Beginners Running - Advice Needed

[KarmaDope]

To be fair that one you mentioned doesn't look too bad. Good luck with it!

[Doobs]

Well played Dooby.

I think exercise at any level is probably the greatest single physical and mental health improvement scheme available, especially when you realise that the only thing you need to improve upon is your old self.

This is very true.  I am a natural at mathsy stuff, and OK in a swimming pool or on a bike, but have always found distance running difficult.  ...

I'm the same on all parts of this - but you could also add short and middle distance running.

My main problem is I tend not to do things without motivation - in the past I did a few swimming events because I liked swimming, but the only way I could motivate myself to do running was with a longer term goal of doing a triathlon.

So I did a 5k run, a couple of 10k runs, an unsually distanced 5 mile run (although I mainly did that because it finished in the London Olympic Stadium) and a half marathon.

After that practice (with a few swim things in the meantime) then I was able to do a triathlon (albeit a bit of a turbo one)

That was in 2015 and I've pretty much failed to find a new target to motivate me yet.

Maybe when everything is back to normal I'll make more of an effort to work out another 5 year plan.

Ironman 70.3?

.... :| maybe more like Eton Dorney Sprint distance triathlon

I could just about do that, but would probably have to practice open water swimming and not sure my bike would cut it.  Do all people swim front crawl and have road/racing bikes or do you get all sorts at the back?   My cousin in Australia does proper ironman (or woman) stuff and some crazy long distance ocean swims.  Must have it in the DNA somewhere.

Good work with the race director stuff Sheriff.  Am probably going to start volunteering a bit more, now I think I can probably make most weekends.   

 

[Jon MW]

.... :| maybe more like Eton Dorney Sprint distance triathlon

I could just about do that, but would probably have to practice open water swimming and not sure my bike would cut it.  Do all people swim front crawl and have road/racing bikes or do you get all sorts at the back?   My cousin in Australia does proper ironman (or woman) stuff and some crazy long distance ocean swims.  Must have it in the DNA somewhere.

...

The one I did was the London triathlon, it's hyper organised and really set up well for first time triathletes. https://livetotri.co.uk/london/event-overview/

Any bike is okay and any swimming stroke is okay. But it's probably easier to just sort out your crawl because it makes life a lot easier; and it's usually just breathing that people have to fix.

I "believe" that this is basically true of every triathlon event but I've only strictly experienced the London one. Plus the London one being known for being good for beginners would make me assume that it would have a higher proportion of people having to revert to breast stroke and a higher proportion not having fancy bikes.

If I do another one I'll be perusing the previous years photo's and results because my only aim is to not come last and I certainly wouldn't be entering anything unless I was sure I wasn't going to be embarassed by either my equipment or my finishing time

NB: the reason I'd want to do the Eton Dorney second is because London insisted on wearing a wet suit for the swimming part - that makes it physically easier but it's a hassle. Eton Dorney means I'd lose time on the swim because it would be without swimsuit, but I'd be quicker on the bike because - no hills.

[Doobs]

.... :| maybe more like Eton Dorney Sprint distance triathlon

I could just about do that, but would probably have to practice open water swimming and not sure my bike would cut it.  Do all people swim front crawl and have road/racing bikes or do you get all sorts at the back?   My cousin in Australia does proper ironman (or woman) stuff and some crazy long distance ocean swims.  Must have it in the DNA somewhere.

...

The one I did was the London triathlon, it's hyper organised and really set up well for first time triathletes. https://livetotri.co.uk/london/event-overview/

Any bike is okay and any swimming stroke is okay. But it's probably easier to just sort out your crawl because it makes life a lot easier; and it's usually just breathing that people have to fix.

I "believe" that this is basically true of every triathlon event but I've only strictly experienced the London one. Plus the London one being known for being good for beginners would make me assume that it would have a higher proportion of people having to revert to breast stroke and a higher proportion not having fancy bikes.

If I do another one I'll be perusing the previous years photo's and results because my only aim is to not come last and I certainly wouldn't be entering anything unless I was sure I wasn't going to be embarassed by either my equipment or my finishing time

NB: the reason I'd want to do the Eton Dorney second is because London insisted on wearing a wet suit for the swimming part - that makes it physically easier but it's a hassle. Eton Dorney means I'd lose time on the swim because it would be without swimsuit, but I'd be quicker on the bike because - no hills.

I am not sure I'd want to begin with THAT kind of event. 

I used to just swim front crawl in my younger days, but my eyesight is appalling and I can't use contact lenses, so swim breaststroke with glasses these days.  We were away last week, and my daughter wanted to race me doing crawl, so I did a (short) length crawl, but my breathing was very haphazard.  I cerntainly wouldn't manage 400m doing crawl and would probably get lost on the way.  I already have prescription ski goggles and a prescription dive mask, so could just add to the collection. 

I think I'd have to up my stamina, as 750m swim, 20k cycle and 5k runs are all pretty much as far as I go individually.  I could go supersprint, but that seems a bit of a cop out.

[Jon MW]

Oops - at least I remembered to put wet suit in the other parts instead of swim suit.

You do make a reasonable point about route finding - it's really difficult to swim in a straight line even when you can see the way you're meant to be going.

The only other fix to that I can think of apart from prescription goggles is doing the event with someone who promises not to leave your side while swimming.  Looking up to check where the marker bouys are is probably what most of the people doing breast stroke were doing when I did one - that is probably a pretty good compromise; crawl for a bit - switch to breast stroke to check you're still going in a straight line - then keep switching.

Good crawl technique would also help with the stamina - because then you don't expend any wasted energy. If you get the breathing right, then finesse the movement - it makes it a lot easier to go a lot further.

[LouieBryant]

I am afraid to put the contact lenses and swimming glasses because I think water might still go through and damage them...

[Doobs]

I am still making progress on the parkruns, even though I am struggling to get the midweek runs with work and the kids activities all restarting. 

Yesterday I managed my first parkrun without getting lapped (it is a 2 circuit run right now).  There is some young man who runs it in 16 odd minutes, but he didn's show this week and the winner was 18 minutes and a bit.  Guess he must have done the marathon, or maybe he'd just got hammered.

Anyway, now I am down to less than 37 minutes, which has made me quite a bit happier.  My previous "best" of 37 1/2 minutes from Aviemore was almost certainly a bad timing, so I have been trying to get rid of it.  This week I lopped more than a minute off my PB, and finished much more amongst runners than in the past.  Normally I am 20 seconds behind the one in front, and 20 seconds ahead of the next.  When you get down to 35/36 minutes runners are much more frequent, and I actually finished in a bunch of 7 of us all sprinting across the last field; which sounds much more athletic than it was in reality...  Reality was me muttering FFS to myself and struggling to pick my feet up.

I was also pleased to beat someone else in my age group at last, only to realise that he was almost certainly the tail runner.  I have got the gap down to 2 minutes to the next gebuibe 50-54 year old, but need to get below 35 to beat him, which I guess is the next target.  Maybe when the weather gets a bit nicer, as can't see me doing PBS in the cold and rain.  Will see though.   Also if I wait for the better weather, I am going to be hitting the 55-59 year olds and I have the beating of a couple of those.

[Sheriff Fatman]

I had a request a few weeks ago from Vitality for them to do a feature on my parkrun journey.  They released it yesterday via their social media channels.

https://youtu.be/uJ-W-UPfdm0

[Doobs]

I had a request a few weeks ago from Vitality for them to do a feature on my parkrun journey.  They released it yesterday via their social media channels.

https://youtu.be/uJ-W-UPfdm0

That's good Curtis.  cheers and keep it up.  Would have got my 10 t-shirt this week if they did them.

[booder]

Nice one Curtis

[Ledders]

That's superb Curtis. Brilliant stuff