Runners Thread Continued

[almost40]

Hi everyone, and congrats to those who did so well over the weekend. I was trying to post a new message on the runners thread, but couldn't because I think there were too many messages (over 800). I have a beginner's question. I ran (walked/ran) everyday for 1 week, then missed 1 week, and then went out this morning, and found that I could not run at all. My ankles are in severe pain when I run, but strangely do not hurt at all when I walk. So I ended up walking the whole way. I just bought new trainers - but I can't imagine that's the problem. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

First mile is slow....hah! My legs seem to need something in the order of 20-30 minutes running before they condescend to produce anything approaching 10k pace. This makes my warm up procedure before any races a bit of a joke, quite frankly, especially as this is very marked early on Sunday mornings

Thanks for advice gizmo & pb, and pb for scanningall those names in the paper! Don't mind that I was a smidge under 60, at least it was under!

Blimey, are you serious about 9 min miles??? I'd like to improve on distance, with the half mar ins ept as my main goal. I'd also like to get rid of my wobbly gut!

Yeah think I'll have a 30 min run tomorrow - in unwashed putrid running gear from sunday's race

(Silly time, as I am doing an all-nighter prior to a team meeting - and it is probably safer than going to bed when I have to be at the airport at 5 am . I am currently waitng for Perpoint slides to open on the manfully slow dialup connection I need to use toaccess the ooffice remotely)

Gizmo - are you me in a former/younger life?! The way you got into running, the hatred of the first few miles, tired heavy legs on SUnday mornings, the preference for evening as opposed to first thing (or to be precsie - the greater attraction of a warm bed!).....there are so many similarities to the way I ran in my late 20s (when I started) to my mid thirties. (and then stopped until my now grand old age of 44 ). The first ever marathon I saw was the Paris marathon - and I remember being inspired by it. I think I ran my first marathon a year later - the result of a bet with my boss (who knew I needed that challenge to go out and do it).

Fionagib - my best ever time for a half was about 1 hour 42 (e sub 8 minute miles), so if I ignore (!!!) the fact that I am now c.15 years older, I am hopeful I will get at least some of my pace back. I can dream! I suppose losing my extra stone (thank you dh ) would also help. I was young free and single then though, so going out for runs was easier. It takes more organisation now.

But as Gizmo says, having some targets helps. I suppose what I should do is choose some races over the summer and write down some training plans. Then my excuses get more difficult!

Enjoy your run tomorrow - and think of the smell as the scent of achievement!

I've been reading how a lot of you have said the 1st mile or 2 is like a warm up for you & after last night i've found i'm the same. I couldn't understand why i could be more shattered running 2 or 3 miles than running 5 or 6!

On a shorter run i'm tempted to run it all fast & i burn out. Last night i did 5 miles in the rain(which i love!)ran the 1st mile really slow & found my pace really picked up, i was so impressed!

There is a 10k at the end of may in my local park which i ran last year but it was full of really fast runners from running clubs & me & my friend came 14th from last out of 350 people! Can anyone recommend a good, fun 10k. I'm in SE london. Thanks

Coldtea,

Last year I ran the 'London Pride' 10k which I would thoroughly recommend. Good barbq and atmosphere, well organised + celebrity starter (if Dan from Big Brother counts as celebrity!). This year they're doing it in Brockwell Park, Lambeth, so shouldn't be too far from you.

Prettybird - PMSL at the 'scent of achievement'. I'm envisaging the advert now: grainy black and white film, perhaps a beach or a beautiful rural backdrop, glamorous supermodel type couple come pounding up towards the camera. The man runs his hand under his armpit and flicks a few drops to the camera. Freeze scene with the strapline 'Achievement by Calvin Kleine: you have to earn it.'

Oh and by the way: it's not that I am you - it's just that I have pinched your body. Hope you don't mind

'Achievement.... ah, the smell of it.'

no run today as have mild hangover and couldn't be a@sed. Gonna get out wed and thur, before my wee 2 night kiddie free jaunt to London. Hope everyone's having a good week & enjoying the sunshine.

Hi guys. Think I'm suffering from shin splints. Very painful shins, tender to touch on the inside at the bottom.

Want to run again today, but don't think it's wise. What should I do?

Sorry Northerner, but I don't think you should run .

You could try a cycle ride or swim, perhaps, to keep the cardiovascular busy? In the meantime, maybe Googling shin splints will come up with some suggestions on dealing with them: the standard advice is to check shoes and do some specific stretches, but you need to be sure that is your problem before you go through the whole hassle of new shoes.

Poor northerner - hope you feel better soon. & good luck with your race this weekend gizmo. Go go go!

Was out for 40 mins this a.m, felt really good, will do same tomorrow before I escape to london for a girlie break with some old friends, def won't be running then...

Just back from a couple of hard days work in London. Saw the signpost for Wheathampstead as I was on the bus back to Luton Airport and thought of you Gizmo! Good luck with your run. I've done a few runs in that area and enjoyed them. (When I first started running, I was living Hitchen and used to run in the Hitchin, Letchworth, Henlow areas).

By the way - if you've stolen my body now, Gizmo, you're welcome to it. If you've got my body of 15 years ago I WANT IT BACK!!!!!!!

Northerner - Ouch Gizmo is right - no running for you at the momet. I had shin splints not long after I first started running (classic "too much too soon") and the only remedy was rest. I did go and see a phusio and had some ultrasound treatment, which may have helped.

Fionagib - good for you in getting out. Enjoy your weekend in London!

Nobody running this week?

Meant to say that I managed to wear my new orange kitten heels after all Took down a pari of comfortable flat shoes and wore them to walk places, putting on the "posh" shoes before I went in to meetings

How are the shin splints Northerner?

Good luck with your 10k this weekend Gizmo! Might not be a pb - but it'll still to be good to get back into racing after your fantastic effort in Paris.

Now, see, I'm glad some people manage to combine running and glamour. Quite how you do it escapes me, Prettybird, as squeezing my hooves into something pretty and kitten heeled usually results in me wearing a hole in the shoe - from the inside.

Hope your meetings went well. I have actually been forced to do some work this week ( I'm sure that wasn't in my contract!) so MN has had to survive without me. And look what happens: ructions all over the place about 'fulfilment' and 'laziness' which I have not been able to contribute to/loftily ignore .

Leetle bit of running, too. Hashing monday, then a break until last night when I went out for a quick thrash around and a slightly slower run with a bunch of girl friends. I've made the mistake of borrowing DH's fabbo gadget which does time, heart rate, distance and therefore pace and now know that I have lost quite a bit of fitness since the week after Paris (last time I borrowed it). So I've just been out to run 10k and have concluded that I don't think I'm going to be at my best for the weekend. Never mind.

Running wise, I'm still drifting a bit and it must stop. So, I'm going to set myself a target, and if I tell you lot I can't back out of it. My current 10K PB is (I think) around 48 minutes. By the end of this summer I would like it to be under 45 mins. That is going to be very hard to do so it should keep me focussed, and if I can do the occasional long run for marathon base training, then I can pick up for an autumn marathon quite quickly.

If you don't mind, I might put my weekly schedules up here, too, then if I don't do what I say I'm going to do I shall be accountable . Or would that consitute extreme thread hijack?

Sounds good Gizmo. I might even start copying your schedules!

I always found it easier to follow a training programme if I had written it down - complete with the type of run it was supposed to be (as opposed to just the distance). I would then note how the run went, how I felt and what the weather was like (so that I could have an excsue if it was windy and wet !)

But I wasn't as good as you at keeping focussed after a amarathon. After each of my three marathons I went through a hiatus, so each of them was effectively trained from scratch.

My by for a 10k is (I think) 44 minutes - run with my old boss, who was the one who got em into running. My best 1/2M was (I think) 1hr 42 or 44 in Welwyn Garden City - but that was back in 1988 (or whenever the hurrican in the SOuth east of England was, as I can remember having to side step large branches from the aftermath)

I too am having an extremely hard work week. I'd better go off and finish the cusomter proposal that I need to get out today!

Hello mumsnet runners! I would like to join your thread (cautiously). I've had back injuries in the past so I have to be careful not to train too often and to take things very, very slowly. In the past I've got up to the stage where I can run 30 mins without stopping, but then had to stop because of back or neck pain. Fingers crossed, I have been jogging twice a week since the beginning of March and can now do 20 minutes (vv slow). I'm doing a half-marathon power-walk on 18 June so training for that is taking priority, but think I may be ready to try a 5km race in September.
Sorry to, er, let this post run on and on!

Hi Arabica! Good running shoes is the key to painfree running plus take it slowly and don't forget your stretches after.

Not much running going on in the Potty household this week. Dd's head had an argument with a swing on Tuesday and was off sick Wednesday - off sick again today so my schedule is all to pot. All being well I'm planning an easy (!?) 5 miles on Sat or Sunday and a 'turn up and run' 5k on Tuesday evening.

Yup, I got super shoes from a good running shop. It also helps to have a really excellent CD or tape to listen to.

Thought I would sneak back in after rather a long absence (and not much running) to let you know I am doing a 6.8km race (or rather "fun run") tomorrow (Sun). Strange distance I know but it's part of the Vienna marathon and is the direct route from the marathon start to the finish, missing out the other 34km or so! DH had a rush of blood to the head and made a late entry for the 1/2 marathon so it's a real family outing!

How did you get on Gizmo & lapsedrunner ? (at least you're guaranteed a PB for 6.8k..)

I'd written a huge post on Friday, wishing you luck & full of stuff about intervals etc (and if I'm honest, a 10k aim too) but my favourite 5 year old snook in while I was answering the phone & shut my Mumsnet window grrr!!!

Hope your dd is feeling better Potty1 & you made it out.

I've just got back from 8k around the old airbase, really windy but we kept going - it certainly helped that there were 3 of us otherwise we might have been tempted to stop for a nose-blow or 2..

Happy to report a time of 32.22 for my 6.8km, pretty pleased due to my lack of training plus it was about 25'C. DH finished his 1/2M in 1.40 which again he was happy with. Stiffness is now setting in though, we are just about to take the dog and ds (2.8) for their afternoon walk. Hope any other runs went well.

I got out Did my 5 miles in 52 1/2 mins, felt great and could have gone further. Just a minor problem with my left foot in that in went numb between miles 3 & 4 (?).

That's a good time LR - especially in the heat - we've had showers here, lovely weather for a run.

Morning all.
Hey Lapsedrunner: nice one did you give all the marathon runners a fright by appearing on their heels looking very rested and speedy?

Wheathampstead 10K done and dusted ? time is 47: something (47:49 on my watch, 47:17 on organiser?s clock ? not sure how that happened!). It?s definitely not a PB course, as within the first KM there is a narrow bridge over a river which creates a traffic jam while people queue to cross it. Inspired by Prettybird?s Tough Guy I just ran through the river, then spent the rest of the race worrying that I would be disqualified for not following the course . However, it?s a nice 10K and I would recommend for anyone looking for an off road race.

Good to see everyone?s running and racing going to plan: Twink, where have you been? If you ever have time to recreate those thoughts on intervals again, I?d love to see them. Are you doing anything race wise between now and the RFL?

Welcome Arabica, and I hope you?re still enjoying pain free running. I can?t tell you how much respect I have for you and Potty1 and anyone else who has a chronic injury and manages to deal with it successfully: it must take so much self knowledge and control. Talking of which: Northerner, are you out there? How are your shins?

I need to go away and think about the plan for the next few months before I can put up this week?s schedule, but I will do it today.

Gizom - good time Glad I helped insipre you! Next you'll be sigining up for the 2006 Tough Guy!

Didn't actually get out at the weekend . Will try to get out tonight - honest! Don't want to lose the momentum of having finally started again, plus having the great support here !

hi, i've been a lurker on the running threads for a while as i only really run on the treadmill at the gym.

was just wondering if anyone knew why i seem to get discomfort in the arches of my feet, my dh says its my trainers! wondered if anyone else got it and what i can do to remedy it

TIA

Thanks for the nice comment Gizmo and well done for your run. I'm not sure about the arches problem, maybe you could try a good running shop for advice?
I think the only reason I have managed to stay relatively pain-free recently (sometimes it's uncomfortable during my run but it goes quickly afterwards, whereas in the past it's just got lots worse) is that I am SO slow. I would however like something to train for and would like to do a 5km in either Sept or Oct. Can anybody recommend any London runs coming up?

Arabica-not london but i'm doing the great south run on the 9th october(portsmouth). It's 10 miles & it's flat! I'm a slow runner! I ran the great north in 2hours 28mins, but it was fun. The gsr sounds fun with lots of supporters!