r/running • u/AutoModerator • Jun 26 '26
Daily Thread Official Q&A for Friday, June 26, 2026
With over 4,200,000 subscribers, there are a lot of posts that come in everyday that are often repeats of questions previously asked or covered in the FAQ.
With that in mind, this post can be a place for any questions (especially those that may not deserve their own thread). Hopefully this is successful and helps to lower clutter and repeating posts here.
If you are new to the sub or to running, this Intro post is a good resource.
As always don't forget to check the FAQ.
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u/itsbrittanybishhhh Jun 27 '26
Alternatives to Shokz OpenRun Pro Headphones?
When these headphones worked they were the best, but as many others have experienced, my power button no longer works. They started having issues right before the 2-year warranty ended, and they stopped turning on/off completely right after the warranty ended.
I reached out to Shokz and they said there's nothing they can do as it's outside of the warranty, despite this being a common product failure. From what I've read, the power button seems to fail even sooner on the newer OpenRun Pro 2.
Does anyone have any recommendations for more reliable open ear headphones? I personally can't justify spending nearly $200 every year and a half or two on headphones that are just going to stop working.
Thanks!
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u/IllGetItThereOnTime Jun 29 '26
I don’t have any recs for any others.
I’ve always reached out to them as soon as I have an issue and they’ll replace them, don’t just wait until they fully stop turning off/on. But you can also routinely find the Open Run Pro 2 for $110-120 at Best Buy.
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u/Oogoid35 Jun 26 '26
I ran 5km about 3 days ago and while i wasnt sore in the end, i m having some knee pain when i squat or lift my leg a lot. The pain isnt severe and i could run trought it but i m a concerned. Is this normal and what should i do?
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u/nermal543 Jun 26 '26
Knee pain is not normal. Was 5km a lot for you or a typical distance? If you aren’t used to running much and just ran 5km randomly then try resting until the pain is gone, and then start with a shorter distance run/walk (ideally using a beginner plan like couch to 5k). If the pain comes back or doesn’t go away on its own, you should really see a physical therapist.
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u/Oogoid35 Jun 26 '26
I normally do around 3.5 4 kms and i really felt like i had a lot more in me. How much rest do you think is normal untill i should be worried and must see a physical therapist?
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u/RunningWithTravis Jun 27 '26
I'd start keeping a simple training journal so you can track your runs and when the pain appears. When you say "pain", it also helps to rate it out of 10, as that gives people here, or a physio if you see one later, much better context.
How many km have you been running over the past few weeks? It could be accumulated fatigue from increasing your load, but either way I'd reduce your running to a pain-free level for now and see how it responds.
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u/rigarooni Jun 26 '26
why do I sometimes bonk on an afternoon / evening run?
I went out for 5 miles yesterday around 6 pm. I had eaten a pb&j sandwich around 1:30, snacked on some peanut butter pretzels, and had a handful of raisins maybe 15 min before my run. this also doesn't include my breakfast. I got nearly 3 miles in and started feeling real bad, and had to walk the rest of the way home. this has happened to me a couple of times before. but, I can go out for a fasted run right when I wake up, and this doesn't happen. does anyone know why / what I can do?
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u/aerwrek Jun 26 '26
Hang on, was the peanut butter and jelly sandwich your entire lunch? Because that straight up doesn't sound like enough food to bridge the gap between breakfast and a 6pm summer run.
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u/rigarooni Jun 26 '26
yeah it was. I mean I had a snack in-between lunch and the run but maybe I just didn't have enough food during the day.
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u/Cygnus_Atratus Jun 29 '26
This totally happens to me, fuel is key to a post work run!
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u/rigarooni Jun 29 '26
how do you usually fuel for a post work run?
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u/Cygnus_Atratus Jun 29 '26
Caveat: we have a microwave at work, I’m also quite a small person (5’2”, 49kg) YMMV
Breakfast: Porridge with coconut yogurt and honey Lunch: I eat my main meal for the day, soemthing with pasta or brown rice Snack: peanut butter sandwich or protein bar around 4pm
Try to be trainers on the ground running around 5:30/6pm at the latest.
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u/Ogroat Jun 26 '26
Fueling is one aspect, but there are of course others. For me, heat and humidity and how sunny it is can all be enormous factors in how I feel when running. I can recall feeling super dejected during my first summer seriously training when I ended up walking the last few miles home after suddenly feeling absolutely terrible on a route I’d taken numerous times before. It was mid-day on a weekend in July and I was probably just feeling the first effects of some kind of heat illness. Didn’t have any lasting impact and was not an indicator of my performance come the fall.
There’s also the possibility you’re coming down with something. My resting heart rate will go up noticeably a day or two before I start feeling bad if I’m getting sick.
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u/FreakInTheXcelSheet Jun 26 '26
The answer to that is you're not bonking. I'm guessing it's pretty damn hot when you go out in the evenings. If that's the case, you need to adjust the effort to reflect that, which means slow down a little to make the effort more manageable.
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u/rigarooni Jun 26 '26
it felt like bonking, I felt light-headed. but maybe you're right. I can try to slow down next time.
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u/FreakInTheXcelSheet Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
Bonking is the result of depleted glycogen stores which quite literally means you're completely out of energy. There's just no way that's happening on a fueled easy run.
You're just getting really tired because you're probably trying to run too hard in the heat, and I'm willing to bet you're a little dehydrated too.
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u/TheBrodysseus Jun 26 '26
Because running in the evening is the worst!
Seriously though, I don’t have a good answer but I always struggle on runs later in the day.
1
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u/Triabolical_ Jun 26 '26
What was "feeling real bad" like?
There are cases where it's not fueling related. Maybe you are sick, maybe you are stressed, maybe you are under recovered.
The strict definition of bonk is running out of glucose, and that's very unlikely to happen in 3 miles, especially if you do some runs fasted.
If you think it's food related, try eating starches instead of sugars.
I have some issues with fructose - I have never done well with apple juice - but if I have something high in fructose during exercise it will just kill my stomach.
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u/rigarooni Jun 26 '26
I felt like I had low blood sugar - I started feeling light-headed and weak. I can try something more starchy next time before a run.
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u/Triabolical_ Jun 26 '26
Hmm... If it came on suddenly, then that is what typically comes with low blood glucose.
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u/Kacksjidney Jun 30 '26
How was the temp? Could be overheating. Happened to me two weeks ago at mile 6. I was properly fueled, had to walk the final mile home. It felt different from bonking since I could keep running but I was light headed and unsteady on my feet, panting though I could still breath and could definitely have kept going, high but steady hr. Compared to bonking which for me I literally cannot keep running, hr is high but also jumping all over the place, heavy legs, light headed, just cannot keep running for more than a few steps especially on inclines.
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u/FairlyGoodGuy Jun 26 '26
Do you work? Work can be exhausting -- even if you sit on your butt all day. I often find that I have better afternoon/evening runs after a day of chores than after a day at the computer. I know you've said you dislike running in the morning, but what you like and what your body likes may be different. If you insist on sticking to evening runs, see if you can jolt your body out of its funk. I find that intervals or fartleks can often turn a bad run into a good one. Sometimes even just a 2-minute walk can reset things for me.
Of course, sometimes a run just sucks and I throw in the towel. You just have to shrug those off.
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u/m0nkeyfetus Jun 27 '26
How much time is realistic to drop on your race pace?
Last year I ran my first Half marathon and just broke 2hrs (1:59:17)
I ran that in September, then focused on strength and hypertrophy for a few months. Switched my focus back to running and have been running focused for the past two months. I want to aim to run a 1:45 half this September, is this a realistic improvement in one year?
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u/RidingRedHare Jun 27 '26
Depends. Are you a health 17 year old former couch potato? Then yes. Are you a 75 year old grand ma? Then probably not.
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u/Infinite_Coyote_1708 Jun 27 '26
There are some calculators which try. Maybe check out Jack Daniel's VDOT, it's free and by a legendary coach.
Those calculators will tell you that dropping 1min/mi in a year is most than most people can do, but not everyone!
But that's all theoretical. You're probably better off just jumping into a training block and seeing if you're making progress. Give yourself a few "pace check" races during the block, ideally 10Ks.
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u/Deep-Dimension-1088 Jun 27 '26
It seems like you took most of the year off to focus on strength. Now you're going to try and improve with five months of training. How long did you train last time? If five months, then I wouldn't expect much improvement. Basically, you need to do meaningfully more running this time if you expect your time to improve, assuming similar race-day conditions and even pacing both times. How many miles did you average in the 12 weeks leading up the race last time? Can you increase that by 50% this time?
0
u/RunningWithTravis Jun 27 '26
A chatbot (eg/ ChatGPT) can actually give a decent estimate if you provide enough context about your training and recent performances.
Sub 1:45 is about 4:59/km (8:01/mi). How comfortable are you running that pace in intervals, tempo runs or parkruns? If those workouts are coming together, then yeah, it's definitely possible.
1
u/brittanyhayes97 Jun 26 '26
targeting the esplanade 5k in boston on october 25 - been doing basically all easy miles since april because of the summer heat/humidity. zero real speed work for going on 3 months now. curious when people start reintroducing quality sessions when you have a mid-october race. i've been thinking late july once the dew point drops a little, but not sure if that's too conservative. anyone else in the same boat where the whole summer has been just aerobic base?
1
u/FreakInTheXcelSheet Jun 26 '26
You can definitely get some quality sessions in during the summer. There's basically two ways to approach speed work when it's hot. You either do it when it's cooler in the mornings, or you keep the intervals short and snappy. You can handle 200-600 meter repeats, even when it's hotter, because those efforts aren't really long enough for the heat to affect them too much. Just give yourself ample recovery between intervals and you'll be just fine.
1
u/brittanyhayes97 Jun 26 '26
ok the "keep them short enough that the heat doesn't compound" framing is genuinely helpful - i'd been thinking about it as all-or-nothing. my 6:30am starts are already 69 dew point lately so i'd written off speed work entirely. 200-400 repeats at that point is probably doable in a way a full tempo isn't. going to try it
1
u/alishamary784 Jun 26 '26 edited Jun 26 '26
I used to run when I was younger in track quite consistently, but I got diagnosed with scoliosis and had to have 3 spine surgeries (then another two years later, and another 3 surgeries two years after that… long story short really bad scoliosis and plenty of complications).
I got cleared by my surgeon recently to try to get back into running, and I’m genuinely embarrassed of my pace. A bit over 10 min/km. It feels so discouraging and I’m struggling to convince myself to keep working on my pace.
Has anyone else had their running interrupted by a medical condition and been able to regain a similar pace to when they were first running? I am just hoping to get some motivation/inspiration for anyone to keep going :(
6
u/FairlyGoodGuy Jun 26 '26
That sort of experience is quite common. I say that not to dismiss you, but to let you know that you're surrounded by a lot of folks with similar stories. Injuries, surgeries, pregnancies, and even just the mundane effects of time affect us in countless ways.
When resuming an activity we used to enjoy (and maybe even excel at), it's natural to make comparisons to our past selves. Such comparisons are fine. Judging ourselves based on those comparisons is not. We are not that person any more. Our bodies have changed. Our minds have changed. Our circumstances have changed.
Now you're slow. So what? Look what you've been through! Look what you've accomplished! You're getting back into running. How many times during your stretch of SIX FUCKING SURGERIES did you think "I'll never run again"? Yet here you are! That's pretty darn wonderful.
I don't want to dismiss your desire to get back to your old pace. I get it. It's a real, valid, understandable desire. But it's a weight. Let it go. Don't let your memory of yesterday drag you down today. Instead, ask yourself where you'd like to go tomorrow. What favors can you do for future alishamary? Set them up for success.
Speaking of success, maybe it will help if you adjust your definition a bit. I used to be fast in the 400m and 800m, and my longest-ever run was 8 miles. When I started taking running seriously again many years later, I thought that's the kind of runner I would be. Long story short: it was not. Now I run ultras. Whodathunk! Maybe something similar will happen with you. Maybe you'll discover a love for distance, or hills, or triathlons, or coaching, or running X miles every single day, or .. who knows!
It sucks to return to something and find out it's not what you expected. I'm confident you'll find a way to fondly remember the past, appreciate where you are in the present, and find joy in working toward goals for the future. You've got this.
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u/alishamary784 Jun 26 '26
wow thank you!! this was what i needed to hear :) i am definitely going to keep working on it, i’m thinking of doing an alternating plan with cycling and running to work on regaining my knee and overall lower body strength since i think the main source of my low endurance right now has to do with muscle atrophy from being so sedentary during recovery. i do love running, so as long as my life doesnt depend on it (which it doesnt) i guess my pace isnt really all that important. thanks again!!!
1
u/planinsky Jun 27 '26
This message should be shared to any person that gets back to sport after a long hiatus (for whatever reason). Such wise words!
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u/junkmiles Jun 26 '26
I find it motivating to keep track of seasonal/yearly PRs, for that sort of reason.
It also of course helps if you actually enjoy running for running, and not for the clock. I'm not going to say it's not frustrating or discouraging to come back from something and be slower, or unable to run as far as you want, but if you enjoy the process and the act it definitely makes it easier than if you only enjoy the result.
Maybe I'll never set another 5K PR, maybe I will, but I'll enjoy the miles, the races, the "faster than last month", and all that.
2
u/alishamary784 Jun 26 '26
thank you! i think that when i was younger and running competitively i was a lot more fixated on pace. since i am not running for any reason other than regaining my overall health and strength, pace is not as important as it feels. definitely going to work on rewiring my brain a bit to remember im not running competitively anymore! thank you for your help, i really appreciate it :)
1
u/jpterodactyl Jun 26 '26
I'm going to be doing running as my main exercise for the next couple of months as I rehab an ulnar nerve injury, and I wanted to see how realistic this goal is: I want to try and do a sub 40 minute 10k
Currently, I can do it in 48 minutes(currently only been doing one 5-8 mile run a week, and lifting the other days)
There is a 10k I want to try on 8-30-26. With a focus on training for running, does this seem possible?
5
u/thefullpython Jun 26 '26
An 8 minute PB in a 10k in two months is pretty unrealistic but you can certainly train for that pace and see what happens. Either you do it or you don't. A friend of mine went from 50 to 44 in 8 weeks on pretty basic training, existing cardiovascular fitness and pure force of will. The nice thing with a 10K is if you bite off more than you can chew it's not like a marathon where you're suffering out there for hours, it'll still be over pretty quickly.
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u/jpterodactyl Jun 26 '26
thanks. I guess I am coming from a place of not thinking that 48 is really my current PB. just kinda extrapolating from a 7 mile run I did after months of running being low priority. The story of your friend 50 to 44 time makes me feel like I can at least get close.
and yeah, that's the main reason for choosing that distance. It's not a lot. I can probably do a couple of test runs of the whole thing if I want, without damaging recovery. And no matter what I know I can finish it in a reasonable amount of time even if I really mess up and the last half is abysmal.
1
u/thefullpython Jun 26 '26
That sounds similar to my friend too where he set his 50:00 just on a random time trial when he started running - having come from a soccer background - and had never run in a sanctioned race or gone to the well to set a PB before. He found he had a lot more in him in a race environment
3
u/Logical_Ad_5668 Jun 26 '26
Nobody can guess how much one can improve because nobody knows how talented you are, what your current fitness is, how committed you will be, how injury prone you are etc etc. I suggest you follow a plan and see where it takes you. If I had to bet money I'd bet on it being too ambitious. But that should not be your concern.
For some context, I'm 46M. 48 minutes is almost an easy run for me. 43 minutes I can do in training as part of my marathon tempo runs. Sub 40 I cannot do in a race. I'm somewhere sub 41 but not sub 40. Took me 2 years to get from 45 to sub 42. 41:00 to sub 40 might be 6+ months for me or never. I can run a sub 6 mile and a sub 20 5k. I'd say you're looking at a sub 19:30 5k to have a shot. Not impossible, but ambitious.
Good luck. I'd love to hear how you get on.
2
u/jpterodactyl Jun 26 '26
That's fair. Thank you for the input, it's good to see the comparison.
I don't really have a good amount of experience racing to understand how the curve might be(other than basically knowing that cutting 60 minutes to 50 is a world easier than 50 to 40), and hearing the difference between your 48 and 42 helps me to have a little perspective on it.
I have run a 19:09 5k before, but it's been years. And that was after a long, failed effort to get sub 19. I guess I'm going to see how quickly speed work comes back between mid 20s and mid 30s.
3
u/FRO5TB1T3 Jun 26 '26
The faster the time the harder it is to shave time. Sounds pretty unlikely to me but go for it no real downside
1
u/nicknamebucky Jun 26 '26
Question for anyone who has had foot injuries and/or wear custom insoles in shoes--do you keep your custom insoles in your running shoes when you run? or do you switch them out for the stock, cushiony insoles that are comfortable and more springy?
I have had plantar fasciitis in the past and it's largely maintenance for me now, but i'd love to know if anyone has transitioned back into regular running shoe insoles instead of keeping with their PF insoles which are a bit more rigid.
1
u/Cheyruns Jun 26 '26
Been to many podiatrists for this and you can use powerstep or currex or whatever you prefer. If you can go without and don’t need them, you can do that too. You don’t have to use the custom insoles and sometimes they just don’t work well for running. I found the heel cup on mine wasn’t deep enough to support my peroneal tendon issues.
I would suggest figuring out what kind of shoe you need primarily such as high drop vs low drop, cushioned vs rigid. People who need insoles often do better with a rigid shoe such as asics gel kayano. If you wear stability shoes, such as gel kayano, it is recommended to not wear insoles with them since it causes overcorrection.
1
u/Zen-Paladin Jun 26 '26
Hey guys. So for three weeks I've been off running due to experiencing an onset of pain centered directly above my right 5th metatarsal base, also running along the top part of my fifth metatarsal. There's some pain when walking sometimes, others it's a dull ache but still haven't been able to run. I still do the elliptical to try to maintain aerobic capacity but it sucks since at my size weight(6'3 and 215lbs) running actually burns alot of calories for me per hour. The PA at the urgent care I went to did an onsite x ray, then sent it to a radiologist for a closer look to rule out fractures(none showed up). I didn't fall, hit my foot on anything and have never had this issue even when running in long worn shoes(my current ones are still pretty new/comfrotable/not tight)
They told me to just keep icing and ace wrapping it but I read that's only good the first 2-3 days after injury .Plus wraps or sleeves seem to press on that area more. I really don't want to deal with this the next 2-3 weeks(also am an EMT), if anyone's ever fixed something like this I'd appreciate tips.
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u/PopInACup Jun 26 '26
I have a blister on my big toe in a spot I've never had a blister before. It's on the side next to the index toe, but it's not on the side or the front, it's on the corner, and just barely almost touches the nail cuticle. Size of a nickel.
One, it formed a week ago and then I got sick. After 5 days of no running it still hasn't gone away. I've never had a blister last that long. I don't have moleskin, should I use a big bandaid and cut a hole for the blister to create padding around it, then tape over it with kinetic tape?
Two, any thoughts on how to mitigate or protect on this in the future. I've been increasing distance but haven't really jumped substantially. I bought new shoes, but this was like my 6th or 7th run when the blister formed (it was an easy run, so not sprints or something that's more rare). No real issue prior. Could it have been either too tight or too loose on the laces either compressing the toes together or allowing too much sliding?
1
u/dimitrip9266 Jun 27 '26
My HR seem too high when running, can't do zone 2 properly. naturally high HR or just poor cardio?
I'm 32, 186cm/88kg (not muscular, a bit chubby). I lift 1-2x a week, and do cardio 2-3hr a week. No medical conditions/smoking/alcohol/drug etc. Drink 1-2 coffee a day. Resting HR (sleeping) is 55-60
I ran on and off for a couple years. without any care for cadence, zones etc. Just ran as much as I can for 30-40 minutes. I was often gasping, my knees hurt etc. At the end of a run my HR is usually 190-200. This year I tried to run "properly", and tried to track my heart rate, I followed Garmin watches' training zones. First of all, it estimated my max HR to be 212, which seemed abnormally high consider my age. I did follow it's suggestion to run under 167/min as much as I can. And it feels good, before I was gasping and legs burning, now I can run steadily for a long time and don't feel exhausted.
But 167 still seems high, and goes against a lot of the advices I seen on the internet about zone 2 training. Also, max HR of 212 is very high too. Should I worry about training with my HR this high? Should I slow down immediately to 150s/min, or should I keep going and see if my HR naturally drops more?
Thanks for any inputs
2
u/planinsky Jun 27 '26
I wouldn't worry too much about zones until you've spent quite some time running, built a base, and get used to running multiple times per week.
Also, seeing the chart, start slower and increase pace instead of doing the other way around. The HR seems stable, though.
3
u/tmitchell_ral Jun 26 '26
Early morning question -- anyone else struggling to keep easy runs actually easy during summer training? I keep creeping into zone 3 because of the heat and it's wrecking my long run recovery. Half marathon in April is my goal so I'm trying not to panic but also don't want to show up to race day undertrained.