Running

Thank you for this insight. The main issue for me I think is consistency and patience. I'm always in awe of the disciplined strength and conditioning regimes people manage to follow. I'm seriously considering a personal trainer to help with this.

Single leg bent knee calf raises, and the higher number of reps, are worth a try. Core work all very familiar, though I don't use a gym.

Problem with stretching hamstrings is: when I bend forward I compress my sciatic nerve. I've had to abort running sessions if I've gone too hard warming up and inflamed my back, which Is extremely frustrating so I'm very careful now.

I’d definitely be getting to the gym and a coach would probably be a good idea if this is a consistent issue

I’ll pm you the first “get back to running” plan I followed. It’s incredibly conservative, but might be worth a go if you can stick to it.

Perhaps try a different ham stretch - kneel on one leg, and stretch the other out in front for example. Also stuff like child pose, cat stretch, cobra pose, and so on are all good for back mobility

I think the punchline will be that there’s no silver bullet - you’ll have to start at a lower level than you’ve previously started from, and increase at a more conservative rate. Massively frustrating at the time, but worth it longer term

A couple of things I learned while tackling my own calf problems :-

Use trainers that have a larger heel to toe drop, flatter trainers put a much higher strain on my achilles and calves. You could use orthotic heel blocks to try this theory out.

Percussive massager. I would recommend the Theragun Elite because of the app guiding it's use but you could achieve the similar results with a timer and list of activities. It took a week of targeted use to relax my calves when I first got the thing.

Stretching your calves before running is critical.

Anyone got a HR chest strap they don’t want? (Compatible with Garmin) I lost mine somehow and need a new one but before I pull the trigger etc

I’d really recommend binning off garmin they break so quickly…

I used and like the wahoo chest one for about 18months but it corroded, so moved to the polar arm sensor and hit has been brilliantly flawless for the last year…

:'( I got impatient and ordered a Garmin pro haha

+1 for the Polar arm bands. Got rid of all my Garmin chest straps since and wouldn’t go back

Stretching your calves before running is critical.

Interesting, my physio said stretching before excercise had no effect at all. Warming up, definitely, but stretching not so much. You noticed a real difference?

Might prompt me to dig out and sell my Polar OH1. I used it for swimming before the multisport Forerunners were updated to allow wrist HR for swimming (which is good enough for me).

Same here the chest straps never used to bother me but after using the Polar if i ever have to use a chest strap because I've forgotten to charge the OH1 i find them really uncomfortable now.

For me a 6 min static calf stretch and the Therabody warm up programme has been enough to cure my tight calves.

I have heard different theories about stretching. Static vs Dynamic, timing etc. Maybe mine is classified more as a warm up but the advantage of a calf stretch before a run seemed pretty obvious to me as soon as I don't do it I feel tightness in my achilles and start to get a build up of tight twitchy calves.

I'm a massive fan of the Therabody though. I've stopped running daily after doing it for 18 months as I'm varying activities for a while. The Therabody got me through the last year of running without injury though.

Brighton Marathon for me yesterday, unjustifiably disappointed in the result given when I signed up in December I’d have been happy with a 3:30, but lost a bunch of post baby weight, and ran a 1:24 half marathon a few weeks ago, se t off with the 3:15 pacers, got a bit over confident despite falling over at 9 miles and pushed on to come in around 3:05. By 33k I was faced with a choice, grit my teeth and potentially walk the last couple of miles or slow down and jog it in, went with the latter and came in at 3:14:30 which I’d have happily taken at the start line, but running such a badly paced marathon and hurting so much is what is getting my goat.
The upside was jumping back on the course at 24 miles to run with my sister for the last 2 miles with her, acting like a loon and generally having fun,

As massage gun chat pops up here regularly these are on sale at the moment
https://www.sportpursuit.com/sales/revitalise-pro-massage-gun-22

Congrats! Still a great time, and imagine how you'll do with better pacing!

Also nicely made women's running kit options are even more sparse than mens

Urgh, ain't this the truth :(
Out of everything I own, the only things I'd really recommend are the shorts I got from uniqlo last year - they have full size pockets!! and a zip pocket!! and they're nice colours like BLACK (not pink)!! However, not made in the UK.

Why do you think it is?
Most brands seem to make some specific womens kit - Soar, ON, Tracksmith, satisfy, Doxa, district vision etc but these are men first and women 2nd.

I don't know what it is about Brighton but it always seems tougher than the course profile suggests. Most of my running mates are 2:50-3hr runners and a couple of them have had DNF's there and my old weekly running buddy has gone sub 3 everywhere but Brighton. Even James Cunnama only managed to just scrape under the 3hr mark last year. I live there and always have a decent half but the marathon course has defeated many handy (far handier than me) runners over the years and because of that and the extra pressure to do well there i find it wierdly intimidating and have yet to run it.

It’s a funny one, it’s not that hilly and should be a fast course but I’ve struggled in exactly the same spot all three time I’ve run it!

Think it’s a combo of the hills all being in the first 9 miles and the power station section being so miserable just at the miserable point in a marathon…

I took part in a medical study that was being run about temperature, interestingly just as I started to struggle my external temp spiked, interesting to see if that was reflected in my internal temp, haven’t seen the data yet though…

What do you do on your calves with the theragun? I’ve got a mini but I don’t think it makes much difference. I must be doing it wrong

I don't think the mini would touch mine! Not enough torque or extension (ooh err).

The guided run warm up works them in 3 spots for 10 seconds each. The warm down is 1 min running up the muscle + 30 seconds stretch. Then I do a before bed session which usually includes 30 seconds of calves up and down.

You can get good results with your fingers if your grip is strong enough. I did a lot of extra work on mine when I first got the gun and that really helped. Like 5 minutes flushing them with the wedge shape.

I do still use my fingers to soften them and the guys I know who are professional sports coaches work their calves with their fingers in the evenings and have done for many years.

Nice, cheers!

Anyone interested in some Adidas Mana 7 in 44?

These were the light shoes before the Bostons came along.

£20? Think I paid £50 for them BITD

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I ran the first two (three?) Brighton marathons and it was always ridiculously hot. The power station bit is as grim as grim can be. I'd rather do 105 laps of a track nowadays

2017 (I think) and there was no water left on the section round the power station (at least for those finishing in 4h30+). None. Not even the hoses doing a mist spray thing. Grim.

Saw so many people stop mid road to tie a shoelace and then turn around and run back (probably unaware that there was a timing mat at a far point).