ILX running running thread

the air here has never been cleaner, which is nice

i am lurking and conspiring to steal all y'alls good running vibes. mostly beer tho also some double poling have added enough mass to make running noticeably more choreful. keep saying nice thinks about running pls pls.

Hunt3r I can't even tell you how much I love it. It has changed my life, and has improved my life in so many ways. As people here I think know, when the world is normal, I make my living on the road. Running every other day on the road has taken me from "crazy most of the time when I'm at work" to "as healthy as I've ever been mentally/emotionally while at work." It's just a fuckin miracle and I can't recommend it strongly enough. I did quit drinking beer though, my beer intake was not compatible with my goals and I have to be an all-or-nothing guy, I've had like three beers in the past two years which is the name of my new country song.

Fantastic!

Always good to see another convert.

And yeah, there's such a positive mental benefit to it as well as the obvious physical ones.

thanks for the personal boost, you do already get motivational plays in my runs already.

as far as your running, i always sorta wonder how y'all manage something like that, man. i cannot imagine that life in _many_ ways. i am really glad you've been able to find it and fit it. much respect.

i wonder if i should resolve to do a trail marathon this fall on a bc trail that i rode/hike-a-biked multiple times last year- it's incredible terrain. http://www.devilonthedivideultra.com/

it might be the only way to make me want to run, but i don't see that level of commitment happening. i'm not a fast rider, but i am just terrible at running relatively, and this affects my enthusiasm, though of course it should not. xp

i saw a guide somewhere say that for a consistent fitness level, each extra pound is about 3secs/mi. that seems about right to nerdy me, i'm about 15 lbs heavier than when i started running regularly, and my mile has declined about 35-45 secs at almost every exertion level.

said it on COVID-19 thread but wow does going out for even a 2-3 mile run reset my brain to normal after a day or two of staying quarantined inside.

welp, I guess I'm one of those clowns who took up hobby jogging during the pandemic. I'd been walking a ton over the winter and had been hoping to do more hiking this spring and summer, but it seemed wiser to avoid crowded trails and start running on the road instead. I'm really not accustomed to mid/long distance running: I was a sprinter in high school and worked out on the treadmill on and off until about ten years ago, but I don't think I'd ever done an uninterrupted 5k in my life until this past April. the newbie gains have been pretty satisfying so far: when I was first starting out I could do a 5k in 25-26 minutes, but I've beaten my personal record every time I've gone for it, and I just managed a 19:55 5k this morning. I think a lot of that comes from figuring out how to pace myself rather than from any dramatic improvement in fitness, and I suspect that I'll find myself plateauing pretty quickly.

I'm really not sure what my goals are, since I'm obviously not going to be racing anytime soon. I basically just run at a moderate pace for 15-20 miles a week with an occasional fast 5k or 10k, and I don't follow a rigid workout plan. I'm still debating whether it's worthwhile at this point to increase my mileage and throw in a weekly speed/interval/fartlek workout (which is probably the only way to get my times down to a competitive range) or whether I should hold off until races resume in 2021 or 2025 or whenever. I messed up my knee pretty badly in high school, and while it hasn't been bothering me lately, I wouldn't want to risk a crippling overuse injury for no reason. plus I don't particularly enjoy sprinting. I'm finding it hard to get out of the mindset of obsessing over stats: charting my improvement is a pretty strong motivator at the moment, but I feel like I'd enjoy myself more in the long run if I could relax a bit more and appreciate running for its own sake rather than as a means to an end

a sub-twenty-minute 5k is impressive!

thanks!

I'm doing a lot more road-and-pavement running these days to avoid crowded trails, and my body does not like it.

I aim for 7.5-8km over 40m, 3 times a week, and I can't be arsed to think about anything else because meditative, borderline subliminal thoughtlessness is exactly what I want from running.

sub 20 min 5k is solid running indeed! my main advice is try and listen to your body as best you can, build up slowly and don't be afraid to take a couple of days out of a training schedule, cos that's so much better than three weeks out because you've overcooked it. long-term consistency is the key

I'm finding it hard to get out of the mindset of obsessing over stats: charting my improvement is a pretty strong motivator at the moment, but I feel like I'd enjoy myself more in the long run if I could relax a bit more and appreciate running for its own sake rather than as a means to an end

you could mix your days up so you have one or two days a week where you focus on performance and see if you beat last weeks time or smash that set of intervals etc, but also have a couple of runs a week where you just bumble along enjoying yourself, chilling out, exploring, taking photos or whatever. run hard days hard, but easy days easy.

(btw i'm terrible at following this advice myself and am permanently on the cusp of falling apart)

I think I need to start from scratch again tbh

my main advice is try and listen to your body as best you can, build up slowly and don't be afraid to take a couple of days out of a training schedule, cos that's so much better than three weeks out because you've overcooked it. long-term consistency is the key

you could mix your days up so you have one or two days a week where you focus on performance and see if you beat last weeks time or smash that set of intervals etc, but also have a couple of runs a week where you just bumble along enjoying yourself, chilling out, exploring, taking photos or whatever. run hard days hard, but easy days easy.

thanks, that seems like sound advice, and it's in line with most of the recommendations I've read online. lately I think I've been taking my "easy" runs too quickly (roughly 1 to 1.5 minutes per mile slower than my race pace) because I don't get much sense of accomplishment at a more leisurely pace. but I think if I cautiously add a long run and a bit of interval training to my week, I'll feel more comfortable slowing down on my easy days. I feel like it would also help to leave my Fitbit at home during those easy days so I won't feel like I'm underperforming if I fall short of some arbitrary milestone. I like to know exactly how far I'll be running before I begin a workout, but that kinda limits my ability to casually wander around, take walking breaks, cut through the woods, and overall enjoy myself more without that constant pressure to perform (which I guess was ingrained in me during my track days)

I just don't want to rush into a more demanding schedule until I'm sure I can handle it. so far I've very little to complain about physically beyond occasional stomach pain and slightly sore/tight calves, so I'd like to keep it that way if possible, or at least find a middle ground between maximixing my potential and minimizing my injury risk. I'm pretty good at taking rest days after hard workouts, and right now I'm really only doing 4-5 days of running per week

* had very little to complain about

anyone have a good rec for a mask that works well for running in the summer heat?

i tried jogging with a mask and almost passed out; I'm going without and staying as far away from people as i can.

wouldn't much fancy running in a mask but maybe look at ones designed for cyclists?

> I think I need to start from scratch again tbh

I was never anything like the level of the rest of the people here but after 3 months of sitting on the sofa eating biscuits I started again and even a month in I'm having to break a run half as long as I used to do into 4 with a minute's walking to catch my breath between each bit.

Still doesn't really feel safe out there (which is the reason I stopped) - bits of the park get congested even at 07:30.

yeah they make sports masks, i know people who run in them all the time esp if they live in a air polluted area.

Shin bones feel it after each jog as well, which is probably a result of the biscuits.

But I realise neither thing is going to improve unless I continue.

Yeah, just keep going koogs and it will get easier

Shin bones feel it after each jog as well, which is probably a result of the biscuits.

try taking the biscuits out of your shoes before you go for a jog.

Yeah, they've put the Olympics back a year so I'm not in any rush...

take the golden biscuit

Another half dozen jogs later (and a week lost because of sciatica) and still nothing has improved. But I can do this every day and that'll count for something - quantity over quality.

If you're doing it every day, even if your times don't improve you'll definitely be fitter and healthier than you were

if this morning was anything to go by, i can't do it every day. 8(

Koogs if you really are starting without any foundation of running I’d suggest just going every 2 or 3 days and mixing in some walking time with the running time. Take it easy! (The Olympics can wait). Especially if you are feeling pain so regularly.

(i did c25k about 4 years ago (tripped and broke a rib in week 9...). then got a new job and couldn't find the time for 18 months but got back into it easter last year (with no problems, took about 3 weeks to get back to previous levels, 120 jogs for the year) this is an attempt to start again, post-apocalypse, after 3 months of sitting on the sofa eating biscuits)

and yeah, it will be more like 3 or 4 times a week if only because i have to go shopping sometime. this morning was an experiment, 3rd day in a row, and it was just a bridge too far.

/me eyes up commonwealth games...

remember... recovery is as important as exercise, you could say its the point of exercise

also: dont worry about getting faster worry about getting better form

these are my tips --coach

got back on the horse a couple months ago and slowly but steadily rebuilding. being able to go to a mostly-empty office with a shower and a running/walking trail directly behind it has been a fucking godsend. decided to see how far I could jog now with no walking breaks - 1.93 miles, it turns out. not great but a fuck of a lot better than when I started up again.

also running in the noon heat sucks/rules, what a fuckin battering that is

Been jogging (calling it running is generous) every other day for the past 2 weeks. I’m asthmatic so there’s a lot of walking mixed in but I think it’s doing me good. What little exercise I’d normally get is gone due to working from home so I needed something. Definitely helping with my mood, which is a big deal because I have some mental health issues. I think I’m making progress each time I go out. This thread encouraged me!

Awesome. Running definitely good for mental health

not this morning in the miserable pissy rain it wasn't... 8)

29th jog around the park this morning (4 times a week), still have to break it in two for want of breath whereas i was doing two laps and the half mile there and back before lockdown. Paris 2024!

keep that dream alive koogs!

there’s a lot of walking mixed in but I think it’s doing me good.

― This Is Not An ILX Username (LaMonte), Tuesday, August 25, 2020 10:33 AM (yesterday) bookmarkflaglink

yeah just get out there and move the body

made it around the park section in one go this morning (and sunday). (but to put this in perspective, that only means 8 minutes at once, rather than 2 x 4 minutes. i did say it was small beans)

something still feels wrong though, like i'm generally slightly wheezy.

back up to an unbroken 5k jog. ow.

Never underestimate the power of new shoes and cross training. After a couple weeks of doing dumbbell routines every other day, and finally feeling up to spending enough time in a shoe store to get a new pair, I went from 3 miles to over 6 in a single unbroken jog - and honestly I could have done more, but I didn't want to get cocky. Honestly it was revelatory. (It also probably helps that I have almost certainly been losing weight, though I don't weigh myself so I can't prove it.)

Good stuff Simon! I should get back into using my weights too but even looking at them makes me feel weak and weary

It's tough to get started for sure. I've done my best to embrace the idea that I am never going to work out anywhere but at home. I am however extremely glad I used a health stipend at my last job to buy a set of adjustable dumbbells...honestly one of my best-ever purchases.

Yeah they're great when you get into them, but I haven't touched mine in about 8 months so I'll be starting from scratch again. That feeling of being the weakest person on the planet! The aching shoulders! Oh the joys! :)

Nice one Simon

New shoes do make a huge difference - most of my race PBs have come with shoes with only a few miles on them before hand

I will say it was deeply nerve-wracking to spend more than 5 minutes in a store talking to a person despite everyone being masked up. That was a first from since COVID kicked off.

set a new 5K PR this morning: I ran it in 19:02, compared to 19:26 for my previous time trial back in August. my goal was to break the 19-minute barrier, but I'm not exactly surprised that I performed more poorly than I'd hoped: I just ran 9 miles and hiked 2 miles yesterday afternoon, and it would have been wise to recover for at least another day before going for a new PR. also I think my starting pace was too quick: my plan was to to pick up the pace for the last 3 or 4 minutes, but by that point I just didn't have the energy, and the last quarter of my run ended up being about 16 seconds slower than the first. my legs didn't feel sore or weak at any point during the run, so I guess the main limiting factors were my cardiovascular fitness and my level of rest. It shouldn't be too difficult to shave a few seconds off my time if I try again in another week or two under optimal conditions.

I've settled into a more structured workout routine now that the weather's gotten cooler. typically I'll run 27 miles per week with one longish run (8-9 miles) and one interval workout (I've worked my way up to 6 X 3:00 intervals at roughly an 18:30 per 5K pace). my goal is to bring my 5K time down to 18:30 or less (or at least 18:45) by the end of the season, but I'm not sure how realistic that is. I'd probably progress more quickly if I upped my mileage and added another day of speedwork, but I'm concerned that I'll injure myself if I take it too fast, or else I'll lose interest in running as it becomes too much of a chore. for now I intend to keep up my current routine (maybe adding a couple more reps to my interval workout) and see how long I continue to progress.

has anyone here entered any virtual races lately? for most people I guess that's the only opportunity to compete in the foreseeable future, but to me it seems like a poor substitute for an actual in-person race, and I personally can't see myself running significantly faster during a virtual race than I would during a solo training session. but ymmv (literally!)