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Running/Fitness The Running Thread

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Glorfindel said:
I’ve learned (or maybe more accurately learning) that a bit earlier as my range of physical activities has expanded.
Pretty easy to recover from 4x hard weight sessions if you’re not doing much else. Damn near impossible if you’re also running, swimming, biking and kayaking!
I also feel like I’m just getting to the point of being old enough (37) that physically I’m probably more looking at maintaining what I’ve got and all my performance improvements will come down to equipment, technique and volume. Acknowledging this also lends itself to not going balls to the wall all of the time!
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100% this. I'm a few years older than you and recovery is everything, given I go to the gym + cycle + run. At the moment I'm weighting my workouts to running a bit more and gym/cycling a bit less.
I find longer and slower can really help lift the aerobic floor and help recovery too rather than going for max effort every time.

A while back I did 125km+ back to back gravel rides and the 2-3 hour rides at a moderate pace where again for being able to "coast" without cooking myself too much.

I find mixing up the running helps to avoid injury too - repeat hill runs in minimalist shoes vs 4-5km moderate runs vs 45 minute jogs tend to cover a lot of bases. Need to bullet-proof the calves to avoid strains.
 
Mofra said:
I find longer and slower can really help lift the aerobic floor and help recovery too rather than going for max effort every time.
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I’ve fairly recently started using HR as a gauge/limitation to how hard I do cardio.
Don’t find it does a lot with musculoskeletal recovery/soreness, but definitely don’t feel “wiped” and having to write off an arvo cos I went too hard in the morning.

Mofra said:
I find mixing up the running helps to avoid injury too
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In general high variability should limit overuse injuries, with I guess the caveat being it’s a touch more difficult to accurately gauge training volume if you were just road running (for example).
Though you can use other tools (eg RPE x time) to get around this.
My running variability is basketball on Tuesday night, a flat hard packed gravel 5km on Thursday (which is normally cruisy depending on who else turns up) and ad hoc trail runs on the weekend. I don’t have any big aspirations of ultras or anything, and I know off a low(ish) base I’m still good for a road half or 15+ trail run provided I’m ok with it hurting and needing a while to recover from.
 
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Glorfindel said:
I’ve fairly recently started using HR as a gauge/limitation to how hard I do cardio.
Don’t find it does a lot with musculoskeletal recovery/soreness, but definitely don’t feel “wiped” and having to write off an arvo cos I went too hard in the morning.



In general high variability should limit overuse injuries, with I guess the caveat being it’s a touch more difficult to accurately gauge training volume if you were just road running (for example).
Though you can use other tools (eg RPE x time) to get around this.
My running variability is basketball on Tuesday night, a flat hard packed gravel 5km on Thursday and ad hoc trail runs on the weekend. I don’t have any big aspirations of ultras or anything, and I know off a low(ish) base I’m still good for a road half or 15+ trail run provided I’m ok with it hurting and needing a while to recover from.
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TBH I do repeat higher pace runs once per week as it's quick and I can do then on gym days without much recovery issue. 12-14 minute session running up hills at around 90-95% effort then a slow job downhill. Doing then in Kinvaras so I just want to bullet proof my calves really. I used to suffer from calf strains when I ran but the strengthening means I've been good for ages. Lucky to have quite a few good running paths near me too, a lot of gravel to reduce cumulative impact as well.
 
I've just downloaded the app called Runna. I've used it a couple of times now and so far, so good! I'm trying anything to keep me enthused to jog throughout winter.
 

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Running_Lifter86 said:
As for running shoes, i am no expert but here are more thoughts on a few i have tried;

I mostly use new balance;

V2 prism $100 usually as a daily trainer walking/easy 5kms, wear to gym
V3 Fuelcell propel (haven't tried V4 latest yet), same as above but i do easy runs upto 15kms in these
V3 Fuelcell rebel a little more cushioning and use for some faster runs around the 8km-13km
Super shoes - super comp elites, V2, V3 and V4 all very comfortable and felt fast in these, typically saved them for race day but use on long runs after my races

Saucony endorphin speed, good shoe for long runs, but i find my feet are slightly larger than size 10 and these fit small so definitely go up half a size could almost get away with 1 size bigger (comparison to new balance)
Kinvara 14, less cushioning but i like to use on leg fays at the gym with the firmer sole, and find them good to use when doing quicker track workouts like 5 x 800m repeats

Hoka speedgoats - good for any trail runs, definitely go half a size up

Nike Alphafly V3 - supershoe, light, responsive and quick. Run a sub 40min 10km in these. Wouldn't over anything more than a half in these.

Addidas Boston 12's - good long run shoe, comfortable, they don't feel super light and cushioned but still get a good response when doing some faster kms in the long runs.

My biggest tip is buying runners half a size up particularly for races/long runs 10kms and up. Even more so if you find your foot size is a tight fit.
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I've just bought a pair of Cloudrunners. I cannot recommend them highly enough. They're the most comfortable shoes I've ever run in.

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I caved and got some decent race shoes (Puma Deviate Elite’s) now I have a few lined up.
Have logged about 35km and for the same height rate I’m anywhere up to 30”/km faster than my normal runners. I even hit an accidental 5km PR on a brick run!
 
I am running a half marathon on the weekend coming up, just a small local race which i am looking forward to as it is my first race for the year after having hernia surgery in February this year. After that surgery i had2-3 weeks off and spent the next 6-7 weeks building volume. I set myself the goal of running a sub 4hr 50km, which i achieved, just.

I dropped my weekly volume shifting towards the half marathon coming up (also have a local marathon at end of November). Decided to test my 5km on the weekend, i was aiming for sub 19mins, and i was very happy with my run of 18:31 and a little left in the tank. Aiming for a sub 1:27:00 on the weekend coming up.
 
Just ordered a Coros Pace 3 - found a 15% off special. Sadly all the watches with nylon bands were sold out.

Been using a cheap non-GPS watch but I'm curious about distance & HR as well as I get a few more kms into the legs.
 
Off the cuff decision to run home from work this arvo (rode my bike in).
About 14km in I felt good and decided to tack on 2km to get to my first half marathon. Ended up averaging 5’24” pace in my shitty cheap runners sitting in Z2 the whole time which was a bit of a surprise (I’d set off planning to run somewhere between 5’45” and 6’00”).
Hopefully somewhere has the Puma Magmax on sale Black Friday so I can get something with a bit more cushioning for my long run as my feet copped a bit of a beating.
 
Mofra said:
Just ordered a Coros Pace 3 - found a 15% off special. Sadly all the watches with nylon bands were sold out.

Been using a cheap non-GPS watch but I'm curious about distance & HR as well as I get a few more kms into the legs.
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I’ve been using a COROS for a while.
Good watch and the Pace 3 is a definite step up from the Pace 2.
 
Glorfindel said:
I’ve been using a COROS for a while.
Good watch and the Pace 3 is a definite step up from the Pace 2.
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The dual band GPS got me over the line.

My Wahoo bike computer has been having real issues since my last update and I did have a cheaper running watch that just wasn't accurate.
 

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Just starting jogging again maybe a month ago.

Got to 2km today, 14.41 minutes. Slow, but I wouldn't have run 2km straight for I reckon 10-15 years when I was much younger.

Not aiming for good times just looking to slowly build my fitness. Getting to 5km by the end of the summer is the goal.
 
Mofra said:
Adidas Evo SL on special at Footlocker. Mighty tempted...
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Shame they didn't have half sizes or I would have been very tempted. Probably just as well since I already have 5 shoes in the rotation atm.

Also, the majority of sizes have sold out since I checked last night, so people better be quick if they want what's left.
 
estibador said:
Shame they didn't have half sizes or I would have been very tempted. Probably just as well since I already have 5 shoes in the rotation atm.

Also, the majority of sizes have sold out since I checked last night, so people better be quick if they want what's left.
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The only problem is I have quite narrow feet so I'm concerned about fit. I'll probably end up with Kinvara 16s for my short runs / tempo work. I have to keep minimalist shoes in my rotation so I can strengthen the calves to avoid injury.
 
Iridescence said:
I've just downloaded the app called Runna. I've used it a couple of times now and so far, so good! I'm trying anything to keep me enthused to jog throughout winter.
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I started using Runna about 6 weeks ago after a disastrous half mara attempt (caused in no small part by me being completely undertrained due to constantly skipping runs because I was getting bored of doing the same thing over and over again).

I'm absolutely loving the app. I love the variety of different runs it gives me and it's completely reinvigorated my love for running. I've already mapped out my entire calendar of races to train for in 2026 with a plan to set up Runna programs for each one.

Even my notoriously hard to please garmin is impressed, since it's the first time I've ever been given a 'productive' training status for an entire month in a row.
 

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estibador said:
I was getting bored of doing the same thing over and over again
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I’ve tried to overcome this by:
(1) cycling through as many speed workouts as I could find
(2) making my long run a commute
(3) hitting a trail on the weekend

That’s why I prefer the bike - can reach (and therefore explore) way more places!
 
I did forget to mention the one downside of Runna - my partner is now concerned about my new shoe addiction, because of course I 'need' a different type of shoe for each different type of run.

But what's even the point of being a runner if you don't get to try out all the fun toys available?
 
estibador said:
I did forget to mention the one downside of Runna - my partner is now concerned about my new shoe addiction, because of course I 'need' a different type of shoe for each different type of run.

But what's even the point of being a runner if you don't get to try out all the fun toys available?
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The correct number of shoes is always n+1
 

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