Running

Tomorrow I plan on running over 10 miles for the first time in my life... Most I've done so far is about 6.5, but that was fairly hilly. Plan on doing these mainly along the canal so hoping I find it easy enough.

Managed it, hydration was a bit of a problem though, carried a 650ml of electrolyte drink, could've drunk 3 times that. Does anyone use a hydration pack they can reccomend?

anyway, here we are.... longest run of my life.

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=210715783892517408714.0004b8c7a4cabc04eb724

I think that was my 5th run in over a year....

Depends how you want to use it or how long you plan to run for. For long runs I use the "Raidlight Olmo 10" with 2x "camelback podium" bottles (c.700ml). This serves me fine on c.30mile runs and I could get away with alot less if I wasn't practicing nutrition for longer runs. I use this set up because I can easily refill or swap my bottles if necessary if I need more.

For shorter runs I'm experimenting with a "camelback delaney fit" waist pack with 1x podium bottle. I'm struggling to get on with waist packs but am getting used to it slowly. This again has the advantage of easily being able to top up or swap bottles if I need.

I used to run with a now well out of date camelback hydration bladder with just over a litre capacity. TBH it was probably the most comfortable of the lot (although the Raidlight is also very comfortable) but I ditched it because refilling a bladder during a race much less convenient than swapping bottles, but if you don't anticipate needing to refill then any of the lightweight camel back ones will also do a good job.

Very relaxed run round (mainly) Sydenham:

[ame]http://connect.garmin.com/activity/149110778[/ame]

Depends how you want to use it or how long you plan to run for. For long runs I use the "Raidlight Olmo 10" with 2x "camelback podium" bottles (c.700ml). This serves me fine on c.30mile runs and I could get away with alot less if I wasn't practicing nutrition for longer runs. I use this set up because I can easily refill or swap my bottles if necessary if I need more.

For shorter runs I'm experimenting with a "camelback delaney fit" waist pack with 1x podium bottle. I'm struggling to get on with waist packs but am getting used to it slowly. This again has the advantage of easily being able to top up or swap bottles if I need.

I used to run with a now well out of date camelback hydration bladder with just over a litre capacity. TBH it was probably the most comfortable of the lot (although the Raidlight is also very comfortable) but I ditched it because refilling a bladder during a race much less convenient than swapping bottles, but if you don't anticipate needing to refill then any of the lightweight camel back ones will also do a good job.

See, I've always had a dislike of waist packs. But then, I'm a heavy sweater and carrying a pack on my back seems to make this considerably worse. I have one of those running bottles that looks like this http://www.marathonchallengemalta.com/Running%20bottle%20P39.jpg that takes about 400ml, which is fine for an hour. It's when I get over the hour when I need to start taking on considerably more fluids, carrying any more by hand is a pain, as I found today. As for distance, recreationally I'd like to be able to run a half marathon with ease. I don't think the question of speedy refilling is going to be an issue for me, can't see myself ever running competitively. I think I'll have a look round for a minimalistic camelbak with 1.5 capacity and give that a go.

Thanks for the advice.

Errr… so the forefoot/midfoot/ minimal thing is clearly something that polarises opinions but here are my many pennies worth. I should add that I speak from a precarious position in that I'm currently injured although I actually feel that my injury would have been less likely had I spent more time in my VFFs, not less.

1) People need to be careful what they are talking about when they are discussing fore/mid/barefoot striking. I think a lot of confusion arises out of mixing of terms and lack of clarity. An example is that gait is not necessarily dictated by footwear. Of course it would be unpleasant to heel strike in minimal shoes, but there are many people who's have always run with a fore/midfoot strike irrespective of footwear. Going the other way, runners in minimal footwear are not constrained to a forefoot strike, it is eminently possible to run with a midfoot strike in minimal footwear. People bandy all tees terms around as if they were hard and fast categories whereas in my mind the distinctions are a lot more blurred - where does the midfoot end and the forefoot begin anyway!?!

2) People also seem to have got very het up about the the debate as if one side or other were idealistically opposed to the other and that there could be no middle ground. Utter nonsense - what might work for one person may or may not work for another but I don't think that there is an absolute wright or wrong either way.

3) IMO fore/mid/minimal running is not inherently wrong and it does not cause any more injuries than heel-striking in conventional trainers, further, I believe that no data exists to counteract this statement. However, making big changes to your technique suddenly and without proper preparation certainly does cause injuries. I would suspect that most of the injuries people talk about WRT fore/mid/mnimal running arise not out of any inherent problem with the technique but rather from inexperienced runners jumping on the bandwagon and rushing the transition.

4) From my own experience I used to have a heel striking gait but was marred with injury up until 2009. Since then I bought a pair of VFFs and slowly worked on building up my atrophied calf muscles and transitioning towards a midfoot gait. I have run in Newtons but now run in light weight shoes with minimal heel-toe drop and maximal flexibility in the sole. Since making this transition I have run further and faster than ever before and with fewer injuries. Additional benefits are that the less footwear I wear, the more contact I feel with the trail and the faster and more confident I feel I am able to negotiate difficult terrain.

5) finally it seems to be the most polarising aspect of the debate, but the underlying thought process of minimal running strikes an intellectual and philosophical chord with me. Without calling on the hackneyed examples of the Tarahumara or the Bushmen, humans are clearly very well adapted to running (particularly mid-long distances). For thousands of years humans have run fast without the need for excessive padding, I fail to see why it is now a necessity.

It's a PC vs. Mac thin, innit.

I keep meaning to pick up some Inov8 BareX shoes. To mix short bare foot runs into my other running. I'm a firm believer in variaty keeping you injury free.

On another note. I bought some 500g ankle weights on saturday. I plan to do 8km with them tomorrow night. The training is for rugby, not running.

Anyone one else tried weighted running?

Only with a 95 kg of my fat arse.

I raiz u 9kg fatteh!

My lower legs are fine, but my quads are hanging out....

I think he should just go out and take it really easy.

I've run around the outer periphery of Brockwell Park and I'd say that is too far- find a nice circular path inside the park and just run gently round that.

The aim would be to complete it with no pain, and then extend it slightly.

I went out and tried to run far too far, too fast, when I started running.
This is what I'm currently doing. I'm also resisting the urge to take my garmin or watch as at the moment I really don't need the data. I'm just viewing this as getting healthier without pushing myself.

I read that compression is bad for ACL, as it is the pressure/rubbing that is causing the injury in the first place
This depends on the particular ACL injury. Compression works for me as it holds my knee together more than it's capable of on it's own, it might not work for someone else. As EEI says, talking to a physio about specifics injuries is always going to make sense.

This depends on the particular ACL injury. Compression works for me as it holds my knee together more than it's capable of on it's own, it might not work for someone else. As EEI says, talking to a physio about specifics injuries is always going to make sense.

Send Michael (bluerip or whatever his handle on here is) a message. I'm pretty sure he's not gong to charge for a general advice regarding compression vs. bracing, as long as you know details of your injury.

And if you ever want, we can poodle together, as my knees, one heel, wrists, shoulders and mid section of my spine are FUBAR as well :-)

run today extended by an additional bridge by james bond. thanks to whatever ridiculous title the next film will have, the shooting of which caused me to have to double back and cross at lambeth instead of vauxhall where they were repeated filming a bentley driving briskly up and down.

so generally everything about yesterdays run is the best long run i've ever done.

Didn't 'hit the wall', maintained a completely steady pace at all times barring a couple of slightly faster sections to drop my average from 8.03 to below 8 min miles and best of all no upset stomach post run (although i did vom about 4 miles from home)

however my legs are unbelievably sore, not stiff or any pain just a general dull ache, not sure if that was too much recovery alcohol last night but i'm a bit fed up tbh.

This is what I'm currently doing. I'm also resisting the urge to take my garmin or watch as at the moment I really don't need the data. I'm just viewing this as getting healthier without pushing myself.

Ah- no, I knew there was something I wished I'd said when we talked about this.

I was having real trouble extending my runs- until I had a chat with Hatbeard and he recommended using the pace function on my Garmin.

I set it to beep if I strayed from nine minute miles, and went out and ran further than I'd ever run.

Reason being previously I'd gone out too fast, and knackered myself out.

Having the watch beep at me made me run at a pace that I could actually maintain.

So- maybe use your gadget to suggest a nice easy pace at first?

Otherwise your natural tendancy to leg it like your arse is on fire might come to the fore.

(Words about GPS and stuff)

Interesting.

Otherwise your natural tendancy to leg it like your arse is on fire might come to the fore.
Probably true

Got a fever Saturday after swim. Missed race Sunday.gutted.

Otherwise your natural tendancy to leg it like your arse is on fire might come to the fore.

My natural tendency is to sit down.

Try setting fire to your arse.

Are you sugesting vegetarian kidney bean chilly burgers?

No, you should cook them.

Suddenly it got warm again in London. Well, warm enough to consider barefoot. Guess I'm heading out...

Manflu...
I decided to stay in yesterday - done 30 mins on a spin bike and some strength exercises and then I felt awful all night (fever, aching bones). I'll probably stay in today as well.
Pity, because I bought new running shorts, base layer and quick drying socks.

The world wide weapon of falseknowledge appears to think anyone new to running is a lardy bastard who's done nothing but sit on the sofa eating deep fried chocolate and sucking fat from the shoes of McDonald's employees.

I've found a number of 8 to 10 week run/walk type programs to introduce people to running and even though every part of me think I can do it quicker, I'm going to stick to the advice of others and see how I get on with an 8 week running introduction.