Iain's Running Chat Part 1 - Essential Kit

After a rather extended wait, and with apologies to those who asked for this type of content before Christmas... here is the first of two pieces in which I wax lyrical about my personal experience of running. Today, like Lloyd Grossman, I will take you through the keyhole as I cover the material goods of my running world in descending order of importance.

Plan

I appreciate this may be stretching the term, but for me this is the single most important piece of kit as without it literally nothing would happen. 

With running, as with most things of endeavour, it is very easy to harbour appealing, idealised, romantic imagery: getting up, looking out of a window at the just-breaking-dawn, deciding to pull on the running shoes and set off along an empty beach in your pants like they do in Chariots of Fire. However, this is London, I have 45+ hours of work to do in a week, this blog to maintain and at the moment a quiz night to put together. There is no beach. There is no time. And if there was time, my preference would be to spend it reading a book, watching something entertaining, seeing friends, eating or sleeping. And yet, because to be human is to strive, there is a plan and that plan is sacrosanct because if it starts to become negotiable then it will all fall apart.
I will cover my plan in detail in the next installment but for the moment let it just be said that there has been one plan covering September 2012 to April 21st 2013 and it tells me, in detail, when to run and what to do when I am doing it.

GPS Watch + HR Monitor

Because all of my training is done at set paces, a good GPS device is essential for outdoor running. Since 2011, I have used my Garmin Forerunner 305 with HR chest strap and this is my number 2 essential bit of kit. Although I am only using a fraction of the features on it, the watch simply removes the need to think during a run - it tells me when to go faster, when to go slower and when to stop and I don't really know what more I'd want to ask of it.
Tracking you with high precision, the watch provides an essential counterpoint to all subjective assessments of speed and effort and if you like your data, it provides plenty of it. Historically, the Garmin own-brand data analysis software has been quite bizarre in its terribleness, but they have finally leapt in to the internet age with their Garmin Connect service which, bar a few teething issues, I have found an excellent tool.  Specifically, I really appreciate the ease with which you can put together complex workouts  and send them through to the watch which, in my experience, has been point and click and pretty seamless. 
In the interests of full disclosure, Alison has the new Garmin 405 and there have been a few issues and bugs getting it to talk to the website and not all of them have been ironed out.

Shoes
Unless you are Zola Budd, these are pretty essential. It is also essential that they fit, that they provide the right support and that they are not worn out. 
I have three pairs which I wear in rotation, and I keep a track of how many miles each pair has done; when they get to 300, they get replaced with a new pair. The current mix is: 

• 2 Paris Brooks Ghost 4
• 1 Pair Saucony Triumph 9

I started off with the Ghosts but I have come to prefer the Sauconys as they are a lighter shoe whilst still being supportive. That said, I do value having a mix of brands on the go as it does not allow my legs and feet to get too used to a particular shoe, and importantly they do not get rubbed, strained or otherwise stressed by the same trainier-based issue every run.

Socks
For most runs, I head out in a pair of dual-skin running socks such as those provided by Hilly and although I have had a, not entirely positive experience with Hilly's customer service, the socks are very comfortable and have proven themselves hardy beasts. 
For long runs I will occasionally wear a pair of knee-length compression socks - current ones are from 1000 mile - and although I am still deliberating whether they make a marked difference, I am moving towards the opinion that they do, and I will running the marathon with them.


Layers
Base layer, insulating layer and protection layer. 
Could not agree more - easy, versatile, practical.
Although I have various items of clothing for layers 1 and 2, my essential bit of kit is my protection layer which is currently a Craft active run jacket for when it is cold and a Saucony Vizipro gilet for when it is warm. They are both indestructible, windproof but with great ventilation and have seen me through 24 months of year-round running. You can get away with using t-shirts for base layers, but a good outer-layer will make the difference between an ok run and a miserable one. 

Headphones
It is surprising difficult to find earphones which stay in your ears while running, and I prefer to run with some aural stimulus. For the past year and a half, I have been using a pair of Phillips SHS8100/10 Earhook headphones which despite being relatively inexpensive, have proved themselves to be ideal running kit - they stay where they should, they are not uncomfortable and I can just hang them outside my ears and still hear the music when I want to listen to the world around me - dodgy parks and the like.


Hydration
On any run over 70 minutes, I will have some water with me. My base consumption level is 1ltr/hr and so if I am going out for up to 2 hours, I will just take a belt and a 1 or 1.5ltr water bottle. If I am out for more than that though, I will take a Camelbak. 
Because the tube is right there, it is much easier to sip continuously throughout the run and the 2 ltr bladder means I can run for up to 3 hours without worrying about water. Very handy ideed! Alison has just got the Marathoner pack, but I am just as happy with a Day Star.

Foam Roller
This is what you need to roll out your ITB, hamstrings, hip flexors and calves and if you are doing a lot of running, you need to be doing all those things.
I have a love-hate relationship with my 66 fit roller - it can hurt like hell, but I am sure that using it regularly in combination with stretches has greatly reduced my risk of injury and that is priceless. 
Get one and use it!



Vaseline
Last, but by no means least, Vaseline. No matter whether you choose lycra or non-lycra - I run in both - you do enough miles and you will eventually rub somewhere very uncomfortable, a fact I usually discover post-run in the shower as salt from dried sweat gets washed on to the fresh chafe-age. It is a wonderful, life-affirming sensation.
All of this can be avoided with the liberal application of soft paraffin thanks to the wonders of 19th Century science and I strongly recommend you do.

So there you have it, a whirlwind tour through Iain's running kit essentials. Questions or comments on a post card to the usual address and in part 2, I will cover the running plan itself. 
Until then; happy trails.

Alison's Running Gear Essentials

Whilst going out for a run is one of the easiest exercises to take part in with minimal kit needed, as with all undertakings there's a plethora of spangly items available all selling themselves as 'essential'. 
Since Iain and I have been running (with varying levels of intensity) for a few years now, we thought we'd each share our Top 5 Running Gear choices that we've had actual experience of rather than a wish-list of top-of-the-range stuff. Well-fitting trainers are a given so we haven't included these in our lists. I had new trainers fitted by Run And Become near Victoria, London last week and was impressed by their service. I'm sure everyone will be thrilled to hear about my new trainers when I start wearing them this week...





Alison's Top 5 Running Gear:

1. Good sports bra - Moving Comfort Juno - I bought this last week and it's the best sports bra I've worn in that nothing moves yet I can still breathe. It'd be great if Garmin made a good bra incorporating their heart rate sensor but that seemingly obvious line extension/brand collaboration doesn't exist. Come on Garmin, it would be much more comfortable for the ladies!
2. Device to tell you what to do/how you're doing - Garmin Forerunner 410 - it's much much easier to obey the device than my occasionally weak will! Knowing exactly how far I've gone and have left to go takes all the guesswork and fudging out of training and a Garmin does this really well. I used to use Nike+ and an iPod Nano and revelled in hearing Paula Radcliffe tell me over my headphones that I'd done my furthest run yet. It was fantastic motivation.
3. Good tunes - Above & Beyond Group Therapy Podcasts - I love listening to Trance music whilst running and these podcasts are 2-hours of good music arranged like a radio show with shout-outs to ABGT fans ... maybe I'll get one sometime (hint hint).
4. Waterproof top - Gore Essential - Acquired in a sale at Sweatshop in 2006 this lightweight top keeps the rain off unless it's torrential and stops the wind from cutting right through. Worn over just one layer underneath works well enough even on cold days. Downside is that it lacks usefully-sized pockets.
5. Way to carry water and gels - Camelbak - I don't like running with a water bottle in my hand and waist belts irritatingly ride up from ladyhips to waist so when I started to use Emily's running Camelbak it was something of a revelation. I can carry water, GGG and when it comes to the marathon itself, my phone, keys and painkillers too. I'm considering purchasing one I can use a larger bladder in though as I don't think a litre of water is enough for long training runs.

More:

• Running hat - Nike Daybreak - keeps the sun out of my eyes and the rain from pouring down my forehead. Dries quickly and can be washed in the machine. A winter version made of wool would be ideal right now. Instead I make do with an old fleece beanie.
• Socks - Smart Wool Womens PhD Running Mini - made from merino wool for warmth and sweat-wicking these are the best running socks I've tried and I now have three of the same pairs and rotate them.  Wool socks in my experience keep my feet the driest and therefore, fingers crossed, less blister-prone.
• Tights - Sugoi MidZero - frustrated by constant cold ankles and having to roll the waistband over twice (giving me a stomach ache) to shorten the rise of men's running tights I searched fruitlessly for the holy grail of running tights made for the above-average height woman. They do not exist. Run And Become suggested these tights and they're so snug there's no way they can get up off my ankles to create a gap and grip my waist tightly so there's no 'rapper's crotch' either.  They seem to work, I just hope they don't loosen up too much after repeated washing... we shall see. Another plea to Nike, Brooks, Sugoi, Odlo, Gore, Asics, Adidas, New Balance, Mizuno, Ronhill etc. - can somebody please address the needs of tall, slim women runners. The evidence of our frustration is all over the WWW!
• Tops - Kalenji, Nike - fact: cotton t-shirts soak up sweat and rub. We bought a few cheap synthetic short-sleeve tops from the Kalenji brand at Decathlon and five years later they're still going strong. Now it's cold I'm wearing a Nike long-sleeve base-layer running top and miraculously the sleeves are long-enough for me and it's keeping my arms warm underneath my Gore top (above). The latest and greatest base layers are made from merino wool but I'll wear my current tops out first before investing again.
• Gloves - they're essential on a cold day to stop your hands from going numb and red and I've been quite happily using my old convertible gloves bought for Duke of Edinburgh Award training when I was at school. I can start out a run with toasty mittens and then when I get warmed up, flipping the end up means I keep my knuckles warm but I don't feel overheated. These gloves are similar.

I hope this helps some of the new runners in TEAM! and Iain will be adding his choices soon. Any comments/suggestions/secret sources of especially long sportswear please add below...

Alison :)

34% Done!

I realised that even though I trained for a year to do the marathon in 2007, I didn’t do enough long runs to fully prepare myself, so this time round I've done some research and decided on a training plan following the advice in this book: I looked for a running plan that meant I could keep swimming since I had up until April 2012 spent a year doing a combination of swimming and running to lose weight and get fitter and I just don’t like running enough to do it full time. This time around I was already competent up to 10K to start with so I’m planning to do the ‘FIRST’ method plan for half marathon distance followed immediately by their plan for marathon distance. 

As I write this, I am on week 13 of my 34-week quest to become an averagely competent marathon runner. That's 34% completed!  As prescribed, I run three times a week and cross-train (swim) twice a week and so far I’ve found the plan pretty challenging but just about do-able. I hope it works as my predicted marathon time based on the reality of my pre-training fitness should be around 4.5 hours and that would be a dramatic improvement on 2007 (5:52:34!).  

I've been training since late August and using Iain's Garmin watch with the aid of a post-it note (I didn't understand how to program the watch) to time and run the very specific paces that FIRST stipulates. Iain surprised me with a gift of my very own Garmin Forerunner a few weeks ago so you can now see here the crazy number of times so far, even only since October, I've run round the local parks. 
Both Iain and my run archives are always up to date and can be accessed through the permanent link on the right of the site.
Also, Iain and I can now go out running at the same time of day although not physically together as he's quicker than me!

On an emotional level I've found the training to be helpful in having a goal to work towards when everything else feels it's in disarray and my fundamental belief structure has been turned on its head. Time out running, particularly early in the day when it's just me, the wildlife and the dog-walkers/twitchers feels uncomplicated and allows reflection that brings some tears, but the ducks don't seem to mind :)

Begin the Beguine

Nothing starts from nothing, a bit of running begets a bit more running and old habits die hard. 

It has been 5 years since I last wrote on a blog - the 2007 Marathon blog to be precise - and in the intervening, there have a few miles worn in to the trainers and no doubt a few errors worn in to the DNA. Welcome back!

As this is the first post, I will keep it brief and cover the basics...

The why is covered throughout the site; the where is all over London; the when is 21st April 2013 and this and future posts will cover the how; more precisely how Iain is going to run a sub-4 marathon.

Having tried and failed twice (2007 - 04:49:08 / 2010 - 04:05:57), I have placed my athletic future in the hands of Messrs. Pierce, Murr and Moss, the authors behind the so-far-fantastic Run Less, Run Faster.

Alison and I will undoubtedly spill the beans on the science and the experience as we go, but safe to say that we have been already following the plan for several weeks, and it is going ok!

In the 2007 blog, I added in run analysis for those with a particular interest in the details and I will be doing so again, but this time I have technology working overtime for me: what used to be 30 minutes work on graphics is now only a cut and paste away - here is a archive of all my runs (click on Slideshow, top-left for detailed view) courtesy of Garmin Connect - if you are a member, feel free to befriend me, or whatever the term is! 
Both Alison and my run archives are always up to date and can be accessed through the permanent link on the right of the site!

Please do feel free, indeed we implore you, to comment on our posts (no registration needed) as it makes us feel less alone. We will be using twitter (feed at bottom of page) to post the more flippant and emotional content.

Emily exemplified that we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give; here's to a new journey.

Iain