ILX running running thread

man I've been following this thread for a while and been reluctant to chip in cos my efforts at running are always abject failures: I tried to start that interval program linked upthread about a week ago, got 5 minutes into the first run and was so dispirited I turned round and headed home... butttt I didn't know why I was so bad or why I hated it so much, cos my fitness levels (lung capacity whatever) are ok to good (I play football once a week) and I've always been an ok runner growing up and my dads always ran... today I signed up for a gym (first time ever woot) and on the treadmill ran 3miles in 20 minutes barely losing breath, I know that's hardly amazing but I was feeling pretty good afterwards considering how my road running always crashes after the first few minutes

so I guess I'm saying hi! and go me!

charlie, are you stretching?

― iatee, Tuesday, 1 September 2009 17:22 (2 weeks ago)

apparently not enough because, after three weeks of four miles every other day - feeling better and better, noticing my body slowly changing shape, losing chubby cheeks, gaining in stamina while noticing some clearly impact-based pain in my legs - i had to stop dead halfway through a run and hobble home, so painful were both my knees.

how tf does one stretch a knee in preparation for running?

meh.

charlie, i know i am a noob, but noob-to-noob? why push so hard? real painful injuries are way worse than having people pass you/running slowly/running shorter distances. for real. also they are expensive.

― figgy pudding (La Lechera), Wednesday, 2 September 2009 00:50 (1 week ago)

This is a good question. I think it's because last time I tried running regularly I was doing about 2.5 miles a time and it didn't feel like enough (ie I couldn't feel the benefit). So I used mapmyrun.com to plot a local route I liked the look of, and it came out just over 4 miles, and I tried it and made it and carried it one and then this (two weeks, no exercise).

Told my doctor what happened (I was seeing her for another reason) and she told me to stop for now, till the knee pain subsided, and try non-impact (ie swimming, which I don't love) and furthermore banned breast stroke, the only stroke I do at all well!

I definitely need new trainers, as about 17 friends have now told me.

Charlie, static lunges and toe touches are reasonable ways to stretch out.
If you're having knee pain severe enough to stop a jog or that affects you when you're not running, see a doc asap. It can get much worse.
Maybe time to hit the pool or bike for awhile.

coz, that's impressive! i would just say be careful. but maybe i just jealous bc i couldn't do that! also, the first week of that interval program was the hardest - it seems to get easier to go longer times as you go, so don't give up! granted, i'm only 3 weeks in, but...

also i heard you should stretch post run, not before. right?

light stretches before; longer after... though the common wisdom on that fluctuates about once every five years.

If you're having knee pain severe enough to stop a jog or that affects you when you're not running, see a doc asap. It can get much worse.

my knee pain has now entirely subsided but for nearly a fortnight after the event described above I hobbled everywhere and couldn't walk down stairs without holding the bannister (climbing stairs = ok though).

my doctor told me a physio was unnecessary as it's v likely to be a general unfitness-to-fitness issue rather than a specific "injury" as such. i think i understand that.

i have read in the past the results of a test that shows, it the great scheme of things, people who warm up/warm down get just as many running-based aches and pains as people who don't. of course, i can't find the thing now, for google has failed me.

man I've been following this thread for a while and been reluctant to chip in cos my efforts at running are always abject failures: I tried to start that interval program linked upthread about a week ago, got 5 minutes into the first run and was so dispirited I turned round and headed home...

This sounds similar to me when I started running again. First run was so awful I had to sit down halfway through for a smoke. I think the thing is that you can just go off way too fast, cos I just took off down the street like my arse was on fire and was totally wrecked by the time I reached the end of the road. Before you start running as an adult, you just have these memories of tearing around as an indestructible and energetic kid, and it takes a while until you can judge your pace properly. This goes for running intervals too - you still have to run hard at a sensible pace.

yeah, the going down stairs thing is emblematic of runner's knee, basically tendinitis. rest and anti-inflammatory helps.

so the bonus is that with my 0 incline cheating last night, i have 0 shin tenderness today.

I had the best run ever today! It was just lovely out and I went out for about five miles (and autumn is my favourite month, when the light gets all watery) and I had some Basic Channel on my iPod and I just took it easy but I think I made really good time (amazing how just relaxing on the uphills saved me so much energy for the flats)

I am doing this organized 3.5 mile run tonight which I am kinda intimidated by. There were dudes who finished last year in like 16 minutes which is basically bonkers fast as far as I am concerned. I'll be very happy if I can do this in 24 minutes.

24 minutes is a really good time!

I know! That's why the idea of someone doing it in 16 is so intimidating!

16 is nearly a four minute mile though, it's not really "jogging enthusiast" territory

I think you are getting to the heart of why I am finding the idea of this race intimidating. I run with my dog (who is a bit of a slow poke frankly)!

what site lets you log runs using google maps? sanoodi doesn't, does it?

has anyone used the nike sensor thing? i don't have the $$$$ for a fancy garmin deal. and probably i'm not good enough to justify that expense anyway.

yeah i would like a gps eventually and i think it would help but for now i have to click on the map by myself. the runnersworld log is *awful*. you always have to try twice before your route saves! but i like how it keeps track of total mileage and stuff for you.

i ran about 4.5 miles today! not as big of a deal as i had thought it would be. am guessing that i averaged around 10-11 min per mile? gettin' better.

this is after taking about 4 days off, btw, so i feel confident that i am actually getting stronger because this didn't feel like a huge burden, just a moderate to difficult run (for me).

i have been tracing routes on gmaps pedometer but obv you can't save that. it's fun but hard. i was looking at mapmyrun.com yesterday and it is a disastrously designed site.

figures. :(

bikely.com is nice and simple

i think this http://www.runningahead.com/ might do what i want

Wait why can't you save gmap ped routes? It appears to have a save option.

you can save them to revisit them but you can't use it to automatically log if you do it twice or something.

I cannot recommend a GPS watch enough. I love love love my Garmin Forerunner 305. You can probably find one for around $150 these days. I'd go with it over the newer 405. The 305 is bulkier, but you really don't notice it after a few runs. I refuse to run without it.

After my last practice 5K, it felt like I was running a few notches below sprinting the whole way. That's good and bad. Good in that it's 3 to 4 minutes faster than I could run the same distance 2 months ago. Bad in that I can't imagine myself getting much faster.

I'm going to try and do some fartlek training to improve my speed. I need to work out the ratios I want to do and program them into my Garmin.

Someone above mention stretching. I am vehemently opposed to stretching. Refuse to do it. It's not going to prevent most running injuries, it takes too much time, and is booooooring. I'd talk myself out of running before I got done stretching. For runner's knee, I read that you need to strengthen your quadriceps. I did that for awhile with leg lifts, but found it equally as boring.

haha. i always say "i'm going to stretch later" when i get back from a run but i never, ever do. i pretty much agree they won't prevent injuries but i still feel like i should just to have better posture and to feel less stiff all the time. maybe later.

"you can save them to revisit them but you can't use it to automatically log if you do it twice or something."

Isn't that what excel is for? ;)

i have been stretching my calves right when i get back because my front steps and slope are kind of perfect for it.

for me, probably bc i am new, it does help with stiffness.

yes...but i like to have it add the route and have it add to your total or weekly mileage by itself without opening another program. also portable so if i wanted to i could log into it from another computer. runningahead appears to do that. it also keeps track of shoe mileage, though i don't know how many miles are on my current shoes. xxp

oh i should start now then since my shoes have about 6 miles on them so far!

did another few of miles on the treadmill today and have signed up a running partner to go jogging w/. :)

have signed up for runningahead; harbl do u know if it is nike+ friendly?

hmm i do not. it says you can do gps import but i don't know if nike+ makes the same type of output.

i did treadmill again today bc i was already at the gym and taking it easy after over an hour of circuit training. i did 3 6min sets with 1 min walking in between and about 4 min walking after (and then the walk home up the hill).
tomorrow morning i will go outside again. it's so much prettier!
this page has some images that are part of my normal route :)

! today on my run i saw this thing http://c.imagehost.org/0378/Tower_in_Druid_Hill_Park.jpg

that reminds me of peru!

reminds me of a rook

it's called the moorish tower. i just had to look that up because i had no idea other than "giant chess piece." also in that park: safety city.

pls to devise obstacle course running route through safety city!

Ended up finishing the 3.5 miles in a little under 24 (so yay me!)

good job!

coz it looks like that site is only garmin friendly. do you use nike+?

do you need to also have nike shoe and an iPod to use nike+ i don't really understand how it works

does it just tell you your time and mileage? if so that would be easy enough to type in, right? i just need to use the map because i can't estimate the distance myself.

one thing that's shitty about living in the countryside is that, while running is lovely, no traffic fresh air etc, it is impossible to incrementally increase your distance without having to repeat parts of your run because there are no blocks that you can just add on, merely large ring roads.

you don't have to have the shoes. i think there are lots of hacks ppl have come up with to not wear nike shoes.

i think it tracks speed, distance, calories, and goals (if you set them/use a set workout) and then turns it all into pretty charts when you sync.

sunscreen.

the one i wore today made me feel really gross and irritated my skin (neutrogena sport, which i hadn't had issues with in activities like hiking). not wearing sunscreen is not an option for me but i am going to have to do more daytime running as it's getting darker earlier and earlier.

what do you use?

first outdoor run today w/my new jogging partner. 2.1 miles in 16minutes. was really feeling it 1.75 miles in, what with the hills and driving glasgow wind but didn't need to stop any. I'm happy with that for a first attempt :D