Run Fatboy, Run

Yup, running on an empty stomch for me - that's why I love mornings, and find evening runs a bit of a chore - I went out last Thursday after a day of eating mostly gingerbread rabbits (they were tasty, small and had a little heart shaped nose - I just had to keep eating the tasty buggers) and felt heavy.

Can heartily recommend Trail Running magazine to give you the bug, and it's only quarterly, so it doesn't break the bank. Either that or look for Kilian Journet on youtube - inspirational stuff...

After about 5 years of running only now would I say I have "good form".

That s not about speed or pace but a smooth leg action, arm action ( yes the arms are important)

how you hold your body on the flat, on hills, up and down.

All these things can if not correct give you hip pain, shin splints, stitches, and all manner of lower leg pain.

So often I see runners "running into the ground" as I call it, tense shoulders, arms high, legs with non-existant swing action, simply being  stamped into the ground.

You have plenty of time, dont spend it  learning bad habits, watch the best on the internet and see how they move. Again not how fast but the action, the flow that should be the same irrespective of the  pace.

Find some where quiet and practice form until it becomes second nature.

Dont fall in to the trap that you have a "natural" style that should not be "messed" with,

If its causing injuries mess with it until its walks out and takes the cat. If its inefficiant  sack it and get another one.

You learnt to walk and you have to learn to run.

Good fortune.

Are you doing any streatching before or after the badminton or running at the moment? Can't see it hurting just taking a different route to fitness and what works works and if your enjoying it thats the main thing.

It's snowing here to. I running in snow, when it turns to ice it's a but dodgy but before them it;s brilliant.

Hi all,

Only just joined the RW forum and just found this thread and have really enjoyed reading it.

Like others on this thread i'm fairly new to running, only started in July last year, when I got signed up by a mate to a 10k mud/obstacle run in September lasy year. When I started I could run for about 10 mins before I felt like collapsing. Anyway fast forward 9 months or so and I can now run for over an hour and half fairly comfortably.

 I still consider myself a beginner, i'm now trying to increase my 5 and 10K times for a couple of trail races I've entered in June /July this year. Am also considering my first half in September this year  (the Robin Hood hlaf in Nottingham).

I seem to be struggling to incresae my pace, am trying to do tempo and interval runs but finding it difficult to judge what pace I should be running at and for what distance (I haven't got a Garmin, only the endomondo app on my phone, which is god but not easy to keep looking at etc). So any tips would be appreciated!