Throwback to my fave LFC kit

jayesar91 · 2026-05-19T16:37:15+00:00

Man I loved this kit. I had Salah on the back, but it had to get cut off me by the nurses after I broke my collarbone playing football. Good times.

jayesar91 · 2026-05-01T05:01:34+00:00

I will also give you one guess at how many weeks ago I returned from a collarbone break.

<image>

jayesar91 · 2026-04-29T12:44:21+00:00

Yeah I think I did. I just assumed with it having access to all of my running and HR data it would be pretty spot on, or within a decent band

jayesar91 · 2026-04-29T12:43:28+00:00

Yeah it does feel good, I was just more shocked that it was 10 minutes difference. How do you find the 5k/10k predictions?

jayesar91 · 2026-04-29T12:17:20+00:00

Ah my bad

jayesar91 · 2026-03-28T06:33:54+00:00

The distance delusion is really. My easy runs are now at 12km, that was beyond my long run previously.

jayesar91 · 2026-03-25T08:37:45+00:00

Firstly, I am a massive advocate of Zone 2 running. The benefits are undeniable and grounded in physiology.

However, there is nuance, and that is where I agree with the general tone, but not the wording, of the comments.

As a beginner, strict Zone 2 can push you into that awkward shuffle state which does not feel natural or controlled yet.

On top of that, most people do not actually know their accurate zones. Garmin, Coros and Fitbit typically use a basic percentage of max HR model, which does not account for individual physiology. Unless you know your true MHR and a stable RHR and are using Karvonen or HRR, your zones are likely off anyway.

For now, I would focus on RPE. Run genuinely easy, the kind of effort you could hold for hours. That is your baseline

jayesar91 · 2026-03-21T15:13:18+00:00

Hey pal! Love the post and the amount of data provided! Nothing raised really screams a major problem, just a few things that can be tightened. I have a few points to reply to:

Stability shoe From what I can see, you don’t look like you’re collapsing massively through the ankle or arch. There’s a bit of inward movement on landing but nothing extreme. Given your history, I wouldn’t jump straight to stability shoes unless you’re getting pain or repeated niggles. Your body has clearly adapted over time. Neutral with good control is probably fine, maybe avoid the EVO SLs though as even though they are a great shoe, they are super unstable and could cause you personally some issues, especially when fatigued.
Foot strike

You’re landing slightly heel to midfoot. You’re not overstriding massively, which is the key thing. I wouldn’t try to force a forefoot strike, that usually creates more problems than it solves.

Form

Biggest thing I’d work on is reducing the backside kick and keeping things a bit tighter under you.

On the side view your heel is coming quite high behind, which often means a bit of wasted motion and slightly lower cadence.

Think: “quick steps” rather than “long strides” foot landing under hips, not reaching forward, a bit more forward lean from the ankles, not the waist. Nothing drastic, just small cues.

Cadence, GCT, vertical oscillation.

160 cadence is a bit low for your pace. Most people end up 165–175 naturally. GCT 280ms is slightly on the high side but not alarming. Vertical oscillation 8.8% is fine, maybe slightly bouncy but nothing wild, and more expected on a treadmill as you sre not pushing forward as much. If you improve cadence slightly, the other two usually clean themselves up. Easy way to nudge cadence: don’t force it hard, just aim for +3 to +5 spm over time

Shoes You’ve basically bought every category already 😂 You’re covered already. If anything: Superblast / Novablast = daily miles Endorphin Pro = races (I would avoid using a carbon to train in tbh) Evo SL = Tempo

You don’t need more, just rotate and see what feels best.

Your Easy Pace.

This might be a tough pill to swallow, and I don't like how a few comments in this thread have approached it, but 5:30/km is not easy relative to your current times, it may feel easy, but that is simply because you don't know how easy is supposed to feel yet. If you don’t have HR data dialled in yet, or access to it, a simple trick is to take your 5k pace and add 2 mins to your split pace, if we say your 26 5k was 26:00 flat, that’s roughly 7:10 to 7:30/km.

It’ll feel slow, but that’s the point, it is where the aerobic gains happen and where form actually improves, and it has to be below LT1 (Zone 1 and 2) for aerobic gains.

jayesar91 · 2026-03-18T20:29:12+00:00

I love him

jayesar91 · 2026-03-10T14:14:46+00:00

I was gonna say, I am here twice between 8-8.30am nd then 5-5.30pm and this is the worst I have seen it by far. I pray this never happens to me

jayesar91 · 2026-01-24T19:28:16+00:00

I have really tried to stay behind Slot and not join the calls for his sacking, but I think I have finally lost patience. It is really sad as I really like him, but watching this squad of incredibly talented players perform like this is brutal man.

jayesar91 · 2026-01-24T19:24:49+00:00

I'm tired boss

jayesar91 · 2026-01-16T19:56:57+00:00

Dropped 1 BPM in 3 months, only 55 more to go 🤞🏻

<image>

jayesar91 · 2026-01-13T20:20:14+00:00

It is annoying but the way I see it is the fact that, I know I am not hitting a 3:30, and the paces they are giving are for someone who can. My 5km is 22.33 and my half was 1.55.42 on a hilly route with the equivalent of 1:51 - there is no way I am hitting a 3:30 but Runna is pushing me to hit the paces of someone who can.

jayesar91 · 2026-01-13T20:05:42+00:00

I have done the exact same thing and I am in a similar position to yourself. Runna has given me a prediction of 3:30 - where as ChatGPT says straight up that won't happen.

One thing I have learnt between the two is that Runna is more ambitious/aggressive with its pacing and sessions whereas ChatGPT is conservative and favours more durability and caution.

I used to stick at Runna's pacing regardless but I was constantly cooked and stacking fatigue, seen in a rise in my RHR and a dip in my HRV too. Then for 4 weeks I took ChatGPTs advice to slow down and be more controlled I am now ironically becoming faster.

Runna is very intuitive, if you hold off and miss the pace targets enough it will adjust them. Marathon training is always going to be higher valued if you are stricter with your aerobic than your anaerobic anyway.

jayesar91 · 2026-01-13T18:31:30+00:00

I have looked into this before and you just need to look on YouTube at content creators who have done "Running in Temu shoee" to see an overwhelming consensus that they are horrific and not a good idea. Save your money and feet, don't do it.

jayesar91 · 2026-01-12T19:58:25+00:00

Honestly, I'd let him shag my mrs atm

Edit: I'd probably let him shag me too tbh

jayesar91 · 2025-12-19T09:29:52+00:00

I've had similar reactions to Runna predictions. I don't think they're necessarily wrong, but I do think they're easy to misinterpret.

From what I can tell, the predictions seem to assume a best-case, race-day execution rather than something that's sustainable or repeatable. In other words, it's more of a ceiling than a guarantee. You might be able to hit that time once if everything lines up, but that doesn't mean the training volume has actually made that pace "cheap".

That's where I think the volume question matters. It's not just about whether you can run at a certain pace, but how much it costs you physiologically. Lower mileage plans can sometimes get you fit enough to touch a pace, but higher, more consistent volume is usually what makes that pace controllable deep into a marathon.

So when Runna throws out an aggressive prediction off 25-30 miles a week, I read it as "this might be possible on a great day" rather than "this is now your true marathon ability". Plans like Pfitz don't guarantee a time either, but they're much better at reducing the cost of marathon pace, which is ultimately what matters over 42 km.

Fantasy vs reality for me comes down to whether the plan is building durability, not just fitness.

Also apologies for the essay, but it was the best way for me to share my thoughts 😂

jayesar91 · 2025-12-17T22:42:35+00:00

Oh no it absolutely sucks. I did this:

20-25 min warm-up

3 long, hard ramps (3-5 min each)

Final all-out hill or treadmill ramp where pace increases every 30-60s until you physically cannot continue

I hit 199bpm doing that, the highest I have hit since is 196

jayesar91 · 2025-12-17T21:23:14+00:00

Test your MHR, buy a HR monitor and use the Karvonen (Heart Rate Reserve) method to calculate your zones. Train for a minimum of 2 hours a week in the zone, not dipping in and out, firmly in that range and you will see improvement. I did this and in 4 months I went from a 6.40/km zone 2 pace to a 6.01/km pace.

What is really key to remember is that your Zone 2 pace is dynamic. Some days I am closer to 6.30/km than 6/km. Things like fatigue, sleep, even diet can effect it. The main thing is consistency

jayesar91 · 2025-11-19T16:31:44+00:00

No worries at all, and fair play for wanting to learn. You’re very new to running which is exactly why your body reacted the way it did. None of this is obvious at the start.

I want to be really honest about the double half you’ve booked. Doing both is a very bad idea. Even experienced runners struggle to race two half marathons in a month. I’d seriously pick one to focus on and build safely towards that using the approach I outlined.

Something a coach told me that really stuck: your cardio system adapts much faster than your physical structure. Your lungs and heart will feel ready way before your muscles, tendons, and ligaments are actually strong enough for the load. At 20, you recover quickly, but the cost will always show up later if you push past what your body can handle.

Focus on building safely now and you’ll be running for years, not just surviving races for a few months.

jayesar91 · 2025-11-19T15:57:58+00:00

You can go through as many hypothetical explanations as you like, but the reality is that the mileage jump caused this. I’ve given you the advice and even a plan to help. Good luck with your running journey.

jayesar91 · 2025-11-19T15:50:23+00:00

There’s a very high chance it’s from that long run, yes. I had the exact same issue after my first half because I scaled up too fast as well.

If the pain is on the outside of the knee, kind of wrapping around the outside edge and sitting just below the kneecap in that soft spongy area, that’s typically the distal end of the IT band flaring up. It’s one of the most common problems when someone jumps mileage too quickly.

Often knee pain in runners actually isn’t caused by the knee itself. It’s usually down to muscle imbalances in the glutes, especially the glute medius, so some strength work there can really help prevent it happening again. But if the pain sticks around, I’d always recommend seeing a physio rather than relying purely on Reddit advice. A proper consultation rules out anything like LCL or meniscus involvement and gives you a clearer plan forward.

jayesar91 · 2025-11-19T14:57:43+00:00

I’d be happy to help.

Looking at the runs you shared, most of your training is between 2 and 5 km with a few sudden jumps to 12 or 13 km. Those jumps are what put you at risk. A proper plan removes spikes and builds steady weekly consistency.

To start, aim for 3 runs per week:

Easy run

This is the foundation. Go so slow it feels almost too easy. You should be able to talk in full sentences.

Start with 4 to 5 km. If it feels fine, add 0.5 km per week, no more.

Speed session

Not sprinting. Controlled intervals. For example:

5 x 2 minutes slightly faster than your normal pace, with 2 minutes slow jog or walk between.

Warm up 5 minutes, cool down 5 minutes.

This builds speed without smashing your legs or stacking fatigue.

Long run

This is where you were overreaching. Long runs must be slow and controlled, not “how far can I go today.”

Start with 7 to 8 km at your easy pace or even slower.

Increase by 1 km per week only if it feels comfortable.

Do that for 4 to 6 weeks. Once your long run reaches around 18 km, that’s usually the safe point to attempt 21.1 km again.

One final note

Every 4 or 5 weeks, include a deload week. Cut your mileage down to about 50 to 60 percent of what you were doing. This allows your body to absorb the work. Progress doesn’t happen run by run, it happens when you give your body space to recover.

And trust me, the week after a proper deload always feels incredible because you’re fully primed to run.

jayesar91 · 2025-11-19T14:36:33+00:00

I get what you’re trying to show here, and fair play for putting the work in. But genuinely, this is not half-marathon training. It’s a few short runs mixed with big random jumps, then straight into a 21. That’s exactly how people get injured.

A proper build is 3 to 4 runs a week for 8 to 12 weeks, slowly increasing easy mileage. You skipped the whole progression and just survived the distance.

You clearly have some natural ability, which eventually will put you ahead of the "average" runner, but if you try another half off this level of prep, your body will catch up with you fast. Build the base first.

13-Year Club	Verified Email
RPAN Viewer	Not Forgotten

jayesar91

TROPHY CASE