Running

[muppet]

Thanks for the support.

They say the first thing you should do to reach your goal, is to write it down. They probably didn't have writing it here in mind though. 

[moysider]

Right lads and lassies. I'm getting back into it but I'm in bad shape. Struggled to do 4.5k last week and couldn't walk properly for couple of days. Did 5k this evening and worried about the stairs the next few days but this has gone too far. Need a target to work towards but the next 3 weeks are just to get some sort of strength back into the legs. No Warriors Run for me this year, fairly sure I'm going to be away that weekend. Think a half marathon would be a good challenge.

I would suggest that you just go out and run consistently (at least 4/5 times a week for a month or 2 - min. 20 miles/ week)  without having any particular goal in mind. When you get a bit of fitness/endurance going, maybe then target an event. There is no way a 4 or 5k should be leaving you sore in fairness. If they are, you are just not fit at all.

On a different note I did Manchester Marathon on Sunday. Not great. My 3rd fastest time over the distance but wheels started coming off a long way off and it was a disappointment as regards time. I've already given myself several reasons why it went pear-shaped but we all know reasons are just excuses and to hell with that.
Apart from my time I was a but disappointed by the event. The route is nowhere near the city centre and has little character.
The collection of belongings after was a joke. People who were 4/5 hours out on the road spent up to another 3 hours standing in a queue to pick up their bags after. The first time I ve ever seen a Q that was literally a mile long! And the Q was 2/3 wide. It snaked around the stands of the cricked ground in several folds. Fair play to English folk - the stiff upper lip still exists and they are prepared to queue for ever  and put up with any hardship without much complaint. You could see why they were willing to obey orders, and take over the world for their betters. 
They had 15,000 runners and they will be lucky to get half that after that mess. They were lucky it was a decent afternoon weather-wise.
A windy wet day there would have been serious issues with hypothermia. It was ridiculous and left a sour taste. 
The event itself could be a lot better if they got the afters sorted. Nobody wants to battle their way out through a crowd and Q for any length of time after a marathon.

That'll surely dent their intentions to be top UK marathon after London. Heard course is flat though? Manchester wouldn't be the most aesthetically pleasing place at the best of times...like most UK cities.

Yeah, it's as flat as you could hope for. Apart from maybe one of the delta marathons in Holland or Berlin and Cologne - flattened courtesy of allied bombing 70 yrs. ago.
Manchester emailed participants with an apology and a half-price entry offer for next year. Sure, I ll have to go back now!

[lurganblue]

You all use GPS watches while running? I'm looking something suitable for a beginner. cheap and cheerful. I've no real need for heart rate monitors etc. any recommendations?

[laoislad]

You all use GPS watches while running? I'm looking something suitable for a beginner. cheap and cheerful. I've no real need for heart rate monitors etc. any recommendations?

Elverys have the Garmin 10 for €120 or thereabouts.
Doubt you'll buy a decent gps watch for much cheaper, unless you buy second hand on ebay maybe

[lurganblue]

You all use GPS watches while running? I'm looking something suitable for a beginner. cheap and cheerful. I've no real need for heart rate monitors etc. any recommendations?

Elverys have the Garmin 10 for €120 or thereabouts.
Doubt you'll buy a decent gps watch for much cheaper, unless you buy second hand on ebay maybe

I'm thinking ebay alright.  Garmin seems to be the best? always seem to read poor reviews for the likes of Nike+ and Soleus watches.

[laoislad]

You all use GPS watches while running? I'm looking something suitable for a beginner. cheap and cheerful. I've no real need for heart rate monitors etc. any recommendations?

Elverys have the Garmin 10 for €120 or thereabouts.
Doubt you'll buy a decent gps watch for much cheaper, unless you buy second hand on ebay maybe

I'm thinking ebay alright.  Garmin seems to be the best? always seem to read poor reviews for the likes of Nike+ and Soleus watches.

My first watch was a nike+ watch. It was grand but as i started getting more into running I wanted a watch with more features etc.
I have a garmin 610 now. I think i paid €160 for it secondhand on ebay. It has everything I need at the moment. I am interested in these new watches that measure your heart rate via your wrist though.
Google DC Rainmaker. He has some excellent reviews of nearly all the gps watches on the market.

[lurganblue]

cheers, good man.  If the wrist heart rate monitors are like smartwatch ones then they are supposed to be inaccurate. But then I know little about it too   

[CD]

Haven't checked in in absolutely ages!
Have signed up for Belfast & Derry marathons in the next couple of months. Hoping to get around in something starting with a 3 in both then I'll train properly for Dublin. Only able to get two runs a week in due to work and family commitments. Ran a small club marathon a couple of weeks ago in 3.38 but it was a dead flat 3 lap circuit. Ran the second half of Belfast early on Sunday - not looking forward to the industrial estate but I suppose it has to be done.

Watches - I have a cheap Garmin - does the trick! Cost £80 on Amazon.
Foodwise, I eat a snickers at mile 14 and 20 if I need it. Don't like them and wouldn't eat one ordinarily but they give me the boost I need when running over 20 miles. I eat it on the run with an energy drink.

[muppet]

Haven't checked in in absolutely ages!
Have signed up for Belfast & Derry marathons in the next couple of months. Hoping to get around in something starting with a 3 in both then I'll train properly for Dublin. Only able to get two runs a week in due to work and family commitments. Ran a small club marathon a couple of weeks ago in 3.38 but it was a dead flat 3 lap circuit. Ran the second half of Belfast early on Sunday - not looking forward to the industrial estate but I suppose it has to be done.

Watches - I have a cheap Garmin - does the trick! Cost £80 on Amazon.
Foodwise, I eat a snickers at mile 14 and 20 if I need it. Don't like them and wouldn't eat one ordinarily but they give me the boost I need when running over 20 miles. I eat it on the run with an energy drink.

This sounds far better than gels or such.

[moysider]

I have a Garmin 220. Great yoke. Great battery life. I charged it before Manchester and wear it as an ordinary watch as well and it still has battery life. Plus I've done a few runs with it still as well. It came with a HR monitor as well. I don t use that because if I did I'd probably stop running!!! Another Garmin can do the heart rate without the belt - off the wrist pulse I assume.

I bought a Polar RC3 on special offer in Halfords about a year ago. Can be used on a bike as well and supposed to be the business but have never used it. If you keep an eye out there some very good deals show up.

[lurganblue]

Haven't checked in in absolutely ages!
Have signed up for Belfast & Derry marathons in the next couple of months. Hoping to get around in something starting with a 3 in both then I'll train properly for Dublin. Only able to get two runs a week in due to work and family commitments. Ran a small club marathon a couple of weeks ago in 3.38 but it was a dead flat 3 lap circuit. Ran the second half of Belfast early on Sunday - not looking forward to the industrial estate but I suppose it has to be done.

Watches - I have a cheap Garmin - does the trick! Cost £80 on Amazon.
Foodwise, I eat a snickers at mile 14 and 20 if I need it. Don't like them and wouldn't eat one ordinarily but they give me the boost I need when running over 20 miles. I eat it on the run with an energy drink.

This sounds far better than gels or such.

Great idea! i used to hate the gels when i was at the stage of doing longer runs.

Think i'm gonna go with something like a Garmin FR10.  Looks reasonably priced and a good entry point

[Asal Mor]

Bought one of those Garmin watches recently. Find it great for the activity tracker which measures how far you've traveled during the day. It's a great little motivator to do a bit more as you're going along. I'd jog to the shop now instead of driving etc. and am just generally more inclined to keep moving and spend(waste) less time sitting down. Very expensive but well worth it.

[Clov]

I would stay away from the Garmin 405. The strap has broke twice on mine, the second time completely fecked it - the plastic lug broke and now the only way to fix it is a home diy superglue and duct tape job. I've since seen on the forums that this is a common enough problem with the 405 - though apparently not an issue with their other models, such as the 610.

[laoislad]

London Marathon on BBC atm,is there anyone from here doing it?

[Tony Baloney]

London Marathon on BBC atm,is there anyone from here doing it?

They'll hardly be posting on here if they are