Random Running Questions

juke

Ososlo wrote: »

Ah! Interesting! That makes sense alright. Even in summer on a warm day, I see them in my local park in baggy jogging pants with hoodies.

Sure why else would ya do cardio :pac::eek:

davedanon

When I see someone running all swaddled up on a warm day, my thought process goes like this:

"Look at that total dickh....oh wait, could be a boxer I suppose"

Thepoet85

Folks quick question.

I run 5k a couple of times a week (badly... around 30 minutes) and do 2 exercise classes a week.

I've set myself a challenge of completing a half marathon this year. Is this realistically achievable?

I don't know where to start regarding training etc and I'm hoping someone here can point me in the right direction.

Thanks in advance.

RayCun

very simple half marathon plan

Thepoet85

RayCun wrote:

very simple

Thanks for that.

So I don't need to be focusing on speed runs, or hill runs or anything like that. Just a consistent pace and a change in distance according to the plan?

RayCun

Thepoet85 wrote: »

Thanks for that.

So I don't need to be focusing on speed runs, or hill runs or anything like that. Just a consistent pace and a change in distance according to the plan?

Speedwork and hills are great, but you are currently running 5k twice a week, you need to run more first

gypsylee

I'm starting the half marathon plan which RayCun suggested next week with the aim of running (hopefully!) a half marathon in June. My 5 km runs are around 30 minutes too and I have done some 10 km runs and can currently run 15 km without stopping. It is doable, just get out for a couple more runs every week and increase one of them by a kilometre or so each week. Once you have done a few weeks of that you should be well able for the half marathon plan.

Thepoet85

RayCun wrote:

Speedwork and hills are great, but you are currently running 5k twice a week, you need to run more first

Yea that makes sense. Cheers

cporto

RayCun wrote: »

Speedwork and hills are great, but you are currently running 5k twice a week, you need to run more first

I have a related question if you don't mind! I've just signed up for my first half (in August) and don't know what kind of plan I should follow. I'm very slow but run 5 days a week currently (now up to 22 miles a week). I'm nearing the end of Hal Higdon's intermediate 5k which has involved speedwork, so I don't know whether to switch to one of the novice HM plans just to increase distance, or go for intermediate now and keep some speedwork. Any advice much appreciated!!

jameshayes

cporto wrote: »

I have a related question if you don't mind! I've just signed up for my first half (in August) and don't know what kind of plan I should follow. I'm very slow but run 5 days a week currently (now up to 22 miles a week). I'm nearing the end of Hal Higdon's intermediate 5k which has involved speedwork, so I don't know whether to switch to one of the novice HM plans just to increase distance, or go for intermediate now and keep some speedwork. Any advice much appreciated!!

August is in or around 20 weeks away and most plans are around 12 weeks for HM distance, try build up a nice base for the next 7 weeks, take a week off and then start a plan

RayCun

cporto wrote: »

I have a related question if you don't mind! I've just signed up for my first half (in August) and don't know what kind of plan I should follow. I'm very slow but run 5 days a week currently (now up to 22 miles a week). I'm nearing the end of Hal Higdon's intermediate 5k which has involved speedwork, so I don't know whether to switch to one of the novice HM plans just to increase distance, or go for intermediate now and keep some speedwork. Any advice much appreciated!!

Of the Hal Higdon plans, I would go for the Intermediate 2 plan, because you are already used to that kind of speedwork. You could do a couple of weeks between the end of the 5k plan and the start of the 1/2 plan where you just run easy miles, but mileage is a bit higher.

The Hal Higdon plans are grand for "free stuff on the internet", but they are still very limited. You should look around your area, see if there's a club you could join. Running with other people, and getting advice, in person, from more experienced runners, would really help your training.

runnerholic

I am about to buy a Garmin 235 running watch. Just want to check if anyone knows if there is a new or upgraded model due out soon that I may be better off waiting for?

cporto

RayCun wrote: »

Of the Hal Higdon plans, I would go for the Intermediate 2 plan, because you are already used to that kind of speedwork. You could do a couple of weeks between the end of the 5k plan and the start of the 1/2 plan where you just run easy miles, but mileage is a bit higher.

The Hal Higdon plans are grand for "free stuff on the internet", but they are still very limited. You should look around your area, see if there's a club you could join. Running with other people, and getting advice, in person, from more experienced runners, would really help your training.

Thanks, appreciate the advice. I've been thinking it'd be great to join a club alright, but I really am super slow so I'm a bit wary - figured I'd need to improve a bit first!

davedanon

cporto wrote: »

Thanks, appreciate the advice. I've been thinking it'd be great to join a club alright, but I really am super slow so I'm a bit wary - figured I'd need to improve a bit first!

Don't be. Every club will have runners of all abilities - including yours. Just pick the one that suits you best and get in touch. You won't be turned away.

davedanon

Most clubs have Fit4Life groups, and these have no 'ability threshold' whatsoever. No matter your fitness levels you will be catered for.

cporto

davedanon wrote: »

Don't be. Every club will have runners of all abilities - including yours. Just pick the one that suits you best and get in touch. You won't be turned away.

I'm running out of excuses so! Thanks for the prod

davedanon

cporto wrote: »

I'm running out of excuses so! Thanks for the prod

I was exactly the same. I was afraid I'd be asked to produce a list of PBs or something.

Itziger

I'm a gonna post this here and if there's not much response I'll jog over to the sub 3 thread.

Ya know the way most people and most plans (maybe it's the other way around) build up their MP work in Long Runs or Medium length runs.. Say you start with 6 miles and you try to get it up to 15 or 16. Don't know of many (people or plans) that do more than that. Well I was wondering, what if you took it from a different angle. What if you started with a 25k run at say MP + 30 or 40 seconds and worked down from there towards MP but more or less keeping the distance? Not 100% sure how it would work, but basically along the lines of 25k @ 4.45, then same distance each week at... 4.40, 4.35, 4.30.... down to 4.10. What would be the negatives to that idea?

Midweek session could be a bit of snappier stuff, along the lines of T kms or mixing M paced stuff with HM pace..........

Ideas?

HelenAnne

Quick question re recovery / chance of losing fitness v risk of injury.

How do people balance recovery time with maintaining / improving fitness?

I've done three races (10 mile, 1 mile, 5k) since 12 March, and I have another on Sunday. I was trying to balance recovery with racing last week, post-Ballycotton, which ended up with one vey bad race, and one all right one, and very low mileage. After the very windy race on last Sunday I STILL feel tired! I've done very little so far this week (3 miles easy, 5 miles easy) and if I want to feel any way good by next Sunday, I'll probably have to keep things very easy and short.

So that means that I'll have had three low mileage weeks in a row because of races.

two questions: how do other people balance mileage / rest /racing? I'm afraid I'll have lost a lot of fitness and endurance after this month.
And what should i do mileage-wise next week -- jump back up to 39-40-ish after three 2X weeks, or build up again.

Thanks! I love racing, but I get anxious when I see all these weeks where I'm basically not training. (But on the other hand, I'm training so i can race, so i suppose I might as well do as many as I want?)

IvoryTower

I would train through the other races and only taper/rest for a goal race

HelenAnne

IvoryTower wrote: »

I would train through the other races and only taper/rest for a goal race

Thanks! That's good advice, and in theory that's what I'd plan on -- I tapered a bit for Ballycotton, and my plan was to sort of conserve myself a bit for the MSB 5k (as I thought it would be flat and fast and I might get a PB :roll eyes:). It didn't work out that way though -- I think I was stupid to do the mile race in between on Wednesday -- I ran a terrible time and was then sore for the rest of the week, couldn't do my hill run on Thursday and then did badly in the 5k too!

Since then I've had aches and pains everywhere, so this week is an inadvertent taper!

I suppose the sensible answer is train through non-goal races, but don't do three in a week and expect to ace them all!

Spirogyra

Does your husband/wife/significant other run also ? I don't have one but think it might be a distinct advantage

echancrure

davedanon wrote: »

Most clubs have Fit4Life groups, and these have no 'ability threshold' whatsoever. No matter your fitness levels you will be catered for.

So what's the difference between joining a fit4life group within an AC and joining an AC ?

Michellenman

Anyone here run through Dublin city centre at all? I did my first run-mute today (blackrock - ashtown) and really enjoyed it but getting through rush hour people traffic was rotten. I ran down the outside of Merrion square towards the outside wall of trinity, down towards dame st and out on to the quays and in to the Phoenix park but all the weaving and traffic lights was annoying. There must be a better way to get through?

vanderlyle

Michellenman wrote: »

Anyone here run through Dublin city centre at all? I did my first run-mute today (blackrock - ashtown) and really enjoyed it but getting through rush hour people traffic was rotten. I ran down the outside of Merrion square towards the outside wall of trinity, down towards dame st and out on to the quays and in to the Phoenix park but all the weaving and traffic lights was annoying. There must be a better way to get through?

I follow the red line luas from Heuston station to the docklands. The luas helps to break the traffic up, and the paths are a bit quieter than the quays. Might only be useful for a short section of your run though.

HelenAnne

Spirogyra wrote: »

Does your husband/wife/significant other run also ? I don't have one but think it might be a distinct advantage

Mine does, but when he was off injured for about a year, I found it did affect the time I felt I could give to training -- I didn't like to be off every night running, and maybe making him feel left out because he was injured, and we didn't make as many weekends-away-for-races plans.

Now he's back running (hurray!) and my other best running companion has stopped because she's pregnant, so my companions are like weather people!

HelenAnne

Michellenman wrote: »

Anyone here run through Dublin city centre at all? I did my first run-mute today (blackrock - ashtown) and really enjoyed it but getting through rush hour people traffic was rotten. I ran down the outside of Merrion square towards the outside wall of trinity, down towards dame st and out on to the quays and in to the Phoenix park but all the weaving and traffic lights was annoying. There must be a better way to get through?

I run through Trinity and out the Pearse St exit and onto the quays that way. That would cut off a bit of pedestrian traffic for you?

Michellenman

Thanks both! Never even thought of going in to trinity. Might get through trinity and up to abbey street to follow the Luas line and see how it goes. Trying not to add too much distance so this should be alright. Rookie mistake to head towards dame st but a learning experience nonetheless

ThisRegard

Michellenman wrote: »

Anyone here run through Dublin city centre at all? I did my first run-mute today (blackrock - ashtown) and really enjoyed it but getting through rush hour people traffic was rotten. I ran down the outside of Merrion square towards the outside wall of trinity, down towards dame st and out on to the quays and in to the Phoenix park but all the weaving and traffic lights was annoying. There must be a better way to get through?

The canal all the way to Kilmainham once you get to it and into the park there.

Hannibal_Smith

Do you know when people do session runs and then look at their splits? Are they giving the pace they peaked at during the repetition (I think it's called?), or the pace the held for the whole thing?

Say for example, I'm throwing in a little speed, trying to crank this donkey up. So I'm doing 100 secs speed up 90 sec recovery 100 sec speed up. The logistics behind it or whatever are zilch, as I say just injecting something into otherwise forever easy runs.

So when I go back and look at the 100 sec bits they're not all even. One kinds of speeds up, settles into it, pain slows it a little and then there tends to be a bit of speed at the end, which I suspect is me trying to end the pain ASAP :pac:

My point is, it's not always an even split of say 9 mins for the entire 100 secs. So what time do I look at?

As I type, I'm wondering is the aim with these types of things to keep the pace up and even for the duration of the whole thing?