Iilene I don't run fast either. But I'm working on it.

NNS I have heard of HIIT and wondered if it would make me faster...I would be interested to hear how it goes.

Liliann welcome to the thread. It's good to hear you find it inspiring.

Tripswitch I shall have to dig out an atlas to find out if Christchurch or Buenos Aires is further south. Also I believe I have a marathon to train for in 13 months!

Ran 7km at dawn. Sunrise out of the sea, amazing.

4 miles in the heat.

Ran 10 miles Saturday and 7 on Sunday, both very hilly. Now to ease off before the weekend 50K.

NNS: I do a HIIT bootcamp twice weekly. I have done this for just over one year. I have noticed a marked improvement in my ability to run up the steeper hills, and for longer periods of time. The downside is that although the bootcamp alone does not cause me joint pain per se (muscle soreness occurs as expected, but is mild), it seems to be permissive to joint pain during long runs.

For example, I used to be able to run 10 miles any day with little/no pain during or after. Now, I notice random pain during longer runs that I've never had before (in 15+ years of distance running), and they seem to correlate with the activities that I did at bootcamp that week. I've learned that a few activities in particular seem to really increase this pain, so now I avoid them (e.g. box jumps - great for leg development, but they seem to make my knees hurt almost immediately when I run within a few days after doing them).

I don't want to give up the bootcamp; it's made me incredibly strong and I have to say the muscle development in my arms, abs and tush makes me happy. So I do recommend it. But my advice is to start slow and be very aware of any exercise that puts strain on knees and ankles in particular. My coach is very good at correcting alignment and that's really important, so be sure you're getting good training. And be extra-cautious about increasing running mileage at the same time (that lesson I learned the hard way).

ETA: I'm not a "featherweight" runner by any means and I just turned 40, so it's entirely possible that a younger and/or lighter runner would be absolutely fine doing HIIT and distance running with no complications.

JayZeeJay - Thanks for the interesting feedback! So it sounds like your HIIT bootcamp was more than just running? I would only be doing HIIT running, no box jumps or anything like that so hopefully the issues you've experience wouldn't affect me. However, I did read today that it's ideal to do your sprints on the uphill as it actually will alleviate some of the pressure on your joints. There's a section of my route that this should work well on...

Wow, a 50K this weekend! MORE than a marathon?! Hope it goes well!

NNS: Yes, it's a full-body bootcamp. Typical activities include exercises with weights, exercises with body-weight alone, and TRX. Lots of burpees, planks, pushups, squat jumps, rows, ropes, shoulder presses, etc. And some uphill sprints

2 miles today, carefully testing the waters of running with just over the counter insoles. You were right, autodidact, it felt much better to ditch my orthotics.

Wow, it was nasty out there with the heat and humidity. I don't mind running in the heat once I'm acclimated, but I'm definitely not there yet. Can't wait for it to get light out early enough to run before work.

I used to IF so I know how difficult runs can be with that WOE... I too like to run when I'm what I consider "slightly" fasted... 12 to 14 hrs and keep the run to an hour or so... Just feels good to me... But I have to be careful because it can also trigger some ED stuff for me...

I've tried what I think people mean by "HIIT" these days, but I could never quite seem to get the hang of it... I come from a background of just a lot of good old fashioned "speed" workouts... The team I used to race for had weekly track workouts at a world class facility... And the "energy" there was amazing... So running intervals there was probably about as close as I ever got to what was real HIIT for me...

2 miles this morning. Slower than the other day, but fewer walking breaks...

I may go back to the gym tonight to try HIIT on the treadmill. Still cannot find my watch. I've found some apps that I could use on my phone to audibly cue me, but they seem to be really buggy (and cost money!)

Streudel - You must go to work really early or live somewhere that the sun comes up much later than here!

TripSwitch - Nice to know some people understand. There's definitely a sweet spot for fasted running, and in fact I think the 12-14 hour range you mentioned not only feels best but actually has the best physical benefits.

LOL, I forget sometimes that it's actually early compared to other folks. We start at 7 am and I'm 45 miles from work, so I'm leaving a little after 6. If I run before work, I try to be out there by 5. I'm on the Eastern Shore of MD, so it's light around 5:30 now.

Streudel you are my idol! I dream of being out that early... I guess I need to stop dreaming though and actually set my alarm clock... lol... But that's it.... You're inspired me! I'm doing it!!!

4 miles.

I do HIIT on my hash runs. We run very fast. Stop (at traffic lights of just looking for where to go next). And so on. For about 4-6 miles. It is an effective workout and a little different to just distance running at a mostly constant pace.

And I do do IF and run with it. Just time your run before a meal. Else God help you.

Well it wasn't exactly a sunrise run... But I was out and on the trail running by 6:45AM!!! this morning... So HUGE victory for me...!!!

I ran 6mi on a rail trail... lots of walk breaks still, but I don't care... It was absolutely gorgeous out...

And the best part was I came home and jumped in my pool, which I absolutely love doing...

I guess if I were really ambitious I could always dust off one of my bikes and take it out for a spin and get my whole "triathlon thing" going on... But I don't think so... Not today anyway... I think today I'll just stick to lounging by the pool...

^^^^^^^ LOVE ^^^^^^

Keep on going

Thanks!

Yes. 4 miles.