Running

Had been thinking about a massage gun so will look into that more. Was a bit overwhelmed by the number of options and range in price, but could stretch to a Theragun.

I'm already on prescription orthotics (5mm extra on the right) and avoiding hills. Not much I can do about the increasing age.

Are compression socks worth considering?

I used prescription orthotics for a while and came to the conclusion they dont solve the underlying issues, but cause other problems. I ended up going the opposite way and using barefoot shoes - not for running (although now I do occasionally run in them), but for day to day use.

My theory was that they’d help strengthen feet, improve balance, and stretch my Achilles. I’m a good few years on from that decision and now very sold on barefoot shoes for general use.

Thanks! It's really the first time I've ever been enjoying running.

I used compression socks for a few years but I can’t say it did much.. judging by the Parkrun consensus they’ve fallen almost entirely out of fashion.

For massage gun .. I got a Renpho budget version which seems to do the trick. It’s been in fairly regular use in our house for a couple of years.

On the Theragun I would recommend avoiding the non removable battery versions. They work fine until the battery stops working then they're non repairable.

They are very good when they work though.

It's really the first time I've ever been enjoying running.

I miss those days. Today (first run in over a month) was utterly horrible, but I know it gets easier if I stick at it (and then it doesn't get easier, it just gets faster).

Coming back from combined injury/apathy and keeping under 7min/km (yes, 7 minutes per km) is a struggle right now. 35 min 5k is next goal. Then 30min (in a few months) then a long progression back down under 25 min and onwards to somewhere around 22min I hope.

Been using prescription orthotics for 20 years, saved me from terrible knee problems in my mid 20s which were attributed to a leg length discrepancy. Got bad enough that I often couldn't climb stairs without using the handrail, but recovered very quickly and they haven't troubled me since.

That said, I agree about them causing or contributing to other problems. The seven year break from running I mentioned previously was due to me being diagnosed with arthritis in my right foot and specifically told to stop. Have long suspected that could have been a result of the orthtotics.

Given how bad the arthritis has sometimes been over the last ten years (it'd occur as flare-ups rather than constant pain, the resultant swelling being the problem rather than the actual joint) it seems miraculous that it's been absolutely fine - touch wood - after regularly running again for six months.

@Airhead thanks for the headsup about Theragun batteries, looks like that would rule out anything other than the £££ Pro. Seems similar applies to the Hypervolt ones as well.

All this injury chat and I forgot to mention that I've entered the Hackney half at the end of May. Hopefully that's enough time to recover and not develop new ones.

Anyone else?

Anyone else?

Not really. After years of chasing PB's in time trialling it's kind of nice to be training just for wellbeing and not with some arbitrary goal in mind. That being said, I do want to do a half and mara this year but need to find a course with as little tarmac as possible.

good luck!

What’s the go to cheap gps watch? To avoid taking my phone on every run.
I just want something with gps to track distance and a stopwatch for total time and timing intervals. Then upload to strava on my Phone when I get home.
Don’t need any fancy features, definitely don’t want to read messages, track sleep etc!

Probably best to get something second hand from someone who is 'upgrading'.

The market has decided that those fancy features are needed.

Garmin Forerunner 30?

I have a forerunner 35 that does all of this. (Does track sleep and have notifications but I never turn them on so they don't get in the way).

Highly recommend the Forerunner 45. For a 'budget' watch the HRM on it is surprisingly accurate.

+1 for 45. I have the small one, doesn’t need to be big at all and I had no interest in having texts go to a watch. I use it to map/gps runs, keep eye on time and link to Strava. I’ve used it on 2 hour runs and battery fine.
It is currently being slow at loading the gps (any ideas ?) but I think that’s probably the software being out of date ..

Got a bit of pain in my shins when running, albeit minor. Shoes have live left in them. Would new insoles be a good idea? And do these go on top of or replace the existing ones that came with the shoes?
Cheers

I'd be more tempted to walk around with no shoes on, walking on my heels tbh

I have a forerunner 45 going spare after recently upgrading if you fancy it for £35? Has been great and hasn't missed a beat over the last 18 months - drop me a PM if that appeals

I've done this, but the shoes had a bit of room to drop in a thick foam sole. Otherwise it might compress your foot. It's also hard to get decent insoles that aren't the cost of a new shoe.

You'll all be overjoyed to hear that my runposting will be extended for another couple months beyond next weekend - entering another Half in March

Fantastic, not sure if I'd bother with LFGSS without your detailed run accounts.

Sounds great, will PM