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

Hello! Can I join you please? Am quite new to this running lark. Did the couch to 5k in October. Hoping to do my first race in April - 10K. Any tips for a first race would be most welcomed as I'm actually getting a bit nervous! I always run on my own.
Glad to hear am not the only one that actually gets paranoid that I'll get injured and then worry I won't be able to run!
Also any tips on training generally - don't really know what fartlek/interval training is? And I don't have the net at home so am only ever on here during work (PT).
Those of you that do long distance, how did you work up to that? And did you know you always wanted to run long distances?
And is it normal when I'm running to actually not really 'get into it' iuntil I've already run for about 20 mins...?
Currently running between 3-5 miles 3x a week. I go in the evening after DS (3) has gone to bed but before DD (2). Am sad though cos I run along the beach but next week we are moving and I'll be on some estate instead. :( Wondering if its worth driving the 15 mins just to be able to run along the beach again!

Am considering going 1st thing in the AM - those of you who run - when do you go? best/preferred times? Reasons why? Etc...

quick wave...have been trying to cut down mn as dd says I'm ALWAYS on it. I deny this absolutely of course, but have a sneaking feeling I'm maybe on it too much.

still running - but slow and short. been with a few of the blokes in teh village - they're faster than me but I'm closing the gap.

Moshi thanks for the tips - I must admit the whole notion of tapering seems so odd after all that hard work? I'll keep the speed workouts at least until the last week (what about hills? Was thinking only as part of the long run as usual rather than a separate workout?)

cestlavie I'm getting nervous now about the marathon but am also looking forward to it. Just trying to fend off the dread of getting another cold or twisting my ankle or something stupid! Have a look at the Dash for Dads, it looks lots of fun - my oldest two are going to do the 1k run, I've said I'll either run it or if they need the help will volunteer instead. West Wycombe Park is stunning.

Hello pipkin, glad to hear you've got the running bug. I prefer to run in the evenings, but have had to retrain a little for this marathon to get used to mornings. As for building up distance, I don't think there's a shortcut - it just takes time. For me personally, it's meant dropping my pace dramatically and accepting it takes as long as it takes!

Beautiful day here, but starting to get a little warm for me - am praying for a cool, overcast day on 10th April.

Oh and hello hatwoman - glad to hear you're striking a blow for womankind with your running, keep closing that gap .....

Hi Pipkin I always run first thing, practically because I run into work so it minimises impact on family time. Even before kids though, I always used to like to run early mornings. Partly, I think because I like the fact that it's peaceful out there at that time - also in summer it's so much nicer to run in the cool morning air than in the heat of the day or the evening (when you could be sat outside having a nice cold beer!)

Welcome, pipkin! Will try to answer some of your questions later although am sure you will get plenty of responses in the meantime as everyone here is friendly and supportive (because we are runners!)

pipkin sounds like you've got the bug. I tend to run in the mornings too - drop off DD at nursery 3x a week and run from there. Fortunately it's just outside the park gates. Otherwise, I depend heavily on the goodwill of DP and try and pay her back...mornings I prefer, although I'm going to have to start throwing in an evening speed workout soon.

On building distance, you have to do it slowly - your cardiovascular system adapts quicker than your muscles and tendons. Drop your pace (you should be able to sing or whistle) even if you are being passed by 2 legged dogs. Keep your weekly mileage increase to 5% or under (most programmes will say 10% but on an ongoing basis this is, I've found, too much, and I just get hurt), and don't increase every week. Pick one run and gradually make it longer. When that's comfy, you can start to add to the shorter ones. It might take up to about 6 months to build. What kind of weekly distances are you aiming for? I'm pushing for about 50-60k a week, with a decent long run (10 miles and up). I wouldn't build distance and add speedwork simultaneously, but you are probably younger than me and this might be less of an issue. I've found adding speedwork too soon just lands me with something sore.

I am totally shit for the first 20 minutes - again, as you get older, it takes longer to get into your stride. The upside is that your endurance gets better. If you have a running watch, you can record this as warm-up (which it is) - I'm trying not to obsess about pace, so I just average paces out over the whole run at the moment

Who's the oldest on here then? Me first - I'm 45, have been running for about 5 years, with a big gap in the middle. My usual training pace is about 6.30min/k - sometimes faster, sometimes (e.g. this morning) slower.

misscrazy has given some great advice but here are some thoughts I had on your post:

"Any tips for a first race would be most welcomed as I'm actually getting a bit nervous! I always run on my own."
When I ran my first 10K I was really put off by all of the huffing and puffing going on around me as I do all of my training on my own and always have done. It sounds so silly but it was such a different experience to the tranquil runs I was used to and put me off my pace the whole way round. That and the fact men generally don't like being "chicked" so will try harder to keep up or not be overtaken despite the fact they are puffing like a nuisance caller!

"Also any tips on training generally - don't really know what fartlek/interval training is?"
Runners World is a great site which sets out this sort of information far better than I could explain it so have a look when you get a chance, perhaps during your lunch hour at work. They also publish a really handy book with literally everything you could think of running-related which would also help you. I think it costs around £10. The approach you should consider is to look at a training programme which is specific to the distance you are contemplating. Make sure it is one which you can reasonably fit in and stick to. Within that will be a variety of run types and you will soon learn how they benefit you and what the difference is.

"Those of you that do long distance, how did you work up to that? And did you know you always wanted to run long distances?"
I think most of us started out small and ended up increasing distances over time. When you think about it this is the natural thing to do as you get fitter. What tends to hold most people back from moving up is the time commitment as the general rule seems to be that the longer the race distance, then greater the training load.

"And is it normal when I'm running to actually not really 'get into it' iuntil I've already run for about 20 mins...?"
I think this is quite common as we all take time to warm up and get into our zone. For me, even before I had children, it was around 3-4 miles when I felt like I was in my stride.

"Currently running between 3-5 miles 3x a week." "Am considering going 1st thing in the AM - those of you who run - when do you go? best/preferred times? Reasons why?"
That sounds like a great base to start from and you could think about trying to make one of those runs longer, one of them a speedy interval based one and then a general aerobic one at a comfortable pace. When you go should really be dictated to by when you think you can stick to going as consistency is the key thing with running. It is better to maintain 3 runs a week for 6 months than manage 5 runs a week for 3 months and have to stop for a month as you will end up back at square one.

misscrazy - we are a range of ages here. I can confess to being 38 (which leaves me 2 years to reach my goal of a sub-3 marathon before I hit 40!)

Welcome pipkin, drivingmisscrazy and backwardpossum - I'm quite new to the thread too, but everyone on here is so friendly and helpful. Not nearly as scary as AIBU!

pipkin I love running first thing in the morning, but only get the chance on weekends - during the week I have to fit it in at lunchtime.

pawsnclaws can't wait until I can say I did a 'gentle' 10 miles!

moshi you're in danger of being an overachiever! Can't believe you're supermum as well as superfast

My 'easy' 40 min run today felt quite hard - bloody iPhone GPS! My runkeeper app kept telling me I was a minute and whatever seconds behind my pace each mile but when I got home I discovered I was actually running faster than I was supposed to, not slower. Oh well, can't have done me any harm I suppose...

How do the rest of you measure pace? Do you get the hang of it so you don't have to measure eventually?

thecoo tell me about it! I've got the Runmeter iPhone app which is great in many ways but the GPS functionality could definitely work better. So annoying when you think you're running faster than usual and you get to the end and realise it's because the app thinks you've run further than usual and you were actually slower!

I still use it all the time but I tend to support it with walkjogrun.net which you can map your runs on and you can remember where say the 2, 5, 10 mile points are and aim to hit those within a certain time. I think over time you do develop a better sense of pace overall though.

drivingmisscrazy as Moshi says there's quite a range of ages on here - I'm 38 (and a guy just to save any confusion again!)

Thanks - wow, loads of experience and help on here. Ace thread.
Moshi - I will try to check out that runners world site, I've never looked at it before, assuming it was for 'professionals' - but from what you've said they'll also have loads of advice for 'newbies' so come Weds lunch break, I'll have a look.
Regards a race then - it's at 9.30am.....any advice on what to eat beforehand?! Usually in the evenings I don't have to think about stuff like that...

Drivingmiss - 6.30, blimey, that's fast, ain't it?! When I started in Oct, I got excited by my 16 min miles! , though now I'm averaging 9-10 min which is such an encouragement.

I'm 35, no history of any running or fitness - except when I was a teen I used to sprint 100m and was quite nippy - til I got huge boobs and discovered fags !

I treated myself to one of those nike wristbands attached to the thingymajig in your trainer this weekend and am already stupidly addicted to it. Tells me pace, distance, cals and time...though I can't work out how to calibrate it yet.

Can't wait for my run tonight - didn't manage anyhting at the weekend cos I was busy packing, but the weather here is sunny so a seafront run will be just the ticket!

thecoo - before I had a Garmin I used RunKeeper and was so depressed at how slow I was. Then I got my Garmin and realised it was understating! So beware..

The Garmin gets a big thumbs up from me!

6.30 per kilometre!!! trying to work out how to get a run in before Friday - doing an institutional review thingy which is pretty much 8.30-6.30...

driving - Just PMSL...sorry. Am so bad at maths/ numbers in general. It's a whole new world of figures for me, all this KM that etc...
Still good though. God, I thought 6.30 min miles meant you must be bloody Superhuman.

Those of you that have limited time - would you still go for a run even if it wasn't as far/long as you would normaly like to do, just to get out there?

pipkin I wish! I've come to the conclusion that a short run is better than no run at all - and even little bits do add up. I usually feel better for going than if I don't, IYSWIM

Definitely pipkin. Always get out whenever I can. Even if it's just 3 miles or something it gets you running and you just try and make the most of what you can do, e.g. running it as a tempo run or turning it into an interval session or actually even just running for the hell of it!

Moshi - sounds like a great arrangement with your cleaner. Think you probably need it with 4 DCs ! Hope physio went well today.

Paws - Hope your cough is better soon. If its much like mine it seems to be dragging on. Hope the taper goes well. My Bro is doing the Brighton Marathon too.

cest - like the idea of the chocolate bars. Problem is, I find, weight loss is one reason for me running so I don't like to have anything too calorific after running which sometimes isn't great after a longer run. Am thinking of trying something before and after sunday's run. Actually after might be a big roast dinner .

Welcome Pipkin - I think those with more knowledge have offered the best advice. I haven't raced much - I did a RFL 5K in 2008, then got pg, then did Run10K in October. My 3rd race will be on sunday. Eek. I haven't really enjoyed either race I've done tbh. I don't think I like the pressure (which is all self inflicted) and probably why I don't usually like running with anyone else. In this respect I'm not looking forward to sunday but want to keep doing longer races to get my distance up so I can eventually do a marathon. I DO like the feeling afterwards though !!

On time of run - I run 2 of my runs a week in the gym because of childcare so I do them first ish thing but after school drop off. At weekends it has to fit in with what else we are doing - I like first thing if I've had enough sleep. I also quie enjoy evening running which I often do in the school holidays -its quite nice after a day with the children as an end of day wind down . I definitely think its worht running whatever the distance so better a short one than not at all - it keeps the regularity .

What beach do you run by ? I grew up by the south coast and miss it terribly living in London (doyouthink - I come from v. near seaford by the way, I see you are doing the seaford half !).

Hello hat - nice to see you !!

Driving - I am 35, I have just over 4 years to meet my goal of running a marathon by the time I'm 40 (am not as ambitious a Moshi - getting to the finish line in one piece will do).

Thecoo - I Have a garmin - one that just measures with a foot pod not a gps. It seems fairly accurate I think (compared to map my run and the treadmill).

pipkin35 hello and welcome! Running on the beach? I am very My Mum lives at teh coast and I love a run along the beach, its so invigorating. There are loads of runners on here of varying abilities and distances. Personally I started with 5k's, then moved to 10k's and do my first half marathon in June (eek) For your first race just enjoy it, it's your first one so you will get a pb

I am like you though, takes me a good 15/20 mins to find my running groove.

Moshi I reckon you will so achieve your sub 3 hour marathon. How long did it take you to get upto the speeds you run at now? Were you naturally fast to begin with? Is it possible for us all to increase our speed significantly do you think?

I did a steady 5 miles yesterday and didn't have long this afternoon so wanted to do a faster 3 miles. Managed to average an 8.43 minute mile which is super fast for me and that was really pushing it, could not sustain that over a longer distance at all.

My BIL is running VLM and this weekend is his last long run. He is running 23 miles in 5 mile loops around the town centre and is inviting folk to join him for as many loops as they like for encouragement and support which I think is a great idea. I am hoping to join him as he says he will be running steadily at about 8 mpm. That is not steady for me, so will push me to my limits but worth a shot. Just ds has a football match so trying to figure out when I can join him.

Happy running everyone

Meant to add I will be joining him for one 5 mile loop only not 23 miles!

Sure Moshi will have a better answer than me DrNo but I think you definitely can improve your times significantly but it means working hard and being very structured. So no "junk" miles or "junk" runs (however lovely and relaxing those can be) but instead proper speed sessions, interval runs, long slow runs, hill sessions, recovery runs etc.

I try to do that a bit but they're definitely not as structured as they could be and I know for sure I don't push myself hard enough on some sessions. Despite that I've managed to get my half time down (over the years!) from about 2 hours to just over 1.45. If I did proper, serious training I can see myself getting maybe another 5 - 10 minutes off that but frankly there is more chance of me going to the moon than running under 1.30!

cestlavie - I have to disagree and think if you can run a comfortable 10 miles at 8m/m pace you are not so far away from running a 90 min half...

DrNo - I used to run everything at 7m/m and then wised up to the benefits of different training paces after I had kids. I now can cope with a sub 6 m/m pace for intervals and 6:30m/m for a tempo run comfortably which has all come with the correct training. So I probably had some decent speed in my legs naturally but training has definitely helped which is why I want to train with the running club to get faster!

Look at you lot comparing ages! I'll admit to early 40s, you'll get no more than that from me . Mind you my brother reminded me the other day that I classed 39 as my mid-30s, so probably best not to be too technical about it?!

Once this marathon is over, I definitely want to crank up the pace a bit more and take on a different challenge. I'd like to aim for a half under 2 hours - in the not too distant past I managed a half in just over 2 hours and I did a 10 mile race in an hour and a half, so I think it's achievable.

I wish I could share your belief Moshi! I really can't imagine getting down to those sort of times!

I am 34 btw.

Crikey, I can't imagine 8m/m pace! I was about 9:30m/m yesterday (ish) and while it wasn't fast, I certainly wouldn't be able to sustain a faster speed over any kind of distance. I've joined a running club and have definitely improved the speed as I've got fitter. So hopefully keeping at it will help :)