Spotlight Running Club

I always run solo.

Can't understand those runners who run and chat at the same time?

i enjoy the solitude and headspaceyou get from long distance running.

And to be honest, if you've got enough puff left to chat - you're just not running hard enough!

Interested to see what others who run with a training partner think though!
 
I could run with someone, as long as they kept at my pace and didn't talk, but what would the point be? I just whack my big headphones on and off I go.

Last night was my first run in 2 weeks because of Bugged Out, my move to Scotland and the consequent weather conditions. Was a rainy 5.5 mile run but at least the wind had died down. Bit stiff today but didn't have any real problems with running at 8 mi/min. Plan to get back into doing 10k every other day with the occasional longer run, and doing press up, sit up, chin up sets on the days I'm not running.
 
Jack87 said:
my move to Scotland and the consequent weather conditions. Was a rainy 5.5 mile run but at least the wind had died down.
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:lol: ... welcome to life in Scotland ... I remember it well (reaches for another 2 layers of clothing :eek:) ... and the Wind on the East Coast goes straight through you. Well it does when you're built like I am anyhoo !

Life in the wilds of the North - online dating and home workouts seem to be all the rage :) ... you'll be foraging before you know it ;)
 
Johnny Vodka said:
Does anyone prefer to go running with others? I ask because colleagues want me to go out with them at lunchtimes, but the idea doesn't appeal to me.
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I was definitely of the mindset of not understanding running with others, running is a time to clear your mind and find yourself right? (navel gazing bs alert, MB ;) ) Then I joined a running club to try and learn from experienced runners, it is a quantum leap for anyone wanting to take their running up a notch. Since moving I am without a running club and much as you might push yourself against the clock, nothing compares to the competitive element of a running club. After first joining the running club, I agreed to run with a buddy, and the same competitive element comes into play, you do push harder when running with others imho. As a 'social' thing, that's for the fairies, forget it, (unless there is a hottie you want to see in lycra?)...
 
kimajy said:
Life in the wilds of the North - online dating and home workouts seem to be all the rage :) ... you'll be foraging before you know it ;)
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:lol: Running is the new foraging! Quite looking forward to trail running and seeing a bit more of the country than I did when I was walking and, er, foraging.

Did my 6.5 mile circuit in under an hour this morning, so I think I'll go back to making my big weekend run 7 miles, with the next goal being managing that in
an hour. If I don't wake up with sore legs tomorrow, I'll maybe go for a 4 miler seeing as I did bugger all running during the week.
 
WeLuvIbiza said:
I was definitely of the mindset of not understanding running with others, running is a time to clear your mind and find yourself right? (navel gazing bs alert, MB ;) ) Then I joined a running club to try and learn from experienced runners, it is a quantum leap for anyone wanting to take their running up a notch. Since moving I am without a running club and much as you might push yourself against the clock, nothing compares to the competitive element of a running club. After first joining the running club, I agreed to run with a buddy, and the same competitive element comes into play, you do push harder when running with others imho. As a 'social' thing, that's for the fairies, forget it, (unless there is a hottie you want to see in lycra?)...
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Ha! Well, they have started taking one of the hotties from work out with them. :twisted:


I'm not really a fan of competitive sport (I was always about last to get picked at school! :oops: ), so prefer just being in competition with myself. Even then, I'm trying to curb the urge to look at my watch when I'm on a run, just do the best I can and hope the times have improved when I get home and upload them. I'd rather get better at running 'naturally' than try and push too hard. Any time I've consciously decided to sprint, I've ended up with leg pains. I'm getting the impression that running times don't really improve from tanking it, but through better technique and getting better at hills (thus not dropping time). Today I wasn't conscious of going hard at all (well, I was pushing it, but still within 'comfortable'), yet ended up with my best time on that circuit by a good margin - and no pains.
 
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Tomorrow I'm off out for my first run in a full month due to a hideous chest infection - I can't wait to get back out even though I'm still not 100% - I'm hoping the run will clear the remaining poison from my system. I'm easing back in with a five miler to get some miles back in my legs and to break in some new footwear.

But I'm now a month behind in my training and all the running I did over xmas, boxing day, new year's eve, etc to give me a good start this year seems futile.

However, I've never been so motivated to get out running despite the north east coast's snow, wind and rain that perhaps the break will do me good in the long run!

Got my first ever half end of April and want to do sub 1h 50m - that seems a huge task at the moment.
 
Can anyone tell me about Heart Rate Monitors ? Do they all involve wearing a chest strap next to skin (for some reason I thought wrist ones meant they took your pulse off your wrist :rolleyes:) .. I was actually thinking mainly about getting a cycle computer with one of these but the chest strap thing puts me off even for cycling although I've never tried wearing one just sounds awful.

Am unfortunately incurably intolerant of anything constrictive or irritating when I'm doing active stuff (can just about handle very well made flatlock-seamed lycra lol).. can't imagine trying to run with something strapped round my chest without instantly wanting to rip it off :lol:
 
Sadly AFAIK, a telemetric strap round your chest is the only way to get accurate heart rate. Like you, I initially thought it would be possible to pickup the heart rate from the watch strap or something. It is not actually as invasive as you might think to wear a strap, after the first time it is easy to forget you have the thing on after a run! Rarely wear mine now as heart rate doesn't vary that much over time and had forgotten about it tbh. Will slap it on tonight to see if there is any change since last time I wore it a few months ago, n fact I am going to use it regularly again, thanks :)
 
I use mine a lot, especially on treadmill and bike. Lets me dip in and out of the different training zones with ease. Once it is on I don't notice it that much, but it can be a pain if its on whilst doing weights prior. Should be ideal on a road bike and not cause much discomfort ( and I am someone who can't stand even a wallet keys and phone in my pockets!)
 
Ah OK thanks. Think I'll have to try to put one of those things on and see if it's something I could deal with first. Sounds like a gadget I'd get fed up of wearing pretty soon and have stuck in the drawer so might save my pennies !

Good to hear from you deepseadiver - hope any Winter trials and doldrums are on their way out. Just a thought ... why don't you just wait to put your chest strap on for cardio after your weights are done ? ;)
 
Johnny Vodka said:
Ha! Well, they have started taking one of the hotties from work out with them. :twisted:


I'd rather get better at running 'naturally' than try and push too hard. Any time I've consciously decided to sprint, I've ended up with leg pains. I'm getting the impression that running times don't really improve from tanking it, but through better technique and getting better at hills (thus not dropping time).
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Personally any talk of improving 'technique' is for people wanting to run sub four minute miles! Never read one single paragraph about improving technique in any books, it's counter intuitive imo. Considering your improvement to date and the fact you are now able to do sub eight minute miles, I would say don't start messing about trying to improve something that is obviously working well, you will end up injured. Speed session are imperative to improving your overall times, this was about the only thing the guys at the running club passed on as advice. By getting faster your running style will change naturally as different muscles develop.
 
When i try and run faster for periods of my longer runs my overall time suffers as it hits me harder than i think.
I've got pretty good at running equal split times now for each KM and they are slowly improving.
 
Evolution said:
When i try and run faster for periods of my longer runs my overall time suffers as it hits me harder than i think.
I've got pretty good at running equal split times now for each KM and they are slowly improving.
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I concur with this.

Listening to a podcast today, there is a race where the runners go round a 400 metre track for 24 hours, the guy who clocked the biggest mileage was aged 47, there is hope for me yet :) . He did 156 miles, during the race the record for 100 miles was smashed @ 12 hours and change, that is just plain crazy! Wouldn't you love to be in that elite group of runners? Imagine running round a track for 24 hours solid, that is some mental fortitude....
 
6miler in the cold and wet, hated it, struggled to even get going, HR peaking over 190 again for for time in 12 months, concluded compression socks not good for the dodgy calf, which did a minor spazz after 5miles. nor is the cold.

couple of deer in the park lifted the mood slightly, tried 50m of forefoot bouncing, despite feeling a tad uncomfortable, will probably get easier over time, reverted back to the foot slapping, and can defo feel where that energy is going...

really am in a mental hole atm, want to run, conscious of calf going again, just really all over the place.
feels like im back to square one and then some. at least with ITB syndrome, you could grit teeth and run through it.
 
kimajy said:
Ah OK thanks. Think I'll have to try to put one of those things on and see if it's something I could deal with first. Sounds like a gadget I'd get fed up of wearing pretty soon and have stuck in the drawer so might save my pennies !

Good to hear from you deepseadiver - hope any Winter trials and doldrums are on their way out. Just a thought ... why don't you just wait to put your chest strap on for cardio after your weights are done ? ;)
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Nice one, I'm back proper now. Had a serious case of SAD up until the winter solstice, been lurking on here a lot though. Get it in some form or another at that time of the year, a course of 5htp is doing the trick though.


I prefer to put the chest band on prior to gym entry as lifting my t shirt up mid session and exposing my little pot belly is not an option. Well worth the money (I think they are a tenner at the gym). Aldi do a bike computer and band at sometime during the year as a special. It might be worth it so you dont go into the zone where you are burning all that muscle you have been building. A beefcake at work who knows his stuff never does more than 20mins of low HR (120 ish) cardio unless he is cutting.
 
Completed my first run since Jan 6th at the weekend, due to having a nasty chest infection which is still lingering now.

Well, not much of a run to be honest, it was four miles and at a slow pace too. But at least it got me out andmy replacement footwear broken in.

Good news was that my lungs held up well despite the infection and my legs felt that they could have done it again no problem, with only a few twinges the day after.

Hopefully within two weeks i'll be back to full capacity and my half marathon training will have begun in earnest.

Realised, yet again, that once you push yourself past the mental aversion to running in the freezing cold, once you're out and running you barely notice it.

Need to stop being such a pussy. never bothered me before, but this winter it's put me off running on several occasions.
 
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