RULES

Hi ladies. New to the sub so apologies if this has been discussed.

Can we talk about running with big breasts? And stubborn belly fat for that matter?

Some background - I’m in pretty decent shape but can’t help but feel I’d be a much better runner sans my large chest and lower belly pouch. I’m 31, 135 lbs with 32D boobs.

I just got back into running after some time off last year. Ytd I’m at around 500 miles. I just ran a 22:55 5k and am training for a spring marathon where I’m aiming for 3:30. I’m working my way up to 55 mpw and strength 3x per week.

Looking to see if anyone else has managed to be an advanced runner with extra upper body weight? What has helped bring your running/fitness to the next level?

What sports bras are we wearing and loving??

TIA.

Hey all, I have my first ever race tomorrow and I'm getting nervous. Any encouraging advice? Hoping to have decent pacing and all but I know it's going to be cold in the morning so unsure how I'll do in those conditions.

Hi everyone! I’m posting for my mother (70F), who is a huge exercise fan, and wants to do her first race. We cheered at the finish line for a local marathon, and she found it really moving and supportive, and would like to experience it.

However she has been explicitly told by her ortho that running is not an option, she doesn’t have enough knee cartilage for it. She walks and bikes for 1-2 hours every day, and I think she could definitely take on speedwalking.

Can anyone recommend a walking/speedwalking training plan? I think she’s thinking of starting with 10k distance, trying to work up to a 15 min/mile pace. From my searching, she’s usually above the level of beginner plans, but below the level of intermediate. TIA!!

How's everything going? This is a space to celebrate victories, get support, and share anything that might not merit its own post.

Did you have a really good run recently?

Find some really cute shoes or an awesome running outfit? (Feel free to share social links here!)

How's your training for the next big event going?

Want to share something random that's going well for you right now, or need to vent about something in your life, even if not running-related?

This is the place for it! Brag, vent, whatever you need!

I’m training for a marathon and had my long run today. As soon as my alarm went off this morning, I knew it was going to be a bad run.

I’ve spent this week in a downward spiral after the election results, and I had hoped a long run would help release some of the pain. Alas, it did not. I felt like there was a literal weight in my legs. Everything felt leaden and I randomly broke out in tears throughout the run. All of the despair felt physical in my body, and I could not get into a groove or find my pace.

I’m sharing this in case anyone else is in the same space as me. You are not alone. I’m giving myself grace and proud that I slogged through it, but damn the impact the election results has had on my mental health presented itself during my run in the worst way.

Hi everyone!

I’m running a 10K this weekend, and even though I’ve been running for over a year and have participated in several races, for some reason I’m starting to feel unusually nervous this time (PMS could be the one to blame at least partially).

I'd love any tips you have to help calm my nerves and perform my best, it can be about race strategies that have worked for you or anything you would like to share, everything will be appreciated.

Thanks so much in advance – I really enjoy this sub 🤍

I know this issue is probably a personal problem best dealt with in therapy… but figured I’d pose the question to this group too 😅

My boyfriend and I are relatively equally fast runners, when you take gender aside. He’s about equivalently good amongst males as I am amongst females. As we’ve done more and more road races, I’ve found myself getting way too competitive with our times between each other.

Ugh I hate that I’m like this and want to be supportive more than competitive! Any advice??

Several autoimmune conditions run in my family, and I’ve always had vague symptoms, but now am flaring up with what my rheumatologist thinks is most likely lupus. I was running 30-40 miles weekly before this flare started, and now am lucky to hit 10 miles in a week.

If you have an autoimmune disease like lupus, how does that affect your relationship with exercise? The fatigue is so bad right now, and I feel stuck in this cycle of barely being able to drag myself out the door, but also missing the clarity and joy I have when I’m running more. I’m still trying to figure out if I should try to push through and exercise more/harder even when I don’t feel like it, or if that would end up making things worse.

How's everything going? This is a space to celebrate victories, get support, and share anything that might not merit its own post.

Did you have a really good run recently?

Find some really cute shoes or an awesome running outfit? (Feel free to share social links here!)

How's your training for the next big event going?

Want to share something random that's going well for you right now, or need to vent about something in your life, even if not running-related?

This is the place for it! Brag, vent, whatever you need!

This is the place to talk gear, shoes, ask for recommendations, talk up your latest purchase, mourn the death of your favourite running bra... Let's talk threads!

Hi everyone! I am running (F, 24) my second marathon this Saturday- Indianapolis Monumental Marathon. It is my second marathon and I have been working my tail off to get a BQ. Up until election week, I was feeling so empowered and ready to have the best race possible. After the election results, my mental heath has been rough and I am feeling very clouded and anxious. I have a great support system and already take medication for my anxiety, so I know this feeling will pass. It’s just bad timing with the election results.

Does anyone have any affirmation recommendations that I can use on Saturday throughout the race? Also affirmations to tell myself leading up to the race to get my headspace back? I am not trying to stir up fights in the comments, I am just genuinely looking for advice to get my mindset back in action. Any suggestions are recommended 🩷 thank you!

EDIT: 3:19. A PR by almost 20 minutes. Thank you all for your uplifting messages 🥹 I love being a woman

I am proud of keeping up with it. I wasn’t feeling extremely well. But I didn’t skip. I am glad I still get to run and experience the pleasure of moving my body.

It is the simple things.

I'm running my first half marathon on Sunday. My training plan peaked at 25 mpw.

I'm looking for a plan that will build my base to 30-35 mpw before training for my next HM in early May.

I'm a slower runner and do Galloway style run/walk intervals. Hoping to get faster. Ideally a plan would have me running 4x week.

Any suggestions beyond Garmin DSW, NRC, or Runna?

I'm considering a plan from Running Explained but I keep seeing people say it's ridiculous to pay for a plan that's not personalized.

Looking to start running for better body and mental health. I suffer pretty bad depression and a whole host of other things but I wondering if anyone found a way to combat these things and start running regularly? Just can’t seem to find the motivation.

Edit: Any route setting or running apps is much appreciated too!

I’m currently almost a month post marathon, and have no races in sight at the moment but would like to keep my fitness up and generally keep running 5-6 days a week. Before my marathon training block I had been using Runna to just have someone telling me what to do each day and keep the variety up in my running. I’m not convinced I want to go back to Runna however, I find it not very realistic with paces which can be discouraging. Does anyone use a plan or app when they’re not training for a race? I really liked how structured my marathon training plan was and loved feeling myself improve. I would really love to work with a coach but spending over $200 a month probably isn’t in my cards right now

To all my crossfit ladies, I’ve been doing crossfit 3 times a week so it’s been reasonable to maintain a running program where crossfit serves as a complement. I want to start doing more crossfit throughout the week because I really enjoy it and I want to make the membership worth it. I’m having a hard time with the thought of giving up running so I still plan on running x2 a week.

For those of you who do crossfit or understand its intensity, do you or would you recommend keeping runs at an easy pace? I would probably stick to an hour run. I also considered still running more frequently but keeping them at 20-30 minutes…

How's everything going? This is a space to celebrate victories, get support, and share anything that might not merit its own post.

Did you have a really good run recently?

Find some really cute shoes or an awesome running outfit? (Feel free to share social links here!)

How's your training for the next big event going?

Want to share something random that's going well for you right now, or need to vent about something in your life, even if not running-related?

This is the place for it! Brag, vent, whatever you need!

Hello! My lovely girlfriend wants to improve at running to improve her health and fitness, as well as her ability to do a particular ball sport. We have gone running a few times and she can only run for about 2-3 minutes before running out of breath and walking home. This seems to be demotivating and I do not know how to give my advice and help her get on the right path without coming across as a jerk.

When we run, I notice she starts off really fast, even faster than my usual jogging pace. She also runs in a very inefficient manner, slamming her feet in the ground with each step. I have tried explaining to her that she should start slower, but she complains that it is psychologically very uncomfortable for her to run at a slower jogging pace and that my advice to lighten her steps is overwhelming to her.

If anyone has any advice as to how I be supportive and also help her enjoy running more, I would love to hear it!

I've been a runner since middle school, but I haven't raced or trained in any structured way since my 20s. I'm 39, and I'm thinking of starting to get back into racing. In my heyday, I just wore a "dumb" watch that could track my splits for workouts. I mapped all my runs on MapMyRun and calculated pace that way. I kept a paper running log. And all this worked fine, I was pretty fast!

It seems like nobody does things this way anymore. Should I get with the times? I kind of love being low tech, and not psyching myself out when I see my pace on easy runs where it doesn't matter. But also, the watches seem kind of cool and helpful. What should I do?!?

hey everyone!

is there anything you can't live without during the colder/darker months? i just bought the noxgear led running vest to run with my local running club for 6pm runs, bc i'm nervous about running in the dark for the first time.

anything safety wise that you like to have on you?

also i'm really interested to know what brand of long sleeve shirts and leggings you all like to wear. i only started running in may, so i've only ever run in shorts and a tank top-- but i live in NY so that's going to be changing soon.

any and all recommendations welcome!! thank you!

I’m getting back into running and decided to sign up for a half marathon. I registered for a race on 1/26/25 (about 11 weeks away). I used to be a pretty seasoned runner, with a half marathon PR of 1:40 in 2023. But after some health setbacks and time away, I’m struggling to run 3 miles under a 10-minute pace.

I’m optimistic about regaining my fitness quickly but need structure and a solid plan to follow. I’d love a beginner-friendly program to ease back in—ideally time-based rather than distance-based (if that’s not too specific).

Do you have any favorite half marathon plans?

My running playlist needs an overhaul. Tell me your favorite songs to run to!

hi everyone. I ran my first marathon on Sunday (NYC) and in the following days I’ve been, as I expected, physically spent and generally very fatigued. Everyone in my office was sick with a bad cold the last two weeks which I miraculously staved off before the race. I assumed once my immune system was shot in my post-race exhaustion, I’d catch what everyone had, and like clockwork I am!

However, another weird thing is that I’m quasi-heavy spotting today? I am on the pill so changes in my cycle are not the norm. Has anyone else experienced something similar post-big race? Is this just another symptom of my body’s major exhaustion and need to rest?

Hi all!

After 15 years of inconsistent phases of running, I decided to commit and follow a half marathon training program (NRC one - 14 weeks long). I don't have a race coming up. I'm just planning on running a half marathon distance at the beginning of December. I'd like to run in an actual race at the end of April.

My question is, what should I do between the months of December to February / early March? I don't want to tackle another intense training plan before then. I'd like to possibly strength train + keep some runs, and maybe work on nutrition? I know - I'm being so vague!

If anyone has tips or recs or resources to check out, I would be so appreciative!

How's everything going? This is a space to celebrate victories, get support, and share anything that might not merit its own post.

Did you have a really good run recently?

Find some really cute shoes or an awesome running outfit? (Feel free to share social links here!)

How's your training for the next big event going?

Want to share something random that's going well for you right now, or need to vent about something in your life, even if not running-related?

This is the place for it! Brag, vent, whatever you need!

Hi guys! I did my first half marathon 3 weeks ago and it went great, I was super excited to come back and start training again but I did take two weeks off.. which turned into three (the marathon was 20th October) and now I feel like I'm back to square one. I also have knee pain / undiagnosed injury that comes and goes which is contributing to the long break. I wanted to sign up for a marathon in April to motivate me but cant afford the fee this month. I just feel a bit depressed, guilty for not training and in a slump, so would appreciate any advice if anyone has ever been in that place!
Edit: Typos

Hi ladies, I’ve been running for about two weeks now (nearly every day) and I keep having to stop cause of pain in my knees. The pain goes away after a few minutes each time so it’s not too bad. I just want to know if it’ll go away as I run more or if I need to do something about it.

For what it’s worth, I have very weak legs right now. I’m trying to lift as well to strengthen my legs but that could take some time as well

hi! the past few weeks i’ve been dealing with a slight knee pain and with that i’ve just been kind of working through it by adjusting my cadence and that seemed to help pretty quickly.

It’s a few weeks later and now my right calf is pretty sore and bothersome- the weird thing is that it usually goes away once i start running or walking quickly. the only time it seems to bother me is right when i wake up in the morning or if i sit down too soon after a run and try walking again.

I think a part of the problem is that i am likely not stretching enough and the muscle must be pretty tired and weak. what would be some strengthening and stretching exercises you would recommend to help with this sore pains and tight calves?

thanks!

Was it the 10 miles this morning or stress eating from the election? 🤔🤔

Hey all, I’m really hoping to find some encouragement or maybe even some tips from those who’ve dealt with ongoing injuries while training.

I started running in August, so it’s only been a few months, but I’ve been dealing with one thing after another injury-wise. I’ve had quad soreness, hamstring issues, hip flexor tightness...it’s felt like I’ve been constantly battling one thing or another. Whenever one issue seems to calm down, it feels like something else pops up.

I’ve been working with my chiropractor on some pelvic instability issues to try and address overall imbalances in my body, but honestly, I’m starting to lose hope. It’s been around a month or so of constant pain and it’s really starting to mess with my confidence.

On top of it all, I’ve started to wonder if my weight is a factor in all this. I’ve always felt self-conscious about my body, but now I’m questioning if my frame just isn’t built for running... I’m feeling pretty down and starting to question if I even have the capacity to be a runner. I really love the sport, but I’m getting close to wanting to stop altogether because it’s just not fun right now.

Has anyone gone through something similar? How did you deal with injuries or persistent pain like this? Any advice on how to stay motivated when it feels like everything is going wrong? I’m so frustrated, but I also don’t want to give up just yet..