Official Strava/Runkeeper Thread

[Icy]

Great app for sure, it's what i also use to track my activities and automatically export to Strava and Runkeeper from it.

[kingfc22]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

One-day freebie for iSmoothRun. I strongly recommend this app. It's normally 5 or 6 bucks.

I second this!

[FrogMan]

even though I now own a Garmin watch, I still use this app for the days when I want to run and listen to music while running because it gives you audio cues as to your pace and such. Very good app...

FM

[Alan T]

For those into the "social competition" aspect to help motivate you, check out Welcome | Fit Leagues

They basically have "seasons" where you compete against others for points based on your activities. The points you get appear to be primarily based on mileage (similar to the Strava challenges we have been doing).

They have API calls that can link to your runkeeper or strava accounts to automatically pull in your activities from there (Strava appears to be broken for them right now though due to changes in the strava API , so I guess only runkeeper connections work currently).

They place you in a league based on your average daily activity, for instance I was put into the Gold league once I resynced all of my old Runkeeper data, which is the top league where I currently am in 9th position.

In addition to their overall leagues, it has setup for custom leagues with your runkeeper friends, or you can set up a custom league all together (such as a FOFC league if desired).

Anyways, check it out if this type of thing interests you. Once you get it setup, doesn't require any extra effort every day from you to populate it if you're already using runkeeper.

[FrogMan]

just signed up for Fitleagues and was put in your league Alan, I'm quite a ways below though...

FM

[Alan T]

Only 11 points behind me. That's just a little over 1 mile!

[Kodos]

I should be able to start up exercising again tomorrow. Had to go to visit my parents and didn't have any opportunities due to circumstances.

[FrogMan]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Only 11 points behind me. That's just a little over 1 mile!

hah, I guess you're right

I did create an FOFC league, passcode is "fittrout" without the "".

FM

[Kodos]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

hah, I guess you're right

I did create an FOFC league, passcode is "fittrout" without the "".

FM

Joined!

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

hah, I guess you're right

I did create an FOFC league, passcode is "fittrout" without the "".

FM

Cool, thanks I joined!

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Once you get it setup, doesn't require any extra effort every day from you

You said the magic words. I'm in.

[Ben E Lou]

Did the same interval workout as last Thursday, but with much better results today.

[korme]

Been out of commission for the past week and a half with an awful cold. I'm on the upswing, though, so by the weekend I think I will be able to get back at it

[AlexB]

Ran my first 10k today - pleasantly surprised that my pace actually increased compared to my 5 mile runs. I think I have my pace, and it's endurance that is my limiter.

Second mile was almost all uphill, third mile almost all downhill, and I think this helped a lot as I really try and hold back at the start of my runs to make sure I'm not out of gas at the end.

Legs are a little tired, but I'm happy

[FrogMan]

that's great Alex, well done!

FM

[Alan T]

Great job Alex!

[Kodos]

Gotta get my ass back in gear.

[Ben E Lou]

Originally Posted by Alan T

Northwood_DK, I have a question.. on your runs over 1:30, such as your 13 mile runs, do you bring any hydration or nutrients for your run?

I haven't been thus far because it has not been too hot yet, and I haven't felt the need for it, but I am trying to figure out when I should start. Most things that I read seem to indicate it is a good idea to start thinking about it if the run is going to start going considerably over 1 hour, but it is very individualized depending on the person.

My run today is scheduled to likely be close to 2 hours (my long run for the week), and I'm puzzling if I should try bringing my hydration belt with me. I've actually never used it before, and thinking of giving it a try even if I don't end up using or needing it.

Originally Posted by Northwood_DK

I also have a running belt but don’t like using it. When I do the 21 km I normally have a bottle from the belt in each hand instead. Then I don’t have to think about what to do with my fingers while running.

I have also read one hour but by now I know my body normally works fine without hydration and nutrients as long as I stay under two hours.

The few times I have gone over 21 km I have also brought a banana. In my experience the trick is to start eating/drinking early. The body is not like a car you can refill when close to empty.

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

I don't run over an hour very often, but the times I have I have not bothered to bring water or any other nutrients. Even during half-marathon races I almost always avoid the water stations, aside from the sponges (I love the sponges). I generally can't bear the thought of slowing/stopping, and the couple times I have tried to drink water while running resulted in lots of choking. The one time I tried a Gatorade it made me feel more thirsty almost instantly. And good gravy I can't imagine choking down one of those gel pack things.

I'm sure lots of scientists or super-runners would laugh at the folly of the above, but it has worked well for me to this point and I don't feel any impetus to change things up.

Originally Posted by Alan T

Thanks Northwood_DK and Fidatelo. I did end up bringing my Nathan belt with me on my run to try it out and filled each bottle with gatorade. I decided to go with the plan of taking a few sips every 20 minutes. (My run I estimated would be pretty close to 2 hours on the nose)

For the most part it worked fine. The belt didn't bother me any, I had it turned around backwards so didn't even notice it there at all to be honest. I don't know if I noticed any help from the drinking, but it probably is one of those things that I would notice not having been drinking once I got about 90 minutes in I guess.

I did get a good amount of air bubbles in when I drank though but a few burps or so after each drink seemed to solve that problem.

Bumping this line of discussion as my Sunday runs are planned to be roughly 1.5 to 2 hours for the next three months. Yesterday's was 1:54:37. I took some Gu Energy Gel along with me but didn't consume it, and didn't do anything about hydration. Four of my last five miles were faster than my average pace for the overall run, so I wasn't exactly hurting at the end, but I'm wondering a few things here...

1. Since race pace is going to be significantly faster than long run pace, might that make me need to hydrate/fuel on race day even if I don't during training?
2. What would be the signs that I needed to hydrate/fuel? I felt ok and my pace didn't slow down, but are there other things I should be looking at here?
3. I am a long-time heavy water drinker. I make sure I take a whizz right before my long runs, and typically need to do so again shortly afterward, if not immediately. Might I just have a generally high level of hydration and not really need to worry about it in the 10-15 mile range?

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Bumping this line of discussion as my Sunday runs are planned to be roughly 1.5 to 2 hours for the next three months. Yesterday's was 1:54:37. I took some Gu Energy Gel along with me but didn't consume it, and didn't do anything about hydration. Four of my last five miles were faster than my average pace for the overall run, so I wasn't exactly hurting at the end, but I'm wondering a few things here...

1. Since race pace is going to be significantly faster than long run pace, might that make me need to hydrate/fuel on race day even if I don't during training?
2. What would be the signs that I needed to hydrate/fuel? I felt ok and my pace didn't slow down, but are there other things I should be looking at here?
3. I am a long-time heavy water drinker. I make sure I take a whizz right before my long runs, and typically need to do so again shortly afterward, if not immediately. Might I just have a generally high level of hydration and not really need to worry about it in the 10-15 mile range?

My understanding is that hydration is not an at the moment thing, but instead is something you need to handle all week long. Since you say that you are a heavy water drinker, your hydration is probably in a fine shape. You are not going to suddenly de-hydrate in 60 minutes and pass out in most cases.

The times that hydration is important is probably more to do with handling the heat or more severe environment than you are used to. As you sweat more, there is a higher amount of sodium that leaves your body which will effect your performance if you have enough loss. Here is a little science on the subject:

Everyone knows that dehydration is bad. But how bad? Current research indicates that some level of dehydration (up to 3%) does not impact performance, or impacts performance much less than expected^[1]. (Dehydration of 5% does impact performance^[2].) This may be due to the fact that carbohydrate (Glycogen) is stored with water, in the ratio of about 1g Glycogen to 2.5g water^[3]. This means that 2000 calories of Glycogen depletion that are likely to occur in marathon distance runs would result in about 4lb Weight Loss with no reduction in hydration (2000Kcal/4=500g Glycogen + 1250g water = 1750g).

You can read a whole bunch of information on Hydration here that might be helpful: The Science Of Hydration - Running tips for everyone from beginners to racing marathons and ultramarathons

For me personally, I can run 10k fine without any drink. I have run further without needing anything on cooler days, but if it is hot out, or I am running closer to 2 hours, I'll bring gatorade with me just in case I feel that I need it.

Here is Fellrnr's Practical Hydration guidelines:

Fellrnr's Hydration Guidelines

• When you are thirsty, drink. If you are not thirsty, don't drink. Over-hydration kills!
• If salty things (potato chips, etc) appeal, eat salty things or drink with electrolytes. If salty things (or the thought of salty things) are nauseating, drink water.
• Don't drink to make the suffering of a race less - if you're not thirsty, drinking won't help your misery.
• Don't drink a fixed amount; let your thirst guide you.
• If you're thirsty, don't skip drinking to make up time; unless you are very close to the finish, you'll end up slower.
• Don't start your run thirsty - it is better to hydrate before you start than to try to 'catch up' on the run. However, drinking lots of water before a run without plenty of electrolytes is a bad thing. This practice can flush out electrolytes, creating a problem ahead of time.
• Try a little extra salt in your drink. A 1/4 teaspoon of table salt per quart of sports drink can make a lot of difference and is easy to try in training.

You can see more here: Practical Hydration - Running tips for everyone from beginners to racing marathons and ultramarathons

As for gels or other glycogen supplement during a race, those are generally used to help replace some of the glycogen that is used up as you run. With proper runner's diet you generally can store 2000 calories of carbohydrates to burn up during the run. For many marathoners, that is depleted somewhere around mile 20, which is why you often hear about the mile 20 wall that they have to push through. For us, running a half-marathon, it is unlikely that you should burn through all of your glycogen store in 13.1 miles, and that makes the need for gels to be less likely. That said, some people still use them for runs even as short as 10k, but most common belief that i have read is that gels aren't really necessary for a half-marathon.

Since mid-run fueling is very individualistic on what works for different people, you can read through some more of fellrnr's suggestions on that here: Mid Run Fueling - Running tips for everyone from beginners to racing marathons and ultramarathons

[Subby]

You don't need gel for stuff under 2 hours. You aren't going to deplete your carbohydrate stores in that time.

As long as you are hydrated before you run, you probably are fine for the next 2 hours, too. You may want to bring 16 oz along to take during the last half hour, but unless the temp is really high, I think you'll be fine.

[cuervo72]

Out of practice and a novice runner to begin with, but anything over 5mi and I feel like I need to bring at least liquid with me (of course, running in hot/humid temps during the summer...yeah). I am constantly thirsty as it is, so it's nice to have a backup - even if it's just to take a sip here and there.

I don't like holding anything while running, so I just got a small (kids, actually) Camelbak. Can also pack snacks and has a top pocket for my iPhone.

[Subby]

I love my camelbak. When I do my silly runs, the camelbak is indispensable.'

edit: silly run example: http://runkeeper.com/user/ChrisShue/activity/71501452

[Kodos]

That is indeed a silly run!

[HerRealName]

I can confirm that drinking while running is not as easy as it looks. I grabbed a cup in the middle of my first half this spring and almost drowned as a result. I need to practice that skill.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by HerRealName

I can confirm that drinking while running is not as easy as it looks. I grabbed a cup in the middle of my first half this spring and almost drowned as a result. I need to practice that skill.

Take the cup and pinch the top of it so that it makes a spout that you can then pour in your mouth.

[digamma]

Originally Posted by Subby

You don't need gel for stuff under 2 hours. You aren't going to deplete your carbohydrate stores in that time.

As long as you are hydrated before you run, you probably are fine for the next 2 hours, too. You may want to bring 16 oz along to take during the last half hour, but unless the temp is really high, I think you'll be fine.

I agree with this.

[Ben E Lou]

I did my first official "Tempo Run" this morning, and I have to say that I am in utter man-love with the McMillan Run Calculator. I've been using its recommendations for training paces the last week, and every run has felt like pretty much the perfect pace for me. Very cool.

[Icy]

Going a bit off topic here, but i must admit i have been curious and checked on google satellite view your routes and cities in general.

I have been in USA a few times already, but always same cities, SF, Phoenix and Miami and it's fun to see how different are organized the building areas and cities, specially on the satellite views.

I love how Chris's and Alan's living areas looks like for example, like a big forest, totally green from above, way different than the brown colored Arizona like middle of Spain where i live.

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Icy

Going a bit off topic here, but i must admit i have been curious and checked on google satellite view your routes and cities in general.

I have been in USA a few times already, but always same cities, SF, Phoenix and Miami and it's fun to see how different are organized the building areas and cities, specially on the satellite views.

I love how Chris's and Alan's living areas looks like for example, like a big forest, totally green from above, way different than the brown colored Arizona like middle of Spain where i live.

Hah, I do something similar at times. I like going into the strava run and using the little google earth view within Strava to see some of the paths people do. I especially like the ones that are not necessarily in cities, and really like looking at the ones people do with Hills.

I really enjoyed looking at some of the scenery in Northwood_DK's runs.. if you haven't checked out that countryside yet, it is very pretty. I was sad that the mountain runs that Ben did had no google earth view for me to check out though. I imagine those were really nice views.

For my runs, I like just exploring my town, taking different paths and such for the scenery, so I guess it is logical that I enjoy the same thing in other people's runs.

[Alan T]

Dola, I guess it also gives people a chance to see some pictures of my sightseeing at Niagara Falls from last weekend by viewing that run. Makes me wish that there was a map for ABC's run in the Philippines that he did. I would have liked to have checked that one out.

[Ben E Lou]

I get a chuckle at the thought of y'all checking out my runs.

"Oooooh! Look at those lovely clear-cut suburban hell neighborhoods with cookie-cutter houses Ben gets to see almost every morning!"

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

I get a chuckle at the thought of y'all checking out my runs.

"Oooooh! Look at those lovely clear-cut suburban hell neighborhoods with cookie-cutter houses Ben gets to see almost every morning!"

But it is such a nice neighborhood!

At least none of you know which house is mine along my runs so there won't be any judging about my lack of desire to ever trim the bushes

[Kodos]

It's kinda claustrophobic around here with all the trees. Few open views.

I've been out of commission after rolling my ankle the other day walking to the train. Hope to be back in business tomorrow morning.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

I get a chuckle at the thought of y'all checking out my runs.

"Oooooh! Look at those lovely clear-cut suburban hell neighborhoods with cookie-cutter houses Ben gets to see almost every morning!"

Yeah, 95% of my runs are the same route, a straight line down a highway from work to home. Must not rank high on Icy's list of favorites

[FrogMan]

Planning of my week looked good on Monday. With a first run on tuesday, I was set to run on Thursday, then possibly on Friday and on Sunday but now I have a coworker who's throwing a happy hour this afternoon and since most everyone from our department will be there and I wanted to attend, and beer will be drank, I knew I wouldn't run this evening as I'm used to. So with that in mind, I set my alarm clock 10 minutes early and I went out for a before breakfast run this morning. Knew I didn't have time for an easy and long run, I decided I'd gun for a personal best 5k and I sure did. Dropped down my time from 24:09 to 22:55 or a 7:22 pace. According to Strava, my previous best on any one mile was 7:34 so I crushed this personal one mile best on the average over 5 km. On the same note, again according to Strava, my personal best on any 1 km was 4:39 and again, I beat that on my average pace over 5k. No need to say that I am VERY happy about that.

Here's a link to the Garmin activity.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/340842251

Bummer, Strava is not giving me credit for a 5k PR, oh well...

What I'm finding odd is I can't seem to really push my heart rate up much more than 160-something. I was pushing myself kinda hard out there this morning and had my heart in my throat, sorta, yet HR never went much higher than 161 or so. I do have a resting HR at about 50 or so, so maybe my heart is just like that. Any thoughts?

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

.

What I'm finding odd is I can't seem to really push my heart rate up much more than 160-something. I was pushing myself kinda hard out there this morning and had my heart in my throat, sorta, yet HR never went much higher than 161 or so. I do have a resting HR at about 50 or so, so maybe my heart is just like that. Any thoughts?

I'm obviously no doctor, so just take this for whatever its worth, but I've read comments regarding to people that had higher than normal HR and that the typical HR settings for them had to be adjusted for proper HR Zone reporting. I am going to guess that the opposite might be possible as well?




This is from a study on HRmax, and you can see some cases there were really low HRmax.. you may very well just be an outlier for whatever reasons that I don't understand. If that is the case, then all of the various HR zone charts on all of the sites you use won't provide you meaningful data until you modify them with what your zones really are.

What most people use for HRmax (including myself) is for the most part estimations based on forumlas that are in no means accurate since HRmax is a very individual thing. If you want to try to find it out for sure, you likely would have to see your doctor.. there are some tests that you can try to better approximate it for yourself though. One that I see commonly suggested is:

1. Strap on a heart rate monitor.
2. Warm up by running for 10 or so minutes at medium running speed.
3. Build speed for another few minutes.
4. Approach a long, 500 meter/yard medium-grade hill while still building speed.
5. Run up 500 meter hill as fast as you can.

There is some difference of opinion if you should run the hill a few times first to build up your HR before your all out run or not.. but generally by your all out run up the hill after you've been running a while, if you push yourself really hard, two things will happen:

1) You'll probably physically be unable to finish that hill if you are running hard enough..
2) Your HRM should be able to give you a reading of how hard your HR is beating.

It won't be 100% accurate but should hopefully be able to give you an estimation of your HRmax.. then with your resting HR, you can define proper HR zones for your data

[FrogMan]

Alan, valid points, thanks. I was also thinking that maybe my running muscles were kinda holding me back compared to where my cardio is. We'll see as the mileage adds up and I get more able to push myself. Will also try and do some intervals by myself where I'm challenging the heart a bit, but I really want to keep my son involved so we'll see...

FM

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by FrogMan

Alan, valid points, thanks. I was also thinking that maybe my running muscles were kinda holding me back compared to where my cardio is. We'll see as the mileage adds up and I get more able to push myself. Will also try and do some intervals by myself where I'm challenging the heart a bit, but I really want to keep my son involved so we'll see...

FM

Not sure if it is the same type of thing or not, but for me when I am in a building phase on my training, I run enough where my TSB score is sometimes heavily in the negatives. I feel that affect more in my legs than cardiovascular. On some runs, I'll just feel like I am slugging along and don't have much energy to move them.

When I taper or rest more, I don't have that feeling with my tired legs and my holdback then becomes cardiovascular for me if I push myself more. So maybe for yourself, since you do other forms of exercise (karate, bike, whatever) you may find your legs tired more than your breathing/heart rate issues.

[Subby]

Went our for an early six miler this morning. Determined to get a Strava badge after missing so many over the past few months!

[FrogMan]

I just purchased my Strava Any way 10k t-shirt. Turns out I had missed the email they sent out on July 2nd and today is the last day you can order a shirt if you want one.

I also bought an orange Strava shirt, you know, to be seen when I run

Yeah, it's only a grey shirt but it was my first 10k run and I'll wear it proudly

FM

[Ben E Lou]

Interesting...

A look at how Strava has begun cutting off your data access and removing functionality | DC Rainmaker

[Ben E Lou]

Ran 13.1 today.



Nipple chafing ftl.

[HerRealName]

Originally Posted by Ben E Lou

Ran 13.1 today.



Nipple chafing ftl.

That sucks - the chafing part, that is. I use the little round band aids and they work really well. I just have to be careful to get the hair out of the way first. I had a weird rubbing issue on my waist band this time but feeling really good otherwise.

Great job on running the half! Looks like Alan had a good, long run too.

[kingfc22]

Just finished our move this weekend and looking forward to getting back out on the pavement. Been way too long!

[Kodos]

Unfortunately, I've decided to sideline myself from running until my ankle gets better. Running last week definitely set things back a bit.

[Kodos]

My brother introduced me to body glide stuff that helps with chafing (he does a lot of biking).

[Alan T]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Unfortunately, I've decided to sideline myself from running until my ankle gets better. Running last week definitely set things back a bit.

That is the smart thing to do. My wife hurt herself last week during a bike ride where she flipped her bike (Picture what Subby did at much slower speed), and ended up twisting her ankle along with all kinds of other serious cuts/bruises/etc. She has been really itching to get back out running, and I keep telling her that she needs to stay off that ankle and wait for it to fully heal. Rushing back an ankle injury could set you back much further than just waiting a few more days. If you have an ankle injury that is prolonged though, I would get it checked out.

Originally Posted by Kodos

My brother introduced me to body glide stuff that helps with chafing (he does a lot of biking).

I used body glide religiously on my legs before I bought compression shorts. It was great stuff for me. I haven't ever had any nipple chafing though thankfully, but I imagine it would do great with that too, especially if you are hairy like me and don't want to pull a scene from 40 year old virgin ripping your hairs out with bandaids

[Subby]

For Strava users - here is Laurens ten Dam's Strava entry from yesterday's 15th stage of the Tour de France - 140 miles and absolutely brutal climb up Mount Ventoux to finish.

His fitness level is just absolutely sick.

Bike Ride Profile | Ventoux, and the rest.. near Loire Sur Rhône | Times and Records | Strava

[Alan T]

look at his heart rate during that climb! That is a crazy climb.

[Ben E Lou]

Most of y'all are probably aware that we have a newborn in the house. My wife put the stuff (lanolin) that she has for breast feeding nipple issues on me, and now all is well. That stuff is great!

[Nuke Laloosh]

That don't make me queer, right?

[/Nuke Laloosh]