ILX running running thread

i'll post it again: http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381-386-9397-0,00.html

i'm 34 and not at all athletic. you will not look stupid. START SLOW.

29:05 last night. :)

*applauds ferociously*

saw part 4 of this last night- it was jaw dropping. can't say enough how impressed i was by him.

I know, it was phenomenal. Just goes to show you what you can achieve just by being intensely stubborn and possibly a bit nuts.

Hey, those are my best personality traits.

I think they're pretty good virtues to have as far as running goes.

how did you start running?

slowly, for short distances, 4 weeks ago. there's actually no trick besides that that i can see, tho the good folks on this thread will provide advice & encouragement ime.

as a 32 and a bit year old couch potato with a sedentary job, I'm slightly afraid I might kill myself, or that I'll just look stoopid.

oh and i started because i checked my bmi and it was frankly ridiculous, so i wouldn't worry about this.

ok, that's almost a challenge! I'll have a go at 3 miles later today & just take it slow and comfortably. how frequently did you run in the first week? daily?

i can walk with minimal discomfort. Maybe jog next week?

xp

i went out for a mile, then two miles, then w/e. i didn't aim to run the whole of any of it, and didn't kill myself over having to walk at any stage. and i went reeealll slow. keeping expectations low has made it easy so far, so that'd be my advice. aiming for a 3 mile distance is ok, but don't beat yourself up over either time or walking any of it.

glad to hear it's feeling better forks.

absolutely. today I'll be happy with a bit of jogging and lots of brisk walking. cheers for the advice, feeling almost motivated now.

oh and went out every two or three days the first two weeks, but one of those would be for a longish walk more than a run.

I've taken the last 5 days off due to a pain on the top of my left food. It's weird, because it would be OK when I start running, but by a couple miles in, it would start radiating up into my calf. By the end of my last run I couldn't do 10 minute miles. Bumming me out because I had a 23 mile week previously and I thought I was about to return to my pre-winter form. I'll try some jogging today.

When I first started running in my adult life, it was challenging. I was 24 or 25 and in the worst shape of my life. I couldn't go a half a mile without wanting to die. I ran sporadically until 2008 when I signed up for an 8K race, which basically forced me to run more and more. I slacked off after that race, but then really started up again at the end of last year. I'd say at that point it crossed over into an addiction.

Izzard has raised 1.6m so far, and that's gotta go up sharply after last night's programme tbh.

For those wishing to be horrified: this weekend is the annual running of The Barkley Marathons in Tennessee. There are plenty of 100 mile races out there; Barkley, however, may very well be the toughest of them. Here's a quick summary:

The Barkley Marathons - 100 Mile Run

And 60 Mile Fun Run
Frozen Head State Park, Tennessee

The Barkley is considered one of the toughest 100 mile races in the world. It has 52,900 feet of climb (and 52,900 feet of descent), more than any other 100 mile race, more than the 33,000 ft. of climb at Hardrock, and more than the 45,000 ft. at Nolan's 14.

Since the race began in 1986, only 8 runners out of about 700 have finished within the 60 hour cutoff.

The Barkley consists of 5 20-mile loops with no aid except for water at two points. The cutoffs for the 100 mile race are 12 hours per loop. The 60 mile "fun run" has a cutoff of 40 hours, or 13:20 per loop. To prove you completed each loop, you must find 9 to 11 books (varies) at various points along the course and return a page from each book.

Here's a photo + caption from the race:

http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley/ratjaw.jpg

Rat Jaw climbs 1000 feet in 1/2 mile under some powerlines and past some abandoned coal mines. The ground is covered with mats of cut-down sawbriers. In some places there is a downed powerline that can be used as a climbing rope. Otherwise you have to climb with your hands, and the thorns draw blood.

More info here: http://www.mattmahoney.net/barkley

Since the race began in 1986, only 8 runners out of about 700 have finished within the 60 hour cutoff.

O_O

The other 692 are still wandering around lost in the wilderness.

I now have a new goal and life. I'll probably start complaining that my foot hurts after 2 miles thouugh.

the concept of 'toughening up' a 100 mile race.....

did it. 3 miles, a lot of walking, a bit of running, about 38 minutes.

I think my lungs mutinied at one point. feels good now though.

well done man!

Nice job! Start slow and steady and you'll get better AND not injure yourself. My first goal was not distance or speed related. I just wanted to be able to run for 30 min. straight. And now (usually) I can do it!

seriously, avoid injury to the point of being over careful especially if you're just starting. early pains will sideline you forevahhhhhh

thanks for the advice and motivation all, I'll keep going and report back.

Next stop: Barkley.

well done tom! 3 miles 38 mins was exactly my first effort too- that was only a few weeks ago and today i ran a 2 hr marathon.

(one of these statements is a lie)

Running is hard yo

7.5k non stop in 52 mins. actually beginning to look forward to this 10k.

You're a rockstar.

I have a 30k trail race coming up this weekend, btw... then a 25k the next weekend... then my kiddo (she's 7 years old) has a 1 mile kids' fun run the next weekend... then I have another 30k the next weekend... ah, the joys of race season.

ha i don't need reminding that i'm only starting out but fuck me i'm finding running en-joy-able and actually getting excited about numbers and stuff. i'm through the looking glass tbh.

ps at what stage will i not be a fattey anymore?

I've done nothing but gain weight since I've been seriously running.

ok i quit. feck that noise.

I've done nothing but gain weight since I've been seriously running.
me too, but i've definitely become less blobbity

i am also WAY way stronger. i didn't realize this until i started riding my bike again and cut off at least 5 min of my commute to work. hills are also much less of a challenge. pretty awesome imo.

ha i don't need reminding that i'm only starting

Not my intention at all. Just being informative, announcing what I have in the pipeline and so forth. :)

ah no absolutely. this is about the most positive thread on ILX, we're all high on endowhatsits

ps idea of a fun run for 7 years olds is kinda awesome

hi runners i am stoked bc i did 5k in 28 min today which is like, 5 min faster than december :)
not some miracle child like darragh but i was v happy for myself!

ha you're beating my 5k time!

yeah but you are brand new & i've been at it for months!

yeah well i still look terrible in a skirt so i'm not getting too psyched or anything

i have been doing lots of interval training lately and i feel like it really helped my overall endurance today, too.

see you know all these terms and everything. taking my sore legs to bed tbh.

Went for a run with a co-worker, first run in 9 years. We were supposed to run outside, but it was supposed to rain so we went on the treadmill at the work gym. She made me take it very gently (4 mins slow jog/1 min fast walk for 30 mins) but I wasn't at all out of breath. I was HOT though!! Now I remember how this felt when I used to run on a treadmill: the heat was the very worst part of it for me. So two questions:

When you run outside what do you do about carrying water on long runs?

How do you combat overheating in general? Carry wet wipes in a pocket or something?

(Please don't tell me to run in flimsy shorts to combat the heat, it ain't gonna happen, not yet at least. Legs stay covered).

During the spring/summer/fall, I usually just rely on water fountains on the lakefront path. They are numerous. During the winter I have a Nathan 4-bottle belt that I run if I'm going over 8 miles. For shorter runs I have a handheld Amphipod bottle. I was skeptical about a handheld, but I've pretty much gotten used to it. It fits snug on your hand so you don't have to grip it, it just sort of hangs there while you're running.

As for staying cool, just make sure you aren't wearing cotton. Any sort of technical clothing that will wick away moisture should keep you pretty cool.

When you run outside what do you do about carrying water on long runs?

I carry straight water for anything around 4+ miles/45 minutes or longer. At 7-8 I start carrying a sports drink (I use Heed, which is like Gatorade et al., without all the processed crap and corn syrup). Around half-marathon distance or longer I will carry a drink that also has some protein in it (my choice is Perpetuem; similar to Heed, but with a 3:1 ratio of carbs to protein).

Also, for runs longer than 8 miles or so, I try to loop past my house every 6-8 miles to refill water; that way I don't have to pack it up like a camel for the long haul, I can just carry a handheld bottle.

For shorter runs I have a handheld Amphipod bottle.

I have an Amphipod handheld too; love it. You'll barely notice it's there once you get used to it.

Also recommended: Nathan brand makes really good bottles.

I don't have to pack it up like a camel for the long haul

i'm impressed by ur dedication, but v curious. pic?

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/camel5.jpg