The Running Thread 🏃‍♀️

[unnecessary]

What are your feet like?

Ran for years and my feet are just a mess of callouses and blisters no matter what shoes - it is just the volume of running I do. Bit sick of it now and softening them up even if it makes running harder lol. Surely I'm not the only one with bad feet?!

My toenails are like constant fungus fields. Like.. they're thick and white or just not there. So annoying.

 

[Giggling Squid]

is there a running shop near you? (Sweatshop, up and running, runners need etc) they often offer gait analysis and can help you find shoes that are suitable for your feet and your gait (the way you run) I have always got my runners doing this, and I swear by them. Insoles are often a better way of dealing with flat feet that the shoes themselves

 

[TheDragonWithAFlagon]

This doesn't answer your question but have you considered cycling? It's a bit easier on the joints and feet. Also for your plantar fascitis, you can get special foot and leg braces that you wear at night to help with that.

I don't mind recumbent cycling, but the real thing? Unfortunately I'd be pancaked across the tarmac by the time I reached the end of the street (genuinely so, it's not a cycling friendly area and I'm not 22 and standing on the pedals down 25% hills offroad anymore). Whilst I love the theory, I did work out that two wheels and the laws of gravity are not my friends anymore (a combination of getting to the offroad bits from my old home and motorbiking - and having to get off rather sharpish at 40mph - helped with that realisation). My favourite thing of all in the gym is indoor rowing (I'm not too bad at it, either). A bit of actual weightbearing exercise is probably a good idea as well.

I've got the Podiatry appointment for (probably, according to them on the phone) hopefully prescribing custom orthotics to take into account everything.

 

[YellowLadybird]

Has anyone else had the experience of getting really low blood sugar when building up how long you are running?

I'm aware of the need to fuel when doing 'endurance' level stuff, but I'm coming to the end of a C25K programme and I'm on 2x15 minute runs with a 2 minute walk break so I should be managing what I'm doing now. I run at a sensible pace (11min/mile) with a group, who all seem to be fine even though some of them are definitely less fit than me.

When we're getting to the end, I'm often getting numbness in my face, tingly hands, and feeling really dizzy. I'm not overly out of breath, it's not a case of overexerting myself like that but tonight the world properly started spinning and I had to cut and walk earlier than I would have liked (managed the 15, was gonna do another 5 to get back but couldn't) to avoid fainting. We got back to the cars and luckily there were some fruit pastilles I could down to bring myself back up.

I'm a nurse and fairly confident it was a hypo, but I don't understand why; I'm not diabetic, and I had eaten a reasonable time before my run so shouldn't have been hitting the wall. It was a bit warm but not insanely hot. It was quite scary though. I've literally gone and bought some glucose tablets to have in my pocket because I don't know how to avoid it happening again and if I was on my own further away from base I could genuinely have ended up blacking out.

 

[Giggling Squid]

Pop it if it is bothering you as it'll pop under pressure anyways

I only leave them if I can get away with it

It’s getting bigger and bigger, been trying to avoid popping it but after a trail run in shoes I’ve not worn in ages the other day with loads of hills it was so sore on this mornings run I think it will have to go….

 

[Jellybeansoup]

Anyone got any tried and tested remedies for incredibly sore thighs post run? I don’t think I warmed up or down properly but I’m struggling to sit down to use the loo right now so I need something to get me through the next day of pain please

 

[nbx512]

Thanks!
I wish I could eat bananas cos they seem like the perfect food, but I can't bear them
I did go through a phase of eating raisins and that did help actually, I'd forgotten about that.

Dried fruit is great actually! Just think of whatever is a simple enough carb that you enjoy eating/ can get down easily and eat that I'm soooooooooo particular about my bananas. I like them quite ripe but then they get overripe really quickly

Am just about to head off for my morning running having eaten some bananas and a couple of energy drinks. I'll be taking a drink with me in my bumbag just to keep me hydrated despite the cold damp weather.

Hopefully will try for another 10 miler. But because I live out in a small rural area we don't have proper pavements, and therefore have to use roads and tracks which often don't have lightening. So its important to be visible, and also not to wear headphones for listening to music (which often helps when running). But you have to have your wits about you, so no music this time

Good luck! Something that really interested me was weighing myself just before and just after a run to see how much water weight I'd lost - there's a formula that uses that to figure out how much water you need to rehydrate. I have a headlight that I use when I run in Winter, it's really good at making unlit paths visible.

 

[greenpear]

Any tips for painful muscles - shoulders/neck? I love running, especially during the summer but i always drops off in winter as I think I must tense when I run in cold weather and I get awful shoulder/neck pain and it forces me to stop and walk home
What am I doing wrong I warm up and all that and try my best to not tense my muscles but it’s kind of impossible. Are there any tips I’m missing

 

[Tippingpoint23]

Amazing time well done!!

I did 5k this morning in 28 mins, had loads to do today so didn’t have much time to do more. I tend to run on an empty stomach as well, did you find it helped having food in you? Well I had a coffee with oat milk an hour before I ran

I find eating before helps - I have a mini muffin usually 30 mins before I go and that has made a huge difference. Not the healthiest but does the trick!

 

[rebremm99]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone! I will definitely try and get a proper pair of shoes and try the tape. Hopefully I can get back to it soon, running is so addictive I really miss it

 

[Minniemousesshoes]

Has anyone got any advice on calves. Muscles and tendons. I struggle during runs and the hobble around all the other time. Are compression socks any good?

 

[SpiceWeasel]

Interesting! Just read this @SpiceWeasel , could be it?

It's not uncommon to gain a few pounds when you start ramping up your runs, like when you're training for your first marathon. Your muscles respond to the elevated effort level by storing more glycogen, which binds with water in your muscle cells to keep you fueled and can tick the scale up by two or three pounds

Thank you!

I'm hoping it's something to do with water. My scales allegedly can measure fat/muscle/water but can't for the life of me figure out how to get them to show that!

 

[linaaaaa]

If you have an iphone I would definitely recommend an apple watch! I had a Fitbit before and it got really annoying because lot’s of features wouldn’t work with an iphone because Apple blocks all other devices. It’s typical Apple behavior sadly but I do love my Apple Watch and for beginner/intermediate level they are accurate enough imo

thank you!

 

[SpiceWeasel]

I always layer up so much in cold weather! A few years ago I found what I thought were running tights but are actually thermal ski tights lol. In winter I'll wear them, a singlet, long sleeve top and a shell jacket (basically a plastic bag) so then I can take off and put on clothes as I need lol. I generally start out freezing but I magically hit 800m and start sweating. I also wear a band/ buff over my ears and gloves on my hands!

I second the struggle getting up early, especially in Winter. It's when my motivation just diessssss. I find having my stuff ready and in the bathroom the night before and not touching my phone gets me out the door. Then I tell myself if I completely hate it I can go home after 1km. By then I've normally become a bit happier about being outside at 5am.

That’s a good idea! That’s the problem I find with layering up, after 5 minutes I am too hot and end up running round carrying everything

and that’s what I always say to myself but I always end up carrying on. Not touching your phone is a tip too. I’m always up by 6am but I’ll get a coffee and sit reading on my phone or laptop then before I know it it’s too late to go out! Always have to run in the morning. It never happens after work. Can always think of a million excuses not to.

 

[YellowLadybird]

It’s weird because I feel like I’m going fast when I run and I can’t push myself any more, but my pace is so slow (about 5’40 per km) and I see other people I know running it between 4-5 minutes per km. I don’t seem to be getting any faster with time either. Has anyone got any tips because it’s starting to get me down!!

6 min / km makes for a 30 minute 5k which is pretty good!

 

[Brian Butterfield]

I am absolutely loving running at the moment. I have never liked it and felt full of dread when I got a place in the half marathon I applied to on a whim. But now I am loving it - today I even tackled running up a hill!

There were lots of hills on my run today.

I hate hills. Hills are not my friend

 

[Shep]

Got about 3/4 of a mile into and Achilles tighten up. Still sore now 9 hours later. It didn’t feel right before I started. Sad as I was well motivated today. Week 7 will start as soon as I can

 

[nbx512]

UK based but sending a lot of love to everyone too. First lockdown I remember being terrified that they’d take the exercise bit away as it was my only bit of sanity in the early days, so I know how much of a blessing exercise is for us!

as we’re all friends here... anyone with any chafing advice? Not so much the how not to (I already use runderwear which were great until the lockdown weight went on, and I’ve used bodyglide before which has been very good), but the how to treat it? I’m on sudocrem at the mo which seems very slow progress!

I use bodyglide before every run. I've figured out where I chafe and apply it preventatively. Are you asking how to deal with areas that are chafed while they heal? If it's on thighs I'd recommend wearing tights that cover the area so it can't get worse. I also tend to chafe a bit around my armpits but that's never so bad to cause pain.

 

[Brian Butterfield]

Yeah they're pretty soft but they don't bounce compared to the asics nimbus lite, Nike oddysey reacts or Nike pegs if that makes sense? I use the guides for my long runs (though I set a 5km PB in the guide iso's many moons ago lol).

My shoe rotation is:
Saucony guide 13 and Brooks Ravena = long/ easy/ recovery (I don't like the Ravena as much as the adrenalin and wish I'd gotten those or another pair of guides)
Tempo/ slower speed work: oddysey react (I'll be moving these shoes to the easy run category)
Speed work: Nike peg 36s, Nike peg turbo or Nike tempo next %.

I really want to try the saucony endorphins pros and have been kicking round getting the meta racers but I've got 3x pairs of the reacts atm so need to whittle the collection down a bit lol And add the asics gel nimbus to the list! I tried them at a running store and bought a different pair because I wanted a racing shoe but I think the nimbus lite would work perfectly as a tempo shoe. It's got so much spring it's incredible.


Yes exactly! I still wear stability shoes for easy recovery and easy long runs because I want to give my muscles a break (and I pronate a bit) but I'm in neutral shoes for all my other stuff

Thank you so much for this comprehensive reply!

I only wish I could go into a running store and try them all on

Will definitely look into them more though.

Thanks again x

 

[Tippingpoint23]

Anyone know how important it is to mix up your run route? I think this may be what's stopping me progressing.

I like to swap mine up a bit - when I have more time I drive to my local bigger park areas to trot around (I only have roads within walking distance from me) but I quite like the same route to compare how good or bad I am doing!