Running thread

Paladin said:
Haha. One of my regrets in life is not taking fitness more seriously whilst in my 40s and 50s. I'm 62 now and have to put up with the inevitability of injuries.

But running has been a real benefit to be since I started, about four years ago. It can be hard, but it really does give that sense of achievement, going out and doing a nice long run, at a leisurely pace, in beautiful scenery, when your body is in good shape.

During COVID lockdown, I went out on a sunny afternoon and ran 24km. I was shattered after it. I didn't know how many kms constituted a half marathon. I was working it out during the run, armed with the knowledge that Parkruns were 5km, and just over three miles. I was determined to finish my first half marathon, and I accomplished it.

I agree with the quote above, about walking helping to take ones mind away from the day to day problems of life, and that running has the same effect. To leave the house on a nice day, all kitted up, with a plan for where to go, is a special feeling. The cares of the world (not that I really have too many) are left behind, and the rewards, an hour or whatever later, will be tired legs, a refreshed mind, a refreshing drink, a nice rest, and a warm feeling of accomplishment.

Give it a try. It might change your life.
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Spot on Paladin! I moved to Spain 8 years ago and, after a few years, the cheap beers in the sun had inevitably caught up with me and I felt awful physically. I started running 5km once a week with a lad I was working with and I couldn't believe how unfit I was. I'd always cycled and played football so I was reasonably fit in my younger days but I'd put on a few pounds and it was affecting me mentally. Changed jobs and met another lad who persuaded me to sign up for a half marathon here in Valencia. That was 5 years ago...

Since then, I've ran 3 marathons, multiple half marathons and numerous other shorter races on both the road and trail. I've also knocked the alcohol on the head (not drank for over 12 months now) and I feel so much better for it.

But it doesn't have to be a race. There's nothing better than getting out in the morning and getting a (fast or slow) run in before work or a longer one at the weekend. My legs no longer feel tired the day after and I feel refreshed. For me, it gets me out of the house, gives me time to think/disconnect and I feel much better both mentally and physically (despite having the gaunt frame of a middle/long distance runner).

I'll be 42 in March so I'm glad I stumbled across running when I did but it's never too late to start.
 
Paladin said:
Haha. One of my regrets in life is not taking fitness more seriously whilst in my 40s and 50s. I'm 62 now and have to put up with the inevitability of injuries.

But running has been a real benefit to be since I started, about four years ago. It can be hard, but it really does give that sense of achievement, going out and doing a nice long run, at a leisurely pace, in beautiful scenery, when your body is in good shape.

During COVID lockdown, I went out on a sunny afternoon and ran 24km. I was shattered after it. I didn't know how many kms constituted a half marathon. I was working it out during the run, armed with the knowledge that Parkruns were 5km, and just over three miles. I was determined to finish my first half marathon, and I accomplished it.

I agree with the quote above, about walking helping to take ones mind away from the day to day problems of life, and that running has the same effect. To leave the house on a nice day, all kitted up, with a plan for where to go, is a special feeling. The cares of the world (not that I really have too many) are left behind, and the rewards, an hour or whatever later, will be tired legs, a refreshed mind, a refreshing drink, a nice rest, and a warm feeling of accomplishment.

Give it a try. It might change your life.
Click to expand...

I was the same. I was a decent runner at school as all the lads who were rubbish at rugby did cross country running in games lessons, and I became quite good at it.
On leaving school and starting work, I hardly did any exercise at all apart from a weekly swim with my dad as a way of socialising.
In recent years running up to my early retirement, I always came up with the excuse that I was too worn out from work to exercise. Looking back now, I guess I was always knackered because I didn't exercise!
Approaching retirement, my weight had ballooned to 18 stone, so one of my priorities for retirement was to get fit and stay fit.
I started through swimming and walking, and once my weight was below 15 stone, I started couch to 5k.
It took me about 3 months to complete, factoring in an injury setback. On completion, I decided to keep up and build on my running fitness, and have since completed 74 Parkruns, a "Blue Run" and numerous random training runs, mainly for pleasure.
The main attraction to me is getting outdoors (which I why I also swim in outdoor pools whenever weather permits), observing the changing of the seasons, having valuable "me time" and time to think, and also relishing an activity I couldn't take part in 2 years ago.
Like others have said on here, I'm just a little angry I paused exercising when I started working.
 
Tommy_Catons_Perm said:
Ha ha. I'll bite. Do you like a drink?

I love real ale. I have a few pints and feel great.

I run a few miles and feel even better.

But not after a few beers. ;-)
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okay, i'll bite back :)

yeah, i'm a red wine merchant. love it.

not sure what that has to do with running...

i'm a walker, several miles a day in the countryside, nice and gentle,
and something you can still do with a couple of glasses of red in your system, giving yourself time to appreciate the surroundings, to pause and gather your thoughts, to smile at nature and feel good about life, to stop and chat nicely to a stranger or a friend, with no desire to do more than i did yesterday or to beat my own records by bursting my lungs and heart and knackering myself.

to me, people who run appear to be putting themselves through a great deal of pain in the process and are missing the whole point of the countryside.
runners seem to be totally locked inside their own heads and not at all at one with themselves.

then again, maybe i'm wrong and missing the point.

i also think that our hearts, like every other animal, have a specific number of beats. once those heartbeats are up you die, so what's the hurry.
 
2smokinberyls smockfrocks said:
i also think that our hearts, like every other animal, have a specific number of beats. once those heartbeats are up you die, so what's the hurry.
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When you run regularly your heart rate does go up during the run, but it also drops a lot lower when you are resting, my resting heart rate is about 45bpm, giving me quite a lot of banked heart rate under your theory.
 
gaz76 said:
When you run regularly your heart rate does go up during the run, but it also drops a lot lower when you are resting, my resting heart rate is about 45bpm, giving me quite a lot of banked heart rate under your theory.
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i think cyclists use a similar argument.
do they live to a ripe old age?

off topic slightly, a good friend of mine is a cyclist and he had to have an operation because of an ingrowing arse hair.
apparently it is not uncommon because of the friction of the saddle.

anyroad, i've had a long walk today, i don't measure shit but i'd guess maybe 6 miles in 3 hours.
at no stage did my heart rate lead to breathlessness and pain.
my mental health and wellbeing were improved,
which in itself reportedly leads to a longer better life.

i also had 5 minutes talking to a horse who wanted to be my friend because he could smell the apple in my pocket.
did you know that when you get close to a horse for a short time the horse's heartbeat synchronises to the same as your heartbeat.

i'm checking my pulse now and it's about 50-55 so if you ran today you definitely used up more of your heartbeats than i did and mine will slow down even further due to the rioja starting to flow through my veins.

each to their own, but all i see on the faces of people who run is pain.
 
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2smokinberyls smockfrocks said:
i think cyclists use a similar argument.
do they live to a ripe old age?

off topic slightly, a good friend of mine is a cyclist and he had to have an operation because of an ingrowing arse hair.
apparently it is not uncommon because of the friction of the saddle.

anyroad, i've had a long walk today, i don't measure shit but i'd guess maybe 6 miles in 3 hours.
at no stage did my heart rate lead to breathlessness and pain.
my mental health and wellbeing were improved,
which in itself reportedly leads to a longer better life.

i also had 5 minutes talking to a horse who wanted to be my friend because he could smell the apple in my pocket.
did you know that when you get close to a horse for a short time the horse's heartbeat changes to the same as your heartbeat.

i'm checking my pulse now and it's about 50-55 so if you ran today you definitely used up more of your heartbeats than i did and mine will slow down even further due to the rioja starting to flow through my veins.

each to their own, but all i see on the faces of people that run is pain.
Click to expand...
If Gaz ran for an hour with an average heart rate of 150 bpm (9,000 beats), and has a resting heart rate of 45 bpm for the other 23 hours (62,100), that would be 71,100 beats.

If you had an average of 55 bpm constantly for 24 hours, that would be 79,200 beats.

So Gaz is in the clear here.

Let’s say the difference is 8k per day. That means your heart beats 2.9m times more than Gaz’s each year.

2.9m beats equates to ~37 days at your current average bpm.

Best time to start running is now mate :’)
 
I also read something recently that explained how people who frequently expose themselves to discomfort are generally happier.

The logic is that you perceive more things as ‘easy’ if you are used to ‘hard’ experiences (like dragging yourself out of bed and going on a run in the cold).
 
Manchester33 said:
If Gaz ran for an hour with an average heart rate of 150 bpm (9,000 beats), and has a resting heart rate of 45 bpm for the other 23 hours (62,100), that would be 71,100 beats.

If you had an average of 55 bpm constantly for 24 hours, that would be 79,200 beats.

So Gaz is in the clear here.

Let’s say the difference is 8k per day. That means your heart beats 2.9m times more than Gaz’s each year.

2.9m beats equates to ~37 days at your current average bpm.

Best time to start running is now mate :’)
Click to expand...
i was basing my calculations on gaz and me both running/walking for 3 hours.

my heart rate isn't 55 constantly for 24 hours, i said 50-55 when i originally posted, it's now down to 49 because of the rioja.

re-jig your maths

best time to start walking is now mate :)
 
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