Any runners on here; advice needed.

I was also meant to be doing the winter half but something ‘popped’ in my back on a training run last week and until Wednesday I couldn’t put on a pair of socks without help from my wife.

MK courses I find generally boring other than this one. I ran it a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Best of luck with your run.

 

Ah man, what a nuisance. No option to defer is there? Hope you’re on the mend soon.

I’ve been struggling a bit with injury since London. No issues at all through the whole spring/summer of marathon training, then as soon as I changed the routine afterwards I’ve had both hamstrings niggling at me and a sore left foot. Partly my own fault - decided to use my new found decent level of fitness to see how fast I could go. Did Parkrun in 21:10 and joined the local running club to do some speed sessions and now my legs hate me! Tomorrow will be my longest run since the marathon.

 

A question for the experienced runners. In the past i've always set myself arbitrary distance goals when I start running, E.G. I'll do 3k 3 times a week when i'm starting back up again, but I always find it really difficult to increase my distance.

Am I better off setting myself a time target instead and then just walking if I can't run the entire time until I get a bit fitter?

 

Depends what your distance goal is really but that's essentially the premise of Couch to 5K. It's a really good way to approach starting up from nothing. Gives some structure and focuses on time over distance, but breaks it down into achievable chunks with steadily increasing difficulty.

If you're not planning to following an actual programme like that I'd say walking is fine but try to limit it more as you improve - both how many times you walk within a run and for how long - and increase the overall active time slightly. That way you're pushing yourself.

To be honest if you're working around 3k now you'd probably benefit from Couch to 5K.

 

How did you get on at MK Winter Half, @UEA_Hornet ?

 

It went well thanks - got a new PB (just under 1:42) - and like you quite enjoyed the course, having expected it be more urban-based than it turned out. It was bloody freezing but no real ice on the route other than a couple of slippy bridges over the canal. Was impressed by the amount of marshals they had out. I couldn't feel my fingers or toes for about the first 2 miles but warmed up enough after that! A couple of recent but shorter practice runs in the cold at home were a godsend for helping me work out what layers to wear.

Really pleased with that to top the year and will try and find my next one now in Feb/March. The aim for 2023 is to get within sight of a 1:30 HM.

How long do you reckon your back will have you out of action?

 

Good work, 1:42 is impressive.

My back feels 'ok' now and I'm moving fine but avoiding lifting anything heavy as it still feels like too much exertion would flare it up again. I've not run for about a fortnight now so I reckon I'll try and get out for 3 or 4 gentle miles on the canal this weekend and see how I hold up. I had a target of doing 6 half marathons this year and because I missed MK on Sunday I've finished on 5 - frustrating but is what it is.

If you like running at this time of year then I'd thoroughly recommend the Leighton Buzzard dirt half which is in the November international break. It's an excellent and scenic course, and it is held on a Saturday which is preferable for me as it means a Saturday afternoon recuperating in the pub.

 

Huge congrats. I'm a massive fair weather runner and massively struggling with motivation in the cold. I'm off to Barbados in a couple of weeks time though and will do some early morning running there, although the hills are even steeper than those in the Chiltern Hills which I normally run.

I used to be a county runner, but I definitely still struggle with motivation, and have gone long periods without running.

The best thing I've found to overcome my inactivity was a book called Atomic Habits. Which basically concludes that to run long term, you need to 'become a runner'. And to do that (and yes, nearly anyone can do that) you need to do things to enjoy running and really want to run.

Before, I used to run because I was good at it, but I never enjoyed it. But the book taught me to tweak a few small things to make me genuinely enjoy it based on my personality type.

I like listening to things in one go, to the end, so I found really good audiobooks and podcasts, but would only listen to them whilst running, which made me want to go out and hear more. If you need music (definitely recommended for faster runs), there are some good playlists on spotify that match songs to cadence, so you can start off at your current pace and go faster. If done gradually, your legs will automatically start to move to hit the beat and you'll find yourself running faster.

I also like more instant rewards, so I used Strava and would try to beat minor records around my neighbourhood, which showed up on a leaderboard. You might not be a sprinter, but you can still get yourself on certain leaderboards etc.

And I also like a deadline, so I try to sign up to runs (although I haven't since Covid). I'll probably sign up to a 5k or something in the new year, although it's hard to do pace training where I live as it is so hilly.

So all in all, my advice is stop worrying about distance and/or speed too much, and try to do things that genuinely make you enjoy your running more. Once you've done that, the rest will follow.

 

Lots of that rings true for me too @miked2006. I'm pretty sure it was you who mentioned podcasts earlier in this thread and that's been a real help to me, especially on some of the long marathon training runs through the summer as I'm not a big music fan. Had Barack Obama narrating his autobiography instead and exactly as you say I'd only listen to it when running.

 

Did Rome marathon at the weekend & would recommend it for those who like something different. Certainly the best start to any event I've done and the course included all the sites. Cobbles were quite harsh on the legs but get it on your bucket list.

Onto London next month

 

Wow, sounds great. What stood out about the start - location or something else?

I'm sticking to 10k / HMs this year but pretty sure I'll do another marathon in 2024. Joining a running club and training once a week with a fast group (I'm the slowest!) over winter seems to be paying off. I was back in MK a couple of weeks ago for their 10k. Came 24th out of 600+ in 40:46. Well happy with that. If I can stay injury free my aim for this year is to go sub-40 in a 10k and push as close as possible to 1:30 in a HM.

 

You started outside the coliseum & after an opera singer had sung the Pavarotti wc song the tricolo( Italian red arrows) fly past happened just unreal.

Your times are well on course to achieve that. I found some daily stretching & light strength work helped. 7 seconds a mile is all you need for the 10k. Running with a club will push you along also

 

40 mins is very good. I'm doing my local 10k again this year. Binfield10k is worth a go, very well run but quite hilly especially the second half. I'm 50, overweight with bad knees so your time is out of reach but hoping to to beat last years time

 

I don't mind the hills... he says safely at his desk!

I've signed up for the Silverstone 10k earlier that week. It's 2 laps of the circuit so might be half a sniff of a faster time.

 

If its anything like Donnington Park then some big climbs although underfoot will be nice and even.
Get some nike cheat shoes well worth the money if you want some PB times

 

Still going strong. Down to 19:02 at Poole Parkrun a couple of weeks ago while we were down there visiting friends. And then a 1:32.24 in a half marathon today on pretty mixed terrain, including a good 3-4 miles of spongy farmer’s field tracks. I reckon the 1:30 target could be in range in a fortnight when I do the Birmingham half. Even if that doesn’t work out I’m still feeling good and ahead of the plan.

 

Your well on course for sub 1-30 if that's your Parkrun time.
Did London yesterday in 3-13 which I'm happy with considering the lack of training. First 1 in 10 years & forgot how fantastic the crowds are on route

 

That's a great time, well done.

 

I think I've developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot or another strain from constantly running on concrete, any advice? Much appreciated!

 

I'd get it checked at a physio but that can be expensive. Other than that rest & research on treatment. YouTube & Twitter can be quite useful for info on injuries & how to treat them & recover

 

I'm seriously getting slower and slower. Used to reliably average a 6m km but now struggling to get under 6.30.

Age or just because I'm focused on strength work now. I dunno. Just gonna keep it up to maintain cardio health.

 

This is one of the many reasons I have never timed my runs. I don't want pressure on myself, comparing to others, the nauseating social media around it and noticing the inevitable decline with age.

I do 5.5km about 4 times a week. Just get out and take it as it comes.

 

Sounds very healthy. I'm constantly measuring my performance against myself.

Luckily most of the people I know on Strava are ridiculous, so I never compare myself with them. These are people who pop out for a 20km run and do it in an hour and 10 min. Over hills.

 

Did a 1:29.54 at Birmingham. So glad it was 6 seconds under rather than over! Got a few more HMs this year so I think the aim now is to see if I can repeat the trick and bring my time down a bit further.

 

My advice for running is….

Buses , pub closing hours and weddings/funerals. Yes .

Rest of the time a casual walk is more than suffice .

 

Completed my second ever 10k over the weekend. Very hot but beat my previous time by 3 mins so delighted. I'm not quick by any means and run around 7 mins per km. The last 4km's of yesterdays run is uphill! I ache this morning

 

Well done, good running. On to the next one now!

 

As I get older I've given up on going quicker so decided to just go further instead.

 

Did my first ever Half Marathon today.

Chip time was under 1:25, which I’m really happy with, but feel I still had gas in the tank at the end and ended up running almost half a KM longer (overtaking on the outside of an nine lap circuit)

Excluding the extra distance, I’d have been in the 1:23s.

All lessons to learn and reckon I might try for a 1:22 in spring, after a few attempts at a sub 37 10k

 

Wow, that’s excellent! Was that Battersea? I’ve heard that’s a bit mental as a half. Flat and fast but still open to the general public? And the many, many laps…

I did Coventry last month, which was literally uphill for the first 8 miles and got my pacing wrong. Ended up with a PB but still in the 1:29s. Bit frustrated but a PB’s a PB. Next up for me a marathon in the spring I think, though a couple of HMs and 10ks in the training plan.

 

Well done! A PB in really tough and hilly conditions is great, you’ll probably beat it significantly on a flatter course.

Yes at Battersea. It’s open to the public but they weren’t really an issue, although the wet and windy day probably put some spectators off.

The course definitely is flat and fast, and I was surprised how doing so many laps wasn't as mentally challenging as expected.

The main issue with the laps was that faster runners either have to weave around slower lapped runners or stick to the outside, and was in hindsight like running the equivalent of a 21k track event but having to stick to the outside lane.

So despite beating my target, I was a bit disappointed when my average time in min/km wasn’t as fast as I calculated it should be, plus I didn’t know I should kick on earlier.

If I do it again, I’d more aggressively push to the inside and switch my watch to miles and cross reference against the signs so I can estimate my actual pace

 

What sort of training have you been doing? I know a little while back in this thread you spoke about motivation being the issue - what got you back into it to the extent you’ve smashed a half like that?

 

I think the main motivator this time was colleagues at work, who all seemed to be doing half and full marathons, and so there was a bit of friendly rivalry. Having them on Strava really helps accountability and makes training feel better.

I was aiming for sub 1:30 but did 10 miles at 3:51 per km a couple of months ago in training before I started getting tendinitis, which gave me huge motivation to keep going and not give up.

I took the sub 1:30 training plan from runners world, did about 3/ 4 days of it per week - always the long run - and added in body pump/ Pilates classes to strengthen. At the end, I was essentially doing it all.

The issue historically is that I reach a target and then rest too much and fall into bad habits. I think I’m going to be smarter about my recovery phase, and try to focus on strength and cross training for a few weeks, with some running but not too much or too little.

But the nights are darker and colder and Christmas drinks are just around the corner, so we’ll see!

 

No wonder you think there’s more in the tank if you pulled out that pace over 10 miles in training! At least if the km to miles conversion I just checked’s right, as I work in miles.

Definitely agree about the accountability - running with others even once a week over the winter makes a massive difference.

Main aim for me for the rest of the year is to get my mileage back up. I ramped it up a bit too quickly over the summer, hitting about 48 miles a week but mixed with not recovering properly from racing, and ended up with a hamstring niggle that just won’t go away. Inexperience meant I didn’t quite read the warning signs that with hindsight were obvious. Now I’m not racing again until March (except my throw in a Parkrun or two) and so I’ve got time to strengthen and take the mileage up more sustainably.

 

Yeah, I basically took a two week break after the 1h 2min 10 mile, as I kept flaring up tendinitis in my ankle.

Still had it near the end, but nowhere near as bad. 4 weeks would probably have sorted it, but I tend to think injuries are a combination of a lack of strength/ flexibility and overdoing it, so hope doing 2 strength/ legs classes a week will help.

I’ve been reading up about training blocks and how important it is to take strategic rests after 12 or so weeks to focus on strength, flexibility and recover mentally and physically. So I’m trying to split my year into 14-16 week blocks with recovery and rebuild, increasing intensity each time between blocks.

48 miles a week seems a lot if your focus is on HM or below, especially in a short space of time. Do you do 80:20 for your low heart rate: fast runs? Have you thought about cutting back to 50-60 km a week, but dedicating a higher percentage of your runs to speed: intervals, fartleks, hills etc?