The Fretboard Running Thread 2023

Hurling_Fruitmig

I did a reasonable number of miles last year, but took a break around Christmas to avoid unnecessary additional pressure on time. I’ll start doing 5k a couple of mornings a week (weather permitting) once I get home at the weekend.

axisus

relic245 said:

Didn’t run much last year after 2 quite bad injuries.

looking to get back in to it now. I’ve set a goal to do park run in sub 25 mins. Currently pb is just under 27 but haven’t run under 30 in 3 years.

with my 58th birthday approaching it feels like a very ambitious goal.

You can do it! I got inside 23 mins last July and I’m 59

26.2

axisus said:

relic245 said:

Didn’t run much last year after 2 quite bad injuries.

looking to get back in to it now. I’ve set a goal to do park run in sub 25 mins. Currently pb is just under 27 but haven’t run under 30 in 3 years.

with my 58th birthday approaching it feels like a very ambitious goal.

You can do it! I got inside 23 mins last July and I’m 59

Yes go for it - I’m 61 and can run 22/23 mins. There are plenty at my running club who are older and faster than this too. 

For those of you who are just getting into, or back into, running I’d say don’t get TOO obsessed with times or pbs. If you’re planning to do more this year than you have for a while, build up by trying to establish a consistent base so you get used to running a few times a week.  Once that’s in place you will be in good shape to get faster without injuring yourself. 

It’s tempting to get obsessed with times and to be disappointed with a run that’s slower than you wanted, or that you thought you could do. But just about ANY run is a good run, regardless of pace and there’s always the next one. So feel good about just getting out there and doing it. 

Good luck to everyone and keep reporting progress here. 

relic245

26.2 said:

axisus said:

relic245 said:

Didn’t run much last year after 2 quite bad injuries.

looking to get back in to it now. I’ve set a goal to do park run in sub 25 mins. Currently pb is just under 27 but haven’t run under 30 in 3 years.

with my 58th birthday approaching it feels like a very ambitious goal.

You can do it! I got inside 23 mins last July and I’m 59

Yes go for it - I’m 61 and can run 22/23 mins. There are plenty at my running club who are older and faster than this too. 

For those of you who are just getting into, or back into, running I’d say don’t get TOO obsessed with times or pbs. If you’re planning to do more this year than you have for a while, build up by trying to establish a consistent base so you get used to running a few times a week.  Once that’s in place you will be in good shape to get faster without injuring yourself. 

It’s tempting to get obsessed with times and to be disappointed with a run that’s slower than you wanted, or that you thought you could do. But just about ANY run is a good run, regardless of pace and there’s always the next one. So feel good about just getting out there and doing it. 

Good luck to everyone and keep reporting progress here. 

thanks for your encouragement @26.2 ; and @axisus ;

I agree about not getting hung up on times but in some ways I need to. 

I'm very goal orientated. I know from experience that I don't run for fun. I do it because of the positive health benefits from being fit and I need goals to get me out there. 

The way that I achieve any goal seems to be to get obsessed with it. 

There is a balance though. I've had many running injuries that I know are down to me training too hard so I know that I have to work on being obsessed, but staying on the right side of being kind to my body. I've got a buddy who is several years older than me and a very experienced runner so I'm going to get some of his advice on how to approach this. 

Also at the same time there are many sub goals here. First I've got to get sub 30 again. I know from previous experience that each minute taken off is a big achievement in itself. 

I'm looking forward to getting inspiration from you guys on here too.

Bidley

26.2 said:

But just about ANY run is a good run, regardless of pace and there’s always the next one. So feel good about just getting out there and doing it.

Words of wisdom here.

I'm 36 and I've never run a sub-23min 5km (admittedly I haven't attempted a speedy 5km in over a year). Age doesn't have much bearing. I did a 10 miler in October and was really happy with my 01:17 time, but there were 60-70 year olds who did it in seconds over an hour!

By way of advice, the way I've got my speed up is by doing longer easy runs and intervals. If you can do 10km easily (for example), then a 5km blast will feel much easier. Then for intervals, if you do blasts of, say, 2mins/400m at target pace, then you get a feel for how it feels then you stretch it out.

But really there aren't any shortcuts and obsession or not, you can't force these things. It will come eventually. So it comes back to the quote above - every run is one in the bank towards your goal.

joneve

Good start. Forgot to bring my running stuff to work. 

I do have 5 a side tonight though, so that should help. 

26.2

@Bidley spot on there. 

@relic245 - I understand about goals but there are different kinds of running goals eg number of runs a week, mileage goals etc not just speed. I often do heart rate targets on longer runs with the aim of keeping in the fat burning zone as long as possible. That really helps if you are doing marathons but it’s also good for steady endurance for any kind of run. 

As @Bidley says a great way to get faster is not to worry too much about getting faster - just keep doing the miles and you’ll find it easier to turn on the speed when you need it. 

axisus

Bidley said:

axisus said:

My running has been on hold since last july when I tore a leg muscle. Still can't get back to anything. Depressing.

Sounds horrific! How did you manage that? I must admit a proper injury does scare me, and it's what gave me a push to sign up for a marathon. Worst I've had is a couple of twisted ankles so far.

It was pretty weird but seemed to come down to the weird clutch on my previous car!?!? I said it was weird ....

relic245 said:

I agree about not getting hung up on times but in some ways I need to. 

I'm very goal orientated. I know from experience that I don't run for fun. I do it because of the positive health benefits from being fit and I need goals to get me out there. 

The way that I achieve any goal seems to be to get obsessed with it. 

I agree! I'd knock it on the head now if I didn't think I could get my Parkrun PB lowered (currently 21.50). I could do it for sure if my body would just hold up better at my age. It kind of feels a long way off at the moment ...

Iamnobody

I think having 5k PB aspirations as you age is a good way to get injured. I feel it now at as a 40 something when I push the pace.

20 mins of running at a decent pace is hard on the body. As mentioned above maybe the key is to look for other goals and challenges to keep things interesting.

Incidentally my 5k time got naturally quicker plodding and trying longer distances and building up strength and stamina.  

d8m

I used to see this at parkrun quite frequently, people would come for a few weeks and there would be a steady decrease in finish times but after a while it would plateau and there would be frustration followed by pushing to hard leading to injury.

It's always nice to get the faster times and I can be as guilty as anyone for this! but variety in training can play a part and even the slow runs will help to build up strength.

I'd still take a 10k over a 5k though!

BenSirAmos

It wasn't a great year for my running in 2022 - I got tripped by a dog and, in addition to other injuries, realised I'd broken a toe that doesn't seem to want to cure properly - it is still stiff and sometime numb. But I've done 2 days of 6.25k this week and I'm aiming for 25k per week. I'll start working on speed in the spring - but my nerve has gone: I don't want to fall over again so I don't think I'll be challenging you youngsters

d8m

First time back on a track in 2 years for club speed session tonight.

400m @ 5k pace with 30 seconds recovery 
800m @ 10k pave with 60 seconds recovery

Alternating for 30 minutes.

Slowed down a bit towards the end, legs not been pushed that hard in a while.

bobblehat

Got back into running a few months ago after a long layoff due to ITB issues. At my best  a few years ago I got up to half marathon distance but had to pretty much start from scratch. Started with the C25K as this worked for me when I first started running. This got me back up to running 8km comfortably , so my goal for the start of this year was to get back to a sub 30min 5k. Not a huge target for most but I'm about 2 stone overweight and 52 next month. I'm very much a jogger so have started doing some 400m interval sessions to get me out of my comfortable jogging mode. 
Did my 3rd session speed of the year yesterday and hurt my back!  I've never hurt my back running so I assume its the probably just the extra weight and resultant poor form. Back to long slow runs for a while until its sorted.  

roundthebend

One of my goals this year is to help my wife with her goal of running more. I think she wants to do a Half Marathon in Autumn. Currently she doesn't run at all.

Yesterday afternoon I asked what her plans were for the evening. "None yet" was the reply. So we went out at 5:30pm and did a little route through our suburban township, probably only a mile but she got back and was pleased with herself. I was secretly pleased with myself too as I've not been running much.

I'm definitely feeling the inspiration in this thread to just run - don't worry about pace, or distance, just do frequent runs and the rest will come. Thank you

PolarityMan

Did first run of the year yesterday. 5.8km in 40 mins. Well down on my performance from last summer

Bod

I'm interested to know what to expect with regards to recovery times between runs as a 48 year-old beginner? 

I'm currently doing a weekend 5km parkrun with a midweek 2.5km outing, with a combination of running and walking.  In the two and a bit weeks I've been running, I already feel like recovery time is improving but stiffness seems to be migrating to different areas now - including my knees a little. I'm trying to warm-up/down, but not sure I'm really doing it right or for long enough. 

roundthebend

@Bod ;
I'm no expert but if you've only been running a few weeks I think the stiffness is just your body adjusting to the exercise. I'd expect that to pass after a couple of months, then you'll be able to really tell how well you recover.

Bidley

@Bod ; when I started out a couple of years back my knees would hurt for days. I took over a week off because it got too painful. But that gradually subsided and I only get pain now when I run more than I usually would. So I would put it down to just building strength in your joints rather than anything more sinister.

I don't really warm up or down (and I probably should), but for muscle pain a foam roller is good. As far as joints go, just listen to your body and it will subside eventually.

Give it another few weeks and you'll feel much better!

Iamnobody

PolarityMan said:

Did first run of the year yesterday. 5.8km in 40 mins. Well down on my performance from last summer

~ 11min miles. Sounds perfect for an easy pace and for what appears to be the first run in a while. Enjoy it! 

Bod said:
I'm interested to know what to expect with regards to recovery times between runs as a 48 year-old beginner? 

I'm currently doing a weekend 5km parkrun with a midweek 2.5km outing, with a combination of running and walking.  In the two and a bit weeks I've been running, I already feel like recovery time is improving but stiffness seems to be migrating to different areas now - including my knees a little. I'm trying to warm-up/down, but not sure I'm really doing it right or for long enough. 

I think recovery time varies a lot depending on age overall fitness, previous activity etc. 

2-3 times a week seems enough running for just starting out - with a couple of days rest between.

Unless someone beats me to it I’ll put some links to warm ups and cool downs later. 

I always do static stretches after a run but I’m a bit less regimented about a dynamic warmup - but my first mile will be nice and slow if I haven’t warmed up at all.

Bidley

Just had my second key run of my marathon training. 1 mile easy, 4 miles tempo then 1 mile easy. Felt really strong and could've done more. I was doing 14-15 miles at a slightly slower pace leading up to Christmas so I feel like I made the right choice in skipping the first 6 weeks of this plan.

The biggest challenge will be the speed work - but isn't that always the way

Easy 12 miles on Saturday morning which I'm looking forward to.