Runners
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I've been getting back into running the last few weeks, and I've found my garmin suggested workouts feature to be a surprisingly effective motivator; I've essentially given up any independent decision making and do what my watch tells me. As a result, my runs are becoming more varied with a good mix of tempo/threshold efforts along with the usual base runs.
At one point, I thought I was going crazy: it suggested 5 miles at zone 3 for 9 consecutive days, with no variation at all. Day 10 was a rest-day, and the following session was a tough threshold run. I didn't feel like I had the legs for it, but once I got going I actually felt really strong. The threshold effort ended up including my fastest ever 5K time of 21:45 minutes, a 3-minute improvement on my previous PB. I was so shocked that I double-check the distance on a map plotting tool - I was convinced the watch had miscalculated the distance.
Anyway, bit of a ramble but just wanted to say that garmin suggested workouts is a great feature if you're fairly new to running, or getting back into it. Especially if, like me, you find it hard to stay motivated or plan your runs effectively without burning out.
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A few weeks ago now, but completed the Tahoo 200. Had been on my bucket list for years. An unbelievable experience in an amazing place! Have been enjoying the recovery ever since.
I said never again all the way around, but that lasted a couple of days. Now looking at Cocodona and Moab races!
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@simmosn holy shit man what an accomplishment. I gotta get off my ass and join all the bad ass runners on here.
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Very cool @simmosn its funny how quickly the mind changes from never again to yes please
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Any tips for ankle strengthening / better shoes than road running Nikes for trails? Did my first trial run this morning and loved it, but I was quite unsure on my feet on some of the uneven terrain as I worried my ankle would roll, and there were gravel elements I had to walk on because I had no traction
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I have a history of ankle instability @Alex partly from years of skateboarding as a teenager. Single leg calf raises are supposed to be the most effective physical training to strengthen the muscles around the ankle and add stability. Can be good to do all sorts of balance stuff too and lots of single leg variations on most leg strength exercises will help.
As for shoes the cool ones are Norda, then Hoka seems to have the largest market share at the moment, but lots of brands have good trail shoes. Ones with lower stack height midsoles and wider platforms on the outsoles will be more stable. Hoka speedgoat is a popular option. Satisfy have a trail shoe coming out soon called The Rocker that could be cool. The firmer insoles of Brooks can be good for stability too. -
@Alex I’ve been wearing an ASICS trail offering for a few months now and love ‘em. Nice tight heel grip and a high tongue are good for my skinny ankles. Good stability and a wide grippy sole.
That said at best I’m a fast walker vs a full on hard trail runner!
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Did my first 5k last Saturday since returning to running at the start of the year , decided to do Cardiff parkrun a good flat route two loops of the park and back . Was all going well with constant mile lap splits but on the second lap felt this sharp pain on my right foot I continued to stick with the pace the best I could on the return straight to the finish line it was getting worse . Struggling across the finish line into a walking limp forgot to stop my watch the pain was that bad, couldn’t think of how I even done it didn’t go over on my ankle ..
I managed to finish in 11th with a 18:14 5:52 per mile average pace pretty happy with that all considering.Had to skip the warm down and limped back to the van , after getting home resting and icing it for the rest of the day was hoping it would be better by the Sunday .
My only concern was in 2010 I broke my Navicular bone in my right foot coming off my motocross bike had a operation where I have two screws holding it together , so I was hoping I haven’t done any damage to that.Thought it would be best to get it checked at the hospital, had a XRay and the Nurse said I needed a Boot by the looks of things I’ve managed to break a small part of bone off my Navicular bone and possibly a hairline crack running through it . She said she’s not a specialist so I’ll have to wait to be seen.
Feeling absolutely gutted loved getting back into running was really enjoying it , have No idea how long until I can start back.The pain feels the same have to go to work so limping around all day and resting it soon as I get home .
IG : @luvthefades
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@Jcaz6996 sounds brutal dude. The blues from not being able to train due to injury can be intense. You’ll be better soon and back to it though. Hopefully doctor or physio will have some recommendations on how to avoid in the future, but injuries are a part of the game…
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Completed Eastern States 100 mile 21,000 feet of climbing technical trail ultramarathon on 9th August in 27 hours for 11th place.
Very challenging event. Biggest lesson learned is to get feet dry in aid stations. I didn’t do this and paid for it but walking the last 20 miles of the race on painful blisters. It caused my friend to have to DNF because of trench foot. Other than that, a great experience, felt strong, ran into 6th place between 30-60 miles, and enjoyed all the climbing, descending, and technical trail. Best part of it was having my brother and friends crew, and my brother paced me through the night from mile 80 to the finish. Couldn’t have done it without him. Next race is arc of attrition 100 mile in Cornwall in January.
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Actually recovery was not too bad. Blisters are mostly healed now. Ankles and feet swelled after the race but compression socks fixed that. Now the ankle I rolled several times just needs a few more days of recovery to stabilize. Back to running next week so two weeks off. I think all the climbing and moving around the technical trail plus walking the last 20 miles meant the whole thing was much easier on the body than a flatter run (my much faster Autumn 100 run had me in a lot of body pain for a week after).
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My friends Step dad, Gaz, is currently taking part in One Water Race - approx 200km running through Swedish trails and 50km swimming through open seas, with only a map and a compass to navigate. Absolutely crazy challenge! https://onewaterrace.com/about-the-race/
