The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner

[StuartHopkin]

Gatso how long did it take you to build your running up to what it is now?

[gatso]

Gatso how long did it take you to build your running up to what it is now?

not too long really, got to the point last summer where I figured I was far too unfit/fat, holiday photos from then aren't exactly flattering, so figured running was the easy way to sort it

was pretty awful to start with, couldn't do a mile without stopping which was a bit worrying

tried quite a lot of distances and settled on 10k as a good training distance

first sub 1:00 was 15th sept

no outdoor runs for the next 6 months, spent 3 months injured so nothing at all and the other 3 hiding from the cold doing treadmill work

first outdoor run back was 52:06 on march 9th

27th march did my first race since school, 47:07

then gradually brought it down to 45:43 this tuesday. that felt fairly easy so gonna aim for 45 mins start of next week

pretty happy with that as I've got a recurring knee problem which means I only average about 2 runs a week, only done 230km since the 9th march

[StuartHopkin]

Gatso how long did it take you to build your running up to what it is now?

not too long really, got to the point last summer where I figured I was far too unfit/fat, holiday photos from then aren't exactly flattering, so figured running was the easy way to sort it

was pretty awful to start with, couldn't do a mile without stopping which was a bit worrying

tried quite a lot of distances and settled on 10k as a good training distance

first sub 1:00 was 15th sept

no outdoor runs for the next 6 months, spent 3 months injured so nothing at all and the other 3 hiding from the cold doing treadmill work

first outdoor run back was 52:06 on march 9th

27th march did my first race since school, 47:07

then gradually brought it down to 45:43 this tuesday. that felt fairly easy so gonna aim for 45 mins start of next week

pretty happy with that as I've got a recurring knee problem which means I only average about 2 runs a week, only done 230km since the 9th march

Wow so it only took you a few months to be able to do a 1 hour 10k?

You find running outside easier than the treadmill?

[gatso]

not sure it's easier but outdoor is completely different and vastly preferable. treadmill running is ridic boring and I find progression is harder as you end up just sticking it on one speed and sticking to it. only real benefit for me is they tend to be lower impact which is good for my knee

no way I'll go near a treadmill again until the winter, even then I'm thinking I might stick to outdoors this year

[Bongo]

Did you not think of inline skating? Easier on the knees and you burn more calories*!

*according to CNN

[gatso]

state of the roads/pavements round here rules out skating really

[vegaslover]

not sure it's easier but outdoor is completely different and vastly preferable. treadmill running is ridic boring and I find progression is harder as you end up just sticking it on one speed and sticking to it. only real benefit for me is they tend to be lower impact which is good for my knee

no way I'll go near a treadmill again until the winter, even then I'm thinking I might stick to outdoors this year

I pretty much only use the treadmill for running, mainly for the much lower impact. It is also far easier to pace/train to pace on a treadmill.
The only thing I do different is progressive load every run

[kinboshi]

Saw someone using this on twitter, and it's a handy site for recording/sharing runs.

http://runkeeper.com/

You can use an app on your phone to automatically track you as you run, upload runs from your Garmin, etc., or manually add your runs - should be quite a useful training aid.  You can create 'street teams' to share your training runs with friends or team-mates, etc.  I've only just signed up to it, so just added my last run: http://runkeeper.com/user/kinboshi/activity/38225843.  Off out for another one in a bit and will enter that run as well when I get back.

[vegaslover]

Will check it out
i was using mapmyrun a fair bit last year

[leethefish]

Will check it out
i was using mapmyrun a fair bit last year

ive just got the mapmywalk app
could have done with this a few weeks ago !

[kinboshi]

Month and a half to go until the 'Thunder Run' - so today is the first of my doubling-up on the 10Ks.  Just run one this morning and it was bloody hard, really humid.  This evening I'll do a second one, hopefully it will be raining then.

[Jon MW]

I went for a jog/run over the weekend

My calves feel like extremely taut elastic bands today, do you think that's likely to be lack of practice from not having done any running for >>>10 years - or something preventable like warm up or stretching related?

[kinboshi]

Sounds like it's just a case of muscles being used you haven't used for years.  Don't overdo it too early and let the muscles rest and recover in-between runs, and that should help prevent injuries. 

I never warm-up or stretch before a run.  It's 'dangerous' to stretch before your muscles are warmed up and the best way to warm them up is a gentle run!  If you're running fast, especially over short distances, then you'd need to do a proper warm-up and stretch so your muscles are ready for the more explosive activity. But if you run at my speed, there's not too much explosive going on.  Stretching after a run can help improve recovery, as can unpleasant things such as ice-baths or cold showers on the affected muscles.

[gatso]

very much what dan says. please don't stretch before going for a jog. it's a horrible habit that so many people have and it really is the fast track to injury

I got tight calves when I started running again, nothing to worry about, it'll pass as you get used to it. if you don't fancy an ice bath then a warm soak will make them feel a bit better

[Jon MW]

That's disappointing - I was hoping for a magic shortcut