ILX running running thread

* 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!)

You'll smash sub 19 soon by the sounds of it.

Was supposed to be doing my first race in almost a year last Sunday (a staggered start chip timed one) but didn't feel comfortable driving 30 odd miles in a pandemic just to run a 5 mile race

Joined a running club a few weeks ago and a few from the club did the VLM, so lots of us ran various bits of it with them in support which was great fun despite the awful weather

Ive been running about a mile a day during lunch for the last two months. Can’t say it’s gotten much easier but it’s kind of all I can stand. Don’t enjoy it much, just doing it for the cardio and to get some fresh air.

You'll smash sub 19 soon by the sounds of it.

Was supposed to be doing my first race in almost a year last Sunday (a staggered start chip timed one) but didn't feel comfortable driving 30 odd miles in a pandemic just to run a 5 mile race

Joined a running club a few weeks ago and a few from the club did the VLM, so lots of us ran various bits of it with them in support which was great fun despite the awful weather

― groovypanda, Tuesday, October 6, 2020 1:09 PM (two months ago)

thanks - I managed to run a 5K in 18:53.9 during a time trial a couple weeks after my last post. I've also taken some time off my mile and 10K PRs, and I ran an easy half marathon just to check that off my list. I've been slacking a bit with my workouts though — my weekly mileage has been fairly consistent (I bumped it up to just under 30 mpw), but my plan to fit in one speed workout per week fell apart after about a month, and I'm lucky if I manage one tempo run or interval session every two weeks. I try to make up for it by doing a few strides toward the end of one of my easy runs so I don't lose too much of my fitness, but I know that's a poor substitute for a proper training plan. hopefully I'll be able to get back on track next spring. I haven't had much trouble adjusting to the winter weather so far ― 20-30°F is much more comfortable for me than 80°+, provided that the roads aren't icy and it isn't too windy out.

there was a similar 5K in my county this past fall (staggered start with 15-minute gaps between each wave, masks required and social distancing maintained before and after the race; it would have been a 30-mile round trip drive for me too) but I didn't feel comfortable entering it despite the precautions. ultimately there's no way to avoid close contact between runners in the same heat. there was also a 5K turkey trot in my hometown on Thanksgiving without a single mention of social distancing in the race description; apparently 138 people felt comfortable competing (down from 218 in 2019), but I noped out of that one as well. I doubt I'll be entering until the fall of 2021 when (hopefully) most people will have gotten their covid vaccines.

do you do all of your workouts with your club, or do you do a mix of solo and group runs? I'm also thinking of joining one at some point, but that's another thing I probably won't get around to until later next year due to pandemic paranoia.

That's awesome, well done. I wouldn't worry too much about lack of speedwork - lots of people seem to swear by the 80/20 thing at the moment where 80% of your runs are very slow, easy ones. If you're only managing one speed session every other week that's better than none and you can always step it up when the weather improves. If you're regularly running around 30 miles per week you'll have a good base to build on.

We're in strict lockdown again here so there's no club sessions at the moment. When they are on they're every Tuesday and Thursday night and then there'll be a few different groups of people doing a variety of long runs on the weekend - sometimes I'll attend those but also happy to do solo ones. I'd definitely recommend joining one as as well as the obvious structured training and advice, I've made lots of new running friends and we're in a virtual league competition at the moment which has also been good fun.

I've slowly but surely become a runner in the last year.
I went from not being able to run much more than a couple of minutes before getting puffed out, to drudgingly running for about ten minutes on a treadmill at the gym. But in the last year I've discovered outdoor running, and only this year I've found I really enjoy it.
I ran my first 10km a few weeks ago and yesterday ran 12.5km without really too much trouble.

Now I'm sitting here really wanting to get out there. What the hell? I don't like exercise! I got fitted with a bull's heart that beats only once every 2 seconds so I wouldn't have to exercise. Now I'm getting fidgety, can't wait to go outside and run, but I'm conscious of over-doing it and potentially injuring myself.

No real pains or problems though, other than stiff shoulders after running and the odd painful shin when I start.

Congrats dog latin! :D

Ha, yeah, well done dl!

Although should warn you it's a slippery slope as I ran my first ever 20 mile race last weekend

tell me about that gp, what sort of thing was it?

Just a virtual one for our local league. There's about 10 or so local running clubs in it and usually we'd be meeting up and having actual races but it's obviously all virtual at the moment

You could pick any route you liked just had to finish within 5m elevation of your starting point. Been doing quite a few recently (all varying distances) and it's been fun to go out and actually race those distances rather than just plodding along

gp that's amazing!

i'm kind of amazed at how quickly one can go from being not a runner to someone who will happily run for relatively long distances. the human body is an amazing thing

take it to the Springsteen thread

just signed up for my first ultra, the JFK 50 in November

i'm kind of amazed at how quickly one can go from being not a runner to someone who will happily run for relatively long distances. the human body is an amazing thing