The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner

[gatso]

just got my time texted to me. pretty neat little service that. 22:12,plenty of room for improvement there

tough field today, finished 20th in a time that would've got me 8th in the same race last week

[kinboshi]

did my first 5k race this morning and discovered I'm an idiot. was 2x2.5k laps but I had a complete brainfreeze and for some reason put in a sprint finish at the end of lap 1 so was abs destroyed for half of lap 2. don't know my time yet, forgot the watch, but thinking about 22mins

Nice work sir. Bet you were wondering why you felt so fresh

22 minutes isn't bad at all.

[kinboshi]

Still want the 610...

[gatso]

Nice work sir. Bet you were wondering why you felt so fresh

yep, was feeling really good. also wondering why no-one else was sprinting. realisation dawned when I noticed everyone avoiding the finish funnel

[kinboshi]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/athletics/15033290.stm

Nice one Paula. Would be brilliant if she can win gold in London.

[neeko]

Kin - you ever run one of these? http://www.thewolfrun.com/ A 10k with mud and water, its a lot of fun I am told - I watched as my better half "ran" it.

Next one is April.

[kinboshi]

A friend of mine has done one like that (might even have been that one), but he does ironman and triathlons, so is a bit strange anyway.

Not saying I'd never do an event like that, but haven't really considered doing one so far. It's not at the top of my bucket list

[StuartHopkin]

Did 5k on the treadmill yesterday

Seem to have a really tight left calve any tips?

[kinboshi]

Did 5k on the treadmill yesterday

Seem to have a really tight left calve any tips?

Don't over-do it if you're feeling tight.  Could be your body getting used to the additional mileage you're doing, or could be an indication of an injury or even badly-fitting shoes, etc.  Probably the first though, so rest will help - as will some stretching exercises after you've run and are fully warmed up.

Also, get off the treadmill and get outside ffs.

[StuartHopkin]

Did 5k on the treadmill yesterday

Seem to have a really tight left calve any tips?

Don't over-do it if you're feeling tight.  Could be your body getting used to the additional mileage you're doing, or could be an indication of an injury or even badly-fitting shoes, etc.  Probably the first though, so rest will help - as will some stretching exercises after you've run and are fully warmed up.

Also, get off the treadmill and get outside ffs.

Got some of these http://www.footbalance.com/ not sure how good they are as they are taking a bit of getting used to.
Walked them in a bit before running with them, very comfortable but leave me with a lot of pain across the joint of my toes during and after running.
Should note I have complete spack feet after walking on my toes for the first 10 years of my life.

Any technical reason for running outside? Doesnt overly appeal? Obviously going to have a go before I enter any races.

[EvilPie]

Did 5k on the treadmill yesterday

Seem to have a really tight left calve any tips?

Loosen it off a bit.

[kinboshi]

Did 5k on the treadmill yesterday

Seem to have a really tight left calve any tips?

Don't over-do it if you're feeling tight.  Could be your body getting used to the additional mileage you're doing, or could be an indication of an injury or even badly-fitting shoes, etc.  Probably the first though, so rest will help - as will some stretching exercises after you've run and are fully warmed up.

Also, get off the treadmill and get outside ffs.

Got some of these http://www.footbalance.com/ not sure how good they are as they are taking a bit of getting used to.
Walked them in a bit before running with them, very comfortable but leave me with a lot of pain across the joint of my toes during and after running.
Should note I have complete spack feet after walking on my toes for the first 10 years of my life.

They're just insoles, right?  What about the actual running shoes you're using?

Any technical reason for running outside? Doesnt overly appeal? Obviously going to have a go before I enter any races.

Running on a treadmill is different to running outside in quite a few ways.  For one, there's no wind-resistance and the terrain doesn't 'change' - and neither does the weather obviously.  So outdoor running (at the same pace) requires more exertion.  To 'mimic' this I think you need to whack up the incline a percent or two.  But even then, it's not the same.  Outside you run up and downhill, and this gives different challenges (running downhill might be 'easier', but running down steep hills in races can really mess up your pace, heart-rate, etc.,  and this is something you need to get used to).

I think it's a lot similar to comparing free-weights and machines and the discussions people have about the relative qualities of each.  Running outside demands more from your body, for example as you run over uneven ground (even on hard surfaces such as roads and pavements) your body has to work at keeping you upright and moving - so your joints, bones and muscles are worked and develop over time.  Also the way the treadmill moves underneath you means you actually run differently to running naturally.  Of course using a treadmill will burn calories and improve fitness, but it won't prepare you fully for taking part in a race outside. 

What treadmills can be useful for is interval training - such as doing sets of 400m runs at a fast pace followed by a recovery run in between each set.  That's more difficult to do outside, unless you have a track to run round.

[kinboshi]

Basically, running on a treadmill is fine - but it's not ideal preparation for doing a road-race.  Obviously it's very similar to running outside so will help.

If you're planning on running a half-marathon or a full marathon though, I don't think doing all your training on a treadmill is sensible.  For one, it'll drive you bloody mad running inside for 3-4 hours at a a time!

[gatso]

treadmill is great as a cv workout but you really should combine it with outdoor work or you're going to be screwed the first time you're faced with a corner in a race

[StuartHopkin]

treadmill is great as a cv workout but you really should combine it with outdoor work or you're going to be screwed the first time you're faced with a corner in a race

awesome as always