The Runner's Thread

[StronGeer]

So now I'm a few months in and I just ran a 7 minute mile, my best so far. Is this decent? Terrible? Just curious about where my conditioning is relative to where it should be.

Hey softie.

I just ran a mile in 6:45. And I shaved a full minute off your round trip time (22:18 down to 21:13, a reduction of 5%).

Get on my level.

 

[RayP]

Not particularly... I have limited time available so I tend to informally challenge myself on 5k's because they take less time (though, the times posted above are just for the first 5k of my run, I actually run about 7-8k at the same pace every time, for a total of 35-40 minutes per run).

I am quite confident I can run a 10k at this point but I haven't tried yet due to time constraints. I honestly don't have more than about an hour per day, and I do other workouts 3 days a week so I only really have 4 days for running and I try to cram everything into 40 minutes tops. I will eventually find time on a weekend to just get out there and do it, so I can say I did.

There is a small race coming in September... I might sign up for the 10k. I have a few friends who are doing the 5k version of the race but I'd like to actually try and do it fast and I'm not sure they can keep up with me.

Gotcha. I was only going to bring up a a longer distance as a possibility as a new challenge for you, since your 5K time has improved by so much. But keep doing what you enjoy, and whatever is going to keep you at doing it.

And yeah, you could definitely finish a 10K... but since you don't go into that distance too often, I'd be curious to how your endurance would be around the 40-45 minute mark and how you do from that point forward.

Had our run club last night, and am running with some guys who can, but struggle, to go 4-5 miles. Sure was nice being at the head of the pack and seeing a few people struggle to keep up with you. Nice little ego boost. Ended up getting my schedule 7 miles in last night, but was held back on my pace because of them... Which is ok, because I need more tempo runs, and they're a way to make sure I get them. Ended up running the last 2 miles solo where I worked on getting my pace down a smidge. Ended up at about 9:40 per as an average after it was all said and done.

 

[RayP]

Another sub 7:45 per pace over 3M. Love that I can safely say, I think, that that is my normal 3M pace as of now. I'm not so much interested as lowering that any further, as I am sustaining it into 4 and 5 mile runs now.

 

[Lshap]

Not particularly... I have limited time available so I tend to informally challenge myself on 5k's because they take less time (though, the times posted above are just for the first 5k of my run, I actually run about 7-8k at the same pace every time, for a total of 35-40 minutes per run).

I am quite confident I can run a 10k at this point but I haven't tried yet due to time constraints. I honestly don't have more than about an hour per day, and I do other workouts 3 days a week so I only really have 4 days for running and I try to cram everything into 40 minutes tops. I will eventually find time on a weekend to just get out there and do it, so I can say I did.

There is a small race coming in September... I might sign up for the 10k. I have a few friends who are doing the 5k version of the race but I'd like to actually try and do it fast and I'm not sure they can keep up with me.

Just wanted to congratulate a fellow Montrealer on your success at running! As you're discovering, an 8-minute mile is a very good pace on the road (versus treadmill) that'll put you ahead of most casual runners. Nice feeling, isn't it? I love seeing runners ahead of me and slowly gaining on them, and then passing them. The competitiveness is childish on one level, but the focus on beating the guy ahead of you is actually helpful in improving speed.

 

[Lshap]

Gotcha. I was only going to bring up a a longer distance as a possibility as a new challenge for you, since your 5K time has improved by so much. But keep doing what you enjoy, and whatever is going to keep you at doing it.

And yeah, you could definitely finish a 10K... but since you don't go into that distance too often, I'd be curious to how your endurance would be around the 40-45 minute mark and how you do from that point forward.

Had our run club last night, and am running with some guys who can, but struggle, to go 4-5 miles. Sure was nice being at the head of the pack and seeing a few people struggle to keep up with you. Nice little ego boost. Ended up getting my schedule 7 miles in last night, but was held back on my pace because of them... Which is ok, because I need more tempo runs, and they're a way to make sure I get them. Ended up running the last 2 miles solo where I worked on getting my pace down a smidge. Ended up at about 9:40 per as an average after it was all said and done.

Peer pressure is a great motivator for distance running. Solo running makes it too easy to give into boredom or fatigue. Those guys you ran with who struggle at four/five miles would never have done 7 without being surrounded by a group. They should probably thank you for keeping them motivated! And of course, they could never have done it if the leaders hadn't kept a slow enough pace.

 

[waffledave]

Just wanted to congratulate a fellow Montrealer on your success at running! As you're discovering, an 8-minute mile is a very good pace on the road (versus treadmill) that'll put you ahead of most casual runners. Nice feeling, isn't it? I love seeing runners ahead of me and slowly gaining on them, and then passing them. The competitiveness is childish on one level, but the focus on beating the guy ahead of you is actually helpful in improving speed.

The opposite happens too, and it kills me! The other day I was running the second half of my run on the Lachine Canal and this old bald dude who lives in my building just blows by me... At first I figured, hey, I'm on the last leg of my run I'm obviously going to slow down a bit, but then I remembered this guy lives in my building so he's been running at least as far, possible even further than me. I tried to catch up but he was just too fast!

Another competitive feeling I get is on the treadmill, running longer than other people who are there too. I love when someone gets on after I've started and gets off before I'm done. It's a great feeling. But the other day, it was raining and I was on the treadmill... I get there and this old lady is running on the treadmill too, no idea how long she's been there. About halfway into my run, her treadmill times her out (auto shutoff after 60 minutes) and she restarts it and keeps going! After I was done, cleaned up, got my stuff, etc... I look back and she's STILL running!

 

[RayP]

Woke up with a sore throat this morning, and have pretty much felt like **** all day... but still managed 7M today. Pace wasn't great, and had to stop in the middle of the 5th mile due to how I felt + the 90+ degree weather... But still managed to finish at a 8:53 per mile pace, which I'll sure as hell take on a day like this with the heat and how I felt.

14M scheduled for tomorrow, which is going to be a huge issue if I feel any worse, or even the same... But I'm super determined to not miss any days on my plan this year, unless they're injury related. Missed a few last year with a lack of discipline in going out and drinking too much the night before.

Peer pressure is a great motivator for distance running. Solo running makes it too easy to give into boredom or fatigue. Those guys you ran with who struggle at four/five miles would never have done 7 without being surrounded by a group. They should probably thank you for keeping them motivated! And of course, they could never have done it if the leaders hadn't kept a slow enough pace.

Not to gloat or anything, but yes, they definitely wouldn't have ran nearly as far as they did if it weren't for me.

 

[Lshap]

The opposite happens too, and it kills me! The other day I was running the second half of my run on the Lachine Canal and this old bald dude who lives in my building just blows by me... At first I figured, hey, I'm on the last leg of my run I'm obviously going to slow down a bit, but then I remembered this guy lives in my building so he's been running at least as far, possible even further than me. I tried to catch up but he was just too fast!

Another competitive feeling I get is on the treadmill, running longer than other people who are there too. I love when someone gets on after I've started and gets off before I'm done. It's a great feeling. But the other day, it was raining and I was on the treadmill... I get there and this old lady is running on the treadmill too, no idea how long she's been there. About halfway into my run, her treadmill times her out (auto shutoff after 60 minutes) and she restarts it and keeps going! After I was done, cleaned up, got my stuff, etc... I look back and she's STILL running!

I do the gym treadmill thing during the winter (can't stand running in freezing cold!) and am always surreptitiously peeking at other treadmill readouts. Sometimes people 'run' at less than 5MPH, which might be how the old lady managed to spend her day on the treadmill without having a heart attack. Or else she's one of the X-Men mutants and you should avoid pissing her off.

Treadmills are great for forcing you to stay on pace. I used to average about 8.5MPH for 10K, but I'm in my early 50s now and don't have the patience to stay on the damn thing for over 40 minutes. Now I average about 7.8MPH for 4 to 5M, but I swear part of the slowdown is the gym's newer, tougher treadmills. Or maybe I'm just getting old...

Woke up with a sore throat this morning, and have pretty much felt like **** all day... but still managed 7M today. Pace wasn't great, and had to stop in the middle of the 5th mile due to how I felt + the 90+ degree weather... But still managed to finish at a 8:53 per mile pace, which I'll sure as hell take on a day like this with the heat and how I felt.

14M scheduled for tomorrow, which is going to be a huge issue if I feel any worse, or even the same... But I'm super determined to not miss any days on my plan this year, unless they're injury related. Missed a few last year with a lack of discipline in going out and drinking too much the night before.

Not to gloat or anything, but yes, they definitely wouldn't have ran nearly as far as they did if it weren't for me.

Props for getting off your ass when it's the last thing you feel like doing! 7M might help flush out a cold, but if you have fever it probably isn't a great idea. 14M with fever is bad. Add 90-degree heat and it's suicide. Seriously man, be careful.

 

[RayP]

Props for getting off your ass when it's the last thing you feel like doing! 7M might help flush out a cold, but if you have fever it probably isn't a great idea. 14M with fever is bad. Add 90-degree heat and it's suicide. Seriously man, be careful.

Didn't have a fever, just a sore throat. Same thing this morning, but it's so bad there is no way I can run. Still no fever, but throat is much worse than yesterday, and now I'm full of mucus, and the high is 97 today. I guess this will have to count as an injury.

 

[RayP]

Well, the sore throat is entirely gone, which is awesome... But now I feel like I have a massive head cold, or something like that. Still no fever, just crazy stuffed up. Today is a scheduled cross training day, which I'm going to use as rest and then cross-train on Friday when that would be a rest day. Tomorrow I'm scheduled for 3M, which if I feel slightly better than what I do today, shouldn't be an issue. Might not be enjoyable, but if I slow it down it will be fine.

 

[Wilch]

I've tried running on several occasions, but could never stick to it.

Once I take an extended break from either an injury or sickness (1 week+), I find it excruciatingly painful to get back into the habit of running, and I go 6 months or sometimes a year without running again.

When I do run, I have to really force and push myself to do it. Just felt repetitive and boring.

Never had this issue with playing sports though, I could play basketball and hockey hours after hours.

I really need to find a way to motivate myself and find a cardio workout, because I feel like this has always limited me in sports.

 

[RayP]

Well, was able to run thru this cold this morning. Not a great one, wasn't expecting it to be obviously... but trying to stay on track as much as possible, and if I can power through it these next few days I'll only have missed one run to date 6 weeks into this 18 week plan.

 

[RayP]

Just had my best run all year long. Went 6 1/4M and finished it with a 7:45/per mile pace, for a total of 48:40. Honestly thought I was going to burn myself out since I still don't feel 100% from this cold, and the first 3-4 miles being pretty much uphill the majority of the time, minus one nice little downhill. After I made it through that I knew I had to finish under 8 per, and then was at 7:57 per after 5 miles, and really picked it up since the last mile is downhill pretty much the entire time.

 

[RayP]

Well that wraps up July. Any of you guys track your monthly mileage? I finished up at 100.93 miles for the month. I did miss 1 run this month (a 10 miler), but everything else was accounted for and either done as planned or made up on other days.

 

[waffledave]

Well that wraps up July. Any of you guys track your monthly mileage? I finished up at 100.93 miles for the month. I did miss 1 run this month (a 10 miler), but everything else was accounted for and either done as planned or made up on other days.

I only run 3 days a week and not for extremely long so my mileage is not nearly as impressive. I finished at 99 km (flush!!) for the month aka 61.5157 miles

 

[RayP]

I only run 3 days a week and not for extremely long so my mileage is not nearly as impressive. I finished at 99 km (flush!!) for the month aka 61.5157 miles

That's still pretty damn good, especially since you're not really training for anything other than to runner faster than before.

 

[Lshap]

I only run 3 days a week and not for extremely long so my mileage is not nearly as impressive. I finished at 99 km (flush!!) for the month aka 61.5157 miles

That's pretty close to what I do. I run usually four times a week for a total between 25 to 30k. Not training for anything, just living in denial of getting older! I'm kind of proud of being in my 50s and able to run faster than most people on the street, without any aches or injuries. I realize this won't last forever, so I remain grateful for continued health.

Because I almost always run solo, I change up my route to avoid boredom. I often have no clue how long I've run - I live in the 'burbs and choose random directions, ending up anywhere from 4 to 9k. I track it afterwards on MapMyRun -- have you guys heard of that site?

- I never bring water, headphones or even a watch. Can't stand running with extra baggage.

- Never stretch before; only afterwards.

- I run better at night. Not sure why. Maybe it's because of the food energy in my system, but my stamina/speed are stronger than my day runs.

 

[Lshap]

Just had my best run all year long. Went 6 1/4M and finished it with a 7:45/per mile pace, for a total of 48:40. Honestly thought I was going to burn myself out since I still don't feel 100% from this cold, and the first 3-4 miles being pretty much uphill the majority of the time, minus one nice little downhill. After I made it through that I knew I had to finish under 8 per, and then was at 7:57 per after 5 miles, and really picked it up since the last mile is downhill pretty much the entire time.

Nice! 6.25M is almost precisely 10k -- I assume that was the plan. 48:40 is a very good time!

 

[Lshap]

I've tried running on several occasions, but could never stick to it.

Once I take an extended break from either an injury or sickness (1 week+), I find it excruciatingly painful to get back into the habit of running, and I go 6 months or sometimes a year without running again.

When I do run, I have to really force and push myself to do it. Just felt repetitive and boring.

Never had this issue with playing sports though, I could play basketball and hockey hours after hours.

I really need to find a way to motivate myself and find a cardio workout, because I feel like this has always limited me in sports.

Yeah, I admit running can be really boring, especially at the beginning when it feels like a wheezing, plodding jog. Solo running may not be for you.

Best advice is to join a group of runners through your local running-store. There are always organized outings once/twice a week, tailored for different levels. It'll teach you good habits, get your muscles accustomed to the pounding and add a social element to the exercise.

 

[RayP]

Nice! 6.25M is almost precisely 10k -- I assume that was the plan. 48:40 is a very good time!

Yeah, 6 miles give or take was the plan. My average pace was at about. 7:49 after 6 on the dot, and I was flying at that point so I just kept going until it got down to 7:45, which a a 1/4 mile later.

 

[RayP]

Well, that was probably the worst feeling runs I've had all year. Still completed the schedule 10 miles, and had a decent pace at 9:05 per mile... but it just felt awful, and I wanted to give up the entire time, but wouldn't let myself give up. Had to take 2 breaks, which I rarely do, but I wouldn't have made it through the run without them. One of the more mentally challenging runs I've had in a while.

 

[KaseMeOutside]

how can i get good at running? it has always been a struggle for me

 

[Wilch]

Yeah, I admit running can be really boring, especially at the beginning when it feels like a wheezing, plodding jog. Solo running may not be for you.

Best advice is to join a group of runners through your local running-store. There are always organized outings once/twice a week, tailored for different levels. It'll teach you good habits, get your muscles accustomed to the pounding and add a social element to the exercise.

I've been working out with a hockey physical training coach. Been working on my core. It hasn't been tough until two days ago, when we started doing sprints.

I think jogging is really boring, but it's mostly because the amount of time it consumes. For some, it goes by fast, but boy does time pass by slowly when I'm jogging. It felt a lot faster with sprints though... Or maybe it could be because I was working out with a couple of teammates and my coach is also my teammate. I guess the social element might have made it better, but compressing the work out time definitely helps.

I might stick with that for now, as I'm not really looking to cut weight but rather looking to increase explosiveness and improve recovery time.

 

[StronGeer]

how can i get good at running? it has always been a struggle for me

Seriously though, I've found it's best to have a time where you schedule a run every week. It doesn't matter if you don't want to do it that day, you are going to run. Maybe you start by running for a minute, walk for 2, etc. If you can track your progress on an app, it's really interesting and motivating to see your progress.

So that's what I'd suggest. Set a running time, do what you can, but push yourself within reason, track progress.

 

[The Imp]

I posted about this in this thread before, so I'll keep it here. There isn't a dedicated thread to this...

I DID A HALF IRON MAN!

Sunday morning, I got up at 5 am, had breakfast, biked to the event in a hefty shower, and stood around for two hours, waiting for it to be my turn. We had to check in our bikes no later than 6.30 am, and my wave (last wave) set off on the swim at 8 am. I hadn't thought as far as bringing extra socks, and my socks were drenched from the bike to the event (about 10 km). Thankfully, the guy next to me in the bike park had brought three pairs. I so owe him one.

The swim was fairly rough. Medium winds meant healthy waves. Since we did a one-lap course out and back, we had the waves from pretty much all angles. I really need to work on breathing to my left while swimming, not just my right. I ended up with a time of just over 46 minutes, which was on par with my raceplan, but it had been much tougher than I had hoped.

T1 was remarkably calm. The announcer works for the brand of clothes I raced in (Humanspeed), I guess, 'cause he went nuts when he saw me. That was sort of nice. I donned my new socks, my teardrop helmet, and mounted perfectly, just across the mount line.

The bike leg was awesome. I'm very strong on the bike, and I had high hopes for a good time on it. Indeed, that would be the case. I was overtaken just once during the 90 km bike leg, while overtaking around 100 I would guess. I did the bike leg in 2 hours 23 minutes, which was on par with the plan. I overtook my big brother, who had begun the swim 10 minutes before me, with about 10 km to go. That felt pretty good.

I felt really good heading in to T2 - I was actually singing to myself heading in ("Creeping Death", nice and aggressive). I had noticed that the air had gotten a bit warmer as the bike leg went on but oh boy... I forgot to bring my IsoGels out of T2, but that turned out to be ok.

The run was tough. I began my run at around 11.20 or so, and by that time it was 26, rising to 28, the sun was on full bore, and it was relatively humid, by Danish standards (we had a healthy thunderstorm later in the day). They had two depots on the 5,3 km run course, which was crucial. First time around, I drank a bit of water, but poured most of it over me, in an effort to keep cool. I set off at a pace around 5 min/km, but it soon dropped towards 6 min/km, and I could see my race plan begin to slip, but I had to be realistic at that point. Thankfully, the people that lived along the route could see what was going on, so four or five of them set up garden sprinklers or just garden hoses for us to "shower" under for a few seconds. I could have kissed every single one of them. A couple of kids began handing out ice cubes, too. It made SUCH a difference, both physically and mentally. I had Coke at the depots, and showered whenever I could.

My legs felt ok during the run, but as I was nearing the finish line, I began feeling a constant ache in the muscles on the front of my upper leg. I know what that means - "here comes the pain". Somehow, I made it across the line before it got really bad, in a run time of 2 hours 3 minutes, for a total of 5 hours 19 minutes. My race plan was for 5 minutes 15, but with the weather being what it was during the run, I am pretty satisfied.

I downed a full liter of chocolate milk 10 minutes after finishing, hung out for a bit with friends and family, then got on my bike and headed home. Tired, satisfied, and damnably hungry.

Question is, should I do a full Iron Man next year? I have a few weeks still to figure that one out. Training takes a lot of time, but I enjoy it.