Running

Nice! Been enjoying the training updates, looking forward to hearing the race report!

The skierg is awesome. Will be getting one when we move somewhere larger.

Impressive! I'd planned on competing in the national indoor champs last year before the world got cancelled but should be in good shape by December if it's on again. But at 49 I'll be up against whippersnappers up to 9 years younger than me in my age-group. Best cross-training there is IMO.

You’d be in his age group then😄

You should do it!

I go in the morning (just about to go now) and I try to go as wide as possible - normally in the road if it’s safe.

I don't really run at night but during the day I always try a give a smile or a wave to other runners. It's kind of a automatic thing from cycling where that's just what you do! It definitely doesn't seem to be as much of a 'thing' in running.

I'm thinking now when a female runner is out on her own a smile and a wave could come across creepy from a stranger, even if it's just meant in a friendly manner. So might be better to cross the road/give space and not interact.

Thanks for raising this. I saw that tweet and I feel exactly the same. Every year when the clocks go back, I change my running routine so I'm running in the morning or at lunch time (easier now we're working from home!) to make sure I can run in the light... I'm jealous of my partner, who finishes work and runs around the marshes in the dark – that must feel freeing...

FWIW, for me personally, when someone makes eye contact and smiles/says hello, it puts me at ease. And the same goes for crossing the road (whether running or walking). I don't think it comes across as creepy, and it's something that we should all get used to doing anyway just to be friendly – when I'm running int' countryside, I'm always struck by how every single person seems to say hello! Just to add, it's not only running at night – it's also when in spaces that are a bit more removed from public eye. Ie. industrial estates / underpasses / the back bit of the walthamstow marshes where it butts up against the trading estate. I often run there because it's unpaved and a bit more 'trail' like than the main track, but it's always deserted* and it's nice when other runners say hello.

Also, what's the Beacon feature?

.* potentially near a cruising spot (as someone pointed out on here a while ago) which may explain the shifty looking people. I learnt my lesson after running right into the lion's den at Hollow Ponds...

https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/224357527-Strava-Beacon?mobile_site=true

It’s so shameful that you have to alter your patterns or feel nervous in certain parts of routes- when for men this will never have crossed our minds.

Waving and saying hello like you would cycling or when out on a walk seems like a good suggestion.
Crossing the road feels so easy and should go for when out walking at night too.

Worth mentioning that Garmin Livetrack does that also, should you have a Garmin and your phone with you.

Marathon is on!!

Go get it 💪

Gwan son!

Well this has been a week of two halves.
The last 9 weeks on the 10k plan were going so well i went for a 5k pb attempt on Tuesday i felt a bit flat coming out of my rest day rather than recovered and raring to go but did my warm up and felt better so went all out for 5k in 16:51 (28s pb) then later that day just started to fall apart and felt like i had a terrible hangover for 2 days and couldn't sleep properly. I ended up taking 3 full days off then did 30 mins really easy yesterday and just over an hour steady today and felt alright. Lesson learnt just stick to the plan and stop throwing in random PB attempts they're good for your confidence at the time but can tip you over the edge pretty quickly. Especially at this plan is fairly demanding anyway.

I did think it was ambitious to think that smashing a 5k could be worked into a normal training week! Well done on the PB!

Last long run, 42.2k at “keep it in your pants pace” according to coach, stuck to script and ticked off a easy 3:28:40, the first few km were the worst of the whole thing as the 70km already in the legs this week were very apparent but as things loosened up things got easier!

Taper time!

I have a question about insoles. I’ve bought some they’ve helped with my ankle issue as well lots of strength training. My issue is that because my foot is raised slightly in the trainer my heel isn’t sitting properly in the ankle box. The issue is all trainers are different so has choosing new trainers just become harder or can I bastardise these insoles to be lower in the heel area

which insoles are you using? Sole (and no doubt others) do thin insoles which dont tend to be any higher at the heel than normal ones. I use these in cycling shoes for example https://yoursole.co.uk/products/active-thin

I went for these purely out of convenience, speed and cost. Couple with that I hadn’t got much idea what I was looking for. The arch support is good but it’s positioned quite far back. I’d like it further forward and the heel is too thick.

Assuming you've taken the old insoles out if your new ones are particularly thick they may cause you the same fit issues in all other shoes. Different shoes will have different heel shapes but will likely all have insoles similar in thickness to each other as they're fairly standard. What insoles are you using? I've tinkered with insoles in the past for fit but some are easier than others to do this with. Otherwise looking into low profile versions as @cookiemonster suggested may be your best option

ive just started running again after injury but im really struggling to keep a steady pace. ive been looking for a decent play list to listen too but there are mostly really shit. does anyone have a decent playlist (spotify) of about 150 bpm

also any tips for for keeping a steady pace.

Went for these to start off with. The pain has subsided a lot since. It’s just the fit that needs sorting

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I actually have a pair of these too - no idea where they came from. They’re nice, but yeah very high and very stiff with no ability to adjust or mould to your foot shape.

Regulating my breath helps me for easy runs: in for four steps, out for four steps.

I generally have no pacing discipline when alone though, I either run hard til I'm tired, rest, then run hard again or try and do a slow run and end up thinking "omg I'm feeling good today" because I've been running slowly and gradually speeding up.

Thanks will try the breathing. Hadn't thought that breathing will help with pacing. Thanks

in for four steps, out for four steps

That's pretty slow breathing!
I'm often aware of breathing when running at a harder pace, not so much easy pace. I even use it for pacing tempo runs; if I can maintain 2-in, 2-out without resorting to 2-in, 1-out, this sort of vaguely corresponds to marathon pace or a bit quicker. I might allow myself some leeway when tackling a hill, but I think this is reasonable practise since I think it's OK to do so during a race in order to maintain good momentum, on the basis that you can get a bit of a rest aerobically on the downhills.