general running thread

You do need to slow down as your distance increases CooEE. Your long run should be an easy pace anyway and as that distance increases, you will need to go slower to maintain that easy pace with your breathing relaxed and easily able to talk.

I do my long runs of 12 miles at 11 mm, sometimes slower depending on the weather and the terrain. My long runs are all hilly so that means very slow up hill and speedier downhill. That compares with my shorter runs of 9:30- 10mm depending on how I'm feeling.

Push yourself on the shorter runs and keep the pace relaxed and easy on the longer ones.

My running has gone to pot slightly with the holidays and being ill. I ran yesterday for the first time in a week and I'll run tommorrow but that'll be it for this week. The dses are away with my mum next week so I'll get back to routine hopefully.

Hi All, does anyone struggle stepping up to the next distance so to speak? I can do 7 miles at a 9 minute mile pace quite ok, but 10 miles and I drop to 10 minute (sometimes plus!) miles.. I'm not sure of its a psychological thing???

I'm doubtful; sub 9 min mile and 2.15k for the Cooper which has me edging very good for age. Apparently. Which I'm not

My new shoes have arrived though so I'll do the same route tomorrow and we'll see.

Thanks for the gel pad info DameSagg. My feet are awful as I have fallen arches, size 9 do need mens shoes but narrow so men's shoes tend to be too wide arggg so need a mega support shoe .

You don't think you did PBs then? You couldn't have been going do super speedy you didn't notice?

I am full of cold which is a PITA, we are off this week so I had lots of daytime runs planned but I feel so pants I can't get off the sofa . I have my 1st 10k run not this Sunday but the next I hope I am better for then.

Yes they did for a while. I knew I needed new shoes because my achilles started playing up; the insoles helped for a while but now it's back. I ordered some new runners yesterday

I did a very short run this morning but I think Endomondo failed me. I thought I was at gossiping pace but appear to have done a PB mile time and a new Cooper PB too.

Dame, did the gel pads work? The pads are insoles, I suppose similar to the gel in asics? Ran despite knees. They don't feel any worse!

Well done PleasePut it sounds like it was good motivation for you

Well I did the first training session with runkeeper. 3 miles. Easy pace. I followed instructions :-)
Bizzarely, I ran 3.0 miles in exactly on the nose 30 minutes making an exact 10minute per mile pace. I couldn't have managed that if I tried! It was a good day, blue sky, the park was beautiful and I felt good. And I only had a 45 minute time slot before I had to race to work. So I did some press ups, some squats, some sit ups to use up the rest of the time. So nice to be out in the sun. But I still dont' feel like I've burnt off those pudding and chocolate weekend calories [bublush]

Hedge it was in the ten and half minutes to ten mins 45 per minute. I felt really slow. I though I was in the late nines per minute but um...no! But it would make a bit more sense and ties in with running the 10k which is roughly six miles in a couple of minutes over an hour. So today begins the half marathon schedule. I'm not sure whether to start it right from the beginning or later. I think the beginning. It says it's 16 weeks long or something. . I bet I end up deviating we'll see. I'm so bad like that!

I always include the warm up PleasePut you have run it so why not. What pace were you at? I'm not very fast generally 11min/mile but I am gradually getting faster it just bloody hard work. We've just cracked open the chocolate , just to save the children from temptation you understand

I have gel pads in my shoes; I popped them in to avoid buying new shoes as a am was broke. All the gel in the world isn't helping now.

Please - I do a walking/slow jog warm up. I start my app after the walk but before the jog. Though my whole run is more of a jog if truth be told.

Bloody hell Hedgepig you are caning it on the exercise front! Impressive! I have just dived into a jar of pickles in the hope of staving off my brains obsessions with the tube of mini eggs. I need to go back to work and back to early morning exercise pronto. This weekend has been abismal for eating too much!
Gel pad? No idea sounds a bit iffy to me. I am going to try the half marathon training plan on runkeeper - (yes it's because of the appeal of starting back at a couple of miles and building up slowly . I was horrified how slow it said my pace was on sunday. And geewhizz does a mile feel so much longer than a kilometer. I was running along willing that over calm lady's voice to tell me another mile had gone by and got very despondent at times when it just didn't happen! However there was a very gutting moment when i realised I'd hit 'pause' to stretch and forgot to press 'resume' . I'm never sure whether to count the warm up bit of a run into my mileage for the day or not or the time. Because I cannot run with out doing a five minute jog and stretch bit first. What say you? Omg I have got to go upstairs to bed because otherwise the mini eggs will win.

Allbie what on earth is a gel pad? Do you have another pair of shoes you could wear for a couple of week?

I am knackered 10k this morning plus my class this evening, I need wine I'm sure.

Thanks PLEASE and DAME...my runners are fairly new really with gel pads too so I reckon it's the mileage. I may finish the week on the treadmill to recuperate. What do we think of gel pads? I was advised to put them in...wondering if it was just a sales ploy?

I have eaten a lindt bunny, eaten a hamburger and cheese on toast today and coconut ice. Man do I feel fat. Too much food this weekend. No running today either. Yesterday's run felt like running with porridge lead legs. Here's hoping for a turnaround tomorrow. I need a good run and a calorie light day! Allbie, my twopenniesworth instinct is to keep the terrain and reduce the mileage quite a bit for a week to recover. Maybe throw in pliometric squats and stuff to strengthen your muscles instead of running as far? I'm am just a complete amateur though.

allbie - my knee is complaining a bit this week and it's definitely because I need new runners. These feel like I'm running in my slippers - comfy on the one hand but on the other no spring whatsoever.

Hi all! I've upped my distance but at the same time, I have been doing more off road. Sadly, my knees aren't liking it! So...do I reduce mileage or drop off road for awhile or do both? My brain has told me to cut a mile and keep terrain flat but knees still feel dodgy doing that. Or I could get new runners? Sigh!

Off to try out runkeeper :-)
Happy Easter. What a lovely sunny day, even if it's a bit arctic!

Well done on the PB Lilleth, it's some years since I managed a sub 30 5k. I registered again for my local park run a few months ago having done it quite a few times when it first started. I really must drag my sorry ass out of bed and go do it one day.

Shame about the non-run hedgepig.

Lilleth I love a park run mine local one is all off road on a National Trust property. I can only go if DS1 has Home football match as I need to get back to look after DS2. They seem to have had away matches for the last 2 months . There will be less footie in the summer. Well done on improving your speed do much. Have you been doing anything specific or just running lots?

My run did not happen as I forgot my sports bra arggggg. I was really looking forward to it, but I have such stupidly sized comedy norks I can not run in a normal bra .

Please put once you start it off if you have a headphone you don't need to faff about with runkeeper again as the runkeeper lady shouts out your pace etc at you every mile.

Just off for another short one this morning. I'm off work for two weeks now and hopeful of improving my dire 5k time. I'm way past my prime though I think.

I run on empty pretty much too - a cup of tea and a banana or a slice of fruit bread. If I eat too much I may find I have to 'do a Paula'.

Meant to send a friendly wave to damesaggarmaker!

I am lusting over the 610 but I think I'll try run keeper first. My issue with the phone is also that I find it hard to see and fiddle with on my arm but it's free :-)
No exercise yesterday, but a .... BBQ - yes in this weather! Out today so two days off but a good run planned for tomorrow and a swim Monday. I often run on an empty stomach or else eat a good two hours before. I don't find either makes any difference. Making sure I've peed and peed though is vital as I can't stand needing the loo when out running.
Happy Easter all, let's melt off those eggs! Good luck Hedge with the novel run! Don't get lost in a hedge :-)