Keep Fit Club - ALL exercise types!

[Taka]

I've no targets this side of the New Year, but will be going to the local Christmas and New Year's Day Parkruns.

Next year, I would like to get as close as possible to an 18:30 5k, 39:00 10k and 86:00 half marathon.

[charlesr]

400km run in November. \o/ 3 weeks till race day.

[Decider-VT]

Four appointments in at the gym now and the strain is starting to lessen. Dare say, I might actually be enjoying it. (Apart from the weirdly hairless guys with fake tan in the changing rooms, though. They're the wrong kind of creepy.)

Combined with an improved diet, I've managed to get my cholesterol level down from 6.9 to 4.78 in a couple of months. To think that my GP was going to put me on a statin when she saw me.

[charlesr]

That's all GPs know what to do - push drugs. (possibly exaggerated)

Congrats \o/ Marvelous achievement

[Decider-VT]

Thanks! I think she was looking at it as more of a likely possibility than the likes of me getting off my backside and actually doing something positive but I stay the course if I've committed myself to something. My personal trainer looked surprised and pleased when I continued turning up.

Next week I'm going running with a friend for the first time ever, as she's training for the London Marathon. After the initial "WTF" moment when people find out that I'm exercising, they're very supportive. I can't wait to feel fit again.

[Plough Boy]

Back in October I ran alongside my daughter in the Kid's Mini Great North Run. She's 5.
It was only 1 mile but I was still blowing out my backside by the end having never done any serious exercise/any exercise in the last 15 years.
I quite enjoyed it and knowing that I really need to get fitter (I'm 38 in December) like a complete tool I entered myself into the Great Winter Run 5k in Edinburgh.
I was proper motivated but totally overdid it for someone who was so unfit. After 4 weeks of going out 3 times a week my knees felt wrecked.
It hurt to even walk. Just below my knee cap was really, really painful. Since then I've been going swimming twice a week to keep up some form of aerobic exercise. I swam for Norfolk in my early teens (having 6 toes has to have some benefit) so this has been much easier.
The problem is I know that the only way of being able to complete this run is by doing more running (obviously) but can I have some advice guys?
You lot are clearly pros. Can you remember what you did when starting out? What can I do to strengthen my knees?
At the moment I'm only interested in getting round. Don't laugh but I'd be happy to do it in 30-35 mins.
In those 4 weeks I was running 2 miles in anywhere between 17 and 19 mins. I was having to walk for about 20 secs every couple of minutes from almost the beginning. I know I run too quickly but find it hard to keep a steady but slower pace.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really want to do this and continue it. I feel motivated but I'm worried the way it went initially that I won't be able to walk it let alone run it.

[charlesr]

Google for "coach to 5k". When is the race? If it's too close for this programme, then you need to make it a great winter walk / run / walk / run. You won't be alone! Treat it like a training run if need be.

Pain in the knees (or anywhere) is normally due to being a beginner with poor form. I don't know if there is an ideal form - you'll find your own with more running, especially as you start getting faster. My suggestions would be to take really short steps and pretend you are a ninja. Land so softly no one can hear you. For example when I'm running flat out down the road, I have to warn people walking up ahead so that I don't shock them when I fly past - I can barely hear my footfalls. It may feel like you are barely any quicker than walking to start with, but that's fine. The other thing that goes hand in hand with the shorter steps is less "bounce" - make your head glide along at the same height and let your legs do all the work. Pump the arms for balance, even at slow speed.

This guy claims this is the only way to run correctly, and most elites run either like this or close to this. It's up to you if you want to try running like this (I do), but from the sound if it, the way you are running at the moment is causing issues, so might be worth a try - you can do it in your normal trainers out on the road, but practice barefoot indoors like he says: http://100up.info/the-100-up-running-technique-2 Even if you don't end up running like this, the drill itself is incredibly good for all the muscles involved in running.

Finally, as a beginner, trying to run fast is crazy - learn to run slowly but with good form. You wouldn't head out in a rally car and try going flat out until months of learning to do it at a slower speed. Note: the majority of my training miles are done at a super slow pace. You need patience and lots of it. It's a long term project. If you accept this, you'll suddenly arrive 6 months down the line and think "wow - I've come so far", but if you look at yourself 1 month from now, you'll think "gah - barely any better" and get depressed. Loooong term thinking. You'll be great.

[prinnysquad]

I hope you're listening, Fatty. If you screw up the Durham Christmas Beer Quest because you're on crutches, then I'm going to kick you in the baubles and leave a Yuletide log on your doorstep in a flaming paper bag.

[Taka]

Echo what Charles has said.

The pain in the knees is common, whether for beginners or seasoned vets. I had over a year of tenderness in my left knee and couldn't run without a knee support on it. Use one of these in the interim to help you get round the course.

What could be causing it is a number of things. For me, it was triggered by tight IT bands in my legs - if you run your thumb down the centre of your thighs facing outwards, you may be able to feel a thick fibrous strip. This is connected to the knee and if it's tight, it can pull which causes the pain. Mine was so tight, I could almost pluck it like a guitar string!

One remedy right now is a foam roller - a cylinder of dense foam. I roll my thigh over mine and it stretches out the IT band. This can be a very painful experience with plenty of expletives involved! But for me, it did the trick and I now tend to use it several times a week, especially after long runs or particularly fast ones.

[Mr M0by]

Congrats on the Parkrun PB yesterday Taka. Especially considering conditions aren't exactly optimum now.

[Taka]

Cheers M0by! A buddy of mine from my home Parkrun did no running for a week due to work and other commitments, and managed to shave more than 20 seconds off his recent best from several weeks ago. Figured the extreme taper would be worth a try since I would be in Cardiff anyway.

Hoping to crack 18:30 by the summer.

How's tricks with you? Have you got a spring marathon you're working towards?

[Mr M0by]

March 15th, Essex 20 - target: 2hrs-2hrs10 (will treat it as a marathon training run)
March 29th, Colchester Half - target: sub 1hr19 / event PB is 1:22:54 last year
April 12th, Brighton marathon - target: 2hrs50-55 / marathon PB is 3:06:30

In the meantime all I have lined up is plenty of training, the occasional Essex Cross-Country race & the Colchester Parkrun most weeks.

[charlesr]

Hey, Mr M0by, are you going to do anything differently (in training) to get to 2h50 than you did to get to 3h06?

[charlesr]

[k0pp0]

Question.. those of you that have changed the way you run to mid-strike (or whatever it is!) do you find that it's changed your regular walking gait?