Running

[belly77]

I’ve developed acute tendinitis in my left knee so haven’t run for a year. I really miss my early morning runs into the countryside. Had all the MRI’S, X-Rays and physio but it’s not getting any better.

[lionel]

Mar 22, 2018 18:18:07 GMT belly77 said:

I’ve developed acute tendinitis in my left knee so haven’t run for a year. I really miss my early morning runs into the countryside. Had all the MRI’S, X-Rays and physio but it’s not getting any better.

[br

It's the Liverpool Half Marathon.

General rule of thumb is that wherever the pain is- the problem will be elsewhere. Nice one for the PF is massaging the heap with a tennis ball. Supported insoles are good and you can get running specific ones. To a certain extent- your trainers are your link to the ground so all the forces are going through the trainers. Teninitis is a tough one- you might try the knee straps and the kinesio tape (that's what worked for me.!!!)

I tend to feel that when areas of the body are hurting- then a roller to the IT bands and calfs usually will decrease the pain. This helps to stretch the leg and get into all areas of the body which take the most stress. Another nice tip is doing some stretches after a couple of miles of running!

[lionel]

Mar 23, 2018 0:26:53 GMT lionel said:

Mar 22, 2018 18:18:07 GMT belly77 said:

I’ve developed acute tendinitis in my left knee so haven’t run for a year. I really miss my early morning runs into the countryside. Had all the MRI’S, X-Rays and physio but it’s not getting any better.

[br

It's the Liverpool Half Marathon.

General rule of thumb is that wherever the pain is- the problem will be elsewhere. Nice one for the PF is massaging the heap with a tennis ball. Supported insoles are good and you can get running specific ones. To a certain extent- your trainers are your link to the ground so all the forces are going through the trainers. Teninitis is a tough one- you might try the knee straps and the kinesio tape (that's what worked for me.!!!)

I tend to feel that when areas of the body are hurting- then a roller to the IT bands and calfs usually will decrease the pain. This helps to stretch the leg and get into all areas of the body which take the most stress. Another nice tip is doing some stretches after a couple of miles of running!

Heal with a tennis ball.

[belly77]

I agree, Physio worked my IT band from my lower back down to my ankles.

[soulhalshall]

I used a golf ball on my arch but found that without sorting the main problem of the tendon, though quite soothing (in an invasive way) the effect was limited.

[cambcam]

Can’t possibly condone this:

www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-48125731

however, the Mrs. ran on Sunday and I went up to spectate for the first time, and was amazed at the numbers walking. To be honest, it kind of made a bit of a mockery of the event. Sure, running comes more naturally to some than others and not everyone is the same build, but honestly, it was a bit ridiculous.

I suppose it’s symptomatic of this all-inclusive love-in we have to have nowadays, but the London Marathon definitely had the feel of a charity cash-cow and in that sense at least, was a bit of a disappointment.

[Russ Greaves]

I tend to agree. Of course, you’re open to criticism of being somewhat cold-hearted to take a shot at people who are raising money for charity, but marathons aren’t sponsored walks. I also think the achievement of completing a marathon is being simultaneously overstated and undercut.

Obviously there are exceptions where it is a genuine achievement for certain people just to do the distance, but so many people are exaggerating the feat when all they’ve really done is a glorified walk.

[cambcam]

Yes, nicely put.

The good lady had been unsuccessful in the ballot for about 7 years. Very sadly, her sister has recently been diagnosed with a severe case of a rare condition (Scleroderma) for which there is no cure, so that was the catalyst for going the charity route this time.

That in itself was an eye-opener. Of course it felt good to be doing something positive and the money-raising aspect was relatively straightforward given the dreadful circumstances, but it was an insight into the grip the charities have over the event. It’s hard to argue against that but the “sponsored walk” feel of the London Marathon is perhaps a sign it’s gone a little too far.

To her credit, the wife trained properly and came through in a whisker over 4 hours, with apart from a little tenderness no ill effects afterwards. Sex/age/training alone etc factored in I think that’s bloody good going.

There’s a lady she works with that ran (?) for (a different) charity (and yes, well done for that) that came home in a little over 8 hours. 8 hours!! I have to wonder if she stopped for lunch at Wetherspoons. 8 hours?? Really??

I don’t know, maybe there needs a realignment somewhere, but the event didn’t feel quite right somehow which was a real shame.

[soulhalshall]

The way thd marathon is viewed is ceetainly different now. I can't find the exact quote but Charlie Spedding, who ran for GB at two Olympics, winning a medal in 1984, was talking about the lack of strength in depth in British distance running, and he put some blame on the fun-running culture, saying why would young people be inspired to do this sport when your unfit next-door neighbour is running about in a costume. Basically, I suppose that the inclusivity of it all is a drawback.

I can see his point, particularly when looking at the London Marathon, even if it's not really for us to care about the strength in depth of national runners. I used to apply when I lived in the UK but I'm not sure I'd be keen now anyway. I run in Greece where costume fun-running and charity running are rare things, even at the Athens Marathon, which makes it all quite pleasant. Not to say that raising money is a bad thing but talking in purely sporting terms, that people take part for athletic reasons alone is nice.

[jimbo8082]

May 3, 2019 17:16:38 GMT soulhalshall said:

The way thd marathon is viewed is ceetainly different now. I can't find the exact quote but Charlie Spedding, who ran for GB at two Olympics, winning a medal in 1984, was talking about the lack of strength in depth in British distance running, and he put some blame on the fun-running culture, saying why would young people be inspired to do this sport when your unfit next-door neighbour is running about in a costume. Basically, I suppose that the inclusivity of it all is a drawback.

I can see his point, particularly when looking at the London Marathon, even if it's not really for us to care about the strength in depth of national runners. I used to apply when I lived in the UK but I'm not sure I'd be keen now anyway. I run in Greece where costume fun-running and charity running are rare things, even at the Athens Marathon, which makes it all quite pleasant. Not to say that raising money is a bad thing but talking in purely sporting terms, that people take part for athletic reasons alone is nice.

Sounds a bit snobbish to me.

Besides that unfit next door neighbour might bit a bit more fit thanks to training for that fun run. Everyone should be encouraged to do more exercise and the attitude in your post is really unnecessary.

[sneakyfate]

I've been following this discussion with interest. I can understand when people who, like myself, put a bit of effort into training and getting fit to run, find it a bit odd, or even wrong, to see people walking in a big event like the London Marathon. However, bear in mind a couple of things:

- A lot of people walk some and run some - you may be watching in a position that is favoured for walking, perhaps because it is a bit uphill.
- Even walking the whole thing, to complete 26.2 miles in 7 hours still requires an average pace of 3.7mph, which is a fairly brisk walk, especially if you do it without stopping. It's not a negligible effort, and for some people may represent a massive increase in how active they've been previously.

I'm a massive fan of parkrun, the 5km weekly timed runs, of which there are now two in Cambridge - the one at Milton Country Park (confusingly called Cambridge) and the relatively recent addition of Coldhams Common, almost next door to the Abbey. I've run 151 times, mostly at Milton, but at times in about 12 other locations (the latest was today at Hackworth in Shildon Co. Durham). When parkrun started, some athletics clubs were a bit sniffy about it, perhaps they thought it might attract people away from joining them, and perhaps because they didn't quite "get" the ethos of the totally inclusive nature of these events. I think that attitude is far less prevalent today, if it exists at all, perhaps because parkrun has proved to be quite a good recruiting ground.

When I first started parkrun, they used to ask people to inform the organisers if they thought they would take more than 45 minutes to complete the course, so that the marshalls could be told to hang on. The volunteer who followed the last person around the course was known as the "tail runner". These days, the role is now known as "tail walker", and there is no restriction, implied or otherwise, as to how long people are expected to take. I myself used to be quite cycnical about people taking over 45 minutes to finish, my thought being "it's not really running, is it?", and I would get quite impatient if I was operating the stopwatch on the finish line while we waited for the last few stragglers to come in. But over the years, both through watching and through some of the amazing stories that are told on the parkrun website and in Facebook posts, I've come to realise that the structured nature of the run, jog or walk, and the highly supportive atmosphere, is exactly what some people need to get them off the couch and doing at least some form of exercise.

Whether this scenario of regular relatively low profile events such as parkrun should transfer to huge events like the London Marathon, or to big local events like the Cambridge Half marathon, is perhaps another question, but frankly I don't see why not.

So as a runner of modest ability (my parkrun today was 25'41", a time that gets me an age-graded score of 64.5% because I'm 62!) I can understand the frustration of those who train hard and don't get a place in the LM ballot to see people who did get places "just" walking. I don't think it's "snobbish" to hold such views, just perhaps a little misinformed. But I am now convinced that there is a whole spectrum of ability that it is quite right to include in various kinds of events and to celebrate. Yes, some of the "everyone's a winner" kind of talk can be a bit cringeworthy at times, but I can't fault the sentiment. When I lap a slower runner at Cambridge (and they have to be pretty slow for me to lap them) I'm never quite sure whether to say a word of encouragement or not. It might be just what they need, or it might come across as patronising. But I usually do say something, if I have any breath to spare!

[cambcam]

Sneakyfate - thank you for that.

I’ve been thinking about Parkrun for a little while but your enthusiastic post and information about the Coldhams Lane event is the catalyst to get this going. The whole concept of Parkrun does seem brilliant and certainly ticks my/our boxes.

Essentially, I stopped running a couple of years ago as my joints start to get sore at around 45 minutes in. I desperately miss it and other forms of exercise just don’t ‘do it’ for me. A once a week 5k would be perfect for maintaining a base level of fitness without excessive wear and tear. The good lady is keen too as the long training runs of endurance events are just too time consuming but she doesn’t want to throw the lot in. Feeling fit is psychologically very important too, the physical and mental health benefits are obvious to everyone and Parkrun does appear to be doing a tremendous job and benefitting people of all backgrounds and abilities.

I didn’t realise that you can just turn up and run at different locations either - that is a brilliant idea and would really help. We split our time over a couple of UK bases with a bit of other travel too, so being able to hook-up at a local event and head off with likeminded people without the commitment/membership pressure of a club is fantastic.

Will be back in Cambridge next week and will get right on it.

Thanks again, much appreciated,

Cam.

[Russ Greaves]

Doing the Leeds half on Sunday. Not done many events of that sort before. I see running as a very solo pursuit. Having said that, I think I’ll make use of the pacemakers as it’ll be nice to not have to keep checking my watch (although I probably still will).

Has anyone run the course before? I’m hoping there’s an opportunity for a fast last few miles.

[spyros]

May 4, 2019 16:14:06 GMT sneakyfate said:

I'm a massive fan of parkrun...

As a parkrun (one word, all lower-case ) participant, marshal, tailrunner etc. as well as a local club runner I can say that parkrun has transformed the level of inclusivity and levels of volunteering across the board. I often run, then join my Dad who walks his 5K and still does a brisk sub-1 hour time for a 75 yr-old. There have been a few issues around the country over use of public space, but on the whole it's been an incredible success. The growth in participation has been phenomenal.

Whether this inclusivity should be transferred onto a prestige running event like the London Marathon is another matter entirely. Like some here I've run it (congratulations to Mrs. cambcam, by the way) and been quite surprised by both the number of entrants walking and the early stage on the course in which it started to occur. I reasoned that if those people were raising thousands of pounds for charity, who was I to criticise, but I also remember back to the perception of the event when it started, when it really was thought of in the same way I guess ultra-endurance events are now ('the wall' etc.). Russ' comment of 'simultaneously overstated and undercut' is certainly valid.

There is a now a greater than 1/12 chance to enter through the ballot, so I can understand soulhalsall's concerns. There is a Good For Age qualification system, but the only really guaranteed bet is to get a charity place, which is based entirely on ability to raise a fundraising target, rather than running ability. I think the issue is that the sport isn't going to retain a charity runner in terms of future involvement because of the 'bucket-list' perception of the event.

If you belong to a running club, they may recruit marshals for London, which as well as being a great day out, means a further ballot for places amongst the volunteers. I personally have no qualms in seeing somebody who has volunteered all year round in all weathers getting a place, no matter what time they expect to finish in.

[Russ Greaves]

Leeds half is an enjoyable one. More hilly than I had expected!

Good spectator turnout and the weather was nigh on perfect.