Runners United: the one where we talk about running, life, the universe and everything inbetween

[Pawsnclaws]

New thread everyone!

Rest for me today - just six days to go and I've woken with a sore throat .....

especially wing mirrors on vans which are almost exactly at head/shoulder height if you are on a bike...I've been clipped several times and in every instance the driver got angry with me for coming too close to his vehicle (this ignores the fact that i was always either in a cycle lane and properly positioned on the left hand side of the road although not actually in the gutter where most motorists think that cyclists belong). It makes me ; very sad about this poor man.

rhet it will make huge difference very quickly. I've only done 3 LSR on the hilly route and can see massive benefits already. I'm doing 15 miler at the weekend on same route - it'll be a killer but I know next week I'll reap benefits when I up my pace. Tomorrow my friend and I doing hill intervals up a good awful hill so I'll let you know if my speedwork session is easier on Friday! There's a reason the Kenyans bloody love em!

Quenelle how awful about that runner. . However re Garmin labour watch - bloody ace idea!!! Plus you could jog around labour ward!

Runningallday yes, your Garmin will get your speeds up! You may find it's because you're driving the car with it switched on..... Honestly though with correct training you will get faster - you have to want to first and foremost and push yourself out of your comfort zone but I've found putting 110% effort into every run, making sure I'm doing LSR, 1 mid length steady run, 1 shorter faster tempo run incorporating Fartlek or intervals and 1 hill interval run a week is making masses of difference.

You're winning me over fannybanjo.

:) thanks Bonkers [sinks into chair and unstraps very old simple and trusty Timex though may have to get up soon to start comparing prices and models]

running winning you over with bossy running talk or Garmin loving...?!

Garmin lovin' - though not the kind you, ahem, originally mentioned. Am far too British.

running I used to be someone who put trainers on, went outdoors and ran at pace that wasn't hard. That's brilliant if you are happy with that but don't think that there's no way of getting faster - it just takes a bit of experimenting with what works for you. I did have a training plan for GNR but threw it away in the end as it wasn't working for me. Doing 3 weeks of my own plan and I can see my fitness improving hugely.

Duly chastened. Bossy talk working. New plan, new me - after Sunday! Got a 10 mile race I could aim to MURDER in November... armed with to-be-acquired garmin and new to-be-found temperance. :) Cheers!

I too love my Garmin, and having read these posts and been inspired by the speeds some of you run at, I am going to start planning for some speed work and hill training, (although there aren't many hills where I live) to improve my times. But I have a Garmin related question: just recently on my Activities page, it has started to put a 'training effect' of 0.3 for each run. Do you know what this means? I have a Forerunner 110 if that helps.

I'm joining a running group tomorrow night - never been a runner. Here's hoping I enjoy it!

Well I have finally caught up, but read so much cant remember who said what .
Thats sad Quenelle about the runner.
Loving the ideas for other uses for a garmin
I know I said I would join in on the weight loss but ended up take the kids to pizza hut tonight, so can I start tomorrow.
On the way to pizza hut saw what looked like a running club out, had an aching to join in . Might go and google the club.

Blimey, we all chat rather alot!

Quenelle very sad about runner

catpoo welcome, tell us how you get on with the club.

Tonight I did 5 min intervals at running club. I fe;t on fire this eve, I think it is becasue I wore dh's compression socks. Seriously, I was fast this eve. In fact I am so proud I am pasting my splits as I am at my pace. And, as fanny says if I can't tell you lot who can I tell? Noone in RL is the slightest bit interested in my splits, and who can blame them?

Time: 47:47
Moving Time: 46:51
Elapsed Time: 1:07:11 (I stopped the clock at the end of each interval as we recovered for 4 mins and I didn't want the recovery jog to affect my average pace)
Avg Pace: 8:38 min/mi
Avg Moving Pace: 8:28 min/mi
Best Pace: 5:49 min/mi

1 9:19.3 1.00 9:19.1
2 7:17.2 1.00 7:17.0
3 8:22.3 1.00 8:22.1
4 7:37.4 1.00 7:37.0
5 9:36.0 1.00 9:36.2
6 5:34.1 0.54 10:23.2

This includes a warm up job to the area we did intervals and a cool down jog back to the clubhouse. But get me mile 2 in 7.17!!!! Mile 3 had a big hill btw.

So, the moral of my story is compression socks make you run faster!

Well done drNo ! Great times. How's the leg ?

I agree intervals are the key to improving speed and for giving a real feeling of achievement - and probably hills but am not a happy hill runner (psychology I think) and there aren't loads around here. I have been avoiding intervals since the ankle injury as I think myankle could do without the extra impact. Which is a shame as it means i'll probably be disappointed by my GSR time even though my initial target was probably a bit ambitious .

you possibly won't be suprised that I'm a great believer in hills. and I have hard evidence: In 2008 (before I moved out of London) my average pace was 9.41 mins/mile (yes, I have an on-line log book going back that far which works out my average pace for the whole year). A couple of weeks ago - after just short of 3 years of mainly off-roading in the Peak District - I was in London and I went for a nice easy-paced relaxed jog on flat pavements. I got back and thought my garmin was lying to me - 8.02 min miles . over 6.5 miles. at some stage I'm going to have to enter a flat half marathon and see what I can do.

Ah see I like hills and I like intervals. Don't like tempo.

While we are discussing intervals, can I ask you experienced runners a question please.....

I started running intervals about a couple of months ago' once a week when I got to 5 k runs after doing c25k. I have my workout set like this (on garmin): 5 min warm up jog then four 200 metre sprint intervals with 400 metre recovery in between. I usually walk 100 metres of the recovery then jog the rest. I don't think I can sprint for longer than 200 metres but am not sure if what I am doing is enough. It is fairly flat around here but I do have one hill near me. I incorporate the hill on my straight 5 km runs but not on my interval runs. I this right? I only run twice a week as I also swim drills twice a week and do aqua aerobics twice a week and ne boxing/toning session.

Any thoughts?

DrNo brilliant splits! Yes only we could devour your splits with enthusiasm! My friend is as crazy as me and we run a lot together and she has no Garmin but I've just given her my password to Connect and she's devouring it as we speak in between working out a 15 mile route for Friday. I'm gutted as she's moving to Australia in 6 months....

Hat bloody hell I'm getting thee to Peak District to train! The hills near me can be steep and there's one in particular that I dread but I know that it's one run I feel like I've truly done something when I run up it without collapsing! The key in my opinion is to make sure you do them weekly.

wiifit intervals aren't supposed to be sprinting - you should be running at fast pace but not too fast. If I mistakenly sprint on intervals I can't carry on rest of run. Find your fast pace but not where you are running flat out, that's the pace you should be running in your intervals. Then recover slowly.

Wiifitmama hello! I'm sure someone will be along with more knowledge than me but I would suggest including a hill session into your workouts. Perhaps use the hill you talk about and run up, then jog down x 6 times (depending on gradient of hill)

You can also do intervals by time rather than distance, so 2 mins of hard running then 3 mins recovery and repeat.

Keep up the good work!

God yes fanny is right, if you feel you are sprinting the 200m drop this effort by about 20%. Does that sound right to you other guys, work at about 80% effort, or 10k pace.

Sprinting should be saved for running away from bad men or big dogs.... or racers with cocks out...

Last week my friend and I did Fartlek and were a bit competitive. I had to get to the lamppost first and we did this a few times and I kept winning but had to cut short the run as I burned out. You learn the hard way! Could you not fit it another run?

forgot to say earlier that last night I had a dream about running a race with you lot (probably because of that Olympic ballot) - I was cruising to the finish (which was a loop? eh?) thinking that you were all ahead of me, but lo and behold, I was running 8m/m and whupping your arses (fantasy...not much ). The odd thing was that I kept looking behind me for all of you but with your usernames - oh, look, there's fannybanjo, and I wonder where backwardpossum is etc etc. Strange, but fun! I even bloody dream about running now...and my dream also had my Garmin in it. I think this might be getting out of hand.

Well 8m/m would not whoop my arse if I was wearing compression socks

Hahaha rhet thats brilliant!! Was Moshi sat drinking a Kir Royale an hour before we finished?

Watch me run on Thursday and not eb able to muster more than 10m/m. My problem is I am bloody inconsistant. Grr.