 








Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
14,859
Fair play to the people posting impressive times.

As put earlier in this thread, I'm a complete non-runner but got drunk and agreed to do the Brighton Half next year.

I play football a bit so hoped I'd have some sort of "base" fitness.I've decided to start straight at 5k and done two runs so far. I set off from my house and I was BEYOND cocky when at 3k I had all the energy in the world.

"This is an absolute breeze" I thought. Then it all went a bit SLOW and HURTY and I STAGGERED home. 33mins.

Now, NSC, this is where I need your help. Do I keep running 5km's and IMPROVE on those or is where I just try and go a LITTLE bit further each time, even though it's still not easy?

Thanks!

I'm sure I've bored everyone with this before, but I started running (just around the block) in July 2002, and built up to the London Marathon by April 2003. It was little by little, going further and further every time. You'll soon get your 5km times down, and be able to go for longer. However, [MENTION=67]Curious Orange[/MENTION]'s suggestion of Couch to 5km is a good one. I've heard loads of people do really well with that.

parkrun is also good for a) meeting fellow NSCers, and b) running alongside people of similar abilities. Again, you will find yourself get fitter and stronger all the time...
 


Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
14,859
Sorry the 'respect' comment was meant to be direct at Biffy for his sensational HM debut. However having read the exploits of others on the thread - those just starting and those clocking up great times for 5K and simply completing marathons - I'll extend it to anyone who ran over the weekend.

Thanks GNT :thumbsup:
 




mejonaNO12 aka riskit

Well-known member
Dec 4, 2003
21,503
England
Some great tips. Thanks all.

I played football yesterday and will do again tonight so I think a Tuesday evening and a thursday evening 5k are my plans for this week.

The park run suggestion is also an excellent one. I've heard really positive things about these but have been scared to go whilst im barely reaching 5k!
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,211
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
I have to say I have a lot of cynicism for Color (sic) Runs. For me, running is about pushing your physical limits and getting round a course, whatever the distance, in as little time as possible. However, this may be because I am hugely competitive, both towards myself - i.e. striving for PBs - and those that I'm running with.

I know what you mean but Colour Run is not a serious running event like that - it's not what it's about. I watched the event yesterday afternoon - there must have been around 2000 participants (plus those on the morning session) every one of whom finished with a big smile on their face. I reckon loads of those people wouldn't take part in a more serious event but who knows how many might give park run a go as a result of having fun yesterday. In the words of my son 'that was the funnest run ever' -( and we're still cleaning orange paint out of his ear this afternoon!) It's not to my taste either but if it encourages more people to get active then that's got to be a good thing has nt it?

I forgot to mention there were loads of kids doing it as well. If it improves the general fitness of only a handful of people who took part then it will have been worth it.

Fully going for it this weekend coming though at Bright10. Want to take a massive chunk off my PB and finish as high up the age grading as I can manage.
 






Greg Bobkin

Silver Seagull
May 22, 2012
14,859
Some great tips. Thanks all.

I played football yesterday and will do again tonight so I think a Tuesday evening and a thursday evening 5k are my plans for this week.

The park run suggestion is also an excellent one. I've heard really positive things about these but have been scared to go whilst im barely reaching 5k!

Absolutely NOTHING to be scared about. It's not a race, so just take as long as you like. I can't speak for others, but at Hove Park there can be a spread of finish times from about 15 minutes to 55/1hr, so there is nothing to be worried about.
 


lost in london

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2003
1,784
London
Another vote for Park Run, I've only got back into running in the last two and a half months and Park Run times are a great motivator and good fun. Running with others makes you push yourself harder as well, so a good work out. All standards there though so nothing at all to be intimidated by.

No running at all for me last week or last weekend - new job and then a cold scuppered that. Really wanted to get a long one in a week or two before the Bright10. Now hoping that the enforced break pays off on Sunday. Hoping to shake the cold so I can at least get a jog in one night this week.
 


lost in london

Well-known member
Dec 10, 2003
1,784
London
I'd be interested to hear how people use heart rate monitors - if at all? One came with my TomTom runner and I've used it a few times - both to keep my pace / heart rate up on shorter faster runs, and to keep it down on slower/longer tempo runs (it really helped slow my pace down and keep going for longer).

When I used to run a little bit years ago, without a running watch, I think I always ran at the same pace. Setting a target for a run to either keep the heart rate high on speed runs, or low on tempo runs seems a good idea, but I've not really read into this (bar looking once at the training schedule for the Bright10). Next step will be intervals, seems like that's the way to get the speed up. Need to work out how to programme the watch for those though first!
 




Curious Orange

Punxsatawney Phil
Jul 5, 2003
9,962
On NSC for over two decades...
Well, I've just come across something interesting on Strava. I've just finished a hill repeat session on two hills, where the first hill you gain 10 foot, and the second slightly more, I did 6 repeats of each and Strava reports my gain for the entire run as... 48 feet!

I checked the same run on my actual TomTom account and it is reporting the gain for the same run as 172 feet.

Hmm!
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
34,211
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Well, I've just come across something interesting on Strava. I've just finished a hill repeat session on two hills, where the first hill you gain 10 foot, and the second slightly more, I did 6 repeats of each and Strava reports my gain for the entire run as... 48 feet!

I checked the same run on my actual TomTom account and it is reporting the gain for the same run as 172 feet.

Hmm!

Similar thing happened to me once the other way round, Strava (on the phone) recorded a gain of something like 148 metres on a course I run that is mostly flat but with a hill at the turn and another at the end. My Garmin registered it as about 50 metres. I suspect the Garmin was right. I have one pair of running shorts with decent side pockets and I put the phone in there when I use them. I always put the extra hills down to the possibility that my phone may have been tilting upwards in there. Maybe yours was inadvertently pointing downwards?
 


Curious Orange

Punxsatawney Phil
Jul 5, 2003
9,962
On NSC for over two decades...
Similar thing happened to me once the other way round, Strava (on the phone) recorded a gain of something like 148 metres on a course I run that is mostly flat but with a hill at the turn and another at the end. My Garmin registered it as about 50 metres. I suspect the Garmin was right. I have one pair of running shorts with decent side pockets and I put the phone in there when I use them. I always put the extra hills down to the possibility that my phone may have been tilting upwards in there. Maybe yours was inadvertently pointing downwards?

Nah, the data for both portals came from the same source - my watch. I've read that for some reason Strava try to work out the gain themselves rather than trust the data they've been given. I think I'll trust my watch in this case!
 




mr sheen

Well-known member
Jan 17, 2008
1,555
I started with the couch to 5k programme. Was great, and I soon progressed to greater distances. Helpful to have the planning too. Unfortunately, a spell in intensive care with pneumonia has put pay to things for a few months, but I won't hesitate to use the same method when fit to start again.
 


Ninja Elephant

Doctor Elephant
Feb 16, 2009
18,855
So with the Bright10 on Sunday and the Marathon the following week, I've decided the time has come to prepare... I'm going to have a bit of a crash course in preparation which started with a steady 3 miler today featuring all of Elm Grove (as flat out as was possible for me!) and a run down Pankhurst Avenue to work the other part of the calf. I'm going to shamelessly whack my fundraising page in my signature for a while, forgive me - but it's a good cause and I think there's a reasonable link between running and mental health!
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,507
Burgess Hill
None as such, but I never have. If I was running a short distance I'd run quicker, if I was running a longer distance, I'd run slower. Sometimes I'd run the first bit harder and then jog the rest (e.g. hard 5km and then jog another 5km to complete a 10km), but I'd not even do that often.

Actually I've thought of another difference. Earlier this year, particularly in June when I ran every day, I was doing trails and hills in addition to road. Often hilly trails. I was really mixing up what I was doing to keep things interesting. I've retired back to the road exclusively.

You particularly [MENTION=27279]dazzer6666[/MENTION] talk about the benefits of hills and trails. I wonder if I gained far more through them than I realised and in now largely sticking to flattish road, I've lost some of that gain.

My mileage has winded down quite a bit. Only 18 miles this week - I was on 25-30, or more, previously.

Offroad for strength and conditioning, intervals for speed, ideally combine the two in a variety of sessions each week. Typical week would look something like :

Sun - long, slow, offroad
Mon - rest/easy 30 mins
Tue - interval session (eg 1m easy, 2m hard, 1m easy, 2m hard, 1m easy)
Wed - rest/easy 30 mins
Thu - tempo run (4-8 miles hardish) or intervals
Fri - steady run at say marathon pace or slower
Sat - parkrun (now and again) or easy run/rest

Need to swap the interval sessions around - sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, sometimes hills etc. Key is pace variation - easy and long runs need to be just that, and the intervals need to be hard.....need to be aware of your training zones (plenty of calculators online where you can input a recent race time and it'll give you your suggested zone speeds)
 


dazzer6666

Well-known member
NSC Patron
Mar 27, 2013
52,507
Burgess Hill
Some great tips. Thanks all.

I played football yesterday and will do again tonight so I think a Tuesday evening and a thursday evening 5k are my plans for this week.

The park run suggestion is also an excellent one. I've heard really positive things about these but have been scared to go whilst im barely reaching 5k!

Parkruns are awesome - really friendly and suitable for anyone and guarantee you'll be nowhere near last even if you walk half of it. Just remember to register and print your barcode off before you go (no barcode, no time !). You'll see everything from complete beginners, to toddlers, to elite athletes (or at least super-quick club runners) and super-vets in their 70s. And free !
 




Garry Nelson's teacher

Well-known member
May 11, 2015
5,257
Bloody Worthing!
Parkruns are awesome - really friendly and suitable for anyone and guarantee you'll be nowhere near last even if you walk half of it. Just remember to register and print your barcode off before you go (no barcode, no time !). You'll see everything from complete beginners, to toddlers, to elite athletes (or at least super-quick club runners) and super-vets in their 70s. And free !

Totally agree. Ticks all the boxes: totally inclusive; friendly; competitive for those who want it but non-threatening for those who don't; brilliant results service; some great courses; and you meet some really nice people (and occasionally overtake them!). On the elite issue I think one of the Brownlees has done a parkrun and if it's good enough for them...........
 


Greyrun

New member
Feb 23, 2009
1,074
Totally agree. Ticks all the boxes: totally inclusive; friendly; competitive for those who want it but non-threatening for those who don't; brilliant results service; some great courses; and you meet some really nice people (and occasionally overtake them!). On the elite issue I think one of the Brownlees has done a parkrun and if it's good enough for them...........

West Sussex Fun Run league is similar,18 races up to 10k with a entry fee of £3.Most races are in the Brighton,Worthing ,Horsham area.Great way to learn to race and improve fitness and as with park runs it caters for all abilities.What I enjoyed when I first started racing was that as I got fitter I started to finish nearer the front which gave me encouragement.Sorry if this has been discussed before.
 


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