ILX running running thread

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.

i've been very diligently running a little bit (around 2.5 miles maybe? i don't keep track) 4-5 days a week and i'm enjoying it. i'm not a goal-setting sort of person, so i don't care if i ever run a marathon or even a half. my only goal is not to stop. i do feel that i've come a long way from august, though!

yeah i was gonna say!

I seem to have injured my knee running. Have any of you had experience with a "sports medicine" doctor?

Thank you Nick, I appreciate the positivity&sweetness on this thread. I was lamenting lost speed, but I'm still enjoying it.

rockapads, i have not, but i'm keen to myself. i'd say go for it

a girl who works with me is an out of work physiotherapist so i get advice from her when i'm feelin hypochondriacish

i usually just lay off whatever i think is hurting me (mostly my knees) for longer than seems appropriate, and it works out. but my back is just driving me bananas, and has for long enough, that i'm beginning to suspect it's a thing

my knee started giving me trouble about a month ago - was running downhill and when i stopped it felt like it needed to be popped. i kept running, and now it hurts to walk to a degree that i am limping slightly. :(

Ugh, I ran. That has to be a PR for running while hung over for me. Six miles!!! all without puking.

Back injuries are a bitch. The first time I hurt my back it took me over six months to recover. It wasn't debilitating, but goddamned annoying. Thankfully I haven't hurt it again in several years.

Took three whole days off running before today. Feels like I have a new pair of legs, all of a sudden they're so springy. Was so used to them feeling tired all the time, it's great!

less rain, please.

agreed. I bet the time I spent hurdling or going around puddles today added 30 seconds to my turkey trot time.

Oooh, did you just did a race Jeff? How did you get on?

8K in 41:07. I was hoping to break 40 minutes, but I started way to far back and spent the first half of the race going around people and puddles. Good enough for 810th place, out of 4965.

The winner ran finished in 24:56 :(((((( That's really moving.

This was actually the first 8K I've ran since March '07. I was 5 1/2 minutes slower back then, I've come a long way.

Oh top job, you're well up the field there. Sounds like it must have been pretty crowded from those numbers. That winning time is sick though.

yeah, nice job, jeff! sometimes i am absolutely stunned by how fast race winners are, but your time is still pretty excellent.

Thanks!