The Official Thread for Runners

[Eddie]

Not crazy, and I have the same goal. Based on your times you might get closer than you think in an actual race, with the adrenaline boost. I can usually count on an extra minute and change coming off on race day. If you ran a 21:20 in those conditions, I'd bet good money you're coming pretty darn close in a flat 5k. Sign up for one and let us know how you do!

Right now I'm getting ready for the Rivalry Relay and possibly a Labor Day sprint tri - which will give me a timed 5K. The good news is these are all short runs, so I have been able to work on speed and hills more than distance. After that I figure I'll just keep running, working on speed here and there, and eventually sign up for an official 5K. There is one on Thanksgiving that I'm interested in trying - though I wouldn't exactly call that course flat either.

[Pheidippides]

Not crazy, and I have the same goal. Based on your times you might get closer than you think in an actual race, with the adrenaline boost. I can usually count on an extra minute and change coming off on race day. If you ran a 21:20 in those conditions, I'd bet good money you're coming pretty darn close in a flat 5k. Sign up for one and let us know how you do!

We all have the same goal, although I'm putting mine on hold for a while. My fastest 5K was a 21:40, but in training I've run a 20:50. It hurt, though, and since I'm focusing on marathon and ironman training now it will be a while before I can put in the requisite speedwork. This is the part of my training where Parrothead makes fun of how slow I am.

Also, I need to drop 20 pounds.

[Moliere]

HYDRATION!!

Alright, I'm up to 5 mile runs (knock on my tibia for good luck) and I'm getting to the point that I'm going to need to take some hydration with me on my runs. I hate carrying things while I run, so I'm probably looking more for a hydration belt, but I don't want to look any more dorky than I already do.

Any suggestions on hydration belts or any other alternatives?

[Eddie]

HYDRATION!!

Alright, I'm up to 5 mile runs (knock on my tibia for good luck) and I'm getting to the point that I'm going to need to take some hydration with me on my runs. I hate carrying things while I run, so I'm probably looking more for a hydration belt, but I don't want to look any more dorky than I already do.

Any suggestions on hydration belts or any other alternatives?

I don't run in as much heat as you do - which probably makes a difference. But at this point I don't worry about drinking anything mid-run for anything 10 miles and under. I'm thirsty by the end of the run, but I don't find that it is a real problem.

When I was first starting and wanted to have something without carrying it, I would run a 3.5 mile loop that was near my house and just stashed a water/gatorade bottle next to a fence post along the route. I could stop and get a drink every 3.5 without having to carry anything. The drawback is that I was covering the same territory twice - so the scenery got old. If you came up with a couple of separate loops that had one street/block in common, you could still do something like this.

And my last answer - my wife bought me a small hydration belt. It only carries two small 8 oz bottles, but when I've taken it on some longer runs it has been enough. If you are getting a belt, you just want to be sure you find something that is comfortable and won't rub. Most are primarily elastic - so you can cinch them up tight enough that they aren't bouncing all over.

When I wear the hydration belt, I end up alternating drinking from one bottle and then the other so that one side isn't empty when the other is full, creating an obvious weight difference. But I'm not sure how much that matters.

[Pheidippides]

Frozen water or gatorades every two miles. You'll thank me later. Not that it helped me last night, when I overheated, got nauseous, did a face plant on the sidewalk and cut my 16 miler short to 12 because my calf felt like it was going to tear.

[Moliere]

Frozen water or gatorades every two miles. You'll thank me later. Not that it helped me last night, when I overheated, got nauseous, did a face plant on the sidewalk and cut my 16 miler short to 12 because my calf felt like it was going to tear.

I like this idea but how do you get them distributed? Do you drive the route and place them then do the run?

I also like Eddies idea of just running a loop and having one drink hidden. That might work better. I really don't want to carry a water bottle, but I could if I need to. I like the Nathan Fuel belt with the 8 oz bottles, but I might try and extend my route a bit (it's only a 3 mile loop) by adding some additional streets.

In Houston the heat and humidity really make me thirsty. I sweat like crazy both during and after the run. I spend the whole day drinking water to make up for what I lost, so I know if I go over 4 miles I should probably start drinking something during the run. In high school I could do 6-7 miles wihtout drinking, but that was in the dry heat of Utah.

[bluegoose]

HYDRATION!!

Alright, I'm up to 5 mile runs (knock on my tibia for good luck) and I'm getting to the point that I'm going to need to take some hydration with me on my runs. I hate carrying things while I run, so I'm probably looking more for a hydration belt, but I don't want to look any more dorky than I already do.

Any suggestions on hydration belts or any other alternatives?

I use the Nathan Speed 2 hydration pack. I like it a lot. It only has two 10oz bottles, but those are usually enough for anything under 10 miles even in extreme heat. Anything longer than 10 miles I always do on a trail with water fountains every few miles.



I also have a hand held Nathan water bottle that I rarely use. I cant stand having anything in my hands when I run, so it usually sits on my closet shelf.

[Moliere]

I use the Nathan Speed 2 hydration pack. I like it a lot. It only has two 10oz bottles, but those are usually enough for anything under 10 miles even in extreme heat. Anything longer than 10 miles I always do on a trail with water fountains every few miles.

I like the Nathan belts, but I'd probably get this one as I'm not a fan of fanny packs.

[Coach McGuirk]

I like the Nathan belts, but I'd probably get this one as I'm not a fan of fanny packs.

I had the Nathan (well still do, really) but I switched to the amphipod runlite system because the bottles kept jumping out the nathan. I have been totally pleased with the runlite and you can only take as many attachments as you want for the run.

[ERCougar]

Still loving this one:
http://www.runningwarehouse.com/descpage-NTM4P.html

My wife has the same as coach's amphipod, except with a fanny pack with a sideways oriented 20 oz bottle, and with two 10 oz attachments she'll clip on if she needs them. It's pretty slick.

[Sea Chicken]

I quit wearing a belt a few years ago. I rarely run with water, but when I do, I carry this

It fits on the hand really well and with the strap, you don't really have to hold it. It just stays there.

[Pheidippides]

Threw down a 6:55 followed by a 6:37 this morning, then eased up and cooled down. Would have been a sub 21 minute 5k if I could have held the pace, which I think I could have. On a cooler day I definitely could have. Feels good to be reasonably fast again.

[Moliere]

After my really good 4 mile run in my VFFs a while back, I start to get some real pain in my right foot. I was worried that I might have gone too hard in the VFFs and that I might have to take some time off. I was even wondering if I had a stress fracture (similar to 'sup). Well, I've been running in my Frees full time since then and the pain is almost totally gone. In fact, on this mornings run I didn't even think about the possibility of any pain, which I hope means it was just a pulled/strained tendon or something like that.

FTR, I've never done more than 4 miles in my VFFs and likely never will. I also only use them once a week, but I did run in them about 4 times in the span of 2.5 weeks, which was probably too much. I think I'll be more careful about using them.

Also, did you know that Nike Frees shrink when you send them through a hot dryer? I'll post pics later, but suffice it to say that my Frees went from a size 8.5 to a size 7.5. Even the sole shrunk. I had to buy a new pair .

[Coach McGuirk]

Threw down a 6:55 followed by a 6:37 this morning, then eased up and cooled down. Would have been a sub 21 minute 5k if I could have held the pace, which I think I could have. On a cooler day I definitely could have. Feels good to be reasonably fast again.

Man that is fast Nik. what is your normal ave pace?

I have been very tired this week and have seen my pace struggle. I am just past the mid point for training, so I need to push through.

[Pheidippides]

Man that is fast Nik. what is your normal ave pace?

I have been very tired this week and have seen my pace struggle. I am just past the mid point for training, so I need to push through.

Depends on what I'm doing. Because of my achy ankle I havent been doing much in terms of junk miles - everything is for a reason. For that run I was intentionally running at 5k pace for those two miles, and I won't lie: a third mile like that would have been a mental battle. For reference, my current best PR is a 10k I ran in late march in 44:25, which is 7:09 average - but I was out of my skull that day.

Last night I did three at a comfortably hard pace by building up speed - sort of a short tempo run. Did 8:41, 8:00 and 7:27, which was about perfect. I could have kept up the 7:27 for another 3-4 miles maybe. HR climbed steadily but was at 155 when I stopped - 155 being the marathon race number I try to keep to. But I'm just getting back into speed again - the layoff cost me.