Official Running Thread

[Bozza]

No need to go hell for leather when running. Maybe take the next one as fun staying off the pace and then go for gold in the next run.

Wise words. I think many novice runners fall into a mindset of trying to improve on pretty much every run. And, for a while you often can, and it brings a lot of motivation...

...until you suddenly can't, as you hit a bit of a plateau.

I think I only tried to run a "fast" 5km 3 or 4 times in the whole of 2020.

Great running on that ice today!

I've had a couple of quite sketchy runs - one when I went out pre-dawn mid-week and yesterday when I went out after dark. The latter was particularly stupid because I'd intentionally NOT gone out in the morning, in order to avoid the ice, and by the time I went out everything had frozen over again.

It certainly keeps you on your toes when you're trying not to end up on your arse!

 

[Deleted member 2719]

As we’ve said before Boots, without a chest strap the readings are hit and miss anyway. Freezing weather will screw it completely. Well done at sticking to the running.

Thanks, Knocky.

I thought they had improved the watches accuracy? I only get the odd readings when there appears to be something that could logically be affecting HR.
Like cold or sudden turning into a headwind or lorry belching out diesel fumes as it just went past me.

Thank you for your motivation, as running any distance is not out of enjoyment, it's purely out of the buzz when I stop! and of course, staying as fit as I can for my kids.

 

[Barham's tash]

So I’ve had a decent last seven days managing four runs and about 27km but as others have said times are plateauing and despite trying to keep my pre routine the same my abilities are just randomly different each time.

I prefer running in the cold so I’m not looking forward to any warm up in the weather this week.

 

[Garry Nelson's teacher]

Wise words. I think many novice runners fall into a mindset of trying to improve on pretty much every run. And, for a while you often can, and it brings a lot of motivation...

...until you suddenly can't, as you hit a bit of a plateau.

I think I only tried to run a "fast" 5km 3 or 4 times in the whole of 2020.



I've had a couple of quite sketchy runs - one when I went out pre-dawn mid-week and yesterday when I went out after dark. The latter was particularly stupid because I'd intentionally NOT gone out in the morning, in order to avoid the ice, and by the time I went out everything had frozen over again.

It certainly keeps you on your toes when you're trying not to end up on your arse!

Hang on! I've been running nearly 40 years and still try to get a PB every time!

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Wise words. I think many novice runners fall into a mindset of trying to improve on pretty much every run. And, for a while you often can, and it brings a lot of motivation...

...until you suddenly can't, as you hit a bit of a plateau.

I think I only tried to run a "fast" 5km 3 or 4 times in the whole of 2020.



I've had a couple of quite sketchy runs - one when I went out pre-dawn mid-week and yesterday when I went out after dark. The latter was particularly stupid because I'd intentionally NOT gone out in the morning, in order to avoid the ice, and by the time I went out everything had frozen over again.

It certainly keeps you on your toes when you're trying not to end up on your arse!

It can be difficult, not just for new runners, to not think the "no pain, no gain" approach must bring bigger improvements at a faster rate. The harder the effort we put in and at more frequency, surely results in greater progress sooner? The same goes for those that feel they should be running at a certain pace all of the time. Unfortunately the outcome isn't usually what we hope it to be. Yes we might gain some fitness but the risk of the body telling us that it's pretty unhappy with us in the form of an injury isn't too far away either. Resulting in needing to take a break and starting again.

Prioritising what we do when we're not running (rest and recovery) just as much as our running is equally important too. The improvements are made when we're resting (sleeping), not while we're running. Stress + rest = adaptation > progress. Look after the body and it will look after the running for us. In the end it's the body that's doing all the work, we're not.

The running coach Steve Magness (famous for being the Alberto Salazer whistle-blower) frequently says anyone looking to cutting edge science, training programmes or running technology to "optimise" their running, improve and get faster, who isn't sleeping 8-9 hours a night should start there. Who doesn't love sleep?!

 

[Bozza]

Who doesn't love sleep?!

Yeah, about that...

However, I'm doing a bit better in 2021 - I've been in bed before midnight at least half of the time, although this is predominantly a by-prodiuct of two other changes:

- Not drinking (it'll never last)
- Not eating like a pig late in the evening

I'm trying to get closer to eight hours than the six-ish that has been my usual.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Yeah, about that...

However, I'm doing a bit better in 2021 - I've been in bed before midnight at least half of the time, although this is predominantly a by-prodiuct of two other changes:

- Not drinking (it'll never last)
- Not eating like a pig late in the evening

I'm trying to get closer to eight hours than the six-ish that has been my usual.

Nice Bozza

Always tricky with our other commitments but trying small changes help over time I think. My boys have a big say in how much quality sleep I get but I wouldn't want it any other way. I do like my sleep though and it does translate in how I feel on my runs...

Another great coach Greg McMillan drills into his runners "when in heavy training, as soon as you can go to bed, go to bed. No delays. Get your rest. Even if your Premier League football team underperform against a League Two side so much so that they go into extra time late into a Sunday night!" *I might have added the last sentence for familiarity.

 

[knocky1]

Nice Bozza

Always tricky with our other commitments but trying small changes help over time I think. My boys have a big say in how much quality sleep I get but I wouldn't want it any other way. I do like my sleep though and it does translate in how I feel on my runs...

Another great coach Greg McMillan drills into his runners "when in heavy training, as soon as you can go to bed, go to bed. No delays. Get your rest. Even if your Premier League football team underperform against a League Two side so much so that they go into extra time late into a Sunday night!" *I might have added the last sentence for familiarity.

Spot on Artie 40” to 50” afternoon nap is also beneficial. The idea being to release the hormone and then wake up. One of my strong points. I just need to work on doing some running!

“Taking a nap after exercise can support muscle recovery. When you sleep, your pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Your muscles need this hormone to repair and build tissue. This is essential for muscle growth, athletic performance, and reaping the benefits of physical activity.”

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Spot on Artie 40” to 50” afternoon nap is also beneficial. The idea being to release the hormone and then wake up. One of my strong points. I just need to work on doing some running!

“Taking a nap after exercise can support muscle recovery. When you sleep, your pituitary gland releases growth hormone. Your muscles need this hormone to repair and build tissue. This is essential for muscle growth, athletic performance, and reaping the benefits of physical activity.”

Gaffer!

If our circumstances allowed it, a post-run afternoon nap (or more commonly known here as "The Bruno Siesta") would be hugely beneficial for recovery, to let the body absorb the good work (no matter the intensity) and make the adaptations.

There's a reason the elite East African runners don't really deviate from a daily schedule of wake up, run, eat, sleep/rest, run, eat, go to bed. They are running 100+ mile weeks at altitude so it's no surprise rest and recovery time is given us much focus as their running time.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Nice Bozza

Always tricky with our other commitments but trying small changes help over time I think. My boys have a big say in how much quality sleep I get but I wouldn't want it any other way. I do like my sleep though and it does translate in how I feel on my runs...

Another great coach Greg McMillan drills into his runners "when in heavy training, as soon as you can go to bed, go to bed. No delays. Get your rest. Even if your Premier League football team underperform against a League Two side so much so that they go into extra time late into a Sunday night!" *I might have added the last sentence for familiarity.

There is sometimes no point trying to fight it when you're tired – sometimes you just need to sleep. Back in '18 when I was trying to fit in Ironman training around work, life and kids, I would often have a little 10-minute power nap in front of my screen. Fortunately I work from home and on my own, so I didn't get told off – or found out

Can't imagine doing that level of effort six days a week now but, on the plus side, I did manage to venture out this morning. Just a four-miler, but no back pain, which is great. I must admit I got frustrated looking at Strava over the weekend, seeing people out and about in what are often my favourite conditions. But then I reminded myself it was *only* five days and I can't complain too much. Not compared to some who have been – or are – properly injured.

 

[Jack Straw]

Ran, albeit slowly, my first ever 6.2 miles this morning. (I think that's what you youngsters call 10k?). It took 1 hour, 5 minutes and 53 seconds. Just really to set a time to beat next time.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

There is sometimes no point trying to fight it when you're tired – sometimes you just need to sleep. Back in '18 when I was trying to fit in Ironman training around work, life and kids, I would often have a little 10-minute power nap in front of my screen. Fortunately I work from home and on my own, so I didn't get told off – or found out

Can't imagine doing that level of effort six days a week now but, on the plus side, I did manage to venture out this morning. Just a four-miler, but no back pain, which is great. I must admit I got frustrated looking at Strava over the weekend, seeing people out and about in what are often my favourite conditions. But then I reminded myself it was *only* five days and I can't complain too much. Not compared to some who have been – or are – properly injured.

Good to hear that the back is settling down GB! Although it's very frustrating to not be able to get out I don't think you would have lost any real aerobic fitness over the 5 day break.

If you were able to maintain some decent consistency in the weeks prior the reset would have had a whole load of benefits, freshening up to go again when you're ready. Like you say, a 5 day break is a whole lot better than a 5 week break that's for sure. Best to leave that to the guys on Strava that run too hard too often, gain some fitness, then get hurt (and repeat)....

A "down week" can be just as important as hitting a new peak in mileage week. Good that you're easing back into it.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Ran, albeit slowly, my first ever 6.2 miles this morning. (I think that's what you youngsters call 10k?). It took 1 hour, 5 minutes and 53 seconds. Just really to set a time to beat next time.

Nice one Jack. It's well-known as the least popular race distance with a certain section of this thread's readership, but as a training run, 10k a nice benchmark.

As others have said – don't expect improvements in time every time. In fact, try not to obsess over time at all because it will, at some point, do your head in. Just focus on enjoying the run and the time on your feet. Any improvement is a bonus, but some of the best runs for probably all of us are not the fastest ones...

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Good to hear that the back is settling down GB! Although it's very frustrating to not be able to get out I don't think you would have lost any real aerobic fitness over the 5 day break.

If you were able to maintain some decent consistency in the weeks prior the reset would have had a whole load of benefits, freshening up to go again when you're ready. Like you say, a 5 day break is a whole lot better than a 5 week break that's for sure. Best to leave that to the guys on Strava that run too hard too often, gain some fitness, then get hurt (and repeat)....

A "down week" can be just as important as hitting a new peak in mileage week. Good that you're easing back into it.

Cheers Artie. I think you're right – didn't feel like I was lacking anything, although I took it relatively easy. I think what got me that I was just not out there*– in truth, I think I became a little bit addicted to running every day, which is possibly not a good place to be. I was obsessing over numbers a little bit whereas, in reality, the fact I only ran 17 miles last week (still more than January 2020's total) doesn't matter one bit at all!

So yes, a bit of a reset and some down time will probably do me good. I'm hoping that any new restrictions aren't too limiting in terms of time and distance from home because nothing beats a long run over the downs or around the River. If it does happen, I might have to revisit the Garden Marathon again

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Some helpful posts again here, thanks.

I’ve managed to injure myself again and I think it may partly be from running at too fast a pace whenever I run. That and what seems like a chronic problem I have with my ridiculously tight glutes.

I’m pretty sure it’s my IT band playing up again. I felt the pain about 9km into a 10km pb attempt. Foolishly, I carried on as I was on for a pb. The pain was on the outside of my left knee. It didn’t feel too bad and I was able to push through without it affecting me too much. I left it 2 weeks as a precaution and tried running the other day. I managed about half a km before I could feel the shooting pain on the outside of my left knee again. I’ve got no real issues with walking or any other movements and I’ve been stretching my glutes (and everything else) regularly. I guess I just need to rest it for longer.

Any suggestions for recovering or preventing this kind of injury happening again?

 

[timbha]

Some helpful posts again here, thanks.

I’ve managed to injure myself again and I think it may partly be from running at too fast a pace whenever I run. That and what seems like a chronic problem I have with my ridiculously tight glutes.

I’m pretty sure it’s my IT band playing up again. I felt the pain about 9km into a 10km pb attempt. Foolishly, I carried on as I was on for a pb. The pain was on the outside of my left knee. It didn’t feel too bad and I was able to push through without it affecting me too much. I left it 2 weeks as a precaution and tried running the other day. I managed about half a km before I could feel the shooting pain on the outside of my left knee again. I’ve got no real issues with walking or any other movements and I’ve been stretching my glutes (and everything else) regularly. I guess I just need to rest it for longer.

Any suggestions for recovering or preventing this kind of injury happening again?

Resting will help but you need to keep stretching and building up your quads by eg squats, leg raises and balancing on one leg (foot).

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Some helpful posts again here, thanks.

I’ve managed to injure myself again and I think it may partly be from running at too fast a pace whenever I run. That and what seems like a chronic problem I have with my ridiculously tight glutes.

I’m pretty sure it’s my IT band playing up again. I felt the pain about 9km into a 10km pb attempt. Foolishly, I carried on as I was on for a pb. The pain was on the outside of my left knee. It didn’t feel too bad and I was able to push through without it affecting me too much. I left it 2 weeks as a precaution and tried running the other day. I managed about half a km before I could feel the shooting pain on the outside of my left knee again. I’ve got no real issues with walking or any other movements and I’ve been stretching my glutes (and everything else) regularly. I guess I just need to rest it for longer.

Any suggestions for recovering or preventing this kind of injury happening again?

Sorry to hear that Jimmy. It does sound like a common case of ITB syndrome, which usually stems from a very tight TFL at the hips and glutes, giving a painful signal on the outside of the knee that they're unhappy with the overuse and load.

As [MENTION=149]timbha[/MENTION] says, definitely recommend both rehab (rest, lots of stretching, massage) to try to loosen it up and doing some daily prehab strength work (squats, lunges, leg raises, clams) to try to build up the glute strength and over time it should calm down. Using resistance bands are good too but not essential. I've found the simple 30 day squat challenge has been a useful programme and still use it now to try to keep things topped up. Basically we want a really strong ass! I hope it settles down soon.

 

[Jimmy Grimble]

Resting will help but you need to keep stretching and building up your quads by eg squats, leg raises and balancing on one leg (foot).

Should I be doing muscle building exercises whilst I still have the injury? I have done bits because I don’t really feel any pain if I’m squatting or lunging for example. In fact, it was after a few days of these kind of exercises throughout a week that I assumed I was good to run again as I wasn’t feeling pain.

 

[CliveWalkerWingWizard]

45 miles down 955 to go, touch wood I have been injury free for a while now. Age is setting in so I think PBS are a thing of the past But you definitely enjoy your running when you are not obsessing about time.

 

[Artie Fufkin]

Should I be going muscle building exercises whilst I still have the injury? I have done bits because I don’t really feel any pain if I’m squatting or lunging for example. In fact, it was after a few days of these kind of exercises throughout a week that I assumed I was good to run again as I wasn’t feeling pain.

It's a positive sign if you're not experiencing any pain when you're squatting and lunging. I'd recommend doing a bit each day (little and often) and giving it a few weeks. If it does hurt, best to stop.

With the 30 day squat challenge you start small and gradually build up over the month. So on day 1 try 50 squats (or 5 sets of 10 with 30/60 secs rest in between). Combining the rehab (rest, stretching) with some prehab (strength work) is a good mix for both injury prevention and getting the body conditioned to absorb the work we're putting in. It's not muscle building, it's muscle strengthening.