Marching On...

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi guys,
thought I would get the March thread going. We had 6 inches of fresh snow yesterday so it covered up all the uneven frozen footsteps on the trails where we run. We did a run this morning and had to break trail the whole way. Nice to not have the frozen footsteps, but tough, tough going on the legs! But what a beautiful day to be out. Six miles of snowy goodness.

[emily_in_nc]

Gorgeous photos, R-n-R! Almost makes me long for snow. Almost!

I've been enjoying my runs on the track. I set a PR for my 5K time last Tuesday, and on Thursday, I did a run/walk at a slower pace, 4.5 miles total, 3.5 of that running. I hope to start increasing my mileage now that I am back from having a wretched cold that kept me out of commission for almost four weeks.

[OakLeaf]

RnR ... wow, looks beautiful, but my Raynaud's-afflicted toes are turning blue just looking at it ...

Emily, so glad you're getting back on track!

Wednesday was just as brutally hot as forecast and I was just as unprepared as I expected. Being hydrated isn't enough to prepare for a tough run in 30° warmer than what I'm acclimated to. I had to stop and nearly puke halfway through the marathon pace segment and couldn't even finish the threshold pace segments, and even with a partial workout I was trashed for the rest of the day and into the next. Bleh. It's supposed to be back to normal temps for tomorrow's tough workout, and thank goodness for that considering the time change ...

[rocknrollgirl]

Now see, as soon as you mention warm temps of any kind....I turn blue. Well you get what I mean. I do NOT do well in heat. I would much rather go out and run when it is 9 degrees.

Oak, that sounds like tough going, and I do not envy you.

Great job Emily!!!

[Crankin]

The only time I've been able to engage in running for a few months has been in cooler weather. It took me years to acclimate to riding in hot weather, but running in anything over 70 pretty much did me in. The one race I ran was 98 degrees and humid. Worst possible situation for me.

[rocknrollgirl]

We suffer through it from May-Sept. I try and get out as early as possible to beat the heat as much as possible. Don't like at all though. Blech. The past two summers we have spend most of our training time running and biking, in the woods. Sometimes better because you are out of the sun, sometimes worse because it can be very close, no breeze.

Blech just thinking about it. Blech.

[emily_in_nc]

Ugh, Oak, so sorry. I have gotten relatively acclimated to the heat and humidity here, but I know how difficult it is when the change is very sudden. Running in cooler temps is infinitely easier for me. Glad your heat wave will be shortlived.

Thanks for all the encouragement, ladies!

[OakLeaf]

Cooler on Sunday as forecast, a beautiful day for running actually, and I NAILED my 14 miles at marathon pace (plus warm up and cool down) - four more miles at pace than I did in training last year. I needed the confidence builder! Also I did over 55 miles last week which is a new high for me. I'll stay at this level another week or two and then start stepping the mileage down. Feeling good.

Hot again tomorrow, but hopefully not as hot as last Wednesday, and since the workout is two-mile intervals at 10K pace, I'm pretty sure I can handle it this time. We'll see.

[emily_in_nc]

Nice job, Oak! Hard to imagine that kind of mileage but sure admire those of you who do it.

Today I overslept, and by the time I got ready, it was so blazing hot and sunny I decided to wait and run a bit later as it often clouds up some later in the morning, and the forecast was calling for a good chance of showers from 10 am on, so .... Unfortunately, the forecast here is notoriously inaccurate, and I have yet to find an accurate weather radar (so I can't check on approaching storms, etc), so it was still bright and sunny at 10:30 am. Ugh. I couldn't wait longer as our housekeeper comes on Tuesdays, so I had to get out, get back, showered, and eat my lunch before she arrived at 1pm.

So, I tried running on the streets and a long bike path instead of at the track, because there would at least be some shade from walls and buildings. That helped somewhat, but it was still blazing hot (heat index of 85 to 87F). At least there was a breeze!

I managed 4.1 miles, 3.1 of running and one walking in between running intervals, plus another mile+ walking to the place I started and back.

One problem I'm having lately is blisters on my toes. My shoes fit well, or so I thought, but I've gotten two blisters; one on my big toe with thicker socks, and one today on my other foot pinky toe with thin socks. Ugh. I can't afford to change shoes here, and they never caused blisters until just recently, so I am thinking maybe a change of socks might help. I need to find some with NO seams near the outsides of my toes, as that's where they rub.

[Crankin]

Tekko socks. Thin, wool. Search on-line for the best price.Pricey, but worth it. I use them for boot camp, walking/running, and I have others for hiking.

[OakLeaf]

Are you in the USA now?

While your blisters are healing - and potentially for blister prevention until you find a better solution - I'm a huge fan of Band-Aid Advanced Healing Blister (http://www.band-aid.com/products/advanced-protection#anchor14) colloidal pads. I actually bought these for the first time in Spain (where at the time anyway they were called Compeed), so I expect you can find them anywhere J&J products are available. They'll stay on for a couple of days anyway, and they'll not only protect the blister all day, but the cover helps soften the surrounding callus for quicker healing.

Band-Aid Friction Block lubricant stick lasts WAY longer on toes and feet than Body Glide, plus it's also easily available in drug stores next to the bandages, in the US anyway. I usually touch up my most blister-prone areas with a little lube before any longer run, plus extra on any area that's already damaged. You can even, once you get a colloidal bandage sealed down tightly, put some lube over it which will help the bandage stay on longer.


As far as socks, all I run in is wool, year round.

It's kind of a dance between shoe fit and sock fit and I'm honestly still searching for The Perfect Footwear.

My stand-by socks for a long time have been SmartWool PhD Running. Any more they're not the highest quality, unfortunately, but they run a little bigger in the toe box, so provided I'm wearing shoes that are wide enough, they don't cause trouble. If the shoes are just a little too narrow though, they have the potential to bunch. Also, they're more heavily cushioned than many, which is my preference, but might not be yours, especially for warmer weather.

I really like my wool Injinjis - MUCH better constructed than other brands of toe socks I've tried. Probably the only reason they aren't my favorite is that I prefer more cushion than is possible in toe socks. For the time being, you might have trouble wearing them over blister bandages.

I have a couple of pairs of Teko - they chafe my ankles over longer distances, but for shorter distances they're fine, and they are well constructed.

I recently got a couple of pairs of Icebreaker (http://www.icebreaker.com/en/womens-socks/womens-multisport-cushion-micro/101484.html?dwvar_101484_color=601&cts=M65|M66|601). They make these in an ultra-light version also if you prefer less cushion - although the "cushion" version are still very lightweight, comparable to my Injinjis. I really, really like the construction - don't have that many miles on them yet, so I can't speak to the durability, but if I had to guess I would think they'd last a very long time (and looking at the website, I notice that they're guaranteed for life!). The only downside is they run small - order a size up if you're near the top of a size.


Good luck!

[rocknrollgirl]

I have not run since Monday. We had a 30+ degree temp change from Friday to Monday. Friday I ran in 6 inches of snow, Monday it was 55 degrees. Just awful:( bring on the blech.

Emily if you cannot get those blister products in Mexico, you can let me know, I would be happy to buy for you and send them down if that is not too weird.

Keep trudging everyone.

Oh and the local 10k trail race we were planning on doing just raised the "late reg" price to 45 dollars. Times two for both of us. So with reg fees 100 bucks to go run on the trails we run every weekend. Nope, can't do it. Too pricey. Bummer because I was looking forward to it.

[OakLeaf]

Bummer about the race, RnR.

I'm giving myself the day off today. Just decided. My stomach isn't right, I'm pretty beat up from my massage yesterday, one of my Achilles tendons has been nagging, I don't have a lot of time to get it done, it's another hot day, and attempting my intervals today would just set myself up for failure a third Wednesday in a row. So, rest today, intervals tomorrow.

Laying it out that way sounds like good reasons rather than excuses. :rolleyes:

[rocknrollgirl]

Bummer about the race, RnR.

I'm giving myself the day off today. Just decided. My stomach isn't right, I'm pretty beat up from my massage yesterday, one of my Achilles tendons has been nagging, I don't have a lot of time to get it done, it's another hot day, and attempting my intervals today would just set myself up for failure a third Wednesday in a row. So, rest today, intervals tomorrow.

Laying it out that way sounds like good reasons rather than excuses. :rolleyes:

When in doubt, leave it out...or something like that. Smart move, and way to listen to your body.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks everyone for the socks and blister product recommendations! I haven't even had a chance to come back here since I wrote my post above (been a busy week!), but very kind of you all, especially RnRGirl for offering to mail me blister products in Mexico...but chances are I would never get them. I don't trust the mail system down here at all. Fortunately, there are lots of stores with good products, so it's not nearly as much of an issue as when we were in Belize and so many items were just not available in the entire country.

There are all kinds of blister products in the stores and pharmacies here...medical stuff is great here and very much on par with the US, so no worries there. Socks, not so much, but I did find some "diabetic" socks since writing my post. They have the toe seams on the outside, and they work GREAT for running. My blisters were minor enough that spending a few days off between runs (I only run 2x a week as it is), was enough for the blisters to heal without even having to buy any special tapes or band-aids. The only thing about the socks I don't like is that they are higher cut than I prefer, making for strange tan lines in sandals, so I'll be buying more low-cut socks when I get back to the US (May 1). The recommendation for wool is a good one, and I love wool socks anyway. Will look for some that are low-cut and not thick b/c of the heat here.

And yes, we are coming back to Mexico after a few months in the US with our families, so this will be an ongoing issue.

Ran 4 miles (plus 1 of walking) on Thursday, so I'm doing pretty well. Not fast but feeling good. Coupled with yoga 3x a week, a couple of bike rides, and lots of walking, it's all good!

Thanks everyone...you are all the best! :p

[rocknrollgirl]

No worries Emily, glad to help if you need and and glad you have products in Mexico for your blisters.

So remember back the other day when I posted we got priced out of our local trail 10k? Well we had a snow storm yesterday into last night that dumped about 4-5 inches of heavy, wet, slushy snow. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful now that we got priced out. Don't get me wrong, I love snow running, but I am not sure this stuff even qualifies as snow.

Things sometimes happen for a reason:)

[emily_in_nc]

No worries Emily, glad to help if you need and and glad you have products in Mexico for your blisters.

So remember back the other day when I posted we got priced out of our local trail 10k? Well we had a snow storm yesterday into last night that dumped about 4-5 inches of heavy, wet, slushy snow. I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful now that we got priced out. Don't get me wrong, I love snow running, but I am not sure this stuff even qualifies as snow.

Things sometimes happen for a reason:)

Yes they do! Sounds like things worked out for the best after all.

Crankin, I found the Teko socks you recommended on Amazon and have put a couple of pairs on my wish list. They look great, and the company sounds very eco-conscious, which I love. Love too that they don't have toe seams since that's an area that has been causing me problems. Will definitely be ordering a couple pair to try. We always have a lot of amazon stuff waiting for us when we descend on my mother in NC. That will be happening on May 1!

[Crankin]

Well, I have been very happy with the Teko socks. I wear the really light and low cut ones for the gym and when I was running outside. I bought a couple of pairs of slightly heavier ones, to wear running in the cold weather, but I found they weren't really warm enough for the real cold and I ended up wearing my x country ski socks, that are thin, but high up. They did work for the fall, though. My feet are extremely sensitive to even a hint of thickness in socks; they feel like they are being squeezed. I can't really wear any cycling socks except super thin wool ones, now.

[OakLeaf]

Emily, I hope the Teko socks work for you, but I'm a little confused by what you said about the seams. All my socks (other than toe socks), including my Tekos, have the same seam arrangement - a straight seam across the backs of the toes, and "darts" on the sides. Which ones are causing you trouble?

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, I hope the Teko socks work for you, but I'm a little confused by what you said about the seams. All my socks (other than toe socks), including my Tekos, have the same seam arrangement - a straight seam across the backs of the toes, and "darts" on the sides. Which ones are causing you trouble?


Emily, I hope the Teko socks work for you, but I'm a little confused by what you said about the seams. All my socks (other than toe socks), including my Tekos, have the same seam arrangement - a straight seam across the backs of the toes, and "darts" on the sides. Which ones are causing you trouble?

All of my socks (New Balance, Smartwick and Peds) seem to be irritating either the side of my big toe or side of my pinky toe because we walk SO much here, being car-free, in addition to my runs. The problems occur where the inside seams hit the sides of my toe. Tekos claim to have seamless toes (http://tekoforlife.com/pages/teko-faqs). This would be a big plus for me as well as their EVAPOR8 blend (from recycled poly!) for the hot/humid climate I'm in here.

I'm confused, though, since you say you have Tekos and they have toe seams. Maybe we're talking and thinking about two different things??

[OakLeaf]

Maybe we're talking and thinking about two different things??

Definitely possible. When I see a place where two ends of fabric are joined I call it a seam, but maybe if it's knitted together it's actually called something else. I won't have a chance to post pictures until this evening.

[emily_in_nc]

Definitely possible. When I see a place where two ends of fabric are joined I call it a seam, but maybe if it's knitted together it's actually called something else. I won't have a chance to post pictures until this evening.

Yes, I'm wondering if the fact that the "seam" appears to be knitted and flat rather than sewn from pieces of material forming a bulky "inside" seam is the difference. The socks I have that bother me most, my New Balance, have a bulky seam that hits the side of my toe when I walk/run and eventually starts rubbing and causes a blister to form if I keep going. The "diabetic" socks I bought have a bulky seam on the outside, so no rubbing of my toes. I guess I could just turn the offending socks inside out! :D

[OakLeaf]

Ah, when I turn my socks inside out I see what you mean. It's not one of my trouble spots, so I'd never noticed before. The toe construction of the Icebreaker socks is similar to the Tekos and those would probably work for you too. SmartWool probably would not.

You might just try a pair of Injinjis and see if you like toe socks. There's really a lot I like about them, but I prefer more cushion, which isn't possible with toe socks.

ETA - I just remembered I have two pairs of Coolmax Injinjis that someone bought me a few years back, that are too small for me and I never got around to exchanging. They're size small, US women's 6-8.5 or Euro 37-39.5, one pair white micro height original weight, one pair grey no show lightweight, new in packages, if you want either or both they're yours, just PM me with an address.



Monday will be three weeks out. Today, anyway, I'm feeling strong. Turned over 200 miles for March on my way back from yoga this morning and there's still three more running days in the month (tomorrow's my day off - bike to farmers market, buy cookies, eat cookies :D). Feeling relaxed and rested at the end of a 54-mile week ... new territory for me! I've struggled with the heat this late spring, every workout "fail" has been due to a sudden rise in temperature, but I feel really good about the workouts I've done in more moderate temps, so here's hoping that the snow melts in Boston before race day but the temperature stays below 70 and hopefully closer to 50!


I just have to give a plug to aerial yoga in this thread. My studio only started offering aerial after my injury, and it wasn't until this winter that I felt like my shoulders were stable enough to try it, but now, it is such an incredibly wonderfully great complement to running! Even if all you do is hang upside down in the sling, it's gentle oscillating traction to counteract the compressing impacts of running. Every Sunday for most of the winter my routine has been bike to the studio and park there, do one of my two hardest running workouts of the week, aerial class, bike home - and it's been just amazing. I'm getting a kite of my own so I can hang whenever I want, and get the upper body pulling work as well. Basically anything you can do with a TRX you can do with a kite, though it's less adjustable for length - plus all the ways you can use it for support and inversion. I just love it!

[Crankin]

Oak, I think most of the snow will be gone. Although, we are getting snow showers tomorrow, I see lots of 50s and even 60 forecasted over the next week. The rain yesterday/last night got rid of a bunch of snow, although the fields and meadows still are covered. I saw on the news today they are heating/melting the snow in Hopkinton. Can't guarantee it will be below 70, but history is on your side.
You hang upside down?

[OakLeaf]

You hang upside down?

It's amazing. Some of the moves are a little scary the first time, but you're super secure in the kite. http://www.yogabody.com/yoga-trapeze/ There's a lot more we do with them besides just hanging, but that's my favorite part.

[emily_in_nc]

I love the idea of aerial yoga! It's not offered here in any of the yoga studios that I am aware of, but I just have a feeling it would feel so good after all the walking I do, plus a little running and several yoga practices per week. My lower back is almost always slightly sore and hanging upside down just sounds like it would feel great.

Oak, your mileage is amazing. I just can't imagine. Wow! That's so nice of you about the toe socks, and I would love to try them! I'll send you a PM with my mother's address. I'll be there May 1. And I hope you'll let me Paypal you a little $ for them.

I am excited as I just found out about a 5K here in Playa to benefit the children's autism organization. It's on April 26, my last Sunday here, and I thought it would be a great way to end our six month stint here in Mexico. It starts and ends at the track where I run anyway, so it'll be easy for me to get to *. The documentation for it is all in Spanish, so it's obviously aimed at locals, but that's okay. I do hope to sign up and go for it. Just knowing I am going to do it will help me continue to train through what I've been assured will be a very hot month of April here!

[Crankin]

I do think that the hanging part might help my back, but I know I couldn't ever do it. I'd be frozen with fear and dizzy :eek:.
One of my high school aged clients does circus stuff as an activity. She's really good at it and unafraid. I think it really helps deal with trauma, but I am someone who cannot even look over the edge of a narrow trail without feeling dizzy. Hence, the end of my mountain biking career!

[OakLeaf]

I am someone who cannot even look over the edge of a narrow trail without feeling dizzy.

See, me either! But for me, my phobia of falling is very dependent on whether my body feels supported vs capable of falling. So yeah, the one thing that they do in the kite class, that I haven't been able to bring myself to do yet, is the inverted Mountain where you unwind your legs. Even though they don't stay in it long and it's just a preliminary to flipping out of the kite - which I can do fine with hips bent, once I got my head around the idea - I'm terrified when I start losing the pressure of the sling on my butt. But cradled in it, I feel fine.

[OakLeaf]

So the good news is I had an absolutely fabulous workout yesterday. The weather was perfect, race pace felt relaxed, and I'm not even sore today.

The bad news is I did something to my foot. It's not a stress fracture. Not not not not not. Not. Not.

Trying to stay off it today though there's a whole lot of non-running stuff I need to get done that can't be postponed.

Someone send me some healing vibes ...

[Crankin]

Healing vibes sent!

[rocknrollgirl]

So the good news is I had an absolutely fabulous workout yesterday. The weather was perfect, race pace felt relaxed, and I'm not even sore today.

The bad news is I did something to my foot. It's not a stress fracture. Not not not not not. Not. Not.

Trying to stay off it today though there's a whole lot of non-running stuff I need to get done that can't be postponed.

Someone send me some healing vibes ...

Oh no!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sending right now. So sorry. Any better today?

[OakLeaf]

Thanks guys ... touch wood it's working!

I had my regular massage appointment today and let him take a look at it. He didn't think it's broken, did find some tendon stuff going on, released a bunch of muscles in the foot and the anterior compartment of the shin, and it's right away WAY better on weightbearing. I didn't run yesterday or today and he thinks I should take tomorrow off too, though if I get the time I'll drive up and do some pool running. I don't want to be stupid, I'm very much aware that a little undertrained is way better than a lot injured, but I just don't want to lose too much fitness ...

[emily_in_nc]

Glad it's feeling better oak, but I hardly think a few days off will cost you much, if anything, from your fitness. In fact, when I was cycling nearly every day, I often did better after an enforced several-day layoff. More healing vibes coming from Mexico!

I got myself registered for the 5K run here, which was a bit of a challenge with the language barrier. First I had to go to a shop and pay and get a slip with a number on it. Then I had to officially register via a Spanish website and enter the number on the sheet, plus lots of other information. Somehow I missed that there was a box to check "5K" or "10K" and got myself registered for the 10K...noooooo! I emailed the organizer, and she said that it was fine, no one would force me to run the 10K, but I sure wish I hadn't screwed that up. I guess the default was 10K, since I didn't select either, and I think it should have been the other way around, but, hey, this is Mexico! :D

So hopefully no injuries prevent me from doing the run -- it's on April 26th. I'm excited but a bit nervous too!

[OakLeaf]

Good luck with the race Emily! That sounds exciting.

My foot is feeling good enough that I decided to try the workout I was supposed to have done Wednesday. I've mostly been able to keep up my mileage with easy running and a bit of deep water running, but I skipped two hard workouts. This was the last scheduled workout in my training plan, nothing but easy running and a few strides from now until race day, and I figured it was okay to try it today since my coach had me do my last hard workout 10 days out last year. It went fine - not overly challenging, foot isn't perfect but it didn't seem to aggravate it, yay. I drove up to run it on the MUP since the roads around here are nothing but mud. (Honestly I think running on a surface that soft actually did my foot some good, although it felt pretty weird - let all the bones move around and get themselves realigned.) While I was out the weather was in the process of turning, a stiff wind blew out the rain we've had for days and it turned into a really nice day.

Getting excited ... Hope everyone's getting some good running weather!

[Crankin]

Phew, sounds like the foot is going to be OK. PM me, about plans after the race...

[emily_in_nc]

Had two good runs last week -- a 5K tempo run (a PR!) and a 5.4 mile birthday run/walk for my 54th. 4.4 of that was running and a mile of walking.

I have a question for Oak and other runners out there about what you'd recommend for the week before my event. It's only a 5K so not nearly as big a deal as a 1/2 or full marathon, but I still want to make sure I don't screw up. I normally do one tempo 5K run and one longer run interspersed with short walking intervals per week. These runs are done on Tues/Thurs, and the other days I do either yoga, cycling, or long walks. The event I'm doing is on a Sunday. Should I just do my usual runs on Tues/Thurs. that week or do less running leading into the event? Since it's a short distance, I'm assuming sticking with my normal schedule is okay since I'd still have two days off from running prior to the event.

Thanks for any advice! :-)

[OakLeaf]

Yep, you should be fine with your regular schedule. It's not so much the race distance per se, but what you've been doing in training and how long you need to be fully recovered from that - so think about how long it takes you to feel COMPLETELY fresh after your workouts. You might do your tempo run on Tuesday, as the tougher workout, and don't make your Thursday long run too long. Do something not too strenuous to stay loose in the days before the race.

To me, a 5K is short enough that I benefit from a thorough warm-up, but long enough that I also benefit from some quick calories 15-20 minutes before the start - whatever you know you can digest, whether it's fruit juice, sports drink, a gel, candy, whatever.

And cut it out with the "not a big deal" will ya? Remember how many questions I had about my first 5K, and how it took longer for me to write the race report than it did to run the thing? :p That was a huge deal to me, and this one can be as big a deal to you as you want! Good luck! I want to hear all about it.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks Oak!

Excellent advice. I've been doing well on either a banana or granola bar prior to my runs (plus a small cup of coffee), so I will stick with that same "diet" for the 5K. It's earlier in the morning than I usually run (7 am, and I usually start no earlier than 7:45), so I'll need to get up about an hour earlier, but it's not a huge change in my schedule.

I'm excited and will definitely report back! This is actually my second "official" 5K. The first was in Belize in 2012, and heck if I can remember what I did leading up to it. :D