Runners united (come join us if you are addicted to running!)

[MoshiMoshi]

This is a continuation of the thread "Happy When We Are Running" for those of us who are committed to running in order to preserve a sense of ourselves and maintain a degree of sanity in our lives which are otherwise taken over by family and work-related matters.

All runners are welcome, experienced and newbies, if you are a keen runner. We promise to support you in your efforts and have a running (excuse the pun!) list of races (see below) which various of us have entered in order to provide advice and support along the way.

So what are you waiting for? Spring is here and there is no better time to enter those races you have been wondering about entering and lose those winter pounds, and all for free (well, as long as you have a decent pair of trainers suitable for your running gait ). Alternatively, if you don't want to race you can just join us to enjoy the racing vicariously and learn about training and what (not) to do along the way.

27/03/11 - Kingston Breakfast Run 8.2m wheely
02/04/11 - Miles for Missing People 10K: MoshiMoshi
10/04/11 - Brighton Marathon: Pawsnclaws
17/04/11 - VLM: MoshiMoshi/ Passmyglass/ Doyouthinktheysaurus
10/05/11 - Burbage Skyline 5.75 miles: Hatwoman
14/05/11 - Chester Half Marathon: IreadthereforeIam
15/05/11 - Oxford Town and Gown 10k: Goldberry
22/05/11 - Edinburgh Marathon: MrsWednesday
30/05/11 - BUPA 10K: MoshiMoshi
08/06/11 - Claver Peak 5 miles: hatwoman
11/06/11 - Clumber Park R4L 10k Hamster
12/06/11 - Bath R4L 5k Dillinger
12/06/11 - Redcar half marathon - DrNortherner
25/06/11 - Lewa half marathon Kenya - Masterandmargaritas
10/07/11 - RFL 5K, Kingston & Kempton Park: Wheelybug
18/09/11 - GNR: Hamster, Run for fun, popsycal
23/09/11 - Notting Half Marathon: cestlavie

I love the idea of shorts but worry about rubbing. I did a half a few years ago in torrential rain and wind, and in the last mile ran past this poor guy running with his legs about a foot apart and blood streaming down between his thighs.

I've tried hard over the years to forget the memories of being made to do cross country at school in thick purple PE knickers. We were only allowed to add the matching pleated skirt for netball!

I did a 10k in rather hot weather a few weeks ago and wore tight underarmour type shorts under a pair of normal baggy shorts. I wore the underarmour ones to stop chafing.

think the trick to avoiding chafing (ouchy ouchy for that man, paws) is relationship between length and flabby bit well toned inner thigh - you want the seam to be further down than any bit that might rub together IYSWIM. And not too flappy otherwise they kind of bunch up - that's why the rowing shorts are good.

ohhhh lots of interesting Garmin advice, thank you .... will definitely do some more research.

I've been wondering about summer leg wear too. I alternate between a pair of Ron Hill tracksters - the ones with stirups underneath but I find that they are just a tad too short in the leg (I'm 5' 7 which I wouldn't have thought too tall) and a pair of Gore running tights which I think will get a bit too warm shortly. I only like long shorts that finish just above the knee, in the past I've tried lighter cycling shorts with some success.

DrNo, congrats on your PB, brilliant time. As you were first to reply you can have the trainers - if you PM me (never had one of them before!) I'll post them to you.

Also interested in new shorts as I've only got 3/4 length tight ones or full length ones. Not convinced by the buttock-revealing ones though!

I did a steady 13 miles on Sunday with no ill effects, so am going to try 15 miles this weekend. I took an energy gel with me (Lucozade one) and had it about 6 miles in, which made me feel a bit odd because of all the caffeine. Are the sweets any better?

This is my old Garmin

I can do intervals with it but at least one of the intervals involves me stopping, swearing a bit and pressing lots of buttons all at the same time to make it work (user error more than anything else though).

Peachy, my sister ran until about 35 weeks pregnant with no bother at all apart from needing the loo quite often.

Moshi, glad you are on the mend. I feel funny every time I hear Radio Five trailing their commentary of the London Marathon, so god knows how you lot all feel! Paws, hope you are feeling more excited than nervous - are you eating lots of carbs this week?

Happy running all.x

Evening all.

Well done on yout great time DrNo, really impressive

On the subject of garmins, I wouldn't be without mine. I love all the stats it brings up on the computer and would never be able to pace myself without it. Well worth the money IMO.

I wear long tights in the winter and have recently gone to capri length ones which are uncomfy and need replacing. I feel really hot when running already though so I think it will have to be shorts soon. Has to be cycling shorts stylee ones for me though, can't stand the thought of loose, flappy shorts.

MrsWed I use the SIS Go gels which are pretty good. No caffeine, they taste palatable and my stomach can cope with them. In the past when I have tried lucozade drinks with caffeine it has been a sprint for the toilet I use a combination og gels and jelly babies!

Running wise, I did 15 on Saturday. A nice plod at a very slow pace, legs felt really heavy though and I had to pick up the pace to race home to use the loo at the end Did 5 on Sunday, felt really sluggish the first mile but picked up after that.

I'm not enjoying tapering at all. I feel all antsy and restless. I'm worried about gaining weight and having bad dreams about marathon day

Nearly there for you paws. I hope the weather is kind to you. It's looking a bit warm at the moment midweek, hopefully it will cool a bit by the weekend

Another one for SIS Gels (caffeine free) although I have a few High-5 Gels which are a better consistency, not gloopy at all but don't require water either. I think I'll try them for my autumn marathon but stick with the SIS ones for VLM.

Shorts-wise I have both tri shorts and flappy running ones. The key is to avoid chafing. Have you tried Vaseline or Body Glide which can help? Whenever I wear my flappy ones I always think how unflattering they look and regret it later when browsing race photos. Might try other sort for London.

peach - listen to your body. I ran up to 38 weeks with DC1 and up to around 7 months with DC4. With DCs 2&3 I also ran but swam too. Just keep the intensity low. The things to avoid are impact sports like hockey or vigorous horse-riding where a fall or similar could have serious consequences. Running can be as gentle as you like.

Puppy seems to be up around 6.20am which seems reasonable to me. That's a good 7 hours' sleep which I am guessing is not bad for a 9 week old puppy?

After my run-ballet day I had earmarked today for Bootcamp but have decided, in the spirit of the taper, to rest instead and save myself for tomorrow's run. This taper is definitely making me weird.

Oh and I tan easily and already have stupid sock marks and a T shirt tan. Hideous.

Forgot to say thanks for thoughts, MrsWeds and well done to daisy and DrNo for adjusting your running regimes. You will be speeding off at your next race!

Hm, meant misscrazy which ended up being daisy in my mind...

I have the farmer's tan too! Brown from half way up the upper arm, tops of arms milky white - nice look! I burn easily, so will have to make sure I pack sun cream for Sunday.

I've been reading up lots on carb loading, and the general advice seems to be to follow a normal diet up until three days before, and then to make sure your general diet contains lots of carbs (so replacing other things rather than eating extra overall). I can't have wheat so that makes carbs quite tricky for me anyway - the wheat free pasta and bread you get is pretty unpalatable at the best of times, so really it's lots of rice and porridge for me I think. I was thinking of getting some sort of carb loading drink, but again my tummy can be a bit delicate so not sure I want to try anything new.

I can do the Lucozade powder drink but the gels I find make me feel a bit sick for 10 minutes or so after taking them. I'm planning on getting through a pack of Powerbar rideshots an hour on the day - so that's 45g of carbs an hour.

Feeling very heavy today - thank goodness I've got a short run to do tonight.

this thread just gets busier and busier... and now I am back at work I have even less time to read it all and keep up..... hmmm ... maybe I'll have to break the rules on using forums at work at least until the web monitoring tools are switched back on.... (one advantage of being in the IT team)

been out for a couple of runs since I posted last... just over 5k on Sunday, v slow and steady but no walking breaks needed - always good as that's a bit of a psychological barrier for me.... and have been out again this morning and did 4.25 miles in 45 mins, only stopping to cross roads and to put my glasses away as I found them really annoying (I usually wear contact lenses or nothing to run but thought I would give them a go as a test of whether I would be able to run in sunglasses)... slow but steady seems to work so I shall keep at it, but am now considering entering another 10k in about 5 -6 weeks time to give me another target to aim for....

DrNo - well done on the 10k - the hills n stuff would terrify me - I run very flat routes

youmakeme - snap - i am also doing a R4L in June and GNR this year...

paws - my DD managed to lock herself in the cubicle at the motorway services last year.... but wasn't small enough to get out under the door so I had to go get help to get her out.... not good as she got herself into a state whilst I found someone to help... but on the bright side she won't do that one again.... good luck for Brighton in case i don't post again before the weekend... going to be a busy week as usual...

and for all those dreaming of gadgets... I am definitely with you all... but sticking with my iphone and runmeter for the time being...

it does all the GPS stuff and I usually set it to tell me current/average pace at regular intervals whilst I am running to try to help me keep to a steady pace and not go too fast early on... oh and as I already have the phone, it cost me £2.99 ... does get a few odd looks if it announces pace as I pass somebody, but that just adds to the overall effect of red face, wild hair and noisy breathing

hamster I wear glasses - I have some fancy designer prescription sunglasses too but no good for running as they are too slippery. If the mums at school are anything to go by, such glasses are really for perching on top of the head in all weathers rather than protecting the eyes .

Something weird about this week - I've completely lost my appetite. I'm sat thinking about what I could have for lunch, and there's just nothing I fancy - have reluctantly settled on scrambled eggs. I got given a whole box of Heroes chocolates for Mother's Day and they're all still sat there - unheard of! Another weird taper effect?

Think you definitely got the wrong cestlavie there themaster!

hamster I've got the Runmeter as well but to be honest, having sung its praises for a long time it's beginning to drive me a bit nuts because of the iPhone GPS. Intervals are just really hard to run with it because the distance keeps screwing up - last run it told me I did part of one my faster intervals at 28.9kph! What's even more annoying is when you're killing yourself and it tells you you're doing 6.5kph. Aarrgh. Hence my Garmin interest

Glad you liked Born to Run paws - it is fantastically inspirational. Just the thing to read before setting out on marathon or half marathon.

Good luck with changes to your running regimes DrNo and drivingmiss (drivingmiss your weekly routine sounds very similar to mine). Not enjoying my change at the moment or convinced it will work but going to give it a couple of months up to my first race to see what happens...

Hi, just started running - LITERALLY just started as in I have been out 3 times for gentle runs - walk/run/walk/run/walk run/push the last bit and run for 3 mins home. That kind of thing. Am 3 stone over my ideal weight and was already starting to enjoy running - looking forward to my next one - going every other day and feeling very motivated and positive. See - VERY new. BUT now find out I am pregnant with our 4th. Very early days - can't be more than 4-5 weeks. I am 40, not totally unfit but not great either and have 3 kids already - all good pregnancies (excpet for being nauseous and shattered for first 15 weeks of each). Just started feeling slightly sick today but basically fine. SO advice please! I don't want to lose sight of getting fit just because I am pregnant - seems even more important in fact. But don't want to be silly either. Opinions?!

Hi Lucky (congratulations!) I think you have exactly the right strategy - run/walk/listen to how your body feels. There's no reason why you can't improve your general fitness while you're pregnant, although I wouldn't push the running as an objective in itself (only because you're new to running). Just keep it steady, light jog when you feel like it and a walk when you don't.

I have three ds (have had four, sadly only three with us) and DH dropped a bit of a bombshell the other night that he'd love another baby - whereas I thought we were all done! So I may be joining you on the baby bench at some point in the future ..... peachsmuggler who posts on here is also newly pregnant.

lucky congratulations! I think you should carry on - what you are doing is fairly gentle and as long as your heart rate isn't going crazy you should be fine. Perhaps drop the 'push the last bit' element? Wow. 2 pregnant ladies on the thread! Others will have good advice.

Thanks paws! Think I was worrying because I often read 'If you already have a fitness routine just adapt it' - but I don't really have a routine at all - just good intentions! I guess I take it easy, carry on and see how we all get on...also worried about tempting fate by even mentioning it at this early stage! I am sorry to read you lost a child. So so hard. And love your positive attitude too. You're already inspiring me!

Ditto drivingmisscrazy - very encouraging. Yes - think the pushing it bit (not much but it is for me - might end in throwing up so best not right now!)

Welcome, lucky! congratulations but please be very careful about embarking on a new fitness regime. I tend to agree with the literature that suggests reducing the intensity of current activities and not starting anything new without caution. The reason is because it will be harder to read what is going on with your body. You will be undergoing the pregnancy change and enforcing the new fitness change and your body will not know what has hit it. The exception to this is swimming as it has no impact other than on a gentle cardiovascular level. Please hang around by all means but your primary focus should be a healthy pregnancy. At your age you are considered a higher risk pregnancy and although you have had three children already, in my experience this tends to result in a more gung Ho attitude to it all. I suggest focusing on the walking and power walking as you progress. You are also carrying extra weight which will already be a strain on your body so please don't add to the stress but do by all means do things which complement the feel good aspect of exercising. I hope I don't sound harsh and that you take what I say in the right vein. You are the only one to know yourself but from what I have read you should not think about running much longer.

hi all, just checking in with everyone, moshi hows the tapering going and what time do you think you will do the vlm?

The thread is getting bigger and better daily.

I have had a hideous 10 days, did my last long run (20 miler) and again have ended up unable to breathe, took myself off to the Drs to try and get some sort of diagnosis. Turns out to be asthma, have been given a course of steroids to clear it up.

I am praying that I am well enough to run next week, a couple of gentle jogs just to try and keep my fitness level up, I can't bear the thought of not actually running it after all that training!!!

listen to Moshi - she knows what she's talking about...

well I slogged my way around 15k this morning - not very fast, but it was sort of a long run and it does have 294m of climbing (at least that's what the elevation profile said!). But did have to have 2 toilet stops which took down my pace a bit. Away again at the end of the week (the last time for a good while, I hope), so will miss my medium run on Thursday (my 8 miler), but otherwise I look set again...

Hi all, a gentle 3 miles this evening - last but one run before the big day. Feeling fat and bloated but strangely not interested at all in food. passmyglass I'm suffering badly with breathlessness when running outside, I wish I'd got myself sorted out earlier. Good luck with the meds, how are you finding it?

All you taper-ers, have you listened to the Marathon Talk podcast from last week? I listened to it today when running home and thought of you all. Loads of good advice for tapering, what to eat in the last few days, what to do if you get ill etc etc.

Hope you feel better soon Passmyglasses.

Thanks for the gel advice, will try and get some before my next big run at the weekend.

Welcome Lucky (read it as Lucy first!) and congrats. I don't have anything to add, apart from to say that Moshi is much more knowledgeable than I am.

Moshi Moshi - thanks good advice too. I will focus on the pregnancy - it doesn't actually feel real yet so that makes a difference! I think I'll go for a good walk every day. Walking the children to school and back home is 2 miles. I am anxious about being too gung ho, as you well said! Anxiety and gung-honess don;t go too well together do they?!

Also, have found a good antenatal yoga (we have moved since my last ones) and swimming good too.

If all goes well I'll be back here next yearand ready to move faster! Yikes!

Sounds like a quality run there, misscrazy despite the loo stops.

Thanks for asking MrsWeds. Tapering is leaving me feeling fat and lethargic which I hope is just the increased glycogen and water retention!

It was raining today so I bailed out of a Bootcamp session as I have read it is important to avoid getting ill! Am using the hand gel and washing hands lots too.

paws and pass - I am very wheezy too so I suspect it may be weather-related. I wondered whether my new puppy was the culprit but am hearing of lots of people suffering with breathlessness. I have upped my inhaler and am hoping for the best. Have you always had asthma pass or is this a new diagnosis? Have you tried running indoors on a treadmill to see if avoiding pollen helps?