runners | check-in

I raced a 5K on Saturday, and my race report is here.

I'll be running a half marathon in 3 weeks, on March 17th. This is the race at which I set my personal best 2 years ago, so I am hoping to do well. To that end I am running a lot! I'm finally back up to the ~50mpw range after a slow restart post-marathon, and feeling pretty good.

Awesome! I took a look at your race report, and I love all your data (although I think collecting and graphing it would drive me crazy! to each her own...). Congrats on your PR!

I am a science geek and could not live without my Garmin (both pace and HR monitor) and SportTracks, which does all the nice graphing for me! Easy-peasy!

And, thank you!

Started again (just some basic run/walk intervals), hoping it will stick this time. I have been doing exercise 5-6 times a week for almost two months now, but now it's finally getting warm and light enough for running again.

There is a 6.2K run scheduled for me at the end of June.

Edited 2012-02-27 15:26 (UTC)

I am sure your exercise over the winter will help you get back to running. Good luck!

I got in two runs along the ocean while at Escapade! Yay! And I'm trying out the Nike+ GPS iPhone app. Its tracking isn't as complete as the Garmin's, but for basic route and time info it seems to work pretty well, and it's nice not to have to wait for the Garmin to track down satellites. Anyone know if there's a way of turning the iPhone into a heart rate monitor?

I think you will probably have to get a separate HRM, but that means you can get a really good one (e.g. Polar) inexpensively, instead of shelling out for Garmin's merely adequate ones.

There are lots of iPhone apps for run tracking - I bet some Googling will find you a bunch.

I've been doing some googling, and it looks like DigiFit has an adaptor that lets the iPhone work with a Garmin strap. That would be perfect.

Is there discussion of iPhone running apps over at the Runners World forums? I don't need anything too fancy, but I love the idea of using my iPhone, since I carry it already, instead of having to deal with another gadget. For the time being the Nike app should be fine--I'm not trying to do anything nearly as complicated as you are. (Which is not criticism, in case it sounds like it--I think your race planning is amazing, and I'm glad you're having so much success with it.)

Yes, there is - you might need to use the wholly inadequate search function, but there is a whole forum on gear and electronics, and I know they discuss iPhone apps.

I have gained 15 pounds since November. (I have always been pretty underweight and out of shape, so this is a good thing--everyone tells me I look healthier, and I have had a cold that didn't turn into SRS BSNS illness, which never happens for me. On the other hand, stupid fat-negative culture and the fact that my clothes don't fit is doing a number on my body image. Except for my awesome new runner's legs.)

I'm still chasing the elusive two miles (I backslid on my running for a couple of weeks and am paying for it). Ran 1.3/walked .2/ran another .5 yesterday, so I know I'm getting there. And I'm definitely in so much better shape than two months ago. It's just difficult to know that at the beginning of February I could almost run 2 mi without stopping, and now 1.3 was really all I could give. But I'll get there.

I'm not sure what your subject means. But it is certainly true that being (significantly) underweight is as bad for a runner as being overweight. If you are getting to a better weight, it will definitely help your running.

If you are having trouble running as much as 2 miles, perhaps running more slowly will help.

I'm getting back into running by running round the local park two days a week with my housemate -- doing Couch to 5k. We're doing Race for Life in July (if anyone wants to sponsor us, link you to our page!) so we're training up for that. She's chronically ill, though, and I have asthma, so we're taking it sloooow.

I went for a run today and managed week three, day two with a reasonable amount of ease, so that's a good sign.

Yay, C25K is a great program according to many I know who have done it! Good luck with it.

I have signed up for and am training for this zombie-inspired race. The local event is on July 14.

That should give me plenty of time to not only be able to confirm that I can still handle that distance, but to improve my pace for it and also cross-train for obstacles, right? (I hope?)

I am very much not interested in obstacle course/mud-run type races, but I think the zombie theme is AWESOME. Do a race report, okay?

Oh, excellent. I wish someone would organise one of these in the UK!

Yay, a check-in!

My big news is that despite being a mediocre age-grouper, I've gone and hired a coach!!! (she uses lots of motivational !!! and it's rubbing off)

This means that I'm running far less and doing a lot more swimming, ugly bike workouts on the trainer, going to the gym twice a week for strength work, etc.

She has me on a heart rate monitor (first time in my life) and at the moment, I'm running between 11 and 12 minute miles in an effort to keep my runs in the moderate zone. I hate it. It's 1 to 2 minutes per mile slower than my usual long run paces. She swears it will get better and she's the coach so I have to trust her. Tomorrow, I'm going out to run hard and try to get a baseline maximum heart rate. That should be fun...

And first race of the season is in two weeks! As part of my New Year's resolution, I will post a race report within a week of running it :-)

Finally, if anyone wants to friend me on Daily Mile, (www.dailymile.com) let me know (pm is better since that's my real-life name)

I hope the coach works out for you. I'm not a fan of running less, especially if you are focusing on longer distances, though as you are a triathlete as well (aren't you?) that might be better for your overall goals. I also don't see the point in running slowly to keep in an arbitrary zone until after you've actually measured your HRmax. The 220-age formula is like BMI, designed for population averages and not individuals. But once you do have your HRmax and resting HR figured out, I think low HR training is a good way to improve.

Good luck on your season's first race - what is it?

Well, this is all new for both me and the coach, we're still feeling each other out. And yeah - I've been pretty much skipping the biking and the swimming for the last 6 months or so between the last marathon and then winter. Also, in there somewhere I screwed my hip up and was considering that 30 miles a week with 2 days of speedwork was "light" exercise, so I think that having an external person tell me to back off the running for now and start biking and swimming again was really the right decision. The hip and the underlying IT Band issues haven't bothered me in 2 weeks now :-)

As for the arbitrary heart rates. Yeah. Going out today to do 20 minutes of hard effort to try and find more info on the max heart rate :-)

First race is the Frankfurt 1/2 marathon :-)

Thanks for all your comments and advice!

I would blame the 2 days of speedwork, not the 30mpw, but I hope you get things figured out.

I've always wanted to monitor my heart rate, but am still on the fence about which monitor is most reliable, what to buy, etc (especially after assessing prices on Amazon!) What kind are you using? Have you noticed any improvements over the past few weeks?

Did the National Cross Country Final in London at the weekend. I'm training for a ten miler now.

I assume that was an event you had to qualify for, so, wow, congratulations on just being able to run it. Did you meet your goals?

Fortunately I didn't! I certainly wouldn't have qualified on my own, but I was part of a scoring team. I managed to keep up with my coach all the way round, which was all I really wanted to do. in fact I ended up beating her by three seconds.

Haha, go you!

I started running regularly last summer and ran a 5K (in the summer) and a ~5K obstacle course (in the fall). During the winter, I sort of stopped, but I'm starting up again and plan on maybe running another 5K or trying a 10K for the spring/summer. Also, hi! :D

Obstacle courses sound/look like such fun, but I'm not sure I have the stamina, nor strength to actually participate in one :)

I thought the same about myself, but surprisingly it's not that bad (well, then again, I wasn't running for speed). The one I ran was Warrior Dash. Imo, the obstacles were spaced out so that you wouldn't get too tired running, and once you got to one, there was a bit of queue and you got to take a breather. I would definitely recommend doing it a group!

Hi! And congratulations on starting up again!

Yeah, getting started is the hardest part; you just have to keep at it!

Signed up for a 10k in June and an obstacle-course 5k in September!

Edited 2012-02-29 14:16 (UTC)

Yay! I wish there were more 10Ks around; it's not a common distance, it seems.

Yes, so do I! I've been running for a couple of years now and I'm still building up the courage to try anything longer. The furthest I've run in one go is 12k, so I'm finding the idea of a half-marathon kinda daunting.

I'm running 2-3 times a week, which is not bad for me, but nowhere near enough for the ½ marathon coming up in a few weeks.

I knew that all along, though, and I really would never have gotten in shape to sign up for a ½-marathon. But I really want to do one. So now I can just suffer through it, I can :D

And maybe the experience will help/make me run more and eventually actually get in shape for a ½-marathon, but either way, I'll have participated :)

3x a week is adequate for a half, really, as long as you can be consistent about it. Although with your race in "a few weeks", hmm, maybe not!

But yay for participating, and I hope you don't suffer.

I think in the long run I'm happier suffering and having done it, than never even trying it.

Probably not around Ks 15-21,1, but in the years to come :D

I'm a little late to the check-in, I apologize! I am super stoked about my new training schedule for the Crescent City Classic 10k. I've missed the deadline to register, but picked up the training brochure at a sporting goods store this weekend (so I'll be ready for the next 10k that comes around). The program alleges I'll be running a 10 miler in 5 weeks! Whaaaaat?! :) We'll have to see about that!

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Trigger Warning: Discussion of Weight

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