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....

Myturn - I used to get that on my longer runs. Are you tense in your shoulders? Try to relax a bit - although I find trying to relax makes me more tense . Also try opening and closing your fists as you run.

Thanks for that. Hmm, never thought about whether am tense whilst running - probably am because am usually so intent on making myself keep going... mind over matter all the way with me.

Usually end up flapping my hands around above my end towards the end - am going to end up getting carted off by the loony police one of these days! Will try the clenching/unclenching tip tomorrow though.

I am hoping to do Race for Life in June. I have dabbled pathetically with running before but I need a goal to get fitter and shift my lardy arse so I thought Race for life would do the trick. I have persuaded a friend to join up with me and we are going to train separately twice during the week and then train together at the weekend. I thought I would go out first thing when dh would get the kids breakfast. Should I eat before I go out, am I going to be able to run on a empty stomach? What is the routine of someone who runs first thing in the morning?

I won't eat for 2 hours before I run, so if I am running early morning I will not have breakfast beforehand. It doesn't seem to make any difference to my energy levels, infact if anything I run better first thing, despite having not eaten anything, than later on in the day. And the great thing is that once you get home and have breakfast, your metabolism is still running high so you'll burn it off all the more efficiently.

I'm a bit worried about feeling faint though.

As long as you have plenty of water you should be fine. If you are worried though, you could always have a banana when you first get up... give you a bit of a sugar boost before you go.

Well done on aiming for the rfl btw... I'll be doing it too.

I always have a banana before I go out if I am running first thing in the morning.

Lilliput - good on you for getting out there!

I think you need to find what suits you as far as eating is concerned. I can have quite a large bowl of cereal and run within an hour with no problems. Usually I have a banana and a handful of raisins. Dh has to have an empty stomach (eats maybe 2 1/2 hours before) otherwise he chucks up - not pleasant.

Saggars - I know exactly how your DH feels, I am a very sickly runner! It is not pleasant or fun.

For a shortish run I do not eat in the morninigs, if it is a longer one then I will get up early so that I can have a small bowl of porridge with some honey.

Hi all,

I tend not to eat before a morning run - even if it's quite a long one. Well, I'm totally knackered this morning - I've just done my longest run yet - 13 and a half miles. I enjoyed the first half but then I just spent the rest of the time thinking about how much I wanted to stop. It was quite miserable to be honest! I stopped enjoying my music and the scenery and literally all I could think about was stopping. I didn't though, so was pretty pleased. What goes through people's heads on longer runs? how do you keep yourself going? how do you keep yourself mentally amused for such a long time?

hatwoman - I sort of go into a daze on my long runs, I haven't got bored until really recently, but now I'm over the 15 mile mark I find the middle 10-14 miles pretty excruciating. Then the last few miles I'm exhausted but the end is in sight! I don't even have a music player. I quite enjoy just the silence. No small children, no work colleagues pestering me .... bliss!

Am getting a bit scared about my 18 miler tomorrow morning though. 3 hours of running -

As for morning runs. If it's just 30-40 minutes I don't eat. But when I do my really long runs - like the 15 miler a while back, and my 18 tomorrow, setting off between 7-7.30am, I'll pack a peanut butter sandwich to have in bed at 6.30am when my daughter wakes!

I once tried one of those carbohydrate gels for long runs and it was disgusting, but I think I should give them another go, as I do find my energy levels drop over the long runs.

OK I was just about to get in the shower but having caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror I feel compelled to post. I've run over a 100 miles in the last 5 weeks. I can now run 13 miles at a time. So how come I still have a wobbly bum and more than generous thighs? why have I still got a tummy? and why do I still weigh the same? OK so I'm not after a radical change in body shape but a wee bit shaved off here and there would be nice. plus a bit of toning. It's just not right. how much exercise does does a girl have to do? (I don;t do dieting btw)

Just saw your post Hatwoman.

I trained for and ran the London marathon last year. Did n't lose any weight but maintained my weight as I was eating to to give me the energy to run the miles !

Runners come in all shapes and sizes !

I had this great idea that i would be slim by the time I ran the marathon but no way !

I have two SIL who are dead skinny but no doubt could run to catch a bus !

Should say couldn't run to catch a bus

it's not fair is it? [sulky face]

The only way I am losing weight is by dieting... I do think I can get away with eating a bit more and still lose weight - but you would think with all the exercise it would just fall off. I'm doing hundreds of sit ups to get rid of my tummy - am finally seeing a difference.

Myturn - I make a resolution about once a week to do situps to get rid of my post-babies tummy - but so far haven't done a single one!! I did read an article recently though that said the best way to a flat stomach was running and swimming.

I don't do diets either - except trying to eat healthily and consuming lots of fruit and veg. Unfortunately I have a bad baking habit, and have to try to restrict my cake creating to the weekend. I've just been in domestic heaven tonight cooking for my 2 year olds birthday party tomorrow. Chocolate fig and almond cake for the grown ups, birthday custard sponge for the kiddies, plus some cheesy biscuits are my output for the evening so far. Then off to bed for an early night, hoping to be full of beans for my 18 miles tomorrow ....

18 miles Absolutely amazing - I'm in awe!

Lol can't blame my tummy on post-babies any more - youngest is 6yo...

Didn't get out today grrr. Had to sacrifice my run to go off shopping for kitchens and bathrooms... have to get out tomorrow now.

myturn - my mum still blames her tummy on me and my brother and we're in our mid thirties .

I got really nervous about my 18 miler this morning ... but I DID IT!!! It was very very hard, and I stopped to walk for about a minute every 3-4 miles to take on fluid and found it very tempting never to start running again! The whole thing took me just over 3 hours, so that's just over 10minute miles.

And I'm exhausted now! Not helped by coming home and having just a few hours to ice the cake, tidy the house etc for my 2 year old's birthday party. So I'm off to bed for a very early night and I think I will sleep sounder than a very tired log.

Well done Pidge, a real psychological boost for you.

Pidge - well done! 10 minute miling for 18 miles - impressive!
I managed my local xcountry yesterday and had even more people behind me than last time (about 8) - it was really tough though, very sticky mud, lots of it and a long steep uphill to finish - but no wallking throughout! (would probably have been faster to walk the last hill but I wasn't going to let myself!)

SachaF - mud and x-country sound even harder work than 18 miles!

I had a rest day yesterday - if you discount cycling to our local park with a weighty 2 year old on the back of the bike.

Today am hoping to squeeze in a 5 miler. I feel really tired at the moment, don't know if it's all the running or just the usual lack of sleep associated with two small kids.

Well, I got out for my first run/walk. I quite enjoyed it as it was a nice morning with the birds singing but I do need to find a way to push myself a bit more, maybe listen to music. Looking at the training schedule on the Race for Life websit I just can't imagine myself running solidly for 15 minutes without walking. I'm trying to ignore Pidge's 18 mile run

Hi

I tend to post on the exercise buddy thread but since I restarted running, I thought I would come here for advice. I was wondering how long it takes you to run 2 miles. I did a 2 mile circuit on Saturday and it took me 23 minutes (without stopping). DH can do it in 16 minutes. There is a steep hill in the middle section and that slows me right down but I am worried that this is a slow time for 2 miles. I am not an experience runner but have completed 5k and 10k races (28 minutes and 73 minutes respectively, for example). I would like to be as good as DH who runs half marathons but my poor knees are not medically capable of such distances.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

hello runners - have been very bad at posting on thread. Everyone's training seems to be going well. Did hastings half yesterday -5 miles of hills. Not brilliant time but did not walk once. 20 mile race next weekend then an 18 and then taper for London.It seems very close now.

Hatwoman and themis - I wish I knew the secret to weight loss and running. Last year I ran 2 marathons, 9 half marathons, 4 x10 mile races and net result - put on 10lb! Admittedly training last year went from erratic to nonexistent. I think you need to run consistently for weight/ toning etc. I am now quite toned but still not skinny by any measure. I have gone down nearly 2 sizes since January when my training began but only lost 5lb. 3lb of that when I was waiting to hear about ds secondary transfer so think that was stress not running.
Pidge well done on your 18. You should think about trying out gels to make sure that you are not running on empty in the latter stages of the marathon. They vary widely and it is worth experimenting beforehand.