Runners united: I run, I do running, I am a runner

I'm a forefoot runner, in minimalist shoes. I am not very fast but can do 10k most days in an hour no prob, was dancing which injured me recently. Got overtaken today by a big striding heelstriker and it looked so violent, I land on my foot beneath me, he was on heel right in front.

I bumped into a Parkrun going the other way on Saturday, don't know much about it. I sort of thought it was just training, but is it a race?

Careful ibby - that's akin to saying something rude about the Pope on a Catholic thread!

Know what you mean about running styles... When I seen someone out running really smoothly and easily and end up just staring at them and thinking "hmm, how do their feet fall, how are they holding themselves, how do....". Course it's hard to think about it properly with DW next to me saying "stop staring at them, you freak!"

Forgot to ask, have written previously that am seriously toying with the idea of buying a Garmin, as many of you on here seem to have them, and think they are useful. BUT which one? I just feel a bit overwhelmed when I look at the info, and am a bit worried about getting one with more gadgetry than I need...equally worried about buying one and wishing I had bought one that did more. Any tips would be appreciated - thanks

(Believe it or not I WON a Garmin Forerunner 305 in 2008 - however we were in the middle of moving house, as DH had changed job, and I felt I just did not have the time to devote to it, or to running. So I sold it. Have kicked myself many times since!)

Echo everyone else's sentiments N4NNY - well done!

Sounds good Moshi. Maybe I should get a dog....I love it when I can fit running in with some other aspect of RL - eg, DS goes to a band once a week, and if I am organised, I go for a run while he is at band. If I am not organised, I go to Waitrose for a cup of tea and cake....

Haven't looked at the article, cest, but am intrigued by foot strike....I know someone who does not put her whole foot down, just the front bally bit....I think I would find that really hard going. When at running club, I love observing how others run - everybody has a different style, it seems.

Just popped in after a foot in mouth moment...had been asked to speak at DS2's school new parents' evening, as I am on PTA committee, to try to drum up support from new parents. Don't want to go into too much detail, but said something that sounded a bit odd, so tried to amend it with a bit of a joke, but went a bit pear-shaped....you know the feeling when you have just said something and wished you hadn't....I made a very speedy departure!

Oh just remembered, re physios and age comments, my mum's GP once attributed her knee problems to "too many birthdays" which I though was nice way of putting it.

Calling any would-be Parkrunners! All members registered with Parkrun are being offered a free place in the Addidas Ladies' 5K challenge in Hyde Park in September. I have applied and so should you if you are local as it will be a free event and probably lots of fun without any sweaty men there (apart from ones potentially in long coats with holes in the pockets as someone suggested ). List updated to include that and VLM 2012 too seeing as wheely and futurity have set targets as far as next year already!

06/07/11- Yately 10k: DebiTheScot
10/07/11 - London 10K Madamecastafiori
10/07/11 - RFL 5K, Kingston & Kempton Park: Wheelybug
10/07/11 - Felsted 10K: bonkers20
16/07/11 - Phoenix park 5 miler - drivingmisscrazy
17/07/11 - RFL St Albans - Pawsnclaws
17/07/11 - Dundee Half marathon - TheChewyToffeeMum
17/07/11- Chichester (Sprint) Triathlon: DebiTheScot
24/07/11 - Harrogate town centre 10k - DrNortherner
20/08/11 - Frank Duffy 10 mile, Dublin - drivingmisscrazy
03/09/11 - Dingle Half-Marathon - drivingmisscrazy
04/09/11 - Great Scottish Run Half-Marathon: EmmaBemma
11/09/11 - Bristol Half- Marathon - thetasigmamum
11/09/11 - Bristol Half- Marathon- N4nny
11/09/11 - Addidas 5K: MoshiMoshi
18/09/11 - GNR: Hamster, Run for fun, popsycal, LaLa
23/09/11 - Notting Half Marathon: cestlavie
25/09/11 - Edinburgh Urbanathlon: backwardpossom
25/09/11 - Windsor Half Marathon: Doyouthinktheysaurus
25/09/11 - London Half Marathon Run to the beat: June2009
25/09/11 - New Forest Half Marathon: MoshiMoshi
02/10/11 - Standalone 10K: Futurity
02/10/11 - Bradford Half Marathon - MrsWednesday
02/10/11 - Baxter's River Ness 10k - backwardpossom
02/10/11 - The Run, Northampton - YeahThatsTheBadger
09/10/11 - Great Eastern Run, Peterborough - Futurity
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
20/11/11 - Leeds Abbey Dash (10k) - DrNortherner
19/02/12 - Brighton Half marathon - Wheely
22/04/12 - VLM: MoshiMoshi
27/05/12 - London Bupa 10K - Futurity

5 miles general today with the dog. I love running with her. Practised keeping an easy and consistent pace (average 8:19m/m). Some strides in the final mile. So nice to be running without an injury!

Ditto that squix - great work N4NNY and absolutely highlights that everyone runs for very different reasons...

Agree with Moshi on the intervals squix. I find when I'm pushing myself, especially for pace, my form gets a bit screwed up with my general limb-flailingness which definitely makes risk of injury that bit more.

Good to see you again possum and glad to hear you're getting your running mojo back! On the same note, hope you get back into your routine as well drivingmiss.

Had an interesting interval run in today. 7.5k with 10 x 250m fast and 250m recoveries after each one. Apparently should be 'zapping' my muscles to make them 'twitch' faster according to RW . Still find it very hard to run proper intervals outside - pacing is always all over the place vs. a treadmill not sure how effective they are.

Found interesting article about foot strike here if anyone was interested. It's one of those things that's bugged me - the need for a forefoot strike to run properly when no matter what I do, each foot seems to land like a sack of cement. Article (from Sports Science) had a slightly different view to the norm...

N4NNY - don't think my post posted before - just wanted to say that what you've achieved is brilliant,

Moshi - yup think I'll leave intervals for a wee while, just some easy paced runs over the next few days.

meant to say about the physio and their tactfulness it seems to be happening more and more the sort of attitude ''well you are not a teenager any more'' ''well it is women stuff'' really? blow me down I had not noticed that!

Theatre this weekend yeah almost like I have a cultural life

hello
lovely reports from the weekend racing well done all

moshi excellent news regarding your mother now all she needs is a cap on credit

running not happening much as have been dealing with assorted family ailments, they seem to come in pairs, hopefully all well soon

I can't wait for the end of the school term and off to Dorset we will go, for a little while, jumping around in a field and whatnot

happy and safe running all

squix - if your knees continue to feel twingey it might be better to avoid intervals for the time being as these can exacerbate such twinges.

N4NNY - you are really an inspiration to be doing what you are after your experience! It goes to show how running means very different things to each of us and how all of our different experiences and times and goals are as valid as each others.

5M easy later on. Sports day at nursery first!

Happy running all.

thread had fallen off the 'threads I'm on'! back from England (not far from your neck of the woods, Dr No - between Halifax and Burnley) seeing DD's dad (which is great) and his family (not so great - but that's another thread). Not much running got done, but settled for the summer at home now, more or less, so hoping to get out later on today and back into some kind of routine.

Beautiful day, shame about the hayfever :(

Nice to see you, backwardspossum! I'm glad you're getting back in the swing of things.

N4NNY - I hadn't realised what you'd been through: what a fantastic achievement to have done the R4L.

squix I had a tumour on my spinal cord between C2 and C3 (near my neck) it was only partially removed because of it's position so could grow again. My surgeon told me I had about 6 weeks before the tumour had compressed my spine so much I would have been paralysed for the rest of my life.

June glad you had a good holiday - we go away 4 weeks tomorrow - can't wait.

N4NNY that really puts things into perspective, what was it that you had done? (apologies if that's too nosey or if you've explained it before)

Intervals for me this morning - I am feeling a few twinges in my knees at the moment - I noticed it after my run on sunday and again today - may be it's my age.

Conversations when I am running ......hmmm is it safe to admit here that I often talk to myself when out

Welcome back June glad you had a good holiday. When I do my LSR with my SIL we chat the whole way. At running club however, I only talk for the warm up jog, then I don't, but only because I can't as I am generaly struggling to breath

Ooh moshi so pleased to read that your mum has had the all clear! X

Hi all! I had a bit of a break after my 5k - I wasn't enjoying running and I think it was because I'd completed my half marathon goal and was on a bit of a downer after the high of Edinburgh.

Went back to running club tonight and did a gentle 2.5 miles in about 24 mins so pleased enough with that. It wasn't as painful as I'd feared amd think I'm getting the bug back again, which is just as well as I have a potential 10k next weekend...

Hope everyone is well, I'll try and catch up but if anyone wants to summarise any massive events in the last couple of weeks, I'd be grateful!

Thank you everyone for your support I was feeling very despondent about my running but speed really doesn't matter not to me anyway I am going to be happy with just getting out there with the ability to move and remember my life could be very different were it not for a very skilfully surgeon who with out his skill I would be paralysed from the neck down.

So I'm gonna be proud of my race for life time of 37mins 28 secs slow but hey I can walk, I can run so who cares.

June - welcome back! Glad you sound like you had a nice holiday. I would ease into your schedule as you have not done any running since you have been away. Nothing to be gained by ploughing on as if you had done your sessions but plenty to be lost by trying to push yourself. You will catch up soon enough. I think I must agree with your trainer this time !

hey guys, back from holiday! The hotel gym had a high altitude room with treadmills!! which sadly I could not use as the gym was being refurbished and opened the day we left. We did get to see it though as they launched it the night before, weird seeing all these healthy people drinking champagne and eating cake in the gym

Debbie, how have you been training for your triathlon? and did you ever have swimming classes?
I think I would like to do one next year, I can swim and I think I'm quite fast but it doesn't look like proper controlled swimming compared to the other people I see at the gym's swimming pool. I also worry about loosing my contact lenses in the water. :S

moshi great news about your mum :D how are you feeling now? you must be emotionally exhausted, take it easy.

Well after a few days of doing nothing but swimming on holiday I had a disastrous 5k on sunday (the day after getting back, slow and really hardwork) and a better 9k yesterday with a running partner.

When you run with a partner do you talk or stay silent ?? We talked the whole way through so didn't particularly go fast (9k in 1 hour 7minutes). It was also the first time we ran together so didn't really know if our paces were going to match (they kinda did).

also I did 9k instead of 5 yesterday so that would kind of be my long run, tomorrow would usually be my long run and I'm supposed to do 12 or 13k (based on my HM plan) and Im wondering wether to just have a shorter run & fartleks and leaving a longer run for sunday or do another long run tomorrow. that might be pushing it for me I think, trainer said don;t do too much this week... mmmm. ideas?

I'm going to try and catch up properly on the thread now, since I'm too skint to be looking online for garmins ;)

LOL Cest - I just thought maybe it was what Physio's learnt at Physio School - a friend of mine who has a recurrent knee problem had a series of physio appointments and apparently every session he kept saying 'well you're not in your 20s anymore you know'.

Hope yours is more tactful Emma ! (unless you are still in your 20s of course).

Thanks for the good wishes about my aunty - she's doing really well, she's broken the back of the chemo now, as she's 3 courses in, and is tolerating it really well. Plus, the other promising news is that her tumour cells respond to herceptin, which is this new wonder drug that should also massively reduce the chances of recurrence. She'll start that when the chemo is over. So things are looking about as good as they could do given the situation.

Hip was really sore again today! So have booked a consultation with the physio on Thurs and trying not to feel too despondent. I can run on it, it doesn't hurt when I'm walking at all, but I don't want to risk serious injury.

That was thoughtful of the physio wheely - maybe that's the blunt honesty you get when you're not paying them to be nice to you!