TR Running Thread 2025

Training
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So until I figure that out, had my first ever running race yesterday. A 5k to get used to things.

I took up running in late 2023, and really struggled with instability and pain/ soreness for the first 3 months.
After running super slowly for 3 months, I got into faster paced stuff, with my best being a 17:19 5K in March 2024 (training run on perfect asphalt).
3 weeks later, I got a blister during a 20k long run. As stupid as I am I just kept on running. Arriving at home, I was in bad pain…
… that just wouldn’t heal. So a couple weeks later I figured out I had a torn hamstring and a broken seat bone. Well oh well!
I used my 3 months off to really get fit on the bike and work on my strength in the gym.
Until I started to have real bad digestive problems.
A couple weeks later, I got diagnosed with Ulcerosa Colitis.
Long story short, 2024 was a difficult year on my fitness.
I got a new coach, and we really gradually built up again. Running really slowly, only 2 runs a week etc.
During the past couple of months, I got sick pretty often, which made progress slow.
Since about Christmas, I’ve been pretty well, and could really focus on training. Nothing fast, but I can now comfortably long run a half in sub 1:40, without thinking about it too hard.

Yesterday was my first fast run in about 11 months and my first race ever. It was super cold and the course had pretty tight corners and sometimes rough surfaces.

I clocked in a 17:28 (or a 17:23 net), and got a bronze in the 5K. Super happy, and really looking forward to the 10K in 3 weeks from now.

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Hey, everyone… I’m running the a half-marathon in New York City on March 16th. I expect the temperature to be about 40F (5C), and I’m a really slow runner (so far!)… my goal is to be under 3 hours and my PB so far is 3:08.

Can I please get some tips on appropriate clothing for that run? Especially for my head and hands… I’m guessing torso will be OK with a long-sleeved T-shirt and a thin windbreaker which will also trap heat inside (yes?), but I have no idea what to put on my head or hands and I really, REALLY don’t want freezing fingers!

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Smartwhool gloves and hat. Tighter is better than looser.

Pending the forecast I might skip the rain shell and do a thin thermal long sleeve inside the long running shirt.

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I’ve run races here in CA in 40 degrees which probably feels a bit different than NY but I would use the stretchy gloves from Target or Walmart (they cost a couple dollars) as you can discard or tuck in your waste and if you get hot. I’d go with a cheap beanie that you can discard as well.

In my prime I’d wear that with the regular singlet and shorts. These days I would wear with some arm warmers you can remove or a long sleeve shirt as you said. Cloud cover and wind will be important here. If there is a breeze it can feel cold. If it’s sunny and still 40 can feel quite warm.

Ultimately prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Good luck to you!

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Try dressmyrun.com.

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I did my first professional performance analysis for running yesterday.
The company I did it with also coaches me since last year, and has a few German Tri pros under coaching and have them using their assessment.
It was a two step test. Session one was a step test. 5 Minutes at a given pace, and then 1kph added. 30 second breaks to take blood from the ear lobe.
We did this test up to 17kph (or 3:30/km).
The second test was a ramp to exertion. Every 30 seconds a .5 kph increase. We started at 12kph (5:00 pace) and after reaching 20kph (3:00 pace), the speed doesn’t increase anymore, but the grade increases. After 30 seconds at 3:00 pace, I immediately collapsed at 3:00 and 1% grade. Insane how people can run 50K at that speed.
It’s minor, but these test are conducted using my everyday shoes (Superblast 2 for me), so with raceday shoes, some more should be possible).
The results are:
LIT (or FatMax) is: 4:15 (3:00h Marathon pace)
Threshold is: 3:45 (or 6 minute mile pace)
VO2 Max: 69.7 (c’mon, why not 70?).
This also shows how my fat and carb absorbtion alters at different speed, and how my lactate increases. Lactate however for me is super low. Possibly an advantage for long events, bad for short events.

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What’s very interesting is, that my VO2 Max clearly isn’t the limiting factor. My engine is too big for the suspension. My running economy is in the normal range, but rather on the lower end.
That can likely be attributed to my low lifetime mileage (sub 1500km).
I still cycle more than I run atm, and the coach says will likely start to alter that over time.

Really cool to get all that insight. And definitely a good way to focus on the things that are the biggest potentials. Currently, one of the biggest other area of improvement is mentally. Apparently, I quit or slow down even when the lactate isn’t particularly high.

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We’re a little late here, but Happy New Year!

Let’s hear about your running goals this year. :running_woman: :running_man:

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My primary spring/summer/fall sport is XC MTB but my running goal is to keep at least two 30 minute runs in the workout rotation per week to keep my 57 year old body hardened to the stresses running puts on the body. I feel running a couple times per week is good for bone density and keeping the leg muscles balanced.

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I agree, and even if that’s not correct I’m going to keep running some because if I stop completely it’s a painful slow process getting going again after only riding for a bit.

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Feb 23 was my longest adult training run ever (17K), and I ran it like a time trial (not sure if that’s the right term) with a target pace of 8:30/13:40 (km/mi).

I almost made it! My 70lbs-overweight, middle-aged butt managed 8:33/13:45 thanks to one big hill, but that’s a new all-time (post-high-school!) 10-mile PB and a full 0:22 sec/km faster than my prior record.

It seems like I have at least some hope of breaking three hours in the NYC half-marathon in two weeks. :pray:t2:

So I may be really slow… but I’m still GETTING FASTER! :grin:

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I’m having another go at a sub 3hr marathon after bottling it last year.

Last year I totally gave up the bike during my training plan but this year I’m trying to maintain cycling fitness too… so we’ll see how that goes :grimacing:

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Just did my 50k which came out to a 33 mile run on the most beautiful day. Happy to have done it, ready to have been past it. Pretty standard run report, miles 0-10 were smooth and enjoyable, filled bottles, 10-18 had all the elevation gain (800ft) and started feeling long with some calf and ham cramping, filled bottles and swapped shoes, 18-25 had a pretty ugly mix of walk run, dropped the vest and shirt and put on the carbon plates and finished it up.

I did a 800gram carb load the day prior, was well rested and felt good going in.

Stoked to work on some shorter distance work for a while.

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Put my recently tested performance figures to the test last weekend, on the same course as this 5K 3 weeks ago.

I knew I was fast on 5K, but I had never run a 10K quickly. Last year, I ran a 17:19 5k, and 3 weeks later completely crumbled during a 10K attempt.
That made me a little worried, that the same thing might happen again. My level of training is however very different to last time. I now have many months of solid training in my legs.

After running 17:23 on the 5K, my goal was to at least go below 37:23. That’s a 3:44/pace.

On the morning of the race it was 3C, but sunny. The sun would come to bite me after about 6k, as I slightly overdressed.
I set out real fast and followed a group I overheard was aiming at 3:35 pace. I continously checked my watch but they just wouldn’t slow down. After 1.3k, I decided to let the group go, having averaged 3:27 up to this point. My legs still felt good, but I knew this wasn’t sustainable.

I was cruising really well between 3:40 and 3:45 per K from then on. After 6K, I started getting pretty hot, but removing my headband and gloves did the trick. After 7K I could finally see another runner, who I followed with a distance of some 50 meters or so. From K 7 to 8 I had to dig a little deeper. I started having stitches in the sides, and didnt’t want this to become worse.
From K8 onwards, I hit a runners high. Really in control, riding the vibe of the techno from my head phones and closing in on the other guy. We ran the final K together, but he had better (and 12 years younger) legs to sprint to the line.

I came 3rd overall on the 10K (the faster group I let go was running the 20K and 5K distances), and ran my first ever 10K in sub 40 minutes. Really happy with the result and how everything felt and now gives me really good hope I can run a sub 1:24 Half 5 weeks from now.

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Regarding the performance figures:
My lactate threshold was tested to be 3:45 pace. The 3:40 therefore should’ve felt a little more painful than it did, I recon.
The performance diagnostics was done on slower shoes (Superblast 2 vs running in Metaspeed Sky Paris yesterday). However, the run yesterday was done in a park, so possibly a little slower than asphalt.
I recon my real threshold lies somewhere between 3:45 and 3:38.

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Hi guys,
Do you have some general recommendations for a running newbie?
Currently doing 4 TR sessions on the bike, with a volume around 5-6h. I aim to have running on top of those sessions and as an alternative when I’m on a business trip (easier to pack the running stuff than the bike :D).
What kind of benefits do you see when combining cycling and running?

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As someone who has relatively recently transitioned from cycling to doing both, running and cycling, I can definitely tell you of a few things that I did wrong.
Firstly, running is a great sport. It’s so damn easy, you can get dressed in 2 minutes and just go. Also, running is fun at -3C and at 31C (Idk, 25F and 90F or something). I am on business trip relatively frequently and you can do it anywhere. You knew all of this, but just wanted to say that.

Things to bear in mind:

  • you are very likely too fit for your own good. You will likely be quite fit from cycling, and therefore have the cardio vascular capacity to run quite fast. However running is a very different beast. Start slow! I mean real slow. 1 run a week, or 2, but do short distances and walk if you feel like it. You cannot run too slow, you can only run too fast (and far). I did this completely wrong, despite everyone warning me. The result was a ton of pain and injuries. Really sucked. I have then run 2 runs a week, slow and short, never progressing more than 10% of distance in a week. I did this for 4 months, and I really needed that. After that, I could finally progress, and start running faster and longer.
  • What really helped me was accessory work. Core training, stability work etc. You’ll find loads of videos on routines for that on YouTube. Do them! I did that twice a week and after a while finally had my ailings go away. I had an aching hip during and after every run. I really took a couple of months to build the stability necessary.
  • Cycling performance transfers pretty well to running performance. I have built most of my fitness over the past 15 months on the bike. From what I heard, that doesn’t work as well the other way around. However, many cyclists use running during the off-season, which can be beneficial. There is a good video by Dylan Johnston on that (off season).

In brief:

  • start slow, start short. You have the fitness to run faster, but that will only lead to injury and pain.
  • do stability work, for example after every run.
  • Also, try out a couple of trainers. You don’t want a racing shoe for training. They are not stable and last very shortly. Putting on the shoes properly is a skill to learn. Getting the pressure of the laces just right takes some figuring out.
  • Fueling and gastric sensitivity can become relevant once your runs become longer and more intense
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Thank you very much for this detailed answer!

Indeed, after running a couple of times, I found my legs being tense in places where they are not usually after cycling, even an intense session. My core feels to work more as well.
My idea for now is to keep running as an addition and for endurance sessions. I limit myself to 45mins and 150-160bpm max. That results in a 6.5 mins/km pace.
I found also my steps and the way I run quite rubbish by stepping over small stones on the road. I guess it will improve over time.

Strength training is already part of my routine, my bodyweight exercises. They indeed improved quite a lot my posture and fatigue tolerance on the bike.

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Does anyone have any good (3-4 at most) gym or bodyweight excercise to help when transitioning from cycling to running?

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There are many many exercises that can help you. I am not the biggest fan of exercises where you stand on wobbly ground or stuff like that.
Resistance training and plyometrics can definitely go a long way.
The 3 places you want to stabalize are your ankles (something like calf raises, jumps etc. can help here), your knees (squats, lunges, jump squats, single legged work etc.), your hips (these can be stabilized via the hamstrings and glutes, so squats, deadlifts, donkey kicks etc. and via the core (glute bridge, planks, side plank, crunches and all the typical abs work…).
It definitly helps to continously work on all of these, and then shift your focus once you feel your are lacking stability somewhere. I had major hip stability issues early on. Took me 4 months to get those sorted. After 2 weeks of pain free running, I started feeling my achilles tendon. I was really weak in my calves, so I worked on that.
I then managed to tear my hamstring which made me stay off running for months. I have since done a lot of work on the hamstrings.
Since that, I have run 1000k injury and pain free. Took me a lot of painful lessons.

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I enjoy Bulgarian split squats, deadlifts, goblet squats, and weighted lunges. I don’t do heavy weights.

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I’m doing squats, deadlifts, calf raises, pull-ups, and core a few times a week, and I’ve seen virtually all of my running issues disappear.

In the off-season, I’ll usually add some more heavy lifting in, like leg-press, glutes, etc.

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