Running

the pegasus turbo nature could be an option - saucony endorphin/hoka clifton too

Thanks for replying! Interesting to hear some of the thought process behind it. I think it's always worried me a little because when I was starting out, if I'd jumped from multiple 5ks into a 10k I'd have hurt myself

I'm pretty sure on any even remotely technical trails you would either skip or roll your ankle in the Vaporflys as well as rip up the fairy large exposed foam sections of the sole.

@Tenderloin
Tread on the Clifton looks suitable, but the stability rating is on the low end of the scale according to the website? Definitely considering though. Thanks

I'm in a daft situation where my short runs are measured by time rather than distance.

Have Vitality health insurance through work which gives reward points for activity, but minimum duration is 30 mins. I've sometimes run 5k and walked the remaining time as cooldown, but that kinda screws up the Strava data which is obviously unacceptable.

..set up a second strava account and use that with a cheap / used watch just for the health insurance?

30 minute activity, let it upload to insurer, then crop strava activity?

That would probably do it, yeah. Vitality gets the data from Garmin Connect, so it would be ok to crop the Strava one immediately.

Id suggest either a cushioned trail shoe - Salomon ultra glide or something that’s used for trail ultras, or a very stable (not “stability” just stable) road shoe like the nike react infinity

Neither are massively fast though

Yeah I didn't seriously think they would be an option, but it was a nice daydream for a moment and an interesting starting point.
:D

Yeah they're a pretty high stack trainer - I think it really depends on how technical, for how long and how fast you'd be thinking of doing those runs. I've done offroad sections in vaporfly and plenty of bridelway - its not what they're designed for but it's not going to kill you. the peg turbo natures might be a better option in that regard

I've done something to my back, on top of having a broken ankle. I might have overdone my hopping the other day, and now lifting up my good leg even a couple of inches (ie when hopping) kills. I think i've trapped a nerve or something.

I feel about 100 years old

Ultra glide, ooh sounds like a lube. I'll investigate. Fast would also be good, but this is starting to sound like a wonder shoe.

I've seen people wearing them for wet trail runs, riding a mountain bike and dead lifting now none of which are a good idea

When I last built back up I was doing weeks like this (yes, I was starting at 3k as I'd just come back from an ankle fracture, did couch25k under physio recommendation and then wanted to take it really easy):

3, 3, 3 -> 3, 3, 5 -> 3, 5, 5 -> 5, 5, 5

Then from a few weeks of 3 x 5k runs a week (just to get into a routine) I'd move to:-

5, 5, 6 -> 5, 5, 7 -> 5, 5, 8 -> 5, 5, 9 -> 5, 5, 10

So my long run was finally up to 10k. I actually moved it up to 11.5km which was my commute into work which I did once a week as a run. (Two days in the office a week: cycle in Tuesday taking loads of stuff in, Cycle home Tuesday. Run in Thursday 11.5km, play 5-a-side after work, go to the pub, get pissed, get train home.)

I'd often throw in a parkrun as a "fast" 5k on a Saturday but this depended on family stuff, although now my daughter wants to do parkruns and we're both going to drag each other round as we get faster and faster.

All of these were just general "runs". Next stage was to add some specificity into the mix, so one of the mid-week 5k runs moved to intervals, so my week was:

5k, intervals, long run or 11.5k commute

For intervals I'd work on a 4 week rotation (each interval having a 1k warm up jog, 1k cool down jog):

• Week 1: 6 x 800m with 90s recovery walk between each
  
• Week 2: 5 x 1000m with 100s recovery walk between each
  
• Week 3: 4 x 1600m with 120s recovery walk between each
  
• Week 4: was my "easy/recovery" week and I'd just do a gentle 5k run instead
  
  

Each cycle I'd add one to the number of 800m intervals, and then bump up the others if needed (e.g. I wouldn't move to 7 x 800m AND 5 x 1600m as that would be too big a jump for the 1600m distance intervals).

The eventual goal is to get to 10 x 800m, 8 x 1000m and 6 x 1600m and repeat those every 4 week cycle along with the "easy" week. With the warm up, walking between intervals and cool down they all end up being about 11-12km of running.

To push on to longer runs I just did a similar thing. I think I extended my long run (usually my commute) by 1km at a time all the way up to 20km, and then the magic 21.1km for a HM.

For marathon training I followed a Bupa one I found just by random googling.

All a bit moot as the furthest I've ever run is ~30km, at which point it's all fallen apart and I've either had to jog/walk or just walk to finish all three of the marathons I've done. All three I wasn't fit enough, was too heavy and the last one I felt my hip flexor go at 28km and walked the rest knowing any more running would have put me out for even more months.

Anyway, most of the above has been pulled from various sources/plans/ideas etc. There's lots of science between many of the individual things but who knows whether the whole thing goes together in any kind of a sensible way. But it seemed to work for me and I remained injury free.

Note that I was also doing the above on top of a regular week of 2-3h of swimming, ~50km cycling, and 1h40m of 5-a-side football. All whilst way too heavy (BMI of ~33). I did get down to a BMI of 27 one time I ran a marathon but it soon all went back on. I'm a relatively solid "rugby" build so it would take a lot to get me down to a BMI < 23, so generally just BMI=25 is my main target, and so that's losing 1/4 of my current bodyweight.

Ive seen people in the gym in alpha flys too :/

Alphaflys are going to be the next
Dryrobe lmnh #alphaflywanker

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I have Hoka Stinson ATR. No clue If they’re ‘performance’ enough but I find myself wearing them for almost anything if I think I may be going off-road for a while. Not a serious tread but nicely cushioned and seem to handle most stuff OK

Vitality health insurance through work which gives reward points for activity, but minimum duration is 30 min

Seems arbitrary and short sighted. Getting the inactive active won't work with minimum duration, could even work more as a disincentive.

Trainers should be sold based on comfortable pounding time, not mileage. E.g.

DS Trainer = upto 90 mins
Gt2000= upto 150 mins
X-Talon = upto 60 mins
Roclite = upto 12hrs
Trail Talon = 24+hrs

My x talons have decided they don’t like me this year and have turned my toes black.

Mine will make me suffer at Tatton XC tomorrow, nowhere in the city centre carries XC Shoe stock I learned today. Will have to replace them via online & risk an Evri non-delivery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t9aWkqYKaK0

Have Vitality health insurance through work which gives reward points for activity, but minimum duration is 30 mins.

I used to have that. I got points for doing parkrun, and for buying healthy things at Sainsbury's (linked to the Nectar card). The fresh fruit I got loads of points for was for my wife and daughter, can't stand the stuff myself.

Eventually got enough points for 50% off a new Garmin, which was nice.

Agreed. It doesn't require particularly strenuous exercise tho'. Average 70% MHR based on age, which is why I could run for 20-something mins and then probably just sit on my arse.

What's equally stupid is that 30 mins minimum earns you the maximum of 8 points per day, out of max 40/week. Encourages you to exercise too frequently without enough rest days, particularly if you're trying to fit longer runs in as well.