Search function did not spot a thread about running, so I'm reviving this from the old fora.
As part of my effort to self-recuperate from still partially-unexplained medical problems, and build up my pulmonary and cardiovascular function in case I get Covid-19, I've been running three times per week. Lately it's been 4-4.5 miles per run, just really slowly because of my physical condition and the high temperature. This morning: 80 degrees.
Yeah, early morning is good. I've done 6am and 7am recently. And yet there are still people already running when I start.
I haven't run any appreciable distance in over ten years, but I took it up while we were locked down because the gym was closed and I didn't feel like I was getting enough exercise, despite my daily walks and weekly hikes. I also found that my asthma had been getting worse for some time, especially when I lie down to go to bed, and I remembered that back when I ran quite a bit it was at a low ebb.
It seems to be working. I've taken it slow, and I'm not running far--just two kilometres to get the mail (you need to understand: I'm a big, heavy bodybuilder type, and where I live it's all huge, steep hills) a day. But it's done the trick with the asthma. I still go for walks, hikes, and the occasional swim in the ocean, and now that the gym is open I get my usual weights and rowing in, too. It's a bit of overkill, but it's nice.
I think I'll double the run to four kilometres in August, and see how that goes. It does mean adding about 1.5 km of steep hill, however.
I've also started running since lockdown closed the gyms. I'm at about 3 miles per run (usually divided up into four bouts of running interspersed with three walking breathers of a block or so), but not always every day. Usually after I've taken a day off I go farther before I need to rest, and in the last week I've started upping my distance to 3.5 miles when I'm feeling good.
I'm still not at the point where I can see myself running the whole thing without walking, though.
I audio-booked Seth Dickinson's THe Traitor Baru Cormorant (which was outstanding!), and have now started Erin Morgenstern's The Starless Sea.
I overtrained for too long and it caught up with me last year with two spectacular DNFs, so I am rehabbing (injury and weight gain) and restarting.
I'm walking 4-5 miles every day and running a couple every other day or so. The walking has been great to help me still feel like I am training and to help me relearn the not really subtle signs that my knees send.
Folk dance last night was fun.
Lots of running in place with different styles of footwork in between...
;--}
M.
I'd been thinking about this thread from the old fora. I read it but didn't often contribute.
My goal by the end of the summer is to run 10 km. I'm up to 6 km, which I run every other night (after my kids are in bed, when it's cooled down, or "cooled" down, depending on the day). I've really improved my pre- and post-run stretching routine, which I neglected for years, and that's had a really positive impact on my knees. (Geez, that's the stuff my dad used to say when he was in his 40s and I thought he was old. I'm in my 40s and do not have the same impression of myself as I had of him, until I start complaining about my knees.) I also ordered a pair of my favorite shoes online (my other shoes had > 300 km on them), and they're so cushy!
Quote from: traductio on July 29, 2020, 12:35:55 PM
I'd been thinking about this thread from the old fora. I read it but didn't often contribute.
My goal by the end of the summer is to run 10 km. I'm up to 6 km, which I run every other night (after my kids are in bed, when it's cooled down, or "cooled" down, depending on the day). I've really improved my pre- and post-run stretching routine, which I neglected for years, and that's had a really positive impact on my knees. (Geez, that's the stuff my dad used to say when he was in his 40s and I thought he was old. I'm in my 40s and do not have the same impression of myself as I had of him, until I start complaining about my knees.) I also ordered a pair of my favorite shoes online (my other shoes had > 300 km on them), and they're so cushy!
Make and model? I'm always looking for suggestions. My medical escapades over the last two years have included getting nearly every part of my body imaged in one way or another, and x-rays showed a healed metatarsal fracture in each foot. The fractures probably occurred back in 2015-2016, when I was running 30 miles per week.
Quote from: downer on July 28, 2020, 07:47:37 AM
Yeah, early morning is good. I've done 6am and 7am recently. And yet there are still people already running when I start.
That's always my plan, but I can't seem to get my lazy butt out of bed, and get properly caffeinated, early enough. This morning I didn't go until 7:30 when it was already starting to get hot and muggy. I've had some luck with dusk, as Traductio mentions.
I also find that when I run in the morning, I get pretty bad afternoon drowsies. (As I write this, I'm considering going to take a nap.) Yet when I run in the evening, it doesn't make sleep come any easier. Suggestions?
Quote from: pgher on July 29, 2020, 01:45:28 PM
Quote from: downer on July 28, 2020, 07:47:37 AM
Yeah, early morning is good. I've done 6am and 7am recently. And yet there are still people already running when I start.
That's always my plan, but I can't seem to get my lazy butt out of bed, and get properly caffeinated, early enough. This morning I didn't go until 7:30 when it was already starting to get hot and muggy. I've had some luck with dusk, as Traductio mentions.
I also find that when I run in the morning, I get pretty bad afternoon drowsies. (As I write this, I'm considering going to take a nap.) Yet when I run in the evening, it doesn't make sleep come any easier. Suggestions?
You seem to imply that an afternoon nap is a bad thing. I would question that, unless you are worried it will make it harder to sleep at night.
Sometimes I just have a glass of water, perform some necessary morning functions, and go for the run. I'm lucky that I am able to go for a run straight from my front door. I have the caffeine on my return.
Quote from: spork on July 29, 2020, 01:14:23 PM
Quote from: traductio on July 29, 2020, 12:35:55 PM
I'd been thinking about this thread from the old fora. I read it but didn't often contribute.
My goal by the end of the summer is to run 10 km. I'm up to 6 km, which I run every other night (after my kids are in bed, when it's cooled down, or "cooled" down, depending on the day). I've really improved my pre- and post-run stretching routine, which I neglected for years, and that's had a really positive impact on my knees. (Geez, that's the stuff my dad used to say when he was in his 40s and I thought he was old. I'm in my 40s and do not have the same impression of myself as I had of him, until I start complaining about my knees.) I also ordered a pair of my favorite shoes online (my other shoes had > 300 km on them), and they're so cushy!
Make and model? I'm always looking for suggestions. My medical escapades over the last two years have included getting nearly every part of my body imaged in one way or another, and x-rays showed a healed metatarsal fracture in each foot. The fractures probably occurred back in 2015-2016, when I was running 30 miles per week.
Asics GT 1000 (https://www.asics.com/us/en-us/gt-1000/c/aa50109300/). They're nothing fancy, but they're also the first shoes I ever bought that I didn't have to wear in -- they just fit exactly right, out of the box. I bought my first pair a few years ago when I realized that having tenure meant buying decent shoes so I wouldn't hurt myself. (I suppose I could have done that before tenure, but it took a mindset shift to get me to really see that.) I went to a running store (that was the other thing that changed -- I moved to a city with stories devoted to running, and a whole new world opened up!) and said I wanted help to find the right shoes.
I wish I had done that years ago.
Anyway, tonight I went 6.5 km -- it was an amazing run, the best I've had this summer.
I love running, but I live in a very very hot part of the country so no running for me till late September. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in shape from home so that it isn't too awful to get back into the swing of things when the weather cools down.
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 29, 2020, 08:03:11 PM
I love running, but I live in a very very hot part of the country so no running for me till late September. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in shape from home so that it isn't too awful to get back into the swing of things when the weather cools down.
I'm just the opposite -- I live in Canada, and summer's when I get to run, although it has been awfully humid these days. The dark and cold winter months are hard.
Quote from: pgher on July 29, 2020, 01:45:28 PM
Quote from: downer on July 28, 2020, 07:47:37 AM
Yeah, early morning is good. I've done 6am and 7am recently. And yet there are still people already running when I start.
That's always my plan, but I can't seem to get my lazy butt out of bed, and get properly caffeinated, early enough. This morning I didn't go until 7:30 when it was already starting to get hot and muggy. I've had some luck with dusk, as Traductio mentions.
I also find that when I run in the morning, I get pretty bad afternoon drowsies. (As I write this, I'm considering going to take a nap.) Yet when I run in the evening, it doesn't make sleep come any easier. Suggestions?
I can't help with the sleep patterns, but on the topic of running times, I find that morning runs are a no-go. I can't get myself together that quickly. On the other hand, after a day sitting at my desk and wrangling with colleagues and Zoom meetings and frustrations of working at home, I'm desperate for a run by 5:30 or so. Evening runs are the absolute best way to clear the workday from my mind.
Quote from: traductio on July 29, 2020, 08:48:55 PM
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 29, 2020, 08:03:11 PM
I love running, but I live in a very very hot part of the country so no running for me till late September. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in shape from home so that it isn't too awful to get back into the swing of things when the weather cools down.
I'm just the opposite -- I live in Canada, and summer's when I get to run, although it has been awfully humid these days. The dark and cold winter months are hard.
My last exciting Canada run was a 3 km round trip at 4 degrees F to fetch kouign amanns. Montreal, Thanksgiving holiday 2018.
Quote from: Sun_Worshiper on July 29, 2020, 08:03:11 PM
I love running, but I live in a very very hot part of the country so no running for me till late September. In the meantime, I'm trying to stay in shape from home so that it isn't too awful to get back into the swing of things when the weather cools down.
It's the same for me, although my exercise is walking and bicycle riding. I have to get up early to get in as much exercise as possible before work. But my medication has made it harder to get up early.
Thank you for starting us up again over here Spork!
I overdid it sometime in June, is I spent much of the last 6 weeks walking and am only now starting to get back into running. I'm usually a morning person, but when I shifted to walking I also shifted to the evening because I've also got a new puppy in the house, and mornings are tricky right now due to housebreaking challenges.
But I signed up back in March for the GVRAT1000K, which is a virtual event in which participants have from May 1 (or whenever they sign up) until August 31, to walk or run 635 miles (or 1021K), which is the distance along a route that transverses the state of Tennessee. I have 75 miles to go.
I made it out again tonight (I always go after my kids are in bed) for another 6.5 km. It was fantastic -- the cooler weather (low 20s / upper 60s, depending on your unit of choice) has given me an energy I hadn't had in a while.
And pink_, the GVRAT1000K sounds challenging. I did quick mental math and realized I'll do maybe a quarter of that distance during that time.
I've been running outdoors since March, when my gym shut down for quarantine. I don't like running, but I very much like how I feel after I've run, and not exercising makes me antsy, so, here we are. I usually go 3-4 times a week, around 35 minutes at a time, with some walking interspersed with jogging. I'm very impressed with all of you who run long distances on a regular basis!
I hesitate to raise the issue here, since it has been discussed in other threads in some detail, but I wonder if you wear a mask when you run.
I went for a run this morning. Probably the closest I came to another individual was about 10 feet, and that was entirely predictable and very brief. There are no places where I'd be forced to be close to another person. Most streets here are wide with few people on them, and it is always possible to cross the road there is someone else coming up. I passed a few other runners and nobody was wearing a mask. I wasn't either.
On the other hand, I have gone running in Brooklyn a few times in recent months, and there, I always wear a mask. Many others do not, though.
I don't, but I run at about 9:30 at night through a neighborhood that at one time belonged to a first-ring suburb. It's spacious enough that, at that time of night, I run past a half dozen people at most, but I can always maintain a good three meters between us. If I were running somewhere more densely populated, I'd wear a mask. (Whenever I'm inside a place other than my house, I always have a mask.)
I am another recent convert to running. I typically run 4-5 miles about 5 times a week.
I live in one of the southern COVID hotspots. I don't wear a mask while running and I don't see anyone else doing so. I occasionally see masked walkers or bicyclists but they are few and far between. I think the weather here would make masked running challenging. This morning on a downtown trail I saw a group of 20 or so children, probably from the local YMCA, all bunched up and taking up most of the 8 foot wide (guess) trail. They had 3-4 20-something councilors who were bunched up with them. None had masks. I see them out like this often. I usually run on less-crowded trails or on the street.
My city has an indoor mask ordinance but the state does not.
I don't wear a mask when I'm out exercising. Foot and bicycle traffic in our town are light enough that social distancing outside is not a problem.
Quote from: apl68 on August 03, 2020, 01:15:17 PM
I don't wear a mask when I'm out exercising. Foot and bicycle traffic in our town are light enough that social distancing outside is not a problem.
Same here. During busy times of the day/week, I run on residential streets instead of the path through the park. That way if I encounter someone, I can just go out into the street and keep my distance.
I don't wear a mask while running. I do keep my distance from others.
Local rules in my area say you don't have to wear a mask while exercising outdoors, as long as you keep distance from others.
Ooh! 8 km tonight! That felt really good, and it puts me within 2 km of my goal for the summer. There aren't any races to do, but I've been wanting to build up to 10 km for a while now, eventually to a half-marathon. (A half-marathon was the gift I promised myself when I got tenure. My spouse does not understand how that is a gift one gives oneself, but I suspect you all will.)
Quote from: traductio on August 03, 2020, 07:45:41 PM
Ooh! 8 km tonight! That felt really good, and it puts me within 2 km of my goal for the summer. There aren't any races to do, but I've been wanting to build up to 10 km for a while now, eventually to a half-marathon. (A half-marathon was the gift I promised myself when I got tenure. My spouse does not understand how that is a gift one gives oneself, but I suspect you all will.)
Congratulations. You are on your way to the half-marathon. The trick is to add mileage in very small increments.
One piece of advice: when I was running 30 miles per week, I developed plantar fasciitis in addition to the undiagnosed metatarsal fractures, despite custom orthotics (I have flat feet). What helped the most was stretching my calf muscles and Achilles tendons several times a day. I actually built an inclined plane that I stand on with one foot when working at my standing desk. When I had the plantar fasciitis, I could not sit on my heels when kneeling on the floor -- not flexible enough. Now I can.
I find that doing a 30 min yoga session after a longish run helps a lot.
Thanks, Downer and Spork -- I'll take your advice to heart. I've incorporated a lot more stretching (before and after) than I used to do, as recommended by my spouse (a yoga instructor with a keen sense of how to use yoga in combination with other forms of exercise), and I've found that it's made a big difference. I'll also work on the stretching throughout the day. I have to keep reminding myself that I can't do now what I could do at age 18 (which is something I remember my parents saying when, well, they were the age I am now).
Quote from: downer on August 03, 2020, 11:47:23 AM
I hesitate to raise the issue here, since it has been discussed in other threads in some detail, but I wonder if you wear a mask when you run.
The mask mandate where I live only applies indoors and only to specific kinds of places. Like a few others who have posted, I live in a Southern state that is one of the worst for Covid, and if I had to wear a mask to run, I would, but I'm really glad that I don't have to.
I have a couple gaiters that I will wear around my neck and pull up over my face if I know that I will be somewhere where I can't give a wide berth to anyone else I pass. There's a trail that is pretty close that I love to run on, but it's very rare that I am there without any other people, and it's not wide enough to distance so I'll cover my face when I get within 15 feet or so and keep it up until I'm safely passed. But nobody else I've seen there does the same, so I've not been back in a while.
Most of the time, I run on the roads and just cross the street on the rare occasions that I see other pedestrians. I choose my routes to avoid other people as much as possible. I'm also usually running or walking at what most people consider dinnertime, so there's less foot traffic then too.
I'm similar to pink_. I pull a gaiter (interesting word, never used it for headgear before, but it makes perfect sense) over my mouth and nose if I'm passing within ten feet of someone. Since I run on a path, sidewalks, and streets early in the morning, I usually can get far away from anyone who is out exercising at the same time.
4.3 miles this morning at 70 degrees and 90% humidity. Physically exhausted until about a couple of hours ago. About to water plants in the yard; it's 90 degrees now.
I am trying to get back to running, and my adult Karate class. The 2nd one has crippled me for the 1st. Achilles Tendonitis (which is a recurring issue for me whenever I try to get back to running).
I am going to try the nighttime PF brace to keep my foot flexed while I sleep.
Massage with Vicks or a plain petroleum jelly, or mineral oil, might also help.
Good luck....no fun, been there, fought that...
M.
Quote from: spork on August 09, 2020, 02:37:38 PM
I'm similar to pink_. I pull a gaiter (interesting word, never used it for headgear before, but it makes perfect sense) over my mouth and nose if I'm passing within ten feet of someone. Since I run on a path, sidewalks, and streets early in the morning, I usually can get far away from anyone who is out exercising at the same time.
4.3 miles this morning at 70 degrees and 90% humidity. Physically exhausted until about a couple of hours ago. About to water plants in the yard; it's 90 degrees now.
Quote from: spork on August 09, 2020, 02:37:38 PM
I'm similar to pink_. I pull a gaiter (interesting word, never used it for headgear before, but it makes perfect sense) over my mouth and nose if I'm passing within ten feet of someone. Since I run on a path, sidewalks, and streets early in the morning, I usually can get far away from anyone who is out exercising at the same time.
4.3 miles this morning at 70 degrees and 90% humidity. Physically exhausted until about a couple of hours ago. About to water plants in the yard; it's 90 degrees now.
That may not be helping at all. (https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/mask-test-duke-covid/2020/08/10/4f2bb888-db18-11ea-b205-ff838e15a9a6_story.html)
Or maybe it's fine. (https://slate.com/technology/2020/08/gaiter-study-flawed.html?via=taps_top)
I've not been able to run the last couple of days. I've been feeling very sore and achy in my ankles and shins and calves, and needed to take a couple of days off to let that ease.* I've been worrying about things like shin splints, but don't those usually show up for people who run more than 3.5 miles at a time, with two to four walking breaks when it gets too hard?
* I'm hesitant about pushing myself when I'm not feeling it, for fear that it will become an obligation rather than a relaxing way to relieve stress and listen to an audio book while admiring neighborhood gardens.
Good news, the night splint seems to b e taming the Achilles tendinitis and I can sleep with it. Now I can be NOT run in this heat and humidity in comfort.
Quote from: ergative on August 13, 2020, 02:10:57 AM
* I'm hesitant about pushing myself when I'm not feeling it, for fear that it will become an obligation rather than a relaxing way to relieve stress and listen to an audio book while admiring neighborhood gardens.
For years, my training philosophy has been "there's no need to make a point in training runs." If running isn't going to work, I'll sub in biking, walking, or something else to meet whatever the day's goal happens to be.
Jack Reacher doesn't care whether I am running or walking. Well, he might. But Reacher says nothing.
I'm currently training for three virtual races: 26.1 km (Virtual Canada Army Run), 10 km (Virtual Run to End Endo), and half-marathon/21.1 km (Virtual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront). Once those are complete by the end of October, I'll start training for a spring marathon. If "live" races aren't back by then I'll find a virtual marathon to run. In the past I've run 3 full marathons, over a dozen half-marathons, and completed two sprint triathlons. Another triathlon next summer is possible if I can get back into the pool (currently they are closed in my jurisdiction).
Quote from: MarathonRunner on August 22, 2020, 07:30:41 AM
I'm currently training for three virtual races: 26.1 km (Virtual Canada Army Run), 10 km (Virtual Run to End Endo), and half-marathon/21.1 km (Virtual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront). Once those are complete by the end of October, I'll start training for a spring marathon. If "live" races aren't back by then I'll find a virtual marathon to run. In the past I've run 3 full marathons, over a dozen half-marathons, and completed two sprint triathlons. Another triathlon next summer is possible if I can get back into the pool (currently they are closed in my jurisdiction).
Good luck, buddy! I hope you have something good to listen to.
Both the weather and my own health (cramps) prevented me from doing much this week, but I managed a little over three miles today (with three or four walks/pauses) and felt great at the end.
Quote from: MarathonRunner on August 22, 2020, 07:30:41 AM
I'm currently training for three virtual races: 26.1 km (Virtual Canada Army Run), 10 km (Virtual Run to End Endo), and half-marathon/21.1 km (Virtual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront). Once those are complete by the end of October, I'll start training for a spring marathon. If "live" races aren't back by then I'll find a virtual marathon to run. In the past I've run 3 full marathons, over a dozen half-marathons, and completed two sprint triathlons. Another triathlon next summer is possible if I can get back into the pool (currently they are closed in my jurisdiction).
Good for you!
I've been watching the forecasts and I think we're a week or two away from the sort of weather that allows for morning runs. I can't wait. Not running has really been a drag, particularly with COVID.
On Monday, I went for a run, as part of my "get back into running" goal. Today, I can walk again without limping. Progress?
Indeed!
I had a similar bit of progress after a folk dance class on Tuesday.
Wednesday's walking was not problematic, and I'm very glad.
M.
It's been pouring all day today. I'd really like to go for a run, but not enough to get soaked. If it were warmer, sure, but I don't have the gear to stay comfortable in 58F + rain. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not committed enough (yet) to this new hobby to justify buying new stuff.
Ran 10k yesterday for the first time ever. It felt great -- well, hard (I've been building up to it, but 8k was the farthest I had gone so far), but great. My goal, still, is a half marathon, maybe next summer when I can train and run in races with other people. Right now I've just measured out a 5k course through my neighbourhood, which I can modify as needs be for different distances, and I tend to go out when my kids are in bed.
But I'm feeling pretty good about the 10k!
Just ran (oops, soorry) across this...
https://www.wcvb.com/article/video-inside-look-at-virtual-running-of-2020-boston-marathon/33936387
It was posptoned, now it's virtual....just FYI...
M.
Quote from: ergative on August 27, 2020, 08:46:05 AM
It's been pouring all day today. I'd really like to go for a run, but not enough to get soaked. If it were warmer, sure, but I don't have the gear to stay comfortable in 58F + rain. And, if I'm being honest with myself, I'm not committed enough (yet) to this new hobby to justify buying new stuff.
When I was a kid, the rain didn't matter (of course, that was partly because sports were compulsory at my school). It was always cold, because long-distance running was always in the fall.
Now, I don't care to get wet. And August was a very wet month. But there's bound to be a dry spell for the next month or so, so it's back to the pavement.
A few days ago I managed to make to to 2.25 miles (including a couple of (very small) hills!) before I had to stop and walk. Yesterday I barely managed to get through the first mile, and I had to make a lot more stops than usual. It's really funny how my personal capacities fluctuate.
Quote from: ergative on September 08, 2020, 10:55:14 PM
A few days ago I managed to make to to 2.25 miles (including a couple of (very small) hills!) before I had to stop and walk. Yesterday I barely managed to get through the first mile, and I had to make a lot more stops than usual. It's really funny how my personal capacities fluctuate.
I notice that too - running is harder if I haven't slept well the night before. It didn't seem to matter when I was using the elliptical at the gym, but running is harder in general, and particularly so when I'm not well rested.
Yeah--I've been doing some intensive online training on a technical skill (which has actually been working really well--I'm learning tons) and by the end of the day I can barely string together a sentence and my backside is reminding me that I really cheaped out when I bought my office chair. I would have thought that this kind of mental exhaustion and physical crampedness would benefit the most from a run--and maybe they do!--but the run itself suffers.
We've had a couple nice mornings here, after a lot of unbearably hot weather. I went running about a week ago for the first time in several months, and again this morning. Both runs were hard - I'm out of shape, despite best efforts to exercise from home during the summer. I'm planning to go again tomorrow morning, and I'm hoping that I'll be back to normal running ability after another few runs.
It is raining again this afternoon (every day now for, what, two weeks?), and it's cool and damp. If it stops raining, it will be excellent for running. If it doesn't stop, then I will stand outside on my driveway, cursing the heavens, King Lear-style.
I recently started low heart rate running, aided by an inexpensive heart rate monitor (wrist). The goal of low heart rate running is to sustain an even pace while not exceeding a certain BPM.
I'm thinking of keeping my HRM on and wearing it while I work.
It's great training for all of the weird crises that we are facing in higher ed right now.
I have moved on from Achilles pain to a weird medial knee pain. Near as I can tell, it is due to tight muscles, but I haven't yet sussed out which one.
Grrr. And it is perfect fall running weather today.
I resisted the virtual races because, well, I don't know.
Turns out that they're pretty great for an antisocial middle of the packer like me.
I love:
starting whenever I want
not having to wait for the big blue box
not getting jammed into a weird pace at the start
being able to follow the training plans I've set
supporting my favorite clubs, races, and charities
converting road events into trail events
Another hard run this morning - my body hates me. Heating up again so this may be the last one for a week or so, which should give me ample time to recover.
Quote from: Dr_Badger on September 09, 2020, 04:03:05 PM
I recently started low heart rate running, aided by an inexpensive heart rate monitor (wrist). The goal of low heart rate running is to sustain an even pace while not exceeding a certain BPM.
I'm thinking of keeping my HRM on and wearing it while I work.
It's great training for all of the weird crises that we are facing in higher ed right now.
This sounds like a great bio-feedback anxiety-reduction method.
Rather than deal with people in a store during a pandemic, I'll ask for new shoe advice here. I have congenitally flat feet and wear custom orthotics, which increase heel to toe drop. I have twinges of plantar fasciitis after a severe bout with it five years ago -- I do a lot of calf and achilles stretching and massage to try to keep it in check. Typically I go for a stability or motion control shoe, though I know these terms are mostly marketing gimmicks.
For the last year I've usually worn Brooks Adrenaline GTS 19, which has a 12mm drop and "guide rails" rather than the traditional medial post. They have always felt, well, heavy and somewhat mushy. I also have a pair of New Balance 860v8. They definitely "feel" lighter than the Adrenalines, but seem less stable. I use them mainly as walking shoes. In the past I've run with Saucony Omni, New Balance Fresh Foam 1080, and a few other models. I seem to alternate between New Balance, Saucony, and Brooks -- they seem to produce shoes with toe boxes that don't pinch. It's for this reason that I've never purchased Hoka One One.
Any suggestions?
I bought a new pair of shoes -- Saucony Guide 13. Compared to Brooks Adrenaline gts 20, its drop is 4 mm less and it has a quarter inch more foam in the forefoot. The Saucony Omni 19 felt far more clunky on my feet. And the New Balance 1080 was a terrible fit -- a knit upper very tight in the toe box and a new-fangled heel cup that slid up and down a lot, the opposite of what it's supposed to do. Plus it has a lower stack height than the Guide 13s, so less cushion.
Quote from: spork on September 29, 2020, 08:26:58 AM
I bought a new pair of shoes -- Saucony Guide 13. Compared to Brooks Adrenaline gts 20, its drop is 4 mm less and it has a quarter inch more foam in the forefoot. The Saucony Omni 19 felt far more clunky on my feet. And the New Balance 1080 was a terrible fit -- a knit upper very tight in the toe box and a new-fangled heel cup that slid up and down a lot, the opposite of what it's supposed to do. Plus it has a lower stack height than the Guide 13s, so less cushion.
I didn't have any suggestions because I've only ever bought three pairs of running shoes. How many miles do you put on a pair? I run about 16 miles per week, so I don't feel like I need new shoes very often.
The weather here has been just glorious for running. It had been hot, but now mornings are in the 50s. I find I run faster and feel better. Love it!
Well. I've doubled my distance, though the running took a big hit from all the smoke.
Ever since school started (for me -- all online teaching, one extra course; for my kids -- in person, grades 1 and 5, as Covid cases skyrocket) I've found my energy level is down, down, down. I think it's just the sheer stress. So I've cut down the distance I'm running (5km at a go, rather than 8), although last Friday I made it out mid-morning, and the weather could not have been more perfect, and I went 10km.
Quote from: pgher on September 29, 2020, 03:53:04 PM
Quote from: spork on September 29, 2020, 08:26:58 AM
I bought a new pair of shoes -- Saucony Guide 13. Compared to Brooks Adrenaline gts 20, its drop is 4 mm less and it has a quarter inch more foam in the forefoot. The Saucony Omni 19 felt far more clunky on my feet. And the New Balance 1080 was a terrible fit -- a knit upper very tight in the toe box and a new-fangled heel cup that slid up and down a lot, the opposite of what it's supposed to do. Plus it has a lower stack height than the Guide 13s, so less cushion.
I didn't have any suggestions because I've only ever bought three pairs of running shoes. How many miles do you put on a pair? I run about 16 miles per week, so I don't feel like I need new shoes very often.
The weather here has been just glorious for running. It had been hot, but now mornings are in the 50s. I find I run faster and feel better. Love it!
My answer will probably sound like mansplaining, but here goes: I'm probably far out of the norm. I have congenitally flat feet, wear custom orthotics, had a serious episode of plantar fasciitis a few years ago when I was running 30 miles per week, and recently discovered via x-rays that sometime in the past I was running with a fractured metatarsal in each foot. Add to all that some serious chronic medical problems. For the last six months I've been running 12-15 miles per week. I wore the Brooks Adrenaline gts 19s for the last year; at a conservative 10 miles per week that's 500 miles. By outward appearance they look fine, but they have little of their original cushioning and support. Foam gets compressed over time. It's far easier for my feet to torsion medially (pronate) even with the orthotics because the support features of the shoe have degraded.
In the past I've worn shoes for far longer than I probably should have, often 500 or more miles. The podiatrist that I see, who is also a runner and not beholden to shoe company marketing, gets a new pair of shoes every six months. Given my age and medical conditions I'm probably going to start buying a new pair of shoes annually and alternate between more than one pair.
In case it's of interest, the most informative, free of marketing hype reviews of running shoes that I've found are at https://www.solereview.com/ (https://www.solereview.com/). The problem of course is that this site doesn't review every new shoe when it comes to market.
Hi all.
I'm back to somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 mpw, and another 10-15 walking with the looney tune puppy (tired puppies are good puppies!). But because I tend to be injury prone, I only get between 250-300 miles out of a pair of shoes, and I can usually tell when a pair has expired. I feel it in the knees, hips, etc. It helps to have more than one pair of shoes active at a time with different mileage on them so that you can tell when the older pair is done in comparison.
Quote from: pink_ on September 30, 2020, 11:14:21 AM
Hi all.
I'm back to somewhere in the neighborhood of 40-50 mpw, and another 10-15 walking with the looney tune puppy (tired puppies are good puppies!). But because I tend to be injury prone, I only get between 250-300 miles out of a pair of shoes, and I can usually tell when a pair has expired. I feel it in the knees, hips, etc. It helps to have more than one pair of shoes active at a time with different mileage on them so that you can tell when the older pair is done in comparison.
I should have been doing this. It's hard to notice the slow decrease in shock absorption and support until you put on a new pair of shoes. When I was running 30 miles per week -- 5-6 years ago -- I thought "I'm in my 40s and running the equivalent of a half marathon every Sunday, so of course my feet hurt." But the pain was probably from bone fractures.
Huh--I've noticed my feet and ankles hurting more now than when I started a few months ago, and have been running less because of it. I don't do anywhere near 40-50 mpw (a good week is 12-15), but maybe it's time to buy a new pair.
Quote from: ergative on October 02, 2020, 09:36:01 AM
Huh--I've noticed my feet and ankles hurting more now than when I started a few months ago, and have been running less because of it. I don't do anywhere near 40-50 mpw (a good week is 12-15), but maybe it's time to buy a new pair.
I usually run 6 days a week, and I try to never wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row. There have been studies that show that letting a shoe "rest" for a day between runs prolongs their life span and makes for a more comfortable ride (but don't ask this English major to explain the science!). But yes, if you are experiencing soreness or just feel more "beat up" after your run than is normal, there's a good chance that you need to swap out your shoes. It's also a good idea to get a lacrosse ball and roll your feet on it (one at a time, lol) to massage the plantar fascia and all the tendons and ligaments.
If you're a data nerd, apps like Strava allow you to track the mileage on your shoes and will email you when you've hit a certain total mileage on a pair. That has made my life WAY easier--not the email so much but being able to look at how many miles I have on a shoe.
Guess a new pair of shoes is on my shopping list now.
In other news, a couple days ago, I was running a route I take often and tripped in the exact same place I tripped about 5 months ago. (I went back later, and there's just a little difference between two sections of sidewalk.) My glasses broke my fall, leading to stitches and swelling. Strangely, even though I don't have body aches, I'm just exhausted. I suppose healing takes a lot of energy. Now my wife isn't too keen on me running on the roads any more, at least not that road.
Quote from: pgher on October 03, 2020, 07:28:31 PM
Guess a new pair of shoes is on my shopping list now.
In other news, a couple days ago, I was running a route I take often and tripped in the exact same place I tripped about 5 months ago. (I went back later, and there's just a little difference between two sections of sidewalk.) My glasses broke my fall, leading to stitches and swelling. Strangely, even though I don't have body aches, I'm just exhausted. I suppose healing takes a lot of energy. Now my wife isn't too keen on me running on the roads any more, at least not that road.
Oh no! Take it easy. At least with exhaustion instead of aches you don't feel like you
want to get out but hurt too much. With exhaustion you're happy to stay in and let yourself heal.
There's a stretch on one of my routes where the curb is exactly the same color as the street beyond, and every time I step off it I think to myself that it would be really easy to trip badly there---especially since I don't wear my glasses when I run. I can see well enough to avoid traffic, and I can't bear having sweaty things on on my face.
Update: I have ordered a new pair of shoes, and also some running tights to prepare for the winter. The shoes are the same make & model as my last/current pair, which I like, (Asics GT-2000), but I'm struck by the version number at the end. The Asics website was selling GT-2000 8, and advertising the GT-2000 9 coming soon. My last pair had no such version number, and I definitely bought them less than 8 years ago. How often to show-manufacturers update their shoe lines?
Annually; it's part of the companies' marketing strategy. And unfortunately there are sometimes tweaks for the worse with each new model number. I've had shoes that have fit well through several years/numbers, then suddenly the toe box shrinks and I have to switch to a different shoe.
Quote from: spork on October 05, 2020, 03:46:41 AM
Annually; it's part of the companies' marketing strategy. And unfortunately there are sometimes tweaks for the worse with each new model number. I've had shoes that have fit well through several years/numbers, then suddenly the toe box shrinks and I have to switch to a different shoe.
Oof, yes, some people in the reviews were actually complaining about exactly that. But I imagine that even with the combined adjustments over eight years of modification* this model is closer to something I'll like than any other arbitrary model I choose from the website. And if it's in fact so modified that it's as different from the original as any other arbitrary model, then I need to choose something arbitrarily, so I'm no worse going with this one than any of the others.
I'm glad this thread exists. I've been forcibly preventing myself from babbling on about these decisions to Absolutive, who is a very good sport, but even I can hear how boring the conversation is.
*Maybe the GT-2000 I bought in a shoestore was leftover from several years in a backroom?
Quote from: pgher on October 03, 2020, 07:28:31 PM
My glasses broke my fall, leading to stitches and swelling. Strangely, even though I don't have body aches, I'm just exhausted. I suppose healing takes a lot of energy.
Fatigue is a concussion symptom. If you hit your face hard enough to break your glasses, be gentle with yourself, watch for other symptoms, and don't do activities that exacerbate them. Here's (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/11/872) a concussion screen. Here's (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/11/851) a full assessment; this is for medical professionals only, but there's a good list of symptoms on page 3 and return to activity guidelines on the last page.
I had a similar fall this summer and had a headache, "foggy" feeling, and some other symptoms for two weeks. During my time in the ED, it was just the headache, which I guess the docs expected in the acute phase, so nobody diagnosed concussion.
Quote from: wuggish on October 05, 2020, 08:20:32 AM
Quote from: pgher on October 03, 2020, 07:28:31 PM
My glasses broke my fall, leading to stitches and swelling. Strangely, even though I don't have body aches, I'm just exhausted. I suppose healing takes a lot of energy.
Fatigue is a concussion symptom. If you hit your face hard enough to break your glasses, be gentle with yourself, watch for other symptoms, and don't do activities that exacerbate them. Here's (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/11/872) a concussion screen. Here's (https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/51/11/851) a full assessment; this is for medical professionals only, but there's a good list of symptoms on page 3 and return to activity guidelines on the last page.
I had a similar fall this summer and had a headache, "foggy" feeling, and some other symptoms for two weeks. During my time in the ED, it was just the headache, which I guess the docs expected in the acute phase, so nobody diagnosed concussion.
Thanks! I had the stitches out today; I recognize some of their questions on that concussion screen. My guess is that I had a real mild one, enough that I had mild symptoms for a couple days, but I'm basically back to normal now.
Quote from: pgher on October 05, 2020, 06:36:30 PM
Thanks! I had the stitches out today; I recognize some of their questions on that concussion screen. My guess is that I had a real mild one, enough that I had mild symptoms for a couple days, but I'm basically back to normal now.
I'm glad to hear that!
Quote from: ergative on October 05, 2020, 04:48:29 AM
Quote from: spork on October 05, 2020, 03:46:41 AM
Annually; it's part of the companies' marketing strategy. And unfortunately there are sometimes tweaks for the worse with each new model number. I've had shoes that have fit well through several years/numbers, then suddenly the toe box shrinks and I have to switch to a different shoe.
Oof, yes, some people in the reviews were actually complaining about exactly that. But I imagine that even with the combined adjustments over eight years of modification* this model is closer to something I'll like than any other arbitrary model I choose from the website. And if it's in fact so modified that it's as different from the original as any other arbitrary model, then I need to choose something arbitrarily, so I'm no worse going with this one than any of the others.
I'm glad this thread exists. I've been forcibly preventing myself from babbling on about these decisions to Absolutive, who is a very good sport, but even I can hear how boring the conversation is.
*Maybe the GT-2000 I bought in a shoestore was leftover from several years in a backroom?
It's possible that you found an ancient pair from a backroom somewhere. But I wouldn't worry too much about it until you give them a whirl. And if they don't work, you don't have to choose blindly. There are a couple good online stores what can advise you about what might be a good replacement with a few questions and answers in a chat function.
Also, I'm glad that the concussion, if that's what it was, seems to have worked itself out. TBI are very scary. I had a colleague who took a bad fall a few years back and it took her the better part of a year to get back to normal.
As for me, I am psyched that it was cool enough this morning that I could were a (lightweight) long-sleeved shirt with my shorts!
Quote from: pink_ on October 19, 2020, 03:31:17 PM
Also, I'm glad that the concussion, if that's what it was, seems to have worked itself out. TBI are very scary. I had a colleague who took a bad fall a few years back and it took her the better part of a year to get back to normal.
I'm back running again. I took almost a week off, but then went back to it, just not the same route. Yesterday, I did a virtual 5K "race." Thing is, with nobody around me pushing me, I wasn't much faster than a normal workout pace. I'm having a hard time getting any faster, simply because I don't push myself and lapse into a comfortable = slow pace.
I'm more-or-less back in running shape, after consistently running twice a week for a month. The morning weather here is very nice (still quite hot in the afternoons) and it feels great to be back in the swing of things.
I finally got my running tights and new shoes, and had a lovely run on Saturday. I tied my personal best in terms of route-length (3.77 miles) and walking breaks (got 2.25 miles in before the first walk-break). BEHOLD MY PROWESS.
Now, of course, the weather has decided that since I'm prepared for cold it will throw wet at me, and it's been raining for two days.
My running partner is finally ready to do workouts with me again (she ate an unholy amount of dental floss and had to don the cone of shame and take it easy for a few weeks while stitches healed), so that's great! But oh, those few weeks without her to urge me on is tough. I can feel the effects of my slothiness. I'm trying to work back to my 5k a day. It works sometimes.
I accidentally ran 6 miles, 1.5 miles more I intended, because of crossing paths with two people in the neighborhood with whom my wife regularly runs. I ran with them on their route after starting mine and then had to retrace the mile I had already run by myself. Physically I was wrecked for the rest of the day.
Never has the weather been as perfect for running as it was this morning. It was unseasonably warm (65 F / 17ish C), sunny, the leaves in full fall mode. Yesterday was crummy, and tomorrow will be crummy, but today felt like a gift. I ran 10km, the third time I've done that distance, having built up to it all summer.
(Now I am drinking an amazing, super snobby microbrew beer, the pretentious kind that I'd make fun of my friends for drinking. It's fantastic.)
The weather's kind of inclement, so I'm converting back to rowing while it's still possible.
It's getting dark very early here, and so I have had limited opportunities when the weather, light, and work obligations allow me to get out. Yesterday I managed to get out, and the weather was beautiful, but I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't even get three miles, and the bandaid I'd put on my foot to protect a delicate spot came off, so I re-plumped my blister from last time. I'm worried that I won't be able to sustain this form of exercise over the winter, but with the gyms closed it's all I have.
Quote from: ergative on October 24, 2020, 12:54:54 AM
It's getting dark very early here, and so I have had limited opportunities when the weather, light, and work obligations allow me to get out. Yesterday I managed to get out, and the weather was beautiful, but I just wasn't feeling it. I didn't even get three miles, and the bandaid I'd put on my foot to protect a delicate spot came off, so I re-plumped my blister from last time. I'm worried that I won't be able to sustain this form of exercise over the winter, but with the gyms closed it's all I have.
I haven't run since my previous post, but today the weather and work and daylight all cooperated, and
wow, my conditioning has evaporated! I lost count of the number of times I had to take a breather over my less-than-three mile route, and my knees were complaining in a way they haven't complained in a while. On the plus side, my sore heel didn't really act up very much. Either the enforced rest was good for it, or else properly stretching my ankles and feet beforehand was effective.
Everyone! Be kind to your running selves!
Here is swelterville, it's been COLD in the mornings when I have been out. And that's been a nice change, but it's still way too humid for November. I'm doing a virtual relay on Saturday which will have me knocking out about 14 miles (I have two legs to run, but my Masters bones will handle this better if it's done in one long run vs two). And that will be the longest run I've done in a while (I've run a couple 13.1s in October). I'm not trying to go fast. I just want to cover the mileage. Virtual races just aren't something I get too excited about. I'll also do the virtual Peachtree 10k, but mostly I signed up for it because I thought ATC did a great job with the Olympic Trials, and it put them way down in a fiscal hole when they had to postpone Peachtree this summer.
But my SI joint is cranky from all this WFH, and my shin is niggling in the spot that always niggles. So after Saturday, I might walk for a couple days to reset things a bit.
But don't beat yourself up for being "out of shape" whatever that might look like for you. It's a pandemic. It's the most stressful election of our lifetimes. There's a depression. You're doing what you can every time you even get out the door. That's enough. Nobody is keeping score.
I am 59 and began running for the first time in my life a year ago. I run 2-3 miles, 2-3 times a week. Usually I take one or two long bike rides as well.
I have tried to run a few times before and always gave up pretty quickly. The difference this time is that I downloaded one of those Couch to 5k apps. You launch the app and a voice comes on and says "Run for sixty seconds" and you think shit I can do that. Then you run for 90-second intervals, and then for a few minutes, and so one. The increases from week to week are quite gradual, though once or twice I repeated a week. In about two months I was able to run a 5k.
The other thing that keeps me going is having an audiobook that I love, that I do not allow myself to listen to unless I am exercising.
Pink_, you are very right. It's just that I was making such great progress, working up slowly the way larryc describes, and it's a little disappointing to see it go away.
Larryc, I have listened to so many audio books while running/walking! Currently working my way through Charles Stross's Laundry Files series, which is fun and lively and fast-paced. I don't prevent myself from listening except when exercising, though. THe weather is too uncooperative for that, and in these days there's no point in denying myself escapist pleasures. But I am a huge fan of audio books now.
Fully recovered from a small injury and feeling great. I have run three times this week and may get in another tomorrow morning.
Quote from: WidgetWoman on October 20, 2020, 01:40:16 PM
My running partner is finally ready to do workouts with me again (she ate an unholy amount of dental floss and had to don the cone of shame and take it easy for a few weeks while stitches healed), so that's great! But oh, those few weeks without her to urge me on is tough. I can feel the effects of my slothiness. I'm trying to work back to my 5k a day. It works sometimes.
Late to this but laughing so hard. Who could swallow dental flo.....ooooh.
6 miles today. Temperature was below freezing. Wore the right amount of layers. It was much more comfortable than the running at 75 degrees at dawn that I was doing over the summer.
I had a big trip in October, after which I kind of sloughed off. I got up Thanksgiving morning, and in the park by my house, they were setting up a turkey trot. I thought, why not? So I did the 5k. Great way to start the day, and a good way to get motivated to get going again. I'm not quite back to my previous routine, but getting there. It's hard for me to get motivated to go out in the cold mornings and I'm not real excited about running in the dark in the evening, but I've done both in the past week. My ideal is to run at about 4 pm, when my schedule works out.
I'm good for 5k twice a week lately. It's so dark here -- pitch black by 4:30, and we've seen the sun once in the last three weeks. So, so gray, and the temperature hovering right below the freezing point.
I'm fuelled by sheer stubbornness.
Good work, everyone!
I need to work up the courage to go in the rain, because we've got solid rain projected for days and days. As the weather cools the contrast tends to trigger my asthma, too, which doesn't help with the motivation.
One of the positive aspects of the pandemic for me was that when the local high school closed to the students, local residents were able to use the running track all the time. The surface is definitely better for me to run on -- going uphill or going on hard surfaces isn't great for my ankles. This semester it's been back to using the track on holidays and Sundays mainly.
i also am able to do some trail running sometimes, which has been nice. Did 5+ miles the other day, though I walked up the hills.
Quote from: Parasaurolophus on December 07, 2020, 09:55:06 PM
Good work, everyone!
I need to work up the courage to go in the rain, because we've got solid rain projected for days and days. As the weather cools the contrast tends to trigger my asthma, too, which doesn't help with the motivation.
I love running in the rain as long as it's not completely pouring or right at the freezing point. Covid has encouraged this love because on rainy days, I can return to my favorite bike path because it's empty. On nice days, it's often too difficult to distance from other pedestrians, almost none of who are wearing masks (to be fair, I don't run with a mask either, but this is why I avoid places where I can't cross the street to maintain distance).
Wear a hat and something high-vis (or just brightly colored), and enjoy! our skin is water proof, and anti-chafe lube should prevent discomfort.
5.5 miles on Sunday, 5.4 miles this morning. Temperature about 25 F on both days.
I'm good for my 5k run twice a week this winter, but snow and ice have really been an issue. Running on fresh snow is beautiful but kills my calves, and as for ice -- I slow down my pace a lot so as not to fall and break something.
On the other hand, this is the longest I've made it into the winter in a few years. The pandemic has made me more stubborn about getting out and running (which is still allowed here, despite our new lockdown measures).
Highs in the mid-60s or low-70s where I live, so I'm able to run through the winter (summer is another story...). I ran ~5 miles yesterday and will probably do another this week at some point.
Quite snowy here since Christmas. I put some of those rubber instep crampons with toe and heel spikes on and ran right down the center of the quiet streets and it felt pretty safe. I took a hard fall on some ice at the start of winter, not hurt much but it could have been far worse. So I am being careful.
I asked my wife last week if I could ride her new Peleton and she pretended she did not hear me. So that's out.
Quote from: larryc on January 02, 2021, 06:20:02 PM
Quite snowy here since Christmas. I put some of those rubber instep crampons with toe and heel spikes on and ran right down the center of the quiet streets and it felt pretty safe. I took a hard fall on some ice at the start of winter, not hurt much but it could have been far worse. So I am being careful.
I asked my wife last week if I could ride her new Peleton and she pretended she did not hear me. So that's out.
Everybody mocked that Peloton commercial. Look who's laughing now.
Ran my 5.5 mile route on Sunday and this morning, even though my hemoglobin has dropped below 10. Not good. Yesterday I began badgering physicians again to do their jobs.
I won at weather today! It rained yesterday. It rained this morning. It's forecast to rain this afternoon. But it was sunny and beautiful when I went for a short run this noon, and I feel great!
My conditioning has disappeared entirely. I'm back to the block-run, block-walk pattern that I was on when I started in the summer. No more two miles without stopping for me! But that's okay. I have The Vela: Salvation on audio, and it was good to be active again. I sleep better when I've done something more strenuous than baking brownies.
I'm not back to running yet, but phase 1a of getting back into running shape is going well-- I've (briskly) walked a 10k loop every day so far this month. I'd been walking before, usually around 3.5 miles, but that wasn't really cutting it.
I just decided it would be easier to make it every day and just go in whatever weather (I was raised on "there is no bad weather, just inappropriate clothing) than to say 3x week and allow myself to squirrel out of it by telling myself I'll do it tomorrow.
I won't be able to keep that up once classes start again on the 1st, but by then I hope to have laid down enough of a fitness base to start running 3x/week, working through the 10k app again, and on the other days I walk to and from campus, which is 3 miles round trip.
I've been building slowly and am starting to feel like a runner again. I've managed to run every day this year.
Ran 5 miles before dawn yesterday when the temperature was 7 F.
Quote from: spork on February 01, 2021, 11:18:34 AM
Ran 5 miles before dawn yesterday when the temperature was 7 F.
Wow... good for you!
I've been running ~5 miles about twice per week. But weather is much warmer in my neck of the woods.
Cheers to all, be safe and keep moving.
I'm doing paces inside my house.
;--}
M.
Quote from: spork on February 01, 2021, 11:18:34 AM
Ran 5 miles before dawn yesterday when the temperature was 7 F.
I went running once a few weeks ago, and the temperature was in the 30s, and it ripped up my throat and I decided I'm done until spring.
I was really starting to get into a rut by the end of 2020--the same routes, the same effort, but nothing specific to train for beside just getting out the door, so I decided to train for a marathon once we made it to 2021. To be clear, I'm not actually running a marathon--I can't imagine feeling comfortable racing until I get a vaccine--but I have always really enjoyed the training blocks. Taking this one a bit more slowly since I took a fall and jacked up my knee around Christmas and wanted to be smart about it. So far, so good. But part of taking it slow meant that my coach arranged my training schedule and moved my rest day from W to Tues. That might not seem like a lot, but I have taken W as a rest day for YEARS, and moving it one day earlier has done a number on my calendar. Only one more week after this one, thankfully.
6.2 miles yesterday. 22 F degrees, but the sun had risen by the time I hit mile 4, and it was the first bright, sunny day in two weeks, so I took advantage of it.
Quote from: MarathonRunner on August 22, 2020, 07:30:41 AM
I'm currently training for three virtual races: 26.1 km (Virtual Canada Army Run), 10 km (Virtual Run to End Endo), and half-marathon/21.1 km (Virtual Scotiabank Toronto Waterfront). Once those are complete by the end of October, I'll start training for a spring marathon. If "live" races aren't back by then I'll find a virtual marathon to run. In the past I've run 3 full marathons, over a dozen half-marathons, and completed two sprint triathlons. Another triathlon next summer is possible if I can get back into the pool (currently they are closed in my jurisdiction).
So, my plans were extremely optimistic. I ran three half-marathons between August and November (including one 26.1km run, the Canada Army Run), but since then, not so much. I fell, and had a huge gash in my knee (went to emerg because it was that bad, even with COVID, and had stitches put in). Since then, slowly trying to get back to run/walk. So no marathon or triathlon (pools still closed) this spring/summer. Hoping for 1+ halfs again for next fall (dissertation research/writing being the priority fairly soon, so the narrow "window" of more time for longer/more involved training is rapidly closing, and will have to wait until post-PhD defence at this point. Had I not had the injury, this spring was my last marathon possibility/attempt until post-defence).
I am putting this here as motivation and hope.
I am too fat to run. My knee has insufficient cartilage to take the the Bombur-ian pounding. So, into the pool, and onto the bike I go. When I weigh less, I shall run again.
Or, I'll be getting a new knee. One or the other.
6.5 miles today in new shoes.
3 miles yesterday, alternating run/walk. Joints and feet are holding up just fine at this frequency (weekly/bi-weekly).
My goal this winter (I live in Canada, where winter is a big deal) has been to run my 5k route twice a week for the entire winter. In the past, I've taken the winter off because (1) it's cold and (2) my knees hurt, so I wanted to give them a break. This winter, I (1) bought actual winter running clothes (which, as advertised, are fantastic), and (2) learned a much better series of stretches, so my knees haven't hurt in a year (yay!). And I'm happy to say I've kept up with my two 5k runs a week, sometimes even three! The timing isn't as predictable as it would be in the summer (I'm not going to run when it's actively snowing, and I don't care to run on ice), but I'm more than a little pleased with myself.
Quote from: traductio on March 09, 2021, 05:26:32 AM
My goal this winter (I live in Canada, where winter is a big deal) has been to run my 5k route twice a week for the entire winter. In the past, I've taken the winter off because (1) it's cold and (2) my knees hurt, so I wanted to give them a break. This winter, I (1) bought actual winter running clothes (which, as advertised, are fantastic), and (2) learned a much better series of stretches, so my knees haven't hurt in a year (yay!). And I'm happy to say I've kept up with my two 5k runs a week, sometimes even three! The timing isn't as predictable as it would be in the summer (I'm not going to run when it's actively snowing, and I don't care to run on ice), but I'm more than a little pleased with myself.
That's awesome! I live in a place where winter comes and goes, generally between 30 and 50 F, and I still struggle to get out on the road.
I'm signed up for a 5K on Saturday, so I'm hoping to run a few times this week to get ready.
Quote from: pgher on March 09, 2021, 07:33:26 AM
Quote from: traductio on March 09, 2021, 05:26:32 AM
My goal this winter (I live in Canada, where winter is a big deal) has been to run my 5k route twice a week for the entire winter. In the past, I've taken the winter off because (1) it's cold and (2) my knees hurt, so I wanted to give them a break. This winter, I (1) bought actual winter running clothes (which, as advertised, are fantastic), and (2) learned a much better series of stretches, so my knees haven't hurt in a year (yay!). And I'm happy to say I've kept up with my two 5k runs a week, sometimes even three! The timing isn't as predictable as it would be in the summer (I'm not going to run when it's actively snowing, and I don't care to run on ice), but I'm more than a little pleased with myself.
That's awesome! I live in a place where winter comes and goes, generally between 30 and 50 F, and I still struggle to get out on the road.
I'm signed up for a 5K on Saturday, so I'm hoping to run a few times this week to get ready.
It's nearly 40°F here today (a genuine heatwave -- when I went running on Sunday, it was about 0°F), so I'm hoping to get out today. And it's sunny, too -- I might wear shorts.
Good luck with the 5k!
I'm training for a marathon but have not plans to actually run a marathon until 2022, and even those plans are soft. But I needed something to give me structure and get me back into more variety in my runs. So far, so good in some ways: my right foot has been a problem for a long time (bunion) and it's continued to bother me from time to time. It's uncomfortable for about a mile then settles down while I run, but later in the day, it's sore. I'll live, but getting old is not for the faint of heart.
Quote from: pink_ on March 11, 2021, 06:50:41 AM
I'm training for a marathon but have not plans to actually run a marathon until 2022, and even those plans are soft. But I needed something to give me structure and get me back into more variety in my runs. So far, so good in some ways: my right foot has been a problem for a long time (bunion) and it's continued to bother me from time to time. It's uncomfortable for about a mile then settles down while I run, but later in the day, it's sore. I'll live, but getting old is not for the faint of heart.
Good luck with the marathon training!
I have similar problems with my heels: They'll ache a little and then settle down after a few blocks, but then they're sore the rest of the time. I've tried not running for a few months, but it always comes back, so I'm getting used to the idea of living with it.
Quote from: ergative on March 11, 2021, 07:21:59 AM
Quote from: pink_ on March 11, 2021, 06:50:41 AM
I'm training for a marathon but have not plans to actually run a marathon until 2022, and even those plans are soft. But I needed something to give me structure and get me back into more variety in my runs. So far, so good in some ways: my right foot has been a problem for a long time (bunion) and it's continued to bother me from time to time. It's uncomfortable for about a mile then settles down while I run, but later in the day, it's sore. I'll live, but getting old is not for the faint of heart.
Good luck with the marathon training!
I have similar problems with my heels: They'll ache a little and then settle down after a few blocks, but then they're sore the rest of the time. I've tried not running for a few months, but it always comes back, so I'm getting used to the idea of living with it.
Here's why I like this thread -- I'm in denial about being, well, older than I was, and I'm glad to be reminded that it's really okay.
Good luck with the marathon training, Pink_. One of my promises to myself when I got tenure (a few years ago at this point) was that I could train for a half-marathon, but one summer we travelled a lot (something I don't regret), and then Covid last summer through everything off. But a half-marathon would be just for me, not for work (like the metaphorical marathons I've run to get tenure), which is why it was what I promised myself as a tenure gift.
For my part, the warmer weather has been much kinder to my asthma, so my usual daily 2km has been easy peasy, and I'm thinking I should expand to 4-5km before fire season gets underway. The challenge, given where I live, is plotting out something that's not 4-5km uphill all the way.
I'd rather be rowing, though. It's a lot easier on the asthma.
Last year's 5K was canceled due to the pandemic, so this year's was set to go rain or shine. Fortunately, though it rained overnight, it was just overcast this morning. I ended up running much faster than expected (PR).
I didn't mind the woman who passed me around the halfway point and stayed a couple hundred yards ahead. I did mind the guy who passed me three times--each time at a dead run, followed by walking--and finished ahead of me. Ah well.
Quote from: pink_ on March 11, 2021, 06:50:41 AM
I'm training for a marathon but have not plans to actually run a marathon until 2022, and even those plans are soft. But I needed something to give me structure
[. . . ]
I'm thinking of something similar. In the past, when my wife has been in her home country for Ramadan, I have trained up to half marathon distances and have done what I call a Ramadanathon as a substitute for fasting. I've been slowly adding mileage after not being able to run at all in 2019 because of misdiagnosed medical problems. I'm older, still haven't completely recuperated, and am wondering if it's wise to push my body toward a goal like this. Part of the problem has been uneven weather. It's far easier for me to go on a weekly long run at 50 F than at 15 F.
My last race was almost exactly a year ago (local city half marathon). Things are cautiously looking up here (UK), and races are returning: I have signed up for a small local half marathon in early June, plus am in the ballot for a bigger city half and have a deferred place for the Berlin Marathon at the end of September. I've struggled this last year--with no races I have been plodding dutifully but getting slower and slower (age is also a factor here). Really hoping that race training will turn that trend around.
8.5 miles today at 32 F. Got a late start, which meant a late breakfast, and I went back to sleep afterward for an hour and a half.
3 miles today at 50F. Spent most of the day lounging on the couch, both before and after.
Quote from: ergative on March 21, 2021, 10:34:47 AM
3 miles today at 50F. Spent most of the day lounging on the couch, both before and after.
For me the couch lounging has been after.
Quote from: spork on March 21, 2021, 01:40:13 PM
Quote from: ergative on March 21, 2021, 10:34:47 AM
3 miles today at 50F. Spent most of the day lounging on the couch, both before and after.
For me the couch lounging has been after.
Some of us have a higher quota of natural indolence that must be satisfied before running can happen.
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 09:46:36 AM
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
I went running. It was beautiful! Oh my goodness, what a run.
Got home and learned that a kid in my daughter's fifth grade class has tested positive for Covid, and we now get to spend a lot more time in the house for the next two weeks than anticipated.
Rats.
Sorry to hear that traductio, hope everyone stays well!
I am hereby committing to work my way back through the couch to 10k app. after a winter of not running at all (though I did do a fair amount of walking). Did day 1 today and it was nice-- spring always makes me much more enthusiastic about running (until it gets too hot. . .).
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 05:04:35 PM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 09:46:36 AM
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
I went running. It was beautiful! Oh my goodness, what a run.
Got home and learned that a kid in my daughter's fifth grade class has tested positive for Covid, and we now get to spend a lot more time in the house for the next two weeks than anticipated.
Rats.
So, um, I'm not a physician but I'm in frequent communication with several, and I pay close attention to epidemiological statistics given that I'm immune-compromised. If your comment about being in the house is a reference to the whole family quarantining for two weeks, I can tell you that 1) children seem to (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/kids-likely-not-driving-household-covid-19-outbreaks) infect adults at lower rates than adults do, 2) if you are infected, the chance of you infecting someone else while running outdoors by yourself (rather than in a tightly-packed crowd like at the start of a half-marathon) is effectively zero.
Quote from: spork on March 22, 2021, 05:59:34 PM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 05:04:35 PM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 09:46:36 AM
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
I went running. It was beautiful! Oh my goodness, what a run.
Got home and learned that a kid in my daughter's fifth grade class has tested positive for Covid, and we now get to spend a lot more time in the house for the next two weeks than anticipated.
Rats.
So, um, I'm not a physician but I'm in frequent communication with several, and I pay close attention to epidemiological statistics given that I'm immune-compromised. If your comment about being in the house is a reference to the whole family quarantining for two weeks, I can tell you that 1) children seem to (https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2020/12/kids-likely-not-driving-household-covid-19-outbreaks) infect adults at lower rates than adults do, 2) if you are infected, the chance of you infecting someone else while running outdoors by yourself (rather than in a tightly-packed crowd like at the start of a half-marathon) is effectively zero.
It's actually a directive from the city public health department. Our daughter has to go in for a Covid test on Friday (to allow time for the incubation period), and if her test comes back negative, then we can do things like exercise outside again. But until then, we're all supposed to quarantine, per the public health directive.
Otherwise, I suspect you're right. I've been timing my running lately for parts of the day when I'm unlikely to run into too many people. Most people in our neighborhood wear a mask outside, even just walking around (I'm in Canada, where masks are a lot more common than in the States), so I've been running with a mask on, too. Not my favorite way to go, but it's not that bad once you get used to it.
I was able to go out today -- it's the wrong time of day for most people to be out walking, so I could maintain a good four or five meters from the few other people I passed. Plus I wore a mask. But it was good to get out.
I did my 3-mile loop three times this week! The weather has been beautiful.
I'm still keeping an eye on perpetual heel pain that hasn't gone away since last fall, but it hasn't really gotten all that much worse, and I feel so wonderful when I finish running that I don't want to give it up. I might see a doctor when All This is over and the After Times render doctors' offices less risky, but it's not urgent enough to push me to any more action than whining occasionally.
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 05:04:35 PM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 09:46:36 AM
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
I went running. It was beautiful! Oh my goodness, what a run.
Got home and learned that a kid in my daughter's fifth grade class has tested positive for Covid, and we now get to spend a lot more time in the house for the next two weeks than anticipated.
Rats.
Sorry to hear of that.
Best wishes for sanity to all.
M.
Quote from: ergative on April 02, 2021, 08:31:06 AM
I did my 3-mile loop three times this week! The weather has been beautiful.
That's great!
Quote
I'm still keeping an eye on perpetual heel pain that hasn't gone away since last fall, but it hasn't really gotten all that much worse, and I feel so wonderful when I finish running that I don't want to give it up. I might see a doctor when All This is over and the After Times render doctors' offices less risky, but it's not urgent enough to push me to any more action than whining occasionally.
Perpetual heel pain sounds like plantar fasciitis. I got shock wave therapy for this back in 2017 and it didn't do anything. The solution was building an inclined plane to stand on to stretch my calf muscles and Achilles tendons 3-4 times per day. I also massage the sole of each foot with an old golf ball while standing. Mild pain comes back whenever I'm inactive and things tighten up.
Quote from: mamselle on April 02, 2021, 10:06:35 AM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 05:04:35 PM
Quote from: traductio on March 22, 2021, 09:46:36 AM
It's supposed to be 60°F today, so my bribe to myself -- if I can get all my class prep done -- is that I'll go running this afternoon in shorts!
It's a persuasive bribe. (I get most of my work done with self-bribes.)
I went running. It was beautiful! Oh my goodness, what a run.
Got home and learned that a kid in my daughter's fifth grade class has tested positive for Covid, and we now get to spend a lot more time in the house for the next two weeks than anticipated.
Rats.
Sorry to hear of that.
Best wishes for sanity to all.
M.
Her two-week isolation ended today, and tomorrow is supposed to be 50° (instead of the 35° it was today). I'm heading out in the morning -- I can't wait!
Last weekend, I had to wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt, and was a little cool. Today, I was in shorts & T-shirt and a little hot. Looks like I need to start running early morning instead of late afternoon!
The weather has been outstanding this week. Warm and sunny, exactly the right temperature for running in shorts and t-shirt without feeling too cold when I start, or overheated when I finish. I went three times this week, which is the most frequent I've managed to date this year, and it's great.
I've also splurged and bought myself some proper running shorts. Before now I've been wearing some shorts I appropriated after they'd languished for some weeks in a shared laundry room in my college apartment, which fit fine (and had great pockets for tissues/mp3 player/keys), but rubbed between my legs and the elastic is beginning to go. My current shorts are really comfortable, and a revelation about what exercise people mean when they say 'moisture wicking'. My goodness! Excellent purchase.
My next present to myself is proper running socks. I don't want to get in the situation I was in last fall, when I was regularly getting blisters on the same place on my right foot.
Also the heel pain I mentioned a few weeks ago seems to be easing a bit. I still feel it, but I've been pretty diligent about stretching out my heels, and this improvement continues even though I've been increasing my frequency (and decreasing just a bit the amount of walking I do). I'm hopeful that perhaps finally my meatsack is adjusting to this.
I'm a big fan of my Injinji toe socks. I had my doubts before I got them, but they really do make a difference.
Quote from: pgher on April 24, 2021, 05:46:21 AM
I'm a big fan of my Injinji toe socks. I had my doubts before I got them, but they really do make a difference.
I kid you not, my first thought about toe socks for running as 'let's learn to walk before we run'. Which is misaligned, yes, but quite brilliantly so.
Quote from: pgher on April 24, 2021, 05:46:21 AM
I'm a big fan of my Injinji toe socks. I had my doubts before I got them, but they really do make a difference.
Never used toe socks before, but I love Vitalsox for both running and traveling. They can be rinsed in the shower and are quick to dry.
Ramadanathon of 13.1 miles completed last week at 34 F. Today I ran 8 miles at 50 F, and it was far more pleasant.
I used my new smartwool socks for the first time today, and they were great!
I also miscalculated the temperature and wore tights, when I should have worn shorts. Oh, well.
Big fan of injinjis here too. Otherwise, I tend to get blisters under my nails and that's just gross. And painful.
Quote from: pink_ on May 04, 2021, 03:40:32 PM
Big fan of injinjis here too. Otherwise, I tend to get blisters under my nails and that's just gross. And painful.
Do you drill through the nail to let the blood out?
I sterilize a safety pin, but same idea. It's gnarly.
Quote from: pink_ on May 04, 2021, 03:40:32 PM
Big fan of injinjis here too. Otherwise, I tend to get blisters under my nails and that's just gross. And painful.
Poor lass. If I were there, I'd do it for you.
Any change with different brands of shoe that fit differently?
LOL. My feet are just a mess in general. Much of it is genetics (bunion, hammer toe), but all the miles over the years don't do me any favors either. I am currently wearing Nike Pegasus with orthotics, which seems to be the best compromise. Nike shoes fit my foot the best and generally cause fewest problems. I currently have all 10 nails, but we'll see how long it lasts.
My congenital lower extremity problem is flat feet, which is probably the precipitating factor for the persistent low-grade plantar fasciitis I have at the left heel. I get calluses at the end of my very long second toes, but have never had "black toe syndrome" of blisters under the nails. Could this be a function of gait -- i.e., compression against the top of the shoe when pushing off the foot?
Ran 8.2 miles this morning. I haven't taken a nap yet and did some digging in the backyard, so I will probably collapse at about 5:00 pm.
We had perfect running weather today--overcast enough to have no glare, but warm enough to making shorts + t-shirt comfy, and not so warm as to get oppressive. I squeezed my regular three-mile route in before a Happy Mother's Day call to my mother + grandmother.
My heel pain has been really resolving itself! Hardly any this last week. Perhaps my heels have learned that it's no use complaining and they need to accept this new exercise regime. We'll see how long they put up with it, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.
Heels are continuing fine, weather continues fine. I'm stretching the portions of my route that are running, and shortening the walking bits. I can see the occasional muscle in my thighs.
7.9 miles this morning. It was a good run. Was out the door by 5:30 am, sunny weather but not hot yet. I am still really liking the Saucony Endorphin Speeds that I bought a few months ago. Noticeably less pounding on my feet and knees than any other running shoe I've worn before.
I joined a running group that my wife has been part of for several years, so now I'm running four days a week rather than three, and my weekly mileage has increased from ~ 16 to 20. The additional mileage, track workouts with the group at a faster pace than I use for long runs, yoga on off days, and my continuing debate with physicians about my medical treatment mean that I'm now sore almost constantly. But I'm trying to stick with it in the hope that my body adapts.
I'm impressed, spork. I seem to have settled into a pretty stable 2x a week 3-mile loop, and when I try to push it and do more I end up feeling sore and tired. I feel as if I should be able to up my mileage or frequency (I'm not that old; I'm not that rickety), but I keep worrying about making it into an obligation, and remembering how my heels gave out last year, so I don't.
I do, however, want to eventually get back to my 3.75 mile loop that I was doing last summer and fall. That was prettier than my current loop.
I too have been trying to up my frequency and distance, but it's really helped that I actually managed to run two, sometimes three times a week for the whole winter. (I live in Canada, so it took a bit of work.) At the end of last summer, I was up to about 23km/week, and now I'm close to 19km/week, my goal being 25.
But I also just got vaccine dose no. 2, and I'm a bit wiped out. Shot no. 1 knocked me on my butt, but this one isn't anywhere near as bad. But I'm not doing a 10km run any time soon.
I'm still trying to get back to where I was in 2015 -- 30 miles per week. My health started declining in early 2018, and by late 2019 I was close to being in a wheelchair, due to medical incompetence that included a misdiagnosis leading to an unnecessary evaluation for a liver transplant. Things started to turn around in late 2019 when an endocrinologist called me to say "Go to the ER -- now!" after receiving the result of a simple blood test that no one else had thought to order. I resumed running right before the pandemic started, and I decided that building my cardiovascular capacity would help keep me out of the hospital if I got infected with Covid-19. Basically it was a way of saying "fuck you" to the medical system. Now I have the problem of trying to convince physicians that someone who runs 20 miles per week still has certain medical problems that could be managed better under a different treatment paradigm.
I'm in one of those segments of the country where it is too hot to do much, including go for a jog, but hoping for a suitable break in the heat this week to allow for a run.
I've been focusing on morning runs to beat the heat. I find I still can't get going until I've had my coffee though. I wish I could just roll out of bed and go.
You are all making me appreciate Canada -- I'll taking running in cold winter over hot summer any day. I've been running in the evening here lately, when it's about 65°F. Can't beat it!
I've been able to get back into running and I finally feel like I am getting back to where I was a few years ago. It was thrilling yesterday to go for a run and realize it was kind of easy!
But my joints start aching a few hours later. I'm wondering if I need to work on my warm up, cool down, and stretching more or if this is just a natural consequence of getting older and my body not recovering as quickly as it did before. I now understand the bottles of Aleve that my professors all kept on their desks and bags....
I definitely notice that my body does not recover as fast as it used to. But I'm not sure that you should put aches down to aging and just accept them.
I find that getting the right shoes is more important with age. That tends to mean getting more expensive shoes and replacing them more often. Also getting separate inserts.
For people susceptible to plantar fasciitis, which seems to be everyone I know, it's about more rigid shoes that support the arch. (At this stage, it seems too late to take up bare foot running, even if that's how we evolved to run.)
Definitely do warm ups (from a dance teacher).
I don't even do swing dance or walking without warming up.
Starting cold does all sorts of unhappy things to muscles, no matter what age.
If you haven't been warming up before in your life, the pain now is just the accreted result of all the mini-tears and strains accumulated from the past.
Do warm-ups.
Yes.
M.
Seems like experts give all sorts of advice about warm-ups. They generally recommend them but there's variation on what counts as a warm up. Some say 5-10 minutes of fast walking or slow jogging. Others recommend jumping jacks and touching toes. I guess I would experiment and see what works.
I've tended to focus a bit more on stretching after, though to be honest I've not found it make much of a difference. But that may be more because of the particular issues I face.
Quote from: downer on June 26, 2021, 08:10:01 AM
Seems like experts give all sorts of advice about warm-ups. They generally recommend them but there's variation on what counts as a warm up. Some say 5-10 minutes of fast walking or slow jogging. Others recommend jumping jacks and touching toes. I guess I would experiment and see what works.
I've tended to focus a bit more on stretching after, though to be honest I've not found it make much of a difference. But that may be more because of the particular issues I face.
By this logic, my entire route is a warm-up. Glad to know I've been doing it right.
I stopped running because we got a rowing machine, which is vastly preferable to me. Unfortunately, I stopped rowing two weeks ago to rest my IT bands, and because I have a few stitches in an awkward place for rowing.
But the stitches are out, so I'll get back to it now. My IT bands are still sore, however, so I'll have to go easy.
Well-constructed warm-ups start with small movements in the areas around the ankles and toes, to get circulation started gently, slowly stretch tendons and ligaments to prevent tearing, and energize the small muscles around the joint capsules first.
Then do slightly bent knees, and elbows and wrists, to bring them in.
Turn the head slightly, and nod it slightly, at first, again to energize the smaller muscles close to the bones.. then add the shoulders, with very small rotations and folding/unfolding, going through the upper back, waist, and finally (being careful not to hyperextend the ribs) into the lower back.
Return to the knees, with slightly deeper bends, and the feet, with slow metatarsal and heel articulations, then slo-mo prances with no bouncing.
All this can take just 20 min. or so, and gives the body a much better introduction to what's going to be expected of it shortly thereafter..
Note I said nothing about stretching calves or hamstrings; you will be doing some of that in the foot and leg articulations, but studies have shown that starting out with those stretches on un-warmed muscles, tendons, and joints is what causes tears and can lead to sprains and strains.
You only have one body. Kinesiology and gentle care are its best friends.
M.
Back in the pre-covid days, I would go to the gym a couple of times a week for kettlebell classes (man, those were the days! I was getting so strong!), and our warmups were exactly as mamselle describes. Foot circles, knee circles, head circles, small waist turns, large waist turns.
Thanks for all the ideas! I have always known that I should warm up but when I was younger I could get away with it. Now that I'm older, I'm learning my "new" body which is not as forgiving.
Mamselle, I like your warm-up and it looks like it will help by starting slow and more thoroughly warming up everything. Thank you! I will try this.
Quote from: downer on June 26, 2021, 04:34:38 AM
I find that getting the right shoes is more important with age. That tends to mean getting more expensive shoes and replacing them more often. Also getting separate inserts.
I am guilty of not wearing good shoes. I run on a trail that often is wet and muddy so I hate to destroy good shoes on it. I've been wearing old running shoes for that reason. It seems wrong to spend so much money on running shoes that will be muddy after one run. But it is likely a good part of my problem.
I tend to be a little flat footed so I suspect I need to find shoes that will help my arches more. I've been meaning to go to a store and talk to someone about how to find good shoes for me but I've been putting it off because it will probably mean spending $100 or more on new shoes. It might be worth it but it will be a little painful!
One step would be to at least get good inserts for your existing shoes. You can easily spend $50 on them, but there are also cheaper versions available online. Whether the cheaper versions are as good as the expensive ones I don't know, but they seem to work ok for me.
Quote from: Charlotte on June 27, 2021, 07:05:59 AM
Quote from: downer on June 26, 2021, 04:34:38 AM
I find that getting the right shoes is more important with age. That tends to mean getting more expensive shoes and replacing them more often. Also getting separate inserts.
I am guilty of not wearing good shoes. I run on a trail that often is wet and muddy so I hate to destroy good shoes on it. I've been wearing old running shoes for that reason. It seems wrong to spend so much money on running shoes that will be muddy after one run. But it is likely a good part of my problem.
I tend to be a little flat footed so I suspect I need to find shoes that will help my arches more. I've been meaning to go to a store and talk to someone about how to find good shoes for me but I've been putting it off because it will probably mean spending $100 or more on new shoes. It might be worth it but it will be a little painful!
You definitely need good shoes, and you need to understand how your foot construction may both help and hinder your running capacity.
Usually orthotics that life the arch a bit are useful; be sure they don't lift it too much.
I'm less in favor of negative-heel shoes (which is the same result with over-high arch othotics); they tend to overstretch the Achilles tendon and related joint capsule components, weakening them (unless your podiatrist has specifically diagnosed a need for them, then listen to them, not me...).
Old shoes that have worn down just where you tend to pronate or suppinate will also exacerbate your tendency to injury, whether walking or running, and will create a negative-heel alignment as well.
Good foot support also keeps sprains from twisting as much and can help keep a sprain from turning into a break...
I do spend about $75-100/purchase twice a year on shoes; I have lately found one style I like and I buy two at a time so I don't have to go back again.
You can't stint on what your feet need to be safe and healthy without a downriver cost that's usually much higher.
M.
Quote from: Charlotte on June 27, 2021, 07:05:59 AM
Quote from: downer on June 26, 2021, 04:34:38 AM
I find that getting the right shoes is more important with age. That tends to mean getting more expensive shoes and replacing them more often. Also getting separate inserts.
I am guilty of not wearing good shoes. I run on a trail that often is wet and muddy so I hate to destroy good shoes on it. I've been wearing old running shoes for that reason. It seems wrong to spend so much money on running shoes that will be muddy after one run. But it is likely a good part of my problem.
I tend to be a little flat footed so I suspect I need to find shoes that will help my arches more. I've been meaning to go to a store and talk to someone about how to find good shoes for me but I've been putting it off because it will probably mean spending $100 or more on new shoes. It might be worth it but it will be a little painful!
Disclaimer: I am not a physician, and I have congenitally flat feet and semi-chronic, running-induced plantar fasciitis.
Over time, the foam in the midsole that lessens impact on your joints gets permanently compressed, regardless of tread wear on the outsole. Buy new shoes! Your feet, knees, and hips will thank you. Wear your existing pair in a shoe store, compare to a brand new pair of the same model, and you will probably notice the difference.
Per advice from the local podiatrist that all the runners go to, I've gotten into the habit of using two pairs of running shoes that I purchase six months apart. For each pair I'm using, I start looking for a new pair at about the one year mark (which for me works out to a total of ~ 400 miles per pair over the course of a year).
Running shoes can be washed: https://www.on-running.com/en-us/articles/how-to-wash-running-shoes (https://www.on-running.com/en-us/articles/how-to-wash-running-shoes). By alternating between pairs, the pair that's been washed has a chance to dry out. And I have a completely separate (third) pair of running shoes, different model, that I dedicate to wearing while walking around. I only wear the shoes that I run in when I'm running.
Regularly purchasing new running shoes may seem expensive, but you're probably looking at $120-$150 per pair, so ~ $300 per year in new shoes. Less than $1 per day. Far cheaper than most gym memberships and a miniscule amount when it comes to investing in your long-term health.
I have custom orthotics, from the podiatrist. I would investigate off the shelf arch supports before going the custom route -- far less expensive. The insoles in running shoes don't do anything in terms of arch support or stability.
There is no science behind minimalist/barefoot running. The fad took off with the publication of Chris McDougall's
Born to Run (a good read, just not about shoes and human biomechanics) and has since pretty much died out. Through it all the professional endurance runners wore "normal" running shoes with foam cushioning.
However, I will say that I think the "stability/motion control" concept used by running shoe manufacturers to drive sales is on its way out. Manufacturers claimed that the medial post helped prevent injury from "over-pronation" for decades, yet this claim rested on assumptions rather than empirical data. Now several companies are producing "stability/motion control" models that lack a medial post. Having just switched from these models to the ultra-springy Saucony Endorphin Speeds, my feet and knees are much happier, despite these shoes lacking any of the "stability/motion control" features of the different shoe brands/models that I've worn over the last decade.
More important than the above is to find shoes that your feet feel comfortable in. Shoes from different companies fit differently, and different models from the same company do, too. And companies often tweak a model's design from year to year, which I hate. Your feet will be happiest with a goldilocks fit. Try on a bunch of different shoes and see what feels good.
I find that trying shoes on in the store is not a lot of help. You need to know how they feel during a run, when your feet may have expanded a bit.
I've had some luck getting shoes on eBay, Poshmark or Zappos. Sometimes gently used ones a lot less than full price. It gives you a chance to try out shoes and find ones that work well for you. I will mostly use my own inserts for any used shoes I buy.
Quote from: spork on June 27, 2021, 11:56:09 AM
More important than the above is to find shoes that your feet feel comfortable in.
I remember seeing an article discussing a study done on military . . . recruits? People who do a lot of walking/running. Half were 'professionally fitted' with boots that were supposed to match their walking/running/pronation/arches, etc. The other half were told to choose the boots that were most comfortable. At the end of the study period the people with the 'comfortable' boots had fewer injuries than the professionally fitted boots.
I remember nothing about the sample size, the duration of the study, the definition of what counted as an injury, or any discussion of how those injuries may or may not be related to shoes. I only remember the conclusion, which was that comfort during try-on outperformed any special shoe-fitting 'science'. This corresponded with my preferred beliefs, and so I adopted it in my own shoe-buying praxis.
Spork! I had no idea that things got so rough for you there for a while--glad to know that you're back on the right track!
And for the lovely of whatever is holy in your world--invest in decent shoes and a proper warm up! (Hi M!) If you do a lot of trail running, you should think about trail shoes that can provide traction and generally withstand mud and roots and rocks better than road models.
I have noticed what others have said about stability models moving out, and it really bums me out because while I have orthotics and use them in my neutral shoes these days, my best shoes were a now discontinued stability line.
In any case, warm ups.Yes. Mine involve leg swings in various directions and a few other movements to get the blood flowing plus the first mile is always very slow and easy. I have two pairs of shoes that I wear on alternate days--they are the same model but have different mileage on them. I can definitely feel it in my knees and hips when they need to be retired (I try not to reach that point). But I generally run more than many normal people--6 days a week and usually around 40 miles, but it's summer now, and I live in the SE, which means running really sucks for the next two months. Then it's awesome.
So much good info here! Thank you! I've started looking for better shoes. I will buy some inserts for the old ones and switch them out to give them time to dry out.
I know prevention is worth a pound of cure... I just need to get over that hesitation about the expense and remember it is saving me from expensive problems later on!
Running has been very useful for me especially lately. The stress of work and I've become the primary caretaker of my mother in law who is experiencing serious health issues. I've been making time to get up early before anyone else and going for a run. Sometimes, I squeeze in a run at the end of the day and I feel SO much better. It is helping me stay sane with everything going on.
Quote from: Charlotte on July 02, 2021, 11:44:59 AM
I know prevention is worth a pound of cure... I just need to get over that hesitation about the expense and remember it is saving me from expensive problems later on!
Once I started thinking of my new running shoes as a mental health expense (because it is!), I had no problem buying a new pair when the old wore out. It's made a world of difference -- well, that and the stretches my spouse (a yoga teacher) taught me.
Had to drastically scale back my attempt at maintaining 20 miles per week. I had a twingy knee tendon before increasing my mileage -- at the lateral tibial tuberosity, so possibly via the vastus lateralis -- and I think the rest of my leg tried to compensate for it. My calf muscle seized up. A physician probably would have diagnosed it as a severe strain. Did not run at all for a week, then did a couple laps around the track. Two days after that I did a slow jog of three miles, which was probably just past the limit of what I should have done. I've been doing yoga and rolling on a PVC pipe, and things continue to improve. I've also started hamstring exercises with kettlebells.
Quote from: spork on July 08, 2021, 01:42:07 PM
Had to drastically scale back my attempt at maintaining 20 miles per week. I had a twingy knee tendon before increasing my mileage -- at the lateral tibial tuberosity, so possibly via the vastus lateralis -- and I think the rest of my leg tried to compensate for it. My calf muscle seized up. A physician probably would have diagnosed it as a severe strain. Did not run at all for a week, then did a couple laps around the track. Two days after that I did a slow jog of three miles, which was probably just past the limit of what I should have done. I've been doing yoga and rolling on a PVC pipe, and things continue to improve. I've also started hamstring exercises with kettlebells.
Spork, I think you were the one who suggested (somewhere quite a ways upthread) standing on an inclined plane that placed your ankles below the level of the ball of your feet. I've been doing that, and with great success -- thank you. I hope you recover soon, too!
My goal has been 20 to 24km a week -- I'm from the States and think in miles, but I live in Canada, where I have the excuse to measure in metric, and I like the way it boosted my numbers immediately. (Didn't boost my mileage, but that's okay.) I did my first 10k of the season last night, and it was excellent.
Quote from: traductio on July 08, 2021, 02:18:06 PM
Quote from: spork on July 08, 2021, 01:42:07 PM
Had to drastically scale back my attempt at maintaining 20 miles per week. I had a twingy knee tendon before increasing my mileage -- at the lateral tibial tuberosity, so possibly via the vastus lateralis -- and I think the rest of my leg tried to compensate for it. My calf muscle seized up. A physician probably would have diagnosed it as a severe strain. Did not run at all for a week, then did a couple laps around the track. Two days after that I did a slow jog of three miles, which was probably just past the limit of what I should have done. I've been doing yoga and rolling on a PVC pipe, and things continue to improve. I've also started hamstring exercises with kettlebells.
Spork, I think you were the one who suggested (somewhere quite a ways upthread) standing on an inclined plane that placed your ankles below the level of the ball of your feet. I've been doing that, and with great success -- thank you. I hope you recover soon, too!
My goal has been 20 to 24km a week -- I'm from the States and think in miles, but I live in Canada, where I have the excuse to measure in metric, and I like the way it boosted my numbers immediately. (Didn't boost my mileage, but that's okay.) I did my first 10k of the season last night, and it was excellent.
Using the inclined plane while working at my standing desk at home has been my most effective treatment/prevention method for my plantar fasciitis.
It has been too hot to run (even early morning). I'm working out with a medicine ball and doing pushups, and I managed to squeeze in a couple of runs in June on cooler mornings, but I can feel myself losing stamina and core strength. Oh well, I'll get back to it when whether permits.
After living in my current place for over four years, I have finally discovered that, in addition to the river walk that greets me when I turn right out of my front door, there's an associated canal walk that greets me if I turn left. Four years! And it was just a few blocks away!
The canal walk is a superb place to run. The canal is built to be flat, so there are no hills. There are no intersections. It is wider than the river walk, with big patches of grassy banks so I can get off the pavement and avoid crowds. There are bridges across the canal to a new park being constructed, which looks very nice, and it goes about a mile and half before running into the big highway that transects our city, so out and back is a tidy three mile run. I'm so pleased! I love not having to dodge traffic and not needing to brace myself for hills. I love it!
Quote from: ergative on July 16, 2021, 01:59:27 AM
After living in my current place for over four years, I have finally discovered that, in addition to the river walk that greets me when I turn right out of my front door, there's an associated canal walk that greets me if I turn left. Four years! And it was just a few blocks away!
The canal walk is a superb place to run. The canal is built to be flat, so there are no hills. There are no intersections. It is wider than the river walk, with big patches of grassy banks so I can get off the pavement and avoid crowds. There are bridges across the canal to a new park being constructed, which looks very nice, and it goes about a mile and half before running into the big highway that transects our city, so out and back is a tidy three mile run. I'm so pleased! I love not having to dodge traffic and not needing to brace myself for hills. I love it!
That's awesome! Good reminder to look for new trails. I live by a park that has a trail. I've figured out 3 different loops that use the trail plus sidewalks, with slightly different lengths and hills. I need to find other combinations so I don't get bored.
The concierges at local hotels often keep files with measured running paths in their area, for guests who want to get their daily run in before the day's meetings begin. They may be online, for printout, or available at the front desk, if you can pretend to be a guest, and ask nicely for one...
Also, I neglected to mention an alignment issue that may be useful...
Pronation and suppination are really secondary problems that come under the heading of toe-knee alignment.
Some folks may already know this, but in running, walking, or dancing, knees should be aimed between the great toe and the second toe, or just over the 2nd toe, to prevent micro-twists of the tibia and fibula beneath the patella. These can strain the tendons and ligaments, and scratch the back of the patella.
Dancers, gymnasts, and skaters run into this problem when extreme turnout of the feet is taught without reference to their alignment with the knees.
But it's equally pernicious in the smaller doses that occur with slightly splayed or pigeon-toed use of the feet, repeated in so many running steps over an hour or so.
The 'triangular alignment' with heel, small toe, large toe landing in that order while walking, has a similar corrective effect.
Walking is nearly always heel-first, although some dance walks are toe-first; I won't wade into the heel-or-toe-first flame war that rages (raged? Used to rage?) among runners, but whichever one lands first, knee-heel-toe alignment needs to be attended to, avoid torque in the upper part of the lower legs.
Sometimes one side is more "off," too, which can also be tied to hip alignment issues.
LT---->T. BT <---LT
\ /
\ /
H. H.
If a doctor or podiatrist has told you otherwise, listen to them, not me; I'm neither.
But as both a movement instructor and a dancer who benefitted by learning and applying these types of awareness, I thought I should share them.
Lulu Sweigard's book, "Human Movement Potential" based on her movement lab studies for dancers at Juilliard in the 1950s-60s, is still the gold standard for these therapeutic interventions.
She basically took dance teaching apart and put it back together again, with a wide view to the broader applications of her work elsewhere.
M.
That's really interesting, mamselle. I remember when I was in middle school I noticed that some of the 'cool kids' walked with a slight outward bend to their toes, and so I tried to duplicate them, but my feet persisted in relaxing back to straight forward and back. I guess in retrospect it was good that I did not have the strength of character to insist my knee-toe alignment match the cool kids' strides.
Or maybe my efforts then, however quickly abandoned, are what is now responsible for my pronation? Or maybe it's my history of rolling my ankles, which has led me to avoid the outer edge of my foot in my stride, hence interfering with my ability to follow the triangular alignment method? Anyway, I've got some new shoes coming on Monday, which are (advertised as) super-arch-supportive, so we'll see how that goes.
That's great Ergative! Canal paths can be great -- though sometimes they are a bit muddy. If you do it at sunrise or sunset you might also catch more wildlife.
Quote from: downer on July 16, 2021, 10:17:45 AM
If you do it at sunrise or sunset . . .
Not this sluggabed! Wave to the bunnies for me.
I squeezed in a run yesterday morning - first of July, and only facilitated by a slight break in the weather. I learned that I'm in terrible shape (at least relative to where I was a couple of months ago).
A few days into July, I realized that if I put my mind to it, I could run 100km by the end of the month. So I set that as my goal.
I'm happy to say I hit 102km two days ago, and 107km today. I had actually meant to run 10km today, but the run just wasn't working (I felt lightheaded, which is unusual for me), so I cut it short. But I made my monthly goal, which I'm more than a little pleased about.
@ ergative: The links between pronation, weak ligaments and tendons, shoe structures, and foot-knee alignment are chicken-and-egg-y at times. They all interact together, but sometimes one thing starts the cycle, while in another person, it's a different point on the arc.
But, yeah, just as well you didn't force yourself to walk too pigeon-toed, that wouldn't have helped.
In addition to the shoes, which I hope are helpful, consider doing ankle rotations, 'waving' with your toes, working through the foot front-to-back, ankle-to-toes (all while lying or sitting down), and bending your knees slightly while keeping the full foot on the ground, then rising up slowly--all to strengthen and make supple the muscles and connective tissue that support the arch, keep it from rolling about, and help align the feet further.
@ traductio: Cool beans! Good for you!
M.
@traductio: Bravo! I'm still patting myself on the back when I go three times a week instead of two, but I've recently upped my route to 3.5 miles, and that's a nice little level-up.
@mamselle: Thanks for the recommendations. I'll stick it in my warm-up routine which I've been doing now before running because of our last exchange.
Taking a two week break from all running. I've got some kind of injury to my left calf muscle, probably overworked it in an unconscious attempt to compensate for tendonitis pain in my knee, which in turn is probably triggered by weak hamstrings and glutes.
Quote from: spork on August 06, 2021, 03:25:09 AM
Taking a two week break from all running. I've got some kind of injury to my left calf muscle, probably overworked it in an unconscious attempt to compensate for tendonitis pain in my knee, which in turn is probably triggered by weak hamstrings and glutes.
Ouch, good luck with the recovery.
I've also been taking a week or so off. I got my second Pfizer dose last weekend, and spent a couple of days recovering from that, and then Absolutive has been away so I've been kind of bored and lonely and lacking all motivation to do anything. Today I could do a run, but it's thunderstorming. I'm trying to tell myself that there's nothing wrong with taking some mental health time off, but it's been a frustrating week. Absolutive comes home tomorrow, though, so maybe things will return to normal then.
Quote from: ergative on August 06, 2021, 05:20:46 AM
I'm trying to tell myself that there's nothing wrong with taking some mental health time off, but it's been a frustrating week.
Mental health time is important! (Although I, too, have to work to allow myself that time. I understand the frustration.)
On a different note, I've been watching with awe as Olympic runners compete. My regular run is a 5k, which I do in 24ish minutes. The Olympic runners have been doing the 5000m (so, a 5k) in 13 minutes. I can't wrap my head around it, although I admire the way they combine sheer force with grace.
If anyone's stuck inside and wants some low-impact ways to stay fit, there are both "new" (as in, modern choreographies) as well as old standards for folk dances with good energy, enjoyable shapes, and some inbuilt challenges without being stressful. Here's one popular one:
1) Hine Ma Tov (not your mother's or father's version--or maybe it is, now!)
a) Examples of how it looks in a group:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCVKpPRrrnE
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GFv2PgnI80
b) Well-taught step-by-step instruction on how to get there:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqa6oi5sqoI
The "old dances" are good, too, here's one of those (also Israeli, just off the top of my head, but there are many more:
a) As seen danced live (Note, this group has more men than women dancing..!) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSNB_9-fYzM
b) Instruction with demonstration at the end:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYEk0qalvsU
To be more inclusive: French Canadian (I teach this to my French classes, but we do it much faster)
a) Performed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0w6WJxNgSmY
and (with double catch-steps, adds a bit of cardio...)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0QKMEiq-tQ
and (at the speed I'm used to):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BM1pyh1psUo
b) Taught:
I can't find the teaching tape I used to use online, but will be glad to send instructions via PM if anyone is interested!
And this African dance, Jerusalemma, is currently famous all over the world:
a) Performed:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdFudLPyqng
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7hkaK8uGmo
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNQy2_9P0k4
b) Taught:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6efHtpJK-Ns
and (with more breakdown, step-by-step
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGd9dlCA5Ig
Many of the current teachers are former students of the choreographers and collectors of these dances; one becomes part of a chain of pedal transmission, as it were.
There are many more online dances, from many different places; glad to share.
There are also MANY online folk dance groups running (at least 1-2 every night that I know of) with attendees all around the world--the Tuesday night dance I attend regularly gets folks from both coasts, several states in between, Hawaii, Greece, Canada, and S./Central America--as well as teachers from all those places.
This site lists many resources:
https://facone.org/
as does this one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGd9dlCA5Ig
Most do simple dances as well as more complex ones, and the teaching quality is excellent.
Just an idea, if your running regime is being interrupted for any reason--or if you're feeling out of touch with the world at large!
M.
I was on vacation in a cool place last week and went on a fantastic run - not something I would usually do on a vacation, but I just had to take advantage of the nice weather. Now I'm back in my sweltering climate, in which it is usually too hot to run, but there is some possibility that it will be cool enough one morning this week for me to get out for an early morning jog.
Absolutive is home! I went for a nice run, and it didn't rain a drop on me until after I was home. Then we had more cloudbursts and thunderstorms, and I feel very smug.
Being also smug, I waited til the rain stopped. And then forgot about all that heat and steam that would be joining me for my jog. My smugness wilted.
What do you folks listen to when you run? I usually listen to podcasts, but today I jammed out to some up-tempo songs. When I lived in a more serene location I used to run with no audio, but haven't done so in a while.
Audiobooks or funny podcasts with good banter.
Mostly audiobooks. I just finished book 11 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. Our campus library doesn't have the last three! But the city library does, so I have them on hold--hope to get them soon. Meanwhile, I may listen to a different book or may listen to a podcast.
I found Seth Dickinson's The Traitor Baru Cormorant an utterly engrossing companion. Something about the fragmentary nature of listening to it in 45-minute spurts meant that I had time to let the world-building and politics and characters really settle in and become real.
For an easier series, my old library (where my digital privileges still chug along even across an ocean) has most of Charles Stross's Laundry Files on audiobook, and those were good company too.
I bought a new pair of shoes. I think I under-pronate, so I got an appropriate pair of ASICS. I wore them on my run this morning, and within a quarter mile, my feet started getting sore. Much worse than my old shoes that I thought were worn out. What should I do? Near as I can tell, I cannot return them. Guess I'll just donate them somewhere. They're perfectly good, just not for me.
What exactly do you mean by 'under-pronate' and when do you notice it?
if your old shoes were getting comfortable, or uncomfortable, can you look at the wear patterns on, say, the back of the heel and see what direction you might need support in?
Sometimes an insert in a particular place (often called 'cookies') can support the arch or heel appropriately.
Those usually need to be prescribed by a podiatrist (or I've figured out my own by trial-and-error and knowing my own foot anatomy pretty well) but it might not mean the new shoes are at fault.
On the other hand, if the company has recently changed their lasts (basic foot molds used to produce the shoe) or gone for the recent "back-heel rise" fad, which drives my ankles crazy because I have 'disappearing ankles,' (that move up towards the tibia instead of staying put when I flex my foot) it could be the shoe construction itself that has changed and is the problem.
I stay away from on-line ordering and usually work with a shoe store I know that is reliable and understands feet. They stand by their products, and will work with one to sort out issues like this; if there's any way you can contact someone like that, it might be worthwhile.
M.
Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?
Quote from: spork on September 10, 2021, 03:18:29 AM
Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?
Is the primary need to see or be seen? Or both? How busy is it? Are there tree roots to worry about?
Quote from: spork on September 10, 2021, 03:18:29 AM
Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?
I like these (https://www.google.com/search?q=led+running+cap&oq=led+running+cap&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30.3926j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).
Quote from: FishProf on October 09, 2021, 06:09:52 AM
Quote from: spork on September 10, 2021, 03:18:29 AM
Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?
I like these (https://www.google.com/search?q=led+running+cap&oq=led+running+cap&aqs=chrome..69i57j0i22i30.3926j0j7&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8).
After reading bimodally distributed reviews for much more expensive headlamps, I bought this pack of two (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B092RHC2FY) for less than $18. They work fine and I now have a back up in case of emergency.
Related: after running 8.5 miles three days after my JNJ coronavirus vaccination in March, and a self half marathon in April, I developed bilateral patellar tendonitis, calf muscle pain, and mild lower extremity edema over the summer. Eventually I took a full month off from running, which didn't make a significant difference. Informed two of the physicians I see regularly that something was wrong. They both basically shrugged. One wanted me to get an ultrasound for DVTs in my leg. I said no. On my own initiative, I increased my daily intake of calcium citrate by 15% even though results of mid-summer serum calcium, vitamin D, phosphorus, and PTH tests were within normal ranges. In two weeks the severity of the symptoms decreased by about 75%. I increased my calcium citrate by a bit more, to 125% of what I had been taking, and now the symptoms are almost entirely gone, and I'm up to running 12 miles per week. Given that I was diagnosed two years ago with secondary hyperparathyroidism and hypophosphatemia, after a year and a half of increasingly severe muscle and joint pain, plus lower extremity edema, I don't see this as rocket science. It would be nice if physicians listened to patients and tried to identify the causes of the problems they report.
Went running yesterday after a large (Canadian) Thanksgiving dinner. Why? I really don't know. (It had been a few hours since I ate, but still, I'm not sure what I was thinking.)
Remorse?
Using up all those calories as soon as possible?
Hope you've recovered/are recovering!
M.
I went for a nice ~6 mile run this morning. I have been pushing myself during runs and I'm at/near my peak physical shape right now. Hoping to keep it going through the winter (which is mild in my neck of the woods).
Well, The (translated to today) Race has been run, and won, and so on and so on...
https://boston.cbslocal.com/photo-galleries/2021/10/11/photos-boston-marathon-2021/?amp
Was anyone here in it? No-one said, so I'm presuming not.
M.
Wow -- took me forever to find this thread again.
I just broke my record for distance run in one week -- 30km. (I think my previous record had been 26km.) Working back up to longer distances, as I tend to do each summer. Feels good, mostly.
That's great! Yes, summer is the time to add mileage. I run mostly to get in shape for a trip each October. I try to get in top form by the time the semester starts so I hopefully don't degrade too much by the time the trip starts.
Question for you all: Do you run every day or have rest days? I've ramped up to running every day because I like the way it feels. These last few days have been rough for other reasons, so I skipped today. On the one hand, I feel anxious, like I've forgotten to do something (even though it was intentional). But at the same time, my body just doesn't feel capable. I'm wondering if I should schedule in a day or two each week when I recover.
Quote from: pgher on June 26, 2022, 10:38:06 AM
That's great! Yes, summer is the time to add mileage. I run mostly to get in shape for a trip each October. I try to get in top form by the time the semester starts so I hopefully don't degrade too much by the time the trip starts.
Question for you all: Do you run every day or have rest days? I've ramped up to running every day because I like the way it feels. These last few days have been rough for other reasons, so I skipped today. On the one hand, I feel anxious, like I've forgotten to do something (even though it was intentional). But at the same time, my body just doesn't feel capable. I'm wondering if I should schedule in a day or two each week when I recover.
My new approach (as of this week, in fact) is to run every day, but vary the distances. My "off" days are just 3km -- enough to get out (and overcome that feeling of having forgotten something), while my "on" days are 5 or 6km, working toward 10km (where I was at the end of last summer). So far it's working for me, way more than I expected.
I am taking today off, though, because I've run out of clean running clothes, or even ones that aren't so gross I don't mind putting them on again. That's a new problem for me!
Quote from: pgher on June 26, 2022, 10:38:06 AM
That's great! Yes, summer is the time to add mileage. I run mostly to get in shape for a trip each October. I try to get in top form by the time the semester starts so I hopefully don't degrade too much by the time the trip starts.
Question for you all: Do you run every day or have rest days? I've ramped up to running every day because I like the way it feels. These last few days have been rough for other reasons, so I skipped today. On the one hand, I feel anxious, like I've forgotten to do something (even though it was intentional). But at the same time, my body just doesn't feel capable. I'm wondering if I should schedule in a day or two each week when I recover.
I typically run about five miles per session and take a day or two off in between each run. On some of those off days I do other exercises. I love running and dislike my other workouts, but when I deviate from this formula and run consecutive days I tend to get (minor) injuries.
As of tonight, I've run 102km in the last four weeks, my new record. (Last year I did about 104km over the month of July, but that was 31 days rather than 28.) I increased my frequency, but ran shorter distances each time, and it felt really great.
Tomorrow I'll either run 10km or take the night off and watch Westworld.
Quote from: traductio on July 16, 2022, 07:20:49 PM
As of tonight, I've run 102km in the last four weeks, my new record. (Last year I did about 104km over the month of July, but that was 31 days rather than 28.) I increased my frequency, but ran shorter distances each time, and it felt really great.
Tomorrow I'll either run 10km or take the night off and watch Westworld.
That's great! I think the key is for it to feel good. Then the distance will come naturally.
Thanks all for the advice recently. I ended up doing a short run that relieved that anxious feeling. Trying now to do kinda like Traductio--I run every day but alternate short and long days.
Quote from: pgher on July 16, 2022, 07:45:43 PM
Quote from: traductio on July 16, 2022, 07:20:49 PM
As of tonight, I've run 102km in the last four weeks, my new record. (Last year I did about 104km over the month of July, but that was 31 days rather than 28.) I increased my frequency, but ran shorter distances each time, and it felt really great.
Tomorrow I'll either run 10km or take the night off and watch Westworld.
That's great! I think the key is for it to feel good. Then the distance will come naturally.
Thanks all for the advice recently. I ended up doing a short run that relieved that anxious feeling. Trying now to do kinda like Traductio--I run every day but alternate short and long days.
What's really surprised me is how much easier the longer distances have become because of the regular short runs. I had expected to be more tired, but the extra 3km runs on short-days have increased my energy for the longer days. It's been a pleasant discovery.
Yesterday I ran 10k for the first time this summer. The humidity finally broke, and there was a cool breeze. It was magnificent.
I've been out for a month due to a knee issue, and I'm having (arthroscopic, outpatient) surgery on Thursday. I miss running, though I miss it a whole lot less this time of year in the South.
Heat broke in my area and I went on a ~6 mile run yesterday for the first time since early June. I've been exercising in other ways and staying fit, but expected this run to be absolutely brutal (not least because it remains quite warm in my neck of the woods), but it was fine!
I need to get new socks. I have been wearing crew-length Vitalsox compression socks for the last decade for running, travel, and everything else. I love them, but they aren't showing up on Amazon anymore in the length and size I need. They are not sold in retail stores where I live. Any suggestions on alternatives? My requirements are:
- crew length.
- cushioned sole.
- compression, but not medical grade.
- quick dry, so no natural fibers.