Cyclists with a "Running" Problem

[Andrew Steer]

So while out cycling between all the CT Marthon Runners the bug bit me....

 

So looking at giving running a go, have no idea how i will be able to fit this into an already 10-13 hours a week cycling..

But why not.

 

Would like to do a half before end of year.

 

Plan would be

Easy 5km 3 x times a week and start building from there.

 

Lets hope old body can keep up.

 

Then the big one, how will this influence my cycling?

 

It's easier to fit in quick runs... hour run is easily worth nearly double that in cycling. Do with that as you please. A lot of people run mostly midweek and then do a long ride and bike over the weekend.

 

Running definitely helps with the bike and should improve your all round muscle conditioning, help with weight loss (if needed) and strengthen your bones.

 

Start super slowly, a half by the end of the year is doable, but you need to build super slow, it will honestly feel tedious and you will want to push further because you are fit and feeling comfortable, but resist the urge, and stick to silly little nothing runs for at least the first two weeks and then increase by no more than 10% a week from there. I would say start with 3km runs even for the first week. Trust me, it's frustrating, but not as frustrating as getting injured as you get into the swing of things.

 

Last things, if you can... go for a proper shoe fitting. Starting with the right shoes is worth a lot.

If you can, go see a Bio as well early days - she can help you get your muscles better balanced which will help your transition to running... your hamstrings and glutes are most likely a lot weaker than your quads, but we are all different.

 

Good luck and enjoy

[Barry Stuart]

For those that did the Cape Town Marathon, is this a good one to do as a first marathon?  Im keen to try do a full marathon and from friends feedback, this sounds like a good one.  Im not good at doing a lap run so PMB42 is out, I wanted to try Mandela but have been told im nuts to do it as a first one.

 

Despite the double lap, I found PMB to be my most enjoyable marathon so far. Of the other two that I've done, Johnson Crane is flat and fast but, if I'm honest, a bit boring. Soweto is far more interesting and there's crowd support the whole way but it gets tough from about 34km, which is compounded by the fact that that's the distance where most marathon runners end up on empty.

 

The double lap format is actually pretty handy for your first marathon. When you start hitting the wall in the late 20km/early 30km, you know exactly what lies ahead. At PMB, you just need to make it up to Oribi and then you know you've got about 6km of good, gentle running all the way home. The section through the town, around the City Hall is a lot of fun and it's in your backyard so you can get a family member to second you along the route, more for the lift that seeing a familiar face brings than anything else.

[Barry Stuart]

 

Start super slowly, a half by the end of the year is doable, but you need to build super slow, it will honestly feel tedious and you will want to push further because you are fit and feeling comfortable, but resist the urge, and stick to silly little nothing runs for at least the first two weeks and then increase by no more than 10% a week from there. I would say start with 3km runs even for the first week. Trust me, it's frustrating, but not as frustrating as getting injured as you get into the swing of things.

 

Stricker, this is such good advice from Andrew. The hardest part for a fit person is patience. Your cardio system is currently far stronger than your bone, tendon and ligament structures. Pushing to your cardio capability can quickly result in a frustrating injury. The 10% rule works like compounding interest, you'll be comfortably running big distances before you know it.

[Stretch]

Just thinking...   Is there anything Comrades can do, perhaps just the same as OMTOM with the gogreen campaign, to keep the streets clean.

 

Comparing the two, it was disgusting how the water sachets were just dumped everywhere during comrades.

 

Then another thing is the black bags and Bonitas "tops" that you have to avoid like the plague after the start.  I guess this is going to be a problem to sort out, but surely big boxes along the route where they can be thrown away can work.  But I realize this one is wishful thinking, but it is a big problem and nonsense and I guess on the downrun it is going to be a serious hazard in the dark outside Pmb.  

 

There is however no excuse for the water sachets, there was A LOT of bins to throw them a way, you just have to hold on to them for a 1km or so.

 

Comrades did have those bins...just fewer of them. I know because I threw a beer bottle in one near the end!

 

It is a slightly different situation in terms of the  different locations. In Cape Town, the primary reasoning was because of the wind...and then of course OM was a primary sponsor..but not for Comrades. 

 

As far as I am aware though there are quite stringent clean up requirements for table sponsors, with associated fines for not cleaning up. This is followed by a number full route cleanups.

 

All that said I do agree, and on a number of occasions questioned the mental capacity of someone who firstly did not consider just carrying their "empty" to the next table, but even some that thought it would make much more sense to throw it deep into the bush where absolutely no-one would be able to clean it up..the mind boggles

[Stretch]

For those that did the Cape Town Marathon, is this a good one to do as a first marathon?  Im keen to try do a full marathon and from friends feedback, this sounds like a good one.  Im not good at doing a lap run so PMB42 is out, I wanted to try Mandela but have been told im nuts to do it as a first one.

 

Candz - you gonna find very few "single loop" marathons. Cape Town is flat..and flat can be difficult if you are not used to it. As far as enjoyable first marathons nearby..and if you have no option of 2 laps - then hillcrest is actually a really nice well supported marathon. Was my first.

[shaper]

Cape Town not quite flat, I recorded 206m of climbing yesterday, yet all the adverts and brochures in the run up to the race stated do your fastest Marathon, ONLY 46m of climbing!!!

 

There no real steep climbs or grinders, majority of it is flat and that takes a lot out of the legs as there is no resting

[Gringo111]

Wristbased. Hehehehe.

Couldnt agree more. Wrist based is the way to go. No chafe, no hassle of putting water on the electrodes. Polar have released a arm strap which serves the same purpose as the chest strap but that would irritate me more...

[Gringo111]

Cape Town not quite flat, I recorded 206m of climbing yesterday, yet all the adverts and brochures in the run up to the race stated do your fastest Marathon, ONLY 46m of climbing!!!

 

There no real steep climbs or grinders, majority of it is flat and that takes a lot out of the legs as there is no resting

206m for a marathon is really gentle. Randburg harriers 21km was 415m elevation last weekend and Rockies this weekend was 380m elevation.

[Gringo111]

It's the final countdown! We've hit the 15,000 mark! 75% of entries taken. Only 5,000 spots left for #Comrades2018. No pressure...just call it #MondayMotivation : http://bit.ly/EnterComrades

[ScottCM]

All that said I do agree, and on a number of occasions questioned the mental capacity of someone who firstly did not consider just carrying their "empty" to the next table, but even some that thought it would make much more sense to throw it deep into the bush where absolutely no-one would be able to clean it up..the mind boggles

 

What he said 

[Stretch]

206m for a marathon is really gentle. Randburg harriers 21km was 415m elevation last weekend and Rockies this weekend was 380m elevation.

 

very gentle....all the "flat" marathons..dubai..berlin...boston etc are all 300m +

[dave303e]

206m for a marathon is really gentle. Randburg harriers 21km was 415m elevation last weekend and Rockies this weekend was 380m elevation.

 

Nearly as flat as an ironman event.

[Barry Stuart]

Comrades did have those bins...just fewer of them. I know because I threw a beer bottle in one near the end!

 

It is a slightly different situation in terms of the  different locations. In Cape Town, the primary reasoning was because of the wind...and then of course OM was a primary sponsor..but not for Comrades. 

 

As far as I am aware though there are quite stringent clean up requirements for table sponsors, with associated fines for not cleaning up. This is followed by a number full route cleanups.

 

All that said I do agree, and on a number of occasions questioned the mental capacity of someone who firstly did not consider just carrying their "empty" to the next table, but even some that thought it would make much more sense to throw it deep into the bush where absolutely no-one would be able to clean it up..the mind boggles

 

There is also the brain fatigue factor. I hate littering, with an absolute bolloxing passion. I've actually climbed out of my car and flicked a cigarette butt back through the offender's window on a couple of occasions. Yet at about 70km I brain farted and just dropped my sachet on the floor. That's how I knew I was totally mentally gone. There's no way in hell I would ever do that whilst functioning mentally (also explains litterbugs).

 

For some context, this happened about a km after I absentmindedly poured an Energade sachet over my head.

[shaper]

206m for a marathon is really gentle. Randburg harriers 21km was 415m elevation last weekend and Rockies this weekend was 380m elevation.

was more the fact that they kept going on that it was only 46m!!

[Chris_]

 I've actually climbed out of my car and flicked a cigarette butt back through the offender's window on a couple of occasions. 

 

I applaud you for this, my own pet hate as well

[Stretch]

There is also the brain fatigue factor. I hate littering, with an absolute bolloxing passion. I've actually climbed out of my car and flicked a cigarette butt back through the offender's window on a couple of occasions. Yet at about 70km I brain farted and just dropped my sachet on the floor. That's how I knew I was totally mentally gone. There's no way in hell I would ever do that whilst functioning mentally (also explains litterbugs).

 

For some context, this happened about a km after I absentmindedly poured an Energade sachet over my head.

 

I recently watched a lady flick a butt out a car at a traffic light. I then gave a gently parp on my horn and drew her attention to the butt. It was at this point she started gesticulating trying to say "what should she do with it"..to which i gestured she could put it out in her car somewhere. Needless to say this met with more mad and flurried gesticulating. Cigarette butts are the biggest polluter of our oceans in terms of numbers. I recall reading an alarming figure at one point. 

 

I too despise littering with a passion...it's so simple to avoid...yet people just don't give two continentals