Running

You need some Jack Daniels.

Previously I've always set out to run as fast as I could for whatever distance I happened to be running that day. This year I had the benefit of a coach who was adamant about keeping to the specified zones and paces even when some sessions felt ridiculously easy. At first I was a bit sceptical but I really felt improvements. Jack Daniels will explain more than you ever needed to know about the science of how and why the different zones work.

I'm using strava to get me out of bed and to go running or cycling at the moment as I'm lacking the drive internally.I think I'm getting addicted as I was supposed to run the 12 miles from my inlaws home but had forgotten my garmin so I waited till I got home to go for a run..

Slightly bonkers but the end rseult was a run through the woods at cliveden with my dog, which in fairness was much nicer.

Am the other way, no strava, no gps, no hrm. No goals either though.

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I think that the 5k time that it is based on is one that I could beat if I went out and tried a bit harder, but I'm not sure, that said, what use these zones are for training?

I look at mine exactly as I'd look at them for cycling. I try and stay in zone 3. But end up alternating between 2 and 4. Which I also do in cycling. Basically I push it a bit too much, then get tired, recover, and overcompensate by pushing too much. Strava does help this.

Your spread looks really good to my uneducated eye.

My average zone for Sundays hour run was 4.6 based on HR (with an age calculated HRmax. So very wrong). It was bloody slow though. First run in 'normal' shoes since recieving my Skoras. Tricky off road route, and terrible weather aside. It still felt slow.

http://www.makeithappen.com/wis/readings/sidest.html

this is what I've always believed was the cause of most stitches. If I feel a stitch coming I tend to slow my breathing by holding in the breath then blowing it out through pursed lips to slow the exhalation and lengthen the in/out cycle and I also to try and alternate the foot i strike with when exhaling and hope it goes away after a few minutes.

Taken this from Wiki and can confirm adjusting your breathing pattern to left foot strikes works for me.
The idea being you are creating space and reducing pressure on your liver.[quote]Most of the time, side stitches occur on the right side of the body[citation needed]. This may be because the largest organ in the abdominal cavity, the liver, is on that side. Certain athletes also report a pain in the tip of their shoulder blade. This is believed to be because this is a referred site of pain for the diaphragm via the phrenic nerve[1][better source needed]. When the side stitch is on the right side, published advice is to try to exhale when your left foot lands.
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Switching the foot I exhale on to stop stitches? Sounds like rubbish, but I'll give it a go!

Nah, it does help (or at least the placebo effect is strong enough for me!)

It's a pretty old school runners way of trying to kill a stitch.

I used to do this, but dont think ive had a stitch in a few years come to think of it, clearly i'm not tryinf hard enough..

Used to have stitch all the time, always after 8 mins of running. I could almost set a timer for it. Haven't had any issues for almost a year, and now the last few weeks it's been really bad for the first 2-3k of any run

I have a real problem maintaining speed on the flat.
Give me a few challenging rolling hills and im much faster.
This seems counter to the laws of physics & physiology.

My 5km PB is 20:40 at brockwell park which has five large ramps to ascend.
Where as my 5km time at dulwich park which is panflat is 21:54

I believe psychology could be playing an effect here but not to the extent of pushing me to run almost 1 minute faster while going up hill?

I think it maybe from cycling I am used to pushing myself into the redzone going up hills and then recovering on the downs.

Any other ideas? How can I work on maintaining my peak intensity for longer?

I'm similar, I absolutely love blasting up hills (but hate running down them) and generally feel much faster if a route includes a few.

It's probably because I lose interest when on a pan-flat course and just try to stick to a constatnt tempo.

Can't you make mental markers during the route? I divide my 10k into clear chunks in between road crossings and set them as targets, so I push on towards one, rest a bit on the way to the next, then push on again, etc

There's a 15s per km difference. Was the weather comparable on both courses, plus your preparation and general well being the same?

For the flat course pace yourself against the km markers at the 15s per km quicker pace. That'll give you 5 x 4m08s efforts to challenge you, or try run 4.12 4.10 4.08 4.06 4.04 for a nice -ve split.

Anyone else find it hard to run slower? I can quite happily go along at a pace of 7:30min/mi but then the guys I occasionally run with aren't quite as fit going nearer the 9min/mi. Running slower feels awkward and difficult to settle into a rhythm at

Yep. Tried to run with my gf a few times. I struggled to keep slow, she struggled to speed up, none of us liked it. So I ran faster and waited for her in the pub. win.

That doesn't bode well for me and my wifes second ever run together...

My club session last night was all about heart rate control so therefore running slowly up and down hills, we got bored on the final loop and just went for it, but for the other 6k I managed to keep my hr to below 140 which was definitely slow! Its a lot easier if it feels like you are doing it for a reason and there's some recent research that working at the lower end of your heart rate improves efficiency*

*i haven't actually read it myself yet so it could be bullshit.

In other news I ran in a tshirt and shorts last night and it actually wasn't that bad!

I normally run pretty rarely, but have done a few in the last couple of weeks. The other night I did my usual 90minute bikram hot yoga class then a run....it felt great! Obviously well stretched and warmed up....I felt loose and fluid and easily ran 10k in 54mins....quick for me and I reckon I could have gone even quicker! I expected my legs to kill me the next day, but it was just the calves as usual..... might have to try the same combination again...... It did take a lot of nuun to rehydrate though!

Might have to try the slow running thing just out of interest.

Dread to think what I'll have to do to keep it below 140 given a normal run averages over 170, rising to 190 when it gets serious.

Does anyone have any suggestions for warm (but blister-proof!) running socks? My toes were freezing last night.

I've got a pair of Hilly that's good

These ones - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/hilly-monoskin-off-road-anklet/

keeps me going through winter, even back home in Sweden

ininji lightweight toe socks combined with a second thin pair of blister socks like wrightsocks do me for all but the most slushy snowy conditions.

I started doing a few HR zone type things and running in zone 2 is actually really difficult (around 130ish for me) and I find it quite frustrating.

Might have to try the slow running thing just out of interest.

Dread to think what I'll have to do to keep it below 140 given a normal run averages over 170, rising to 190 when it gets serious.

Are you around 4' tall and skinny with it, or is my heart just very lazy?

Dammit- my heart is similar. Rarely if ever breaks the 170 bpm.

More like around 5'11" and 11 stone, or 70kg in new money. Definitely not fat, although 6 months ago I was a stone heavier.