ILX running running thread

well hello

take it to ws threads

a/s/l ?

< 5 yrs to live/ clearly a dude/ prob shows on gmaps, go look it up

xps i'm pretty conscious of that, and really don't want to fuck myself up (like i really need another excuse to be totally lazy). i started doing these semi-hardcore uphill walks a few months ago and i def noticed i got fitter, just with things like going up stairs no longer made me start breathing heavily, but i dunno i just felt like the results were pretty minimal and it was time to give in and accept that more serious cardio was the only real thing to do.

I can't believe my next marathon is less than 18 weeks away.

how many have u run

Just 1. Painfully and slowly.

sweet dawg gl, i have run 0

ran a half mary time trial yesterday-- 1:58, not bad i guess

darragh is that the achill half mara? v tempted by that, never been to achill, few mates and I were discussing it yesterday.

meantime I am prob gonna sign up for the berlin half marathon. if i can run 5/6 miles now, with a bit of a push, will I have enough time to get fit enough for a half marathon in april? I figure I should be fine, just gotta hope my health stays okay in the meantime.

yes and yes.

ran 4 miles yesterday and my legs were sore for basketball this morning. now i remember why i hate running

advice needed (sorry if all of this has already been covered)

i'm going to start running this week. i ran for a bit a few years ago but i was getting terrible migranes at that point so i had to give it up and i didn't get back into it once they had cleared up. my goal is to get a little fitter progressively rather than barge right in and risk overdoing it. fwiw i think i have a pretty good build for running so i'm not too worried about that. i'm hoping it might also help with my depression and focus/clear my head, and also, possibly, with my sleeping pattern. i stay up so late atm just because i have expended so little energy during the day that i don't feel tired until the early hours.

so... it's very cold here at the moment but currently not icey. i have running shoes but no other running gear. should i just wear longish shorts in spite of the cold? a lightweight nylon jacket? also do you /should you drink water when you run? i don't see many serious-looking runners with bottled water but i feel like maybe i need to. how should i start off tomorrow? with a run-walk-run alternating or just run until i feel like i've had enough? also i intend to start the days with a run rather than run later on, is this a good idea? should i breakfast before and let that settle for a while before running or wait until after the run to eat?

thanks in advance!

a good place to start for inexperienced runners (i used this and now i have improved like 600% at least and am not injured, which is a big thing for me) http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-380-381-386-9397-0,00.html

-- i don't think you need water if you are only going out for like 30-40 min at a stretch in the winter

-- wear whatever's comfortable but remember that you're going to get warmer if you're running. i wear 2 shirts + hoodie and tights/shorts

-- take it easy, don't try to push yourself too hard at first, focus on making a habit (this can take a looooong time)

-- running will help with mental health (has for me, at least, big time) and will also help with sleep, so good idea there

-- everyone does what works for him/her, so figure out what works for you. this will take time, don't push it too fast. let it develop.

-- that is my condensed advice for now, but i am extremely conservative, not into tracking data, and not competitive at all

Good advice, especially making a habit of it.

thanks for the advice and the link La Lechera. Hoping to start this tomorrow, weather permitting.

Good luck! Also, I forgot to respond to the part about running before breakfast. I do this all the time, and like it better than running after a long day. Usually it gives me time to think about my day before it happens and then approach it calmly and tired out, rather than being agitated all day and then running it out in the afternoon. I'm the kind of animal who needs to be tired out early or the day can be kind of uncomfortable. It took me a long time to realize this, though. Everyone's different. Do what works for you.

LGarda I was at about your stage last year and did a half marathon in april so you're on track, plus berlin is probably more interesting than wilmslow. just don't get injured.

jed good luck with your running! as I try to habitualize my own running again, my first thoughts are to be slow enough to keep my breathing regular & to enjoy the thinking time

I'll run w/you if you'd like jed_?

meantime I am prob gonna sign up for the berlin half marathon. if i can run 5/6 miles now, with a bit of a push, will I have enough time to get fit enough for a half marathon in april? I figure I should be fine, just gotta hope my health stays okay in the meantime.

definitely. I did my half from basically a standing start inside 3 months, w/the first month basically wasted pissing about

sweet. had a beautiful run tonight, the weather is so much milder but still like winter for the awesome blade runner feel of running past canary wharf at night with techno playing.

jed i had a lot of similar questions to you when i started (and everyone's advice here was great.) i reckon it'll definitely help you to sleep better and to feel better mentally. i feel like my life has taken on a fresh impetus since running became a part of it. i mean i guess you could say it's chicken and egg but i don't think that way, i genuinely believe running has been a catalyst for all sorts of other positive changes. not that anything is perfect but i think you'll get a lot from running.

the one piece of advice i'd give, and i had to wait a while before i had the funds to follow this, is to get your running gait analysed (usually free at a running store) and have them recommend shoes for you. i had a fucked swollen ankle for 3 weeks when i was using old running shoes that weren't fitted to my stride. i'd also get the odd twinge on my knee or whatever. but since getting trainers fitted i've had no such pain at all.

thanks everyone. i actually made a bit of a start this evening, running/walking to my sister's house then back since i had en errand to go for her.

cozen, i'd like that cheers but i don't want to hold you back.

(definitely in a few weeks though)

ogmor otm about pace too, if you're like me you'll be tempted to go too quickly at the start. it's not a major deal as the further you start running the more you'll learn to go slower at the beginning, but keep it in mind. if you like to listen to music while running do try and turn it off for a few mins at a time and listen to your breathing and think about your posture. i've only started doing this and it's made me realise music can stop you paying attention to how you actually feel physically while running.

also, and apologies if this is obvious, find a nice route in an area where you can keep expanding it by little distances over a long period of time. for me the broadening of the boundaries of the area i run has been a really good way of feeling progress and a sense of achievement.

cozen and i are definitely lucky on that front having a canal side a minute away and a riverside attached to a park/botanical garden a few minutes in the other direction.

i will definitely watch my pace too. i'm quite psyched for this!

i made a good start today. it was cold and wet but, since i live in glasgow, if i waited for dry and mild i could be waiting a long time! it was quite bracing! not exactly the best thing for a first outing but i enjoyed it nonetheless and felt good afterward.

Congratulations.

cheers.

Yay! At least you get to run around Glasgow. That sounds pretty fun to me.

I actually like running in the rain. But then I live in Portland.

ok, ow. so for the first time since i started running regularly 3 years ago i'm getting...knee pain while i run? like, a dull pain in my right knee that gets worse if i slow down. it first happened the other week, after xmas, and i did a run in between then and now without feeling it, but it came back today. i still did my 9k fine by running through the pain, but...is this the sort of thing that will go away by itself? nothing about the way i run has actually changed! maybe i finally need to get fitted trainers, though after three years without problems i can't imagine why that would suddenly be an issue.

It could be tendonitis. I had a dull pain in the right knee just off the knee cap a few years ago. I had been running for a few years as well when it occurred. When I went to see the doctor, he said it sounded like tendonitis of the tendon that connects the thigh muscle to the knee.

I took about a two week break after that (which I probably didn't need to do) and when I started up running again I used a knee support sleeve when I did run, and iced down the tendon and took some ibuprofen to reduce pain and swelling. It did go away but it took awhile.

ughhh doesn't sound good. i'll get a knee support sleeve though.

also, when i'm not running, i don't feel it. well, hardly, bar the v occasional and v mild twinge.

I don't have any personal experience with knee problems but if you're not wearing proper running shoes I suspect you're bound to run into injuries eventually.

theres tons of stuff online abt what exactly tendonitis feels like what diff injuries are etc - if it gets worse def rest and ice - i stupidly ignored knee tendonitis a couple years ago and ended up not being able to run for a couple months when i couldve just rested for a couple weeks - my only running injury - v common most runners encounter it at some point

def strengthening the muscles around the knee helps via doing squats etc

Where on the knee? Lateral, under, kneecap?

not entirely clear but i think...under?

so...a couple of weeks rest, if it is tendonitis, is what's needed - nothing else?

ice, elevation, u know the usual

it doesnt sound like its that bad right now tho could easily just go away - obvs thats a call u need to make yrself - id read up on it

I actually like running in the rain. But then I live in Portland.

i definitely prefer/miss running in seattle rain to running in east coast cold!

i like running in the snow

ugh i havent been running in over three months

trying to psych myself up now but my god i have totally forgotten what i like about it now

ran ten miles of ten minute miles today - havent run that long in a while - felt good - totally crashed after

WHAT!? that's amazing/ridic!

ty! its good for me def

it's fantastic!

how warm do you typically dress before a run in this weather ice? I'd like to start again.