That’s really all. I’ll try medical tape to see if I prefer that, but the Vaseline did the job, is cheap and didn’t seem to mess up my t-shirt. I’m sure that’s all the chafing chat you can deal with so I’ll leave it at that.
Category Archives: Running
More running technology – iPhone sports armband & SprintGPS
Ok, so technically I tried these whilst cycling this morning rather than on an actual run, but quick initial assessment…
This iPhone sports armband works pretty well – other than the fact that with the extended strap you need guns the size of a small redwood to have it fit snugly, it holds the iPhone secure, gives good access to the iPhone screen and generally does the job. You can fiddle the strap so it fits comfortably on more modest guns. The lack of a fitted screenguard will make it less useful in the rain, but I’d rather have unimpeded access to mess around with the interface the rest of the time… Downside for me is that the iPhone needs to be out of its regular case to fit in it, but I guess any armband that didn’t require that would be pretty bulky.
SprintGPS is a competing app with Runkeeper (which I’ve mentioned before) which I decided to give a try because it a) supports cycling as well as running & walking and b) they followed me on Twitter and left a comment here, so was impressed by their social media prowess ;-). Like Runkeeper, it uses a GPS lock on your iPhone to track pace, location, etc., over a timed workout (giving you splits, average speeds, estimated calorie burn etc.) – unlike Runkeeper it also has music controls in the free version (vital until multi-tasking with iPhone OS4.0 kicks in, as I discovered when a phone call during my half-marathon training run on Sunday interrupted my playlist, never to be resumed) and a few other cute features. Social media sharing via Twitter and Facebook is pretty seamless (although not quite as pretty as Runkeeper, which gives you a thumbnail map in your share) and GPS lock was quick and effective. The online route map and analytics are pretty good too, although again this doesn’t feel quite as slick as Runkeeper’s.
Tempted to try this on my next long run… What does anybody else think?
Update: SprintGPS free only lets you save a couple of activities, rendering it pointless. I’m back with Runkeeper, and considering RunKeeper Pro (but will wait for iPhone OS 4.0 before I do that…) The armband, however, works brilliantly when running too.
The day after the run before
I can walk again! Only took a day’s rest from yesterday’s ridiculous run.
I will probably run again tomorrow after the mammoth 20-ker yesterday, taking on a gentle-ish 5k as I consider entering for Thursday’s race. Should I run against banana-man in my first ever race event?
I don’t know how I’ve got to a point where I think of a 5k race as a ‘short run’ but it is definitely a good feeling. That said, the banana I’m told finishes in under 24 minutes, and my best ever time for a 5k is about 28… so the run for me will be more along the lines of “defeated by the banana…”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuR1u0pjR3s]
Shake and bake…
Chafing whilst running
It’s not a pretty topic so cast your eyes elsewhere if you’re not keen to discuss it.
As about the least athletic person most of you could imagine, I’d not really encountered this issue before I started running a bit more seriously earlier this year. When I started pushing beyond 5ks, it started to get a bit sore a bit between my thighs – the ensuing web research pointed to Vaseline or running shorts as a solution – and £30 at Startfitness later, I had completely resolved this issue (I prefer my bright red Puma shorts to the more demure black Nike alternatives, but I wear them under normal shorts as I haven’t quite acquired that degree of exhibitionist tendencies as yet).
Over the last week or two, the nipple chafing has started to become a problem. Here, I’m told, there are three options:
1. Vaseline or Bodyglide. Sensei Paul swears by Vaseline.
2. Plasters (band-aids for American readers) or medical tape – or the ludicrously expensive and amusingly named Nipguards
3. Bleed like a boss (Sports bras are clearly not an option for hard running men)
The fourth option, which I tried and enjoyed yesterday, was running without a t-shirt, although that seems a slippery slope (and it did raise a number of eyebrows on a grey, blustery day).
I’m going to try options 1 and 2 this week, as option 3 is not one I’m keen on (the pain was more distracting than the muscular discomfort caused by my longest run ever yesterday). What do you folk use? Not going to try another survey, let us know in the comments. Is there a magical chafe-free t-shirt out there somewhere?
Today’s long slow run – 9 May 2010
Because I’m ridiculous, and slightly anxious about the half-marathon in September, to prove to myself I would be OK, I decided to run one today.
Yes, really. I am an idiot.
Still, I did it, and feel pretty good about it (the achievement, not in general. My legs are jelly). The furthest I’d run before today was a 14km run a couple of weeks ago, so this was 50% on top of the previous best. I managed it in 2h11 minutes, which I am happy with – hopefully in 4 months I’ll be able to shave 15 minutes off that and come in under 2 hours. Although today’s run was pretty gentle – mostly flat, good conditions, no traffic to contend with…
I need to get some better t-shirts, though, as the chafing (I know, I know, too much information) got uncomfortable after kilometer 4, so I ended up running barechested (calm down, people) for most of the remainder of the run. Which on a blustery, drizzly Spring day raised a few eyebrows, I can tell you…
Runkeeper went a bit mental after about 16km so I don’t have proper stats on the run, but I was going at what felt like quite a gentle pace of about 9.5-10km/h (a split of 6m30s per km), which was sustainable. That said, the last 3-4 km were really tough – at the limit of my current level of fitness (if not endurance). My legs are slightly wobbly now and I think I’m going to take a few days off… especially as I’m considering entering “beat the banana” (it’s not as rude as it sounds) on Thursday. Anyone fancy joining for the 5km sprint against a man dressed as a banana?
Running technology (or Nike+ vs Garmin vs Runkeeper)
I’m not a naturally fit person. Exercise has never been an easy thing, and I’ve never really ‘trained’ as such. Talking to Sensei Paul about his marathon training, it became incredibly apparent how aware he is of things like his own pace, heart rate, the distance and time he’s trained for, his energy levels… well, there’s an app for some of that, I discovered.
Nike+, a combination heart-rate monitor (HRM), wireless pedometer and reasonably clever iPhone app seemed a sensible first port of call. It was relatively cheap (about £40), it would help work out pace, duration, etc., and there’s a HRM with the sportsband. By working to improve my pace and trying to get my training heart rate up, I’d gradually improve. However… after reading a couple of articles like this one it became apparent that the Nike+ tool isn’t massively accurate. Worse, there were mixed reports on the (non-replaceable) battery life of the sensor, some saying it lasted as few as 30 miles (other saying it lasted for 2 years). And worse still… I gave up Nike shoes about 5 years ago, so would have to use it in a shoelace pouch… which according to fellow B2L runner Susannah makes it less reliable.
So that got scratched off the list.
Next up was the Garmin Forerunner 305; £133 worth of giant-ass GPS watchery. Now; other than cost and the fact that the watch face was the size of a small heli-pad (you should read some of the Amazon reviews), this seemed like a better idea. Runners loved this; even Sensei Paul, who only got a mobile phone about 6 months ago (seriously, its true!), thinks this is a good idea. Everyone wanted me to get one so they could play with it… but, I’m saving up for a house and an iPad, and it was a lot of dosh… so I decided to try an iPhone app first and see if it matched the features in any way without draining my iPhone’s battery down to zero.
Enter RunKeeper Free. It is, erm, free, uses the iPhone’s GPS to track your pace, duration of run, route of run, elevation and everything else.
And it is awesome – amazing for something that costs zero pounds and zero pence. It does drain the iPhone battery quite quickly – I run listening to music and a 30 minute run takes off about 15% of the battery life of my 3GS. A 50 minute run took out 25%, so there’s some proportionality. But given that my longest run is going to be a couple of hours, and the iPhone charges up hella fast, I don’t think its going to be an issue. The GPS lock is quick (assuming you turn Wifi off, which apparently interferes). The app keeps tabs of all of your previous runs – here’s one of mine.
The only problem I have with RunKeeper is that the iPhone needs to be out in hand… so I’ve had to invest in an armband – we’ll see how much difference that makes when it turns up.
I’ve used RunKeeper three times and its proving effective in motivating me to improve my efforts (my slightly obssessive personality kicking in again, trying to beat my previous paces on similar runs)… I have been followed on Twitter by the makers of an App called SprintGPS which I might try out as it supports other exercises too (cycling etc). Will keep blog-readers posted on progress…
Do you use running technology? What’s your view?
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Stretching
There are a lot of things I want to write about on this blog – as with everything I do, I have added a layer of geekery and obsession to my new running habit. Expect posts on running technology, clothing, New Balance trainers, iPhone apps, music choices, route planning, fitness development, muscle tone, core stability and more… but the one that’s really getting me at the moment is the simple stretch.
I really suck at stretching. I lack the patience and the self-awareness to feel the stretch in the relevant muscles, and so I tend to spend a couple of minutes making what could only be called a token gesture towards stretching before jogging off, and another minute or two at the end dealing with whatever cramps or tightness I’ve acquired.
This week, it went a bit wrong after a 5-mile pre-work jog a couple of days ago, and so now I find myself, cramp-calfed and in search of a stretching routine.
This chap maintains that pre-run stretching is pointless (true?) but does have a number of tips for cool-down stretches that I will try tomorrow after a 10k run (I’m going to shoot for 15k on Sunday, my longest distance yet). I’m hoping that introducing a ‘routine’ to it will give me something to work through…
Anyone else got any good tips? It feels like my muscle tightness, not my overall aerobic fitness, is the biggest barrier to my speed at the moment, and if I have any hope of completing the half marathon in under two hours I’m going to need to sort this out…
Welcome from Armand
Hello and welcome! On this blog James and I will be charting our progress as we train towards our respective half marathons later this year. James is a veteran at the running game (heading for his sixth half-marathon and fresh from completing the London marathon) – whereas I’ve never, ever run competitively. The “long slow run” is a reference to the longer weekend run that forms part of many runners’ training schedules as we work towards a long-distance goal – but you probably knew that, and it is just me that’s finding all this out for the first time…
James and I are colleagues at PR firm Brands2Life and he’s one of several people that have been providing wisdom and advice as I’ve jogged down this path. My thanks also go to Paul, the ultimate running Sensei, Rach, who is running with me in September, Amanda, my wife and my semi-retired-from-running-friend Jimjamjebobo… and many more, no doubt.
If you think of anything, or anyone, that’s saying useful things about running please let us know as we build up the blogroll and start maintaining this blog.