July (L)egg fry running

[yellow]

Here is a July thread, a few days late!

My legs are trashed. That is all. :p 2+ weeks to Tahoe Rim 50. I hope they feel better soon!

[Catrin]

I love the title of this thread :) I am starting to focus more on the Couch to 5K conditioning, and have also discovered Brian McKensie's Crossfit Endurance website. He has a LOT of information/videos on proper body mechanics for beginning (and elite) runners, as well as cycling and swimming. I don't want to take on too much too soon and wind up with injuries because my posture is off or my body just isn't ready.

[OakLeaf]

Two 50s in two months, are you training for something longer??

My friend the Marathon Maniac says he is really enjoying the 50 mile distance. I can't even imagine it!

[yellow]

Two 50s in two months, are you training for something longer??
No, I was just torn between the two events, so I decided to do both. :p Believe me, 50m is plenty far. I don't need to go farther. I do like the 50m distance, though. Like endurance cycling, it's important to find balance with life and training, and it's a good limit and test (although I'm not really sure what I am "testing"-- can't tell you how often I've asked myself "WTF was I thinking??"). I like 50k, too, but mentally it is tougher. I always think I should be going faster. With a 50m, I am focused on just finishing.

I am really looking forward to riding more in late summer and fall, though! My bike is still in WI getting repaired and restored, so I couldn't road ride now anyway.

[skhill]

Finally got to run today. It started raining about 7:30 am Thursday and continued with only short breaks until about 11 am Sunday, so it seemed like a good idea to take a break. There are blisters on both feet from walking the dog in wet shoes over the past few days, and I was worried about how that'd feel running but they were perfectly fine. But the calf issue I had during the race came back about 4 miles in today, and now every time I'm sitting for a while it tightens up again. Still, today's run was 6.2 miles in 52:38 so Thursday's race was absolutely an aberration.

[TrekDianna]

I am registered for an 8k at the end of the month. I have not done an (organized) 8k before. It will be interesting.

[OakLeaf]

I did 10.5 today, WAY slow because I kept stopping to take pictures. :p I never do that, I hate stopping during a run, but for some reason today I was just overwhelmed with the beauty of where I live. These don't do it justice, but here's a share. Wish I could've captured the birdsong and the smell of the air, too.

1644716448

[TrekDianna]

Very nice! That second one looks like a gravel road I run on sometimes. It's behind a gate so no traffic.

[Crankin]

Nice, Oakleaf. I can really relate to your comment about the sounds and the smell. That was a big part of wanting to move back to New England. Although, in December, I occasionally get wistful for the smell of pinon (oy, my computer doesn't have that Spanish symbol that should be over the first n).

[OakLeaf]

Piñon? ;)

It's option-n on a Mac.

Your other diacritical marks, all with the option key: accent grave is to the left of thè 1, accent aigu is é, umlaut is ü, circumflex is î, cedilla is ç (and you don't have to type the letter C again there), those are all the ones I know without looking up. You can always just hit the character viewer to the left of the date and time on your menu bar and select the letter or symbol you're looking for...

And there is another thing that the Android keyboard has over iOS. :p

[Crankin]

Thank you.
Unless I am forced, I never "explore" anything on my computer, unlike DH who thinks it is "fun" to do such things.
Oops, I just noticed I have the mark, on top of the accent grave. Too early to be thinking of such things.

[OakLeaf]

Heh, it is there, but if you just hit that key, it's the mathematical symbol ~.

I tried option-shift-that key and it doesn't do anything, you just get the accent grave without the ability to apply it to another letter. Ya gotta do the option-n for a tilde.

I don't really explore either, but I've done enough transcribing over the years that I've had to learn the French and Spanish diacritical marks, and at least know where to find the currency symbols. :p

[skhill]

Today we're having the most spectacularly wonderful weather we ever have mid-July. It was in the low 60s with low humidity at dawn, and even the guys standing out in front of the homeless shelter on my route were smiling and laughing! Just did an easy 6 miles, mainly through a historic district and the zone of increasing hipsterification. (yep just made that one up)

The most exciting thing that happened wasn't running related, though. I stopped by a park to get a drink of water, and while I was there thought it was time to use the playground equipment to see if I can still do a pull-up. The thrill: the first one was effortless. That's never happened. I stopped at 3, and I'm sure I could have done more but I'll be mowing the lawn later and will need those muscles then. And it's been a couple months since I've done any strength training at all so it's a bit freaky. But really cool.

[Catrin]

LOVELY weather tonight! Since my arm is still bothering me a bit, I decided to do some light trail running/walking instead of riding tonight. I dislike running on pavement, so I hit the dirt trails in my favorite park. There is SOME gravel but it isn't loose. I've far more stamina for light running than I once did, but tried to stick with the 'Couch to 5K' program since I've really not approached running in any disciplined way. So I jogged for a few minutes, walked for a few minutes, rinse and repeat for 35 minutes. I don't have trail shoes, just regular running shoes, so I walked the parts where there were more roots or loose downhill stuff.

It was fun, much to my surprise! I won't get trail shoes until I see if I am going to stick with this - I still prefer being a gym rat and taking my short bike rides. It is nice for a change though, and it IS a way to once again be back on dirt trails in the woods ;) My body felt fine, though the upper outside corner of one knee did do some mild complaining. I suspect that was from not being accustomed to running on an uneven surface. I focused on keeping my feet underneath me, my head up, and not being tight in my upper body. It made a WORLD of difference to not be carrying a water bottle and there was no numbness anywhere :)

I have no idea how far I actually ran/walked, and frankly I don't care at this point. I just want to get my body better conditioned to it. We DO run in my group training sometimes, but sometimes that is pretty extreme (like 10 100-meter sprints). There were repercussions from that but it WAS fun! I walked around my apartment complex afterwards.

[TrekDianna]

LOVELY weather tonight! Since my arm is still bothering me a bit, I decided to do some light trail running/walking instead of riding tonight. I dislike running on pavement, so I hit the dirt trails in my favorite park. There is SOME gravel but it isn't loose. I've far more stamina for light running than I once did, but tried to stick with the 'Couch to 5K' program since I've really not approached running in any disciplined way. So I jogged for a few minutes, walked for a few minutes, rinse and repeat for 35 minutes. I don't have trail shoes, just regular running shoes, so I walked the parts where there were more roots or loose downhill stuff.

It was fun, much to my surprise! I won't get trail shoes until I see if I am going to stick with this - I still prefer being a gym rat and taking my short bike rides. It is nice for a change though, and it IS a way to once again be back on dirt trails in the woods ;) My body felt fine, though the upper outside corner of one knee did do some mild complaining. I suspect that was do to not being accustomed to running on an uneven surface. I focused on keeping my feet underneath me, my head up, and not being tight in my upper body. It made a WORLD of difference to not be carrying a water bottle and there was no numbness anywhere :)

I have no idea how far I actually ran/walked, and frankly I don't care at this point. I just want to get my body better conditioned to it. We DO run in my group training sometimes, but sometimes that is pretty extreme (like 10 100-meter sprints). There were repercussions from that but it WAS fun! I walked around my apartment complex afterwards.

You made that sound wonderful and even though I ran this morning, now I want to go out to the trail near my house. I dislike running on pavement also, but I am leaving in the morning for a week in Boston and won't have much choice.

[OakLeaf]

Catrin, that sounds great. :)

[Catrin]

You made that sound wonderful and even though I ran this morning, now I want to go out to the trail near my house. I dislike running on pavement also, but I am leaving in the morning for a week in Boston and won't have much choice.

It's really been a surprise how different it feels! It also gives me an option to get back on dirt trails in the woods since I can't mountain bike any more ;) It was just so quiet on the trails, and I even surprised a young deer with horns that were just budding (if that is the right term).

[rocknrollgirl]

Catrin, on a deer they are antler:) I giggled when I saw that, I say horns all the time just to drive my hubs crazy!

We are starting to gear up for a long(ish) trail race. I say "ish" because every time I think it is long I think about Yellow:) Anyway, we did The North Face Challenge Half in May and had a great time, so we are going to try a 17 miler in September. If that goes well, I am thinking about doing a full trail marathon next spring.

So all that being said, we did our long run in the woods on Thursday, 100% humidity, 85 degrees. Yikes! It was a clear reminder why I do not like to train for long things over the summer! My poor hubs looked like he had jumped in a pool by the time he was done, his shoes were squishy.

[Catrin]

Catrin, on a deer they are antler:) I giggled when I saw that, I say horns all the time just to drive my hubs crazy!

We are starting to gear up for a long(ish) trail race. I say "ish" because every time I think it is long I think about Yellow:) Anyway, we did The North Face Challenge Half in May and had a great time, so we are going to try a 17 miler in September. If that goes well, I am thinking about doing a full trail marathon next spring.

So all that being said, we did our long run in the woods on Thursday, 100% humidity, 85 degrees. Yikes! It was a clear reminder why I do not like to train for long things over the summer! My poor hubs looked like he had jumped in a pool by the time he was done, his shoes were squishy.

I guess that is an indication that I am a 'city gal' :) For some reason when I think of antlers I think of the really big members of the family like Moose, Elk, and Caribu.

I wound up doing some running at the gym yesterday since I was there for some mobility work. Hopefully get to ride today with my fitter! We are trying to determine if my problems on the bike are posture related (since fit has been ruled out) or my "new normal".

[katluvr]

Haven't been on TE lately nor have a been running. Really fell off the running routine! But laced up the running shoes for a slow 3 miler this AM. Dang it hot out there! Hope to get back on track for some fall 1/2 marathons, don't think the 50K by Jan. is do-able now! Oh well, time for a new plan and new goals.

I also forgot how much running helps me emotionally/mentally. It really helps me think through things or "write those letters/talks" in my head to help me move past things.

K

[OakLeaf]

Welcome back kat. Running does help, doesn't it? Hope you can find/make time for more.

[rocknrollgirl]

Yesterday my hubs and I drove 2 hours north to trail run in order to get some terrain. It has been brutally hot here this week and yesterday was no exception. We were prepared for the heat, but were completely taken by surprise by the bugs. I have hiked in this area dozens of time and never had an issue. They were so bad yesterday I actually had a bit of a freak out at one point. It helped a bit when we topped out on a ridge and there was a breeze, but holy cow.

Fortunately I planned the mid point at a lake, where we took off shoes and shirts and just jumped in. The last 3.5 miles followed a river out and we had to stop 2 more times to cool off. Crazy.

Only 8.5 miles total, but given the conditions I still feel good about the time spent getting there.

Next time...bug spray ( which I hate)

[Crankin]

I had an intersting brief running experience today. In boot camp class, the evil instructor had us (there were only 4 of us) get on the treadmills for 2, 2 minute intervals. Class up to that point had been very intense. The air quality and heat are so bad, even at 5:30 AM, we could not go outside. Anyway, I did both of the intervals at a 9:40 pace, 1.5% incline, with no breathlesness at all.
I guess it's the cycling fitness, because when I was running, I could never do this!

[Catrin]

I had an intersting brief running experience today. In boot camp class, the evil instructor had us (there were only 4 of us) get on the treadmills for 2, 2 minute intervals. Class up to that point had been very intense. The air quality and heat are so bad, even at 5:30 AM, we could not go outside. Anyway, I did both of the intervals at a 9:40 pace, 1.5% incline, with no breathlesness at all.
I guess it's the cycling fitness, because when I was running, I could never do this!

We've done intervals like this - but :30 at 10% incline :eek: He has my speed much lower than the "real" runners, thankfully. I don't think I could stay on with that incline at a greater speed.

I do need to do more running, as hot as it is getting right now I suspect it will be more inside track than trail. It is far less painful than pavement!

R&R Girl, it sounds like you had fun, even with the heat :)

[Crankin]

I don't know if I could run up a 10% incline, although I have run up my street at that grade, but going almost a walking pace.
She didn't tell us what speed to set, just to keep increasing it. But, I did look at what the woman next to me had... my evil competitive urge comes out in times like this.
Her speed was only 4.5, and I know this person is a runner. Maybe it's time for me to lace up the shoes again, but my hips do hurt a bit tonight.

[OakLeaf]

Nice Crankin!

rnrgirl, ugh, flies. There are two places on my 8 mile/10 mile loop that have flies, maybe a total of 3/4 mile at the most, and it's just awful. They bite through whatever I'm wearing. I can't imagine doing the whole run with them biting. Uggggggggh. I sure can't imagine bug spray would still be there after a couple of liters of sweat, either.

Me, I've been fighting some stomach thing the last couple of days, probably just ate something I shouldn't have, and between that and the heat I've been pretty well laid out. I just did four miles real easy this morning, the heat index was already 93 at 9 a.m. and I was kind of getting lightheaded, but I'm starting to feel better now, so sweating all that out was probably what I needed. Probably take tomorrow off again, maybe a little yoga, and it's supposed to cool off on Saturday.

Yellow, good luck this weekend!!!

[TrekDianna]

What Crankin said about the heat (and humidity) ! I have been in a class all week in the Boston area (at MIT) and now I remember why I no longer live here! I've been setting my alarm for 5am and heading out to run along the Charles each morning. It's crazy humid, but I am sticking to my training plan -- next weekend is the 10K I registered for. The funny thing is that the hotel front desk person has been keeping an eye out for my return each day and greets me by handing me two bottles of water when I come enter the lobby when I get back.

[Catrin]

I don't know if I could run up a 10% incline, although I have run up my street at that grade, but going almost a walking pace.
She didn't tell us what speed to set, just to keep increasing it. But, I did look at what the woman next to me had... my evil competitive urge comes out in times like this.
Her speed was only 4.5, and I know this person is a runner. Maybe it's time for me to lace up the shoes again, but my hips do hurt a bit tonight.

4.5-5 is my speed when I am at the 10% incline BUT that is only for 20 or 30 second intervals. When I am running longer on the treadmill I keep the incline much, much lower.

Perhaps your hips and hip flexors just need some mobility exercises? Lots of time at a desk does cause brutally short/tight hip flexors which can certainly cause issues. I've been told that this can cause us to over-extend our psoas to make up for the short flexors, especially cyclists and others who spend a lot of time in less than full extension. I didn't realize how tight MY flexors are until we did cheetahs in group yesterday - our coach gave me some extra attention because of that. You may not be as desk-bound as I am...

[Crankin]

Yes, Catrin, I've slacked a little on my stretching because I've been feeling so great since I stopped the PT. I've also determined that it's sitting in the car that particularly ses me off. I started back doing the most important 2 3-4x a day.
Trek Dianna, this length of a heat wave is soooo unusual for the Boston area. If you lived here, you know that 3 days is the norm. I am so looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, with the predicted storms and 80 degrees and dry on Sunday, because I am doing a 75 mile ride. Personally, I am not bothered so much by the heat in terms of my daily activities as I live in the AC, but it makes me feel like I'm back in AZ, housebound. I don't like the humidity at all. I went out for a 15 mile ride at 5:45 this morning and the humidity was 81% when I got back, even though it was only 74 out. I was coughing like crazy and my legs felt dead. Nothing but yoga tomorrow.

[rocknrollgirl]

Sounds like we are all suffering from the heat. We did an easy 45 mins in the sauna ( the neighborhood) this morning. Looped it by the driveway and kept water there. It is SO gross out..

I was thinking while I was trudging along, about what a different runner I am in the winter. This time of the year, I feel like I am just slogging along. I can't wait for fall to get some of the snap back in my legs. I have no issue going out in single digits, snow, sleet, hail....happy trail runner....summer....trudger.

Kudos to everyone that is out there trying.

[skhill]

I've been suffering through the heat and humidity too this week. I hit the streets at 6 a.m. and am sweat-soaked in half a mile most days. Not enjoying this at all; I've been going slow and/or cutting it short most days. Today was a standard 6 miles, but at a long run pace. Beautiful sunrise, though!

Tomorrow is the Bluegrass state games 5k/10k, and since I haven't pre-registered I still need to decide which distance to do. Race is at 8am so it won't be absolutely beastly yet. But I'm leaning towards the 5k as the 10k is just 2 trips around the course (boring) and my chances of winning a "state champion" t-shirt are undoubtedly better at the shorter distance.

Could still end up deciding it's just too humid to race, though!

[skhill]

It was too humid to race. Between the heat and an ongoing cat squabble I got very little sleep. Oh well. This week is supposed to be much cooler-- and next Saturday's 5k is notorious for a plethora of very large trophies, the older the age group the more extravagant the trophy. It's also one of the cheapest races on the calendar. Fun!

[Catrin]

I like my current approach of running/walking splits, rinse and repeat. I don't know how long I am actually running now before breaking with a walk, it really has to do with the trail terrain. The hiller/rootier it is, the splits are much shorter. The flatter the easier of course. I got dirt on my new trail shoes last night :) I am, however, paying close attention to my how my heel cords and hamstrings feel - if I feel things getting tight(er) then it is time to walk. This might be overly conservative but I really want to avoid injury since I've never "been a runner".

I had fun last night, though I was only out for about 25 minutes. I felt more secure on the trail and found myself relaxing more than before - the increased traction of the new shoes made a noticeable difference.

[TrekDianna]

I like my current approach of running/walking splits, rinse and repeat. I don't know how long I am actually running now before breaking with a walk, it really has to do with the trail terrain. The hiller/rootier it is, the splits are much shorter. The flatter the easier of course. I got dirt on my new trail shoes last night :) I am, however, paying close attention to my how my heel cords and hamstrings feel - if I feel things getting tight(er) then it is time to walk. This might be overly conservative but I really want to avoid injury since I've never "been a runner".

I had fun last night, though I was only out for about 25 minutes. I felt more secure on the trail and found myself relaxing more than before - the increased traction of the new shoes made a noticeable difference.

This is great. It sounds like we are using the same methods....and congrats on getting the shoes dirty :)

[Catrin]

This is great. It sounds like we are using the same methods....and congrats on getting the shoes dirty :)

Basically I am adapting the "Couch to 5K" guidance to the trail. My gym work is very intense and varied - but I don't think much anything translates to running rather than, well, running. I've no timetable on how this goes, just focusing on having fun and paying attention to my body. Hopefully I can actually RIDE tomorrow night, we will see :) Glad to hear that someone else is on this same road...errrr...trail!

[OakLeaf]

Nice Catrin and TrekDianna!

Congrats yellow, very nice job on the 50 miler.

I was only intending to do about 8.5 today but it wound up a little over 10. Not that big a deal except that that's about the range where I prefer to carry water. But it was cooler and cloudy today, so a nice run. :)

[katluvr]

Well I made it out for a run again today. It was hot, humid and slow (again) but I did it. I'll just keep trying to plug along here and there until summer is over. I hope when I go on vacation up in Wisconsin and Michigan to get a few runs in--I'm sure there will be less humidity!!

K

[yellow]

Thanks, Oak. The first 30 miles were really, really good. I was on track for a great finishing time. Then there was this climb of 2000' in 2 miles, at altitude, in 95 degree weather, no shade, reflective surface(decomposed granite). It destroyed me completely. I recovered a little but around mile 35 but the heat got me again. I ended up walking the last several miles and completely lost it at the last AS because I was _so_ hot. After I finished I ended up in the med tent covered with ice.

It was a beautiful course and the volunteers and my support crew were awesome. I wasn't really even sore afterward, which means that I really didn't run that hard. I am frustrated and disappointed but it's just what the trail gave me. I'm doing a lot of questioning now. Not sure I want to do this any more!

Here's a pic right before the climb from hell :-) My safety runner is on the left and I am on the right.

16500

[katluvr]

Yellow....amazing! Doing distance, climbs, altitude AND heat! Great job that you finished!

K

[OakLeaf]

You did great, yellow, conditions were brutal. You should be proud!

[OakLeaf]

I didn't want to head out yesterday morning until DH had figured out his plans, and by the time he did, the nice morning weather was finished. Between being ticked off about that, sad about him being gone again, and not having run the day before, I really needed a run. The storm hadn't hit my house by the time I got my shoes on, but it was coming - first time I'd run in the rain on purpose in a very long time.

Round about halfway I'm starting to think that maybe wasn't such a great idea. It stayed warm enough to be comfortable getting drenched, the wind gusts never got strong enough to take me off my feet, the water wasn't all the way across the road in the low points, and I never saw hail, but there was a LOT of lightning. One bolt came so close that I instinctively covered my head in my hands. That would've done a lot of good, I'm sure. Nothing to do at that point but run the other half of the loop, exult in the power of the weather and the feeling of my body in it, and think that being struck by lightning is as good a way to go as any.

It really was a glorious run. Wound up doing the 8.5 mile loop eight minutes faster than I'd done it recently, even with my shoes and socks so soaked and heavy that they were throwing off my stride, probably mostly because of the cooling effect of the rain. The sun was back out by the time I got home. And, I found out that my newest shoes dry super quick. Yay.

[TrekDianna]

Yay, Yellow. Well done.

[Catrin]

Yellow and Oak, you both did great! Yellow, you were dealing with so much and you stuck with it!

Oak, that would be scary! I've noticed that the thought of running rather than riding in the rain is less scary to me. Unsure I need to hit the trails in the rain though...even if they aren't single-track there are things to fall on my noggin.

[katluvr]

Started my 3 day weekend with a run. 3.4 miles today (I've only been running 3), still slow pace and boy it's hot. Not a bit of movement in the air, not even the tiniest of breezes! I used to like summer!:(

[skhill]

This morning it was 58F with low humidity at dawn-- perfect running weather! I was going to take a rest day today but no way was I missing this. Lots of other runners out on the streets too, all looking happy. Went 7.3 miles in just over an hour and it was delightful.

And we just might hit a record low of 53 or so on Monday. This cool weather is such a treat.

[Catrin]

We are having great temps as well! I admit that I am torn between a trail run this evening or a ride...but whatever I do it will be fun! It will likely be decided by whether my shoulders are still sore tonight.

[TrekDianna]

I went for a nice mtb ride this morning. I am taking the next couple days off running since I have an 8K on Sunday morning.

[skhill]

Did a very nice 5k race this morning. At the start it was about 65 with a drizzle, and the rain picked up over the next half hour. Never a downpour, just a steady cool rain. Nice. There's a short but very steep bit on the course that we do both going down and up, and on the down hill side I was being very cautious as it was slippery. Hated getting passed by so many, but just as I got to where it leveled out a bit someone behind me fell so I felt justified. And when we went up it on the way back I was able to pass about 6 runners. There were a couple high school CC teams participating again, and it's fun to run with them. After yesterday's overly fast run, I wasn't expecting to manage a great time, but ended up finishing in 25:05. I'll take that just about any day! Walked away with 3rd among masters women, and the race continued the tradition of ridiculously large trophies. Actually, they're huge only for us older folks; the trophies for the under-40s are quite modest.

[OakLeaf]

Congrats skhill! And TrekDianna, good luck!

I need to get out for a little bit of a run. Drizzling and yucky, I feel like cr*p, and I'm supposed to go for a run with my coach in the morning, so I don't want to do too much. For about 50 cents I'd blow off running and just do yoga today...

[yellow]

Nice, skhill. I love running in the rain if it's not super cold :)

TrekDianna, how was it???

[skhill]

We hit a record low this morning-- 55F! Great running conditions. It was just a typical Monday easy run, except for doing an extra lap around a block that includes a steep downhill. I'm trying to get a bit more comfortable running down steep sections-- although having a red light waiting at the bottom probably didn't help. An odd thing: when I was almost home I realized that I'd gone past the locations of 2 of last week's 3 shootings. I live in an interesting neighborhood...

[OakLeaf]

skhill, yikes!!

I need more practice with the downhills, too. The one thing that really threw me at Boston (besides the bombing, obviously :() was the steep descent at the start. We have plenty of steep grades where I live, but they're mostly gravel, or if they're paved they tend to have gravel washed onto them, so I'm pretty ginger with the footing going downhill. Not at all used to trying to race and being confident that one little mistake in weight distribution among my foot bones won't put me on my azz. I've been trying to be more aware of that, and really go for it on the rare occasion I get a clean paved downhill run.


I had a nice run with my (probable future) coach yesterday, a little less than 8 miles at a 9:15 pace. I met him at the bike path so it was mostly flat, although we took a spur that has a couple of overpasses, underpasses and bridges. I'm going to show him my hills next time. He's from the western, glaciated side of my county, so he's got a treat in store. He he.

[Catrin]

Yayyy on finding a coach Oak!

[TrekDianna]

The 8K was actually pretty good. I kept my same 5k pace throughout. We were given finisher prizes that were useful - pint glasses with the name of the run on them. I did slow down for a bit on one section -- an osprey was diving for a fish and I just needed to see if it was going to come up with one. Next up - a 10K in mid August.