ILX running running thread

I also signed up for a 20 km race which is next Sunday. It's another urban one, a loop with a 150 meters ascent between km 4 and 12 and the rest mostly downhill. I couldn't run for a week due to an ankle problem, then I was on holidays in Greece for ten days, and just now we had an April shower of snow and the wind is freezing, so it's remarkable that I feel ready. I did a 15km train-run in Greece on Wednesday at a comfortable pace and 12-ish yesterday at a good pace that left me confident. I will go out once more, but I guess that's it for preparation.

Good luck! Love a halfa.

Same. I think it might be the best all-around distance. Go Ledge go!

My ankle fracture is healing well and I am out of the dreaded CAM boot, but have developed posterior tibia tendonitis. It has been 11 weeks sine the injury and I despair that it will be forever until I can do running running again

Had my first aqua PT session this week; I guess that will have to suffice for now.

The tendonitis is a result of the ankle fracture somehow?

Probably from doing too much too soon after 8 weeks being non-weight-bearing. So basically my fault for thinking I knew better than my PT

Aha. Makes sense.

I’ve got tendonitis in both feet and possibly arthritis now. Confirmed bursitis in one hip. So I’m being super careful about training and recovery but getting old is a drag. Really want to do one more ultra in the next year or so if possible. But it might not be possible.

What's everybody's favorite running shoe in 2024?

New Balance FuelCell Rebel v4

On Cloud something, they were on sale and seemed good enough

bought a pair of brooks ghost last month, I tried them and a pair of mizuna and the brooks felt almost like there was nothing on my feet.

Hoka Speedgoat or Arahi

I had another Brooks model - can't recall which - and maybe coincidentally developed a case of PF, so I stopped wearing them immediately. Swapped out for a pair of Hoka walking shoes I'd purchased, and it has more or less gone away. I liked the Brooks, but I think maybe I just needed something with more support.

Asics Gel-Cumulus have been all I've worn for the last few years.

Apparently I am going to need a stability shoe to prevent over pronation. Must also accommodate orthotics. Any suggestions?

I wear Hoka Arahi for support and use custom orthotics religiously. I think p much all decent shoes can handle orthotics tho.

> Asics Gel-Cumulus
> Arahi
> FuelCell Rebel v4
> Hoka Speedgoat
> brooks ghost

thought i'd clicked the DRUKQS+ or autechre thread for a moment.

So I think I have PF - I don't feel anything at all when running, but heel pain (more like discomfort) first thing in the morning and low key noticeable throughout the day. Not worrying too much as it's been pretty stable since I noticed it a couple of months ago and I'll be running less once the HM is done. Any tips welcome, gonna try some exercises found on instagram!

This happened to me years ago. I got a pair of off-the-shelf green superfeet and they solved the problem.

so you replaced your actual feet with green hulk super feet?

(ok I googled it, thx!)

Roll bare foot on tennis ball, concentrating on stretching the arch

I'll report on my race. I was feeling tired and yawning on the way to the race village. Rain was certain, temperature fresh. I was glad to be early with all the preparation steps: getting there, picking up your number, giving your phone and wallet, changing, queuing for the toilet, getting in line. I like the good-humored ambiance, this gathering of people of all ages. I only briefly warmed up and started in the lower middle, block 5 out of 8. I respected my race plan which was to keep some gas in the tank until the peak elevation at km 12. Sure enough, quite a few people were overtaking me until I found my cruise speed. Mildly surprised and amused to see a few people walking on the first uphill.

My favorite part of those large popular races is to spot runners going at a similar pace and mark them out. I was neck and neck with a ponytail young woman for the first 10 km. I slightly overestimated the difficulty of the race and I was almost surprised when I saw the cathedral and we reached the high point. It had been a succession of uphills with no real killer. I overheard someone say behind me it was a mistake to go too fast now and took no heed, mentally told myself my race begins here. The race brutally accelerated. I moved up with a few new "targets" in front. When we came in sight of the lake again (start / finish) I felt pumped up and accelerated again. They were showing the km again and it said 16. It was this wild part of the race with people at very different speeds. I passed under inflated gates very near the finish line but the km still said 18 and I understood I could not maintain my high pace. My feet were starting to hurt too.

I tried to adjust and then, for the first time in the race, I saw a person running with a flag: I hoped it was the 1h45 and sure enough it was the 1h50. I knew she was from block 4 though, they had started two minutes before us. I overtook her at km 19 and tried to give it my all. I passed a guy whose t-shirt said "do visit Rwanda" who had overtaken me in the first km (he overtook me again in the final sprint) and I managed to clench a time just under 1h45.

Feeling happy about my race and hungry for more. Probably I could have pressed more at the beginning, but then it would have played out differently: more painful teeth-grinding at constantly pushing your maximum, less silly heroic fun.
(Sorry about the detailed replay for people who couldn't care less :) )

Thanks for that! 1h45 is my target for this sunday but it's 3 minutes faster than my pb (nb i've only run the distance three times before!) and i've never practised pacing or aiming for a target so we'll see.

& congrats!

Thank you and all the best to you, esp. that extra km :)
My experience of races is also very limited, but essentially the other people are both a distraction and a motivation. I would say focus not too much on time but on your feelings and looking ahead.

Nice job!

Looking at my old races, the last time I ran a half and my PR was all the way back in 2017, 1:35 and change. A very depressing thing about running and aging is before you know it, you have years fly by since your last PR.

I guess I need to do more races and start counting "over 40" PR's.

I’m back to running 3-4 miles at a time recently, may try another 5k in a few months. Any tips for dealing with low/flat arches? The main problem I seem to have running is tightness in the outer calf and thigh (hip flexors) and it feels like it might be related to flat feet but maybe not.

Congrats Nabozo!

Oh yes, I had a question too. My problem is my nipples get inflamed in longer races. I threw away an old running shirt thinking the cotton (or whatever) had become rough, and I applied cream the morning of the race, but I can still feel them. Do people apply tape or what ? Or I have more shirts to throw away.

Or forget the cream and put vaseline maybe

I used waterproof bandages. Basically can’t run any distance without them.

My half marathon went well, apart from having to use the loo at the three mile mark. It was warm and sunny and I'd drunk a whole bottle of lucozade sport pre race, went for a piss twice but started to need to go again while waiting 20 minutes in the crowd for the race to start, and spent the first three miles looking for a loo.

Aside from that interruption I was hitting my target pace for the first few miles but started to drop and by half way I was two minutes down. I tried to up it a bit but didn't want to overdo it, I just didn't know how much I would have left in the tank. But with two miles to go I pushed a bit more and really tried to go for it in the last mile - my splits in the last 4k were 4:53, 4:52, 4:45 and 4:42. Overall average pace 4:59 / total time a fraction over 1h 45 (ignoring toilet break). So just like you said Nabozo, perhaps I could have pushed more at the beginning and had a faster but much more punishing race! I prefer my more comfortable(*) style.

(*) not literally comfortable

Anyone wear recovery slides or something else around the house for support? I am always barefoot at home but have advised to be in some sort of support footwear all the time. Looking at Hokas and Vionics. Both terribly ugly but then so is my surgical scar and puffy cankle

I wear my oofos slides all the time.

Always barefoot at home and wear Birkenstocks 90% of the time outside of the house. I have EHL tendon and nerve problems in both feet and the birks seem to do the trick. Dress shoes or any kind of stiff shoes are 100% painful.

What’s the benefit of those recovery sandals over bare feet?

They relieve 40% of your wallet weight

Lots of support/stability without having to move your orthotics around ten times a day, plus the easy on/off factor. Or so I’m told. It is going to be a major change for me not to be barefoot in the house and patio

I can’t stand being barefoot and they are comfortable.