ILX running running thread

I think the major thing for me right now is the darkness. It is already dark when I het off work so my mind is like, ok time to relax for the night nit go running.

running 11 miles in the rain with a backpack in the dark in the morning before work sounds pretty mental. good job.

i accidentally ran in the rain today - not particularly fun but weirdly it seemed to help me run faster and further w/o tiring so much

but i swear i would have been drier had i swum along the canal rather than run it

Lots more rain to come this weekend by the looks of things, glad I've got the long run out of the way. Got a race on Sunday though! The first 10k that I've done for years. Up and down along the seafront with 30 mph winds being forecast, aiiieee. Kind of nervously excited about it, I know I'm going to be pretty slow though.

People - quick recommendations on good running/gym gear (shirts, shorts etc) would be much appreciated! Just brands/items that you like. It's mainly for indoor gym work - I have just got a trial membership at a v.posh gym and my outdoor running gear of old rugby shirt and tatty lycra shorts won't cut it. I have good running shoes, so I'm sorted there. Thanks!

sorry can't help - i run in tatty old stuff myself - but any old sports store should do right?

yesterday i tried running for the first time since i came down with the flu last week and had to turn back after a mile because of my hacking cough. boo! i hope i'll be able to do more in a few days.

I buy whatever is going cheap from Wiggle:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/d/run/8/1/1/

Tore my calf muscle last Wednesday. I was cold, doing some uphill, pushed too hard. Couldn't walk too well for 2 days, but now OK. Desperately want to go running! Anyone have any experience with rest time, getting back to it after a calf injury?

ouch!!!!!

dude i am not a doctor, but i can tell you that it is going to be much longer than you might think/want

that sounds horrible :(

but oh! good news! i swear i think my shins reached some kind of turning point last week because suddenly, they were not tender after running anymore! i don't know what happened? but i like it. now i have to make sure to not overdo it out of excitement. need more patience.

oh i thought u nearly were a doctor gbx (?)

yeah, which means i'm not a doctor

and nearly = 2.5 years to MD, 6.5 years until actually, like, a REAL doctr

/

jesus just writing that out made me depressed

You are already a doctor in my <3

murmur

12.2 miles today, leisurely pace, but still pretty exhausting. Puts me at 75 for the month.

Hey, well done Jeff! Are the long ones starting to feel a bit easier now?

More ridiculous weather here, the rain wasn't so bad but the wind was a real pain in the arse, kept getting blown sideways off the trail. Managed to do 21 and a bit miles, the first couple of hours or so felt fine, but the last big hill was a major headfuck. Pretty shagged now, wondering if you can actually die of achey legs?

Little by little they are starting to be easier. Like micro improvements each time. I ate two gels this time, which I think helped.

i'm finally back to it after almost 2 weeks off due to the flu! had a great 5 miles yesterday but am a little stiff today, so i think i'll just keep it at 20 miles this week and not start building distance again until december.

man, i can imagine dying of achy legs after 21 miles - are you training for a marathon or just doing it for fun, nick?

My longer runs always start out fun. I'm like "hey this is great! I bet I could go 20 miles today!" Then around mile 9 and 10 I'm really hating life.

Yes, too true!

are you training for a marathon or just doing it for fun, nick?

It is fun! But yeah, I've got one in the spring, but I was also kind of toying with the idea of doing something a bit longer in the summer. There's a London to Brighton trail race that looks pretty amazing, still trying to get my head around running quite that far though. Good time of year to try and put some miles in anyway, keep telling myself how much easier it'll be to go further if the sun was shining.

i did a little under 6 miles this morning - 1st time ive been running all month - standing in the shower @ home afterwords i thought i was going to melt

Maybe I should I sign up for a 50k or 50 mile race? 11 hour time limit on the 50 mile, that's only 13 minute miles. Should be a breeze, right???

It does sound do-able if you put it like that, doesn't it? Go slow, accept discomfort as a given, keep eating, keep drinking, try not to go mental.

i did a 50 mile one-shot hike once, but we took waaaay longer than 11 hours. closer to 22hr, and like 20k of vertical. and rain. at one point i actually fell asleep while walking, and woke up a dozen feet off the trail

damn, y'all.

Hiking that distance is pretty bold cos it must seem like it's taking forever to tick off each mile. Be an awesome thing to do with good friends though.

oh it was totally great

it's a lol college thing, and people camp out along the way w/support stations, so there's coffee and soup and stuff. also they mostly just sit around and get drunk and lol at strung out hikers. then there is a big feast at the lodge where you finish

think i slept for 16 hours afterwards

Yeah, that sounds fantastic, would definitely be up for that.

sounds really awesome!

the hiking sounds cool, especially if you could do it with a friend. i would have trouble thinking about 50 miles of running though, just because when i go more than about 8 miles i start getting bored and going "hmmm...this much further to go." boredom actually hits before exhaustion! how do you keep yourself interested?

Good time of year to try and put some miles in anyway, keep telling myself how much easier it'll be to go further if the sun was shining.

this is what i am telling myself now, i've always thought of winter as the time i run less due to bad weather but i'm trying to switch to thinking of it as a good time to build mileage, indoors if necessary. starting in another week or so i hope!

Hey, hope so!

Oh it's going to be fantastic. I've actually been able to increase my mileage in the fall, so I'm probably going to be running like a thousand miles a month when it is actually nice outside.

After around a year off all exercise due to illness I did a 5K yesterday - 27 minutes 59 secs! I am so pleased just be able to run, never mind the time. Next stop - a half marathon, I think.

Congrats Dr C! What race was that then?

It was in Richmond Park. I am aiming to get a couple of minutes off that time in a the next few weeks.

I'm sure you will, it's really gratifying to do a little series of races and see your times get faster and faster as your fitness comes back.

I'd like to do a marathon in the next year or so, but I've been saying that for the last 20 years! Other target is to get back on the rugby pitch this season, but I need to put on around half a stone and build upper body strength back to what it used to be. I'm getting there, but it's bloody hard! It's inspiring to read about some of the feats on this thread..

I bet you could do one in the next year or so!

I have very little interest in marathons but I think a half might be a good distance for me, long enough to be challenging but not long enough to be dull or miserable, and I know I can work back to the distance (if not a good time) in a few weeks. So there's a goal for the spring.

Went out on Sunday for an extremely slow 45 minutes as a test for my healing calf. A few twinges, but felt OK. I'll try the same again in a couple of days. Hopefully aim for an hour next weekend, but keep pace and hills down...

started regular running with an eye on a half marathon in march. I am not fast.

yeah there's one in april and i said i'd do it but today i ran 5 miles which was my first in ages and u no, it was hard sorta

i was doing a really good job and then the last couple weeks i became a bad person. then on friday i got a nasty blister on my foot from respectable shoes. no running until it scabs over :(

i stand all day at work and my ankles r sore

I need to run today. But I'm hung over. And I ate two hot dogs for lunch.

Burp!

Hey Ogmor, speed doesn't matter! Hope your training goes well.