Runners united: I run, I do running, I am a runner

[DebiTheScot]

We've run out of room on the other thread so I hope you don't mind me starting the new one.
This thread is for runners to share running stories and chat about life in general too. Anyone with running shoes welcome!

Our latest race list is below. Feel free to add or remove races from it.

06/07/11- Yately 10k: 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
24/07/11 - Harrogate town centre 10k - DrNortherner
20/08/11 - Frank Duffy 10 mile, Dublin - drivingmisscrazy
03/09/11 - Dingle Half-Marathon - drivingmisscrazy
11/09/11 - Bristol Half- Marathon - thetasigmamum
11/09/11 - Bristol Half- Marathon- N4nny
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
25/09/11 - London Half Marathon Run to the beat: June2009
25/09/11 - New Forest Half Marathon: MoshiMoshi
02/10/11 - Standalone 10K: Futurity
02/10/11 - Bradford Half Marathon - MrsWednesday
02/10/11 - Baxter's River Ness 10k - backwardpossom
02/10/11 - The Run, Northampton - YeahThatsTheBadger
09/10/11 - Great Eastern Run, Peterborough - Futurity
16/10/11 - Abingdon Marathon: MoshiMoshi
30/10/11 - Great South Run: Wheely, squix
20/11/11 - Leeds Abbey Dash (10k) - DrNortherner
19/02/12 - Brighton Half marathon - Wheely
27/05/12 - London Bupa 10K - Futurity

Hi IlanaK Well Done on getting to the end of C25K. If it's not flat it's a hill. Some hills are bigger than others!

Thanks Moshi - do you you have a favourite soleus stretch? I dread shin splints - I had it once before I started running when I was doing alot of high-impact aerobics (grapevine anyone?).

Did another 20min run today but calves are really complaining now so I think I need to lay off the forefoot landing for a while. Back to my usual heel stomping.

Welcome IlanaK and well done on getting to the "magic" 5k! I can't remember my times for a 5k when I first started running but it was a lot slower than now - if you keep it up and put effort in then in no time you'll be under 30 mins.

Park runs sound great - anyone know where I could find one in Cheshire?

Did 4.6 miles last night with friends VERY hilly so a slow run for me. 9 min mile. But VERY beneficial. With me being still not 100% I felt it at the top of the hill. LSR tomorrow - 12 miles. Fingers crossed I manage it....

Hope everyone's having gorgeous weekend with this lovely weather! BBQ today - sea bass done on bbq mmmmmmm, love it!

Chewy I'm interested in this forefront running you're doing. How did this come about? Naturally I land heel then roll forwards to front - I don't think (unless sprinting) I could change that - have you tried to to get faster?

Thanks for the advice chewy! Just not sure what i'm doing and if i'm doing it right!

Glad you enjoyed it dreams! Wish there year a parkrun near me. fanny there is a parkrun website and you can search for your nearest one.

Welcome ilana and well done! I only started running 5k again recently. Started doing something similar to c25k at the end of April and had the same goals as you. Got up to 5k in 6weeks or so but only just starting increasing my distance this week. I wanted to be able to run 5k comfortably and under 30minutes. I can do it in about 27mins now and am very proud of myself! I've found having another goal has helped-i'm doing a 10k in 9weeks. Good luck!

I had planned to go out today but my ankle is sore and going to rest it and head out tomorrow instead.
Happy running!

Yes Fanny I definitely land further forward on my feet when I am sprinting. The forefoot landing seems to be much more efficient and faster with less effort. I am really just experimenting with it after reading "Born to Run" and for a break after training for the half-marathon. I expect I will end up settling into landing midfoot - a halfway house!

hello everyone! Internet sort of back on now at my house, am borrowing my neighbour's wi-fi connection and typing this perched on a windowsill!

Welcome, IlanaK - well done on your 5km! I'm with Chewy, I count anything not flat as a hill and I assume incline is just a fancy way of saying that. Yes, you are A Runner!

Did my big run yesterday - tried to keep my speed up and managed 10.34 miles in 1 hour 32! I am so, so chuffed with that. I know it's snail pace for some of you but if I can keep it up for another 3 miles I'll be delighted. I'm slightly behind where I wanted to be with my training for 4th Sept, because of the dodgy hip, but I'm still going to try to train up to 12.5 miles by 2 weeks before, which will give me time to taper a little before the race itself.

No, I'm talking arse, I should be able to manage 12.5 miles with 3 weeks to go, I think, which sounds a little more reasonable.

Emma that's great - don't forget running 10 miles in itself is a great achievement and 1hr 32 not a bad time at all!! You're running just over a 9 min mile which is great for long distance. I'm not too different re times and I know I'm never going to be doing Moshi times so just praise myself on the fact I get off my arse and do it! You'll have NO problems finishing your half and with a push will probably do it

Dreams well done on doing parkrun, Quenelle and Sciencebint hope you managed to get to yours as well.

Have been thinking about training for half marathon in November. PRior to joining a running club, had not been one to follow a schedule, but now realising the importance of varying what you do. Will also get some advice from club, but have been having a look at Paula Radcliffe book, in particular her "new intermediates" training programme (not sure what constitutes a new intermediate but it seems to be the only programme there for a HM). However have come to conclusion that it will be quite hard to follow so adapting it to suit me. I struggle with things like "run 2 sets of 5 hills, focussing on good form". So does this mean you go up, down, up, down, up, then repeat once? And what is "good form"? Am I reading too much into this? DH was having hysterics last night when I was plotting and planning all this. He just recommends speeding up between lampposts, but that's tricky around here cos there are no lampposts..

Quenelle sorry you are having trouble making friends. We moved here 3 years ago and it has been an uphill struggle, though getting better, thank goodness. We moved from a city suburb to largeish village. Everyone who lives here tells me what a lovely friendly village it is, never want to leave etc etc. Except that they seem to be very wary of strangers! Eg when we moved here DS2 went into final term of Yr 2 - for the first half term not a single parent spoke to me while we were waiting outside the classroom door at home time. I took to smiling and saying "hello" but no-one ever really took the opportunity to follow it up with a conversation. And yet I know that in previous school if DS1 or DS2 came home and said there was a new child in the class, I would try to figure out the parents and talk to them.....

DS1 had horrible first day in Yr 6, came out crying on his first day, and 3 years on, still says it was the worst day of his life.....

Although I have now made friends with some mums, I have also made friends with others by getting involved in things going on in the village. No really good friends though, and distinct lack of invitations for coffee/lunch/drink in pub...However joined a running club about 18 months ago, and have met some nice people there.

hello! I've got that lovely mellow feeling - 8 miles before breakfast this morning. Coffee just tastes so wonderful post run!!

ibby on the PR book, in other bits of it she does say about checking on your running style periodically, gait and arms etc (which I assume is "good form", rather than being an Enid Blyton Jolly Good Sort!!). I did take that advice today, as I was having a bit of a wibble in mile 5, so focussed on getting a good push off and making the ground go under me faster (IYSWIM!!), and I was at 6.5 miles before I knew it, so that was quite good. Re hills, she does also say about literally spending time going up them as fast as poss, then down slow (jogging or walking to recover). I can recommend this - a much more experienced runner where I used to work would make us run up and jog down an absolute killer hill, but it is a brilliant way of making your legs, heart and lungs work very hard in a short time...

Having said all that, I'm not using any of PR's plans, just putting in some ideas from her and from the RW running bible (which is really good, I think!) and slotting them into the BUPA intermediate plan.

Fanny how's it going with the Pilates? It seems like everything I read at the moment on running is telling me how important core strength is, and presumably Pilates is really good for that?

sticky I agree there is no better high than a post run brew or coffee after a good run first thing! The pilates is great, very basic at first and I find it easy as pretty strong legs etc so looking forward to when I can progress. I have mild scoliosis so great for me and you really learn how to engage your core. It's all very subtle movements and a great relaxing exercise in contrast to running. If you're interested do some research into good pilates instructors in your area.

Welcome ilana ! Well done on getting through C25K - its where I started too.

Squix - Feeling ok about the GSR at the moment. Although my furthest distance to date is about 8.5miles I feel v. ready for 10. I think I said before that I'd like to do it next weekend so I have got through the mental barrier before I go off on hols. Then if I don't run much whilst away I'll still feel in a good position when we get back with still 8 weeks to go. Also we'll be down at my parents and 10 miles is to Brighton Pier and back so feels like quite a nice idea (apart from teh massive hill at the end....). Not so sure aobut DH though - if he carries on with his lack of training I am going to forbid him from doing it. Not just because I'll be cross if he beats me with no training, I don't think it'll be good for him (has health issues despite being naturally v. fit).

Was planning 5 miles this morning but we kept the kids up partying last night so for once even dd2 had a lie in and whilst I could have gone (was unusually sensible last night) I too the opportunity for a v. rare lie in. Will pop out for 5K in a bit I think.

Just back in from 12.25 miler - 1hr 52m not too happy with time - could have done loads better BUT haven't done a LSR for 2 weeks and (yes I know, excuses excuses ) not been too well so
I'll let myself off...! splits were consistent throughout though - averaged around 9.17min miles. No reasons why I can't finish GNR in

Am just popping in to say hello before I go off to Cardiff in the morning (we're driving down from the north of Scotland - daft!). Have packed my running gear so hoping to get a run or two in... maybe that's wishful thinking! Hope you all have a good week x

safe journey tomorrow, possum - I do that drive (or most of it) quite a bit, to see my mum who lives in south wales, and it's a long slog but pretty straightforward. Tebay services do good pork pies if you like that sort of thing!

thanks for the encouragement, fanny. Your own LSR time sounds really good to me, though I know you're aiming to be quicker. Especially given that you had cramp to contend with. It does sound like your shoes could be the culprit - hopefully they just need breaking in a bit more?

Will I need to fuel on the run when I start going longer? For now I just drink as much water as I can before leaving the house. I have a banana usually first thing, but as I get up at 6ish and start running before 7, I can't really eat anything heavier, as I discovered yesterday when I attempted two slices of buttered toast and jam, resulting in unpleasant sicky burps for the first 5 miles.

I'm interested in good form too. Perhaps this is a reason I should consider joining a running club - I really have no idea what I look like or what I'm doing when I run. If I remember I do try to stop myself hunching over when I'm tired , and I try to land lightly on my feet too, as again when I get tired I tend to just lurch along any old way. But beyond that, who knows.

11km again on Saturday, including cliff st, which would only mean anything to other Perth based people, but the name prob gives an indication! 62 min, which is ok given the hills, though am trying to get it below an hour. Feel pretty confident for city to surf, but also annoyed that having finally got myself fit enough for a run, there?s now nothing after that here until April at least. Would like to train for a halfmarathon, after that so I keep my motivation/routine going. Am finding the number of people here traiing for the longer distances pretty inspiring. (at the risk of sounding too nauseating...) Think I?ll need a lot of early starts if I want to keep running through the summer here ? last year eveb by 7am it was over 30degrees...

Emma ? I?m the same as you ? I actually feel a little intimidated by all the technique talk ? For me one of the benefits of frunnning is that I put on shoes, pick a distance, run it, and when I get back look at the watch and think either ?that was ok? or ? hmm a bit slow today?. For what I get out of running, I?m actually kind of loathe to get at all technical, It?s my main switch off time, but am starting to wonder what kind of distance requires a little more thinking through.

i'm impressed with the way some of you know where you land on your foot when you're running. I was trying to figure it out during my run yesterday and was all ...

I went out and ran 15k yesterday, took me 1:45. I found the last k really hard, especially as I hadn't planned to do 15k originally and so was just making up my route as i went along at the end, very slow last split.
fastest lap was 9.54 miles per hour (5.96 km per hour). I was quite happy with that to be honest, it was loads better than last week.
my running is pace varies a lot from one run to the other.

Very tired today but had a really good stretch so my legs aren't actually too bad.
I think Sunday is the best day for my long run a I get so tired I don't think I could cope with working after that! I don't know how you guys do this regularly, I'm looking forward to a break after HM:)

How soon after a HM would you do another one? Capital FM are advertising the great british park run in central london in october and it sounds really nice to run in these beautiful parks...only 4 weeks or so after my first hm though?? i'm thinking maybe next year would be a good idea :)

post run I have a whey protein shake and then a small tuna sandwich (wholemeal bread) an hour after.

next run I'm doing I'm going to work out how fast I would need to run on the treadmill to be on target to run the hm in 2 hours and try and do 1 minute at this speed, one minute jog etc, feels very technical and more part of the group doing this ;)

also found parkrun near me so going to try it this summer! thanks for the tip I had no idea this was happening!

june2009 - am planning on doing a half 2 weeks after the sept one - I figure that if I just do easy/recovery running in between I won't be improving fitness but should be able to maintain. Having said that, my training campaign is not going well - and you guys are just all way too fast for me! I am delighted if I get down to a 10min/m - usually I run about 10:20. A bit dispiriting somehow, especially as I run more miles than most of you!

also june2009 a half in 2 hours dead requires 9:07m/m...which is why I am targetting 2:15 as currently there's absolutely no way I could run that fast for that long. Once these longer races are out the way i am going to work on 5k and 10k and then work back up to a half next year sometime as I really want to improve my speeds.

june2009 I would have thought that doing another HM 4 weeks afterwards would be ok, you will have built up to the distance and shouldn't have lost it all by then. A friend of mine at runninig club did similar this year - her first HM in March followed by another 4 or 5 weeks later. Her time for the second was better than the first, even though the second one was hillier.

Sonic, Emma - I am also a little overwhelmed by technical terms, I go out to run..... But,, having joined a running club am slowly learning that there is a bit more to it than this, and by doing different sorts of running in training, you are improving your body's capacity/abality for faster running. There are quite a few of us at the club though, who are a bit flummoxed by the instruction to run at "5k pace" / "10k pace" / "5 mile pace". I know roughly what those paces are (because I have gone home and worked them out after races) but when I am actually running, only seem to have a single speed. So I keep thinking that a Garmin would be very useful in trying to achieve this.

Intended to do approx 6 mile run yesterday but just under half way round, saw meaty looking dog in distance, no owner in sight in fairly isolated area. As have never seen it before, decided to turn round and head back home. So only did around 5 miles instead.

Sonic, love your type "frunning" - looks like combo of fun and running!

Agreed Science on the 'RL friends not getting fitting in a run'. My Mum was up for a couple of days last week and dropped dd1 at a holiday club she was at so I could get out early for a longish run. Everyone my Mum went asked if I was having a lie in and was shocked when they heard I wasn't even though they all know I run a fair bit.

If I get the chance to do 10 miles it'll be saturday or sunday. Most likely sunday.

rhet - I know there are many speedier than me on this thread but FWIW, I have taken ages to increase my distances mainly because I have times in mind I want to do the distances in as I get longer. So I think by working up slowly I am increasing my speed at hte lower distances and this will hopefully help me with longer distances. That said, I am so impressed those of you that run longer distances - at whatever speed. I have a huge psychological issue with it which is also why I think it is taking me so long !

That said, I do find myself wishing I'd gone for an autumn half rather than waiting until Feb but now I've booked for the GSR I may as well stick to my plan.

A hot 3miles last night followed by a trip to the shops on the new bike (approx 1Km there and back !!!!) .

rhet your running times aren't "slow"!!

I am not the fastest of runners and obviously know that some people are just naturally faster runners BUT I am learning myself if we are educate ourselves about how we train and what we eat etc there's no reason why I can't do a

Hi all. Well Parkrun was brilliant. I did it in 30.29, 60th out of 79. It's DH's turn next week but really looking forward to doing it the week after.

Ibbydibby thank you for your advice re. making friends. I was sad to read about your son's first day at school

Will sign off now because I'm on stupid BB which always posts twice

Hi all. Well Parkrun was brilliant. I did it in 30.29, 60th out of 79. It's DH's turn next week but really looking forward to doing it the week after.

Ibbydibby thank you for your advice re. making friends. I was sad to read about your son's first day at school

Will sign off now because I'm on stupid BB which always posts twice

Been away this weekend in the New Forest to return to a whole stack of fantastic runs being posted on here!

Well done Quenelle on your parkrun. 60th out of 79 is a fabulous first parkrun! Next time sub-30..?

fanny - please get a grip woman! Your training times SHOULD be slower than your race times so please don't get despondent about posting a time like that (which is bliddy marvellous) and thinking you won't manage a sub-2 hour HM. I can tell you now that I think you will be more like sub-1:50 if you pace yourself right as your training paces seem to dictate a decent time. Remember that you are never meant to fully unleash yourself in training which is all about ticking over and pushing yourself gently to raise your lactate levels etc. Come race day, with the number pinned on, adrenaline pumping and crowds to support you, the comparative effort will give you a MUCH faster time!

june - HMs are great in that the recovery time is minimal for them so you could do one a few weeks afterwards and I would say 4 weeks is fine. It might actually be optimal coming off the back of training for the previous one!

emma - fueling is a personal thing and I don't like to eat less than 3 hours before a run which means my morning runs are unfueled. For runs of 18 miles or more I take a gel or two or Lucozade. Otherwise it is just water and an empty stomach (the lighter the better!). Some of you might find it better to have a banana to avoid feeling nauseas/light headed.

14M MLR today. Cutback week so no LSR. Average pace 8:20m/m which was fine but it was VERY HOT.

Off to Ibiza with my three DDs this week so will be back next week. DS is sailing as he is now old enough for Junior Week. He has already called me .

Happy running!