I have just worked out that since Jan 2009 I have run 1045 miles. That's an average of 13.5 miles a week. SO HOW COME...

[hatwoman]

I still have wobbly thighs? [cross]

erm, muscle?
or maybe your thighs are naturally, umm, wobbly....

and bloody well done to you. You keep it up, girl!

but that's my point. if running 13.5 miles a week (much of it up and down steep hills) doesn't give you muscle what does?

it sounds like it should to me. How long are you running for and how often? (And have you heard of the FITT principle btw?)
This is supposed to be a positive answer so please take it as such, but I'm wondering if you've got super-strong quads and have decently flexible hamstrings, but possibly need to do a little focussed exercise on the adductors and abductors - the muscles at the sides of your legs. And please remember, 'solid' muscle is rarely un-wobbly iyswim.

p.s. pmsl at me writing un-wobbly but I can't find the proper word

runnign does not lose weight from what i see

Although running is good for your quads, it doesn't always fully develop your hamstrings. You need to strength training and stretching to compliment your running. Any circuits containing squats, lunges etc will help- and yoga or pilates will help with the lean look.

I not sure if this is what you want yo hear, but I run 15-20 miles per week, plus circuits etc and I still have thighs that are not the smallest. They are better than they were, and j have a great midsection, but as a pear there is only so much I can do without surgery or cutting down on food a lot. And I won't do that!

haven't heard of FITT...

I don't do it to de-wobble myself - I do it cos I like it. But I was just looking at a you-tube vid of a race and everyone looked so athletic it didn't seem fair.

I go 2-4 times a week. standard distance is 5-6 miles - very often with a lot of climb in them - my default 6-mile route has 1000 feet of climb (and, also, as it's a circle, 1000 feet of descent) Did 8.5 this morning. did the London marathon just over a year ago. and lots of fell races.

folorn - running burns up HEAPS of calories. but I don;t want, or need, to lose weight.

cor, hat!! I take my [witches]hat off to you for that! I think notyummy and I are sort of on the same line tbh.

the fitt principle is just mumbo-jumbo theoretical speak for a [fairly understandable] training theory - frequency (how often you go, and 2/3/4 a week sounds perfecto) Intensity - like do you jog or run, weight train or do loads of reps, go flat-out for a short time or do lower intensity exercise for longer; time - how long you exercise for; and type meaning do you walk, run, swim, cycle, dance, whatever.

That lot has prompted me to think that doing some running and possibly a bit of cycling or swimming, or the sort of stuff that notyummy said, might help out with all-over leg muscle tone. I (teach) dance for between 8 and 15 hours a week and it's good all round exercise, although I know it's not everyone's thing. It does work all the muscle groups though.

"only so much you can do" - I so agree...I think there's an awful lot of truth in the idea of people having natural body-shapes and, within reason, I think we have to recognise they won't change drastically. I've been 8 stone, give or take a pound or two, and a size 8, since I was 16. As I'm only 5 foot tall I sometimes think it would be nice to be a wee bit lighter (and have slightly tauter slimmer thighs!) but I'm fit, not fat, not skinny and I'm the shape I am. so most of the time I'm happy with myself. And I'd so much rather go for a run, than spend time in the gym doing sepcific exercise to improve muscle tone.

you sound bloody perfect Hat. Are you gonna give up on the bloomin notion now?
At that size and weight it sounds very doubtful that you actually do have anything to wobble!!
I'd actually like to have something to wobble in the boob area, but I'm sure that's another thread entirely. Enjoy the running and sod off with the rest of the angst!

8 stone goes quite a long way when you're only 5 foot! but no I'm not fussed. just a daft observation really.

i have exactly the same problem if its any consolation. I run about 20 miles a week, nd have done for over a year now... and my thighs still wobble. From a personal perspective the only way i will ever get rid of it i know is to lose every ounch of spare ody fat i have, but to be honest that's so bleedin ridicolous that i have pretty much accepted that this is where i am, and this is how i look. i do find it a bit depressing lining up at the start of a half marathon surrounded by all these super skinny types, but i have had to accept that we come in all shapes and sizes and at least i am fit.
mind you, if anyone knows of a simple solution...do let me know!

I feel your pain. I have been running lots and doing circuits and weight training for a long time now, and still have cellulite ffs! Currently weigh just under 10 stone, and am just over 5'8". Even when I weighed under 8 stone as a teen, I still had wobbly thighs, and I don't want to weigh that again as I'll look old and have absolutely no boobs at all. I wish I was a different shape, but exercise can't change your basic body shape. At least we have nice trim tummies, eh?

Since I learnt to dress for my body shape (Trinny and Susannah, cheesy as they are, really helped with this) I have been a lot happier with my body. I used to think "but I'm slim, why can't I wear a pencil skirt/skinny jeans, tunic top" Now I just know that if I want to look and feel good I have to follow what suits me rather than what the fashion is, which means I always need a nipped in waist, skirts 2 inches above the knee at most, v-necks and shrug cardis.