Random Running Questions

RayCun

I think you're missing my point. Most of us don't race because we expect to be on the podium. I came last in a track race myself just a couple of months ago, and that was the result I expected going in.
But this isn't an everyday race, this is the national championship. It strikes me as self indulgent to line up if you know you can't compete.

It wasnt me123

Deleted User wrote: »

Slightly manky question but here goes!

When running in woods/country roads etc in the summer, flies tend to be attracted to me delightfully sweaty head!

Is anyone else demented with this? Is there anything I can do to stop it. It's actually rotten and I must look like a total fruitcake swatting in front of my fact constantly!

I am tormented with this as well when I run on the local small roads. What I have done, but its a bit extreme, is to spray fly spray on myself, and for my face I spray it on my hand then wipe it on my face. Unfortunately eventually it disappears with the sweat, but does help at the beginning of runs. I find the personal insect repellent isn't very good.

DubOnHoliday

[Deleted User] wrote: »

Slightly manky question but here goes!

When running in woods/country roads etc in the summer, flies tend to be attracted to me delightfully sweaty head!

Is anyone else demented with this? Is there anything I can do to stop it. It's actually rotten and I must look like a total fruitcake swatting in front of my fact constantly!

This is where a buff comes in very handy ...

davedanon

Jotunheim wrote: »

The same "point" as in any race. The vast majority of us don't need to run and nobody in that race is running for a need, they're all there for a want and Raven Runner's want is as valid as anyone else's. I once ran against a guy who at that time, many years ago, was the form road runner in the country at the time. He was using a small local race in a buildup to a major one. He knew he had me all the way and inevitably he put the boot down when it mattered and dropped me. All I could do was laugh. We both really enjoyed it and he came looking for me after. The gulf in class didn't matter, we were both runners and there was a race to be run, regardless of the foregone conclusion. If the association rules allow Raven Runner in, who is anyone else to question his entry?

A top-class runner coming down several levels is a completely different scenario, though. An average club runner competing on the track in a National Championship, however, that's Eddie the Eagle country. The OP himself hasn't come forward to justify his decision, but I can't see the point either, unless it was just that, making a point. There really should be some sort of minimum qualifying time for these events. People taking part just because they can makes a mockery of an event, in my opinion. No offence meant. (my own 5k best is 18.34 - I'd love to be breaking 18 minutes)

MarkY91

Training for a 10 mile race in august. Had to start again last week as I was away on the drink etc but I did 7 miles today and apart from the last mile bursting along I felt relatively fine. Should I stick with my plan of going up a mile per week or just do the 10 on Saturday?

I feel I can do it. Never ran more than 7 miles but I'm still sure of it. I ran the 7 in about 1hr 2 mins today

Frank duffy 10 miler. Just incase anyone is curious

Krusty_Clown

MarkY91 wrote: »

Training for a 10 mile race in august. Had to start again last week as I was away on the drink etc but I did 7 miles today and apart from the last mile bursting along I felt relatively fine. Should I stick with my plan of going up a mile per week or just do the 10 on Saturday?

I feel I can do it. Never ran more than 7 miles but I'm still sure of it. I ran the 7 in about 1hr 2 mins today

Frank duffy 10 miler. Just incase anyone is curious

No harm in covering the distance beforehand, as long as you do it at a comfortable pace. It will remove any uncertainty for race day, so you can focus instead on running to your potential. Following a structured plan is a good idea though, as it will help you avoid doing too much, or too little. Take a look at Hall Higdon's 10 mile training plans.

racso1975

Deleted User wrote: »

Slightly manky question but here goes!

When running in woods/country roads etc in the summer, flies tend to be attracted to me delightfully sweaty head!

Is anyone else demented with this? Is there anything I can do to stop it. It's actually rotten and I must look like a total fruitcake swatting in front of my fact constantly!

Might not be the answer you want but put some drops of vinegar on your clothes and hair

Really works amazing but vinegar may not be the aroma you want following you

MarkY91

Krusty_Clown wrote: »

No harm in covering the distance beforehand, as long as you do it at a comfortable pace. It will remove any uncertainty for race day, so you can focus instead on running to your potential. Following a structured plan is a good idea though, as it will help you avoid doing too much, or too little. Take a look at Hall Higdon's 10 mile training plans.

I plan on doing the whole 10 miles at least once before race day. Just I feel able to do 10 miles even though I never did over 7 yet.

I think on Saturday ill skip 8 and do 9. Then I can do a few 10 miles..even the exact race route. It's all over the phoenix park so there is surely dodgy hills somewhere in it..be handy to get used to it.

I'll have a look at that training program now. Thanks alot

FIFA2004

Has anyone got any recommendations on which foam roller to get? Or are they mostly the same?

Wottle

FIFA2004 wrote: »

Has anyone got any recommendations on which foam roller to get? Or are they mostly the same?

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00HPR77B6?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s00

This is the one I have and I find it brill.

MarkY91

MarkY91 wrote: »

I plan on doing the whole 10 miles at least once before race day. Just I feel able to do 10 miles even though I never did over 7 yet.

I think on Saturday ill skip 8 and do 9. Then I can do a few 10 miles..even the exact race route. It's all over the phoenix park so there is surely dodgy hills somewhere in it..be handy to get used to it.

I'll have a look at that training program now. Thanks alot

I'm a running newb, so possibly not the best person to take advice from but from my limited knowledge (DCM mentored novices thread is where I get most of my info at the moment), doing 9 miles next week means you're planning on "doing a few 10 miles" over the following three weeks up until the race which seems like a lot of you're not used to running that many miles. You should be just looking at one LSR a week. So if you did 9 next week, 10 the following week, and 10 the week after that, you're right up to wind down for race prep. Your long runs should be much slower than your intended race pace.

Someone else will give you better info, but the key is not to overdo it before the race or else you won't get the best out of it.

MarkY91

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm a running newb, so possibly not the best person to take advice from but from my limited knowledge (DCM mentored novices thread is where I get most of my info at the moment), doing 9 miles next week means you're planning on "doing a few 10 miles" over the following three weeks up until the race which seems like a lot of you're not used to running that many miles. You should be just looking at one LSR a week. So if you did 9 next week, 10 the following week, and 10 the week after that, you're right up to wind down for race prep. Your long runs should be much slower than your intended race pace.

Someone else will give you better info, but the key is not to overdo it before the race or else you won't get the best out of it.

You're right but wouldn't 7 days rest between them be enough? With 1 or 2 tempo or HiiT at the park with a 2-3 mile run I'm between the long Saturday runs


I should probably just take the advice I'm given. I'd hate to get an injury before the race

runnerholic

Has anyone on here ever run a marathon on water only, i.e without taking any gels or sugary drinks? I am doing the DCM and hate the thought of taking those horrible gels.

davedanon

runnerholic wrote: »

Has anyone on here ever run a marathon on water only, i.e without taking any gels or sugary drinks? I am doing the DCM and hate the thought of taking those horrible gels.

Do you hate sugary drinks also? Which gels? Some are gloopy and I would agree, horrible. Others, like High5, are just like juice. If you really don't like any of them, then yes, just water is fine. What do you think marathoners ran on before any of these things were invented? Having said that, the time you're hoping for would have a bearing. Are you hoping to run sub-3, sub-4, or what?

runnerholic

Thanks for your reply davedanon. Looking to go sub 3.30. Apart from not liking gels, it is also an extra hassle to try and carry them on runs and work out which ones suit me best.

lway

Here's a random question for this thread

Why do some people fold up their race numbers?, I'm seeing runners with the top and bottom of their numbers folded down so only the number is visible and in some extreme cases people seem to fold in the sides of the number as well so the only thing visible are the digits.

Example: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16897255@N05/18972855499/in/album-72157655077796415/

28064212

lway wrote: »

Here's a random question for this thread

Why do some people fold up their race numbers?, I'm seeing runners with the top and bottom of their numbers folded down so only the number is visible and in some extreme cases people seem to fold in the sides of the number as well so the only thing visible are the digits.

Example: https://www.flickr.com/photos/16897255@N05/18972855499/in/album-72157655077796415/

Couple of possible reasons:

• They find numbers to be annoying, and resizing them reduces that e.g. I might wipe my face with my tshirt during a run on a hot day, having a large number on my top reduces available surface area
• It's a photocopied number :mad: and folding in the edges makes it less obvious
• Style

libelula

Ive done it with those big awkward square ones you get in some races. By the end of a race I've often wrecked it catching the corners with my elbow, or one end has ripped off so it's flapping around and annoying me.
And I keep all my race numbers with the date, race, and time written on them so when I'm rich and famous my grandkids can sell them for thousands.

The one in that particular picture looks like it's not the race series number at all. It's shiny, the race series numbers are matt. Might he have his chip on his back?

Edit: nevermind, I saw the blue on the guy in the background and thought it was a race series pic but it is not!

runnerholic

runnerholic wrote: »

Has anyone on here ever run a marathon on water only, i.e without taking any gels or sugary drinks? I am doing the DCM and hate the thought of taking those horrible gels.

I'm intending running with my own fuel - i.e. homemade energy balls.

I had a bad experience with gels and lucozade before during a race, so don't want to go down that road.

28064212

runnerholic wrote: »

Has anyone on here ever run a marathon on water only, i.e without taking any gels or sugary drinks? I am doing the DCM and hate the thought of taking those horrible gels.

You should train as you plan to run. If you do all your training without gels, you should run without gels. Use your long runs in training to prepare, you should learn from doing these how much water and food you need beforehand, and what works for you

Chivito550

Raven Runner wrote: »

The National Track & Field in Morton Stadium is coming up on August 9th I'd like to run the 5k put I'm only running around 18mins for the distance and would like to break 18 will I be shunned for running considering the winners will be doing low 15s or under ?

I think they grade the 5k races at Nationals, so you wouldn't be running against the best guys. You'd be in the B race, but these guys would still be very quick. Not sure Nationals is the place to start dipping your toe in track running. I wouldn't agree with Ray that it would be disrespectful. You are entitled to enter. It just wouldn't be a very fun experience for you, getting lapped by everyone at least once, probably twice by most.

It's different if you were a field eventer and there were no more opportunities to compete for another year, but there's hundreds of 5km races each month.

Chivito550

RayCun wrote: »

I think you're missing my point. Most of us don't race because we expect to be on the podium. I came last in a track race myself just a couple of months ago, and that was the result I expected going in.
But this isn't an everyday race, this is the national championship. It strikes me as self indulgent to line up if you know you can't compete.

Disagree here. I ran Nationals last year. Ended up slowest out of the entire field by 1.8 seconds. In other years I wouldn't have been last, but on this occasion I was. I ran a PB and broke 55 for the first, and to date only time so far.

I've run in Victorian Championships every year in Melbourne. Only on my third and final year did I not come last. My first year I was slowest by 2 seconds, but ran a great PB for me at the time. I was never discouraged from competing by any of my coaches, rather encouraged.

I guess it depends what you define as "compete". I was competing against the guys towards the back, and my PBs. I don't think it's a good idea for this guy to enter simply because he will get lapped a lot and that sounds like a miserable experience to me, but if he's ok with that, then I see no issue with him entering. None of the other runners will care, and he will hold up the programme by 90 seconds. Who cares tbh.

If the AAI really wanted to discourage this they'd bring in qualifying standards, but our sport is small enough as it is without restricting numbers further.

RayCun

Chivito550 wrote: »

I think they grade the 5k races at Nationals, so you wouldn't be running against the best guys. You'd be in the B race, but these guys would still be very quick.

Last year 15:15 to 16:34 was the slow heat, the fast heat was 14:08 to 16:25 (and he was 200m off the back)
year before the last was 16:39
year before that 16:52
year before that 16:25

I don't know how far back you'd have to go to find someone finishing in over 17 minutes at the national 5k.

In the sprints there is a qualifying round before the final. Not in the long distance races.

Bez Bing

What would people consider the harder workout:
20m regular long run or 16m w 12m @ PMP ?

Trying to re jig my plan for summer hols and thinking of swaping the 20m for the 16m w 12 @ PMP because if nothing else at least it will be shorter time wise.

Clearlier

Bez Bing wrote: »

What would people consider the harder workout:
20m regular long run or 16m w 12m @ PMP ?

Trying to re jig my plan for summer hols and thinking of swaping the 20m for the 16m w 12 @ PMP because if nothing else at least it will be shorter time wise.

16 w 12@PMP would be harder than 20@MP+45-90s IMO. Different purposes though and obviously neither would be a good substitute for the other.

An_Reathai

Bez Bing wrote: »

What would people consider the harder workout:
20m regular long run or 16m w 12m @ PMP ?

Trying to re jig my plan for summer hols and thinking of swaping the 20m for the 16m w 12 @ PMP because if nothing else at least it will be shorter time wise.

Personally I'd find the 16m w 12m @PMP the harder workout, and it's also the one that would give me more satisfaction/confidence if it went well

davedanon

Chivito550 wrote: »

Disagree here. I ran Nationals last year. Ended up slowest out of the entire field by 1.8 seconds. In other years I wouldn't have been last, but on this occasion I was. I ran a PB and broke 55 for the first, and to date only time so far.

I've run in Victorian Championships every year in Melbourne. Only on my third and final year did I not come last. My first year I was slowest by 2 seconds, but ran a great PB for me at the time. I was never discouraged from competing by any of my coaches, rather encouraged.

I guess it depends what you define as "compete". I was competing against the guys towards the back, and my PBs. I don't think it's a good idea for this guy to enter simply because he will get lapped a lot and that sounds like a miserable experience to me, but if he's ok with that, then I see no issue with him entering. None of the other runners will care, and he will hold up the programme by 90 seconds. Who cares tbh.

If the AAI really wanted to discourage this they'd bring in qualifying standards, but our sport is small enough as it is without restricting numbers further.

This would be a 400m race, I assume? Ok, the critical difference here, apart from the fact that you probably had to qualify for the final, and thus were there on merit, is that you were able to use the competition to push you to a pb. Ok, fewer than 2 seconds might seem as big a chasm to you, as 90+ in a 5k for the OP, but how could you possibly say that the experience of being repeatedly lapped would be conducive to achieving a pb?

Bez Bing

Clearlier wrote: »

16 w 12@PMP would be harder than 20@MP+45-90s IMO. Different purposes though and obviously neither would be a good substitute for the other.

Not trying to substitute just swap. The week I'm on hols has me down for a 20m but I just thought that's a long time to be off running while on hols so I was thinking of swapping in the following weeks 16m and then doing the 20m when I get back the following week. I agree they both have different purposes and I plan on completing both.
The other thing I need to factor in recovery time.

An_Reathai

For those who use a foam roller, how often do you use it and for how long each time?