Richard's blog

Tag: running

  • The Morning Afternoon Run

    The Morning Afternoon Run

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Yesterday or recently I had a discussion about running. The discussion was about whether I have a favourite time of day to run and whether I can eat before a run and still run.

    The answer is that I’m flexible in the time at which I run. I can run as easily first think in the morning at 5am as right before lunch, as after lunch. it really doesn’t matter.

    This morning I ran before lunch because the weather was almost sunny so it felt like a rational time to run. I did my laundry, got dressed for the run, and then went. I ran a different loop than usual because I wanted to cover eight or nine kilometres rather than the usual five kilometres.

    I ran down towards the lake before turning around and heading towards Nyon along the road. I ad considered staying on the Jura side of the Route Du lac but due to road works I was forced to cross the road. Luckily the road was quiet.

    I did find the distance more difficult. I am not used to running more than 8 kilometres now and I also worked to keep the pace that was recommended, without running too fast.

    Of course, the challenge when running around here is that you will always need to climb at some point. If you run by the lake when you get to Nyon you have a number of steep climbs to choose from. I chose to go upwards by the car park by the Plage de Nyon, before heading up along the road that leads to the cemetery and beyond. The gradient via this route is one of the gentler ones.

    The struggle, on this run, was running three kilometres further than usual. In the end when I was climbing the steep bit I walked to recover a little, before resuming the run.

    I think that today the challenge was running further, rather than the time of day of the run.

  • Learning to Look Down Rather Than Up with Tech and Climbing

    Learning to Look Down Rather Than Up with Tech and Climbing

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    All climbers are familiar with this. You’re on a climb or a via ferrata and you look up but you don’t see what to do so you feel stuck. As a result you try one hold, and then another, and then a third and eventually you stop. That’s when you remember to look down.

    If you look down you see that there is a foot hold 10 to thirty centimetres higher that will give you the extra reach that will allow you to climb onwards. The same is true with tech.

    It’s easy for us to look at the latest Apple Watch Ultra and the latest Garmin and Suunto and think "I need that device to get this data" but the reality is different.

    I have a Mi Smart Band 8 and a Mi Smart band 9. I noticed that the pebble holder for the smart band 8 was being sold cheaply so I decided to test it indoors while cooking. With this device you get

    • forefoot strike data
    • multifoot strike data
    • cadence pace ration
    • average ms
    • heel strike
    • pronation and supination
    • impact force
    • average again.
    • GCT (ms)
    • flight time (ms)
    • flight ratio
    • impact force (BW)

    Primary and Secondary Device

    In this scenario the Xiaomi Band 9 is the primary device. It takes care of heart rate, GPS data from the phone and more. The Band 8 is the secondary device in pebble mode and it takes care of tracking the data listed above. With this setup you don’t need to choose whether to track either the run with heart rate data or running form. You can track both.

    With the pebble you will get information about whether you hit with your forefoot, midfoot or heel, and you can correct for that over time. With the cadence pace ratio you can judge if your strides are too short or too long as whether the cadence is too fast or too slow.

    Pronation and supination is about whether your heels are rolling inwards or outwards and impact force is about whether you’re hitting the ground with too much force. I think that there is an average time for heel strikes and another for forefoot strikes, to compare the two.

    You also get ground contact time, flight time and flight ratio information. In combination these give you an oversight of how efficient your running is.

    Cost

    The Band 8 can be had for 33 CHF and the Band 9 for 40 CHF. The Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Running Clip is 11 CHF. For about 88 CHF you get a full run tracking experience. Compare this to 300-700 CHF for an Apple Watch and 400-800 CHF for a Garmin and Suunto device.

    My aim is not to say "Don’t buy the expensive devices if you can afford them. My aim is to say "stop reading the product reviews for luxury devices when a cheaper device might do something for a tiny fraction of the cost.

    Reviewers are given the expensive products, and write about them. They make us want to waste our money on newer and better things, when they’re often paying nothing for the devices they review. I envy them, but at the same time I think it’s good to look down, rather than up.

    If you have a friend, child or colleague that wants to take up running, but they don’t want to spend hundreds of francs on a smart watch or a fitness watch, then two smart band devices, of which one with a running adaptor would work fine. The smart band 9 running adaptor is 28 CHF, compared to 11 for the 8.

    And Finally

    I suspect that the user experience is better with an Android phone. With an iPhone, with a few tests I find that GPS data is often lost for periods of time, resulting in straight lines, and incorrect distances. This seems to be less of an issue with Android, so far.

    The Mi Fitness app is intelligent enough for a Band 8 in Pebble mode and a Band 9 in normal mode to work, in tracking a run.

  • The Kindness of Drivers

    The Kindness of Drivers

    Reading Time: 1 minute

    Recently I have been walking and running into and out of Nyon and in the process I have had to cross busy roads regularly and what has struck me recently, especially when running is that people stop to let me cross the road, even when they don’t need to. I really appreciate this.

    When you cycle and walk between villages cars skim you, fast and close, and after several years of it I grew tired of it so I shifted to walking towards Nyon, along pavements, and avoiding busy roads when I could. In the process I often walk across main roads, if possible at crossings without lights, in the hope that cars stop for me.

    What I appreciate is that there are one or two places where I cross where there is an island but no pedestrian crossing, and cars still stop here. I always wave a thanks to these people. I’d be fine if they continued, with me passing behind them once the road is clear.

    The point I want to make is that it’s easy to fall into the trap of seeing drivers as aggressive, especially when you cycle along commuter roads where people drive too fast and too close. If you take up running, and need to cross roads in an urban environment almost everyone is kind enough to stop and let you pass. In such situations I make sure to cross faster, and thank them. I feel gratitude for these acts of kindness and empathy.

    And Finally

    It is convenient that people stop for me when I’m running, so that I can cross the road. If I had to wait it could be several seconds in some cases, as columns of cars pass, especially at rush hour. It has been consistent, hence the blog post.

  • Incline Walking for People in a Flat Country

    Incline Walking for People in a Flat Country

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Today I followed a link where a writer wrote "My every-other-day workout is walking three miles, fast, on a high incline on the treadmill—often times with hand weights too." and I find it amusing. It’s amusing because in Switzerland, and especially in the old town of Geneva, Nyon, Lausanne, Neuchatel, Fribourg and other towns it is impossible to go for a walk without having a steep climb or a steep descent.

    If I walk my pandemic loops I have several steep climbs, to get into my village, but also to get into or out of other villages. It’s normal for all walks to involve an incline and a decline. That’s why running around here can be quite physical.

    If I run from home to Nyon I can run downhill almost the entire way but if I want to run a loop then I have to run or walk uphill at some point, especially if I go down to the loop. In this landscape you don’t need an inclined treadmill to climb. The landscape is already inclined.

    Whilst they write that inclines are kinder on joints declines are not. If you’re hiking downhill you’re braking with every step, and knees take a lot of strain.

    I’d also add that sometimes indoor training can do damage. I suspect that it’s when I increased resistance on one or two types of machines that my knee joints worked too hard and became weakened. I suspect that it’s because of indoor workout machines that I damaged my knees. I would be wary of allowing the resistance to be too high.

    And Finally. in some countries, and some regions, you can’t avoid climbing and descending, so the notion of runs and walks being flat is moot. In London people can go 20km with twenty metres of climbing. In Switzerland you would climb at least 200m, if not more on some daily walks.

  • Running to Prangins and Back to Nyon

    Running to Prangins and Back to Nyon

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Today the Epix Gen 2 said that I should go on a 51 minute run so I did. I ran from Eysing to Prangins via the top of Nyon before running by the castle, down to the lake, and back along the lake road to Nyon. In the process I felt that my knees were right at the limit of their endurance so I considered stopping the run then and there.

    I pushed on until the end of the required distance and then had a 3km walk home. The alternative was a 2hr bike ride but I chose to save that for tomorrow, should I go up to Pampigny or elsewhere for a more sociable ride.

    What makes this run special is that I ran 7.97 kilometres in about 51 minutes. The time is not fast, but the distance is 3km longer than I want to run at the moment. When I was running from Prangins to Nyon I could feel that my knees were beginning to complain. If I push too much I will injure myself.

    It is for this reason that I want to do base 5km runs for a while, to get my body used to the stresses and strains of running, before working on speed and longer distances. I can feel that my legs are tired now and that I should rest for the rest of the day.

    I like that I can run from Eysins to Prangins and back to Nyon. During the run I considered taking a bike sharing bike back if the distance was too far to walk. I ran 7.97 km and then walked around three kilometres. That’s an eleven kilometre walking loop, if I did it on foot. It’s nice to explore new routes.

  • Running from Eysins to Prangins Via Nyon

    Running from Eysins to Prangins Via Nyon

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Today my watch said that I should run for 36 minutes or so so I obeyed. As a result of running for 36 minutes I got to Prangins and made it part of the way back before stopping and walking. In the process I ran for 5.8 kilometres rather than 5 and I learned a new lesson, mainly that Prangins is close and that I can connect a few places, if I am ready and willing to run.

    I ran from Eysins along the most direct, and flatter route and when I saw that I still had a lot of time to run I decided to run towards Prangins. I was thinking of running down to the port but saw a woman and a dog and prefer to avoid the woman and dog. When women are with dogs, their dogs have attacked or at least threatened me on two different occasions. On a third a dog actually started to charge to attack and I thought "This is the time I get mauled". Luckily I had the presence of mind to stop running and stand stock still. I wasn’t mauled but the experience traumatised me so now I’m even more afraid of dogs than before.

    The key reason for this anecdote being mentioned is that running from Nyon to Prangins along the lake road is flat, but, by deviating, to go up to the castle I had a steep climb that lowered my running pace and adherence to the plan score.

    Getting down the lake is easy because you have steep descents, but if you go back up from the lake you have steep climbs and when you’re running for duration, for base miles, you don’t want to have too many climbs as it lowers pace. If I had pushed just a little harder I would have gt into the anaerobic range, but this was about base miles.

    A New Freedom

    If you can cycle, run or hike between towns and villages it opens up the world in a way that cars don’t. It opens up the world to decide "I’ll run from home, to catch the boat, to run somewhere else, and then take a publibike home.

    The advantage with running is that you’re out for a shorter amount of time so you don’t need to carry as much with you. It’s light.

    I think that running is a freedom.

    And Finally

    I’m happy that I can now run five kilometres without pain. It’s interesting to note that Prangins is so close on foot. I didn’t expect that. I will keep running small distances and try to speed up a little. I don’t want to have the same knee pain as I did after exceeding 10km without putting in appropriate base miles.

  • Running Calmly

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Weeks ago I started running again, but this time my goal is to run calmly. By this I mean that I ran until I felt pain, and stopped, over and over, until finally I ran with Wake Up and Ran and covered 5km. Since then I have been running 5k consistently.

    My goal is not to run fast and my goal is not to run further. My goal is to get my body used to running, without feeling pain or sore when the run is over. So far it’s working.

    This year I ran 100 kilometres. This is in just eleven hours of active time. This is in contrast to over four hundred hours of walking so far this year, if I combine hiking and walking.

    Yesterday I considered running further but when I reached 5km I was happy to stop. My aim is to run 5km consistently and comfortably and so far I am managing this goal. I am probably ready to run further but I think that it could make sense to concentrate on speeding up now. I don’t want to speed up by much. Just enough to make progress.

    By the time I was ready to run or cycle it was rush hour and I prefer not to ride a bike at rush hour becausse of how dangerous car drivers can be, and because it makes more sense to drive when the conditions are pleasant. By running I can choose paths that keep me away from cars, or at least on pavements next to roads, rather than on roads. When I can run further I will have more freedom.

  • The Post Cold Run

    The Post Cold Run

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Some people will see that it’s running, and that they are still recovering and think "I’m not running in that. I did and my "short run" project was changed to a full run. I had planned to run two to three kilometres but ran five instead. The Apple watch wasn’t happy, not with the running, but with the rain. It got a false tap and paused itself for 300 or more meters.

    The rain was quite heavy. Heavy enough to get the trousers and the shoes wet, and heavy enough to get the hat wet, but not so heavy as to soak my core, which was quite welcome. The advantage of running or doing anything on a rainy day is that most people stay indoors so we have fewer people to avoid.

    I am still coughing and still do not feel recovered, but yesterday I felt good. Today I feel that the cold is still lingering. I miss feeling good. I will not hesitate to mask in future.

    Some people will see rain and think "No way am I running in this weather but I don’t think that way. If you go for a run, or a bike ride you will heat up, and you will be wet from effort, so whether it’s raining, or sunny the result is the same. The key difference is that in rain you’ll be less salty.

    I made sure that my core remained warm for the duration of the run. As long as the core is warm we’re fine.

    As I write this post today I notice that it’s very windy today. I can hear the roof react as it’s loaded with wind every so often. I can see that branches are swaying and I suspect that the lake is covered in sea horses today. If I had waited, to run today, then the wind would be my challenge, today. I’d rather run in rain, than wind.

    I look forward to feeling well again.

  • Wake Up and Run Before the Sunrise in Nyon

    Wake Up and Run Before the Sunrise in Nyon

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    This morning I got up at 4am to go for a run with strangers in Nyon. The meeting time was 05:10 and the run/jog/walk began at 05:30. Before the run Activ Fitness gave us a warm up workout that I followed half-heartedly. I had already walked 3km so my body was warm. I now needed to remain warm before the run itself.

    For some people the idea of getting up at 4am to run at 0530 is an absurd one. They would prefer to sleep. In reality I think that waking at 0400 is easier because that’s where I am in a light sleep phase, so if I wake up then I’m fine. It’s if I wake at 0600 or so that I may struggle, because that’s when I might be in a deeper sleep phase. In either case I woke quite easily ahead of this run.

    As I walked 3km from home to the centre of Nyon I was worried that my body would not be happy. I was worried that my knees may hurt, and my desire to stop would be strong. In the end I ran my fastest 5k.

    It took some discipline. I felt that I wanted to go faster, to keep up with the front of the group but I knew that if I did I would burn out, so I forced myself to slow down, and that paid off. I walked when going up one or two hills, to save my knees, and to give myself a little bit of a rest. Despite slowing down those two or three times I kept pace with the group I was in.

    There was a moment when I was in between two groups so I was running alone. I considered slowing down, to let a slower group catch up, and run with them but the group that was in front of me slowed down on the hills so I caught up. There were moments when I was happy to have a flashlight but for the most part I did not need it. I needed it when we were crossing the wooded part but for the rest it was extra weight.

    During the run I thought, "I prefer cycling to running", because I am used to cycling, and with cycling I might be slower than others for some parts but I know that I have the endurance. With running this was a first group run. I didn’t know how I would do. Recently I have been running 3km, not five, so this loop was slightly bigger than my usual runs. If I had not listened to my rational side I would have sped up to keep up with others and burned out and had to walk or limp to the end.

    I felt okay during the entire run although I did keep having to think "Don’t give up, don’t stop running" as I could feel my legs request that I stop running. I’m fine with cycling for an hour or two, and hiking, but running builds up lactic acid and my legs ask to rest. As I write this I can feel the lactic acid in my calfs. I need to take it easy for the rest of the day.

    And Finally

    Some people would hate the idea of getting up so early and others would hate the idea of doing sports at that time of day but I was fine with it. I think it would have been more fun with a group because then breakfast would be convivial. I considered sitting at the Chateau de Nyon balcony to watch the sun rise but when I saw that it was overcast over the Alps I walked home and thought, "I should organise Sunrise run events". You would run a five kilometre loop and within twenty minutes of finishing you would watch the sunrise.

    I could have stayed around longer this morning but felt that if I waited too long to go home I would be cold.

    I enjoyed this experience enough to sign up to do it again next week.

  • Wake Up and Run in Nyon Tomorrow

    Wake Up and Run in Nyon Tomorrow

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Yesterday the town of Nyon posted about the Wake Up and Run event that is taking place tomorrow so I felt like signing up until I saw that it costs 38 CHF, and then I changed my mind, temporarily. Eventually I thought "This is in Nyon so it’s local, so I could meet local people". I also thought "well, if it includes breakfast and a t-shirt then it could be worthwhile after all.

    In reality it includes the event t-shirt, a cap, suntan lotion, a bag made of light material and a band cap. With this taken into consideration 38 CHF to run 5km in half an hour or less seems slightly less absurd. As I said, my key reason for doing it is that it’s a 20-30 minute walk from home. It would be silly not to experiment.

    Recently I have been running three kilometre loops without issues so I think I can run this distance. It will be my first 5k running event, and my first group run. If I enjoy it, it could open new opportunities.

    And Finally

    Getting up at 0400 to run at 0530 is not for everyone. It could be down to 7°c tomorrow morning. It will be cold, and dark. I don’t think I will struggle with getting up. It’s getting to sleep at a reasonable time that will be a challenge, and then staying awake. We will see if I meet people that I then do runs or other activities with.