The Running Thread

[waterboy]

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.

[Sun_Worshiper]

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.

[ergative]

Audiobooks or funny podcasts with good banter.

[pgher]

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.

[ergative]

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.

[pgher]

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.

[mamselle]

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.

[spork]

Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?

[downer]

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?

[FishProf]

Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?

I like these.   

[spork]

Can anyone recommend a headlamp that they like wearing when running in the dark?

I like these.

After reading bimodally distributed reviews for much more expensive headlamps, I bought this pack of two 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.

[traductio]

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.)

[mamselle]

Remorse?

Using up all those calories as soon as possible?

Hope you've recovered/are recovering!

M.

[Sun_Worshiper]

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).

[mamselle]

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.