DCM 2016 Graduates: Keep On Running

kabuxa

FITZA wrote:

Had another physio appointment yesterday (this was only my second one, my previous post might have indicated I had been going a while and getting no results)....anyway....he said I was doing one of the exercises incorrectly so fixed that, he worked a bit more on the muscle running down beside the shin bone and just above my knee, he also suggested I try a run like I was running on the spot, more action to the front (like the Brownlee brothers he said) as opposed to my more kick back run. I went home last night and did my exercises, did them today and went for a 5k run this evening....and....I ran it all pain free It took a fair bit of concentration to run like I was running on the spot but moving forward. My OH bought me a magnet strap for my knee...aaaahhh and I wore that too, so I don't know if it was a combination of both but whatever, I was able to run. I just hope it continues now.

Brilliant news!!!

Bungy Girl

The plan with these answers is to keep them short, simple and to the point. If anyone requires a more thorough explanation, let me know and I can provide some links for further reading.

Strides
Strides are short bursts of faster running which can be incorporated into a dynamic warm up or towards the end of an easy run. The focus is on good form*, quick turnover of feet, and, most importantly, relaxation. It is NOT sprinting. Ignore your Garmins. Really, ignore them. You will get much more out of doing strides if you focus on how you are feeling rather than what your watch is telling you. Towards the end of an easy run (maybe 10-15 mins before you finish), ideally on a good and level surface, increase your speed gradually for a count of 5 (I count one for every 4 footstrikes) then hold a fast, but relaxed pace for a count of 12-15 (again I count one for every 4 footstrikes) before decelerating for a count of 5. Resume easy pace before repeating x 5 times. That is one way of doing strides. There are more, but we could be here all day. Try the above. Report back.

*Tummies in, shoulders relaxed, arms swinging from shoulders and not crossing the midline, pelvis level.

Drills
Drills are exercises designed to improve some aspect of your form and they are also an important part of a good dynamic warm-up. Examples of drills would be High Knees, Butt Kicks, Multi-directional Arm Swings, Skips, High Jumps and so on. Ideally drills are done when you are fresh, so after a warm-up jog but before your session/run. Here’s a video link which illustrates a good drills routine

@Safrongirl who posed the question in the first place, could you post up a link to the programme you mentioned that included drills and strides ? Thanks.

Paces
I had to consult the Flying Monkeys on this one as I wasn’t 100% sure about the difference between tempo and lactate threshold pace. Aerobic (meaning ‘in the presence of oxygen’) is easy enough. It’s your easy pace, the one where you can hold a conversation, the one where you could easily continue at the same pace, where you’re not out of breath. The pace in terms of miles or km per hour will be different for everyone but the effort level should be the same. As for tempo and lactate threshold, the wise ones tell me that these terms are generally interchangeable. As a rule it’s the pace you can hold for an hour. So for some that could be 10K pace, for other it would be closer to 10 mile pace, or even HM pace if you’re an elite runner. The description ‘comfortably hard’ is a good one to apply to tempo/LT pace by way of explaining the effort. If we were going to be pernickity, LT has a scientific basis whereas tempo is used more liberally and is the one that seems to be misinterpreted. Again, the effort would be similar regardless of pace. The above notwithstanding, it would be important to clarify the interpretation of these terms if you are following a specific programme as they can vary even among the experts. The Graduate Plan will have a guide for the different paces.

Splits
A split refers to a specific unit of measurement in a race. So, for example, a person analysing their 5k race after the fact might look at their ‘splits’ of 5:08, 4:59, 5:05, 5:01 and 4:56. This person could be said to have run quite even ‘splits’ whereas a person with the same overall time (in this case 25:09) might have run splits of 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:09 which indicate that they started off too fast. A positive split is one where the 2nd half of the race is run slower than the first, the fade normally being due to starting too fast. A negative split (generally considered to be a good thing) is where the 2nd half of a race is faster than the first.

Running Terms
I’m not aware of a running dictionary per se, but the Random Running Questions on the main forum is always a good place to ask questions that don’t merit a thread of their own.

@TBO, quads is a short version of quadriceps which are the main muscles in your thigh. Hamstrings are often referred to as hammies, ITB is short for Illiotibial Band, which is the ligament that runs on the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin.

@everyone, if a term is used on this thread that you don't understand please ask for clarification

kabuxa

Thanks so so much. The questions I had were already asked. I did have my own dictionary. I will look for it and send. Not this weekend. I am busy ;0P Have a nice weekend everyone.

Pomplamousse

kabuxa wrote: »

Thanks so so much. The questions I had were already asked. I did have my own dictionary. I will look for it and send. Not this weekend. I am busy ;0P Have a nice weekend everyone.

Good luck with marathon part 2:)

paddydriver

Bungy Girl wrote: »

Strides
Strides are short bursts of faster running which can be incorporated into a dynamic warm up or towards the end of an easy run. The focus is on good form*, quick turnover of feet, and, most importantly, relaxation. It is NOT sprinting. Ignore your Garmins. Really, ignore them. You will get much more out of doing strides if you focus on how you are feeling rather than what your watch is telling you. Towards the end of an easy run (maybe 10-15 mins before you finish), ideally on a good and level surface, increase your speed gradually for a count of 5 (I count one for every 4 footstrikes) then hold a fast, but relaxed pace for a count of 12-15 (again I count one for every 4 footstrikes) before decelerating for a count of 5. Resume easy pace before repeating x 5 times. That is one way of doing strides. There are more, but we could be here all day. Try the above. Report back.

*Tummies in, shoulders relaxed, arms swinging from shoulders and not crossing the midline, pelvis level.

Thanks a mil.. I never understood the Strides thing.. but seems like I was nearly there.

ToriV

Bungy Girl wrote: »

The plan with these answers is to keep them short, simple and to the point. If anyone requires a more thorough explanation, let me know and I can provide some links for further reading.

Strides
Strides are short bursts of faster running which can be incorporated into a dynamic warm up or towards the end of an easy run. The focus is on good form*, quick turnover of feet, and, most importantly, relaxation. It is NOT sprinting. Ignore your Garmins. Really, ignore them. You will get much more out of doing strides if you focus on how you are feeling rather than what your watch is telling you. Towards the end of an easy run (maybe 10-15 mins before you finish), ideally on a good and level surface, increase your speed gradually for a count of 5 (I count one for every 4 footstrikes) then hold a fast, but relaxed pace for a count of 12-15 (again I count one for every 4 footstrikes) before decelerating for a count of 5. Resume easy pace before repeating x 5 times. That is one way of doing strides. There are more, but we could be here all day. Try the above. Report back.

*Tummies in, shoulders relaxed, arms swinging from shoulders and not crossing the midline, pelvis level.

Drills
Drills are exercises designed to improve some aspect of your form and they are also an important part of a good dynamic warm-up. Examples of drills would be High Knees, Butt Kicks, Multi-directional Arm Swings, Skips, High Jumps and so on. Ideally drills are done when you are fresh, so after a warm-up jog but before your session/run. Here’s a video link which illustrates a good drills routine

@Safrongirl who posed the question in the first place, could you post up a link to the programme you mentioned that included drills and strides ? Thanks.

Paces
I had to consult the Flying Monkeys on this one as I wasn’t 100% sure about the difference between tempo and lactate threshold pace. Aerobic (meaning ‘in the presence of oxygen’) is easy enough. It’s your easy pace, the one where you can hold a conversation, the one where you could easily continue at the same pace, where you’re not out of breath. The pace in terms of miles or km per hour will be different for everyone but the effort level should be the same. As for tempo and lactate threshold, the wise ones tell me that these terms are generally interchangeable. As a rule it’s the pace you can hold for an hour. So for some that could be 10K pace, for other it would be closer to 10 mile pace, or even HM pace if you’re an elite runner. The description ‘comfortably hard’ is a good one to apply to tempo/LT pace by way of explaining the effort. If we were going to be pernickity, LT has a scientific basis whereas tempo is used more liberally and is the one that seems to be misinterpreted. Again, the effort would be similar regardless of pace. The above notwithstanding, it would be important to clarify the interpretation of these terms if you are following a specific programme as they can vary even among the experts. The Graduate Plan will have a guide for the different paces.

Splits
A split refers to a specific unit of measurement in a race. So, for example, a person analysing their 5k race after the fact might look at their ‘splits’ of 5:08, 4:59, 5:05, 5:01 and 4:56. This person could be said to have run quite even ‘splits’ whereas a person with the same overall time (in this case 25:09) might have run splits of 4:30, 4:45, 5:00, 5:15, 5:09 which indicate that they started off too fast. A positive split is one where the 2nd half of the race is run slower than the first, the fade normally being due to starting too fast. A negative split (generally considered to be a good thing) is where the 2nd half of a race is faster than the first.

Running Terms
I’m not aware of a running dictionary per se, but the Random Running Questions on the main forum is always a good place to ask questions that don’t merit a thread of their own.

@TBO, quads is a short version of quadriceps which are the main muscles in your thigh. Hamstrings are often referred to as hammies, ITB is short for Illiotibial Band, which is the ligament that runs on the outside of the thigh from the hip to the shin.

@everyone, if a term is used on this thread that you don't understand please ask for clarification

Great post! Thanks for that. The strides idea is much clearer now. Going to try it out next week.

Maximus Alexander

Tomorrow is the day we are allowed to run fast again!

Maximus Alexander

Bungy Girl wrote: »

Any chance you were going too fast ? (You can be honest, this is a safe environment ) . How was your perceived effort during the run ? What was the pace like compared to your pre-marathon easy runs ?

(Bit of a delayed reaction here sorry)

I was going about my normal easy pace, maybe a few seconds faster but perceived effort was moderate to high. Full disclosure I am on holidays so it's much warmer than at home but it was still much harder than I would have expected.

I had another run yesterday that was much more comfortable though and now I'm thinking it was maybe down to running up the steps that go up the cliff from the beach :eek:

Bungy Girl

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

(Bit of a delayed reaction here sorry)

I was going about my normal easy pace, maybe a few seconds faster but perceived effort was moderate to high. Full disclosure I am on holidays so it's much warmer than at home but it was still much harder than I would have expected.

I had another run yesterday that was much more comfortable though and now I'm thinking it was maybe down to running up the steps that go up the cliff from the beach :eek:

I think you answered your own questions there MA . Heat combined with elevation will increase your effort all right. Make sure to hydrate well, and rather than run by pace while on holidays just slow it down and run by the same effort (or slower!) as at home.

scotindublin

Good to get back out this morning 8 miles done in the Phoenix Park lovely morning for it.

Hopefully get into some sort of routine this week! Not sure how Jingle Bells is going to go; will be some winging it/reassessing during the run!

Also off to Google 600m repeats as that is the planned session for Wednesday!

Wubble Wubble

Good luck tomorrow kabuxa!

kin9pin

Wubble Wubble wrote: »

Good luck tomorrow kabuxa!

Oh yeah, good luck! Tomorrow you'll be a marathon graduate veteran!

The Muppet

Good luck Kabuxa .

kabuxa

It was AMAZING!!! 4.48... 18 min PB... Felt so good. Got a PB at half marathon mark too. Thanks soooo much. This is dangerous! ;0D xxx

tailgunner

Well done kabuxa, that's huge progress in just a few weeks!

I ran a 10k yesterday - first since the marathon. It was ropey enough, but I finished within 22 seconds of my PB, so not too bad!

ToriV

kabuxa wrote: »

It was AMAZING!!! 4.48... 18 min PB... Felt so good. Got a PB at half marathon mark too. Thanks soooo much. This is dangerous! ;0D xxx

Well done... that is fantastic. Amazing news....cant wait for the report!!:D

ToriV

Thanks to those of you who suggested going to RunLogic for my new runners. They were great - really knew his stuff and wasnt just spitting out what the shoe blurb says.

Been running two weeks in them and my horrendous black toes are starting to heal.He even looked at them to assess where my pressure points were :eek:

Really happy with them. Did a nice 10 miles last friday and really enjoyed it. My pace has definately increased - I just ran at what felt very easy and i was averaging 9.15 per mile.

The Muppet

I am really looking forward to Jingle Bells now, who else is doing it.

Are we going to try organise some form of meet up before or after?

kin9pin

The Muppet wrote: »

I am really looking forward to Jingle Bells now, who else is doing it.

Are we going to try organise some form of meet up before or after?

I'm in. Hopefully the weather will be like today.

scotindublin

I am in as well.

The Muppet wrote: »

I am really looking forward to Jingle Bells now, who else is doing it.

Are we going to try organise some form of meet up before or after?

The Black Oil

Should be OK to hang around after.

kabuxa

ToriV wrote:

Well done... that is fantastic. Amazing news....cant wait for the report!!

I will post it fot sure! Thanks!!!

And I agree, to me RunLogic are really good!

kabuxa

tailgunner wrote:

Well done kabuxa, that's huge progress in just a few weeks!

This morning's post didnt go through...
I was saying Thanks abd now I am feeling what I should have felt after Dublin... very tired, really tight calves, hips,... ;0)))

Well done on PB.... PB is a PB no matter what!

spaceylou

The Muppet wrote: »

I am really looking forward to Jingle Bells now, who else is doing it.

Are we going to try organise some form of meet up before or after?

Am also in - does anyone know if there is an obvious spot where we can gather / loiter after the race for a mini reunion? There won't be an airtricity tent or pub snug as we very handily had the last few outings

Maximus Alexander

If the weather is anything like last year nobody will be doing any loitering! Here's hoping for conditions like this morning.

Wubble Wubble

spaceylou wrote: »

Am also in - does anyone know if there is an obvious spot where we can gather / loiter after the race for a mini reunion? There won't be an airtricity tent or pub snug as we very handily had the last few outings

Ryan's on Parkgate Street is a popular post race spot I believe. Nancy Hand's, a couple of doors away, is fairly spacious as well. Sorry I can't make the reunion....although I'll hopefully spot some of you beforehand or at the finish.

AuldManKing

kabuxa wrote: »

It was AMAZING!!! 4.48... 18 min PB... Felt so good. Got a PB at half marathon mark too. Thanks soooo much. This is dangerous! ;0D xxx

Well done on a great PB - its an amazing place, isn't it.

nop98

Me too, me too! I am planning to join in the Jingle Bells fun! Can't do any loitering afterwards, but it would be great to say hi beforehand.

paddydriver

Sorry lads and ladies.. Won't be at the run this weekend. Had intended to do it with my daughter but she's been struck down with a bad tummy bug a few days now. I'm in trouble at home cause I allowed her play a full U10s Girls soccer match on Sunday and seems that didn't help her recovery.. Not like her to be off school either.

Best of Luck to all. Enjoy it.. ☺

kabuxa

AuldManKing wrote: »

Well done on a great PB - its an amazing place, isn't it.

Thanks!!! and yours! Amazing place. Best in the world, and I am not biased at all ;o)))

To me it was brilliant! I hope for you too!