i run on the beach, and am just getting back into it again after knee surgery. however, with winter i think i will have to start going to the gym in winter.

but yes - running is ace. you feel so freaking awesome after you have done it.

have you ever boxed? you feel similarly awesome after boxing as after running. it is so good.

i run around my neighbourhood, down by the canal looking at the ducks. it's ace but i don't have proper running shoes so i'm fucking up my right knee more than it already is and my foot as well. i'm gonna by me some runners tomorry.

i don't listen to music because i don't have a suitable player.

i also really need to invest in a sports bra.

i just bought new running shoes. nike make ones called 'nike barefoot' or similar, and it's pretty close to running in bare feet. they are pretty good. i have never found shoes that i could run in comfortably before, cause i found other sneakers too stiff. mind you, they were pretty xpensive... but worth it for me.

and yeah - my sports bra is probably getting a bit old now...

anyone know of any trainers that aren't evil like Nike and Adidas etc? or do they not exist?

Everyday is winter in NOrway, therefore the gym. Running on the beach sounds fun...and hard. Especially after knee surgery! Some specialist told me my knees were in bad form 2 years ago,but I've had no problems since starting to run.

Yes, I too feel freaking awesome, but during the run. ( the last 40 minutes is hard work!) After it is great! I'm so hyped!

I've never boxed. I can see the rush you could get. The body working together and skill involved. I've never considered it... sadly. I can see it as being a similar rash.

you should have a go at it, if you can. it is amazing.

but yeah - my knees are better with running than before i used to run... so i am all for more of it. it strengthens all the other muscles, so i think that is half the battle.

and yes - beach running is fun and hard. the conditions change all the time, so no run is the same. mind you, i will have to get used to the treadmill for the next few months. i hope that the buzz is the same...

might go to join the gym now, and find out.

I like Asics. As a child I used them and as they advertised years ago, ' Some athletes get paid Not to wear our shoes.'

I tried to run around the neigbourhood the other day and found it quite strange. When I had to turn corners I felt weird and I ran alot slower.

i probably should start running. i need to do more aerobic exercise.

part of the reason i've put off running is scars from when i was in school and people would make fun of how gangly i looked when i tried. i'm all limbs. so, i'm a bit too self-conscous to run down the street. perhaps i should try it at 3am.

Last year i ran heaps but i rolled my ankle at the end of last year and don't have any confidence in it. The run i do is 7km's which is basically down to the pont and back so there are hills and stuff to.

ADMill.Gangly... that's not a bad thing. I'm guessing you don't have heaps of extra weight to carry. Like with everything you do in life. Do it for yourself. Do it now... and us larger folk will be a bit jealous of you. Running is just something to enjoy :)

Beertickle... 7 km is bloody great! If you are happy to do that after a rolled ankle... good for you. It's people like you running down the hill and back that encourages others. I'm just here to hear about people that get some enjoyment outta running. I'm glad you do.

adam - i used to get teased cause i had no style or fitness when i ran as a kid either - but i am so much better at it now, and it just comes with practice and getting more comfortable with it. i was going so well before i had knee surgery (although after the accident that meant i needed surgery), and i am just finding my legs again, so to speak. but now that i have better form than when i was starting out, it is so much easier.

just do it, heedless of what anyone things. particularly cause half the people you went to school with are probably too fat to even think about running now :)

haha! fair points, all. i think maybe i will start. what shoes should i buy? i probably can't run in cons...

i'm in training for the run to the g. running on a treadmill is so much easier that running outside, I can't seem to run more that about 5km in the open air but i can run for longer in the gym

Versions... Does music help you running.. I can't run for more than 30 min without music

what is the g. ?

>Does music help you running.. I can't run for more than 30 min without music

i don't think i've ever tried running without music, the right playlist is essential.

run to the g

Essential... Yes. Thank god for the iPod.

Cheers folks, I've committed to some gym time tonight so will try the bikes and cross-trainer and see how that goes, then try swimming at the weekend.

Well I was one of a handful of dudes who did She Runs The Night on Saturday. I was there to pace my wife and only spotted 5-6 dudes amongst 6000+ women.

Turned out well, we were aiming for about 50 mins and she stormed home in 48:42 - pretty awesome for her first 10K.

wow, that's a pretty cool time for your wife's first 10k Wonky! well done.

in other news - turns out i've been running on a torn cartilage for the last 3+ years, hence my on again/off again activity due to inflammation/fluid-buildup/pain etc. my new knee doc will sort it out with a few stitches & he reckons I should be ''good as new''.

I went to a skate bowl today to remind myself of the enormity of the damage there & WHOAHH once again BAM it sure ain't what it used to be. landed one or two ollies over the lip but man the landings were pure hell.

looking forward to all the unicorns & rainbows that will appear before me after surgery.

Went to parkrun on Saturday for the first time in about 1.5 months and ran 'naked' (as in, no timing device/watch etc attached to my body) and decided to run steadily.

Bit suprised that I managed to smash my 5k PB by about 45 seconds - getting myself down to 21:30. Pretty happy considering I started parkrunning about a year ago now and my first 5k time was around the 29 minute mark.

Had to run 32k yesterday for my marathon long run session - I was hallucinating at the end.

Nice one seahunt! Which parkrun did you do? I was up at Curl Curl for their launch and they had about 100 people roll up, they've got a nice flat course. I'm heading down to Wollongong to launch another parkrun on June 1st as well

Anyone else do the Mother's Day Classic on Sunday? I was hoping to scrape in under 34:00 and managed to surprise myself by finishing in 33:17.

I did the mother day classic in Melbourne, but NOWHERE NEAR as quick as that.

Nice one seahunt! Which parkrun did you do? I was up at Curl Curl for their launch and they had about 100 people roll up, they've got a nice flat course. I'm heading down to Wollongong to launch another parkrun on June 1st as well

I just did my usual New Farm one - it's my favourite in Brisbane (which has something like 8 parkruns now! - if you expand out to gold coast/sunshine coast, it's got about 12 which is just crazy).

33.17 for 8 k isnt that? That's awesome

Thanks! I've been running pretty hard the last few months (a fair bit of interval training) and am definitely seeing the benefits, I did 212K in April!

Must be nice to have so much choice up around Brisbane. We're starting to get a few more in Sydney, but they're all about 40 mins apart. Really looking forward to the Wollongong launch, the start/finish area is right next to an ocean pool, it's going to be awesome in summer.

SMH Half this Sunday, can't wait.

I just pulled up with some kind of calf complaint - a week off running for me and some stretching flexibility stuff I guess.

Looks like I'm going to have to incorporate some yoga/pilates or something to keep my body flexible and strong. I hate doing those things though. Anyone else do them for running?

Youch, I know a fair few runners who do yoga/pilates other stuff but I don't personally do anything. I seem to be stupidly lucky when it comes to injuries, ie nothing has gone wrong in over two years.

seahunt, you should look into one of the Run Better clinics: http://runbetter.eventbrite.com/ - my wife used to get constant injuries but has been great since going along to one of these.

in the lead up to my mara, i got some sports massage and it did wonders. lots of calf focus and quads.

after all the training, i just didn't want anything to go wrong.

That's a good idea gabbo. Which marathon are you doing? My nanna thinks EVERY race is a marathon and always asks me ''how was your marathon this weekend?''. Bless.

2 more sleeps till the half. I'm feeling vaguely ill but I'm hoping I can shake the feeling for before the race. Anyone else doing it?

What time you hoping for your half wonky?

I did the Blackmore's Half in 93:30, and I've been running a lot since then so I'll be disappointed if I don't do better than that. If I'm feeling really good on the day I might be able to crack 90:00, but I think it'll be closer to 92:00ish.

If this vaguely ill feeling doesn't go away I'll be happy with anything under 100 mins.

How'd you go Wonky?

In running service news - I note they've given Runkeeper an overhaul in interface - looks really nice.

1:31:57 - forgot to wear my GPS watch, but found a friend/dude I run with in the start area and he was wearing his. We're always around the same pace so we wound up running the whole thing together, he pulled away in the last 1KM, I caught up to him at the final turn and sprinted for the home stretch and beat him by 2 seconds. Really glad I sprinted, if I hadn't I wouldn't have been under 92 mins! I'm pretty damn happy, it's a 96 sec PB and about 6 mins faster than last year on the same course.

Did the first 10 in 42:48, the second in 44:19 and the last 1.1 in 4:49. We hit 14K at 60:06 which spells good things for City2Surf!

Congrats - that's flying!

Thanks, but stiff and sore today but I'll probably get out for an easy 5-6 this evening.

Next goal is to go sub 90, not sure if I can knock 2 mins off by September though. Only one way to find out.

I had a week off to rest the calf and returned to speed intervals this morning -yikes. Felt like I hadn't run in yonks!

My g/f is about half way through the couch to 5k and seems to be really enjoying it.. She's got goals of running a 10k around September (probably Bridge to Brisbane) and Noosa half next year.

From an outsiders perspective, couch to 5k looks really good for people wanting to get into running - building up slowly, getting the legs strong and ready for the longer distances.

Speed intervals are the worst/best. I always dread doing them, but always feel the benefits.

10K in September is definitely doable. I started on the Couch to 5K and it was a great way to start again after a good 15 years of no exercise.