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[Extra Terrestrial]

I only did a 4? mile run this morning as it started pouring like hell to the point of hurting my bloody head despite having a head full of thick hair.

Well done to Spagoli for you and your teams efforts even if you didn't get the results you wanted. The times put me to shame at the very least; 12+ minutes in 2.1 miles is something to be bloody proud of especially in cross country.

[Rossco]

Went a 30 odd mile cycle to Loch Lomond Shores and back today, was brilliant. Weather just about managed to hold up most of the time, bit rainy but still good fun.

Lots of off roady bits and hills etc so was a good workout, legs are knackered now and will be pretty screwed for 3 hours snowboarding tomorrow!

[Spagoli]

...Well done to Spagoli for you and your teams efforts ......

Cheers, I was out this morning too, pouring here as well, went out in a vest top on the basis I was going to get soaked but was just horrible. Sadly I dont have the head full of thick hair so my head got stung as well :-)

Have to agree with you Ascender off road is def much better, I did 11 miles yesterday around Lichfield and it was very lovely, even today off road was good, thinking about it in the summer I tend to be mostly off road or on track unless its a race. Go a 10k race next weekend (def all on road) in Coventry which is what this last lot of training has been for, hoping to get in under 40min or die trying.

Hope everyone has a fun bank hol

[ascender]

I think I've asked this before, but I can't seem to find it with the search function.

I'm doing running and cross training to build up my endurance base, but I need to sort out my upper body and core strength too. I was thinking that some sort of combination of press-ups, tricep dips and stomach crunches would be a good start.

Does anyone have links to a set of exercises of this sort, particularly the stomach stuff? Last time I did this was when I left school and it was all about the traditional sit-up and nothing else.

Also, how many times a week should I be doing this sort of thing, would 3 be enough to see a difference?

[Ish]

Christ I have to stop drinking. Went out Friday night, then beer festival on Saturday and I'm still knackered now.

I'll never learn that it doesn't agree with me.

And that it really hampers my fitness efforts.

[Spagoli]

Christ I have to stop drinking. Went out Friday night, then beer festival on Saturday and I'm still knackered now.

I'll never learn that it doesn't agree with me.

And that it really hampers my fitness efforts.

I always drink too much, only time I dont drink is the night before a big race but otherwise I often have a hang over at a training session which I kind of like in a weird kind of way. start of feeling bad and actually get better during the run.

[Commander Marklar]

Bad weekend for me, loads of BBQ meat and beer+singstar = rough. Anyway, I cycled to the opticians yesterday than back home again. Not very far, 6 mile round trip but I cycled like a bat out of hell to get there/back. Had some food and then cycled to the gym (6 mile round trip the other way), did 20 minutes running then my arms/soulders/abs/back. Felt tired, had some protein shakes then off to bed. Feel great today! Gym again tomorrow after work.

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[Ish]

Just had a monster gym session. Started with a hangover but I smashed my personal bests for both bench pressing and hammer curls.

[Spagoli]

Well it was rest on thur and fri and today all in prep for a 10k race tomorrow, hope its worth it, aiming to get in under 40min for first time ever but feel like lose fitness even if dont get out for a bit may buckle and go out for 20 mins later if pressure gets too much

[ascender]

Hope you have a good race today Spagoli.

I did my long run midweek, so today was a nice relaxing 4 miler. Well, at least it was relaxing until I stopped halfway to pick up some water and the Sunday Times. Weighed my pack when I got back and it was nearly 8kg.

At long last I feel like I might be conquering the hill out the back of my house though. I've always struggled with it as its right at the start of my run and very steep, but today I think I came out on top for once.

[Spagoli]

Oh well, arrived in loserville population me this morning. 41mins 18s, excuses were heat and mostly not running fast enough. was halfway in 20m 34 mostly up hill tough course just couldnt push enough in last half to make it up although a 3min 40sec final 1k would suggest I was just being lazy and had too much left. Oh well back to the training and the next race

[charlesr]

I'm back!

What do you mean, who am I?

Anyway, I've had a slack few months where I've done very little apart from cover up all signs of a six pack.

I've changed gyms, so no at one that's 7 mins away instead of 15-25 depending on traffic, so it's much easier mentally. It's half the price as well and has a decent bench which is a bonus and some squash courts, so looking forward to using those.

I've also inherited a very nice cycling machine which I can now wheel out in front of the telly and go for 40 mins. And bizarrely also a "Total Gym". These are the wanky looking things you see advertised on Sky channels when nothing else is on. It has an incline you can set and your body weight is the resistance, you drag yourself up the slope. It seemed pretty effective on some muscles but I'm going to have to strap some more weight to me for some excercises, although I found that doing some of them one handed or leged ups the difficulty. Good if I can't go out to the gym and folds up quickly into the corner. Can't say I'd recommend one if you had to pay for it though - there must be better options, although doubt any of them would be so compact once folded.

I'm aching all over at the moment. Not from any of the above but from an all day gardening session on Saturday I mowed lawns, strimmed edges and cut hedges (that was the killer). Must be out of shape. Looking foward to getting back into shape, so I'll be posting more again in here.

[Paradigm]

Gardening's awful! Those Total Gyms look class, saw an infomercial with Chuck Norris advertising one. If Chuck likes it it must be good!

Need some help with running (again) guys. Had to take a week and a bit off due to various issues, was doing 3 1/2 miles fine. Have got back into it a bit but I just can't seem to push the envelope. My muscles feel tired and I get an overwhelming feeling of "I must stop". Now, inside me I really feel I should be doing better, and I reckon it probably comes down to my breathing. I know people say "whatever works for you" but I haven't found anything that particularly feels 'right'. I'm going at a pretty comfortable (i.e. slow!) pace so I don't think I'm setting off too fast or anything like that, and my route is a nice mix of declines and inclines. I know scientifically you should breathe out for longer as that releases more oxygen into your blood (roughly speaking?) but I find that hard as I feel like I want to breathe. My girlfriend's promised to teach me breathing exercises using my diaphragm to suck more air in (she's a flute player) which sounds like a really good idea, but just wanted to hear your thoughts.

The Great North Run is getting closer and I really need to improve fast! I've been told that once I get up to the sort of 5-mile mark it should get a bit easier for the following few miles as you "get into it" - I'm hoping that's true! Shame I've had such ****ty health problems over the past few months, it's really left me a lot less time than I wanted to train comfortably

[charlesr]

Definitely true about the 5 mile mark. Once you are there, the leap to 10 miles is pretty "easy" - you can just keep going.

Forget about breathing - i.e. just don't think about it. Otherwise you'll tense up worrying about it. Can't see breathing being a problem unless you have particularly weak tummy core. If your body needs more oxygen, you'll breath more out of necessity - not because you are thinking about it.

You say you are taking it easy - perhaps that's the problem. Alternate your runs between fast pace for 2 miles and slower for 3 miles. If you just keep doing the same thing, you'll never improve. Alternatively go on time instead. Run out for 10 minutes and then turn around. Next run, go out for 15 mins before turning around (that's 30 mins instead of 10 remember!). See how long it takes to get back compared to the way out to see if you are keeping your pace up the whole way or going too fast at the start or finish.

Don't forget to do some sprints (after a lot of warm up) every now and then with a couple of days rest afterwards.

Get a HRM.

[Spagoli]

but I find that hard as I feel like I want to breathe. My girlfriend's promised to teach me breathing exercises using my diaphragm to suck more air in (she's a flute player) which sounds like a really good idea, but just wanted to hear your thoughts.

The Great North Run is getting closer and I really need to improve fast! I've been told that once I get up to the sort of 5-mile mark it should get a bit easier for the following few miles as you "get into it" - I'm hoping that's true! Shame I've had such ****ty health problems over the past few months, it's really left me a lot less time than I wanted to train comfortably

IMHO with most things in running its all in your head, the difference between being a great runner and an average runner is in your head as is the ability to run 3.5 miles or 35 miles, once you decide that 3.5 is nothing to you and you are going to do 5 no matter how bad you feel you'll just switch into "the fatser I run the sooners its over" mode

Its going to feel tough and uncomfortable though even when you are fit it'll not get any easier because you'll be trying to run faster. The only time it will feel easy is if you drop the pace right off but no one wants to do that even on recovery runs.

IMHO breathing is V Important, you need to make sure enough stuff is going in or you'll collapse and you need to make sure its controlled, when my breathing gets raggedy (only really happens when I'm on speed work) I find I dont noitce straight away but I feel all over the place and on the edge, then I realise its the breathing, I hold shoulders right back and drop the elbows to open the lungs out then force myself to regulate my breathing and keep going. I find its not something I notice until it starts to go wrong really. There was an article in last weeks Athletic Weekly about how you should do a run a week at a slow pace (not just a recovery run) and use it to practice your technique, breathing, stride etc