ILX running running thread

Nice to have gym membership, but I can think of other things I'd rather spend my money on. That's probably the reason I've got arms like twigs though, in fact I think I've seen snowmen with bigger biceps.

i think it depends on your goals? if your looking to improve your fitness generally the gym wld be helpful if your just interested in training for a hm or 10k than its probably not necessary

i'm actually alright for muscles tbh, it's just the blubber layer between them and visibility that is holding me back.

okay 4 miles with dog is a start

Good sense from Lamp.

x-post way to go, forks's dog

i can't ever see myself lifting things repeatedly. use of tennis facilities and running/bike machines the biggest draw, and at €200 for 6 months it seems decent value.

I've tried the gym thing but ended up in the last year canceling my membership, saving the $35 a month, and working in a nice routine of push/pull/sit-ups, plank exercises and so forth for 10 minutes after most of my runs.

but gym machines are sexxayyyy

if i join a gym it'll be one that comes with a private members' house...i have a good routine of running/push&sit-ups going these days and tbh i'm not going to get more into fitness than i am now, though it'd be really good to get professional advice on a particular routine or something. but while the treadmill is usually hell, i could really have done with one this winter.

Not if you can't handle the weights with yr twig arms!

xpost

I can't imagine having to do a long run on a treadmill. Plus part of the fun of running for me us mapping my run and looking at all the numbers afterwards.

i have a gym membership because i want to be sure i have somewhere to go if it rains/snows/is 100 degrees all week. i also have a regular date with my friend on sundays and i would rather go to the gym and talk with her on the treadmill than sit and drink coffee and gab. she has 3 kids and rarely gets away from all of them at the same time.

I think I need to start lifting weights or something!

nah you look good man! I didn't mean it like that

4km in 35 mins, half walking half jogging/stumbling. inauspicious start but a start.

I just started getting back into jogging after about a year. I'm only a week into it. When can I expect to get a runners' high again? :)

Yay darraghmac!

Nice start indeed. Don't worry at all about times these first few months, just put in the miles and the times will eventually take care of themselves (or, you know, you can add speedwork days once you've built a mileage base).

This runners' high thing goes into hibernation in the winter I think.

Hard to feel the bliss when you can't even feel your fingers.

heh i think that was my speedwork tbh. five a side tomorrow night so at least i'll have something to chase for an hour.

xps it's 0 degrees here but lovely and crisp for getting out in. the further away i get from it the more i'm convincing myself i enjoyed it.

Yes, my runner's high will return in May.

Yeah, I'm just in pain right now. But good pain (I tell myself that at least).

back on 3.5 miles of straight running every other day after several months of slacking. it was fairly surprising how easily i fell back into the routine. by my second run i wasn't stopping for walks at all.

ok, have tacitly agreed with a friend that we'll both (out of shape, heading for 30) run this half marathon in July. hoo boy.

heading for 30
boo hoo

hey no heckling, it's embarrassing in the context of 'needing' to get fit while so relatively yonuh.

yonuh blud wtf with my typing lately

i never heckle
i was just trying it on for size ;)

I had my third rock climbing class last night and it was fantastic. Felt like I was using muscles I haven't used in years. Really makes me want to do more cross training throughout the year.

anybody who can run in this goddamn weather has my admiration

i just got back! i have to go to a REALLY boring conference today where i will have to confront this woman i fired like 2 weeks ago, so i needed some mojo. this helped.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bd9hAVlaLkI

Great weather in Texas this afternoon, just got back from an easy 12 miler at my local neighborhood park. Lots of good mountain biking terrain back there. I slipped on these shoes for the first time (very excited!) and they worked out great. These are INOV-8 F-Lite 230s, a super-light trail racing flat that is effectively a thin sock with some light rubber on the bottom, no support or extra weight -- the most minimal trail shoe by a company known for making minimal trail shoes:

http://www.inov-8.com/Images%5CProduct-Large-Images%5Cf-lite-230.jpg

Anyway... really fun shoe to run in. What do you guys use on the roads/trails?

how often do yall replace ur running shoes btb

Shoes for racing on flat mountains? Those look nice! My off-road shoes are Inov-8 too, they're great. You're right that they're minimal, a couple of folks I know can't get on with them because they're really low at the heel.

how often do yall replace ur running shoes btb

I don't really have a scientific way of doing this, I just change them when they start feeling dead. Some folks say you should do it when the midsole (i.e. the foam bit between the upper and the tread) starts looking wrinkled, cos that's a sign that it's breaking down. Dunno if that's right or not.

Just got back from a really shitty run by the way, 22 miles in the fucking dark, up and down the seafront twice, so tedious and it was pretty cold and windy too. Had run out of gels and all we had left in the house was chocolate biscuits, which might sound great, but they're pretty indigestible when you're running, I could hardly swallow them at all. Blew up so badly after 20, legs were cramping all over the place, had to walk the last mile. Damn.

At least you have the feeling of being incredibly hardcore to comfort you, right?

I tend to replace my running shoes when one of the seams starts giving me blisters (I always get the same pair), last ones lasted 9 months and I've had the current ones 8 so far. They're pretty heavily cushioned though, I'm wondering if it would be good for my form to get something lighter or if I just shouldn't mess with what's working.

ive had mine for like 18 months?

I don't do trails, but I wear these:

http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/dd/91/bd/80893392-250x250-0-0_Adidas+Adidas+adiSTAR+Ride+Men+s+Shoes+Wh+Phan+Sun.jpg

I pretty much love them. I am not a fan of minimal, low cushioning shoes. These make it feel like I'm running on marshmallows. In a good way. Currently these are at 383 miles, and I'm itching to get a new pair. Probably will do so soon. More distressing though is my custom insoles are starting to break down. My health insurance only covers one pair a year and I've only had these six months.

22 miles in that weather is fucking fantastic. Well, it sounds miserable, but great that you knocked it out.

It was a balmy 38 degrees out today and I got 6.2 miles in. My February mileage total is higher than I was in December and January, but still too embarrassing to mention. I feel like I'm going to have a strong March.

the weather today was dreamy! this is my ideal running weather. no gloves necessary, but cool enough that i don't get overheated.

This week I did 3 runs of 7-8 miles each, which was OK. 55-65 minutes each time. 38 degrees, snow in the park. Felt workmanlike, and I was more pleased to have completed the run than I was happy at the time. Felt a little heavy / burpy / sloggish. Sometimes it's just like that. Ipod got me through.

I keep my shoes for longer than I should. 2 years? But I have 3 pairs that I rotate (with no good logic or system). As important to me are socks: I only use Therlos, and have maybe 8 pairs. For winter I run in Nike full length trousers, some kind of wicking shirt, then a sweatshirt over that. Hat n gloves. 2nd set of gloves in my sweatshirt pocket. I never carry a drink or gel, since the length of my run (up to 90 mins) never seems to require it. Is this similar to other northern hemisphere winter runners?

how often do yall replace ur running shoes btb

It's hard to "replace" them because I'm currently rotating through I think seven pairs -- three INOV-8s for trail running (one's lightweight, one more rugged for rocky terrain, and a third with huge sticky rubber lugs for muddy/wet weather), three road shoes (New Balance and Pearl Izumi pairs for longer runs, and a super-light INOV-8 road shoe for speedwork) and then a pair of Vibram Five Fingers that I bust out every week or so. The INOV-8s I wore today are at 12 miles, the NB road shoes are hovering around 500-ish, and the rest are somewhere in between. I don't ever replace my shoes, I just wear them less frequently and on shorter, less demanding runs as they get older. Imagine if a pair broke down completely or started to fall apart, I'd put 'em in the trash heap, but I've not had that happen yet, really. Eventually my shoes just fall into very infrequent rotation and that's that!

As important to me are socks:

I'm not picky on runs up to half-marathon distance, I'll just throw on a regular old pair, but on anything over 15 miles I'll generally wear Injinji toe socks. Very good at preventing blisters -- I've worn them on my two full marathons this year and walked away completely blister-free after each.

I never carry a drink or gel, since the length of my run (up to 90 mins) never seems to require it.

I carry a handheld bottle over 5-6 miles, don't use gels unless I'm going 2 hours or longer... but I likely sweat a good bit more down in Texas than you northerners.

They're pretty heavily cushioned though, I'm wondering if it would be good for my form to get something lighter or if I just shouldn't mess with what's working.

Maria, I think you should mainly stick with what's working well for you... but if you do decide to get a lighter, less cushioned pair, I would suggest rotating them into your runs once a week, or every 4-5 runs, so that your legs can adapt properly.

I only wear smartwool socks. Love them, wear them for business/casual/sports.

I hydrate frequently. In the winter when all the water fountains are turned off, I'll run with a 4 bottle belt if I'm going anywhere near 8 miles. I get so parched.

I wore shorts on my run today! First time in months I haven't done the tights.

thorlos tennis socks are really great. i have abt a dozen pairs but im really lazy abt doing laundry

10K yesterday - shit time, but feel good today.

tonight 3.5 miles, with an upper target of 45 mins. you are all kinda awesome, with yr 8 miles this and 22 miles that. some day!

Good luck!

Still feel wasted today after my long run, so horrific. Had some water when I got back, then threw up, had a bath, fell asleep on the bathroom floor. Planning on doing a couple more like that before the marathon in April, oh what joys await...

i'll be training for the next 3 months to run half of one of your training runs!