Happy when we are running!

[MoshiMoshi]

Hear ye! Hear ye! All those who want to liberate themselves from the shackles of their domestic and work lives, join us here in our continued bid to run and be happy and feel free !

Sorry Teddybare, I haven't ever tried it so can't help with your question, have read a bit about it in Runner's World though so you might be able to find some articles on their website.

Paws, I take a few wine gums with me if I'm running further than about 8 miles and that's enough sugar to give me a little bit more energy. Not sure this would be enough for marathon training though - will watch and wait to see what the marathon experts say!

Wheeley, also planning on getting some new trainers this weekend, I hope it works!

Popsy, good to see you again. Hopefully not a passing visit? Will be on a hen do last week in April so will be struggling to get out for a long run but will definitely fit something in (even if it's just a fast walk to fill up my wine glass).

Goldberry, well done for getting to running club (have failed on that front...)

cestlavie - the latest edition of Runners World has a collation of the best (ie most popular) races which you could check out?

Teddy - I think barefoot running is useful to a degree, although not solely on it's own, to encourage strengthening your feet which can get weak as super cushioned runners often don't help this but it sounds as if your niggles may have more to do with either (1) overuse (ie too much too soon) or (2) shoes that need addressing. Why are you doing medium-long runs three times a week? Are you following the FIRST plan, for example, which has just three runs a week that are quite intensive? As this doesn't suit everyone especially those who may be prone to injuries and may benefit from more runs a week with some of a shorter distance to acclimatise the body to the pounding that running entails.

I would check out both these things before considering the barefoot thing. Good luck!

Busy with marathon training and dealing with family things here. Am lurking though and glad to hear running is going on. Up to around 45 miles so far this week with a 12 mile easy run at 7.55 min/mile pace this morning in the rain along the muddy towpaths. Keep posting and keep on running everyone!

Forgot to say, Paws, check out the gels available and also investigate the drinks on offer. I use SIS gels on runs of more than 12 miles and am starting to use carbohydrate drinks too (SIS mixes). It avoids that fuzzy feeling that happens when you start to feel tired. Nutrition is quite important and will definitely help. Good luck!

Thanks MoshiMoshi. Will try and get a copy of the latest edition to check that out.

Good work on the 45 miles and very impressed by the 7.55 min per mile, 12 miles in the rain being defined as easy! Got a cold over here so what with Christmas and that have barely been out over the last 2 weeks so am getting very twitchy....

Teddbare - my running instructor is really into barefoot running. She wears those weird shoes that look a bit like gardening gloves for your feet. She explained to us all about why it's supposed to be good for you and she made us all have a go. The theory made sense to me, and I quite liked it, but I do wonder if doing it contributed to causing my foot injury which I sustained when I did my 10k a few days later. It's supposed to be good for your joints, but I wondered whether the fact that you are supposed to basically run on the balls of your feet, without fully planting your heel, makes it tougher on the foot. The fact that I am a hell of a lot heavier than my whippet-thin instructor might have had something to do with it though - it's a lot of weight to put on a small bit of foot!

Got all clear at hosital to say miscarriage is complete. Do you all think it's ok to start running, as long as I feel ok? Have been taking the iron tablets, though am still exhausted, though think this might be mental more than physical. Bought winter running tights today so don't have the excuse that is is too cold for shorts anymore.

Am laughing, with envy mainly, at Moshi's 7.55 min mile easy run. You are amazing Moshi!!

Good luck with the shoe shopping Mrswed, let us know what you get.

on.

Not on. Sorry, mind has gone. Ignore me

peach v pleased you sound upbeat and had the all clear. If you feel up to it I would have thought that a gentle run would do you the world of good and help you feel more in touch with your body which has been through a lot. I have not had the misfortune to miscarry so you should go by how you feel but it sounds like a good idea to me.

Started 2011 badly as mum broke her wrist slipping on ice the day before the anniversary of dad's death. At least it distracted from the event but she is not in a great way and the break is not healing well so may need operating on. Not sure how she will cope with an operation and extended recuperation and physio afterwards. And there was I thinking this year could begin with a fresh and optimistic vibe. Visited her today and she seems OK but has been bed bound since it happened (2 days after Christmas). I would go mental being stuck in bed that long and wish she would get up and about but I guess it is up to her. I just don't want her to get down about things.

hello all

moshi hope your mum feels better soon, anniversaries are always hard and often not in the obvious way

peach I am glad the most horrid part is over, I have been through a few over the years and I have felt much better when I have been out being active and use it as therapy to feel ok about my body, be mindful of milestones they can catch you out, imo best deal with grief as it happens but do positive things at the same time so it does not take over your life - take care

no experience of barefoot running, can't quite imagine it unless running on dry even ground, but I read an interesting article on runners world about it some time back, seems to be 'the thing' for many people

have been easing back into nice short runs but still being quite slow, I need to push with interval running and maybe use treadmill so as not to cheat with pace

must check the Kingston breakfast run, if not full yet, might be nice for dh&me to do fall near our wedding anniversary, as a treat

happy running all

Oh dear Moshi, your poor mum. Is she normally quite active. What a shame to have all that extra time at a difficult time for you all. Hope it heals soon and you all have some good luck this year.

Thanks Moshi and sfx for the kind words and encouagement. Did very gentle 3.5 miles today and feel a lot better for it. Might do another tomorrow morning.

It's still pretty cold out there, and windy! Was very glad of new running tights!

Sorry to hear that Moshi - what bad timing (if there can ever be good timing). How's she doing now ?

Peach - hope the running is helping a little. Take care of yourself.

Didn't get a GNR place in the mirror ballot place so will see what happens in the main ballot (said I wasn't going to do it this year but couldn't resist going in the ballot).

5 mile treadmill today in new shoes. My feet hurt more though. Am hoping its just wearing the shoes in ??? Seem to remember I had a few issues when I very first had my last pair.

hi all, jumping back on the thread to up my motivation!

I have rejoined the running club and am now being much more disciplined with my runs and not notching up junk miles.

Was supposed to run 13miles on Monday but was feeling unwell, I now feel really guilty!

Will have to do it Friday evening instead no wine o'clock for me

Look after yourselves

keep on running

Wheely - your shoes shouldn't hurt even if they are new. I wonder if they are the right shape for you? Some brands are narrower than others for example. Go easy wearing them.

passmyglass - well done on getting back into the running. Don't rush into things too quickly will you? Most injuries are a result of overdoing things too soon. Better to feel slightly undertrained and not injure yourself and take time out than to push yourself and have to have time off for injury.

peach - mum's break isn't healing properly so we may have to make a decision about surgery at some point. It won't be easy as she is in her late 70s and very frail but we need to get her self sufficient again and she can't currently look after herself.

What runs is everyone entered for in 2011? Do you think we should post a list as I thought this might encourage others to join if they see fellow MN runners are signed up? Let's add to this shall we and encourage more dates to be put in to focus everybody for the year!

06/03/11 - Bath Half Marathon: MoshiMoshi
19/03/11 - Dorney Lake Half Marathon MoshiMoshi
02/04/11 - Miles for Missing People 10K: MoshiMoshi
17/04/11 - VLM: MoshiMoshi
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: popsy(!), MrsWednesday (is that right? anybody else?)
10/07/11 - British 10K: MoshiMoshi

Happy running everyone and stay injury free!

Hello just wanted to say thanks for the advice about gels etc, I tried some yesterday for my long run and it worked pretty well.

Just finding though with the marathon training .... I did 14 miles yesterday and my pace has dropped to a shocking degree! Am reading reports of 7.55 minute miles with amazement here! Does it matter (my aim is to get round in one piece, but I have some pride to salvage too!)?

Hi paws. Of course pace should be slower for long runs. They are not called Long Slow Runs for nothing! The main idea is to get you used to time on your feet so nice and steady is perfect. I think something like marathon pace plus roughly 90 seconds is not uncommon to aim for. My aim is also to get round in one piece in a time I can be reasonably happy with! For what it is worth, from experienced marathoners, I have been told that a common mistake is to run the long runs too fast. This tires you out for the other key sessions which focus more on your pace. Glad some fuel helped you!

Ok moshimoshi my events are:

20/02/11 - Eton half marathon
17/04/11 - VLM

its all very new to me so am content with just the 2 challanges!

keep on running

Thank you MoshiMoshi I'd never read that about pace before, that makes me feel an awful lot better - I mean obviously I realised I wasn't going to do it in the same pace as a 5 k but have still been a bit worried by the tortoiselike pace. I'm doing a speed session in the middle of the week which is killing my legs, so am finding it hard to balance all the sessions. But then I guess that's why it's called a marathon!

Thanks for the foot advice Moshi. Its bizarre really - I did 7 miles yesterday, which is my longest run to date almost (I once did perimeter of RP but that was before being pg with dd2)and my feet are fine today. And Saturday they were really sore (not having run since thurs). Really no idea what is goingon although I realised in my treadmill session that I think I've been running a bit flat footed and so I have been concentrating on making sure I do heel to toe so maybe its that ??? I was all set to give in and accept I needed to see someone and today they're fine.

Hmm. So assuming my feet hold up I am doing Kingston Breakfast run (8.2m) on 27 March. Apart from that at the moment I am probably going to do a Race for Life with my Mum so she can prove she can officially run 5K. Hoping to rope my 2 SILs in too. Then all being well I am thinking of Great South Run on October but I won't add that to the list yet.

20/02/11 - Eton half marathon: Passmyglass
06/03/11 - Bath Half Marathon: MoshiMoshi
19/03/11 - Dorney Lake Half Marathon MoshiMoshi
27/03/11 - Kingston Breakfast Run 8.2m wheely
02/04/11 - Miles for Missing People 10K: MoshiMoshi
17/04/11 - VLM: MoshiMoshi/ Passmyglass
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: popsy(!), MrsWednesday (is that right? anybody else?)
10/07/11 - British 10K: MoshiMoshi

Can I tell you all about a very clever treadmill I have been using since I sprained my ankle a week ago yesterday? It is called the Alter G Anti-Gravity Treadmill and incorporates NASA technology to reduce weight when running so you can continue to run but without the full impact of your weight. Five days after spraining my ankle towards the end of a 16 mile long slow run, I ran 8 miles on it at 75% of my weight. I was able to cover the distance really quickly which gave me a good idea of what it would be like if I lost two stone! Today I ran 16 miles on it at 80% of my body weight with a warm up 6 miles at 8m/m and then I pushed on with some marathon paced miles, 8 at 7m13s pace and the final two at 6m40s and 6m11s pace. Despite spending the two hours running fantasising about how I could get down to 80% of my current weight, I realise that I will never be 88 lbs ever again. But it still opened my eyes to what a difference a few lbs can make. Something I always knew having run with the extra 2 stone of being pregnant and then had to lose the baby weight four times over, but this certainly has focused me more. If you have an injury and can try one of these treadmills, I cannot recommend them enough!

Keep on running everyone.

Where did you go on the fancy treadmill Moshi? Sounds great. It also sounds like the training is coming on really well, sprained ankle aside.

I went to running club last night and am suffering today, mainly from tiredness as I find it difficult to switch off afterwards. Even though my body is tired my brain is very active - any tips? Had a warm bath with lavender in and still didn't get to sleep until 1am.

My races added below:

13/02/11 - Liversedge half marathon: Mrs Wednesday
20/02/11 - Eton half marathon: Passmyglass
06/03/11 - Bath Half Marathon: MoshiMoshi
13/03/11 - Spen 20: Mrs Wednesday
19/03/11 - Dorney Lake Half Marathon MoshiMoshi
27/03/11 - Kingston Breakfast Run 8.2m wheely
02/04/11 - Miles for Missing People 10K: MoshiMoshi
17/04/11 - VLM: MoshiMoshi/ Passmyglass
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: popsy(!), MrsWednesday (is that right? anybody else?)
10/07/11 - British 10K: MoshiMoshi

Training going ok, up to 14 miles now, but weight is going up despite my mileage increasing, and my calf muscles are ENORMOUS (struggling to do up my knee high boots now).

Really enjoying it now, got my new trainers (Asics 2150s) and they seem to be helping my aches and pains but I'm going to see my usual chiropractor on Saturday just to get straightened up a bit.

Happy injury-free running all.

hello all

inspiring to see all the races, everyone around me are entering races too, but no Kingston for me, got date for surgery in mid Feb, it was supposed to be early Jan but given the flu situation, non emergency cases were left aside

in the meantime I keep going and hopefully will get back into it in March and see if I can find something to aim for before the Summer starts

happy running all

Great to see your races down too, Wheely, pass and Weds. (Paws - do you want to list your marathon too?) It does focus the mind more seeing it like that and provide support by letting us know what you are aiming towards.

Weds - I seem to have accumulated a few extra Christmas lbs! Hopefully the running will slowly melt them away. I have seen the light, or rather how running at a lesser weight feels and it is so much easier that I am going to try to lose a bit extra.

The Alter G treadmill is at Move Physio in Bedford Park, London W4. Had another session on it today, 8 miles at steady pace (6 @ 8 min/miles and 2 @ 7:30 m/m) at 95% of my body weight which felt fine so am keeping fingers crossed I will be allowed to venture back outdoors in the next day or so. I have done 37 miles so far this week and will have done 53 miles in total after the weekend which is entirely thanks to the Alter G as I only sprained my ankle a week ago on Sunday.

sfx - Sorry you can't do Kingston but good to hear your op will be out of the way soon.

Hello running people.

I am trying to ge back to running regularly. It all went tits up last year due to one thing and another. I am managing about 3 miles 3 times a week and it';s nearly killing me! Athsma bad, back bad, no energy etc. Usual crap. Am going to tackle GP again re possible menopause as I am 99% sure it's happening.

But I am trying. Best I can do atm.