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    Runner's screed

    I'm planning to start running on the way to work, after a short train journey. I'm after a light rucksack, some trousers and top which doesn't make me look too stupid, etc etc.

    Any tips for good makes/stuff to avoid/wild tips?

    #2
    Runner's screed

    dd - I've been running (in a manner of speaking) for a while and due to my age/shape/hirsuteness I am not going in for vests and short shorts.

    I have a very basic Brooks running t-shirt (proper t-shirts are more prone to chafe when sweated in or rained on) and I ended up getting some Canterbury "general work-out" shorts because all the running shorts are slit up the sides - ugh. Asics make some good inexpensive socks, and I'm on my second pair of Asics Gel Kayano 16 shoes but get them well fitted.

    Don't have a running rucksack I'm afraid.

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      #3
      Runner's screed

      Go to a runners' shop to ask the people there to advise you on running shoes that suit the shape of your feet and the way you step.

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        #4
        Runner's screed

        G.Man wrote:
        Go to a runners' shop to ask the people there to advise you on running shoes that suit the shape of your feet and the way you step.
        This.

        Probably more sensible than me telling you specifically to buy Asics Gel Kayano 16s.

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          #5
          Runner's screed

          G.Man wrote:
          Go to a runners' shop to ask the people there to advise you on running shoes that suit the shape of your feet and the way you step.
          Exactly. Size too. I wear an 8 1/2, but you may find that that's too large or too small for you.

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            #6
            Runner's screed

            My friend goes running in white converse and Jeans…no top. I think he's inspired by David Lee Roth.

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              #7
              Runner's screed

              Echo what everyone has already said about running shoes, go to a specialist. I personally prefer Asics, never had a bad pair, in fact I've bought the same pair twice in a row now, they usually last me 2 to 3 years.

              Other equipment; I just use "Kalenji" stuff from Decathlon stores. Running t-shirts are really cheap and do the job, the flourescent jumpers are great in the winter and, ahem, the running tights ain't bad.

              Comment


                #8
                Runner's screed

                Twisted Sister wrote:
                My friend goes running in white converse and Jeans…no top. I think he's inspired by David Lee Roth.
                That's great.

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                  #9
                  Runner's screed

                  Twisted Sister wrote:
                  My friend goes running in white converse and Jeans…no top. I think he's inspired by David Lee Roth.
                  In Bradford-On-Avon?

                  DD - www.mapmyrun.com. is worth a look if you want to keep a track on your runs... ooer

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                    #10
                    Runner's screed

                    Thirded (or whatever).

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                      #11
                      Runner's screed

                      stonelephant wrote:
                      Twisted Sister wrote:
                      My friend goes running in white converse and Jeans…no top. I think he's inspired by David Lee Roth.
                      In Bradford-On-Avon?

                      DD - www.mapmyrun.com. is worth a look if you want to keep a track on your runs... ooer
                      Yeah...and Bath.

                      He works at Bath University. One lunchtime someone convinced him that he should take part in a race that was happening at the University that afternoon..he ran in his jeans and white converse, he told me that his hands were also covered in oil (I'm not sure of the importance of that detail) he came 3rd out 27..the lycra brigade did not seemed pleased.

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                        #12
                        Runner's screed

                        Ran today for the first time in over a year*. You have to want to, and I haven't wanted to for a long time. I've been walking at weekends, a hilly 8km route around my suburb, source of many (crap) entries on the Mundane Thread Photographic Edition.

                        The last few times I've jogged a little of it here and there and the knees weren't hurting quite as much, so I thought I would try a run. I went for a 12km route which, while clearly a lot longer, is much flatter than the 8km and less daunting.

                        It took me absolutely ages, half an hour slower than in my good old,days. But the important thing was I kept going. Knees and hip joints not good now.

                        How's the running to work going Derek?

                        *in Asics Gel Kayano 17s. I've progressed one model number while the world,is up to number 21.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Runner's screed

                          I've considered taking up running recently, as I don't have room for a bike and the gym is not for me. I hadn't considered running to/from work but perhaps once into the swing of it that wouldn't be a bad idea - it's about seven miles I think, so maybe doing half by train and half on foot would be about right.

                          That said, I'm an expert at considering doing things and never actually doing them.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Runner's screed

                            SouthdownRebel wrote: I've considered taking up running recently, as I don't have room for a bike and the gym is not for me. I hadn't considered running to/from work but perhaps once into the swing of it that wouldn't be a bad idea - it's about seven miles I think, so maybe doing half by train and half on foot would be about right.

                            That said, I'm an expert at considering doing things and never actually doing them.
                            Why not do:

                            Day 1/3 - train in; run/walk home.
                            Day 2/4 - run/walk in; train home.
                            Day 5 - normal commute.

                            I've got to work on a plan for myself as I no longer wish to be the size of an outbuilding with the lung capacity of a gnat.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Runner's screed

                              Oddly I've just got back from a run. I tend to do 3 or 6 miles once in a while. I have a lovely run round Wanstead Flats. It's beautiful.

                              These days I have an unusual commute which keeps me relatively active inbetween. the days of running with an rucksack have gone since my son's started school. These days it's three stops on the Central Line and then a two mile scoot on a scooter I can carry on the train. I love it.

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Runner's screed

                                I turned up to my first run in my previous sporting apparel - Wales top, shorts which are really trunks, football socks and these



                                which I bought sight unseen.

                                I then continued to run in the same gear right up to and including the half-marathon I did. Lots of people got new hear and many said that I should go and get trainers at a local running shop where they measure your gait and whatnot.

                                I am not saying that people shouldn't do all that stuff (indeed, maybe, I would have won the half-marathon if I had) but those are still the best - and ugliest - trainers I have ever had.

                                I now am going to keep an eye out for Twisted Sister's mate.

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Runner's screed

                                  I trained myself up to half marathon distance last year - 2 hr 11 minutes, which was bloody impressive for me - but once I'd completed the race I found it incredibly hard to motivate myself to go out for runs more than about 8km. The result of which has been a substantial increase in my lardiness.

                                  My shoes are Brooks Adrenalines, and they seem to be excellent. They're pretty sturdy, and I need that because on my longer runs around here I get onto trails. At the moment, my usual short run (about 4.5k) is on roads, with one "big" steep hill. But the nicer runs are on the trails - we live on a mesa, and all around are canyons through which roads and rail lines go - and adjacent to those roads are usually wild spaces, and the hill sides, which often have nice trails on them (provided they aren't blocked by angry snakes, which has happened twice so far and forced me to turn back). But trails are trails. Uneven and a little tricky, which slows down my pace and means I need fairly sturdy shoes. The biggest problem is that living at the top of the mesa means that whatever route I take, I finish with a near 100 meter climb, which is often walked...

                                  I run not because I enjoy it particularly, but because it is the exercise that works best at keeping me fit, and I can get a really good workout in in a relatively short time. Something that would need 2 or 3 hours on a bike in terms of how exhausted I get, I can do in 45 minutes or an hour when running.

                                  Comment


                                    #18
                                    Runner's screed

                                    Ooh good, this saves me starting a new thread, and searching on 'running' wouldn't have been particularly helpful.

                                    After nearly 18 months of progressively longer distance walking I've made the step (no need) up to running of sorts in the last few weeks - I'm aiming to make my 5k Parkrun debut with my sister (who's eight years older and had done dozens of them) in December before aiming for longer distances next year, so I've established 0.66 mile route round my 'block' and I'm currently lapping it twice to make 1.3 miles a night, mixed in with still regular walking. When for the first time I completed 2x the circuit without stopping for breath, it was probably the longest I'd ever ran continuously in my life.

                                    Any tips welcome. Not so much the clothes, my walking apparel isn't much different from running gear, so I've cracked that part.

                                    Comment


                                      #19
                                      Runner's screed

                                      Getting older requires much more stretching. I now have to work pretty hard to sort out my hip flexor as that gets angry if I run fair distances (5 miles say) two days in a row. That and rolling out muscles are really key as you step up the activity.

                                      I hadn't really worked out for over a year and got from scraping my way to three miles to running 5 miles in 45 mins within two months. The real problems are continually making sure to warm up with stretches and cool down - not taking time to do that really screws you over medium term as you start to miss days.

                                      Comment


                                        #20
                                        Runner's screed

                                        Caja is, of course, right about stretching.

                                        Other than that, my advice is to mix it up. Whatever is "long" for you, do that no more than once a week. Do a handful of shorter runs, some at your steady long-distance pace, just to have an easy fall-back run; and do some short runs fast to get push yourself and make the slower pace feel easy (easier).

                                        As for equipment, I think the only thing you need are breathable wicking t-shirts and shorts; and running shoes that fit. Everything else is fluff.

                                        That said, using Strava or Runkeeper or something like that is great for tracking your progress if you can tolerate lugging your phone around with you.

                                        Most important: "Fast" is relative to your own pace; "Long" is relative to your own goals. If you chat to the blokes I cycle with, they consider 9 minute miles to be, basically, walking. I consider it to be near the outside limit of my sprinting. If I chat to my friend Kim, who's doing a double marathon in a month and a half, she thinks my 5km run is like strolling into the kitchen. For me, it's a decent stretch. Other peoples' normal is meaningless unless you're actually racing - don't judge yourself or your pacing by what other people do.

                                        Comment


                                          #21
                                          Runner's screed

                                          I have downloaded MapMyRun and the Nike app for running and use the latter for running now. They literally keep different times but I can use MapMyRun for cycling.

                                          Those 5k/3mile Parkruns looks great if they are the ones where you do the same circuit every week and look to improving your time. Also, it looks like you get to meet similar people regularly which is good. If you can get into some sort of starter running club led by an experienced runner that certainly helps. Running in groups rather than individually or even in twos is really good. You egg each other, support each other and it is less boring as you have someone to talk to (yes, you can do this). Also, some runners end up being much faster and that gives you a bit of a spur.

                                          Also, with a running group, you will have people who know how to stretch properly and, as mentioned, that is really important. Again, the experience of someone knowing when and how often to go out is useful as well. I would actually say, that, if you are doing 3 miles, 3 times a week is the maximum giving you plenty of time to recover. I would probably say two 3 runs a week is more realistic and it is worth getting your 3 miles up to 5 miles as a first target rather than doing more runs.

                                          If you can't do or face doing two runs a week, maybe match a run with a swim/cycle ride/bootcamp/long walk/game of football a week.

                                          I trained myself up to half marathon distance last year - 2 hr 11 minutes, which was bloody impressive for me - but once I'd completed the race I found it incredibly hard to motivate myself to go out for runs more than about 8km. The result of which has been a substantial increase in my lardiness.
                                          I hear that although I would say that I am finding it hard to do even 5k. I can't believe that, 7 months ago, I was the fittest I have been since my teens and probably fitter than that. This has been exacerbated by the fact that my back has been killing me and running does not help back problems (see also knee problems which I also have). I know that my back problem isn't helped by a lack of exercise nor weight gain. I always said that my aim, after the ludicrous distances of the half-marathon and its training, was to be able to go out for a cheeky 5 miles without too much bother. I was going to mix this up with a 20 mile cycle ride and starting a class to replace the bootcamp I used to do. I was going to go to a boxing gym but have been told of a good kick-boxing class I can try for free first time. Of course, all these - apart from cycling perhaps - are buggered by my back presently and I am down to an hour of fairly light five-a-side football. I am going to try to do some exercises and maybe swimming to strengthen my core this half-term and then see if I can get back to some running soon.

                                          Comment


                                            #22
                                            Runner's screed

                                            I've been running to maintain my fitness and keep my weight at an acceptable level for three or four years now. Every Saturday and Sunday morning at first light and most weekdays when I'm not working I do a 10k round a local lake (which is 1k in circumference) accompanied by our dog, a border terrier. The dog probably does 15k, as she is constantly haring off into the distance to chase rabbits and squirrels. Stamina-wise I could go further, but I've found over the years that anything much beyond 10k adversely affects my knees, so I stick to what I'm comfortable with. I manage a fairly reasonable pace - 50-55 minutes or thereabouts on average - although occasionally if there's another runner lapping in the opposite direction to me I find myself almost sub-consciously picking up the pace in an attempt to lap faster than them. That doesn't always end well.

                                            Comment


                                              #23
                                              Runner's screed

                                              Twisted Sister wrote: My friend goes running in white converse and Jeans…no top. I think he's inspired by David Lee Roth.
                                              Will he be my friend too? He's already almost inspired me to take up running myself.

                                              Comment


                                                #24
                                                Runner's screed

                                                Today's run was tough. About 4 miles at 9:40 pace (sorry for changing the units on your all!). Eventually I had to stop and walk the rest of the way home because my thighs felt like they'd just had porridge poured into them. I have excuses, all kinds of excuses. But none is particularly reasonable. I should just have paced myself better.

                                                On the plus side, the fact I was walking meant I got a couple of pics of my route. The fact that it looks like this means I feel a bit embarrassed I don't run every day. It's lovely in the canyons, although sometimes a little warm...





                                                The sandy surface definitely slows down the run, though.

                                                Comment


                                                  #25
                                                  Runner's screed

                                                  I've gradually moved up in distance to tonight's 2.5 miles (continuous), or 4x the lap that a few weeks ago I couldn't finish in one go. I'm not particularly fast, but not worried about that just now.

                                                  Re Bored's points, I've got access to a decent support network if I want it, there is a growing community around the local parkrun / street running club that will eventually engulf me, but to start out I wanted to do my own thing til I got comfortable in what I was doing.

                                                  I'm still mixing walking and running (on different days I mean, not on the same outing) and will continue to do so indefinitely - at the moment each is helping the other but it will be more of an issue when I start ramping up the walking distances after Christmas, I'm doing a 30 in March and a 40 in May and will need to force myself to recover properly from each.

                                                  I can't compete with SB's 'this is my route' photos though ....

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