Runners & Other Oddities

[Dunulf]

I've been out of practice for a while since I'm still recovering from the after-effects of the dreaded pandemic that shan't be named, but I box bare-knuckle (and no, that doesn't just mean 'HOOLIGAN', it is a sport ) and am starting to learn stage combat and archery. I have a judo background from my earlier childhood, and I also love playing tennis and rugby (both of which I'm decent at but by no means anything special)!

Oh, and I occasionally take part in badminton and swimming when it suits my schedule. I also do a fair amount of weight training as part of my boxing training, so I guess that counts as a separate one?

[Nia]

I've been persuaded to join a group of friends who are all going to try to run at least 1000km this year. I'm noting this here so that I can either a) come back in a year's time, and (very excitedly, I'm sure) reference this post and claim my personal success, OR b) I can just choose to ignore this post, which will hopefully be nicely buried on the 2nd page of this thread by then.

[Pele Alarion]

@Dunulf That's a lot of various stuff!

@Nia 1000 km requires quite a bit of running; last year I did 1243 - and it allowed for no long lazy periods. lol... Will have to make sure to keep you accountable or something? :P

[Nia]

@Pele Alarion I think having someone holding me to account for this will be very helpful! I had a
pretty lazy first 9 days, and have since being trying to get back on trajectory. According to Strava I'm now 1.6km behind plan, so getting there! Maintaining it for the next 50 weeks is going to be a test though! 1,243 is amazing! Over 4 times what I achieved last year! Are you going to try for a similar distance run this year?

[Pele Alarion]

I am mostly just following training schedules + rogaining and orienteering races, so it comes up to it. I don't even attempt to reach a particular number.

[Pele Alarion]

@Nia How far are you with your running goals? I have currently managed to run 81 km + about 13 km of cross-country skiing.

[Nia]

@Pele Alarion thanks for the check in! Currently at 76km, and apparently 13km ahead of plan. 23 days done, 342 to go! Love that you've got some skiing in.

[Ta'leus Shieldsong]

I really want to get back into running, but because of my hip, I'm not able to. It's really a shame because I think regular exercise would help with how I've been feeling cooped up in the house, plus running is such a general stress relief. I'm hoping by the summer I can start running again, cause I would love to run competitively again next year.

[Nia]

Yeah, I definitely think the fact it's helped expel feelings of cabin fever are why I've got into it in such a big way so far. That really sucks about your hip though, I hope it recovers for you in time for summer. What competitive running did you used to do? I get a bit too much of an adrenaline rush if I see a pedestrian ahead that I think I might eventually have to overtake .

@Pele Alarion - we finally got snow here today! It has mostly all disappeared now, but I did see a set of skis make an appearance. I think the owner of the skis was being slightly optimistic about their chances of having an actual ski, but it did made me think of you.

[Pele Alarion]

@Ta'leus Shieldsong Can you do any strength training or stretching at least to keep yourself moving?

@Nia The snow was gone, but now it is back again, though a bit too sticky to attempt skiing. Must wait and see. Ending January with 125 km, which is the highest number of km in January (I have been keeping track of my running attempts for 10 years now - gave up several times in the beginning when 2 x 10 minutes seemed too much). You're doing great too, so I think 1,000 should not be a problem if you keep this up.

[Ta'leus Shieldsong]

I've been doing bodyweight exercises and some stretching. Physical therapy twice a week too! So it's getting better, I think. Still might need surgery though so who knows what will happen.

[Lailyn]

@Dunulf - another rugger! I played rugby, though quit about ten years ago, I loved it. I was no good at it but it was really fun. I love watching it. Any position you usually play(ed)?

@Ta'leus Shieldsong, I've had chronic hip pain for years and finally made progress with it with PT in the last few years after no one could really figure out the problem. It is no fun that's for sure. I hope with PT you see some improvement soon.

I'm still keeping up with my usual stuff and I am very excited to say that although I could feel the results, I have concrete proof of my efforts now in the form of lower blood pressure (which was my main goal) and have lost weight (ok, that was a secondary goal) and I am very excited about it! So, everybody, keep up the good work, doing whatever you can do! you got this!!

[Pele Alarion]

@Ta'leus Shieldsong Definitely sounds like you are on the way to recovery and not at all just sitting motionless all the time.

@Lailyn For many years I only gained weight even with all the running; suppose stress-eating doesn't help. Slowly making the way back down those kgs though.

Also, I still wonder how to combine running with RP; wondering if 'Walk to Mordor' thing could be used to actually RP through the kingdoms. lol

[Lailyn]

I'm pretty stoked about it now I just have to keep it off/try to lose just a little more if I can. My main fitness goal was to improve cardiovascular health because I am not getting any younger.

Another contributing thing could be the fact that I have the opposite stress response and completely lose my appetite so maybe the last year has been weirdly helpful as awful as that is? @Pele Alarion all your rogaining and running rocks and is super impressive to me! I just don't know how you runners do it! I get so bored. When I used to run I would almost always plateau and then get sick of it and stop. I was constantly starting and quitting, just wasn't for me, but its great when you find the right things that do work for you.

I'd love to see this run across ME to Mordor RP idea pan out...

[Dunulf]

@Lailyn I assume you've been keeping up with the Six Nations then? As for position, I'm usually an outside centre but I can be a reasonable replacement scrum-half or fullback. What made you quit, if you don't mind me asking?

[Lailyn]

@Dunulf I haven't!! I keep up more with Tri-Nations (I think now called the Rugby Championship with the addition of Argentina) and New Zealand Super Rugby. Its hard to find on TV in the US though which is a shame.

I don't mind at all! I quit because I had one concussion too many so I decided to save my brain for the future. I could never get into playing touch rugby, its just not the same. Scrum-half and fullback both seem like they'd be so much fun to play but far too complicated/skilled for me (I can't kick a ball to save my life). I mostly played wing and sometimes outside center.

[Dunulf]

@Lailyn That's fair, as a Brit it's pretty hard to get coverage of the Rugby Championship and Super Rugby over here, so Six Nations and the Rugby Premiership is all we've really got to look forward to. Hopefully, if it becomes safe to do so, my university could get inter-college rugby going again - I miss being pitchside!

Oof, yeah concussions aren't much fun. I've had a few but not enough of a brain to start off with that I got particularly worried. You're definitely right about touch rugby not being the same. It's very fast-paced, which can be fun, but it always feels to me like it's lacking that element that sets rugby apart from other sports. As for kicking, I'd say I'm reasonable, just don't expect any stellar grubber kicks or anything much more complex than a box kick or hoof down the pitch Winger is a tough position to play, I remember ours got targeted pretty heavily by opposition forwards in the tackle.

[Pele Alarion]

@Lailyn I do occasionally feel bored on long runs, but orienteering and rogaining is too adventurous to be boring. I wonder if people would participate if I did manage to get a walking/running and RPG crossover going.

Eh, I am not sure I really understand the rules of rugby. Well, sort of, but not as much as to enjoy watching it with great understanding of events.

[Lailyn]

@Dunulf ohh I hope you have fun when rugby starts back up again! Yes! Rugby just isn't rugby without tackling and rucks - two of my favorite parts of the game. Nowadays I'm too old for all that anyway!

@Pele Alarion, rogaining sounds like the coolest thing ever but I'd never be able to hack it. It took me a really long time to understand the rules of rugby and I still get confused. Playing helped. I knew nothing about it (besides thinking it was that crazy sport where people tackle each other without padding/helmets) before I joined.

[Pele Alarion]

I don't think I'd want anyone tackling me. So prefer watching any such sports instead of participating. Gathering km seems to be a better option, though there's a fair chance of gathering some injuries anyway (even if by slipping on ice and falling).

[Dunulf]

@Lailyn Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it! You're never too old for rugby, at least not spectating.

@Pele Alarion I was lucky enough to grow up around it so it's always seemed like second nature, although I can completely understand why it would be confusing

[Lailyn]

Yes, that is true, @Dunulf ! I do love watching.

@Pele Alarion - yeah being tackled is not the most fun. There are aspects I certainly don't miss. But you're right, you can get injured doing anything.. please be careful out there on the ice and snow and keep up the great work!

I had been hoping to get back into some indoor sports again this winter but I've opted to just keep doing at-home/outdoor stuff. My hiking has dropped off a lot with all the rain/closed forests due to fire damage/snow closing roads/flooding/always seems to be something but I still managed to get a few shorter ones in. Any time spent in the woods/in nature is time well-spent if you ask em.

[Pele Alarion]

Oh yes, woods! It seems that ice and snow has melted, so I might choose to do some running out there occasionally instead of city streets, beach and park. No idea whether there will be any races this year, but it doesn't mean I shouldn't be motivated to improve my fitness.

[Pele Alarion]

*kicks up the thread* Anything new, folks? I only walked for a while, since I was a bit under the weather, but trying to get back into the thick of things again.

[Baphởmet]

I've started my marathon training once again. When is the marathon? who knows, I haven't scheduled my person hell quite yet and I'm pretty sure the company that schedules runs in my area is still down thanks to COVID. I am woefully out of shape but now is as a good a time as any to start a good baseline and build off of it.

[Nia]

*kicks up the thread* Anything new, folks? I only walked for a while, since I was a bit under the weather, but trying to get back into the thick of things again.

Yes, I have news! I am officially training to run my first half marathon (on 1st August, so still a while off yet). Scary and exciting in equal measure .

[Pele Alarion]

@Prometherion Marathon... Ouchies. I still don't dare attempt that, what with my slow running. Maybe never will.

Ooooh! That is great, @Nia. With the effort you are putting in, half should be doable. :D

For me, orienteering season has started, and I've done 3 'individual trainings' (as they are called these days anyway) and made a serious mistake in each that caused me to wander around a lot and end in poor finishing times. Should also do strength and stretching, but I am lazy, and shoulder/neck area is soooo stiff from sitting at the comp too much.

[Nia]

@Pele Alarion thanks! Although I'm now having to take an unplanned break for 2 weeks because I had to have a random biopsy on my foot yesterday - so no 100k in May for me :( . My plan for the interim is instead trying to do a proper push up. At the moment I'm exceptionally good at the going down part, less so the pushing up part. Orienteering sounds a lot of fun.

[Marceline]

Wooo running! I've been training for a half marathon at the end of this month (nothing organized - just me running 13.1 miles alone, ha) but have fallen behind on my training this week due to the aftereffects of my second COVID vaccine. Hoping to get back on schedule soon!

@Nia, I hope everything's okay and that you are back to running soon!
@Prometherion you are a brave soul to take on a full marathon!
@Pele Alarion I hope we get some pics from your orienteering trips! And I fully support stretching. I need to do more of that myself!

[Baphởmet]

@Nia alright!! Best of luck to you also 100k in a single month is pretty damn impressive (even if the total is a bit short)
@Pele Alarion orienteering sounds like a lot of fun! If I could find some good trails up around the mountains I assume that might qualify? (ish, maybe)
@Tarawen you have to name your marathon if you're the premier runner, those are the rules, also I'm not sure if brave or foolish on my part

[Marceline]

Perhaps I’ll call it My Personal Half-TARAthon

[Pele Alarion]

@Nia Eeeps! Though pushups might be good too...

Maybe I should be more careful with my forest adventures - a bear has been caught on hunters' camera in the nearby woods (on the other side of the lake). Meanwhile did the city sprint-orienteering yesterday, and it was so awfully hot, the streets felt like frying pan of sorts. The control points were hidden in all sorts of corners and yards, so it was a very new way of looking at the streets that are very familiar. Didn't take any pics though since I was just trying to survive the heat and find all the controls.

[Nia]

Thanks all!

Push-ups were an absolute no go - zero progress made. I am adding them to negronis on my list of things to maybe give another go at some unspecified point in the future. Stitches in my foot came out today though (woohoo) - but after investigation of the area in question, I've decided I'm gonna have to give it another week or so off running :( . Getting a bit nervous my solid 4 months of fitness-building is all going down the toilet .

@Tarawen hope you're back up and running (see what I did there) again! & Any tips you have on your half-Tarathon (love it) training, please do send my way!

@Pele Alarion - to be fair, I think a bear sighting would probably see me hit my top speed . The city sprint orienteering sounds really fun though - what a nice idea!

[Amadhrill]

Lot of catching up here, for me anyways. Well, I have nothing to add to rugby, it is a very wierd sport for me (though in my mind it is another representative for the difference between European and American sports: Europe = violent, US/North-America = organized and scared of touching each other, and yes, this is all based on zero knowledge of rugby vs American football and okay knowledge of handball vs zero knowledge of basketball

Anyways, all your running stats made me want to check out my own, I am still working towards last year's Oslo half marathon which will hopefully happen this September, we'll see... perhaps if I get my vaccines as the government promises, though my age group was just pushed back to the bottom. It used to be oldest and sickest first, but now so many young adults are getting the covid, so they have made 18-25 into a priority and 26-39 at the bottom...

Oh well, so I did 808km of running last year, so far I've done 355km, and with the weekly increase towards end of September maybe I can see the 1000K by the end of this year. We didnt have a lot of snow this winter and I have proper winter running shoes with spikes so I managed to keep my running up during the winter months and with the gradual increase (and very religiously following a rule of no more then 10%increase per week) I am hoping to stay injury free! I've even managed to get some strenght training in and a good stretch nearly weekly, but I really need to force myself to it, luckily my sports watch reminds me of it

@Nia did you try the pushup with hand release? That is, you do the pushup all the way down to the floor lift the hands and then push up. A friend of mine heard it from a trainer friend of her, so the source is a bit unclear, but might be worth a try.

@Pele I picture you running around with a map like a crazy person peering under mail boxes and trash cans but it sounds like fun. My husband and I bring the kids along to hunt for beams in the city as the local orienteering club has placed a number of beams around with codes to scan. Either that or we do the orienteering in the woods, it really works well to get the kids motivated for longer walks (and as we approach the end it is always a small chocolate to motivate them for the last kms)

Have you set a date for your half marathon, @Tarawen?

[Marceline]

@Nia yes, I am! I've been taking it pretty slow easing back into things since the vaccine knocked me out so badly, but it's been very good to get back into the routine. How is your foot doing? Healing well, I hope! (And totally do not blame you for giving up on push-ups. )

@Amadhrill Wow, 1000K in a year - that is so impressive!! It's amazing the difference good winter running shoes make, isn't it? Somehow I managed to do all my running outdoors this winter thanks to some excellent shoes. I am also a strong proponent of the 10% rule! And as for my personal half-marathon, I have pushed it back a bit to give myself more time to recover from the vaccine, so it's looking like an early June run as of now How is the stretching and training going?

[Pele Alarion]

Come to think of it, with so much talk of half-marathons, my half-marathon training program ends in 4 weeks, but I haven't decided yet whether I will do the half at 'race pace' (well, which is still slow), or just make it into a long slow training session. Might take a marathon training program after just for the fun of it and see how much volume I can build up to.

Definitely have to do something about my neck and shoulders - those are so sore and stiff and tense from spending hours at the comp in a wrong position + feels like all my stress has gathered there.

@Amadhrill Hmm... proper winter shoes. I run with usual ones throughout winter, slipping and sliding included. lol... We have QR code control points throughout the city too, but it is not as fun because no one moves the points around. I like forest orienteering better, though. Planning to do at least three + official trail running race/training while off vacationing.

[Pele Alarion]

Oh, as a sidenote... I hope watching the ice hockey championship counts as a sport? The incredible win of team Latvia over Canada caused me to skip around joyfully - and that does count as an activity - right, right?

[Amadhrill]

@Tarawen digging up rocks and moving them around count as strength workout, right? At least it feels like it for my arms well, I know I should do strenght and stretching, so I do my best to do at least one proper strength workout a week and stretch a little most days... but whenever the weather is good I can't bring myself to excercise inside!

@Pele Alarion marathon for the fun of it... I am going to run a marathon once in my life and go for a looooong hike, but I think both will wait for the kids to grow up. Only reason I can run as much these days is that nearly anything fun and everything slightly social is forbidden... stupid covid! But I do like to run this much too...
Congratulations on the Latvian victory! I heard Denmark beat Sweden, but that is as far as my hockey knowledge goes, I'm afraid. But as a very active handball fan I totally agree that watching sports must sometimes count as sports too! (Also, I will work on the Healing Houses post, but I need a rainy afternoon for it )

Edit: just watched the news on the tv, turns out Norway is actually part of the hockey championship, but we aren't much good...

[Pele Alarion]

@Amadhrill What is it you are saying about Norwegian hockey team? The fact that they are playing in elite group means that they are rather good. Besides... They up and won Latvia yesterday in shootouts! *grumbles mightily and goes back to doing vacation stuff*

[Uruva]

I've been trying to do a combination of running and weight training but so far all my gains have been in my desire to sleep more.

[Nia]

@Amadhrill - I will give that kind of press up a go this week, thanks for the tip! Also it made me smile your summary of the difference between European and American sports... because in my mind it's the total reverse (ice hockey jumps to mind ). Anyway, *high-five* for aiming for 1000km this year! I've just passed (by 5km) the halfway mark on this - which was pretty thrilling.

@Pele Alarion - you must be in the final two weeks of your half-marathon training? How's it going?!

@Tarawen foot is doing well, thanks! All healed now, and results thankfully all fine! Though I've got a new obstacle in the path of my half-marathon training now - I'm having to do ten days of self-isolation after my sister tested positive for covid the day after I saw her last week! :( Thankfully she seems to be largely asymptomatic. Four days into my own self-isolation, and four negative tests for me so far, so keeping everything crossed I've just got 6 days left to do . However, in one of my stranger moments of the week, yesterday I did decide to try to run a 5k on the roof terrace (40 mins later, my watch was refusing to track distance properly, so I gave up once it told me I'd done just 1!). I hyper-lapsed it as evidence (what else is there to do in quarantine?! ).

@Uruva - what weight training do you do? I'm keen to mix things up a bit, but don't really know where to start!

[Uruva]

Kettlebell and body weight. Been using the Fitness Blender videos for a while.

[Afird Splitax]

*waves* I have been weight training for about 20 years now, mostly toning, not body building. In my forties I use to walk an hour a day (I never got the running fever), and carried a 5lb weight in each hand to do arm excersises. I also used velcro ankle weights on my walks. I am sure that when I first started walking with the weights, the town folks where I lived, thought I was a little odd.
I still walk, most days, at least 35 minutes. I do a 10 to 15 minute workout (assorted planks and stretching) every morning, 5 days a week. I do wall push-ups and weights in the evening.

So yeah, move it and use it .

Nice to read about all your activities!

[Pele Alarion]

@Uruva Fitness Blender videos are great! I use them whenever I get myself to work out (should do it more often...)

@Nia Eh, it is going somehow. Orienteering yesterday, trail running/race thingy tomorrow, and then might do that half-marathon on Saturday, possibly also on trails and more or less at a leisurely pace.

@Afird Splitax You could take a pair of bottles instead of weight to make the sight more interesting for curious folk. :D

[Amadhrill]

@Pele Alarion Hahaha! Sorry, not sorry about beating you guys
@Nia well, there is always the one excemption that solidifies the rule (or so we say in Norway) ;)
So far I am at *goes to check Runkeeper* 455km, so that's pretty impressive if I may say so myself but I am impressed by your roof top run, that is dedication! I hope you are soon out of isolation and covid free! Fingers crossed!

Hmm, I might need to give Fitness blender a new try @Uruva , but I must admit so far I tend to return to Popsugarfitness on youtube or to the asics app.

@Afird Splitax I think people would still look at you if you did it in the urban areas, but not so much as before. Gyms have been closed here most of the winter and spring, so suddenly people have begun to work out with or without weights pretty much everywhere :D

[Afird Splitax]

Haha, that was 20 years ago. My weight carrying days on my walks are over now. But, yes, I am sure it wouldn't matter much these days...

[Pele Alarion]

Well... Ran the 1/2 marathon - 3 laps of 7 km on forest trails with sand, roots, ups and downs - with the end result of 2:40:47, which is about 13 min improvement on the last personal best. Kinda thought it was not the best terrain to improve results and expected 3+ hours, but what do I know... Though apparently I need to do strength/stretching exercises since I half limped the last lap - legs hurt so badly.

[Amadhrill]

Congratulations, @Pele Alarion ! That's quite the achievement, and on trails as well! Well done.

[Nia]

Congrats (belatedly!), Pele! Less than 4 weeks until my half marathon which fills me with nervous adrenaline every time I think about it!

[Pele Alarion]

I must say that I much prefer running on trails instead of streets/pavement/asphalt, besides... NATURE!

@Nia Half marathons just might be fun! Well, maybe. Hehe...