Running

Which site is that?

Sportpursuit I believe 👍

It is key to note that the research was commissioned by superfood company Haskapa, which produces and haskap berry juice,

lol

Back yard Ultra documentary
https://youtu.be/sTPf4MmPw2E?si=mWruLrs6zRwzY8gt

Just DNF’d at Abingdon. I picked up what I suspect is a stress fracture on my Tibula above the ankle a couple of weeks ago on a hill session and it’s been sore to the touch since. Thought I’d at least start the race and see what happened but at mile 9 it became acutely painful and couldn’t hold form.

Was otherwise feeling great and holding ideal splits for a 2:58.

Had a good laugh in the bus of shame.

I enjoyed this story of the marathon pacemaker who went on to win the LA Marathon, and the feathers he ruffled in the meantime. It's nearly 30 years old, so probably well-known, but I hadn't seen it till I saw the Depths of Wikipedia post:

https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-03-07-sp-31105-story.html

Ouch, doesn't sound like fun. Kudos for giving it a crack. (Pardon the pun.)

Oh yay, my actual preferred daily trainer going half price (Saucony Ride 15, £65 + delivery). Start Fitness have got a pretty decent range of half-price shoes in sensible sizes, definitely worth a look.

There was a much more recent version of this, with Jake Smith pacing and then carrying on, winning and running an Olympic qualifying time in the process…

https://www.runnersworld.com/uk/news/a36262971/jake-smith-wins-cheshire-marathon/#

I'd like to have a crack at breaking the 3hr mark next year. Previously ran a 3.03 at Manchester but this will be a stretch for me after a few years of not doing much running. Ideally would do one later in 2023 (better weather and longer daylight hours for doing the long runs), which is relatively flat, and with decent participation numbers to keep the motivation/pacing in the back end.

Great North Run looks like a contender. Any other events the hive mind would recommend?

Yorkshire marathon - which is really York. Flat and in October

Abingdon is meant to be a fast course and is usually held in early autumn.

2nd vote for Abingdon. Nice low-key event too. I’ll be there again next year for a second attempt hopefully.

Saw a few folks pb Abingdon at the weekend so yeah that’s a good one. Or Valencia…

Running short recommendations please. Prob 4” or thereabouts, not race day shorties nor am I playing footie. liner, and reasonably slim in the leg.

I’ve bought a couple of pairs recently that have just mahoosive legs - fitted for that German track rider with the insane thighs. With my froome/ baby schleck physique they look like I’m wearing a skirt.

Cheap too please.

I've liked Ronhill ones in the past, but probably Nike ones are my favourite. I like pockets for my hands so I can mooch about at the start of a race, with my hands in the pockets, rather than warming up

In an effort to salvage my 9 month build up to IM 70.3 Cork that I never even got to the start line of, I’ve taken a friends entry for Dublin marathon on Sunday (with enough time to safely build up to the 22 mile training run injury free of course). So assuming there are no issues with “collecting my mates numbers on his behalf” tomorrow, I’ll be lining up in wave 1 on Sunday morning for my first (I say first because I have thoroughly enjoyed focusing on running since August and will 100% do more).

But that’s not the reason for my post. I’ve had custom orthotics for probably the last 15 years, my entire adult life really, and they limited my choice of super shoes (couldn’t fit them into vaporflys). Since I tried them in the nikes I’ve been reading more and more about how custom orthotics are supposed to be a crutch for injury and not permanent, so with a prolonged off season approaching (baby number 2 landing early next year), I’d like to dedicate time to getting away from orthotics, and ideally be completely free of them by the time I next look at running big distances in hopefully 2025.

Does anyone have any good tips on where to start? Am I making an appointment with a physio or a podiatrist to fix it? TIA!

I've got flat feet, and especially so on my leg that had the broken ankle.
The physios have prescribed calf raises to death, and now squats with a band around my knees, focussing on pushing the knee of the bad leg outwards.

Also pushing a balance balloon type thing into a wall (outwards) in a semi squat pose, holding it for 30 seconds.

He also got me standing on a step with bad foot, half on, half off, facing forwards with the inside of the foot off the step, and rolling the foot and ankle in and out.

It had me shaking and sweating like mad yesterday, I'll see what it's done for my parkrun time tomorrow.

I wouldn't recommend fracturing or dislocating an ankle anyway, that's for sure

I severed my big toe tendon (this is 12 years ago), and ended up with custom orthotics to help balance on that side. After a year or 18 months I found that my balance was becoming worse, and reached the same conclusion that orthotics are a very useful crutch but continual wear causes other problems.

I did two things - first, as ^^^, strengthening. Loads of calf stuff (bent leg, straight leg) to make sure the foot is strong.

Second was bare foot shoes. With these I firstly got some just for general wear - walking to the shops type stuff, and really eased into it. It was probably 6 months before I was really comfortable in them - no running, nothing fancy, just getting used to walking with zero support. It took a while for my achilles to be happy with the zero drop too.

From there I started using them all the time, and after a year or more I would do occasional short runs in them - 5k max - just to focus on foot strength and posture.

I wear orthotics still in my cycling shoes - the heat mould ones - just for fit and comfort, but day to day, I’m happiest in zero drop shoes.

Clearly ymmv!

The Orthotic debate will run for time immemorial.
As below, strengthening exercises can help, as can barefoot training over shorter distances.
Indeed, they have for me, with a similar story to doubleOdavey.
However, they can also be -genuinely- needed, and the correct answer is to see a physiotherapist, not a podiatrist. They can assess the extent of the pronation (assuming it is such) and the need for continued use of the orthotics.

FWIW- I used to use a cricket pitch as a place to do sprintervals completely barefoot, which changed my running style and cadence, and has made me relatively injury proof- bar something in my 1st metatarsal that was once a stress fracture.

Thanks folks, will tee up physio for a consultation once I’m back in action post marathon!

Parkrun was about a minute slower than last week, but I chatted to a friend the whole time.

I ran to and from it, so my longest run in 10.5 months. Go me!

Random one - there’s a website which recycles old race tops + shoes etc and sells them for peanuts. i can’t think of the name for the life of me; any ideas?

Are package running shoes a thing? I’m living in a hotel during the week for work and would like to take some running shoes, to get some 5km’s in, but space is a premium at the moment and my go to pair are massive. Any suggestions?

Was it Re Run? I think that their site has been closed now but they are still going in a different format on Instagram and here: https://linktr.ee/rerun.clothing

If it’s always the same hotel, can you leave a bag with a pair with them? (I leave a pair of running shoes at work for similar reasons)

In terms of packing small, if you’re able to live with them, then barefoot shoes could fit the bill. You can probably fit a pair of vivo primus lite in your pocket, but they’re a very different experience from running in a more usual shoe.