anyone like to start a runners' support group thread thingie?

[fionagib]

Inspired by Paula Radcliffe's victory at the new york marathon (but HORRIBLY unfit), I wondered if anyone would like to start running, or keep running, or get even better at running, and support each other here by telling each other how we're getting on, or swap tips, ideas etc?

I did quite a bit of running earlier this year, a few 10k races (and loved it, felt so much better, really proud, with more energy etc) but have let it all go to pot and now have jelly belly & bum, and a running bra that's probably covered with cobwebs somewhere...

Am totally un-athletic, was smoking heavily until 2 weeks ago, and just wanna make a positive change, avoid a winter of blobbiness, and feel really good & fit come spring.

so anyone like to join me....?

hope you're feeling better dingle...
azzie how inspiring you are!!!!
ashamed to say didn't run yesterday, am away this w'end but will get stuck back in next week, am gonna aim for four runs a week...

might try azzie's approach of early a.m. runs...

good luck for tomorrow!!! go go go!

I'm in Kent Twink.
Still really down-didn't run last nightTBH I think it's just everything catching up with me, I throw myself whole heartedly(sp?)into everything, if it's not dd SN, it's ds and getting him settled into Y1. the house, the decorating, my cardmaking,and now 2 deaths in the family,,,it goes on for so long and then I just emotionally collapse.
Perhaps the running will help me out of the big hole I'm digging.
Sorry to moan, not the right place really-thanks for the help & support-I'll need an extra kick up the backside to get on that treadmill.

Thanks for your good wishes. It's the St. Neots half marathon I'm running tomorrow. Looks like it'll be a cold day but bright - good for running once we get going! I know a bit of the course, which is along country lanes, and is quite pretty (as if I'll have the energy to appreciate the scenery...!).

So today I've drunk gallons of water for hydration, and consumed vast amounts of pasta for carbohydrate loading... hopefully this means I'll wake up tomorrow morning raring to go. DS made me a lovely 'good luck' card at school yesterday, which was so sweet of him.

Dingle - I hope the running does help. I had a couple of really bad patches earlier this year, and the running was the one thing I stuck to - it meant that even when I felt totally bl**dy about everything else, at least I was still doing one thing that I knew was good. So I think it helped me.

Just thought I'd let you know how I got on.

The race today was my first 'proper' half, considering how slowly we ran the Great North in September (as one friend said, that wasn't a race, that was a fancy dress parade in running shoes!).

Today was BRILLIANT. A cold (just below freezing) but very bright day, a course that went through very picturesque scenery and a couple of very pretty villages (thatched cottages and all), and enough 'gentle' hills to make it interesting. I ran with a friend of a friend who normally runs sub-2 hours, but is working his way back to fitness after a cycling accident. Having him at my shoulder all the way really made me keep up the pace (and I think that I kept him going too). I was aiming for sub-2.15, hoping secretly to run 2.10, and ended up running 2.06. I am soooo pleased

A great course, good organisation, and really friendly marshals. A class experience. And everyone I know who ran it today ran a Personal Best. Good stuff. I can highly recommend the St. Neots Half to anyone thinking of doing it in the future.

And DH is talking about champagne with dinner tonight...

Hey well done Azzie ! Def deserve bubbles tonight (but make sure you have water too, don't want to end up dehydrated )

That's a great time for your first real half, esp to be four mins faster than your secretly hoped for time (I'm glad I'm not the only one who sets those)

What next ?

A huge WELL done Azzie.Great news -you deserve a tipple or two.
Have a great, relaxing evening.

Hi there Dingle, can I join too?
Just found this thread - you are all exactly what I wish I had when I was running on the back lanes, bog roads and forests of the west of Ireland where running is considered REALLY weird ( "your'e the runner, aren't you????"
I started out not being able to run 100 metres and am now - a year later - four stone lighter and a finisher of the Dublin Marathon last month ( 5 hours - tough...)
only doing a few miles a day now....need some more inspiration that the winter is here.
Anyone else run with their partner? My DH runs but faster than me and we both run in shifts in the morning before the kids go to school. Whoever goes first gets to do breakfast, whoever goes second has to do the school run.
Go for it !

Hi JoeR,

Well done on Dublin - I'm thinking of doing Dublin next autumn. Would you recommend it?

I don't run with DH because he's faster than me (just - but he still can't run as far as me!). Plus, someone has to mind the children. So we run alternate mornings. He's really picked up his running this year - he says that seeing me turn out in all sorts of weather determined to run has inspired him (which was lovely to hear!).

Twink - not sure what's next - there were a couple of kilometres today (kilometres 15 and 16 as I recall) when I was swearing I'd never do this again - but shortly after finishing I found myself discussing the best Spring half to enter, so I guess I didn't mean it... ;)

wow azzie that is FANTASTIC! After a pretty lazy & indulgent w'end you have inspired me to get off my rump end & get out for 30 mins at least tonight...

hope you enjoyed your v v v well deserved champagne!!!!

That's bloody brilliant Azzie - puts my 30 mins yesterday to shame!! And it was really cold yesterday.

Well done everyone!! I'm ashamed I've done nothing since that 1st short early morning run. I need a race to focus on otherwise it's going to be too hard for me esp as I only log on mon - wed. I'm looking into a approx. 10K run in the Southeast for 1st quarter 05. For me s half marathon will be physically and psychologically too challenging to train for. Any ideas?

Would also be very good for me to have a few others in the area aiming for the same race. Any takers?

Azzie that is escellent. well done you, i can't imagine doing a half-marathon...
But i did get out last night. We had had a bit of a chores day, lots of gardening and sorting out, so I was quite pleased i still had the energy. Lovely cold night, clear and fresh, good runnign weather.
Go for it tonight Fiona!
Evereyone eles be inspired too!
Cxx

right I am going to start running in the early morning - its just impossible here to run in the evening (too dark, no street lights, lots of slippy mud) Unfortunately I hurt my foot this weekend - actually it started as a blister but now has a large sore red patch around it - can barely walk so running out of the question until its healed .

Hi Embee,
You are absolutely right about the focus - you need a goal of a race/distance to get motivated. 5 mile and 10k road races are great for starting on. And you don't ever HAVE to do a marathon...thats for us nutters out here....
Bear in mind what I keep thinking - most people could never imagine running even a mile. A five mile road race is not to be laughed at. And there are different aspects. I have cut right down on my mileage and am practising on technique/speed over 4 miles and no more.
A great piece of advice I got for the marathon - or any distance training - its the amount of miles you put into your legs over the months that get you there. and I always alternated long days and short days. You need to rest as well as exercise those legs.
I found a great help in the early months was keeping a running diary - anyone else do that? Miles per day and time taken. Use your mobile to time you and plan a route (we used to mark the miles with the cars mileometer from the house) and that is really a boost when you see your progress over as little as six weeks.

I wear my kelloggs pedometer to measure my miles/time now that I've sorted the stride length.

Hats off to those of you that run alone - I have always struggled. I can't pace myself and tend to go off to fast then don't have the willpower to drop my pace and plod on, for me its much easier to run with a friend. It also forces me out when i would otherwise turn over and go back to sleep

Another thing that works for me when increasing my distance is to get dh to drop me off a measured distance from home. Psychologically, I find it easier because I'm always on my way home IYKWIM

Embee,I'm certainly NOT a runner,did 5K in September,but I was really dissapointed with my time- I walked it really and could have done much better and had done with my training.
I need the motivation of another run & I'm in Kent, have you got a 10K run in mind? The early part of next year would be great for me too!

Hi

Just back from NYCM and having seen every shape and size of person at the start line, anyone can run - just enjoy it! I didn't run until June this year but once I had a reason to do it, found that I really loved it and have been caught saying things like "next time...!" Just need a kickstart to get moving again - it has been a most relaxing week not worrying about when to run/how far/what time etc. Strongly recommend the Runners World website and Marathon Running for Mortals by John Bingham. Also recommend proper clothing - the comfort factor definitely enhances the experience.

Well done on NY hannahsaunt, how did the sponsorship go ?

JoeR, I'm a complete anorak & log all my runs (& swims, aerobics etc..). I include route, distance, who I was with, what the weather was like, any injury problems, and yes even the result that drinking a particular sports drink had on my digestion - I stick to water now

It does help with my motivation too as if I'm having a bad patch & can always look back and see how much I've improved in the last couple of years.

Sounds like we might be able to get a Mumsnet running meet-up before RFL !

Enid, have you seen blister plasters ? I use Compeed (from Boots) they're £ but fab for speeding up recovery & pain reduction.

Just done another "run". Tried to do what you suggested Twink but got a bit carried away with the treadmill. I find it so tempting to go that much further, I look at the time, distance, calories,,and think I'll just go on until I reach XX ...etc.
Ended up doing about 1.5 miles but it did take me about 17 mins. I don't really know what to set my goals on. Should I try to continue on what I'm doing,aim for longer in minutes or further in distance! Really need to get my act together.
Do you feel that for now training on a treadmill is OK, how does it compare with running on road?

Twink, I'm another one who logs all my runs obsessively - so, sadly, I can tell you that so far this year I've run 1056.1 km at an average pace of 6.42 mins/km, and that I've been out on the road for a total of 4 days, 19h 30m 23s.

And I couldn't resist it, bought a Garmin Forerunner GPS to measure my run distances, pace etc. My best nerdy toy and I love it!

hannahsaunt - I went along as the back up team for a friend who ran the London Marathon in April. I was particularly struck by the wide range of shapes, sizes and running styles of the participants - even among the fast runners. I found it very inspiring indeed.

Showing my ignorance here but what's a garmin forerunner please!

am v impressed with the tips and the gadgets!!! Am only up to 35 mins at the mo, did that this eve, quite like running around town in the eve & getting a breather from some of the kiddie bedlam that goes on in the house.

am v inspired by the half and marathon runners on here... think I'd like to build to a half in the spring.

I don't understand what your stride lenth is or how you measure it...

Running diary sounds like a GREAT idea, gonna start that. And hope your poor foot is better enid!

Oooh that's in the top 3 on my Santa list (suspect I'll be sorely disappointed this year).

I'd love to be able to log actual distance/speed etc rather than sit & track courses on my PC -
told you I was sad.. Got to ask though, do you download the info too ??

Dingle, it's a gadget that uses satellite technolgy to work out where you are now, and how far you've been & how fast you went there - with grammar like that thank goodness ks doesn't come here.

From your previous posts, I would suggest that you do whatever feels right for you on any particlar day at the moment. You certainly don't want to be setting yourself targets which you'll struggle to meet & then stress about. Any chance you could kid yourself that treadmill time is essential 'you' time instead of another chore to be done ?

Incidently, to answer another of your points, treadmill running is fine, just different to road running but then hill running & fell running are not much like road running either !

For me, at least, running is about unwinding, sure I have targets now, but to start with I had an aim to be able to run for a mile without stopping then 1.5 etc up to 3 miles as that was the Race for Life distance. Once I'd achieved that & decided that I was going to keep running, I set time goals too, helped by my non-running little brother who promised to double my total RFL sponsorship money if I finished in under 30 minutes. B**tard, but it worked !

All of you newish runners really, really need to heed Luckymum's comments on running shoes though, good one that suit your feet & running style are essential. Popular 'sports' stores are not usually the best places to get good shoes, try to go to a local shop (but not in Royston Vasey) whose staff are runners.

back to running again after having had to rest for a week (pushed too hard from the beginning and had a bad ankle as a result)...can anyone recommend a london based raced to aim for to start with??? a short one!

Fiona, I was just about to add a ps to see if you'd made it out, well done !

Stride length is distance between your heels (or toes) when you put them down. The easiest way to measure it is with a friend: draw a start line then start running from behind it ( to get into a rhythym) & get your friend to watch where your foot hits the line, count 10 strides forward & mark the same position on your foot on the 10th step. Then measure the distance from the start line to the finish & divide by 10 to get the stride length.

Girls Run Too is a great site for kit & gadgets, they also do a wishlist thing so you can email details of your most wanted stuff to someone who needs inspiration. Not connected with them just a happy customer, also check out Less Bounce for sports bras, they're great too.