runner thread

charles · Joined: 09 Jan 2004 Posts: 14190

who runs? Who competes, who runs to get/stay fit for the mountains?

Did a 10km road race today, lousey slow 51mins 49 secs. I´m no great shakes, but last year I did it in 49mins... grrrr!! But it was a nce country race along good roads through a nice village. The weather was sunny and warm so who could ask for more... except maybe 3 minutes off my time.

Cy Kaicener · Joined: 18 Oct 2004 Posts: 4259

I try to run up the Palm Springs Tramway road which is 4 miles with 2200 ft elevation gain. It takes me 56 minutes.
The guy that won the annual race last year did it in 25 minutes. The Mount Baldy Labor day race is more interesting with 4000 ft of gain. The Pikes Peak marathon is even better up to the 14000 ft summit.
http://www.pikespeakmarathon.org/

Deleted User · Joined: 13 Feb 2006 Posts: 16777182

I enjoy running and I use it to stay in shape for mountaineering. My normal schedule is 5 miles 3X per week plus a Saturday long run of 7 to 10 miles. When I'm preparing for a climb, I'll add a lot of hills to my runs. When I'm getting ready for an occasional marathon (not more than once a year) I'll extend my Saturday runs to between 12 and 18 miles depending on where I am in the training schedule.

I'm also pretty slow, Charles. A good 10K for me is 51 minutes.

IdahoKid · Joined: 03 Oct 2004 Posts: 603

I run 15 miles per week give or take a few but I rarely do more than 4 miles at a time. I find if I do I usually end up tweaking something or my knees ache and I figure at 17 that must not be a good sign, I guess I must not have a runner's body or somethin.

I compete in triatholans (usually short ones) and do the running leg of it, but I prefer hike racing myself.

Whatever your view is, no doubt that it is great cross-training for climbing, especially when one throws in a few hills.
Sean

avidwanderer · Joined: 12 Sep 2004 Posts: 295

Running is great! I put in about 40k a week, usuall in 8 and 12k increments. Although I don't run fast, I just did a 2 mile for the APFT in 13:59. Not old yet baby!

mountaindog · Joined: 17 Apr 2002 Posts: 1073

Well done Charles! Since you are in and around Munihc, you should run a 10 or 20k volksmarch. They are usualy on a soft trail plus there is plenty of beer at the finish!

I normally run 3-5 times per week for at least an hour at a time. While running is great exercise, I find myself still needing to bike and rollerblade to strengthen the knees for ascents/descents.

Steve Larson · Joined: 14 Oct 2003 Posts: 2344

I'm an occasional runner. I usually try to run twice a week, sometimes more. I have some fire roads near the house which provide some good hill workouts. When I'm feeling masochistic I'll load up a pack with gear and hump a load up to the top, about 1,600' gain. I find I get bored with running, so I need to mix it up with other kinds of aerobic exercise. There's nothing like it, though, for preparing for a climb.

bilford · Joined: 30 Sep 2003 Posts: 56

I would say I am more a runner than a mountaineer. I run to be in shape for adventure races...this fall I intend to run my first ultramarathon, 50 miles.

Lolli · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 11090

I hate running... it's boring.

cftbq · Joined: 10 Dec 2004 Posts: 232

Well, it sounds like all of you are faster than I am, but I still love running. The more peakbagging I do, the more running seems like the natural mode of locomotion to me. I've been running 10 or 15 miles per week for several years, just to maintain health, but am now training up: I do 3 or 4 miles three times each week, and then a long run once a week. I'm now up to about 20 miles, always with some elevation gain (since I live right at the foot of the mountains!).
Lolli--how can you get bored?? Running pumps my mental state up like nothing else!

JodyLangford · Joined: 29 Nov 2003 Posts: 252

I run to the refrigerator to get another Dr. Pepper, does that count?

f360driver · Joined: 20 Feb 2004 Posts: 75

I compete in triathlons, so I don't just focus on running. I just finished an Olympic distnace triathlon two weeks ago and my 10k was 48minutes after a 1500M swim and 40K bike so I figure I could take about 4 minutes off of that if I were running it fresh. I run about 20miles per week on top of my biking and swimming.

Misha · Joined: 02 Oct 2002 Posts: 3862

I used to run a lot when I was in school. My specialty was 400m and 800m track. When I was given a choice to either run professionally (full time) or quit serious training and focus on college, I chose education.

Since then I slowly picked up long distance running and completed my first marathon in 2001. It was a brutal and rather boring outing, so I decided not to run another marathon for a while and instead climb / hike as much as possible.

I may start regular running again now that days are longer, and I just discovered a great 5-6 mile trail around my house.

charles · Joined: 09 Jan 2004 Posts: 14190

I like running x-country... up hill and down dale is never borring, brutal but never borring Surprised

) There is something fine about moving quickly, or in my case, relatively quickly, through the landscape.

Lolli · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 11090

Well, cftbg... I used to do cross-country running for a while, but I prefer bicycling out-doors and working-out in a gym,
I was going to say nothing ever happens, one just keeps on running and it's the same thing all the time, but then I realised it was the same thing with cycling - and that's something I enjoy - so, I just don't enjoy it and I don't know why
long walks and short runs with the dogs is ok, though