We all have these throughout life so it's only natural they spill over into our running too.
Mine seem to be mostly distance based; I prefer to complete a full mile rather than finish on a part mile. If it must be a part mile it needs to be a quarter, half, or three quarters... 🙈
Unless... it's 13 miles then may as well do .10 and call it a HM or 6... go the .20 and call it a 10k and if course 3 has to become 3.11 for a 5k 🤣
What funny habits have infiltrated your running routines?
Apparently "Good habits, once established are just as hard to break as bad ones" (Robert Puller)
What good habits have you recently started, or would like to?
I'm on 8 weeks now of working out every day which has been easier to implement than I would have thought and has paid off already both in results and making me feel fitter and better mentally.
What bad habits would you like to break?
I'm working hard at beating Strava Envy! I don't care what anyone brags about on Facebook but I do suffer jealous pangs when people post runs that I want 🙈🤣
So what have you been up to, what are you looking forward to, tell us all about it...
The Marathon Team xx
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If you are planning a virtual race, visit the post linked here to let us know about it and we'll try our best to give you a pom pom cheer:
I run regularly and walk with my husband on most days I dont run. However, I started a regular habit of doing Yoga with Adrienne every day from the middle of January. I missed one day when I did a 17 km run that morning but did two sessions the next day to make up.
I am proud of myself for doing this and creating the habit of daily movement other than run and walk.
The habit I need to break is thinking I can eat anything and everything because I am so active
🏋️🏋️ Not healthy!
Am planning to run the virtual hm with the group end of the month and trust that everything I have been doing will give me a good run at it.
Hahaha, I’m with you on the distance thing JoJo, but I’ve made myself accept the fact all runs can’t end in round numbers! 😅
I HAVE to complete my chosen distance though. In my mind there’s no option to pull up short (only happened once and it was a medical emergency with my late mum 🙁), other than that if I pick a distance that’s it! 👮♀️ 😅
I also hate the thought of running fast more than running fast itself. When I (rarely) do intervals, the few steps before I step up the pace I’m dreading it. Once I’m going I’m fine though, and the feeling of completing an intervals session is amazing. I must do them more often (maybe!) 😂
I never cut it short either I sometimes feel like it but then I just say I’ll see how I feel at the next km mark. I always keep going We’ve got to get home so might as well keep running 🙂
I set out to do intervals this morning thinking that my Garmin Coach plan would have me running six 800m fast intervals. I wasn't feeling particularly keen on it! So imagine my surprise when I checked my watch at the beginning of what I thought would be my last speed interval, only to see that I actually had two more to do after!!!! 😂
I got that IntervalsPro app for doing the Nike intervals as theirs was pants It talks to you to tell you when to stop, start and rest between intervals 🏃♀️
Hi JoJo. Hope you’re well. The numbers thing is interesting. I often run with my son. He uses RunKeeper on his phone and I use a Garmin. They both measure distances very differently. So I always have to run further than him to achieve the “same” distance. Still not sure which is correct (or nearer to being correct), but maybe we can test it when Parkrun resumes as that’s a properly measured course.
Hope everyone is well and having good runs so far this month. Stay safe.
I think a lot of my less than desirable behaviour is due to Strava, and I have been wondering more and more whether it's the best thing for me! After all, I have a Garmin now 😊 I find that the notes I write on Strava (which are really just for me) are sometimes misconstrued, I am a bit obsessive about always having a photo to put on Strava, I follow a lot of people but I find I don't have enough time to look at their workouts DESPITE the fact that I feel I spend too much time on Strava.
Undecided at this time...
I am quite pleased with my habit of getting some pull ups and push ups done most days (I like the odd day off 😊). We have a pull up bar on our bedroom doorframe, so I try to remember to do a pull up or two each time I walk past. Being able to do more than one good pull up is still eluding me, but my one pull up is now actually quite good! We have Alexa set to remind us three times a day to do some push ups, so if I'm around at those times I will usually do some push ups, and quite often I will catch up with push ups later in the day. I feel that I am achieving some upper body strength work!
The thing I find really helpful is having a diary to jot down what I've done - it's quite a good motivator!
Yes, sadly Strava can be bad for your health! 🤣 my husband laughs at my long Strava entries but they're really my running diary for me to look back on.
It can be a time sink. I tend to whizz through others efforts and look for certain individuals or if something stands out. It can be very hard when you follow a lot of folk for sure!
I never really look at Garmin Connect and don't use the connections really either.
Now I envy your pull up bar 🤣 none of our doorframes seem suitable and I really want one!!
The diary is a great visual aid for sure. I use the "training log" in Strava for a similar motivator. Seeing those little circles makes me want to keep the pattern up! 🤣🙈
Using Alexa is a great idea, especially for people at home too much just now 👍🏻😁
I started using the paper diary because I got fed up with putting my little bitty workouts on Strava 😂 When I first started running I used Endomondo, and I used to write massive entries on there, but for some reason I didn't carry over the habit onto Strava! Maybe it was because I only had two followers on Endo 😜
I purposely stayed off Strava for a year and a bit, just keeping track on Garmin for all the same reasons, but Strava does help motivate me some days now and I get route ideas from some local runners I follow. I’ve found a lot of new places this way. I try not to fall into the envy trap but its not always successful, but we’re only human! 🙂 And its wonderful to see your friends succeeding when you know how hard they are working. It keeps me honest and accountable throughout the year too.
10 miles or HM apart,I always set my watch for a round number of K’s. Only injury stops me from completing a set distance once I start running. I have thought about changing to miles, but I understand K’s; they have been with me since C25k and are the basis for my pace judgement. What I need to work on is post run routines. Stopping off for a flat white, a walk home and shower used to be enough. 😋Hobbling around for few days with a dicky Achilles has taught me that I need to do more. 3x20 minute icing sessions yesterday and lots of calf work (strength an stretches) meant that I woke up this morning pain free; I will wait for my post jab shivers to disappear and hopefully I will be good to go again!
That's a good point. My post run routine is far less than it used to be, I used to do loads of stretches and a workout after but my runs literally run on so long I've run out of time now. I do make a point of massaging my calves and shins in the bath after though and I do heel drops each morning with my daily workout 🤔
It definitely pays to find the right balance to look after those potential problem areas!
I can't get my head around kms 🤣 I am always trying to convert them in my head (often poorly!) It's great that Strava allows each of us to view in our preferred option, I'd go round the twist otherwise trying to figure out people's distances!
Oh crikey, that's high! Hope you're much better today. Mine was overnight in bed so I didn't bother with a thermometer, but I had uncontrollable shudders for a while. Slept very badly and Garmin stats said it all. Resting heart rate up from normal 52 to 63 and my overnight stress level was 44 - normally 12 ish, with 44 being a normal working day!!! I took paracetamol all the next day and then slept solid the next night! Very shortlived for me and well worth it, but quite the experience 😀
Mrs BC produced the thermometer! My heart rate was over 100; normal resting heart rate is mid to low 50s. An easy day will sort it; heart rate is falling now...as you say, definitely worth it.
I don't have any funny habits! No, none at all. What? no, there's nothing funny about chatting to magpies or avoiding 13's ...
As for recently developed good habits - I've really cut back my alcohol intake recently so am expecting some go faster compensation to become evident very soon.
Bad habits? I still eat far too much rubbish which may be why the go faster bit is not massively apparent!!! 🤔 Having said that, I did manage a sub 30 minute 5k at the weekend for the first time since running the marathon so maybe I should just be a bit more patient. Impatience? yes, that's another bad habit of mine (along with convincing myself niggles won't become injuries and are best run through. And constantly looking for new challenges...)
But running regularly and thoroughly enjoying it - most of the time - that's a habit that more than makes up for any bad habits in my book 😊
Hmm. I do the rounded number bit too but sometimes I consciously break that just to shake myself up. Still, round crisp numbers feel satisfying don’t they? 🙂. I’ve more or less maintained the weekly long runs since Jan 2019. Would like to increase that and start dealing with the longer distance bonking issues I’ve had in the past, but when the sun is out and you’re feeling good, its harder to do, esp with no immediate need for it. I do have that ‘official’ deferred race coming (hopefully?) in October so I’ll need to get my act together soon enough. Aside from that I am terrible at strength work, like just ridiculously sporadic. I really just want to run. But I know it’s needed. I cut down on white bread too. I think I need to up my protein too soon. I am a carb junkie. Now I’m rambling...
🤔 I'm pretty sure bonking is primarily a fuelling issue. If the fuel schedule is on point you should be fine. Finding the right products can help, I've changed hydration and snacks quite a lot and rely less on "sports" products than before.
Strangely when the sun is out going longer is just a natural for me. I just want to keep going and going.... the "need" for me is just that internal desire to prove to myself I can do it.
Carbs are great fuel... if you're burning them off. We really don't need as much protein as we're led to believe. I was obsessed with monitoring our protein when we went plant based but don't bother now...and now I'm building more muscle than ever before 🤣💪🏻
Just run... you'll be fine 👍🏻😎
I really only ended up working out more as my working hours are all over the place now leaving no time for after work runs and the gap between runs was getting too far apart for my mental health. Filling those gaps with something, anything, helped enormously and now I'm seeing real results it's easier to stick to it.
Definitely fuelling related, but from what I’ve learned, a bit more involved if I am aiming to push a certain pace up to and beyond 30. Will need to experiment more with paces and fuels as things warm up here.
Re: strength. Yeah who’s kidding who, I’m probably just gonna run 🙂
My Covid malaise has continued despite earlier good intentions to get back in shape. I've forsaken HU for a year or more, so I've missed out on the motivational aspect it gives and lost the plot on what's been going on with you guys. I must try to contribute again and so get my mojo back. I'll try to post on C25K and B210K once I get those running shoes on again. I can still run 3k straight off the sofa (at about 6.00 pace) after a year of sloth which is quite amazing but my lungs and heart are shot of course. You guys are like gods to me now casually mentioning easy HM length jogs around the block! 🙂
Good to see you back! Running 3k is still running, you will get progress I'm sure, just listen to your body and as always, take it steady!
We're all trying to do a little more strength or flex work to support the running. Do check out all the great stuff on strength and flex too. Might be ideal for re-igniting the mojo! 🤞🏻😁
Bad habit I'm trying to break: there is absolutely no need for a banana before and after a run. 🤔
Good habit I'm trying to instill: proper cool down stretches, a opposed to a coffee and checking my stats on strava!
In connection with this, I've been trying to stretch my calves and feet and use a massage ball on them. Rather than cure the odd twinge of PF, I seem to be making it worse. Any advice on where I'm going wrong?
Some of the "massage" balls out there are extremely aggressive. I prefer a trigger point stick which is gentler on the calves. If you want more pressure you simply use it differently. I have a foot roller but again it's fairly smooth and is a gentle stretch for the fascia, not rough.
B&B are my first port of call for most general aches. As well as being amusing they have some great tips and exercises to help ease the usual pains 👍🏻😁
Funny habits? How about almost always starting my runs by heading uphill for maybe 30m to touch the neighbour's gate?! 😳
Good habits? Umm, none. Unless having kept going after C25K (graduated end June 2020) counts? Or can I count drinking water?! 🚰
Bad habits? Strava envy. Allergic to training plans. Hopeless at controlling pace. Getting carried away with distance and elevation gain. Eating cake. Drinking wine. I could go on ... 😈
One habit I've got is to always add a bit extra on every run. So, for a 5k, I'll do 5.03k, for a 10k I'll add 50m, for an HM, I'll usually add 1k. That's mainly because I've found that some runs can get rounded down slightly when transferring from Garmin. For the HM, I add 1k because I can never remember how much over 21k is needed!
Other than that, I usually run to planned distance. The exceptions being intervals (I stick to the given time) and some "open" long runs. By that, I mean a run where I have a rough target in mind but don't know exactly what. On a recent one, I decided early on in the run that I'd add 3k at the end to make it my longest run yet. However, around HM distance, I started running out of energy so reverted to my original idea. I've now stocked up on fuel so, hopefully, that won't happen again.
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