Running

My highlight this year was doing the Hackney Half.

Lowlight was blowing up in September after training too much and not running since.

Alex Yee - 13.49 unofficial at dulwich parkrun this morning. Solid end to the year.

What the hell?! Incredible.

Congrats on the baby too, now you get to laugh/cry at all articles telling you to get enough sleep for recovery.

^^ Astounding! 93% wava at a Parkrun.

So I took people’s advice went for a run around Holyrood Park this morning. All going great. Go to head up to Arthur’s Seat - get up pretty ok but quite slippy as I’m only in zoom flys. Start to head the other side but it’s a muddy path and waaay slippery. The wind picks up and I could even stand up without slipping. So I’m basically pinned there. 😂 slight panic as I envision Michael Burke detailing how I met my maker slipping off the edge on 999. I come to my senses and just head back the way I came and back down the grass slope to the far side and run back round.

Great way to end 2018 and nail my 1k km.

Next year more miles and running the Berlin marathon at the end of September - I’ve got a 30 week training plan from Hal Higdon which starts at the end of Feb. Can’t wait!

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Smashed this when I got back to the hotel!

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Does a GPS watch with fairly entry level features but top end battery life (24hrs+ recording) exist? I really don't need and won't use most of the features of the Fenix5/+, Suunto Spartan, etc but those seem to be the only ones with the battery life I'd like.

I need (want):
*Ability to record location via GPS and the normal things that come with that (pace etc)
*Long battery life (24hrs+)
*Programmable/customisable workouts so I can put some interval sessions in (I don't have access to a track)
*and maybe - The watch to tell me if I'm off pace and need to speed up/slow down (hopefully a feature that becomes redundant once I can run target pace on feel)
*Optical HR would be nice too

As far as I can find only the higher end watches come with the bigger batteries, and I can't justify spending (or afford) £500 on a watch :( Any suggestions?

Thanks, I guess!

There have been a few Fenix's for sale on here recently but 3s not 5s. Allegedly that'll get you 20 hours but with most things turned off but 12-16 with stuffing running (depending on what posts you read on the Garmin forums). If you're not too worried about continuous pace or HR then could you use one of those and just charge it in the run for a bit in a bag? Would be more hassle but a lot less than £500!

I’m not sure on the battery life of my Fenix 3, but you’re welcome to borrow it for a while if you want?

Android/iPhone + Strava + Powerbank + Interval Timer App + carry (arm strap or bumbag) + Bluetooth hr strap = might work out cheaper than watch based?

I need (want):

*Ability to record location via GPS and the normal things that come with that (pace etc)
*Long battery life (24hrs+)
*Programmable/customisable workouts so I can put some interval sessions in (I don't have access to a track)

It wouldn't extend to the below though.

*and maybe - The watch to tell me if I'm off pace and need to speed up/slow down (hopefully a feature that becomes redundant once I can run target pace on feel)

^ There may be an app for this, although would only be useful on flat routes surely?

*Optical HR would be nice too

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm reading reviews all saying how great the 5+ range is and start to think well maybe... Then I check the prices - eye watering!

I really like not carrying my phone, and having certain info (pace, hr, distance, etc) available at a glance. Plus my phone doesn't like staying plugged in with any sort of movement (tried various cables, just not a tight fit). But I'm also aware I don't do much "proper" training, and something that would help with that would be useful (especially for the marathon plan I've chosen) so I could do intervals etc at specific paces. The long battery life is really vanity in wanting to record long runs, I do have a powerbank but it doesn't play nice with my current (TomTom) watch. Charging on the go is not a deal breaker so maybe Fenix 3 might be the answer.

Currently my TomTom does fit the bill for most of my needs, but battery life has gone from over 10 hrs GPS recording in Feb, to 7hrs in September, to 6hrs last week meaning it stopped part way through the run. That's with HR and Bluetooth turned off. Hence looking for an upgrade.

Highlight for me this year was the feeling of finally getting a rhythm in running - intervals, long runs, track sessions, etc. and being able to improve at a sustainable rate

2019 targets are my 2018 targets, which all feel fairly do-able if I can avoid the illness and injuries I picked up this year- <20 mins Hampstead parkrun and a sub 40 10k. Mrs Cookiemonster wants to do the west highland way over three days (~30 miles a day) which would be a very different thing, if we actually go for that

And, agree that this thread is a great place

old skool garmin 310xt

doesn't have optical hr though, and it is as big as a house

Was looking at a Fitbit Ionic in the shops yesterday. Does anyone use such a thing? Seems much cheaper than a Garmin and does pretty much the same thing.

A brief read suggests the Ionic has trouble displaying splits. The older Surge seems to be ok, and will be way cheaper. Fitbit say 7 days battery life too!

@Arducius
https://fellrnr.com/wiki/Best_Running_Watch#Basic_Features

Any advice/tips on eating during long runs? I am doing RTTS in 2019 and I need to know how to fuel properly. My current runs are not much more than around 20km, so usually just run with an empty stomach...

2018 highlights: running the Fairfield Horseshoe in the Lakes after a long day walking with a heavy pack. It was Type 2 fun the whole way round, but the view was incredible! Other highlight was getting into running in September and clocking up 350km since then.

2019 goals: to continue enjoying running (I’ve always hated it!), to not peak too early this year and tire myself out, to not injure myself, and to not die on RTTS...

Happy new year!

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I had a fitbit blaze for about 18 months. For "wellness" tracking (sleep, calories, steps) it was grand but for sports it was shite, and buggy. I'd have a look around the fitbit forum for that model and see what complaints people have, it might be fine. My gf had a much better experience with her fitbit charge 2.

Let’s hear your 2019 targets! And 2018 running highlights.

2018: No real highlights. Crap year, stress fracture, other 5-a-side injuries, put weight back on, etc.

2019:

• Lose flab
  
• London Big Half in March. sub 2h
  
• London Marathon in April. sub 4h15 (ideally sub 4h)
  
• Back to Parkrun PBs and eventually 25->24->23->22?
  
• Keep weight off
  
• 10k swim in November
  
• Half or full Ironman in 2020?
  

2018 was my first year of running as my free time / cycling mojo evaporated. Did a few 5ks at the start of summer and then stopped for a few months. Picked it up again in October, & signed up for a half marathon in Feb that I'd like to go sub-2 at. Currently 70% through a 'Festive 50' which is probably a bit silly but I've only got 13km left to do so will battle through.

20 minute 5k would be nice next year, and I want to get comfortable enough at longer runs to be able to enjoy/explore the countryside around me.

Thanks for all the GPS watch replies, muchos food for thought!

That looks awesome!

Eating and drinking on the go takes practice, but the general advice is 2-300 calories per hour. Try different foods on your training runs to see how you get on eating and digesting them, you don't want anything that is going to upset your digestive system (either end!)
I find that eating something small every hour works on long runs, coupled with tailwind in the water bladder. Over the course of a 40mile run last week I ate Quorn mini eggs, flapjack, a roast potato, milk chocolate, cream cheese wrap. Drank a litre of water with 3 scoops of tailwind, and several swigs of chocolate milk. Basically little and often so you don't feel too full and you keep the energy going in constantly. I find something savoury goes down well when you're getting sick of sweet stuff.

2018 highlights, I took my running seriously for the first time and ran serious miles (finished on 3515 for the year). Set PB's at everything from 5K to marathon despite being disappointed by London. Think the sub-75 half was the best of those. I went back to the Ridgeway 86 and somehow took a surprise win, and with it became the national ultra trail champion which is surreal.

2019, I'm racing Tarawera 102km in February which is my first time racing overseas. While in NZ want to hit some more of their long mountain races and maybe return to the marathon and run the time I think I'm capable of.

became the national ultra trail champion

Chapeau!