Half Marathon thread

@RMC123 would that be too many miles one day after the other?

Well done Revolution And Minesapintofwine. According to Strava I did 6.3 miles this morning. Turns out having an elderly relative waiting for you to get them up is quite a good motivator!! I ran the best time I have in ages. Hoping for a 9 mile run tomorrow evening. Running seems to be getting easier again.

Well done! minesapintofwine!

Just back from a 10k. Things went slightly better this am,took it nice and easy and put mind over matter but struggled a bit through the the last km. On the whole hopeful things are better but still feel a bit low in confidence. Bloody running bloody emotional roller coaster....

Well done revolution that is incredible!!

22k is amazing. No wonder you're happy. Well done

Did 22k this evening, no pain and no major digestive issues I'm a happy runner :)

Hope you feel better Rank I've not got any further than 10k yet so not taken anything with me.

I got a PB at my 5k on Wednesday. 35:01 and then did a 4miler on Friday. My foot has given me bother for ages so got the osteo in the morning to try and sort it.

Haven't read back last few posts but skimmed & I just wanted to recommend Siberian Ginseng as an all rounder for energy. Beeline is the brand I use - haven't looked back since I started taking it in Feb. An inexpensive immune & energy booster

pikachu lack of calories probably not the issue but I am still in a post holiday eating what I fancy rather than what's good for me mood. That stops tomorrow......

Doesn't help I'm not a great sleeper so feeling tired is pretty much a constant state, hopefully exercising early won't upset my sleep, and school holidays aren't helping as I'm the only one getting up early so our body clocks are out.

Have tried stretching again, this week was the first time in ages my legs hurt so maybe I just didn't stretch long enough.

Rankellior it's down to personal needs. I never take anything and do fairly well. I do hydrate the day before I plan to do a long run and drink some lucozade sport before I set off.

As for recovering, I don't do much either. If it's a morning long run I try to have a long walk, if it's later in the evening just a shower and then bed :).

After avoiding going for a long run yesterday I bit the bullet and left without any particular plan, just wanted to see how it went. Managed 6.5 miles, half in the pouring rain. Surprised at how much easier it's getting and normal 4 miles feels normal rather than a huge effort.

So, a few questions, as these longer runs are going to ramp up;

1. At what distance should I be thinking about taking more than water with me? What should I use to keep me going (food, drinks, gels?)

1. What's the best way of recovering after a longer run? I did 6.3 miles earlier in the week and despite stretching and foam rolling my legs were agony for days. That and I felt awful, tired and just exhausted. Even now I want to go back to bed for an hour!

I'm loving this I've got it on loan from BorrowBox

Going back to a previous question, what podcasts/audio books do people recommend? I'm really thinking of trying one on my long runs. I am a massive stinge and don't want to pay is that totally impossible?

I agree pikachu. All of my good long runs have been slow and steady, but sometimes I start off like a horse bolting and that's it! I think it's because I run my 5ks as fast as possible which does improve my pace on another runs, but I have some trouble reining it in then on longer runs. When I set out at a nice easy pace I could run all day. I'm going to have such a lazy day tomorrow, and keep repeating to myself 'slow down' for next week.

pikachu well done on the 19k.

And welcome to the newcomers.

I'm slipping into a bit of a funk.
Thurs-ran 10k but started out too fast, got a bit lost, couldn't be bothered to run up the hills and ended up run/walking a fair bit. Disaster.
Fri-did some sprint work. Slower than usual as legs were tired. It was TORRENTIAL rain ended up getting my phone (which I use for strava) wet and it stopped working. Took to shop this am and luckily they exchanged it under the warranty but still...rubbish! On that note it's worth saying I put my keys in my leggings pocket and hold my phone or use arm strap (I hate it). I take water on a hot day and am going to try the jelly beans!
Today- not my usual running day but now it's school hols have to change my days about. Set out to do 5k. Was wearing the wrong kit. Leggings kept falling down and wore a waterproof which turned out to be sweltering. Turned it into a decent sprint session for a shorter distance but not happy really. At least I made it back before it poured down again!

So my plan is. Big rest day tomorrow. Monday I'm going to attempt a slow and steady 10k without any walking. If that goes well I'll feel better and will up my next run mileage. Just hope Monday goes well as I think I'might losing my mojo now!

Never thought a wall but found a wall at 8.5 miles.

I use a belt for all runs for my inhaler and phone. Don't normally need water until after 5k.

I use gels from 10k onwards. Can't eat when running generally although when people are giving out jelly babies during races I can't resist them!

I carry a belt for phone, key etc as I hate the arm belts. I only use the water for long runs. Over about 8 miles I take snacks - baby fruit paws are my favourites as very easy to swallow. Jelly Babies also went down well on my 1st half.

Quiet weekend for me running wise - in charge of pushchair intolerant 2yo while DH works (from 8.30 Friday to 5.30 Monday) - might manage to sneak a speed session up the steep hill 5 minutes away if it's quiet tomorrow...

I like those , thanks Pikachu