Anyone for a running training thread?

[milkfromthesleepycow]

So I was a good runner in what feels like a previous life (pre kids!) and have recently got back into it. Done the couch 25k program and am gradually building up the mileage with a view to doing a half marathon in may and a full marathon in October next year.
Could do with some support /chat with anyone else training for a race or just wants to debate the finer points of the importance of interval sessions (I hate them!)
I was sure there used to be a running thread on here but I can't find it!

Amazing @Indoctro well done you!

10 mile run today which feels like a barrier broken. Took it really easy and felt like I could have gone for longer which was great! My average HR is slowly dropping despite increasing the distance so will keep upping it gradually

Looking ahead I've found a HM training plan that I like to start in March. But following it means I'd be dropping my weekly mileage from 40 to 15 miles initially which seems wrong. Should I try and keep my long run at roughly the same distance and follow the plan otherwise or just stick to the plan? Thinking more miles will be good to preserve when I start marathon plan after HM!

Could you join a few weeks into it when the plan is at your mileage? I wouldn’t drop mileage.

@milkfromthesleepycow I would say the mileage depends on your speed. For a average runner time spent running is what I would say is important, if you are doing a 40 mile week in base-building phase, almost all of your miles easy, for that miles you would need a easy pace of 9min miles.
So I think it depends how quick you are. When I run 40 mile weeks it a time of 7 hours per week, but that has include 2 decent sessions like

15 min WU
60 min steady
10 x 5 min hard / 1 min walk rec
15 min CD

Which would equal 14 miles then another one of

2km WU
4x8 min/4 min wave run
2km CD

And the rest easy miles.

So I think you need to look at overall time you are running and the quality of those miles.

To get faster , quality over quantity is the way to go.

@Indoctro - 9min miles as an easy pace is on the fast side for an 'average' runner surely?!

@OP - 40 miles per week is a LOT! I only went over that 3 times in my recent marathon training cycle. How on earth are you fitting that in every week, if your long run is 10 miles? 30 miles of 'other' runs feels like a huge amount.

If you can run 10 miles now, then you're virtually HM ready (many plans only go to 10), but if you have a time/goal in mind, then I'd find a plan designed to get you that goal and follow it. If that means dropping your mileage from where you are now then that's what you should do. Plans are designed with some science behind them, so if you half follow it, it won't do what it's supposed to. I speak from experience here - I once 'followed' a marathon plan, but found myself going a bit further and/or a bit faster on lots of the runs, thinking that must be a good thing. On the day it all went pear shaped, and I realise that by doing what I'd done, I was compromising the quality of my long runs and it came back to bite me in the race.

Yeah 9 min mile is my HM race pace or thereabouts, it's not an easy run for most women.

So glad 9mm isn't average for other people!
I think I've explained this badly- at the moment I'm doing 25 miles a week with a long run of 10miles. I'm increasing 10% a week (total) which should get me to 40 miles 10 weeks before my HM. Scheduled in a week every 4 weeks where I drop the mileage by 15% for a break.
I thought I'd increase the long run to 14 miles max. I'm out 4 times a week at the moment and also do strength training. 2 full rest days
Maybe I'm aiming too high? I did get a bit carried away with a calculator and a colour coded chart....

@ReviewingTheSituation that's my point. 40 miles is a lot if your slow, and you need to look at quality of the more rather than quantity. That's why when just base building and not doing a training block it's best to use hours rather than miles.

That's why when just base building and not doing a training block it's best to use hours rather than miles

To be fair, this often applies in proper training blocks as well. If you're a faster runner then marathon training runs of 20 miles make sense. But if you're slow then this might mean spending more than four hours on your feet, which is more likely to leave you injured than get you in marathon shape.

I've seen several new runners not get to the start line of marathons because they've knackered themselves thinking they have to do a certain number of miles in training. In those cases it makes much more sense to think in hours and have 3.5 hours as your max long run pre marathon, even if that only gets you round 16 miles instead of 20.

Ah - that makes sense! Building by 10% a week also makes a lot of sense. But you don't need to keep going up and up. 40 miles a week is a LOT for a half marathon plan. If your long run is 14 (and you'll only do that once), that's still 26 other miles, which is also a lot. 25 miles a week would be plenty on a half marathon training plan.

If you enjoy clocking up those miles, that's fine - go for it! But I'd say they're definitely not necessary to get you round a half marathon.

As a PP said - quality is more important than quality. If I were you, I'd be sticking with 20-25 miles a week, and getting yourself used to that. It will be much easier to up things next year when it comes to marathon training if you are used to that level of mileage, and you won't burn yourself out in the process.

I totally agree I've never ran more than 16 miles miles for a marathon training block with a 6 miles day before or after.

Every time though I question it at start line and panic but I've never had a issue. All my plans have always been done for me by someone . And right enough they have worked. Overdoing it often results in injury

Same happens for this ultra I was only doing max 14 miles and as always last few days I was panicking.. but my plan was done by a team gb ultra runner so obviously he knew what he is doing but it's hard to have faith when you see others banging out huge miles .
But as always it worked for me and today 48 hours later I feel fine. All soreness has gone, and I enjoyed the race and although I said never again as you do today I'm thinking differently.

More is definitely less if the miles are quality miles.

That’s interesting. I’m planning a 55 mile next year and looking at this plan. Thoughts?

Thanks @ReviewingTheSituation @Indoctro very helpful!
I do really enjoy the long runs. It's the headspace among other things. I will stick where I am for winter (but may get up to 12 miles LR if I cant resist 😂) and keep the mileage around 25ish
I'd prefer to be uninjured and feeling fit!

@RunBecause I honestly can't comment on that plan as Ive only done that one ultra. For a big race like that personally I'd seek advice and a plan from a experienced ultra coach ..it's not to pricey for plans. Mine are always around £50 mark .

I know if I ran 26 miles it would take me 3 weeks to recover. So if I attempted a plan like that I wouldn't make it to the start line but im 43 and had multiple hip and leg issues over the year and im a stone overweight. I just couldn't recover from mileage like that.

I think volume of miles would depend on your body and ability if you know what I mean.

Totally depends on your strength, experience and ability @RunBecause . For me, I'd want to do at least one 30 mile run - 28 wouldn't feel enough for a 50. I would make sure I was taking the long runs steady enough (9ish min miles if on the flat; slower if on hills or fells) to recover quickly and feel fresh by the following week.
I'd also put in at least two strength sessions a week, as that's your key to not getting injured over really long distances.

I'm due to do my first competitive (as in treating it as a race rather than a training run) HM in over 3 years on Sunday. Hoping I can remember how to run at pace for that long!! My longest run has been 12 miles.

I've got a target time in mind but unsure whether it's unrealistic, might give myself a b goal as well, and worried my period is going to turn up and ruin everything. Its probably the first time I've ever actually wanted it to come so it will be gone by race day!

Thank you both. Will reply in depth tomorrow!

Good luck @Fizbosshoes !

I don't have a plan as such but have a few 5k and 7-8k routes near home.

took my teens for jog (for them) on sunday. partly along the beach.
they don't always join me for the weekend run though. as long as they can manage 50 minutes running that should get us to the 10k in march.

Long run for the week done, ready for a race on Sunday. It was rather soggy and the path was pretty waterlogged in places! I've now got the rest of the week for rest and some gentle cross training/ light runs.

My goal is to complete and enjoy, not aim for any particular time. I've only done one race this year which I did as an on the day entry, so this is the first "proper" race I've done in a long, long time.

How did you get on @BogRollBOGOF ?
I was lucky with the weather for mine as originally forecast rain and it had rained this morning but lovely and sunny for the race itself.
I felt really focused and felt good all the way round (which doesn't often happen!) so really pleased. I'm quite nerdy and calculate how much % of the race I've done as I go round!

It went well 😁
A pleasing time under the circumstances. It was never going to be a pb, and actually not having that kind of pressure was relaxing and fun. I did tweak my strategy 3/4 the way through as I needed to increase the proportion of walking time.

Time for a recovery week!

I'm running cross country tomorrow and the course is very slippery and muddy! It will be fun I'm sure and I'll be giving the spikes another airing having only tried them on new last weekend!

On the subject of footwear, do you have a pair that you reserve especially for races? I've only worn my regular road - Asics GT 2000 for road races, and Scott Supertrac for dry trail. However, with it being Black Friday, I've had Sports Shoes email with a massive discount on Nike Vapor Fly which I know is popular in our running club. I'm tempted but are they really worth it?

I have a pair (well my previous pair) which is relegated for 'wet'. mud and beach.

for some reason I don't like to use the current new(ish) shiny ones for that.

Oh, I would use trails if I know I'm going for a muddy run somewhere.

I'm bringing both spikes and Inov8 to the XC race tomorrow to see which I feel like beforehand.

Before I meant whether you had special race shoes for paid road races for example, or for trying to get a pb in?