This is the New Running Thread

[Wallace]

I can't find the old one in Health, and we deserve to be in brand new shiny Sport and exercise anyway

Great, thanks hatwoman!

MissChief, I was but didn't feel threatened as I think it really was just drunken loutish behaviour, and not specifically targetting me. It is the only run I can do in the dark so will stick to it for the time being, if anything else occurred I'm not sure what I will do....kickboxing next!

It's still horrid though Mou.

I've had a similar thing happen in broad daylight by a mixed group of twenty-somethings which scared me as the only reason for it seemed to be that I was wearing lycra (something has to keep everything in place..)

Another gem was a bloke in a 'posh' car who careered over to the wrong side of the road, shouted 'you bunch of c**ts' at my friends & me while the small kids in the back gave us the finger. Nice.

Dh bought me a tiny alarm which I carry when I'm on my own but tbh, we seem to get more verbal when we're out as a group.

sfxmum Thanks for your advice last Friday - I did what you said and took the dog for a walk and did a couple of 5 minute runs and now feel like I'm definitely closer to being back in the swing!

WatchThe World - you might like to do the couch-to-5k programme here and there are podcasts to download to follow the plan on your MP3 player here. It's very helpful

Great Bless, was your back ok ?

WatchtheWorld, when I first started I couldn't do 5 mins, had to try to get to the next lamp post... I wasn't hugely overweight then - all things are relative I know, I'd lost 3 stone but still had 1 to go and was quite self-conscious but met a lady in the next street to me via a RFL and we carried on together. Six years later we're still at it and going for a run helps us put our problems into perspective and feel better with ourselves (and we're less lumpy) - addictive ? YEAH!!

What's a good time on a 2.2 mile run?

Everyone's different but when I first started, I was aiming to get to being able to do 10 minute miling ie do a 10k in an hour (ok, I know 10k = 6.2 miles but ykwim) and that has improved with practice.

OMG Blessthismess made my morning you did
now feel like I should really keep going for a proper 10K

hope everyone is well, have to wait until tomorrow to go running

oh and about being overweight I am still working on losing the 4st I put on 3yrs ago with dd but over the last 10 wks I have lost 10lbs mostly because I have been more committed to going out more often, seriously improves my head

well it took me 20 minutes so I guess that's pretty good to start with?

ormirian,is it the hybrid view you want on mapmyrun? thats what i use.

Finding this thread really inspiring still. Just done 3 miles much faster than normal for a change, usually stick with slow and steady. Felt good but my legs feel like jelly now and i think i will suffer tomorrow.

Nappyaddict, thats a really good time

Thats not bad at all Nappyaddict. When I am trying to gauge timings I always think about when I joined the RAF (10 years ago now), and their entry standard for running was 1 1/2 miles in 13 minutes for women. This was working on the premise that this time showed you were reasonably fit, and they would then spend weeks screaming at you training you to get your time even better.

perhaps it was beginner's luck!! the first time i did it i had to walk for a couple of minutes so this time i cut the hill bit out and managed to keep going to the end. will add the hill back in when i've been doing it a bit longer i think cos i don't want to get demotivated by not being able to do it.

That's a great effort nappyaddict - it won't be long before you include the hill, then pop back down it and go back up

Seriously, varying runs is a great way to make progress.

I've been out with my fellow nutters tonight doing an 'agility' session which included side steps, backwards running, squats, sprints and the dreaded 'bridge hopping'. We were working by a pedestrian railway bridge and we do various hopping up steps/sprinting/lunging routines on it which is quite tough but it gets slightly embarrassing when a train-load of commuters embark

It's certainly not a workout I'd do without the group support!

I went out again this morning and did 15 mins non-stop - so am really feeling like I'm getting back to it. Will go again tomorrow and aim for 20 mins and if it turns out to be more, so much the better!

Oh and my back is slightly uncomfortable but OK - I just have to try and remember to keep a good posture whether running or walking!

Now a question - for most of you do you enjoy the actual running bit, or just the way it makes you feel afterwards? I don't think I really enjoy the actual run (constantly wishing I could stop) but I do feel good later on.

If i'm running slowly i enjoy it, espcially the middle of the run when i've settled into my stride, the minute i get near home i just want to get there so start running faster and then want to stop!

Bless, I love the running and get so excited just at the thought of it. I am trying the distance of a half marathon today (or just short of) and am on a high now....you should see me later!!
Pocket full of jelly-babies, music loaded and fully charged batteries..

Bless, I enjoy it now but when I first started it was 'a means to an end' and I used to mentally equate every mile run with a glass of wine earned as it offset the calories..

These days, I sometimes struggle to get out of the door but then I usually settle down and feel fine. I always feel great afterwards though and it clears my head of any needless worriting.

mou what sort of music takes you such a long way? i do fiddle with playlists but have never managed more than 55 minutes. and do you take a drink with you? i don't like to have anything more than ipod.

Have a good one Mou, beautiful morning for it. I'm planning to go tonight but only for a gentle hour or so with friends.

Hi everyone. I managed 5 miles this morning. bit disappointed when I got home and measured it becauase it felt like 6. never mind.

twink - that agility session sounds great - do you do that with a gym or running club?

bless - for me the first few weeks of getting back into it are ok, but not great. but when I've upped my distance and my fitness again I do really enjoy it. I can get to the river or one of the lovely huge parks (Richmond or Bushy) near me and I love the feeling of physical strength, of being outside in the fresh air, I do get quite a high, I think how lucky I am to have this amazing body* that can do this stuff

(* meant in a purely functional way! not "amazing body" in a front cover of FHM way...)

a question for everyrone - the last couple of times I've run I've had stitch - not something I normally have at all. I grin and bear it but it's pretty unpleasant. any ideas why I should be getting it? I'm not over-doing it and certainly not going too fast!

hi all

hatwoman regarding the stitch my book says 'to avoid, don't run too soon after a meal.
to treat - slow down for 30seconds. exhale forcefully every time the foot on the opposite side t the stitch hits the ground.
try deep 'belly' breathing or dig your fist hard under your ribcage, and bend your torso to 90 degrees for 10 seconds

hope helpful

BlessTM like some have said leaving the house is the hard bit, once out it is one foot in front of the other until I get in my stride, usually 5-7mins in and it clear my head wonderfully not to mention how fantastic I feel afterwards

about playlists I have 3 at the moment, not all music I choose to listen at other times but it works

went out this morning after dropping dd at pre school, slow and easy 3.5miles knee still bothering me but it was beautiful

I did it! 1hr 50 mins with a loo break and not sure of exact distance. I take a small bottle of water to keep my mouth moist, and music, well, everything from Bryn Christopher, Timberland, Dr Dre, to ELO, Cyndi Lauper, and The Red Hot Chillis.

Agree with you on the hills Nappyaddict. There are two or three around here that I just can't manage yet, but it is good to have a challenge to aim for and there is no point to demoralising yourself to start with.

I think 5 miles is good hatwoman, and is what I usually aim for (5/6). Stich, I agree with sfxmum, especially the deep belly breathing and putting physical pressure on the spot.

just been reading about stitch - apparently they don;t really know what causes it. can't be eating for me - it was about 9 hours since my last meal! They say a bit of pressure on your liver helps to stop it. very annoying that I've started getting it when I haven't for years...I remember getting it a lot as a kid - but always assumed it was to do with intensity - ie kids' tendency to sprint, run hard etc when playing.