The Official Thread for Runners

[Joe Public]

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.

Ditto.

[HuskyFreeNorthwest]

How do you real runners deal with, or how often does it happen where you just crash out? This morning I just could never get going, couldn't find pace, felt weak and tired. I had planned on a long run of 8, after a mile had trimmed down to 6, after 2.5 miles was just hopeful I'd make it back to the ranger station before getting eaten by a black bear.

It was the worst feeling, I'm sure I could have walked as fast as I was jogging. Is this just something that comes and goes? Am I not getting enough of something, sleep/food/carbs etc?

[Topper]

Okay, now is the time of my new content. I bought new running shorts for a discount, plus new thin running socks. What's not to geek out about that?

[Topper]

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.

Excellent time, Niku. You have done well, young Skywalker.

[Pheidippides]

How do you real runners deal with, or how often does it happen where you just crash out? This morning I just could never get going, couldn't find pace, felt weak and tired. I had planned on a long run of 8, after a mile had trimmed down to 6, after 2.5 miles was just hopeful I'd make it back to the ranger station before getting eaten by a black bear.

It was the worst feeling, I'm sure I could have walked as fast as I was jogging. Is this just something that comes and goes? Am I not getting enough of something, sleep/food/carbs etc?

Sometimes you just have a bad day. I had one today running. The bike ride plus 93 degrees/90 percent humidity meant I was going to slog through. Ended up walking a lot. That's okay. Not every day is going to be a good running day. Last Sunday I had a bad day for no reason at all, and shut it down four miles short of my goal. I took two days off and then ran some of the fastest times I've done in a while. I have no real explanation for it.

Okay, now is the time of my new content. I bought new running shorts for a discount, plus new thin running socks. What's not to geek out about that?

New gear is how I trick myself into staying motivated.

[Topper]

Sometimes you just have a bad day. I had one today running. The bike ride plus 93 degrees/90 percent humidity meant I was going to slog through. Ended up walking a lot. That's okay. Not every day is going to be a good running day. Last Sunday I had a bad day for no reason at all, and shut it down four miles short of my goal. I took two days off and then ran some of the fastest times I've done in a while. I have no real explanation for it.



New gear is how I trick myself into staying motivated.

How many miles do you run in shoes before changing them out. Hope can go four to five hundred, I tend to trade them out between three to four hundred. It seems my added weight feels the loss of bounce in the shoe earlier than she notices it. You?

[Pheidippides]

How many miles do you run in shoes before changing them out. Hope can go four to five hundred, I tend to trade them out between three to four hundred. It seems my added weight feels the loss of bounce in the shoe earlier than she notices it. You?

300-400 or sometimes even less. I am running in the Saucony Kinvara 2/3 right now, though, so the wear is high.

I also retire all marathon shoes. If I've run a marathon in it, it ends up in a display case with the medal and bib in it. I'm looking at them now, actually.

[Topper]

300-400 or sometimes even less. I am running in the Saucony Kinvara 2/3 right now, though, so the wear is high.

I also retire all marathon shoes. If I've run a marathon in it, it ends up in a display case with the medal and bib in it. I'm looking at them now, actually.

I like the Asics Kayano, which can be quite pricey except my buddy at the running shop gives me a smoking deal.

Old shoes become mud shoes. With Hope around the piles of old shoes I had collected have mysteriously disappeared.

[Pheidippides]

I like the Asics Kayano, which can be quite pricey except my buddy at the running shop gives me a smoking deal.

Old shoes become mud shoes. With Hope around the piles of old shoes I had collected have mysteriously disappeared.

My brother runs in those. I'm into semi-minimalism these days, and the injury prevention has been good ever since I changed up my stride and went with less shoe. The heaviest shoe I currently own are a pair of Newton Distance Racers I have - I won't buy it if it's over 10 oz, and that's a trick for a size 12 shoe.

I have loved the Kinvara series. I've run half marathons in them - my current PR is in them, actually. I'm debating whether or not to run my next full in a pair.

[Topper]

My brother runs in those. I'm into semi-minimalism these days, and the injury prevention has been good ever since I changed up my stride and went with less shoe. The heaviest shoe I currently own are a pair of Newton Distance Racers I have - I won't buy it if it's over 10 oz, and that's a trick for a size 12 shoe.

I have loved the Kinvara series. I've run half marathons in them - my current PR is in them, actually. I'm debating whether or not to run my next full in a pair.

Hmmm. I am working on my stride, to minimize energy. I tend to high kick, something Hope teases me about. From your comments, my shoes must be heavy. I enjoy these because I don't feel knee pain whereas with other shoes I tended to get knee pain after high mileage. Truthfully, I struggle running. I have not yet had a race where I felt good about my results. I tend to go out too fast and fade at the end. If it's a half, around mile eleven and for a full, I haven't done well past 21. But I have fun most of the time.

[Topper]

12 mile run today. Nothing fancy but efficient.

[Moliere]

Went 5.25 this morning and averaged 8:45 per mile. It was 81 degrees and 84% humidity. I'm looking forward to running along the Oregon coast next week.

[Joe Public]

How do you real runners deal with, or how often does it happen where you just crash out? This morning I just could never get going, couldn't find pace, felt weak and tired. I had planned on a long run of 8, after a mile had trimmed down to 6, after 2.5 miles was just hopeful I'd make it back to the ranger station before getting eaten by a black bear.

It was the worst feeling, I'm sure I could have walked as fast as I was jogging. Is this just something that comes and goes? Am I not getting enough of something, sleep/food/carbs etc?

I had that happen for the first time a few weeks ago. I was supposed to go 16 miles, but I was a few minutes away from the 1997 women's Ironman championship after 8 miles. I think this was an outlier due to weather and some fueling problems I had that day.

However, I've gone out many times and felt really rough. My legs are heavy or achy, my breathing is heavier than it should be, etc. I try to just push through those days, but I have on occasion cut a run a little short if I feel like it will do more harm than good to continue. It's kind of the Craig Alexander school of thought - at least start every training session, and adjust for the random bad day as required.

I do think, though, that several common things can impact training. I try to monitor these the best I can to ensure they aren't an obstacle to training:

1. Sleep - We don't feel or function as well with inadequate rest. You and I are probably in the same boat (and your boat is bigger) regarding trying to get a good night's rest with several young children in the house. I really try to get eight hours of sleep (although I am usually unsuccessful), and I feel much better when I do.
2. Nutrition - If I'm not getting enough complex carbohydrates, I notice an impact during runs. Also, general nutrition (right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats; not too much refined sugar; appropriate amounts of sodium, etc.) makes a difference to me.
3. Hydration/fueling - For runs over an hour, I notice a difference if I'm not drinking anything. For runs a little longer than that, I notice a difference if I don't fuel properly along the way.
4. Training volume - We all have a base level of conditioning right now. Whatever that base is determines how much work we can do in a training program. For example, I can't go from running one mile every other day to running 15 miles every day. Maybe I get a day or two in like that, but my body wouldn't stand up to the increased load for very long. Adding too much too fast can wear us down.

That's not an exhaustive list, but those are a few things I try to monitor to keep me feeling my best during training. Sickness, fluke days, etc. will come up from time to time. Any one day isn't a big deal, but sustainable training habits are.

Just some thoughts.

[Topper]

I had that happen for the first time a few weeks ago. I was supposed to go 16 miles, but I was a few minutes away from the 1997 women's Ironman championship after 8 miles. I think this was an outlier due to weather and some fueling problems I had that day.

However, I've gone out many times and felt really rough. My legs are heavy or achy, my breathing is heavier than it should be, etc. I try to just push through those days, but I have on occasion cut a run a little short if I feel like it will do more harm than good to continue. It's kind of the Craig Alexander school of thought - at least start every training session, and adjust for the random bad day as required.

I do think, though, that several common things can impact training. I try to monitor these the best I can to ensure they aren't an obstacle to training:

1. Sleep - We don't feel or function as well with inadequate rest. You and I are probably in the same boat (and your boat is bigger) regarding trying to get a good night's rest with several young children in the house. I really try to get eight hours of sleep (although I am usually unsuccessful), and I feel much better when I do.
2. Nutrition - If I'm not getting enough complex carbohydrates, I notice an impact during runs. Also, general nutrition (right balance of protein, carbohydrates, fats; not too much refined sugar; appropriate amounts of sodium, etc.) makes a difference to me.
3. Hydration/fueling - For runs over an hour, I notice a difference if I'm not drinking anything. For runs a little longer than that, I notice a difference if I don't fuel properly along the way.
4. Training volume - We all have a base level of conditioning right now. Whatever that base is determines how much work we can do in a training program. For example, I can't go from running one mile every other day to running 15 miles every day. Maybe I get a day or two in like that, but my body wouldn't stand up to the increased load for very long. Adding too much too fast can wear us down.

That's not an exhaustive list, but those are a few things I try to monitor to keep me feeling my best during training. Sickness, fluke days, etc. will come up from time to time. Any one day isn't a big deal, but sustainable training habits are.

Just some thoughts.

It is a difficult balance for type A personalities to know the difference between when to back off and to rest and when to push through mental fatigue. One aspect I know to do is to listen to my body. As one ages, it is important to add rest.

I typically unless I'm traveling take no rest days but include my swim day of 2500 meters as a rest day, because that level of effort doesn't impact me. It's the double workout days that I must monitor.

Example of me backing off. Last week I completed ramping up my run miles to fifty for me, and started this week off with a 12 mile run Sunday. I had planned on running three miles to the pool, swimming the 2500 m, and running back the three miles up the hill. However, I got out there and my knees gave me this little wince that if it had been my earlier years I would have taken an Advil and pushed on. I returned to the car, drove, swam and then worried if I were gaining weight, but figured giving the knees a rest was worth it.

I then reduced today's run from 10 miles to 8, knowing I could do twelve tomorrow, even though it's a fly day overnight. I want to run decades into the future and don't debilitating knee pain to prevent that. Riding is great to avoid unnecessary pain, however, I often do most ride days as bricks, following them up with a 10k.

[Coach McGuirk]

Just finished up July with a 5 miler capping off a 68.8 mile month. I'll run 90 in August(thats the plan anyway) and then I am looking for a little time off in September.