The official running thread™

Steamy Tom said:
Hi, so long story short I am trying to find some actual interests in my life and also trying to get a bit fit and into better shape.

So I am trying to get into running in the early morning, started with a small 2 km route around my neighbourhood, will try work my way up on this to the point I can run it constant at a good pace then increase the distance.

Does anyone have any pointers or advice to help me enjoy it more along the way etc?

Thanks
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DON'T DO IT,SAVE YOUR KNEES! :D
 
Jaws677 said:
The most dangerous thing I see is runners on the road with earphones.

Leave the earphones for the threadmill or gym

Out on the road hearing is the sense that keeps you alive, you hear a car coming before you see it.

Even on trails , trail runners with earphones are a real danger for MTBers and themselves.

Luckily it has been banned at all races .
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I've been running for years on the road with earphones. I wouldn't do it in a race but I never took part in a race. I can't do distance without something to keep me occupied, and the Airpods super leaky design allows for enough outside noise to be aware of my environment.
 
Jehosefat said:
It's Type 2 fun. Just like almost every endurance sport :)

I've also recently started running (signed up for Ironman 70.3 Durban) so I'm in the process of going from no running to attempting to manage a 21.1km (after swimming 1.9km and cycling 90km). My base fitness is pretty good because if a fairly avid cyclist but I did notice that cycling has done nothing to help all the smaller supporting muscles you need to prevent injury so I constantly have to force myself to take the running reasonably slowly to avoid injuring myself.

As for what everyone else has said, just keep going, it definitely gets better. I also find it really motivating tracking my runs and seeing myself get faster and/or feeling better after and during runs.
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You doing the Durban 70.3 this year?
 
Emjay said:
You doing the Durban 70.3 this year?
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Well I've paid the entry fee and I've been training so that's the plan.

I've signed up with a coach (and training group) starting next week after the Argus.

Are you?
 
Steamy Tom said:
do you talk from experience?
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Not scientific experience admittedly and I'm no expert,but yeah a friends dad used to run several kilometer's every morning for decades,was very fit even at 50 he looks 35.

He only done running and push up's,today at 50 he can barely walk properly according to his doctor's the years of running led to this apparently.
 
Jehosefat said:
Well I've paid the entry fee and I've been training so that's the plan.

I've signed up with a coach (and training group) starting next week after the Argus.

Are you?
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What group are you training with? I first trained with MPG, and then moved to Troisports as Troi had the better group training options. I have actually stopped training for a while though. I got fed up after all my injuries. The costs were starting to pile up, and I just wanted time to socialise and be with family on the weekends. It didn't help that the Troi coach left for the States either. Have been considering starting up on my own, and doing one of those free programs using Training Peaks as I know how to structure my training now. I may just need help with determining my training load. I have a group to cycle with on on the weekends, so I am itching a little to start up again. I also got some professional cycling gear as a gift so want to give that a whirl.:cool:

3 months to go. This is the most important stretch. Good luck. It's a fun course and not too punishing. The run is nice and flat. If you fall in love with triathlon, you should do EL 70.3 next year. Unbelievable course, and support. Far more than Durban. Only thing though is that is a very difficult course. One of the hardest 70.3s on the Ironman circuit imo.
 
falcon786 said:
Not scientific experience admittedly and I'm no expert,but yeah a friends dad used to run several kilometer's every morning for decades,was very fit even at 50 he looks 35.

He only done running and push up's,today at 50 he can barely walk properly according to his doctor's the years of running led to this apparently.
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Not true for the majority of runners. If you are a healthy weight, and don't have any other underlying conditions, running will not cause these issues. If you are injury susceptible like I am, then maybe switch to cycling or get a coach to help you build a training program with options to strengthen up supporting areas around the knee.

I also don't think running every day is a good idea either. Not even professional runners run every day.

https://www.runnersworld.com/health...evidence-that-running-doesnt-ruin-your-knees/
 
Emjay said:
What group are you training with? I first trained with MPG, and then moved to Troisports as Troi had the better group training options. I have actually stopped training for a while though. I got fed up after all my injuries. The costs were starting to pile up, and I just wanted time to socialise and be with family on the weekends. It didn't help that the Troi coach left for the States either. Have been considering starting up on my own, and doing one of those free programs using Training Peaks as I know how to structure my training now. I may just need help with determining my training load. I have a group to cycle with on on the weekends, so I am itching a little to start up again. I also got some professional cycling gear as a gift so want to give that a whirl.:cool:

3 months to go. This is the most important stretch. Good luck. It's a fun course and not too punishing. The run is nice and flat. If you fall in love with triathlon, you should do EL 70.3 next year. Unbelievable course, and support. Far more than Durban. Only thing though is that is a very difficult course. One of the hardest 70.3s on the Ironman circuit imo.
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I'm going to be training with MTD. But I already cycle with Club100 on the weekends so I'm going to have to see how I'm going to split the training.

I'm not sure I'm going to be keen on doing more 70.3 type distances; I'll have to see how it goes. I think Standard distance is more my thing so I'll definitely keep doing those.

Glad to hear the run is nice and flat :thumbsup:

I'm pretty sure once you have done one or two you don't really need a coach anymore because you can kinda recycle the training programs and you learn what works better for you. Also I find that the Form indicator on TrainingPeaks is a great indicator of whether your training load is right. I also find new gear is a great motivator :)
 
Jehosefat said:
I'm going to be training with MTD. But I already cycle with Club100 on the weekends so I'm going to have to see how I'm going to split the training.

I'm not sure I'm going to be keen on doing more 70.3 type distances; I'll have to see how it goes. I think Standard distance is more my thing so I'll definitely keep doing those.

Glad to hear the run is nice and flat :thumbsup:
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MTD is a great group. Have you not started? If not, you should really start this week. Running off the bike is really no joke and takes a bit of experience. I botched my run on my first 70.3 (which was EL) so badly I walked most of it. Was the most miserable I have ever been. You should try get in a brick run every week to understand pacing and the mental fortitude to push through that brick feeling in your legs. Also, how is the swimming? You can build up easily to the 2km swim in 3 months, but if you are not comfortable in the water, that may be an issue.

Edit:

Guess you already know then if you have done a few Olympic distances. :thumbsup:

Let us know how it goes.
 
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Emjay said:
MTD is a great group. Have you not started? If not, you should really start this week. Running off the bike is really no joke and takes a bit of experience. I botched my run on my first EL 70.3 so badly I walked most of it. Was the most miserable I have ever been. You should try get in a brick run every week to understand pacing and the mental fortitude to push through that brick feeling in your legs. Also, how is the swimming? You can build up easily to the 2km swim in 3 months, but if you are not comfortable in the water, that may be an issue.
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I've started training on my own from January (CTL/Fitness of 75 on TrainingPeaks) doing cycling, running and swimming but I'm only starting with MTD next week (wanted to focus on cycling until after the Argus).

I think I'm probably fit enough to finish it now (although it would really, really suck). I've done a few shorter triathlons before so I know how the bike-run feel in the legs.

Swimming wise I'm comfortable enough just pretty slow. Aiming to finish the swim in about 45mins and a sub-7 overall (45 swim, 3:15 bike, 2:30 run and <30 transitions) but I'll dial those all in as I get closer to the time.
 
Jehosefat said:
I've started training on my own from January (CTL/Fitness of 75 on TrainingPeaks) doing cycling, running and swimming but I'm only starting with MTD next week (wanted to focus on cycling until after the Argus).

I think I'm probably fit enough to finish it now (although it would really, really suck). I've done a few shorter triathlons before so I know how the bike-run feel in the legs.

Swimming wise I'm comfortable enough just pretty slow. Aiming to finish the swim in about 45mins and a sub-7 overall (45 swim, 3:15 bike, 2:30 run and <30 transitions) but I'll dial those all in as I get closer to the time.
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Nice. Sounds like you are 100% on track.

I have a little FOMO. :X3:
 
Steamy Tom said:
did the route in just over 14 mins, so i am about 6km in for the week so far. My left leg is a bit eina, like the bottom of my hamstring area. should i power through it or rest it?
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Time for my 2c.:

Don't power through it. Have a rest or just go for a walk. The best you can do now is to listen to your body. As you get more experienced you will learn how far you can push your body.

Motivation: Ive found that keeping record of my weight and times and distances really worked as motivation, because you will see some positive changes. You will have ups and downs and you will not run a PB every day.

Training method: I started by running 2 lamp posts and walking one for about 2KM. As things progress you can increase the running distance and decreasing the walking, but again listen to your body. Try to get a few different routes. I have one route that I use as a time trail once a week to try and gauge where I am, one that I run for some hill training and lastly one that I run to do some LSD (long, slow, distance).

Shoes: For now you might get away with your shoes, but it will be worth while getting some advice as your distances and time on the road increases. I actually stopped running at one stage purely because my shoes really hurt me (I got massive blisters).

Kit: Investing into a heart rate monitor is worth it once you've decided that running is definitely for you. Its not a silver bullet but you can use it to guide your training. I try and keep my heart rate above 150 and below 180 when I do intervals. I try and keep it above 130 when I do LSD. I personally dont like running with earphones just because I want to know whats happening around me, they are banned from races for a reason.

Lastly enjoy the run. I found the vibe at races to be awesome, I actually enjoy running races far more than cycling races purely for that reason.
 
just for reference my current shoes are a pair of new balance that i bought about 2 years ago (but have not really worn much between) that were around R900 then, they aren't just no name nothings.
 
Steamy Tom said:
just for reference my current shoes are a pair of new balance that i bought about 2 years ago (but have not really worn much between) that were around R900 then, they aren't just no name nothings.
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Fair, but do you need shoes that provide support for pronation, supination, or just shoes for neutral feet? I had a pair of Nikes that I paid over 2000 for and they just did not work for me.

For now your shoes will do, but its worth the effort to go see someone what can give you some advice. There is an awesome store in Bedfordview that helped me.
 
jouda said:
Fair, but do you need shoes that provide support for pronation, supination, or just shoes for neutral feet? I had a pair of Nikes that I paid over 2000 for and they just did not work for me.

For now your shoes will do, but its worth the effort to go see someone what can give you some advice. There is an awesome store in Bedfordview that helped me.
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yeah that's fair, i will look more into this if i get more into it as a lifestyle.
 
jouda said:
Fair, but do you need shoes that provide support for pronation, supination, or just shoes for neutral feet? I had a pair of Nikes that I paid over 2000 for and they just did not work for me.

For now your shoes will do, but its worth the effort to go see someone what can give you some advice. There is an awesome store in Bedfordview that helped me.
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I got help from Sportsmans Warehouse Blackheath - they film you and analyse it. I pronate, so I need stability shoes, and the best are the New Balance ones (I have the 860V8).
 
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