Runners Rehomed

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Here we are in Sports, I've been so lax about keeping up with anything outside our little thread that I'd no idea it was here - but have just spotted a cycling thread, so will be later to bed than planned....

Shin splints. AARRGGHH. Advised rest for 2 weeks at least! Very frustrating...

Steala - Sorry to hear about your shin splints. Guess you'll be joining me on the subs bench for a while!

Hatwoman - I raised the whole amount via sponsorship. Total amount raised was approx £2300, though this did include a pretty large donation from DH. I think you would find people quite generous, esp for your first FLM. The Just Giving website makes it pretty easy to track sponsorship aswell.

Pidge - Congrats at your 15 miles, fantastic!

My knee is starting to improve now, am still limping and it is still swollen, but there is some improvement. Hoping to maybe run again in about a week, or perhaps a very short one on Sunday - will see how it goes.

steala - what a nuisance - I would be so frustrated too.

JoPG - keep looking after that knee.

CurrantBun - welcome to the 'pee-obsessed' world of mid-late pregnancy!! Not sure there's any answer to that other than shorter runs really.

Pidge well done on doing 15 miles! what an achievement.
JoPG hope your knee's better.
I ran 4 miles yesterday (treadmill). didn't get to go outside last sunday as dh was away but I'm hoping to go this coming sunday.

I could do with some advice really; I can only get to the gym at most twice a week. I still run slow (i worked out it's 11-12mins/mile) and wonder if I should go back to running a mile but at a faster pace and then try to increase the distance little by little again, then the other time I go, do my long & slow run. Does anyone have any ideas?

pb - I'm not entirely sure but I think the best way to increase your speed a bit is to do those things that I have no idea to spell cos I can only think of them as fart-legs (which is pretty much how you say it). that's where you alternate your speed in a run - if your normal run takes you 50 mins then speed up for 5 mins maybe about 3 times, at regular intervals, - have a look on a site like runnersworld - I'm sure you'll find something there (including the correct spelling of fart-legs)

....it's called Fartlek

LOL at fartlegs!!!

Yup, fartlek comes from the Swedish 'speed play'. Like interval training, only a bit more informal. Basically you alternate running fast, with running slow, giving yourself adequate time to recover between the fast spells. Very good for improving your overall speed and endurance. Apparently .

I think it also helps psychologically to do different things in your runs - i.e. not just running a flat steady 4 miles every time. So occasionally do a short fast 1-2 miles, or do some intervals. Or do a shorter run but include a hill. Or go even slower than you would over 4 miles and be inspired by being able to keep going longer!

Thanks for the advice & tips, I'll incorporate them into my routines and see how i get on. I did a mile at a faster pace this morning & i'm plotting out a pavement run for sunday. I'll try out the fartlegs technique then

these route measuring websites are doing wonders for my speed and fitness! did my 6.5 mile route today. came home and measured it properly and it turns out to be 7.3. Did it in 73 minutes ie a perfect 10 minute mile, which I had thought so illusive.

hatwoman - what great news about your route. I always find the reverse - I've not gone as far as I'd imagined!!

I had a nice 45 minute leg stretch this evening - apart from being chased by some yoof showing off to a bunch of girls outside our local station. Soon got rid of him though!

Looking forward to my 10 mile outing on Sunday morning now. Can't believe I'm at a point where I view a 10 mile run as a pleasurable experience!

oo Pidge - I'm hoping to get 10 miles in on Sunday am - and I really agree it's amazing to think of it as something to look forward to! in fact I now prefer the longer ones, coz I don;t feel any pressure to try and go fast

hello - Pidge how was your 10 miles? I enjoyed mine but was disappointed with the time. it was 10.4 miles and I did it in 109 minutes = 10.4 minutes per mile. last mile or so it started hurting - could really feel the weight on my joints. I was wondering whether some other form of exercise is good for strengthening - my cv fitness seems fine but my legs start to object.

just wanted to say that those route measuring websites are so helpful - thanks very much for suggesting them.
have a dreadful cough and end of a cold. felt it coming on tuesday so went to the gym instead of a run, was really ill on wed and thurs and now suffering mostly from night time coughing and, therefore, sleep deprivation. managed to get out for 25 minutes yesterday but knee is complaining today - back to the gym tomorrow for a bit of cross training i think.....

can anyone recommend a flat road based 10K to work towards? preferably in the south to south west.

lalaa - hope you feel better soon. Go to Runners World and use their race finder (see Find a Race under Quick Links on the left of the page) to find a 10k in your area.

hatwoman - I really enjoyed my 10 miler - and this time got home just before the rain set in. It was supposed to be an 'easy' run for me, as I have another half marathon next weekend, so I was trying to go at a nice steady pace, not pushing hard but not slacking either. I had a bit of a panic at about 8-9 miles when I looked at my watch and calculated I was doing over 10 minute miles, but in fact I was just being a mathematical dunce and got home in 1hr32, which is more like 9.10 pace. Mind you that included me speeding up massively from 8 miles, when I had my panic over my pace!!

I used to find these long runs far harder on my legs, but I seem to have got stronger just with the combination of a weekend long run plus 2 shorter ones midweek. I guess I do cycling too. But don't know if that really helps with running legs. More likely to help with the cardiovascular side. So not sure what to suggest really.

Well done on the long runs over the weekend, especially if the weather where you are was anything like as bad as it was in London yesterday.

I've lost my running mojo a bit over the last few days. My mileage is now so low as to be almost not worth doing - anything more than about 3 miles is uncomfortable on my bladder, and even 3-milers now seem to have the unfortunate effect of making me want to move my bowels. Consequently I'm struggling to motivate myself, especially as the distances are so short. The only solution I can think of is to jog circuits of the estate where we live - it's about a mile loop, so if I get the urge to go to the toilet I can at least pop indoors. I will try that tonight and see whether it helps with the motivation at all - it's just no fun running when all you can focus on is where on earth you're going to be able to go to the loo!

It's desperately frustrating as my stamina is fine - I barely broke sweat on any of my runs last week - and my legs are really up for it.

CurrantBun - what a bore. I was thinking of you as I ran on Sunday as I forgot to pee before I went out, and spent the first 4 miles racking my brains as to where I might find a loo!! I was just heading through a local park, wondering what the little brick building was to my left, and hey presto .... I'd never noticed it before ... public loos! Hurrah!

I think your laps idea is a good one. You know 3 miles may not feel like much to you, but it will still be keeping your legs ticking over. It's far more than most pregnant women manage, so you should be very proud. Or could you be tempted by something like cycling? I know you said you detest swimming, which was my pregnancy exercise towards the end.

Pidge, lucky you to have a public loo available! I got a mouthful from a pub landlady once for asking to use the loo - she told me I should be using public conveniences. I told her I would do if they hadn't all been closed down due to vandalism and lack of maintenance!

You're right though - I should be focusing on the fact that I'm still running at 6 months' pregnant and it's a lot more than most pregnant women manage. It doesn't matter that I'm only managing short distances - it's still better than sitting around doing nothing. I might look into the possibility of using an elliptical trainer at the gym or something when running really does become impossible - if I'm struggling with motivating myself to run, there's no way I'll go swimming since it's not something I enjoy in the first place, pregnant or not! Cycling would be great if I had a bike - meant to get one this summer but in the end it didn't happen.

Hey current bun, I wouldn't worry too much about your running mojo - I found mine wandered off pretty much at around 24-26 weeks, but actually the four months' rest was quite beneficial, and now, with DS at 3 weeks, I'm feeling sound in wind and limb, and ready to re-establish a proper routine. Which I will need to, because I have a place for the FLM next year, which I can't defer again. So...can anyone recommend a good make of jogging stroller? Doesn't have to be massively all terrain - most of my standard routes are footpaths/towpaths - but definitely needs to be lightweight, with leash/safety brake. Any ideas folks?

Gizmo - Congrats on the new arrival. I had an InStep 10k Ultimate, fantastic. Have a look at www.instep.net. The UK importer is www.outnabout-atp.co.uk (sorry my links don't work).

Welcome back Gizmo. Congrats on the new arrival

Yup, am quite pleased with my public loo discovery! Might have to plan some more routes that way!

Definitely feel really pleased with yourself. In my first pregnancy I swam loads and then second time round I was cycling to work 4 times a week (35 minutes each way), which tailed off to about twice a week (and took more like 45 minutes!) by the time I was 8 months pregnant. But I'm sure late pregnancy was much easier to manage because I kept relatively fit. Labour frankly is a bit of a lottery, although again your odds are better if you're fitter. But the best thing was that I never really felt like those last couple of months of pregnancy were a physical strain in any way.

Wow - congratulations gizmo. Must have crossed posts earlier.

No idea about a running pushchair I'm afraid. Very impressed at your get up and go. I seemed to spend most of the time at that stage finding excuses to have naps, rather than do any exercise!

Hello everyone! Good to see you all: what have I missed?

Veeerrry keen to get my running shoes back on. It helps that I seem to have birthed the 'incredible sleeping baby' (TM) who only wakes up to scoff a couple of times a night and then goes back to sleep easily. Long may it last, because getting out and running will be hard enough without him deciding to act normally.

I actually managed to get out for a run last week (had to leave DH on his own to try the first bottle experiment - no way sleeping boy was going to take it from me) and everything still seems to work, but my first, last and all intermediate thoughts were: 'Christ I need a better bra'. Norks the size of continental europe (and with an equal sized milk lake) are not what I am used to and none of my running bras are man enough for the job.

But once I have got one of them, then I really fancy some endorphins, and it seems the Instep (or equivalent) is going to be needed. DH is going to pull a face, I expect, because it will mean having two pushchairs in the house, and he's not a fan of 'stuff'. But DH can kiss my ass, frankly, because if he thinks I am going to go out for a run at 8pm when he's home, the kids are in bed and I just want to fall onto a sofa, then he's not living in the real world.

Wow, I like these new mummy hormones: I sound all assertive-like, don't I

You do sound very assertive, Gizmo - go for it! I'm planning to check out some baby joggers too, although I'm hoping that running will be my "me time" while DH or my mum look after the tiddler.

I'm really impressed that you're thinking of getting back to running only 3 weeks post-birth! Be careful though - I know I'll be impatient too but did hear of one lady who didn't wait for her post-natal check-up and ended up with a prolapsed uterus. I'm sure she was an unlucky exception but has made me think about waiting until I've been given the 'all-clear'!

There's an article about baby joggers on the Runner's World website which I've hopefully linked to here. Not sure if it's any help.

Am hoping to do another 3 miles or so tonight - if I have to run shorter distances, I'm going to try to run them every day. I'm determined to manage a minimum of 20 miles a week for as long as I can, although it'll get pretty boring running 1-mile circuits of where I live in case I need the loo! Better than not running at all though.

Nice to have you back Gizmo, and good luck with the running.
Am off out for my first run since I hurt my knee 10 days ago. I am going with some friends, but we have picked a route with various points where I can get back to the car if need be, at least I will be able to wait in the warm for them then if I do need to bail out. Knee is still a bit sore, but I need to try it out. I have some frozen sweetcord ready to ice it when I get home. I will let you know how I get on.
Pidge - hope you enjoy your club night tonight.