Running Thread

[GNH]

I can recommend running the seafront at 5:30am - the sun is so low you can still find shade.

I'm very much a night owl and not an early morning person.

Normally get to sleep most nights around 1am and in this heat it's been more like 2-3am. Don't fancy the prospect of getting up for a run at 5:30 even though that would be the best time to go. I'll aim for something around 7am in future

Still managed to do todays 8km in 45 minutes but it was seriously tough

 

[londonblue]

I can recommend running the seafront at 5:30am - the sun is so low you can still find shade.

I've done that in the past. Given I live in quite a rural area, my run takes me onto some nice country lanes. At that time of the morning you see some amazing wildlife that you don't see once the cars start up. It's also pretty much silent as well. A lot of the time the only thing you can hear is your own breath and footsteps. It's fantastic.

 

[londonblue]

I'm very much a night owl and not an early morning person.

Normally get to sleep most nights around 1am and in this heat it's been more like 2-3am. Don't fancy the prospect of getting up for a run at 5:30 even though that would be the best time to go. I'll aim for something around 7am in future

Still managed to do todays 8km in 45 minutes but it was seriously tough

I couldn't do that whatever the temperature!

 

[Mad Cyril]

I can recommend running the seafront at 5:30am - the sun is so low you can still find shade.

You can always find something shady on the seafront.

 

[Supernaut]

I'm very much a night owl and not an early morning person.

Normally get to sleep most nights around 1am and in this heat it's been more like 2-3am. Don't fancy the prospect of getting up for a run at 5:30 even though that would be the best time to go. I'll aim for something around 7am in future

I used to be like that - if someone had told the 30 year old me that at 48 I'd be getting up at 5:15 to run 10 miles just for pleasure I'd think they were nuts!! As I get older I'm learning to love mornings more and I'd now rather get to bed early just so I can be up before 6. For me it's definitely my favourite time to run, and I usually find time to have an hours sleep after lunch to catch up.

Still managed to do todays 8km in 45 minutes but it was seriously tough

That's good going in this heat, better than a 2 hour half marathon pace, which is what I always aim to be no slower than.

 

[Supernaut]

You can always find something shady on the seafront.

Heh heh - too true...

 

[Yorkshire Blue]

Note to self...….……

If you are going to go out and run 8km in this heat, please make sure you do it before 9am next time and pick a route that's not in full sunshine for 3/4 of it.

School boy error ☀

I'm a sunset runner but Saturday had plans for the evening so had to go a bit earlier than usual. I'm not sure that was optimal conditions.

 

[GNH]

That's good going in this heat, better than a 2 hour half marathon pace, which is what I always aim to be no slower than.

That's the top end of my pace, don't tend to be much faster when it's not hot.

And after about 10km my legs are shot, there's no way I could run a half marathon currently let alone at a decent pace.

Have no real aspirations to take it to the next level, just happy to keep relatively fit alongside my football games

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

I couldn't do that whatever the temperature!

My best 10k time was in the Southend Kodak 10k road race in 86 ( or 87 cant remember now! ).
I crossed the line in 37 mins 12 secs, mind you i was at my prime then 29-30!.

 

[londonblue]

I'm 50 and only rarely (until lockdown anyway) run outdoors. My best indoor time is around 47 mins (with the machine set to 1 degree) and my best outdoor time is 50.23. Id love to get it under 50 mins but always come up a bit short...

I've also had to devise a new route because of roadworks which is a lot flatter so we'll see how I go with that, once I dont waste time getting lost!

 

[FiremanBlue]

Did a wonderful run with my 23 year old daughter a couple of Monday’s ago for her half marathon charity run
Started at 7 am from just outside Leigh station to Garons Park and back then we had to do two laps of Leigh Car Park for 13.1 miles
Daughter did 2 hr 10, I lagged behind 2 hr 20
Couldn’t believe how many people were running from 17-70

 

[londonblue]

I'm 50 and only rarely (until lockdown anyway) run outdoors. My best indoor time is around 47 mins (with the machine set to 1 degree) and my best outdoor time is 50.23. Id love to get it under 50 mins but always come up a bit short...

I've also had to devise a new route because of roadworks which is a lot flatter so we'll see how I go with that, once I dont waste time getting lost!

Flatter? My arse. There's a stretch in the middle that's continuously uphill (and steep) for about 3km. I didn't realise that when I drove the route! It's also slightly longer. My old route is 9.99km, this is 10.3km so times have increased, not decreased!

The problem is that the uphill stretch starts at around 3km in, so by the time I get to the easy downhill section to home I'm too knackered to benefit from it! More practice needed I think.

 

[tottenham541]

Did my first run this morning on the treadmill since doing my Achilles in on June 9th, all good so far and did 4 miles in just over 29 minutes

 

[rigsby]

Did my first run this morning on the treadmill since doing my Achilles in on June 9th, all good so far and did 4 miles in just over 29 minutes

Be very careful with an Achilles. Worst injury I ever had as it can flare up again when you think its all ok. Done mine training for the London Marathon in the November. That was the end of marathon dreams and I could still feel it on the golf course the next June

 

[Supernaut]

Flatter? My arse. There's a stretch in the middle that's continuously uphill (and steep) for about 3km. I didn't realise that when I drove the route! It's also slightly longer. My old route is 9.99km, this is 10.3km so times have increased, not decreased!

The problem is that the uphill stretch starts at around 3km in, so by the time I get to the easy downhill section to home I'm too knackered to benefit from it! More practice needed I think.

I bloody hate hills. And I hate the fact that you have to learn to love them if you want to progress your running. I'm really trying - I do a hill session once a week (7 short hill sprints and 3 long, steady hills) and I am seeing the benefits, but I bloody hate hills. I often do an 8 mile route where mile 7 is all of Chalkwell Avenue, bottom to top, and that's the closest I've ever come to puking while running!!

 

[Supernaut]

Be very careful with an Achilles. Worst injury I ever had as it can flare up again when you think its all ok. Done mine training for the London Marathon in the November. That was the end of marathon dreams and I could still feel it on the golf course the next June

My first ever injury was my right achilles. It went 6 weeks after I'd first taken up running, and it kept me laid up for a month. That was 3 and a half years ago and I still feel twinges now, and I often have to ease off or take a few days rest to stop it flaring up again.

 

[tottenham541]

Be very careful with an Achilles. Worst injury I ever had as it can flare up again when you think its all ok. Done mine training for the London Marathon in the November. That was the end of marathon dreams and I could still feel it on the golf course the next June

Yeah don’t I know, I tore the Achilles on the other leg some 12 years ago and it took the best part of 15 months to get right again.

 

[londonblue]

I bloody hate hills. And I hate the fact that you have to learn to love them if you want to progress your running. I'm really trying - I do a hill session once a week (7 short hill sprints and 3 long, steady hills) and I am seeing the benefits, but I bloody hate hills. I often do an 8 mile route where mile 7 is all of Chalkwell Avenue, bottom to top, and that's the closest I've ever come to puking while running!!

Now that's nasty!

 

[Billy Bests boot laces]

I bloody hate hills. And I hate the fact that you have to learn to love them if you want to progress your running. I'm really trying - I do a hill session once a week (7 short hill sprints and 3 long, steady hills) and I am seeing the benefits, but I bloody hate hills. I often do an 8 mile route where mile 7 is all of Chalkwell Avenue, bottom to top, and that's the closest I've ever come to puking while running!!

Back in my Marathon running era ( 83-89 ), i lived in Shoebury which is a flat as a pancake. Hill's are hard work, but they def improve your endurance stamina.
I used to do 2 hill sessions per week. The easy one was running from my home in St.Andrews Rd Shoebury, along to Woodgrange Drive, then turn right & run to the top of the slope/hill by what's now called The Walnut Tree, & back down again to the railway bridge. Repeat 6 times & then run back to Shoebury.
The hardest one was driving to Westcliff, & parking before the Cliff's Pavilion. Then rundown to the seafront, heading towards the Pier, & about 70 yds before where the place was that burnt down, there was a path which headed up to the top of the Cliffs to where the Cliff lift started.
It was a long climb, but i'd do the same thing. 6 climbs up, 6 down & then run back to my car & drive back to Shoebury!.
Only bad memory i have, is when running up that long slope one day, head leant forward, a wasp ( for what-ever reason ) decided to sneak down the gap between my vest & neck, & sting me twice!.
I had to knock on the door of one of the houses opp the Bandstand, to ask for medication!.
Believe me, hill's are hard work, but they pay dividends. I still go up the steps opp Leigh Station 4 times per week!. Now 63, dont try to run up them, there's 180 of them & those days are long gone!. But walk up them at a good pace, & when i get to the top usually have to push my lungs ( what's left of them! ( back down my throat!.

 

[rigsby]

Back in my Marathon running era ( 83-89 ), i lived in Shoebury which is a flat as a pancake. Hill's are hard work, but they def improve your endurance stamina.
I used to do 2 hill sessions per week. The easy one was running from my home in St.Andrews Rd Shoebury, along to Woodgrange Drive, then turn right & run to the top of the slope/hill by what's now called The Walnut Tree, & back down again to the railway bridge. Repeat 6 times & then run back to Shoebury.
The hardest one was driving to Westcliff, & parking before the Cliff's Pavilion. Then rundown to the seafront, heading towards the Pier, & about 70 yds before where the place was that burnt down, there was a path which headed up to the top of the Cliffs to where the Cliff lift started.
It was a long climb, but i'd do the same thing. 6 climbs up, 6 down & then run back to my car & drive back to Shoebury!.
Only bad memory i have, is when running up that long slope one day, head leant forward, a wasp ( for what-ever reason ) decided to sneak down the gap between my vest & neck, & sting me twice!.
I had to knock on the door of one of the houses opp the Bandstand, to ask for medication!.
Believe me, hill's are hard work, but they pay dividends. I still go up the steps opp Leigh Station 4 times per week!. Now 63, dont try to run up them, there's 180 of them & those days are long gone!. But walk up them at a good pace, & when i get to the top usually have to push my lungs ( what's left of them! ( back down my throat!.

I don't/cant run anymore but still do step work after Christmas to get fit for Skiing. I do the steps by the lift next to what was the esplanade. A walk from Thorpe bay and then Pier Hill is a good warm up.

Go down and do the full steps. Then down just 3 levels for sets and you can build up by going down a further level each week or do pyramids etc to keep the training different. As you get to the top there is a gate to the left big enough to block vehicle access. That track down would be a good path for runners to do hill work and you can use the gate for half press ups as a rest.

I always do 2 steps a time as this is a much harder on the big leg muscles. You can try it at home or take the stairs in the office.

One thing I would advise is not to run down the steps...A gentle toe first walk, rather than a flat footed stomp, will help you stretch the calf, avoid long term impact injury and use it as your recovery period.....85/90% power up (walking or running) and tiptoe down is best.