The Runners Nod

The runners nod is a peculiar phenomenon that I am positive all runners will have experienced. You are running along, be it on a muddy trail, a running track or just on the road, you pass a fellow runner and there is this mutual appreciation for one another which manifests itself in the form of a small nod of the head and a smile. A simple action, but one that says a lot.

That small nod of the head, shared between runners, says "well done you, for being great". There is a huge amount of smugness in the space between the nods, but this has been earned with every step that has led to the inevitable up and down of the head.

There are a few things to consider though, if you have never experienced this. The balance between the runners nod and just looking like a crazy stalker is delicate. Fear not, I am here to help.

• Don't nod too enthusiastically, this will be awkward for you and the other runner. A single nod of the head is sufficient.
• Always smile, you are nodding in mutual appreciation, not starting a fight.
• If the runner you pass does not nod back (this is terrible and they are probably not a real runner), don't run after them screaming "where's my nod, you're meant to nod!!!". Just run off knowing that you are a better person in every way.
• Don't feel you need to speak to the other runner, everything you need to say is in the nod.
• Nod when the are in front of you, in your eye line, don't nod as they are passing you - they may just think you are staring.
• Only nod at fellow runners, they are the ones who deserve it.

The runners nod represents a bond between two like minded people who are enjoying their run and happy to see other people doing the same. There must be similar experiences in other sports; Hikers Hello? Cyclists wave? Dog walkers chat?

Unusual Running Races

Running has become so popular nowadays that a lot of different and unique events are popping up that not only involve straight forward running. Running a marathon is just too tame now, we need more than that. I started looking for some unusual or wacky races that I could share with you all, and this a few of the best I found.

North American Wife Carrying Championships  


What a hero!

This race makes me laugh because if I was to suggest to the lovely Charlotte (my wife to be ) that we take part, she would probably call the wedding off. Essentially you run a race through an obstacle track with your wife on your back (note: it doesn't actually need to be your legal wife). Teams need to be made up of one male and one female but it doesn't need to be the man who carries the woman.

"Carrying methods often include the piggyback or fireman's carry, but teams are encouraged to create their own style. All winners to date have employed the highly-technical Estonian carry, which has the woman upside down with arms wrapped around the man's waist and her legs draped over his shoulders."

(Source)


Seemingly this all comes from a Finnish history. Rankainen the Robber, an infamous 19th century Finnish scamp only wanted the strongest men in his merry band. The way he tested this was to set up an obstacle race and make his men run it with a sack on their back. This evolved into running with women on their back to show more physical strength and so the lovely tradition was born.

The Great Kinder Beer Barrel Challenge

This race also looks like a lot of fun. Essentially, up to 11 teams of 8 runners rise to the challenge of carrying an 8 gallon keg of beer across the mountainous terrain of Kinder Scout.

The route is only about 3 miles, however there is a crazy 900ft climb up, and then of course they have to come back down. The fastest team get to drink their barrel of beer.

This is meant to be one of the most gruelling fell running events in the peak district, which is saying something!

Man vs Horse Marathon

Not as exciting as Cowboys vs Aliens marathon but still pretty cool. This is an annual event that pits horses against humans in a marathon through the Welsh countryside. You may think this sounds crazy, but as described in the book born to run, humans can actually outrun animals over long enough distances. This is called persistence hunting and it is how we survived and makes us who we are today.

That being said, in the 32 years of this event there have only ever been 2 human winners. That is still pretty incredible if you ask me!

The Great Wall Marathon

A marathon on the Great Wall of China sounds fantastic to me. I really want to visit China and go see the Great Wall, so it would be a great excuse.

Again, not much hidden in the title here, it is a marathon that takes place on the Great wall of china. Think how tough a marathon is at the best of times, a real test of human endurance and will power. Now add baking sun and 5164 steps to the mix! Maybe I will need to work in a few years of wife carrying before trying this one.

I will be writing more about unusual running races as and when I find them. I feel this is just the tip of the iceberg just now.

Let me know if you have ran in any of these races or indeed if there is a wacky race with your name on it that I may not have read about yet.

Tips for running a race

I really enjoy racing, it's a massive part of why I run. I have taken part in several races before, from winter duathlons to sprint triathlons as well as a few 10ks, and there are a few hints an tips I have picked up along the way. I thought it would be a good time to share these with you all.

Entry central

Every race has to start by first finding the right race for you. Entry central is where you will have to sign up for most of your races unless it's one of the massive city marathons or 10ks. It has great search functions where you can filter all the races by sport, date, distance from your house etc. have a look for yourself and find your next race.

Think about the route

I am certainly not one for studying every inch of a race route before the big day, but I would suggest having a quick look at the route so there are no surprises. For example, If there are lots of hills you want to do some hill training.

Train properly

If you sign up to a race you are making a commitment that goes beyond just the day of the race. You need to train properly for the distance you are racing to give a good account of yourself. There is nothing worse than finishing and thinking "if only I had trained more"! So be sure that you can commit to at least 8 weeks of training before you sign up.

Eat right

It is very important to eat right on race day. You need to eat a substantial amount 2 hours before your race. If you are running in the morning you NEED to get up early and have a good breakfast. If not you will just crash half way through the race and feel like a prat! True story! I would also recommend taking a banana to eat about half an hour before the start.

Have you got everything?

Most races will send you a race number before the race, or will get you to register before the race starts. You need to read everything the race organisers send you. Don't be caught out by small admin things, you want to be 100% focused on the race so make sure you take everything with you to avoid last minute panics.

If you are going to race then race!

This might not work for everyone, but when I run in a race I treat it as just that...a race! I get extremely well motivated by picking people in the pack and racing them, if I overtake them I if d someone else to catch. It really gets me through and makes things fun.

Know your pace

Work out what finish time you would be happy with, and work out the pace you need to run to achieve this time. You need to stick to this pace until the last 20% I would say, where you can pick things up a bit if you feel able. It's very important to not get carried away and sprint off the start line. Here is a great pace calculator where you can work out what pace you need to run.

Change of clothes for after

If you are running a race in a place that means you have to drive home after, take a change of clothes for the car. It's a horrible feeling when you cool down, but still have to sit in sweaty clothes. Eurgh!

Drink

It is very important to stay hydrated before during and after the race. I know we all know this but the excitement of race day sometimes gets the better of us. Keep drinking water, but not too much, you don't want to pee yourself half way through.

Have fun

How cliched is this tip? But it's worth saying I think. Races can bring out nerves in runners and get people stressed. The way I see it, there is no point worrying. Races are meant to be fun, and most of the time they are if you approach it with a relaxed and positive attitude (I just read that back and it sounds really cheesy
but I am keeping it in!).

Good luck with your next race, I hope there was something helpful above. I am going to sign up for the Fourth road bridge 10k next, it's where I got my PB so I hope to better it again this year!

10 tips for running in the city

My lovely city

My run home from work involves running in the city. This presents a few challenges to overcome to ensure a pleasurable experience. Here are some of my tips for best practise when running in a city.

Know your route

It's important to know your route. I would advise planning so you avoid the busiest pedestrian spots. If you have to go down a certain busy street, have a look on the map and see if there is a side street you could use instead.

Be careful when crossing roads

Although you are running and probably in the zone, you still need to pay attention when crossing the road. A few minutes off your time while waiting to cross is better than getting knocked over. The green man is your friend.

Garmin satellite problems

I have found my garmin watch takes a few minutes lo get to locate satellites in the city, which I think is because of the tall buildings. Keep this in mind when planning your run.

Use the city for training

The city has tonnes of great training opportunities that you can build in to your run to keep the body guessing. Try and work in some stairs, wall jumps, hills, tricep dips on benches etc. use your imagination.

Mix up your route

I said before its important to know your route, it's also a nice idea to change it once in a while, just to keep things fresh and exciting.

Ignore the drunks

When I run home I sometimes get heckled by drunks or youths. Just ignore them, or give them a wave it's up to you, just be secure in the knowledge that in 2 secs you will be away from them, they will be left behind, still drunk, still fat, still a lesser person than you.

Where glasses

I find that I get a lot of dust in my eyes when running in the city so I would recommend wearing glasses of some description to keep this out.

Running at night

Wear bright florescent clothes so that you can be seen. I am sure you have all had the experience from a driver's point of view, when you don't see a runner till the last second because they are dressed all in black, more like a ninja than a runner.

Take water

Cities are hot places because of all the traffic and people. Take some water so you can stay hydrated.

Pedestrian navigation

Sometimes you will have to run through very busy parts of town. I would recommend slowing down a bit, looking as far ahead as possible and pick a route through. Of course you could just put your head down and sprint, crashing in to anyone who gets in your way.

All in all I enjoy running in the city. Hopefully these handy hints will help you navigate your way through the busy metropolis that is your city.
Let me know if you have any other tips I can add to the list.

Run home - 3/7/12

Last night I ran home from work for the 4th or 5th time since "the accident". I felt good but still felt my power draining away from my legs at around 6 kilometres. The full run is around 8km, so great training for my 10k races planned for later in the year.

Stats from run

I have really suffered from having almost 3 full weeks off, but think I am getting back to the way I felt before I injured myself. I will need to do some speed work/interval training to get fully fighting fit.

Running home from work is a great idea for anyone who struggles to fit running in to their schedule. I find because I work in the city, I actually get home quicker than if I were to take the bus. I just change at work, put my valuables in my rucksack and leave my work clothes at work to be collected the next day! This works a treat for me and really allows me to increase my weekly mileage.

So that's it really, I am out a lot this week (Edinburgh Magic Festival is happening) so I am going to try and do some early morning runs, keep reading to find out how I get on.

First run after accident



Map of my run

 If you follow me on twitter or are just my pal, you will probably know that I had a horrible mountain bike crash 2 weeks ago, that resulted in a) a funny/embarrassing story and b) an injury that prevented me running for a while.

This is not the story of that injury (too soon for that). But I wanted to write a bit about my first run since being injured.

As I say, I was unable to run for about 2 weeks, which is a long time considering I was running 4 times a week before "the accident". In the 2 weeks off, despite working hard on maintaining core strength, I did very little cardio as it was just too sore.

Not sure if anyone else has experienced this, but not being able to run or do any sport had such an effect on my every day life. I was turning in to such a grumpy bugger. I was irritable, I couldn't sleep, I kept waking up feeling rubbish with a sore head - and I think this is directly related to not being able to run.

So the day came on Sunday where I felt I was well enough to try and run. It was a horrible rainy day, which I love for running, and I set off out towards with the mind of doing a short loop out to Edinburgh airport.

Throughout the run I felt sluggish and unfit, my pace was much slower than usual, but it was such a boost mentally and when I came back home after a nice and easy 7k I felt rejuvenated. I slept really well and woke up this morning feeling fantastic. It is incredible how much of a possitive influence running can have on the way you feel.

Immediately after stopping however, I felt a strain in my left foot. I have had this before and I think it's a result of doing too much too soon. This has been a bit of a disappointment as I don't think I will be able to run for a few days! Doh!

So, please learn from my mistakes. If you have been injured don't try and run a long distance right away. 7k is nothing, I know, but after injury it has proved to be too much. So just be careful, because there's nothing worse than setting yourself back even further.

The positive I can take from this however, is that even with my sore foot I can get out on the bike, so all is not lost! I will be fighting fit again soon.

Hello Running World

My name is Jude Moir, I have been running for a few years now but have made the decision to really start seriously trying to get faster! That has always been one of my primary goals when running. I enjoy competing against others and that is a big driving force.

The reason I have started writing this blog is to catalogue all the hints and tips I discover about how to become a faster runner. One of the things I will be struggling with is IT band syndrome. I have weak knees and will be trying various ways to overcome the fact that my knees are made of glass!

I also now want to set myself the challenge of running a 10k race in under 40mins. To date, my personal best is 43mins and 39secs which was ran last year at the Fourth Road Bridge 10k.

Running is going to be a big part of my life over the next little while and I hope you can keep me company through the process.