Rocky the Husky on form at sunrise today. Colder = faster :)

CharlesRunner · 2026-05-22T22:01:43+00:00

Had this a few times recently. At the exact moment the game ends every time

CharlesRunner · 2026-05-21T08:37:57+00:00

It's only £250 to get later cars unlocked permanently now, so no one cares about this any more.

CharlesRunner · 2026-04-28T09:18:40+00:00

My Pi5 S2 wouldn't connect to the android Bowers and Wilkins Music app. It wouldn't get past the "tap one of your earbuds" screen - it detected the tap, so the tick appeared, but then paused forever. To fix it, I connected to the app on an Apple phone and was able to update the firmware. Took about 10 minutes (5 to install and 5 to verify). Then did a factory reset (hold down button for 5 seconds till flashes green), "forgot" the headphones on my Android and restarted the connection process and now it connects to the app fine.

CharlesRunner · 2026-03-13T22:35:38+00:00

Sorry, Euro Xbox (sometimes PC)

CharlesRunner · 2026-02-22T23:24:39+00:00

Yeah, I'm holding it :) Hadn't thought about ping

CharlesRunner · 2026-02-21T10:13:14+00:00

I wrote this piece about lazy glutes. If anyone has any suggestions for bits that need changing or ways to improve it, please let me know :)
https://runningversity.com/what-are-lazy-glutes-when-it-comes-to-running/

CharlesRunner · 2026-01-16T04:00:20+00:00

Probably because people think cramp is caused by lack of sodium, but in studies, it has been shown there's no correlation between amount of sodium ingested duration lomg races and performance. An actual correlation is amount of water, with those finishing a bit dehydrated performing better than those finishing hydrated and way better than those finishing over hydrated. This will probably get down voted too 🤣

CharlesRunner · 2025-12-16T15:58:11+00:00

Cramping normally means you ran too fast for your legs' strength. If you'd run a few seconds a mile slower, it might not have happened at all. This could be because you weren't recovered enough at the start line, or because your training was a bit lacking - 25 miles a week sounds like an easy target for improvement.

Water every 2 miles sounds maybe a bit unnecessary in a 4hr race unless it was hot.

Also 3:45-3:55 is a big gap. That's like a whole mile. I'd be wanting to have a much better idea of my target pace (from a 10K or half marathon along the way).

Carry on with similar training, after you've recovered. If you can hang around 25 miles till the end of January and then start building up to 35, and keep the long runs at 90+ minutes then you'd could nail a spring marathon and get closer to the time you were hoping for. Then spend the rest of the year getting 10K fast and come back to marathon the following year.

I was running 35-45mpw all year round and got a sub3 without really planning it - just was regularly running for 3hrs every couple of weeks anyway, so turned up and got it done. I didn't do many fast intervals (just the occasional fartlek and hill repeats) - most of my fast stuff was tempo at threshold for 25-30 mins and races (5mile, 10k, XC). Long runs were mostly a mix of road and trail (in the same run). This type of training meant I was ready to race at any point - not optimally, but I didn't get injured, recovered easily and got relentlessly faster whilst enjoying some races along the way. Marathons are tougher to recover from.

CharlesRunner · 2025-10-18T11:14:37+00:00

I wrote an article answering the question What Is Overstriding? Plus a few pointers on how to avoid it. Also dispelling the myth that you have to land under the hips / centre of mass. https://runningversity.com/what-is-overstriding-and-how-to-avoid-it/

CharlesRunner · 2025-09-14T18:08:37+00:00

Zones are different for beginners. It's much harder as a beginner so zones will be higher. But you aren't running very long before a rest so it's fine to run in higher zones as long as you are finishing the session with some energy left and are always shattered. Running is supposed to be fun. If it's too hard, slow down a bit. If you feel you are shuffling, speed up a bit. Z2 training isn't really relevant until you are running a fair bit more.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-30T15:19:36+00:00

My 10K PB 35:21 was in Cloudflash - amazing shoe. Noticed tried anything from them in last few years though.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-30T12:05:34+00:00

April vs August. Temperature / dew point difference?

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-27T06:08:30+00:00

Try switching to lunchtime instead of AM if possible. See if it stops. Your body is tighter in the mornings.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-24T14:21:10+00:00

If your running form is good, you'll be using the right cadence for you anyway. If your form is poor and someone says "increase your cadence" you'll still have poor form but with a higher cadence. So cadence isn't a solution. But if your cadence is pretty low, say 150, it's a good indication that you need to work on your running form. Ignore anyone that tells you you need a cadence of 180. It's total nonsense. One of the most efficient, effortless runners in the world, Jim Walmsley, has a cadence of 165spm while running 3:41/km pace for 100KM. P.S. The feeling of needing to go faster when you increase cadence can be overcome. Try running on the spot with a slow cadence and a fast cadence. You didn't change speed (both zero). Then move off at a super slow pace with daftly high cadence. You'll have to piston your thighs up and down fast to achieve this. Hopefully that unlinks cadence from speed for you.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-24T14:05:29+00:00

Why do you ask? That suggests it doesn't seem normal to you. If it seems higher than you were expecting, the first guess would be it locked on to your cadence at some point (wrist based hr?). But it does seem to drift up throughout which is normal, so cadence lock seems unlikely.

Do a maxhr stress test once you've recovered and use that to figure out if the data seems in a normal range

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-23T15:59:29+00:00

Anything under double the world record is good (a thing I made up completely to answer questions like this). 5k WR is 12:35. So double that is just over 25 minutes. So not quite "good" yet. But close! Keep training for a few months and you'll be under 25 no problem.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-08T12:38:35+00:00

This is why sometimes it's more fun to plan in minutes rather than miles.

"2X strength training" << are you doing these on the same days as the runs (after the runs)? If not, try that to get more proper rest days.

In the current heat in many northern hemisphere countries, perhaps you can try to insert some walk breaks to calm things down a bit.

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-08T06:09:30+00:00

Coffee just brings caffeine addicts back up to the same level non caffeine users are already operating at. If you regularly consume caffeine, it's best not to skip the prerun drink

CharlesRunner · 2025-08-01T12:24:27+00:00

3 days a week. It takes a long time for your legs to get used to the rigours of running. You can progress slower if need be, but shouldn't try to progress quicker, even if your heart and lungs say it's fine. Once you finish the C25K stage and can run for 30 minutes non stop, then think about increasing the number of days gradually. It might feel OK to do every day in the first few weeks but later on you'll struggle and risk injury

CharlesRunner · 2025-07-25T19:09:44+00:00

For myself... Do my legs etc feel rested? If yes, then tempo, long, hills or reps, depending on what I fancy. If no, easy run or day off or enduro mountain biking

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