The Running Thread

[DOB]

Brooks Adrenaline are a good alternative to Asics. They’re priced lower over here, dunno about availability back home.

All the brooks stuff is expensive here. My missus wears them and Asics. She pays about 180 quid for her runners. As I said a few posts up I can sort of see why now

How about Saucony? My Kinvara’s are light as air and were on a bit of a knock down price when I got them.

This all depends on running style, though. I used to wear Kayano, but switched to more mid-foot running and lighter shoes. It’s been great on my knees and especially calves; I don’t get strains in my lower legs anything like the way I used to.

[EverReady]

I've heard great things about them and of Hoka though Hoka look like something you would have to wear as you had one leg shorter than the other and were club footed

[DOB]

Yeah, lots of Hoka fans around here, but I can’t see myself wearing yokes like that until they have actual hover technology built in.

[sorCrer]

Brooks Adrenaline are a good alternative to Asics. They’re priced lower over here, dunno about availability back home.

All the brooks stuff is expensive here. My missus wears them and Asics. She pays about 180 quid for her runners. As I said a few posts up I can sort of see why now

How about Saucony? My Kinvara’s are light as air and were on a bit of a knock down price when I got them.

This all depends on running style, though. I used to wear Kayano, but switched to more mid-foot running and lighter shoes. It’s been great on my knees and especially calves; I don’t get strains in my lower legs anything like the way I used to.

I've done about 12000 kms in Saucony Guides over the last 10 years.

[blindcider]

Yeah, lots of Hoka fans around here, but I can’t see myself wearing yokes like that until they have actual hover technology built in.

Hokas are an odd shape. The join between the midsole and uppers rip my arches to pieces. Currently trying Altra which are zero drop and have a wider than normal toebox combined with maximalist but lightweight cushioning. I can run in pretty much any neutral shoe though - love Asics Nimbus and Mizuno Waveriders though.

[Homer]

EF It's astonishing how quick your endurance builds up if you put in the effort. The 6km I do everyday is now a handy distance while only 4 or 5 weeks ago it was a torturous event. Having said that my groin is now gone from this morning so I should a) have not gone out everyday and b) not posted on here about it. This thread has definitely hexed me. Hopefully not too bad but fairly sore all day so feels like a while off. Will continue to work on core strength in the meantime. I do think I could probably do a marathon now in the distant future and that is very pleasing. I thought that had passed me by and my dad ran a lash of them when I was a kid in the late 70's early 80's. I always wanted to do one so next year I reckon

As someone who has done a lot of sport of the years and lots of training (which was almost always at max effort), I can confirm that it is a recipe for injuries.

It's only been in later years with access to better information that I learned about polarisation training for running. Basically almost all of the volume should be done at an easy pace and the high intensity stuff should be low in volume but really intense. Most of us run around at a medium/high intensity for all our runs, which means long recoveries (or lack of energy and injuries).

I really only do one 'hard effort' run a week now, whilst the other runs might be long and/or hilly but comfortably below threshold pace. I am also doing some workouts, such as mobility and strength stuff at home.

[Homer]

Could someone recommend some good/non-expensive running shoes?

I look out for decent running shoes when they are on offer at sportsshoes.com. I got some Adidas Solarboost ('boost' is Adidas premium foam tech) a couple of months back for £80, which is a pretty big reduction and am vey happy with them.

[EverReady]

Certainly correct for me Homer. Most sports I have done I have had some direction but this is wholly self managed and I do it poorly. Everyday I go out to run quicker and quicker and now realise that was a bit stupid. Anyway I seem to have got away with it as groin feels good. Still took yesterday and today off and will most likely take tomorrow as well. Will take it much handier from then and incorporate a longer slower run in as well

[Leinsterman]

I got a pair of Adidas Solar Boost a couple of months ago. Had previously used a pair of Nikes but apparently they aren't making running shoes anymore. They've decided to concentrate on other markets.
The Adidas are nice and light. Thought Brooks seemed a good bit heavier when I tried them on.

[Homer]

I got a pair of Adidas Solar Boost a couple of months ago. Had previously used a pair of Nikes but apparently they aren't making running shoes anymore. They've decided to concentrate on other markets.
The Adidas are nice and light. Thought Brooks seemed a good bit heavier when I tried them on.

?

Nike are definitely still making running shoes. Look at the Zoom and React ranges (or Free range if you prefer minimal drop).

[DOB]

I got a pair of Adidas Solar Boost a couple of months ago. Had previously used a pair of Nikes but apparently they aren't making running shoes anymore. They've decided to concentrate on other markets.
The Adidas are nice and light. Thought Brooks seemed a good bit heavier when I tried them on.

?

Nike are definitely still making running shoes. Look at the Zoom and React ranges (or Free range if you prefer minimal drop).

Be a bit weird if Nike spent millions getting Kipchoge under the 2-hour mark, and then turned around and quit the running shoe biz.

[Leinsterman]

I got a pair of Adidas Solar Boost a couple of months ago. Had previously used a pair of Nikes but apparently they aren't making running shoes anymore. They've decided to concentrate on other markets.
The Adidas are nice and light. Thought Brooks seemed a good bit heavier when I tried them on.

?

Nike are definitely still making running shoes. Look at the Zoom and React ranges (or Free range if you prefer minimal drop).

Ah ok, didn't realise that. Must have misheard what they said in the shop. They could very well have mean the range of runner that I'd got the last time.

[EverReady]

React Odyssey Shield is what I got. The Shield are waterproof as part of where I run is field and trail. Works a treat

[EverReady]

Anybody have a nail fall off? Mine has thickened up and is going blue underneath so presume it is on its way off. How long will it take as it's fairly sore now

[Leinsterman]

Sounds like leprosy

At least it's not Covid

[EverReady]

Sounds like leprosy

At least it's not Covid

When you run like the wind these things will happen. By wind I mean shart

[EverReady]

Quickest 5km now 23.01 with plenty of elevation so happy with that. Average about 23.30 and LM that would include Laraghcon and Dodsboro hills. 10km is 50 mins and nearly kills me

[Leinsterman]

Quickest 5km now 23.01 with plenty of elevation so happy with that. Average about 23.30 and LM that would include Laraghcon and Dodsboro hills. 10km is 50 mins and nearly kills me

Fair play! Decent bit of elevation in those. I haven't managed to get out running the last few weeks. Must get off my ass again.

[EverReady]

Quickest 5km now 23.01 with plenty of elevation so happy with that. Average about 23.30 and LM that would include Laraghcon and Dodsboro hills. 10km is 50 mins and nearly kills me

Fair play! Decent bit of elevation in those. I haven't managed to get out running the last few weeks. Must get off my ass again.

They are mid and the end of the 5km and 1/3rd and end of 10km.Just the right place to get the lungs going. Strava is great for routes though I haven't worked out can I follow the route while running

[Bullettyme]

Thread still going?

Hoping to do a half marathon before the end of the year, any tips or advice?

Took up running last year and really gave it a whirl this year in addition to cycling. I try to run about 5 or 10k per week, in addition to cycling. Last few weeks I've gotten a few 10ks under my belt, keeping HR below and around 150. Did 11k this week. Working from home has really been a boon.

One thing I've found is making sure I've planned a route beforehand, if I have to make it up on the fly I'll bail or my pace will just increase.

Edit: and sorry, doing a 10k at about 5:20/km

[Duff Paddy]

Thread still going?

Hoping to do a half marathon before the end of the year, any tips or advice?

Took up running last year and really gave it a whirl this year in addition to cycling. I try to run about 5 or 10k per week, in addition to cycling. Last few weeks I've gotten a few 10ks under my belt, keeping HR below and around 150. Did 11k this week. Working from home has really been a boon.

One thing I've found is making sure I've planned a route beforehand, if I have to make it up on the fly I'll bail or my pace will just increase.

Edit: and sorry, doing a 10k at about 5:20/km

You need to seriously get your mileage up for a half marathon. You have to get your body used to running that distance it’s really hard, it’s not like ah I can do 10k so it’s just two of those. The last 3k or so are torture. Which one are you planning to do? You need to get used to drinking whilst running too, which is generally not something you need to do for distances under 10k. Start out very slow, it’s hard on the body.

[EverReady]

Bullet my advice following some I've got here and in the real world would be to vary your training schedule. They have loads of examples online for half marathons and I like 5/10km but on my long slow run I could get up to 15 handily enough now. I do two days of quarter mile repeats so 5/10 min warm up and then quarter mile hard, 1.30 bit slower, repeat 4 times. Cool down about 5. My mate is a serious marathon dude and he might do 10-12 QM repeats. I then do 2 days mixed intervals so warm up, 1 minute hard, 1 slow, 2 hard, 2 slow, 3 hard, 3 slow and taper back down to cool down 15 mins. I have hills in that route as I can't do hill sprints as I bring the dog for a run while doing my thing. Hill sprints are the business though so work them in and then increase the distance of your long run each week. Don't be afraid to get your heart going but also be careful to have it mostly in moderate/tempo. I run in threshold way too much and that is my Achilles heel

[EverReady]

I am moving on from the 5km and 10km and going to run a marathon later in the year. Started a half marathon training thing the other day and ran 16km. Tbh I found it grand. I have a tendancy to belt around as fast as I can so the pace of 5min a KM was extremely manageable. Now I was ready to finish at the end but never under horrendous pressure and included plenty of hills. My question is runners. I did that run a mixture of trails, shale, and path so wore Terra Kigers. Nice and light but a little bit wide at the front as I have very narrow feet. I also have a pair of Odyssey Reacts, a bit soft, and New Balance 860v11 for the roads. What would you recommend for the roads for the longer distances? I suspect the 860's might be a bit unforgiving. I need stability runners.

[Jim Lahey]

Nice one ER.
I got into a 5km battle with my brother in the summer. I was down to 20.45 and then he pipped me at 20.35. He goes out a few days later and buys a pair of Saucony Endorphin Speeds and suddenly goes 19.50, the massive kunt. So they might be worth a look at.

I’m planning to do a few triathlons (if they are on) this year, probably 70.3 distance. Also aiming to go under 20min 5km, although I have quite a bit of work to do. Weighing in at 102kgs atm, I need to be below 95kg to have a realistic shot at it. Been doing a load of cycling on Zwift recently but focusing on getting a few tempo 6km runs in. Did 4.41min/km this morning without pushing too hard. Also been focusing on getting my cadence up. I’m a big awkward plum so before I was only doing 165-ish but have changed my running style to hit 176, with a view to be over 180 soon enough. Feels feckin weird initially though.

[assfly]

A (very nice) client of mine took me into the Nike store and told me to pick myself a pair of running shoes.

Came down to the Pegasus or the Free 3.0

Ended up going for the Free based on my positive experience with the Free 5.0. Quite amazing shoes, but as I do mostly trail running I won't get to use them that much. But just walking around in them is amazing, I can feel my feet and calf muscles waking up. Will try and get some road running done in them and report back.

[blindcider]

Nice one ER.
I got into a 5km battle with my brother in the summer. I was down to 20.45 and then he pipped me at 20.35. He goes out a few days later and buys a pair of Saucony Endorphin Speeds and suddenly goes 19.50, the massive kunt. So they might be worth a look at.

I’m planning to do a few triathlons (if they are on) this year, probably 70.3 distance. Also aiming to go under 20min 5km, although I have quite a bit of work to do. Weighing in at 102kgs atm, I need to be below 95kg to have a realistic shot at it. Been doing a load of cycling on Zwift recently but focusing on getting a few tempo 6km runs in. Did 4.41min/km this morning without pushing too hard. Also been focusing on getting my cadence up. I’m a big awkward plum so before I was only doing 165-ish but have changed my running style to hit 176, with a view to be over 180 soon enough. Feels feckin weird initially though.

On the Saucony Endorphin Daps the advice seems to be to go for the ones with the nylon rather than carbon plate in terms of bang for buck - I think thats the speed but there is also the shift and pro in the range IIRC. As a reasonable runner (front of middle of pack if that makes sense) I don't see the point in pending the extra wedge just for a few seconds benefit on a PB as I still ain't winning anything Having said that my 5km PB is at 20:25 so I might see if I can borrow some one day to get that vanity plate. I've also never trained for 5km, my times have always been a side effect of endurance training

The combination of cadence and stride length is key to running fast. if you can hold somewhere near 180 you are probably near optimal and would be better off to work on maintaining a good stride length rather than pushing cadence.

70.3 is the best triathlon distance IMO, long enough to be a nice challenge and a meaningful experience but short enough that you can blag it on base fitness. My long term plan includes a decaIronman in 2022 if I can get a decent build this year though. Looking at some more individual challenges like the Dan Booth Round and Frog Graham in the meantime as I am gradually going off the organised race scene

[EverReady]

Thanks lads will look at those. My 5km best is 19.48 but run 20.30ish most times. I nearly die every time. The 5km route I do is down a hill into the village and then straight up a hill out and flat for about a mile. That extra push below 20 all depends on me being able to get up the hill at pace and sustaining it on the flat. That is very hit and miss as in the latter. On starva I am up there so know I am doing ok. The longer routes I do are down into the park and mix of trail and path. My goal now is to slow it right down and stick to this programme. I set my half marathon goal at 1.40 so will see how it goes. Jim cadence was key for me. I was a sprinter when younger and went on to do 800 metres. Had no stamina and a lengthy stride. Some lad on Garmin explained cadence to me and I practiced and the rest is history. The only disadvantage is now I am so used to the short punchy cadence I struggle to lengthen my stride at the end. Swings and roundabouts but need to lengthen it a bit

[blindcider]

Stride length is one of the first things that goes to pot when you start to fatigue.

Mo Farahs 10km stride length is somewhere around 2.2m, a sprinter like Bolt does about 2.6m (but he is an outlier due to his height) and most 100m sprinters would be around 2.4m. A typical elite marathoner would be around 2m. Most amateur runners are nowhere near these stride lengths so even at a similar cadence of 180 these top athletes are simply taking distance out of you every step. Thats the main principle behind these new plated and energy foam shoes is that the energy return springs you forward extra cm's each step for no extra effort. Its also part of the argument against prosthetic-shod athletes gaining a mechanical advantage.

There is an interesting debate is whether run form (at least in terms of cadence and stride length) drives speed or whether run form is a by-product of speed in this. As with most things its somewhere in the middle IMO and without the base fitness stride length and cadence are a secondary concern

[Jim Lahey]

I notice when I’m shagged my cadence goes completely and I lengthen my strides. Higher cadence requires more concentration for me, although I’ve only become aware of the importance of cadence in the last month so it could just be me reverting to my old ways when I tire.

[EverReady]

That's gas. I practiced the cadence thing for a few weeks and went from a sort of loping along to quick shorter strides. Blindsider has it in that I can't then lengthen them at the end as I am shattered. Looking there my cadence on the quicker runs averages at 186 and the slower 177. This has been useful as I think I need to lengthen my stride particularly when fresh. Got in touch with the Run Hub online, a decent running shop here and they have recommended a few as I have mixed needs. Hoka one Carbon X, Adidas Solar Glide and Asics Novablast. He was saying the Carbon X is a bit maligned as being average but that's because it is good at 5km to marathon rather than excellent at any distance. I always swore I wouldn't get Hoka's though as they are stupid

[Leinsterman]

Yeah Run Hub are good. My own runners (Adidas Solarboost) are starting to fall apart but no chance of buying a new pair of something different because I'd want to try them on first.
And that ain't happening for another few weeks.
Managed to get the Solarboost on the Adidas site on special offer so hopefully they arrive before the current ones disintegrate completely.

[EverReady]

They have a pair called Adizero that I quite like the look of

[Thomas]

After a year off with heart issues, I'm back running.

Gee, she's a hard slog when you're not fit, hey?

[EverReady]

I was never great on the stamina side until recently. For me it turned out to be work and losing weight. Running the speeds Jim is at his bulk were impossible for me. I smoked and was generally unfit. Would always have a smoke at the side of the pitch before a match. One at halftime. One if subbed. One before back on. One before the showers....I wasn't fit despite the running around

[Homer]

Yeah Run Hub are good. My own runners (Adidas Solarboost) are starting to fall apart but no chance of buying a new pair of something different because I'd want to try them on first.
And that ain't happening for another few weeks.
Managed to get the Solarboost on the Adidas site on special offer so hopefully they arrive before the current ones disintegrate completely.

I'm going to pick up another pair of Solarboost - best runner I have had, so keep my eye out for when there is a deal on. Can sometimes pick them up for around £75.

[Leinsterman]

Yeah Run Hub are good. My own runners (Adidas Solarboost) are starting to fall apart but no chance of buying a new pair of something different because I'd want to try them on first.
And that ain't happening for another few weeks.
Managed to get the Solarboost on the Adidas site on special offer so hopefully they arrive before the current ones disintegrate completely.

I'm going to pick up another pair of Solarboost - best runner I have had, so keep my eye out for when there is a deal on. Can sometimes pick them up for around £75.

Try the Adidas website. They have a sale on at the moment.

[Duff Paddy]

That's gas. I practiced the cadence thing for a few weeks and went from a sort of loping along to quick shorter strides. Blindsider has it in that I can't then lengthen them at the end as I am shattered. Looking there my cadence on the quicker runs averages at 186 and the slower 177. This has been useful as I think I need to lengthen my stride particularly when fresh. Got in touch with the Run Hub online, a decent running shop here and they have recommended a few as I have mixed needs. Hoka one Carbon X, Adidas Solar Glide and Asics Novablast. He was saying the Carbon X is a bit maligned as being average but that's because it is good at 5km to marathon rather than excellent at any distance. I always swore I wouldn't get Hoka's though as they are stupid

I am a convert to Hoka’s they great once you get used to them

[Dobbin]

Anyone have any decent tips for running shoes that cater for overpronation - I've had a series of Brooks Ravenna shoes that have done wonders in terms of injuries but I can't seem to lay my hands on a new pair in my size for love nor money. Any decent alternatives that people have tried?

[EverReady]

Anyone have any decent tips for running shoes that cater for overpronation - I've had a series of Brooks Ravenna shoes that have done wonders in terms of injuries but I can't seem to lay my hands on a new pair in my size for love nor money. Any decent alternatives that people have tried?

That's my feet. New Balance 860v11 is what I currently have. Great runners and really snug and supportive in the arch area. I am currently looking for something with a bit more responsiveness as I have a notion it will be better on longer runs. Not sure I am going the right route as I have no complaints about the NB

[EverReady]

The other pure stability ones just recommended to me were the Mizuno Wave Inspire 17 and the Adidas Solar Glide 3ST