runner united (we talk almost as fast as we run)

[drivingmisscrazy]

a thread for runners to chat, debate, share tips, triumphs (and the occasional disaster!) - new runners particularly welcome, the only thing that's required is enthusiasm (and a pair of running shoes)

29/05/11 - Stirling R4L: squix
29/05/11 - Plymouth Half Marathon: sungirltan
30/05/11 - BUPA 10K: MoshiMoshi
01/06/11 - BHF Canary Wharf 10K jog: june2009
05/06/11 - Tilty Hilly 5(mile): bonkers20
05/06/11 - RFL 10k: LaLa
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
12/06/11 - The Heroes half marathon - Futurity
19/06/11 - Dash for Dads - Pawsnclaws
19/06/11 - Half Ironman UK 70.3 - Twink, MoshiMoshi
25/06/11 - Lewa half marathon Kenya - Masterandmargaritas
26/06/11 - Stortford 10 miles - thecoo
26/06/11 - Colworth half marathon - cestlavie
06/07/11- Yately 10k (not actually booked yet): DebiTheScot
10/07/11 - RFL 5K, Kingston & Kempton Park: Wheelybug
10/07/11 - Felsted 10K: bonkers20
16/07/11 - Phoenix park 5 miler - drivingmisscrazy
17/07/11 - RFL St Albans - Pawsnclaws
17/07/11 - Dundee Half marathon - TheChewyToffeeMum
17/07/11- Chichester (Sprint) Triathlon: DebiTheScot
20/08/11 - Frank Duffy 10 mile, Dublin - drivingmisscrazy
03/09/11 - Dingle Half-Marathon - drivingmisscrazy
11/09/11 - Bristol Half- Marathon - thetasigmamum
18/09/11 - GNR: Hamster, Run for fun, popsycal, LaLa
23/09/11 - Notting Half Marathon: cestlavie
25/09/11 - Edinburgh Urbanathlon: backwardpossom
25/09/11 - Windsor Half Marathon: Doyouthinktheysaurus
02/10/11 - Standalone 10K: Futurity
02/10/11 - Bradford Half Marathon - MrsWednesday
02/10/11 - Baxter's River Ness 10k - backwardpossom
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
19/02/12 - Brighton Half marathon - Wheely

Glad I misinterpreted you driving

Those of you who have the 30 day shred dvd, is it what I need to get rid of my tummy flab? I don't really want to lose weight and my legs are looking quite good (if I may say so myself ) but my tummy needs work.

Shred will help - expect a world of pain in arms and shoulders too if your upper body strength isnt great (i.e you are a stranger to push-ups!) She has another DVD called 6 Week 6 Pack that could be worth considering too. And pilates as well, obviously.

MrsWeds yes dh and I are going to do it!! really pleased I have another one to aim for later in the year. Sounds like a complete different kettle of fish to the Redcar HM so I will not do this is sub 2 but I am cool with that

Debi I have 30 day shred, do it ocassionally, but I do core stuff at BMF and I have a flat tum so it might be just what you need. But, I have always had a flat tum to be fair. Apart from when preggers

ps forgot to add that DD and I did 'races' up and down the garden before tea. She loves it. At the moment I can beat her, but this won't last long...meant she ate up all her dinner too (a rare event!)

what's a push up?

Debi I think that a 'push-up' is a kind of training pant that you force encourage your DC to wear when potty training (you know, you push them up over their little chubby legs) :o

Ahhh.

Not BZF or Ms Michaels regulars then?!

I must be the only person in the world who does not know what Shred is, I assumed it was some sort of diet with Shredded wheat or something like that SpecialK business

hello all, great running and fantastic plans, I am starting to feel like I need to brave a race, I like the idea of it but I get more nervous and anxious about them than I do at exams and job interviews, I expect I just have to keep going

running with partners, mostly we do our own thing, dh works long hrs during the week but sometimes works from home so we occasionally go for a run together, weekends we chop and change to allow alone time for each to varying degrees according to need, sometimes when dd is at pony club in the park we go for a longish chilled out run
he hates cross training but mostly does his at his rowing club, I go to gym and we both go swimming independently during week and sometimes all at weekend taking turns to stay with dd

he stated running long after I did and is now faster which is most annoying

driving yes quite young just turned 15 a couple of weeks before, children usually cope depending on the kind of support they get, I am a patron of Winston's wish because of that

BMF- not BZF!!

Dh and I like to run together when we can, but he too is faster than me. We do running club together on a Tues, but he is in a faster group. Ds is 9 now and soon will be able to left for short periods so we look forward to more running together in the future.

I always knew ds was a good runner, he represents his school st Athletics, 100m and 200m being his strongest distances, but this weekend our 12 year old nephew is staying with us. He is a very lanky. tall 12 year old and my ds is a very short, speedy 9 year old. We took them to the park with the dog and were having sprint races and my ds beat his cousin hands down every time. We were amazed! DNephew was most put out bless him

sfxmum that looks like a great charity; I wish it had been around when my father died (I was 8); people really were unbelievably insensitive!

I don't know if DD will be a good runner - she's small, and quite slight. Too early to say.

I should run with my DP - I guarantee that I'd be faster than her!! (this would be true if she wasn't 16 weeks up the duff :o)

Some race signing up going on - I might chuck in a 10k on August 1 - it's local and I can do it with friends. I'm only running so many races this year because I said I would (am trying to run in race miles the age my dad would have been this year - mainly because I am now the age he was when he died. Well, it made sense to me at at the time!) - normally one or two would do me fine.

Do you all run the same mileage all year? I do, but I prefer winter running, although the short days can be a problem

30 day shred. Ordered. Eeek it looks scary. I hadn't heard of it either until on here.

Driving I prefer winter running too. I get so hot in the summer. I was really hot today in a vest and shorts and it was only 18C. I've not been doing it properly for long enough to know when I run the most. I only do 12-15 miles a week anyway though.

Oh - this ahs reminded me I have '6 week 6 pack' unopened in my dvd cupboard. Maybe this week will be the week.... But that would involve starting tomorrow and I have a busy day - DD1 has her first ballet exam so am going to be running here there and everywhere tomorrow afternoon (and busy with dd1 in the morning). Maybe tomorrow evening ???

Quick question as off to bed after spending evening pondering various half marathon training plans. I was wondering how others structured their week...some plans have long run, couple of easy runs and a tempo OR speedwork session. Other plans have long run, tempo session, speedwork and sometimes one easy run. So both have four days a week but one has both tempo and speedwork in the one week where as the other alternates.

Last time I now realise I never did speedwork..I just did long run, 2 easy runs and a tempo session at running club (basically running faster than normal for 4-5 miles). I am now wondering whether I need to change one of my easy runs to speedwork or is that too much in one week (long run, speedwork, tempo, easy).

Any thought welcome! I would like to improve my time to sub 2.15

futurity am not very knowledgeable about training so can't offer any useful advice.

However I think there is a danger in looking at too many training plans, and think the "best" one for you is the one that "works" for you, if that makes sense. (a bit like the myriad of diets that are available, people seem to do best on the one that is relatively easy to incorporate into their lifestyle situation.)

At the running club I go to, our head coach gets a bit annoyed when people say they have googled for a training plan, when there are a lot of people at the club who can perhaps offer more individual training advice. Have you asked anyone at your club, as they are best placed to devise a plan for you that fits in with the club training sessions. (This is something I am going to have to do when I start training in earnest for HM also, and admit that not being a fast and speedy runner, I will be a bit embarassed...but think that as I have been around in the club long enough 18 months) for some people to have an idea of my ability and what I can realistically aim for then I will have to swallow my pride and do it!)

Not sure if will get to running club tonight, my DM dislocated hip this morning so off to hospital.

I am not rigid when following a plan. My current week, and teh weeks leading upto my half looked like this:

Mon - BMF
Tues - running club (could be speed/hills/tempo)
WEds - drills session (bunny jumps, hops, striding over hurdles etc)
Thurs - 3 miles steady
Friday - 5 miles how ever I fancied it
Sat - lond steady run (10/11 miles)
Sun - rest

futurity I think that the basic model for 4 runs is probably about right - one session that pushes you (intervals OR tempo OR hills); a couple of easy runs (with a couple of race pace or close miles in if you feel like it); long run.

I think if you haven't done speedwork before (although you have at running club) I'd be inclined to keep it to one session a week at first. You've a good base of mileage. Remember that if you want to get under 2h15 your race pace is going about be about 6.10km/min so you might run intervals a bit faster than that. I'm going for that kind of pace too, and am planning on running longer intervals (800m/1k) as my problem is sustaining speed (or actually, sustaining anything!).

I think the advice to ask your club is excellent.

I am planning to start some cross-training soon - during term-time I cycle to work (25mins+ each way x 4 each week) and at the moment I'm not. But will also have to tweak plan to accommodate DD2, so might use the running home from work option (it's about 7 miles, I think)

ps does anyone use a rowing machine? I used to row in college, and I quite like the full work-out it gives. Great cardio too.

When I get the chance to go to a gym (there is a YMCA round the corner from work that I go to about once a month on a 'pay as you go' basis) then I will use a rowing machine. I do get really bad callouses on my hands from them (which DH hates ) so when I used them more regularly years ago I had some weight lifting gloves. Think I would have to buy some more if I used it regularly again. I found it good for tabata work.

Just checking in after nearly 2 weeks off running. My mood plummeted dramatically about 2 weeks ago and I have been to see my GP and reluctantly restarted my citalopram tablets. I am feeling different already so I can accept that I really do need them. My motivation is coming back gradually and I managed a treadmill speed session (1km intervals with 4mins fast walk between x 5) at the weekend. Off to running club tonight for 5-6 miles. I have not done a proper long run for 2 weeks and am having to try and stop myself feeling guilty and thinking I should just give up the half-marathon training if I can't do it "properly". While I generally find running helps with depression I can get caught up in black and white thinking and slavishly following training schedules.

Anyway, enough about me. I am off the play with bendaroos with the kids.

chewytoffee that sounds like positive progress though. I know what you mean, I often feel a bit like that about running. And other things, too.

Lovely sunny day here, about to take dd to the swings if I can get the tangles out of her hair!

chewytoffee completely agree with your comment: While I generally find running helps with depression I can get caught up in black and white thinking and slavishly following training schedules. I am guilty of that!

My running club is only new (set up last winter) and we are all finding our feet really so even though we have a chap who runs it I wouldn't call him a coach like you probably have at your club ibbydibby. Saying that three of us are doing this half marathon and so I will make the effort to find out what the others do. Like you say, drivingmisscrazy I think the four times a week option is the best with the long run, one session that pushes me (running club always does this!) and couple of easy runs with the option of pushing myself if I want but no pressure to do so. I am also cross training 2 days a week on my racing bike ...I did 13 miles this morning...still new to me so building up slowly but did a massive hill for the first time...such fun riding down it...and yes ..I did go "weeeeeeeee"! (childish emoticon).

Cycling is the thing that DH and I manage to do together as we work from home (him 2 days a week...me all the time) so we go out for about an hour together on those days we are here and it works fine. He has tried running but it really isn't his thing where as he has taken to the bike much better.

Ah but futurity did you stick your legs out at the sides as well as going weeeeeeee?

Got to bed at 2 am after our night out on Saturday, then was up at 6.30 am to get to Wycombe for my marshalling at the Dash for Dads. It was fun but I'm not sure standing in a cold field was quite the Fathers Day DH had wanted! Thank goodness I wasn't drinking, but I did a lot of dancing and had lots of fun.

Managed to get out for 6 miles Sunday evening but the pub lunch we had on the way back was weighing heavily on me. So all in all, with 5 miles Saturday, dancing the night away, and 6 miles last night ...... I'm pooped!

Just to clarify ..... the dancing was on Saturday night, not while I was marshalling the race!

What would you guys consider a fast 5k? I have my suggested program from my personal trainer and the first run is 5k "very intensive" (which I think means "fast"). That's tonight!

Now for a bit of maths... I did my best 10k in 52 minutes, I think that works out at 8.32 miles per hour, that was really fast for me.
If I set the treadmill to 11.5 km/h that's the same pace isn't it? (though the setting will be either 10 or 12.) I think the fastest I have ever run on the treadmill is 14, for one minute. (as in, 30sec to get up to speed and then 30 seconds at 14).

The trainer's suggested plan includes 3 runs a week: 5k monday evenings, 10k wednesday mornings, 7k friday evenings or saturday mornings.
He reckons sprints/tempo/interval is not so important for me as my goal at this point is to finish the half marathon rather than doing it under a certain time. I think people on this thread have generally said that they have found the variety helpful so I'm going to try and mix it up a bit.
I sooooo need a garmin :D

driving I use the rowing machine at the gym with my personal trainer, sprints (8x 100m, 15s rest in between and 500m / 1000m rows). Why do you ask? (sorry if this is an ongoing convo I've not checked in much during the weekend and not had time to catch up).
Gardening: we ate our first home grown potato this weekend (literally only one :)) We've been eating lettuce and salad/herbs from the allotment for 2 or 3 weeks now, no tomatoes yet.
futurity drno I really wish my dh would do some kind of sport with me, he's just not interested whatsoever.

Debi let us know how you get on with shred, I've heard about it on here but not sure what it is actually (abs?), it sounds scary.
I'm also fairly happy with my weight right now but despite being really fit still I have abdominal fat. The various trainers I have have all said the same thing, you can't "spot reduce" (ie doing 100 crunches a day won't give you a flat belly if you have a layer of fat on there. You really need to have a good/strict diet and do a combination of exercises in order to loose it. Doesn't really mean that your actual weight is going to change iyswim, you just end up looking more toned. I'm keeping a food diary for him this week so he can have a look at what can be done.

I have to go...