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

Thanks for all the welcomes and well done to everyone on their runs.

Now I can give you all a laugh for today: I was due to run today but can't. This has got to be the most stupid and idiotic reason ever........I have got massive sunburn on the back of my thighs (among other places) and it hurts to move let alone run!! Yes I am an idiot!

I am due to have a gym induction tomorrow too. We have joined a virgin active club for one month only so the kids can swim so I thought I would take advantage of the gym. Not sure how much I will be able to do with the sunburn though.

So, another question......would I be silly to run home from the gym sometimes? It is 1.7 miles according to google and mostly downhill. Is this a silly idea? And can I run with a backpack on?

Hey June2009 - good to hear how you've been getting on, I think your race is the same day as mine so I always keep an eye out for your posts!

science, I've encountered that attitude too. Most people I know RL seem to think of running either as an arcane self-flagellation ritual, or else a sort of smug ponce-a-thon. Nothing I say seems to disabuse them of either notion so I don't mention it unless someone specifically asks.

Your parkrun time is really good Quenelle! Well done.

I have the one pace too, ibbydibby, pretty much, regardless of how I try to vary it. Interesting about your running club experience - I do think it would be helpful for me.

sonic - we are of one mind on the technical stuff. I've been wary of reading up too much for the same reasons, but getting a dodgy hip has made me reconsider a bit. I want to be able to keep on running in the long term and I think focusing on what my body's up to will help stop me hurting myself again!

DP was ribbing me about having read too much just lately (when I handed him his plate at lunchtime after he'd been out for a long cycle ride - here's something to replace the salts you lost through sweating and replace the glycogen you have lost, with a bit of protein... otherwise known as pasta carbonara!). I have the zeal of the converted after having read nothing and then read two books on the trot :)

Ilana I'm not a gym member, but one of my running friends does run back from the gym unless the weather's awful. She runs with a backpack that fits well, and (obviously really!) doesn't bring anything more than she has to. Works for her (and she's nearly 50 and runs Even Slower than me, so not talking about some superfit freaky type!!). The sunburn sounds painful, hope your skin recovers soon :)

On that point rhet can you please shut up about being so slow, given that you run extremely similar times to me... . The reading is helping, though - the really simple fartlek stuff I'm doing is speeding me up (slowly!). It's very satisfying looking back over the runs on the Nike site :) :)

Moshi have a lovely holiday (and )

stickylittlefingers - I think slow is fine. I quite like it, actually (except in the bits where everyone passes me) and it means you can run a lot of mileage without getting hurt. It's fine - but you must admit there are quite a lot of fast people on here!!

am thinking that I need to shift a few pounds - looking a bit, well, flabby, in recent photos. But am starting circuits this Weds which I am excited about - I think i need a bit of conditioning for the bits of my body I don't use when running (i.e. nearly everything from the waist up)

DD's cousin's birthday party today so lots of cake and paddling pool and dancing (DD does love to dange); DP feeling completely wiped out (iron levels plummeted? low blood pressure? midwives are on it - even rang at 7pm on a bank holiday sunday! unpredented and so much better than last time), so am trying to pick up the slack...so best go!

Forgot to say welcome to ilana!

rhet - I should add to my post that I meant to say you don't need to speed up/ or feel you should (I edited my post a number of times and that bit got edited by mistake).

Oh and I keep meaning to report in on potty training. We started last Tues. Despite day 1 being relatively successful (2 x hits on target by the end of the day), I had given up by Thurs as she was then refusing to use potty and we were heading to fastidious MILS for the weekend. She now refuses to wear nappies or use potty/toilet. Hmmm.

I bought a pair of padded cycling trousers today from Lidl. Mind you, if my cycling trips stay to 2Km round trips to the shops I'mnot sure I'll be needing them !!!

Also, been having been going a bit wierd after running on hot days - assume its dehydration (strangely get really cold) so in order to try and prepare for running in italy I have just ordered a tube of rehydration tablet things to add to water. Now trying to decide whether to splash out on belt with bottle on or just get a bigger hand held bottle. Decisions... decisions...

Have a good hol moshi

wheely we decided to abandon potty training for now, but dd today asked for the potty and did a poo in it! I know her and she just needs to process the concept. We'll get there in the end.

It's funny - the most enjoyable recent run of mine was one of the slower ones - 13k, steady pace on a hot day. Easy fun running - that's what it's about, and sometimes there just isn't the time or conditions to work on much more than that...

Again, loads to catch up on!

Just one run this weekend - 8 miles on saturday - very pleased at doing it averaging at 9:54min per mile

wheely - I'm planning on 10 miles this weekend as a psychological boost for the GSR - want to get a 10 miler in before I go away next week. It will be a LSR, dare I go out without my Garmin and not think about pace?

My new approach seems to be working - getting up early and thinking that since I am up I might as well make the most of it. My goal is to get quicker over the same distance 10 - 13 miles And rather than taking a distance I can do and running it faster, what I have been doing is taking a speed I can do and am trying to do it for longer - seems to work in my strange logic anyway .

Well done on the Parkrun quenelle - great first run and now you have a time to beat next time.

Also meant to ask - I am getting really bad cramping in my calf at night - any ideas / old wives tales on how to avoid or ease this? Thanks

Moshi, I missed your post before! Thanks for the input re: fuelling, that's really helpful. Have a fab holiday with your girls. Sorry you're missing your son but I bet he's having a whale (oh god, inadvertant crappy pun) of a time.

squix I was told to eat more bananas because of the potassium, for cramp? But equally I've heard other people say that's bollocks, so I'm no help at all really.

Have a great holiday Moshi!

Well done to anyone running in this heat, it was insane today. Am knackered just pushing the pram. Having real trouble getting DD out of it, she never wants to walk anywhere!!! Going to get a buggy board when DD2 arrives but really most of DD's friends walk a lot. I think she just can't be bothered!!!

Squix - I'd heard the bananas too and making sure you're properly rehydrated.

DH and I have decided to go out saturday night as we'll be staying at my parents and be able to take advantage of in house babysitting so my window of opportunity will be saturday morning for a LSR (yes agreed Squix - it will be a LSR) so weather permitting (will not do it if its hot but I don't think its meant to be) that's what I'll do.

Notlooking forward to the 'not really air conditioned' gym tomorrow morning. Only 5 miles as I only have an hour's creche slot and need to shower. Will take lotsof water to throw over my head to make up for lack of air. A technique that seems to work !

Corss post peach - I have the opposite problem with dd2. In fact, was just telling DH how she bit me today in the middle of Waitrose as I was trying to wrestle persuade her into the buggy. Where are the child that walk when you want them to and then popin the buggy when its convenient .

bookmarking. Haven't been here for a while.

I agree. Rhet your times are pretty similar to mine but I am in awe of the mileage you put in. I think the main reason I have got (relatively) faster this year has actually been because I have dropped my mileage in favour of more speed work on the dreadmill.

My experiments with altering my gait continue... I ran 20 mins last night with a forefoot landing but trying to let my heel drop so that it just touches the ground before lifting off again. I am now finding to difficult to run in my normal gait as it feels really heavy. I also did 20 mins on DH's neglected exercise bike when I got back.

peach I sympathise re: non walking child. My DD was like this - she still used to hop in the double buggy until she was 4! On the other hand, I have just sold the buggy as DS (2y 10m) doesn't need it anymore.

Hi all. I must say I'm very impressed with you all running in this hot weather. I can only run at lunchtime during the week so I'm going to give it a miss until Thursday when it should be a bit cooler.

Moshi I'm probably too late but I hope you have a good holiday.

Hi Ilana the sunburnt thighs sound like no fun. Hope they're better soon.

Peach I have a non-walking child who also refuses to go in his buggy, unless he's sleepy. He just wants to be carried everywhere. He's a big boy for his age too.

DH says he won't be doing parkrun on Saturday so I can have another go. I have to move on from the 'just get round in one piece' mentality and see about going a little faster. I'm a metronomic 10 minute miler but I remember thinking in the first 1km when I was surrounded by the other runners, I have no idea how fast I run! I had to slow myself up and try to ignore the pace of others so I didn't shoot my bolt and run out of steam by 3km (sorry for mixture of metaphors there!) Now that I'm familiar with the course I should have the confidence to push a bit hopefully.

hello all - it is pretty warm out - I did a medium paced 5 miles with a couple of slightly quicker kms in there too. It was nice to be back in my beloved park - and during polo season there's always a tap with water which is great (the only place in Europe where you can watch polo for free, apparently - DD loves to see the ponies)

DP still suffering - I think she overdid it while I was away and has just run out of iron, so I am force feeding encouraging her to drink lots of Spatone. Just did a 30 minute writing 'sprint' - I have to do something to get some work done!

Well done for getting out in this weather rhet. Sounds like a great park.

I hope your DP is feeling better soon.

quenelle I don't like the heat much, at least not for running, so I am hoping that I'll suddenly find a turn of speed when it cools down - which will probably be next week!

It is a brilliant park - big enough that you can fairly easily do 10 miles without retracing your steps, great views of the Wicklow mountains, and only 5 minutes run from my house!

Wow rhet what a wonderful part of the world to live in

It's so hot today that I ran for the first time on a treadmill in the gym today. It did not go well! I thought I would run 5 km in around the same time i did it outside which was 34.5 min. I had no idea what speed to set it at. I just upped it until it felt normal. Anyway, I got to 30 minutes and hadn't even done 3.5 km! I stopped at that point as I needed to pick the kids up from the creche and didn't see much point continuing! So what went wrong? Is my gps device I use outside so far off the Mark? Or is it just so different on a treadmill? I found the running much easier on the treadmill but so so dull. I don't think I could do that again.

Ilana - I cannot run as fast on a treadmill as I do outside and I have run 2 times a week on a treadmill for almost 2 years. I think it is partly psychological. I am beginning to get my times similarish on longer runs but I defnitely run faster outside. It is dull dull dull on a treadmill and it is only sheer bloodmindedness that I've kept to it as I wouldln't be able to run otherwise monday - friday.

On that note, 5 miles in the gym this morning. Although v. hot I realised it was probably easier than running outside because I could line up bottles of water for drinking and splashing myself. Went surprisingly well due to the fact I really wanted to do 5 miles and I only had a short timeframe so I had to run faster than normal to get it done in time. Perhaps I should try that again !!

Well done on being out in this heat rhet - hats off !! That park sounds fab. Love the sound of free polo - I'd love to see polo but never got round to it.

I find that I run a bit faster on a treadmill - the gym I go to is very basic and full of ancient people pensioners, but it does have water available and a view over playing fields - plus big windows that they open so there's a breeze. The playing field is handy as I can visualise whatever distance I have left. But running faster on it I think is a function of my lack of confidence - on a TM you have a specific goal and it's also broken up a bit, so you think, another 400m, or another 2 minutes. I guess I should try transferring this to running outside which I infinitely prefer (as an all-round experience) :o

The polo is fun to watch although the people who play it are prats filthy rich...