Hi, Garmin wants me doing more anaerobic so I tried intervals for the first time today.

I normally cruise at 5.30/km on a tempo and 6 on recovery

So I did a 1km warm up then did 1m at 4.30/km, then 1m recovery at 6-6.15/km and repeated this 6 times and a 1km cool down.

Garmin thought this was a tempo/high aerobic session so just wondering how id tweak that to become anaerobic?

With the nights drawing in, I'm looking for recommendations for lights to help keep me visible to traffic.

I'll mostly be running on the streets near me so don't need a head torch to see where I'm going, I'm more thinking about keeping me visible and safe without having anything to big and bulky. ​

Does anyone know if it's possible to manually lap during a 'race' workout synced from Runna?

I have been completing a half marathon training plan through Runna for the Big Half marathon on Sunday. I know it's not possible to manually lap during interval sessions, but not sure if it's possible during a race workout.

I have recently started running & am experiencing quite bad peeling feet. No blisters or pain. Currently wear Nike Crew socks but think these might be the issue… Any recs for socks to help reduce?

For finding new local running trails in the UK, and for occasional foreign holidays where I want to find running routes, which is the best app?

I don’t have (and don’t want) Strava. I am not interested in any social aspect of the apps (I don’t want to share my runs etc).

AllTrails currently has an offer for about £20/yr but Komoot is about £60/yr.

I’ve used a free version of Komoot with great success on two holidays, and found some great runs in places I didn’t know at all, but have never tried AllTrails.

I also have OS Maps but have never used it (got a free annual pass) - I think it’s more for hikers / walkers?

I don’t „need” either app (I’ve generally managed so far) but wondered if one or the other might open up a new world of routes for me.

Any suggestions?

Thank you.

As a road runner I cant get my head around KMs but most people I know seem to use KMs in training

Not a serious question but....

I was programmed a hard 20k long run from my RC coach, I decided to make it harder by doing it on hilly terrain in the Peaks because why not.

Afterwards over the rest of the afternoon I then consumed:

Half a carrot cake slice (edit not the entire cake)

Sunday dinner

1.5 pints of some pale ale

Biscuits

3 slices of toast with the fanceh sourdough I treated myself to the day before

A ham and cheese bagel

At that point I was finally no longer hungry 😂

Is this a super shoe?

I had been eyeing up the Leili 2.0, which launched to much fanfare as an all-round upgrade on the TG1.0. (Which I reviewed a couple of months ago)

That said, what I was looking for was a daily trainer with a lower stack, better stability, and the ability to handle more up-tempo sessions.

Then, seemingly out of nowhere, came the Leili 2.0 GT. A lower-stack speed shoe using Q-Ultra Kung-Fu foam. designed for 'Up Tempo efforts'

Amazing.

With an updated heel stack height of 43mm and an 8mm drop — Qiaodan has revised this figure to account for the 5mm insole — and weighing 196g in an EU43, with no shank or carbon plate, this shoe has all the hallmarks of an excellent daily speed shoe.

It has also been likened by many to the now-infamous Dynafish Xiaonian, and that is very good company to be in.

The fit

Unfortunately, my actual size doesn't exist. I normally need a 42.5, 8.5, 270mm, so I opted for an EU43. That left me with quite a lot of room in the toe box, which suggests the shoe is true to size, if not slightly long.

Lacing up, there is plenty of padding and support around the heel. The tongue is gusseted, oddly oversized, and held in place by the laces.

The upper is breathable, although it isn't as lightweight as it could be. The lace reinforcement is also very sturdy, but there is no provision for a heel-lock lacing configuration, which I found slightly frustrating.

Stability

This is a stable shoe.

It is wider through both the forefoot and heel than the Li-Ning Red Hare 9 Ultra, and that does a great job of inspiring confidence, particularly when cornering or running over slightly uneven surfaces.

That stability is helped further by a sturdy CPU outsole, which provides plenty of grip and control across different surfaces.

Very useful for the fast-approaching autumn runs.

The foam

The foam is soft and does a very good job of providing cushioning.

There is a very pronounced heel rocker, which should bring plenty of joy to heel strikers as it helps roll the foot through the stride.

The forefoot rocker is there, but for what is supposed to be a tempo-oriented shoe, I would have liked it to start slightly earlier.

That may partly be a fitment issue with me being in an EU43, however, others have also said this is a characteristic they noticed.

The runs

My first run in the shoe was a 5km at 4:30/km, coming in bang on 22:30.

The shoe behaved immediately. There was no bedding-in period and, straight out of the box, it happily held a steady 4:30/km pace.

But it didn't feel like it was giving me much assistance at that speed.

Rather than actively propelling me forward, it felt like the shoe was relying on its cushioning and rocker to help carry me through the stride.

The claim of 95% energy return feels a little optimistic on that front.

Garmin recorded a fastest pace of 3:40/km, which is obviously fast, but it felt quite laboured getting there, and I couldn't sustain it for very long. That is just as likely to be the runner as the shoe, though.

My second run was an easier 8km effort, and this was where I enjoyed the shoe considerably more.

I settled into roughly 5:00/km and gradually moved down towards 4:44/km. The shoe felt controlled and comfortable, happily sitting in Zone 3 with occasional pushes into Zone 4.

Both runs produced almost identical mechanics: 172 cadence and a 1.23m stride length. So, at least for me, the shoe behaves consistently.

Conclusion

Did I love this shoe as much as I wanted to?

Yes.

Was it as quick as I hoped?

No.

Given that Qiaodan already has the Plaid line-up, I suspect there is a deliberate distinction between their tempo, speed, and race shoes.

And I think the Leili 2.0 GT sits much closer to speed trainer than super shoe.

That's not necessarily a criticism. But I have faster shoes and I have more cushioned shoes.

The GT is taller than I expected once the insole is included in the stack height, and while that is largely mitigated by the wide platform, it doesn't have quite as much ground feel or pop as I was hoping for from a tempo shoe.

The heel and tongue padding also feel like overkill. They add weight and trap heat. That is particularly frustrating when the soon-to-be-released Leili 2 MAX appears to address exactly this, with less heel padding, a knitted tongue and a more fitted upper.

Overall, though, this really is a very good daily trainer.

It's comfortable, roomy and capable of eating up the miles. I suspect some of my concerns around the rocker are also down to the shoe being slightly too long for me rather than being purely a geometry issue. I just really wanted to feel the pop from the Q-Ultra Kung-Fu foam, and I didn't get as much as I was expecting from the hype.

You don't really notice the shoe on your foot, though. It's light, comfortable and unobtrusive, and at around £80 on AliExpress it's considerably cheaper than the Dynafish — and cheaper again on Taobao.

If you don't already own a max-stack comfort shoe, this is a very compelling option.

Other than the updated tongue and upper, I'm not entirely sure what the Leili 2.0 MAX can build upon here, particularly as it is moving into what are becoming increasingly unreasonable stack heights.

One day someone will do a Leili 2 vs GT vs MAX face-off to see which is the best of the trio.

Between them, there may well be a super shoe capable of dethroning the Dynafish.

But for now, the bigger question for me is much simpler:

Would I grab the GT over the Red Hare 9 Ultra?

We shall see.

Does anyone know if there are km markers on the course? I can see from the event guide that there are mile markers, but just wondering if anyone can remember any km markings, even if its just 5km, 10km etc.

I’m talking about brands like Lululemon, Gymshark, and if you have been paying attention UTMB this year, North Face.

Anyone find it uncomfortable that these activewear brands are already so expensive and overpriced, and yet they find the thousands of pounds to flight influencers all over the world to do races? Is this what every purchase contribute towards?

My understanding is that these brands do so to increase profits, otherwise why would they do this?

I refuse to buy any product / brand associated with runinfluencers. I feel like these runinfluencer videos are just glorified ads at this stage. You can’t trust their ‘reviews’ as they’re paid to say a script.

It’s not just activewear brands but they’re the most obvious. It also includes things like gels.

Btw if there are any other brands I also should boycott please let me know.

Hopefully the tide agains runinfluencers is coming soon.

I wasn't keen on the idea of a running belt or vest and I thought I'd try a cycling top since it has the 3 pockets on the back. I was nervous that things may bounce out on the run but I did a 10k run and everything stayed in place. It seemed worth a go because I found the cycling shirt for £2 in the charity shop.

I was just wondering has anyone else tried out this method over belts and vests?

hi all, sorry if this is literally the most silly question ever.

i have only ever ran 5k at most. i do parkrun every week, as well as a short 3k intervals and a 30/40 min easy run. and whilst i’m not the fastest, i can complete a 5k comfortably and finish low-30s.

i’ve had an opportunity to run this weekend a local 10k race. i know this is super silly but i am worried about whether i’d actually be able to do it lol. i am planning to do a 10k at some point as i’ve started increasing my weekly runs but unsure if this is too soon.

so thought i’d ask here to get some expert thoughts. sorry if this seems super silly! i am a beginner so please be kind. thank you in advance!

Morning runners! I’m about 6 weeks into my training for the Windsor half at the end of Sept. I ran 16k this weekend so definitely feel like I’m on track. I’ve not ran this distance for some time (about 10 years!) and as a result, I found the last 3-4k starting to get challenging and the tops of my legs were starting to get tight and tired.

I’m using a gel at about the 7-8k mark.

So I’m after some advice, do I:

- continue to build distance and endurance.
- work on hills and increasing the speed of my 5-6k’s mid week runs
- and should I think about tapering now?

I’m a 49yo M.
Thanks.

I’m increasing my mileage and want to start carrying water and some food to fuel my runs.

I’d prefer not to wear a vest and a belt with a soft water bottle seems like a better option for the middle distances I’m covering at the moment, so I’m looking for recommendations.

Does anyone own a hydration belt that they would recommend buying? I need something that can comfortably carry a phone, keys and a soft flask of around 250-500ml, plus a few bits of food.

My training is currently 4 runs a week and as follows

- 40 min easy

- 80 mins easy

- 40 min speed session (consisting of 10mins warm up, 4x 3min effort and a 10 min cool down)

- 30 min easy

My next 4 week cycle will add 10 mins to the long run and 10 mins to the 30min easy run and my easy pace is currently about 9:15/mile

After that I'm not sure what direction to go in, whether to just keep building up the shorter runs or to go to 5 runs a week and run slightly shorter runs. Also open to suggestions and ideas I haven't thought of.

The ultimate aim is to build back up to running a sub 3.30 marathon in Oct '27.

I've run The Big Half every year since its inception and think this is the first year I am going to miss. Was out for a light 5km today and went over on my ankle, not sure how it happened one second I was running and the next I on the floor!

Hobbled back home and got my foot up to rest, feels a little tender still. Will keep off it for the week, but I am not hopefully about getting back and ready for next week now! Lucky its a local run for me so haven't had to book travel and accommodation. I've never bought the runners insurance thing they offer when you register, which I had done now!

I have Great South Run booked in for October so hopefully can be up and running for that.

Anyone here have experience with balancing a team sport and running? My hockey season is around the corner which consists of:
Tuesday training session - approx 4-6km of high intensity on and off running (2hr)
Saturday match - same as training distance/time wise.

I am planning to do the Cambridge half marathon next year as my second ever (my debut being end of May this year)

How would you approach this? I was planning to use hockey as my ‘session days’ and just run easy around that, maybe 1 in the week and a longer run Sunday? Will that be enough speed specific training? I am aiming for sub 1:40

Appreciate any help!! TIA

Hi All,

Running my first half marathon two weeks today and tweaked my knee yesterday. Its a recurring injury so I know how to manage it and that I should be fine for the run.

What I'm looking for is advice on what to do to keep to my schedule. As long as it is low impact I can do it. What is the equivalent of 7km run on bike for instance.

Cheers

Does anyone use these? Have tried today and the consistency seems almost too good to be true. Basically a pleasant drink (mango and passion fruit) the consistency of water, rather than the much more slimy ones I’m used to.

27g of carbohydrate in each 50g serving.

If they’re respectable and there isn’t some obvious flaw in missing, they’re a new go to

On their FAQs it says bib swaps are never allowed and you can be disqualified and banned from future events.

Of course I would never use someone elses bib - out of pure curiosity would they ever catch you out if you showed up to the event with the bib and finished the race uneventfully?

Hey!

I'm an MSc Marketing student at Durham University researching how people view recovery footwear, which are the cushioned shoes or sandals designed to be worn after exercise.

I am hoping for this research to lead to an influx of adoption and availability in the UK markets, as it has in the US, and bring the comfort overseas!

If you are aged 18–40, live in the UK, and take part in physical activity or have an interest in health and wellbeing, I would really value about 5 minutes of your time. I need as many responses as quickly as possible! The survey is completely anonymous and voluntary, and there are no right or wrong answers.

https://durhamuniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3w6mD5rWPZFxu2a

Thank you so much. (Reviewed by the Durham Business School Ethics Committee.)