jogging and motivation thread

[sales69]

Got my bmai turbo 3 yesterday and took it out for run today. thoughts are that it is definitely more stable than plaid 1.5. I think energy wise plaid gives more return but for lower speeds I think turbo 3 feels better. Race wise I think I would go for the plaid for the extra kick but fast workouts/ intervals will go with bmai.

15 min warmup

5 min fast, 5 slow
4 fast, 4 slow
3 fast, 3 slow
2 fast, 2 slow,
1 fast

10 mins recovery, then repeat

5 mins cooldown

Thanks for review. Gonna hoot one pair later.

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[WussRedXLi]

Fisher and Hocker
@Kuudere

7:22




Bonus

 

[WussRedXLi]

3:46

Avg pace 2:20 min/km.

My 75m sprint speed recording maxes out at 2:05 - 2:10 (not sure how zhun coz so short a distance) or around low 50s in the 400m if you want a timed perspective. (high cadence too, around 200)

KNN that means last lap i go full sprint i might not be able to overtake these fellas.

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[Modification]

Hi all, looking for some recommendations for running shoes or places to get them to train for a half marathon

Some context:
- Only used SAF Asics running shoe before (during ns time physiotherapist said I had flat foot so I bought this model, but I checked years later that my arch is actually normal)
- Feel numbness in lower calf after 4-5km into the run
- Pain and slight swelling in arch of feet after longer runs

Suspect is due to the arch of the shoe and perhaps I should invest in a better shoe for longer distances. Any help or recommendation is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

 

[WussRedXLi]

Hi all, looking for some recommendations for running shoes or places to get them to train for a half marathon

Some context:
- Only used SAF Asics running shoe before (during ns time physiotherapist said I had flat foot so I bought this model, but I checked years later that my arch is actually normal)
- Feel numbness in lower calf after 4-5km into the run
- Pain and slight swelling in arch of feet after longer runs

Suspect is due to the arch of the shoe and perhaps I should invest in a better shoe for longer distances. Any help or recommendation is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Not a pro here.....but seems like that's an issue with either the blood vessels (circulation) or nerves (eg maciam like carpal tunnel for the hands). Something somewhere in the lower feet is being compressed.

And number 2, it comes on around 5k mark.

For me i enjoy the process more than the outcome/destination. (hence for me i have no off season and i dont suffer from burnouts at all, and reaching outcome/goals is good, i have no time limit to do that).

So maybe see if you can change that HM target to 5k first, just do the parkruns, they are pretty fun actually....and best thing is no stress and are FOC. Just do and do and do, esp if you can find one nearby so that is very accessible. 5k also means you can do more of it per year and recover faster and so do more of it etc.

You reach this goal first and continue to find the root cause of your issue and a decent fix for it.

What i can really recommend you to do, from experience, is that you need to do strengthening and esp in your case you can really concentrate on building up via calf raises and the associated anterior tibialis raises. Pretty basic exercises that you can start off with for 5k distance....there are more advanced ones but these would do first. Just do on alternate days and slowly load up the resistance. Youtube the vids on how and ways to do. (tip, go hit the soleus part of the calf muscle by bend around 20 deg for starters and then till 45-60 deg after conditioning).
Do not be confused by the "strengthening" that slow jogging on flat ground specifically can do for you, vs these types of strengthening. They are not the same.

The orthopedic route is not gonna be cheap, and the physiotheraphy prescribed probably won't be super different in approach to the calf strengthening, among other things that they will prescribe.
If this "basic" calf/tibs strengthening can already fix 80-90% of the issue for 5k to even 10k distance, then you know you are on pretty much the right track and this is the key route you should be focusing on. And it's something that is FOC and which you actually will know in just 2- 3 months down the road, not very fast but in the grand scheme of things does not take a lot of time also, it's all benefits and zero downsides.
Even if you just wanna explore the buying shoes way, it would probably cost ya at least 1k on trying out various types.



I can tell ya my story, pre covid 2019 that time my kneecap patellar pain.....just general pain. The glute med strengthening i did, 3 weeks i already could feel the difference, not totally solve it but i could feel it.
3 months totally solved liao. My father same thing. It's a rather common issue. I remember since around 2015 that time i started to have this on and off, when i started to do stairs climbing every now and then occasionally.

If not, the GPs would still be just dishing out naproxen and etoricoxibs and pushing for x-rays and last ditch effort surgery if it is jialat, in my father's case etoricoxib as high dosage as 200mg. I am not saying that such things are useless, they do have their place, but for chronic you really gotta aim for the root issue

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[Modification]

Not a pro here.....but seems like that's an issue with either the blood vessels (circulation) or nerves (eg maciam like carpal tunnel for the hands). Something somewhere in the lower feet is being compressed.

And number 2, it comes on around 5k mark.

For me i enjoy the process more than the outcome/destination. (hence for me i have no off season and i dont suffer from burnouts at all, and reaching outcome/goals is good, i have no time limit to do that).

So maybe see if you can change that HM target to 5k first, just do the parkruns, they are pretty fun actually....and best thing is no stress and are FOC. Just do and do and do, esp if you can find one nearby so that is very accessible. 5k also means you can do more of it per year and recover faster and so do more of it etc.

You reach this goal first and continue to find the root cause of your issue and a decent fix for it.

What i can really recommend you to do, from experience, is that you need to do strengthening and esp in your case you can really concentrate on building up via calf raises and the associated anterior tibialis raises. Pretty basic exercises that you can start off with for 5k distance....there are more advanced ones but these would do first. Just do on alternate days and slowly load up the resistance. Youtube the vids on how and ways to do. (tip, go hit the soleus part of the calf muscle by bend around 20 deg for starters and then till 45-60 deg after conditioning).
Do not be confused by the "strengthening" that slow jogging on flat ground specifically can do for you, vs these types of strengthening. They are not the same.

The orthopedic route is not gonna be cheap, and the physiotheraphy prescribed probably won't be super different in approach to the calf strengthening, among other things that they will prescribe.
If this "basic" calf/tibs strengthening can already fix 80-90% of the issue for 5k to even 10k distance, then you know you are on pretty much the right track and this is the key route you should be focusing on. And it's something that is FOC and which you actually will know in just 2- 3 months down the road, not very fast but in the grand scheme of things does not take a lot of time also, it's all benefits and zero downsides.
Even if you just wanna explore the buying shoes way, it would probably cost ya at least 1k on trying out various types.



I can tell ya my story, pre covid 2019 that time my kneecap patellar pain.....just general pain. The glute med strengthening i did, 3 weeks i already could feel the difference, not totally solve it but i could feel it.
3 months totally solved liao. My father same thing. It's a rather common issue. I remember since around 2015 that time i started to have this on and off, when i started to do stairs climbing every now and then occasionally.

If not, the GPs would still be just dishing out naproxen and etoricoxibs and pushing for x-rays and last ditch effort surgery if it is jialat, in my father's case etoricoxib as high dosage as 200mg. I am not saying that such things are useless, they do have their place, but for chronic you really gotta aim for the root issue

Hi, thanks for the detailed response and sharing your experience. I think you may be right that the sudden increase in distance may be the one causing the issue and not the shoes. Previously most of my runs has been around the 3-4km distance range at 6min pace, but I tried to push for longer distance (6-8km) at 7mins pace and I think my calf muscles are not ready for it.

For my case the numbness was on the back right calf muscle only and persisted for about 500m and then it went away. This was not the first time I experienced it and I noticed it usually happens if I run at a slower pace (maybe bad form or not used to running at that pace). The arch pain was only on my left feet arch and my right feet arch is totally okay and I only noticed this at the end of the run. Will definitely try those exercises you suggested and thanks again for the advice!

 

[WussRedXLi]

Hi, thanks for the detailed response and sharing your experience. I think you may be right that the sudden increase in distance may be the one causing the issue and not the shoes. Previously most of my runs has been around the 3-4km distance range at 6min pace, but I tried to push for longer distance (6-8km) at 7mins pace and I think my calf muscles are not ready for it.

For my case the numbness was on the back right calf muscle only and persisted for about 500m and then it went away. This was not the first time I experienced it and I noticed it usually happens if I run at a slower pace (maybe bad form or not used to running at that pace). The arch pain was only on my left feet arch and my right feet arch is totally okay and I only noticed this at the end of the run. Will definitely try those exercises you suggested and thanks again for the advice!

Yeah, just keep to the 5k mark at the moment for next 4-8 weeks and strengthen first, then slowly add distance at 5% per week or 10% in 2 weeks.
Say for your Z2 runs, that means 5.5k 2 weeks later
6km 4 weeks later
6.6k 6 weeks later
7.26k 8 weeks later
8k 10 weeks later
8.8k 12 weeks later
9.68k 14 weeks later
10.64 16 weeks later
11.71k 18 weeks later
12.88k 20 weeks later.
14.16k 22 weeks later
15.6k 24 weeks later.
17.14k 26 weeks later
18.85k 28 weeks later
20.74k 30 weeks later.
Distances agaration can aleady, no need to be too exact, just for illustration....

That means total duration is conservatively 34-38 weeks with first 4-8 weeks focusing on solely strengthening. You do your zone 2 runs and also any form of speedwork along the way keeping number of Z2 running / speedwork days the same.

The above schedule also drills and reinforces consistency/persistence/discipline for mindset, which is key in SG's context with work and career. If coupled with interest, these alone would ensure very good success in performance, not merely "finishing the half marathon" or any other distance for that matter. Seriously, even my pri 6 school kid can technically finish HM lah, it's actually no biggie if no time limit....he actually hit 96km cycling distance yesterday and on Saturday 68km on a cheap foldie, no road bike or what lol But then he would struggle in maintaining say 30km/h even for just 2 mins ie along the 1.5k length at Bay Garden East. As long as sufficient fuel, coz he has bonked several times before, once so bad that he had to sit down beside the road and then slowly walk to the bus stop and lie down while i searched for soda drinks. lol.

You should largely be fine even with somewhat bad form doing self-coached way with no analysis by other experts , things will adapt ok + help from strenghthening along the way.

edit - a bit of correction regarding "no" time limit. I really meant no time goals.
Usually locally is 4hrs cut off for HM which is very very generous and designed to be extremely inclusive to even full distance walkers, which is like just a bit faster than 11:30 min/km pace.
That is something that a pri school kid or BMI 25-30 pax can walk at...less any fainiting spells or heat adaptation issues. Of coz if one is already injured or morbidly obese BMI 35 or a fella who is aged 60 and have had zero exercise for the past 4 decades, then cannot lah.

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[WussRedXLi]

 

[dreamaurora]

I am back from Hongkong.

Ran and finished the FM.

Quick impressions.

Very cold, temperature went down around 9-10 on the race day. Plus it was quite windy. Starting was quite freezing, but after 10 km my body warmed up enough to make the run more comfortable. I will be doing Tokyo in less than 3 weeks time, I guess this was a sneak preview of the race condition.

Route was fast but not that interesting. First 3 km was in downtown HK street but then the rest of the run were on highways, bridges, and tunnels. Yes, there were two tunnel sections. Great if you ever wonder how running inside CTE tunnel feels like (very boring!). There was a VERY LONG climb to this long bridge called Stonecutters Bridge, it was like Sheares but higher and longer, but thankfully it was at the early part of the race. Almost 2/3rd of the run was on highways, and really nothing much to see. Quite a few up and down elevations on the highways, but nothing too steep, still manageable. Towards the end of the marathon, the route became narrower. This was quite an issue as the slower HM crowd had merged into FM crowd and most of these slower HM runners were just walking.

Refreshments were pretty well organized. I liked how the points were setup on BOTH sides of the routes. And tables were very well spaced so no there were no bunching. And despite the cold weather, they still provided wet sponges. Impressed at the efficiency. Other marathons should take note.

What I got for completing the FM was just a sad little finisher medal. By far the smallest and the most basic out of all finisher medals I have collected. No finisher tee or poncho.

Plenty of HKBs and ATBs. Well, some of them looked pretty nice, but overall SG FM still has more chiobus.

Will I run this FM again? Probably not. I much preferred the Hanoi Standard Chartered I did last year. It's also rather miserable to be in HK during this period. Unlike Japan and Korea, most hotels and buildings do not have central heating. My hotel room was so cold. Local food was awesome though and their portions were really big. I ate baked pork and chicken rice right after my marathon, and I could not finish my food.

 

[dreamaurora]

HK FM was my fastest FM so far. My Garmin recorded 4:44.

I think I could have done faster. I will be aiming for 4:30 in Tokyo.

I ran my first 21 km on the faster side of around 6:00/km. On hindsight I would go a bit slower and incorporate more short walking segments. I did not get cramps but I did get onsets of cramps after 21 km and I knew I had to slowdown if not I would be limping to the end. So a better paced first half should theoretically allow me to go faster overall.

 

[sph777]

HK FM was my fastest FM so far. My Garmin recorded 4:44.

I think I could have done faster. I will be aiming for 4:30 in Tokyo.

I ran my first 21 km on the faster side of around 6:00/km. On hindsight I would go a bit slower and incorporate more short walking segments. I did not get cramps but I did get onsets of cramps after 21 km and I knew I had to slowdown if not I would be limping to the end. So a better paced first half should theoretically allow me to go faster overall.

Well done! Tokyo is a flat course so I am sure U will hit another PB! I still wish I got the ballot for it

 

[winningeleven]

Well done! Tokyo is a flat course so I am sure U will hit another PB! I still wish I got the ballot for it

Any ideas when it is the usual time of the year where the ballot for Tokyo marathon is open ?

 

[2yearswastedlife]

thanks for sharing! im a new runner and in the past, running was mainly to train for 2.4km.

for zone 2 running, what is the objective / end goal? does it help in improving 2.4km running time?

Yeah, just keep to the 5k mark at the moment for next 4-8 weeks and strengthen first, then slowly add distance at 5% per week or 10% in 2 weeks.
Say for your Z2 runs, that means 5.5k 2 weeks later
6km 4 weeks later
6.6k 6 weeks later
7.26k 8 weeks later
8k 10 weeks later
8.8k 12 weeks later
9.68k 14 weeks later
10.64 16 weeks later
11.71k 18 weeks later
12.88k 20 weeks later.
14.16k 22 weeks later
15.6k 24 weeks later.
17.14k 26 weeks later
18.85k 28 weeks later
20.74k 30 weeks later.
Distances agaration can aleady, no need to be too exact, just for illustration....

That means total duration is conservatively 34-38 weeks with first 4-8 weeks focusing on solely strengthening. You do your zone 2 runs and also any form of speedwork along the way keeping number of Z2 running / speedwork days the same.

The above schedule also drills and reinforces consistency/persistence/discipline for mindset, which is key in SG's context with work and career. If coupled with interest, these alone would ensure very good success in performance, not merely "finishing the half marathon" or any other distance for that matter. Seriously, even my pri 6 school kid can technically finish HM lah, it's actually no biggie if no time limit....he actually hit 96km cycling distance yesterday and on Saturday 68km on a cheap foldie, no road bike or what lol But then he would struggle in maintaining say 30km/h even for just 2 mins ie along the 1.5k length at Bay Garden East. As long as sufficient fuel, coz he has bonked several times before, once so bad that he had to sit down beside the road and then slowly walk to the bus stop and lie down while i searched for soda drinks. lol.

You should largely be fine even with somewhat bad form doing self-coached way with no analysis by other experts , things will adapt ok + help from strenghthening along the way.

edit - a bit of correction regarding "no" time limit. I really meant no time goals.
Usually locally is 4hrs cut off for HM which is very very generous and designed to be extremely inclusive to even full distance walkers, which is like just a bit faster than 11:30 min/km pace.
That is something that a pri school kid or BMI 25-30 pax can walk at...less any fainiting spells or heat adaptation issues. Of coz if one is already injured or morbidly obese BMI 35 or a fella who is aged 60 and have had zero exercise for the past 4 decades, then cannot lah.

 

[winningeleven]

Hi all, looking for some recommendations for running shoes or places to get them to train for a half marathon

Some context:
- Only used SAF Asics running shoe before (during ns time physiotherapist said I had flat foot so I bought this model, but I checked years later that my arch is actually normal)
- Feel numbness in lower calf after 4-5km into the run
- Pain and slight swelling in arch of feet after longer runs

Suspect is due to the arch of the shoe and perhaps I should invest in a better shoe for longer distances. Any help or recommendation is much appreciated. Thanks in advance!

Have u try running on a stadium track where the ground is much softer where it will give less impact when u land your foot .

 

[dreamaurora]

Any ideas when it is the usual time of the year where the ballot for Tokyo marathon is open ?

Last year balloting registration was mid-August. But you can pay for virtual runs organized throughout the year for additional balloting chances.