Running General Chat - Weekly Thread Sat 30 November 2024

Bucketing down with rain here this morning so couldn't drag myself out. Tomorrow hopefully

It's so weird living in the tropics, because it's never really cold and by right one should be fine running at any time. But it's still so easy to catch a cold because the humidity just amplifies any temperature difference. So yeah, totally feel you!
I have a hard time running when it rains too...I solved it by throwing money at it and bought a treadmill. My running consistency and milage increased considerably, it does take up a lot of space though.
It's pretty fun when you actually force yourself. Only problem is my shoes take ages to dry.

I had to skip a morning run today. That's 15 years in a row. Exercise induced asthma is a bitch.

ive got a somewhat defective ankle joint for 2-3 years now… however i managed it to reach 10k again with some painbreaks not a smart move tho considering how the days after a run feel, and also trying to figure things out with doctors but i am seriously missing running. perhaps it could also help not to run in barefoot shoes in this condition, i am not sure.. that by itself does not really feel wrong.

regarding the op image here, i have long hair and when it rains, i do not use a jacket - instead i enjoy getting wet and open up my hair on purpose :P

I started out with barefoot shoes (Merrell vapor glove) and recently switched to more traditional shoes due to foot and ankle issues. They always felt great during runs, but I was down to only one short run a week due to the issues they were causing.

Had a nasty inflammation in my left Achilles for about 2 months, now things are better but I still get the occasional sting and stiffness in the morning.

In other news, I finally got into Lavaredo.

Congrats! But be careful ramping up the distance that fast. Shin splints are a real pain in the legs!

Got out with the doggo this morning. Nice 7.5k, almost completely in my threshold range. Suggested workout pace is too slow for my height and speed requirements with the doggo...

Those Merrells I was so excited about a couple months ago ended up not working out, but I found some more traditional shoes that are working well. I got a PR at the turkey trot and am planning on a half marathon in December. Overall I'm having a lot of fun!

I’m considering getting a gps watch that does heart rate monitoring. I’m looking to transition away from treadmills to outdoors.

Does anyone have recommendations on what to get or what to avoid?

I currently have a chest strap heart rate monitor that connects to the treadmills (but, annoyingly, not my fruit phone). I’ve never used a wrist-based heart rate monitor so I have no idea how accurate they are.

If a gps watch is bluetooth enabled, presumably it could also talk to my computer, not just my phone.

I've been happy with Garmin, most people I've run with over the years also choose Garmin. There's 100 models though. I wear a Fenix 8. I wear it 24/7 so it tracks my life :) there are much more affordable forerunner models out there that have wrist HRM.
- I had a Garmin back around 15 years ago. I liked it a lot up until depression & whatnot deceived me into giving up running.
  I’ve been looking at a ForeRunner 165. Amazon has them for $200. Is that a good buy for someone like me who is getting back into running? Looks like the Fenix models are all a good bit more than I’m comfortable spending at the moment.
I use a Garmin Fenix 6 X Pro. Before that I had a Forerunner 935.
Wrist based hr is always less reliable than a chest strap. It's also worth noting that sweat, rain and e.g. small wrists make it harder to get even a somewhat reliable result and if you run in a colder climate, you need to wear your watch under your jacket which makes it impossible to look at unless you're willing to expose your wrist.
Generally watches connect to the computer with a proprietary usb cable, not bluetooth. Many watches however have wifi and mobile data connectivity too which can be used to automatically sync data.
What other considerations do you have?
If on a budget a good chest strap and a cheap watch could be a good combo. Maybe even your current strap if you know it to be reliable. I'd wager it uses ANT+ for connectivity which many (maybe even most) sports watches support.
If you need longer battery life (for marathons or some such) then a dedicated sports watch might be a good idea. Otherwise I might go with an Apple watch beacause you mentioned using an iPhone. I don't know whether Apple watches support ANT+ but most current chest straps do have bluetooth and aren't all that expensive.
- I’m in a pretty warm and humid climate. We rarely get below freezing in the winter, perhaps once every other winter. So odds are I won’t have to wear long sleeve attire much.
  My current chest strap is a Polar H9 model. I’d like to connect it to whichever gps watch I buy while I’m exercising. It connects flawlessly to the treadmills in the gym at work, but won’t connect to my phone, which makes me wonder if it’s ANT+ only and not bluetooth.
  I don’t need a super long battery life. No marathons for me. I’m at the level of 45 minutes of alternating brisk walk and jog.
  Budget wise, I’d like to keep it under $250. If I get a $200 watch (whether Garmin or some other brand) and use it consistently for a year, then I could justify spending up to $500 or $600.
  Apple Watch is an option, but they’re a bit more than what I’m willing to spend at the moment, especially since my current chest strap won’t connect to my iPhone at all.

I bought three pairs of shoes!

I would've bought some already during summer but didn't come across any good deals. I feel like pricing has been really weird this year.

Almost recovered from severe strain of calfs - stupid me tried out a new running gait, landing on front of my soles, and doing this with a quite high pace for me. Also got some gastro issues over the week.

I hope to do a baby run today, though, taking it easy.

Still rising the high of my PR marathon from last weekend! But it's back to work on Monday.