The Running Thread

[spork]

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.

[ergative]

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.

[traductio]

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.

[spork]

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.

[Sun_Worshiper]

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.

[pgher]

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.

[traductio]

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!

[Charlotte]

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....

[downer]

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.)

[mamselle]

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.

[downer]

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.

[ergative]

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.

[Parasaurolophus]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[ergative]

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.