UKC

I hate running on Tarmac,

so how many long runs do I need to do on the hard stuff to ensure I won't end up with an injury as a result of not being used to it?

Would four training runs of between two and three hours on roads in the weeks before be enough?

In reply to Walshy: 'fell runner to attempt London marathon'

Why?

I jsut can't run on roads, an hour 40, 2 hrs max and I'm injured, normally my ITB again. Generally 13 miles is enough for me.

I just think my body isn't used to the continual consistent impact that road running does.

In reply to Walshy:

There is no answer to this question other than "see how you feel on tarmac and adjust accordingly".

If I were you I'd go out a lot sooner and see how it feels. if it doesn't have a negative then train off road and revisit nearer the time. if a short run now causes you pain then start training on tarmac.

In reply to IainRUK:


So it's not just me then!

In reply to Walshy: 3 or 4 weeks of mainly road work ought to be enough to convert you to the pounding, pace and metronomic monoteny of road running as opposed to fell/cross country running. However get a good pair of specilist road shoes that is the secret to running injury free over roads. An air cushioned shoe is best if you are lucky enough to have a good foot plant and a fairly stright foot plant, rotation and take off. find a gel cushioned shoe if you have any biomechanical problems preferably with a pronation/supernation correction in them. If you need more cushioning sorborthane works.

In reply to IainRUK:


You need better shoes or posibly orthotics. Also doing a few shorter runs first ought to build up strength as it sounds like some of the suport groups are getting over tired. Might want to do weight work to target the mini-musceles involved.

In reply to davidwright:

Simple - glue a big bit of soil+rubble+grass to each shoe and run as normal..

In reply to Walshy: I prefer running on tarmac. I believe I get less impact when the surface is smooth as the contact with the ground can be more accurate. Fast running should be a falling/pushing forwards motion glancing the ground rather than a series of impacts. Perhaps it's more a matter of adjusting gait rather than training to cope with it.

In reply to davidwright: But I've run 50 or 100 mile races on trails with no or little trouble. In march I ran 25 miles over the Tararua Range with no pain, yet soon after ran 23 km in a road race and was in agony with my hip with 5 km's to go.

In reply to Walshy: I've had overuse injuries when doing a spell of road running, but have never suffered any overuse injury fell running..

I can compete upto 20km on the fell but have real trouble racing over 10km distance on road..

The fell for me...Good luck with your race..

In reply to Walshy: The normal "high mileage" bit of any marathon programme is usually 4/5 weeks of long slow runs once a week - a rule of thumb is your 5 longest runs should total over 100 miles.

I buggered my shins training for London last year and ended up having 4 months off - have entered again but will look to do it off 3, maybe 4 runs a week - but I'll still look to do 4 20m+ runs.

In reply to DougG:

No - us " larger ladies " hate road running too. It`s one step up from tread mill running, IMHO.

In reply to Walshy: When I did my second marathon, the first London Marathon, it was also my first in under three hours.
I had to walk backwards down the steps to get to the tube, It is not like fell running, it is a far less varied gait, eventually I got better at the aftermath of them, but if you race it, ie go for a time, expect to suffer for at least your first couple, I then got better at recovery, but I still always found the White Peak Marathon on the old railway tracks less damaging than road running.

In reply to Walshy:


Probably enough to put you out of action for the race.

I'd suggest several shorter, earlier road trips ad then do your distance ones once you've checked your shoes etc.

But I'm no great runner...

J

In reply to Moacs: I think the OP is a runner, but does little on road, that's how I've read it.

In reply to IainRUK:

yes I never run on roads, it's not natural is it?

But I've blagged a place in the marathon so I figure I'll just do it the once.
It's supposed to be an amazing day out.

Thanks for your helpful comments everyone.

In reply to Walshy:

Oh yes and Edale skyline is on March 18th which will be a perfect test of fitness a month or so before London.

In reply to Walshy: I got lost on the skyline run the only time I did it. Embarrasing as I lived on the edge of sheffield for 15 years so know kinder like the back of my hand (so I thought), was chasing a group of runners in thick clag and just ran with them, we ended up right around the back on the northern edges..bugger..

ended up dropping out as we were way over an hour and had little chance of making the cut off.

In reply to IainRUK:

Yes your wore out the suport musscels that were protecting that joint. Road running is very repative every foot strike is like the last it tires different musscels in different ways to trail running and needs better shoes with more cushioning. You need to do road runs that DON'T cause pain and after a few weeks you ought to be able to run for longer.

In reply to davidwright: Not sure, I can manage 20 odd k's OK, but anything further and the pain and boredom kick in.

I do want to do a marathon, but only to beat 3 hrs, completing the distance holds little appeal to me, so would only run off a concerted training period. Which is when I pick up the injuries.

In reply to Walshy: Do you know that's an English Champs race next year so it will be even more busy than usual. I may give it a miss. The last time I did it it wasn't well thought out, too many runners and a gate early on. In NZ, andother races, we've done laps of fields, road sections etc to thin the field out. Hope they consider that for the race.

In reply to IainRUK: I got under three hours with about 35/40 miles a week including a long one on Sunday. To get under an hour for 10 I had to up it to 60/70 miles a week.

In reply to Al Evans: I'm currently around 45 -50 miles a week, 1750 miles logged since the New Year, but am trainingalmost totally off road. I need to do more flat work and get my pace back up. I may look at a half later. I think the llandudno 10 miler is cancelled now which was always the big 10 miler around here.