Running

I'm having my toenail surgically removed next week (yay?) and have some questions that I forgot to ask my doctor/had some language barrier issues with.

1. Can I run between now and then? It doesn't really hurt to walk, no more than it just generally hurts anyway. I can't make it any worse, can I?? It was bleeding a lot the other day but has stopped.
   
2. How long afterwards do I have to rest/not run?
   

Is that a result of running, or did you have issues with it before? I said goodbye to three toenails fairly recently. No major pain though thankfully. They just hardened up and came away.

I ran the Burton Bradstock 10K at the weekend, there was also a half and full marathon at the same time but my running's no where near that good. It was really well organised, beautiful bit of the world. The full marathon course was a bit hilly so it'd be nice and challenging if that's your thing. Was quiet too, only about 40 runners in each category. Nearly snuck under 40 mins but missed it by 17 seconds. I'd really recommend it if anyone's thinking of an October run to do next year.

One of my toenails has been a bit weird for a few years, but during the half marathon I did at the weekend it really, really hurt and after the race there was a lot of blood and pus (sorry to anyone reading this over breakfast) - doctor said it has multiple infections and needs to go. I've had toenails fall off before and it hasn't hurt, they just looked a bit gross.

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Oooh okay. Good to know. I'll tell work I won't be in the next day, they'll forget, make me come in, I'll do my patented codeine puke everywhere. Looking forward to it already.

Box set up with something that you don't have to concentrate on. Save some codeine for Xmas and dark and stories and wonderful life.
Though reading your puke story, probs best not.

4 weeks in to getting back into running and finally starting to not completely utterly hate running. (Being fat and unfit rarely helps but being 3kg down in that time might have something to do with it.)

Almost, dare I say it, enjoyed this morning's school running club in the mizzle. 1/4 of Y5/Y6 with some new faces (but some regulars scared off by the weather, bah).

Amsterdam marathon on Sunday. Did pretty good training for 11 weeks but probably wanst getting enough volume in. Did 4 or 5 runs in the 28 - 32km range so know i can go pretty long.

Just really not sure what pace to set off at. I want to aim for 3.30 but know that 3.40 is probably much more realistic. Only previous marathon was 4 years ago 1 stone heavier and not much training for a 3.57.

Is it stupid to set off at 3.30 and see what happens? Or should i set off at 3.40 ish pace and try and push on? i cant see myself ever feeling great at 30km and thinking now lets push on.

split the difference and go for 3:35 if you're doing well you'll likely trend towards 3:30 if not you'll find you drop to 3:40 by the end.

Tuesdays 8 x 800m at parliament hill track last night. I wasn’t feeling well but decided to go along just to keep the routine. I backed it off to run reps in ~2:57 rather than ~2:52. For me that’s the difference between deep but steady breathing and “welcome to oxygen debt” by the finish line.

Big difference was how I felt today - last two weeks Wednesday morning run after Tuesday night track were horrible. This morning’s was fine - just a bit tired.

That’s three weeks of a long run, a 2x2 mile tempo within a 7 mile run, track session (800 or 400m) and two 6 mile runs each week.

I’m now going to actually really truly dial it back for a rest week. Will run 4/5 times but no longs, tempo or track I was always crap at rest weeks when cycling - and end up paying for it a few months down the road.

I have a Garmin Forerunner 610, which is on the verge of expiring. Could someone get some use out of it? which would be better than binning it. I don't think I'd get anything on ebay - the main problem is that the contacts on the back have corroded, so charging it is a pain. To get it to charge I have to clean the contacts with pointy object, tip of a knife works quite well, then it'll work for a bit, before needing another clean. This got so annoying I bought another watch, using it as an excuse to upgrade to one with a barometer. Also, one of the straps is also coming off and is held together with electrical tape. Apart from that the watch works very well and once charged, still holds its charge - good for a 6hr bike ride. Maybe of interest to someone wondering about using a watch instead of a phone, to give it a go?

(For anyone who has a watch and hasn't already figured this out already, it seems like it really is worth rinsing the sweat off it before charging it. I think that was the cause of the corrosion.)

If anyone would like it, maybe you could cover my postage costs as a forum donation?

Are you in Sheffield?

I had a 630 with a broken screen, I got a replacement from AliExpress and destroyed it trying to fix it. I phoned Garmin, paid them £90 and got a refurbed one back with 3 month warranty.

The wristband was broken on the original, but brand new on the refurb.

Might be worth considering, if you can handle the Garmin hold music for X amount of minutes

I was indeed, but now over the hills in New Mills

That's a great tip, thanks. It did not cross my mind that Garmin might do a refurb. I guess my offer still stands, given I have bought another, and someone else could try this from Garmin, but if no takers I'll give it a go, then can either ebay it or keep it as a backup.

Might be worth considering, if you can handle the Garmin hold music for X amount of minutes

Never called them, always emailed them. They may take 2 days to respond to each email but I wasn't in a rush.

Product.Support@garmin.com

Last time was a few weeks ago when I emailed them about an out of warranty replacement for my HRM-Tri strap (99 quid brand new, 79 on wiggle, they sent me a replacement for 40 odd quid inc P&P).

Morning all,

What is everyone's sock of choice? I've been using Hilly ultra marathon socks for a good long while, then moved to Hilly off road sock, bit softer and didn't wear out as fast.
Recently got a pair of stance socks, which look cool, but are really thin. Not really impressed with them considering the price tag.
What are your socks of choice?

Injinji. the toe bits take a little getting used to but they're great esp. over longer distances. some people say they're a little easy to wear through but all my many pairs are going strong still with no signs of that, reckon ill fitting shoes more likely to wear them out than the socks themselves.

Depending on the shoe I either go Hilly Monoskin or a Monoskin + Twinskin combo.

Yes, that means sometimes I’m triple-socking.

#ComfySocksBro

Nike Drifit for something thin under XC spikes, More Mile socks just because they came cheap with Start Fitness online order, or otherwise Kalenji (Decathlon) which are pretty good for the money, keep their elasticity and shape for a long time.

Normal running : 1000 mile, both original & "tactel"

For long potentially wet & cold days endura baa baa merino under sealskinz lightweight merino hikers.

These look interesting. I like the idea of my toes being able to splay out individually. Probably won't make all that much difference. Do you run in the tow trainers as well?

just normal shoes. they're great for letting your feet do their own thing, you get less rubbing as the sweat isn't stuck between skin on the sides of your toes. i still get some blisters on long distances at the ends of my two smallest toes but they're never painful and I tend to only notice them when I bother to check my feet post-race and I use taping if its possibly going to be an issue.

+1 on the decathlon kalenji stuff

The socks come in left and right specific, so got to be careful if you’re getting dressed in the dark...