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....

Runners can I pick your brains? What do you think of these/this?
ipodsportskit

dances ... can't help you there .... I am Ms. no gadgets when it comes to running. After about a year I invested 4.99 in a boys watch from Argos so I could at least time myself in races. But usually I forget to start or stop it! I do dream of getting a GPS though, which I think is what the ipod extra kit does. Unfortunately Father Christmas in the pidge house is on a bit of a strict budget.

I was due to run on Friday morning, but was just tooooooo tired. And today think I'm coming down with a cold, so not sure my proposed 10miler tomorrow is going to happen either. I am coming dangerously close to stopping running altogether here. I need a serious new years resolution to get going again.

My club have got a January 10 mile race, but it's the morning after we've booked babysitters for me and dp to have a rare night out. So I'm weighing up - getting nicely sloshed with dp, versus having to be abstemious in order to run 10 miles in decent shape the next day. Hmmmmmmm!

Pidge, as you get out with DH rarely I think I know what I'd do in your position! I've fallen off the wagon with the running a bit - never seem to have any time over the weekend at the moment. Said to DH yesterday that I wonder how I managed to run both Saturday and Sunday pre-pregnancy (although would be OK if it wasn't so close to Christmas and there was so much to do!)

I'm off work from Wednesday until 8th January so may stand a bit more chance of fitting something in as it's not always possible to run from work, especially when I need to use lunchtime for Christmas shopping etc. I may even do a few walks instead as I'll have a bit more time.

I've treated myself to a few gadgets over the last couple of years - the latest one was a Garmin Forerunner (the new model), which I love. It was expensive but I felt justified as I run so often. I have never worn an iPod when running: I don't think it's advisable from a personal safety perspective - it's important to be fully aware of what's going on around you at all times, doubly so if you run in the dark at all.

Yup - I think I'm going for the night out with dp rather than the 10 miler!

Total chaos here - I was ill at the weekend so missed my run. Now dd1 has chickenpox - dd2 having had it last week. All our Christmas presents are lost in transit somewhere between Amazon and a courier depot in S. London. Plus at work we have a major deadline tomorrow which involves me working 12 hour days.

So ... no running for me for a while.

Have lovely Christmasses and I'll be attempting to get my running shoes on again in 2007.

Merry Xmas to all the runners out there. Good luck with fitting in a festive run!
I went out for a 6 miler yesterday, at least the fog had lifted and I was able to see where I was going.
Last year I went out on Boxing Day, will try to manage it this year, but am not hopeful as we have a 2 hour drive on Boxing day to get to MIL and FIL for lunch and so I would have to be out pretty early.
Anyway, enjoy Xmas and roll on the new training schedule for the New Year!

I am just off out for a 6 miler on a hangover! (Had a bottle of wine to myself last night, oopsy) I have no idea how i will fare but since i imagine there will be more tipples over the xmas, i don't know when i will get chance again! I hope i don't grind to a halt on a hill, someone will have to wind me up like those little men on the orange advert.

Merry Xmas

Hope to get out later, have been rubbish the last two weeks and probaly won't do better the next week. back to it in January. HAppy Xmas

I'm doing lots of short runs at the moment - can't find the time to get out for longer. Hopefully will next week but then will probably find that my legs won't carry me very far....

Ooops and...

MERRY CHRISTMAS

only managed 4 miles today... not running now until after boxing day, like my tipples too much and find running on a hang over too stressful! Hope your having a good one guys...

Have managed one half hour run over Christmas, and that was my first outing for a fortnight.

Too much fun drinking lots of wine and eating far too much food instead!

I did give my brother a running top for Christmas - he's an occasional runner - and have promised to take him out for a very short run today.

Hope you all had lovely lazy Christmasses!

Message withdrawn

I cannot wait to get back to running, dh has been away since Novemebr and I cannot run atm. He is back on the 7th, so Monday 8th - I will get out even if I only manage 20 mins

Haven't run at all since 30 weeks and am now 32+2. Did a 6-mile walk on Boxing Day which was lovely and have done precious little in the way of exercise since. I feel like a complete lard-arse. I don't think I'll run again now until after the baby's born as is just too uncomfortable, but had hoped to fit in a lot more walking. Did loads of walking in the three days I had off work pre-Christmas when hubby was still working, but since hubby's been off work too have done nothing!

I don't think I've actually put on much weight, if any (other than bump) but I do feel incredibly unfit and untoned, which I hate. I think I will do lots of lunchtime walks once I'm back at work next week, and will walk home from the station in the evening etc. Can't fall at the final hurdle!

I got a running book, "Road Racing for the Serious Runner", for Christmas and have already earmarked a couple of the schedules for my comeback once baby is born. Am looking forward to being able to run feeling comfortable again (not to mention not having to struggle to tie my shoelaces!)

Happy New Year to all the other runners out there!

Happy New Year to all my fellow runners!
I have definitely got a new found enthusiasm this New Year, leaving all the laziness of Xmas behind me and enjoying my running. Have even turned down a night out tonight in favour of going running (yes, I know, it won't last )
Really need to get a new pair of trainers, have had mine a year and they saw me through my marathon training last year, but they are falling apart now (sole is wearing completely away). Problem is, NB have stopped selling that model (854) so I am going to have to look for something else. Aargh! Will try and get to Sweatshop at the weekend while DH can look after kids.
Hope you all have fun running this weekend.

Hooray, I have treated myself to some new trainers. I went to HeRuns SheRuns at Bluewater, which is part of the Sweatshop group, and the lady there was really helpful. i must have tried on about 15 pairs of shoes, and they check you running in them on a treadmill. The problem I have that I am a womens's size 8, so if a particular shoe is a bit small, there is often no 8.5 in the women's to try on. I then try the men's version of the same shoe, and it is massive! - the cut must be more generous - AArgh! I have settled on a Nike Air Stucture Triax and I am keen to try them out, might get in a quick run tomorrow is Dh is ok to have the kids again. (After spending ages at the shops purchasing my trainers today, I then went off to netball for 3 hours leaving DH to take DS to swimming lesson, look after DD at same time and organise lunch for them, I also asked him to take down the Xmas tree - I think I owe him!)

Happy New Year All.

New trainers sound great JoPG.

CurrantBun - you are an inspiration! If I ever get round to baby 3 I will be amazed if I run for more than a fortnight of pregnancy.

I have been utterly useless on the running front for the last 6 weeks. Partly due to a stream of sickly children, not to mention me getting about 3 colds from daughter number 2. But yesterday I managed to go out for an hour for the first time in ages.

And I have this week off to settle dd1 into school, so am planning to take advantage of my three mornings to myself.

Am also plotting some races for 2006 ... in fact might slope off to Runners World now and investigate my options!

Aaaaah - I have just provisionally accepted a charity place for the London marathon!!!

I had given up on it having failed to get a ballot place, or a club place, and had not heard from the Asthma Society since mid December. But I got a call this afternoon and the place is there for me .....

Am I mad?

All the training schedules have already started two weeks ago, and I really haven't done much for about 6 weeks. I guess I could run 10-12 miles if absolutely necessary, so I'm not at total zero. But I haven't actually done more than 7 miles in yonks. And yesterday was my first proper run in weeks.

Gulp .....

Well done Pidge, you will be fine!
It's all about doing what your very best (whatever time you actually end up with) - you have to know that you have done your very best to achieve what you are capable of, and I know that you will put the hardwork in to make it a race that you are proud of.
Good luck, and enjoy those long weekend runs!

Ooh, Pidge - that's pretty scary! To be honest though, most of the schedules I've used have been 18-week ones and the first few weeks are pretty easy. Your last half-marathon wasn't that long ago and with some real discipline you would be back up to your previous level within a couple of weeks.

The key is not to try to make up for lost time - that's just opening yourself up to injury or illness. Find a decent schedule (I liked the simplicity of Hal Higdon's Novice schedule and you can always drop one of the shorter runs if you can only get out three times a week. Start the schedule from the current week and don't worry about what you've already missed. The first couple of weeks will probably feel tough so keep your pace down and juts concentrate on getting the runs in as comfortably as possible.

I will be checking your progress with envy! I've already started planning my return to running - am actually quite pleased that it's turned out to be this winter that I'm not training for a marathon as although it's been much colder over the three winters I've trained, it hasn't been nearly as wet or windy. I've missed running over the couple of weeks since I decided to stop but not getting out there in the horrendous weather we've been having.

I'm terrified ... but also very excited. I ran really well in the autumn, so I reckon those miles must be in my legs somewhere. Basically with the FLM I decided I really wanted to do a marathon this year, before I have another baby (hopefully!), and I just thought for my first and possibly only one it should be a big city, and London is home, so .....

The Hal Higdon schedules are fantastic - so thank you for those. The way my running days pan out I'm going to adapt the intermediate schedule, shortening the weekend runs to be more in line with the novice routine, and switching the Tuesday and Wednesday runs round, plus moving Thursday to Friday!!!!! He'd probably have a fit, but such is life fitting running around two small kids plus a job. My running days have to be some selection of Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, so there you go.

How are the rest of you getting on?

Hatwoman - I had originally been thinking I might do Kingston, but obviously have got myself a serious distraction here!

JoPG - how are the new shoes? Did you get them with rocket boosters to speed you along?

CurrantBun - when is your due date again, so I can avoid pestering you too much with "is the baby here yet" etc!!

Pidge, glad you found the Hal Higdon schedules useful. I think I did some kind of Novice/Intermediate 1 hybrid the first time round too. I'd recommend using the long runs from the Novice schedule though as first time round these feel very hard! If you're only able to get out 3 times a week (or 4 at most) then you can afford to slightly lengthen some of the midweek runs as you'll have more recovery time - so at the peak of the schedule, for example, you might be looking at two 10-mile runs and a 20-mile long run.

Don't be tempted to exceed 20 miles for your longest long run pre-marathon though. It really takes it out of you and pushing too hard could lead to an injury or give your body insufficient time to recover before the race itself. Save your best performance for the day; don't leave it on some Sunday morning training run.

I'm due on 26 February so not long to go now! Still feeling really good and looking forward to getting back into the running once the baby is born. I decided to stop finally at 31 weeks, mainly because I had time off over Christmas which I wanted to spend with DH, as we realised it would be the last block of holiday we had together as just a couple. Also weather was dire and I no longer have any waterproof running gear that still fits, and couldn't justify forking out for only another 6 weeks. I'm still pretty active, walking and keeping busy, so don't feel like too much of a couch potato yet, but I do miss the exercise. Have to say I miss running as it was though, rather than running while pregnant - the last few runs really were quite uncomfortable and I did wonder why on earth I was making myself do it!

CB - that's pretty much what I was planning to do - paste the long runs from the novice plan into the intermediate one, and shorten some of the other runs too.

My dp has been brilliantly supportive and has actually given me the all clear to run as much as I like. So I'm hoping to fit 4-5 runs per week in, once I'm in the swing.

Right now I'm trying to be sensible - I've done a 7 miler a while ago, and now have done a couple of easy 3-4 milers and will then do a longer 10 mile run at the weekend. And it all feels very comfortable and manageable which is great. I just don't want to do too much too soon and get injured.

Are there any other marathoners still out there - I know a couple of people posted previously to say they'd got places.

Pidge, great that your DP is being so supportive.

A word of caution though. Before my first marathon I'd been regularly running 4x per week and decided to use the Intermediate 1 schedule which requires 5 runs per week.

It started off OK, but as the weeks passed I felt SO knackered. I wasn't used to the additional run and trying to add that in as well as building mileage at the same time just didn't work. So I switched to the Novice schedule which only required 4 runs per week and immediately felt a lot better. Second time round I started to add an additional run in each week about 3 months before I started the marathon build-up, so by then I was used to it and didn't find it a problem coping with that as well as the increased mileage.

That's very good advice CB. I may just do 4 runs to be honest, and at least two of them will be very short. I also cycle to work 3 days a week, so that will be a help with my fitness level. I'm going to see how it goes and definitely scale it back if I feel tired.

Thanks for all your words of wisdom.