Winter Running Thread

[rocknrollgirl]

Time to switch seasons, even though mother nature does not agree. She is stuck in spring mode around here!

I got in some great runs last week, but was just too busy/lazy to post. We did 9 on the trail yesterday. My legs were tired from our run on Friday night, but I still managed to chug along. I was trying to just get into a comfortable pace and hold it. Last w/e I did my long run too fast and although it felt really good, I know it is not what I should be doing. So I just pulled it back a tiny bit so as not too push, and let the trail be the workout.

[rocknrollgirl]

So far this week we got in an easy 4 miler on Tuesday and 6 yesterday morning. It is ridiculously warm here. I ran in my lightest summer running top yesterday and shorts. It was 65 at 6:30 am and 100% humidity. Blech. I am sure the trails will be a swampy mess tomorrow. We are going to have to chat a bit and figure out what to do. It will be messy if we stay local. We have had so much rain the past few days. If we drive a bit further afield, the trails will drain better. Decisions.

[emily_in_nc]

That sounds pretty messy, RnR. The east coast weather has been amazing.

I did 3.25 miles yesterday in 78-80 degrees with close to 100% humidity, so I do feel your pain. It was miserable. Last year this time, even down here in Mexico, it was a bit cooler. We are also above normal. It was a hard effort yesterday, and I was slow -- now I know why: woke up with a sore throat in the middle of the night, so it appears I have a cold coming on. SIGH. Merry Christmas to me. NOT! :( Knowing my usual pattern of colds that finish up with a lingering bad cough, I probably won't be running for awhile or doing much of anything. Double SIGH. :(

/pityparty

[Crankin]

Hope you feel better, Emily.
This warm, humid weather is playing with my allergies, so I get it.

[rocknrollgirl]

Hope you feel better, Emily.
This warm, humid weather is playing with my allergies, so I get it.

Me too. allergies have been terrible lately because of the weather. We have decided to travel to run tomorrow to get better conditions. I will report back.

Registered for my big spring trail race today. We know we are racing, time to bite the registration bullet and sign up.

Em, I hope you feel better:(

[rocknrollgirl]

We drove about 45 mins north yesterday to trail run. There were some muddy patches on the trails but nothing like we would have had if we stayed local. We did about 8.5 miles. I felt pretty good. My one hamstring was tight by the end of it, but that happens sometimes from running uphill. I will try and be nice to it today. I have acupuncture tomorrow so I will have them needle it up for me, that will help loosen it up some too.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the commiseration, friends. I am congested and while I seem to be coming out of the worst of the malaise stage, I am just now starting to cough. This is almost always the most prolonged stage of a cold for me and the one I dread most. I hope this time it won't go on and on and on. I'm taking decongestants, which help some, and drinking lots of hot tea, but aside from walking, not doing anything physical. This has really been a bad year for colds for me -- this is my fourth! I usually don't get sick so often, but I think being around tourists from all over makes them more likely. I had a lot more than usual when we lived in Belize too.

So far DH hasn't caught it, and I am crossing fingers on that. He is a really terrible patient!

[Crankin]

Do you have allergies, Emily? I was sick all of the time when I lived in south Florida. The humidity and heat put my whole immune system on overdrive. Wondering if this is a sign if maybe you'd do better in a different retirement haven!

[ny biker]

I had three colds this year, the most I've had ages, and all three came immediately after traveling. Hotels, airplanes, big tourist attractions -- they're all prime places to be exposed to viruses. The last one was no surprise since my brother started the trip with it. Fortunately I now always bring Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges with me whenever I go anywhere so I can start taking it as soon as the scratchy throat starts.

I hope this cold passes quickly and you're back on your feet soon, Emily.

[rocknrollgirl]

No energy today. We did an easy 5 this morning as a recovery run, but I had zero energy. Not sure if it is because I did not eat enough yesterday or it is just an off day. Hubs is tired too, so it might just be a bit of cumulative fatigue, or old age, or both:)

[emily_in_nc]

Do you have allergies, Emily? I was sick all of the time when I lived in south Florida. The humidity and heat put my whole immune system on overdrive. Wondering if this is a sign if maybe you'd do better in a different retirement haven!

Yes I do, but I don't have much hay fever. I'm mostly allergic to cats and a couple of other indoor things, like dust. I really don't think this cold is related to allergies as I haven't had any allergy problems whatsoever here -- haven't even had to use my asthma inhaler until just now with this cold. I just seem to catch every cold going around, and I really think it's because there are so many people here from all over the world carrying variations of virii I have not yet been exposed to.

I grew up in hot/humid NC (late spring through early fall at least), and only got a handful of colds in the last ten years I lived there, so I really don't think it's the weather in my case.

This summer we spent a lot of time at my mom's (two cats) and in a VERY dusty, catty environment in Ohio while cleaning out my IL's house, and I caught two colds during that time. Those two may very well have had something to do with the allergies screwing with my immune system. In both cases we didn't have hot weather (though it was humid).

[emily_in_nc]

I had three colds this year, the most I've had ages, and all three came immediately after traveling. Hotels, airplanes, big tourist attractions -- they're all prime places to be exposed to viruses. The last one was no surprise since my brother started the trip with it. Fortunately I now always bring Cold-Eeze zinc lozenges with me whenever I go anywhere so I can start taking it as soon as the scratchy throat starts.

I hope this cold passes quickly and you're back on your feet soon, Emily.

Thanks! I wish I'd thought to bring zinc lozenges. Have not seen them here at all -- and I have looked. But Mexicans LOVE their Hall's. They sell them everywhere, like candy. I picked up a few packs today to supplement my liquid cough syrup and decongestant pills, plus my asthma inhaler. This too shall pass...I just hate missing out on workouts!

[ny biker]

I love Hall's. They work great on cold and allergy congestion.

I know how you feel about missing workouts. But yes it will pass!

[rocknrollgirl]

Today we drove about an hour north to get some bigger hills in. Did 8.5 at a park where we mountain bike. Run went well. My glutes and hammies are tired from training the past week, but other than that...chuggin' along.

Em,
Hope the cold is passing and you can get back out there.

[emily_in_nc]

Today we drove about an hour north to get some bigger hills in. Did 8.5 at a park where we mountain bike. Run went well. My glutes and hammies are tired from training the past week, but other than that...chuggin' along.

Em,
Hope the cold is passing and you can get back out there.

Thanks! Feeling much, much better -- very close to normal. Took a nice walk this morning on my usual running route and took photos instead of attempting to run yet, but I'll be back at 'er soon. Just want to make sure my lungs are totally clear. Since I have asthma, that's always the last thing to fully recover after a cold, but I'm pleased that I've coughed a lot less with this cold than with the others I had earlier this year.

Sounds like a very challenging run you did -- good job! I can only dream of a run like that. Maybe one day, if I can just stay healthy and uninjured for long enough to build up the miles.

[rocknrollgirl]

Got in an easy 5 miler on the trails yesterday. We ran with a friend that is going through a terrible divorce, so it is running therapy for him. It gives him a chance to talk it out, and we just run with and offer support.

[rocknrollgirl]

So this week, back to school and back to regular routine. We skipped our Tuesday run because my right calf had a sore spot. It was worth the extra day off, because it sorted it self out. Did an easy 5 miler Thursday and 9 on the trails yesterday. We really focused on trying to just keep it light and easy yesterday. My husband ran probably 3/4 of the time with me and we just chatted, so that was nice.

A few stiff spots this morning but I did a 30 min spin on the trainer and lifted and everything feels ok now.

[OakLeaf]

So, I'm five weeks into my training for Boston, doing basically the same training plan as last year, a modified Jack Daniels 2Q plan. It started off pretty rough, with extreme heat and humidity, to the point where I had to bail on three of the first five workouts - since I'd ended up with the EMTs after a 10K the first weekend in December and knew they weren't going to be waiting for me on a training run! But, it's cooled off considerably and things are picking back up. I'm signed up for a local HM this Sunday - doesn't exactly fit into my training plan, but it doesn't exactly *not,* either ;) . It's a new event and they've got 1200 people signed up! Just two days ago I was feeling pretty iffy about it, but the soreness from the mile repeats has finally gone down, my intervals today went well, and I'm looking forward to the run.

RnR, I don't know if I'd drive an entire hour to find hills, but I'm already sick of bridge repeats. :p

[ny biker]

Well I don't run, but I'll drive an hour to ride my bike in a nice area or if I need different terrain for training purposes. It helps if the place you're driving to is scenic in some way.

[Crankin]

Glad you are doing Boston again, Oak. Hope the weather stays cooler. Training and heat=bad things!

[rocknrollgirl]

We have to drive an hour to do anything except go the beach, which we do not do at all. The closest place to mt bike is 45 mins away, so we really do not think much of it. Our local park is nice to run in the winter, and even though it is hilly, it just does not give us enough to prep for a race in the mountains. Even small mountains! Flatlanders.

Oak, glad you are surviving your training so far. Sorry about the heat issues. I believe "blech" is the official term for that.

[rocknrollgirl]

Yesterday's run was some light speed work. I am trying to make sure we keep some on our schedule so that we do not fall into a pattern of trudging every run.
It actually felt really good to do. We kept the pick up's short enough to do the job but not cause too much soreness. Tomorrow we have our long trail run scheduled and they are calling for an inch of rain tonight. Could make for some smushy sections on the trails.

[rocknrollgirl]

Ouch, the word of the week is ouch.

Yesterday's trail run, just under 10 miles. My legs were tired from the week, and about an hour in they started to hate me. The last 2 miles was tough. I tried to just separate mind and body and keep putting one foot in front of the other. I was pretty pooped after and my hammies were very pooped.

Today we did an easy 90 min recovery ride on our mt bikes. I was reluctant to go, but it did help get some blood flowing to sore tight muscles. Now I am tired:)

[Catrin]

Ouch, the word of the week is ouch.

Yesterday's trail run, just under 10 miles. My legs were tired from the week, and about an hour in they started to hate me. The last 2 miles was tough. I tried to just separate mind and body and keep putting one foot in front of the other. I was pretty pooped after and my hammies were very pooped.

Today we did an easy 90 min recovery ride on our mt bikes. I was reluctant to go, but it did help get some blood flowing to sore tight muscles. Now I am tired:)

Sounds painful and fun all at the same time, a great combination! Are the hammies feeling better?

[OakLeaf]

I'll second the ouch :)

Ran that HM this morning. They had to delay the start for two hours because of a bad storm and tornado warnings - it had already blown through by the scheduled start time, but they couldn't do any of the setup until then. It was the same storm that resulted in the Naples HM being cancelled entirely because of all the power lines that were down. It was still pretty windy - steady 28 mph gusting to 39 - and the geography of the area meant that most of the race we were running either straight upwind or straight down. The upwind segments were brutal, but thankfully we had a tailwind for the final almost three miles. I took second in my age group, my first AG placing in anything longer than a 10K, so I'm happy, especially considering I wasn't at all fresh for this one.

It's early in my training plan to be running a HM, but considering my plan called for an easy 12 miles today, and because of that geography, I pretty much would've had to cover at least some of the same roads as the race, I wasn't going to skip this one. We'll see how sore I am for Wednesday's workout ....

[rocknrollgirl]

Sounds painful and fun all at the same time, a great combination! Are the hammies feeling better?

They are feeling better. Believe it or not, I took a hot bath. I am not a bath person normally, but we did a bathroom reno this summer and my hubs put in a cast iron clawfoot tub. And now I am becoming a bath person. It really helped my legs today.

I think the sore hammies are coming from weak glutes. So I am working on them.

Oak,
Great job. The conditions sound brutal. So pumped for your age group place! That is so cool!

[Crankin]

Hope the soreness gets better, rocknroll. Sometimes a bath really does help.
Oak, that sounds really brutal. Wind just sucks the life out of me for any sport! Congrats on your age group place.

[rocknrollgirl]

Yesterday was pretty cold and windy here, so we opted to run the trails instead of the rail trail which can get to be a wind tunnel. We had a few inches of snow on Saturday so everything looked really pretty. Got in a nice hour on the trails before the sun went down.

[OakLeaf]

I feel for all of you snowed in. Here's someone who's learned to love the treadmill: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw8zRusBE48

Not to rub it in, but we had a perfect day for running here. High 40s, sunshine, not too much wind, chilly enough to keep most everyone but runners off the streets. Saw a bald eagle as I was warming up - they're common enough here, but it's still a treat every time I see one.

I'm starting week 7 of my training plan - like last year, I started with less of a base than I wanted, so I started with the <40 mpw training plan and am still building mileage, now transitioning to the 41-55 mpw plan. So, I kind of split the difference between the workouts that were prescribed for each plan, and wound up with two marathon pace segments of 6 and 4 miles, with an easy mile between - plus warm-up and cool-down, for a total of 14. Feeling good about where I am so far. Really making progress with the new chiropractor and my favorite LMT - besides chipping away at the discomfort from the injuries, my biomechanics are also improving where we're stripping away decades of imbalances and adhesions. Little by little.

[rocknrollgirl]

I got out with nano spikes on yesterday. Not for long, only 5 miles but it was a drop down week for our long run anyway. It was nice, sunny, about 21 degrees, very pretty. I am hoping most of the snow will melt or compress enough to be back in the woods by next weekend. Until then we will be on the road.

Oak, sounds like you are making great progress. Keep up the great training!

[emily_in_nc]

I finally got out for my first run in three weeks. Just too crazy busy moving from Mexico back to the US, buying a motorhome, and getting settled in. And some bad weather as well. Today was gorgeous. I started back slowly since it had been awhile, and I don't want to injure myself, though my right Achilles finally feels 100% again. 3.25 miles, about 1 mile of which was walking off and on. A wonderful 59 degrees with sunshine! Ran all over the campground, mildly rolling. Without my knowledge, DH too this photo out one of our windows as I ran by our coach, and the pond right across from our site. Such a beautiful place to run!

17947

[rocknrollgirl]

I finally got out for my first run in three weeks. Just too crazy busy moving from Mexico back to the US, buying a motorhome, and getting settled in. And some bad weather as well. Today was gorgeous. I started back slowly since it had been awhile, and I don't want to injure myself, though my right Achilles finally feels 100% again. 3.25 miles, about 1 mile of which was walking off and on. A wonderful 59 degrees with sunshine! Ran all over the campground, mildly rolling. Without my knowledge, DH too this photo out one of our windows as I ran by our coach, and the pond right across from our site. Such a beautiful place to run!

17947


Emily,
was the motor home a plan? I thought you were in Mexico through the winter? Nice picture. Glad you are back running

[emily_in_nc]

Emily,
was the motor home a plan? I thought you were in Mexico through the winter? Nice picture. Glad you are back running

It was something we'd talked about and research for years. We got totally fed up with the constant noise level (mostly construction, but also motorcycles and pounding electronic music off and on) in our neighborhood in Playa del Carmen and decided to cut our losses and return to the US early. Then we were faced with a choice since we'd sold our Honda in July: buy another car and continue renting VRBOs/Airbnbs -- or finally bite the bullet and buy a motorhome. After much discussion and soul-searching, we went with the latter. We missed having our own "home", sleeping in our own bed, and finding appropriate pet friendly places to rent in our budget was always a challenge. So, we're trying this. So far so good, and if we have noisy neighbors or neighborhood, we're mobile! :D

[rocknrollgirl]

It was something we'd talked about and research for years. We got totally fed up with the constant noise level (mostly construction, but also motorcycles and pounding electronic music off and on) in our neighborhood in Playa del Carmen and decided to cut our losses and return to the US early. Then we were faced with a choice since we'd sold our Honda in July: buy another car and continue renting VRBOs/Airbnbs -- or finally bite the bullet and buy a motorhome. After much discussion and soul-searching, we went with the latter. We missed having our own "home", sleeping in our own bed, and finding appropriate pet friendly places to rent in our budget was always a challenge. So, we're trying this. So far so good, and if we have noisy neighbors or neighborhood, we're mobile! :D

We had talked about doing the 5th wheel thing when we retire, but we are now leaning towards relocate and downsize. We have to get out of NJ, the taxes will kill us when we retire. Plus I want to be in the mtns. I am tired of traveling to do what I love.

[emily_in_nc]

Relocating and downsizing is a great option too, RnR! We kinda did that for awhile (Belize!) but discovered that we still have a lot of wanderlust and want to travel frequently without having to worry about security at a house we've left behind. So for now, this is a great solution. I imagine that at some point we'll find a place we want to settle down and will do so, but we aren't there yet.

[OakLeaf]

Nice, Emily! Glad the Achilles is feeling better.

Trying to drag myself out into the rain. Blech.

[OakLeaf]

Interval day today. Ugh.

There's another HM on Sunday ... it fits into my training plan a lot better than the last one did ... it's an easy way to get my tempo run done. Then again, it's early in the morning which is really not my thing, it's expensive, it's a bit of a drive. So I'm on the fence. Online registration closes tomorrow, so I guess I'll see how my legs feel. It won't sell out and there's race-morning registration, so theoretically I could just show up Sunday morning and run, but I think if I'm going to do it I'd better commit to it ahead of time. :p Hmmmmmmm.

[Pax]

Oak - what is an HM? (which, in my head, is pronounced hmmmm) :D

[Catrin]

Half Marathon?

Or, let's see, Hockey Marathon? Hiking Mama-challenge...? I'm a bit challenged where the M is concerned :p

[Pax]

Half Marathon?

Or, let's see, Hockey Marathon? Hiking Mama-challenge...? I'm a bit challenged where the M is concerned :p

High Mileage? Hilly Mile?

[Catrin]

Hilly Mamba?

[Pax]

Hey Mambo, mambo Italiano!

[OakLeaf]

Hellish Morning, if it involves getting up at 4 a.m., as this one would.

Yep, half marathon. :)

[Pax]

I'd have to agree with hellish morning. No one is forcing you to do it... and you do it anyway, madness! :D

[rocknrollgirl]

Hi All,
Have not posted much the last 2 weeks or snow. The snow forced us off the trails and onto the roads which for us was very unpleasant and the unpleasantness ended with me with a mild hamstring strain. That was a week ago. We have a new Sports Med Health Care place right down the road, the do chiro and PT and acupuncture and all that all in one place.Got in right away to see them.

My new PT Mark, says he feels like it is all stemming from.....wait for it....wait for it.... A weak left glute med. WHY IS IT ALWAYS MEDIAL GLUTE???? WHY?

So we started my PT Wed, I am back there today. He seems great. I did get to do a few slow miles yesterday. It felt ok. Tiny pinch up high hamstring/ glute at the end. And onward we trudge. 12 weeks till my race. Come on hamstring!

So as a side note, one of the things he made me do was stand on one foot on a balance pad. Two min intervals. Holy cowzer was that hard. Worked every stabilizer in my whole leg. Even for a yoga chick. I think I am gonna get one of those.

[OakLeaf]

Ow, heal up quick. Glad you've been able to get into PT right away though.

I used to love the balance mat when I was a gym rat. Haven't been on one since ... not a bad idea, even, as you say, for a yoga chick. We've been doing a fair amount of eyes-closed balance work in yoga, working on the proprioceptors, but the raw work of an unstable surface is something else again!

[Catrin]

Yowie! Heal soon! I've a balance pad in my home KB gym that I use for both balance work and cushioning my knee if I MUST kneel briefly. Also good for supporting my neck for certain floor core and flexibility exercises. It's well worth the cost of a good one, got mine from Perform Better on sale.

[OakLeaf]

If you don't follow the Daily Bandha (which doesn't post anything close to daily) - it's a really amazingly detailed site explaining fascial connections and alignment cues in yoga and beyond. Here's one of their posts on the gluteus medius, with links to more.

http://www.dailybandha.com/2014/06/the-gluteus-medius-muscle-in-yoga.html


Funny thing though - I actually went to the site looking for side plank (full expression), which is where I feel the GM more than any other pose, and they don't even mention it. Which probably means I feel it there because it's weak on me too, and my hips are probably tilting in the standing poses more than I realize, sigh, it stinks not having a good yoga teacher any more. Definitely saw some hip tilt in the photos from that last race, been working a lot of one-legged bridge too. Probably should add some hip hikes. Which brings back annoying memories of trying to teach hip hikes in the gym and having half of the participants for whatever reason completely ignore my instruction and doing side-facing step-ups instead. Which would've been semi-okay if they'd kept their hips level, but nooooooo. Sigh.

[rocknrollgirl]

Holy Smokes...The new PT ( Mark), takes no prisoners. He says that I will have THE most stable pelvis at my race on May 1st. I wonder if they give an award for that, like Miss Congeniality? He is not screwing around.

Oh and a female PT KT taped my glute...like that was not awkward.

[Crankin]

That made me laugh!

[Pax]

I've always wondered how they tape guys, for the men in my family that would be like trying to stick tape to carpet.

[rocknrollgirl]

I've always wondered how they tape guys, for the men in my family that would be like trying to stick tape to carpet.

We are big on KT tape in our house. I a actually pretty good at it for a nonprofessional. Not quite good enough to tape my own backside...

Now men. I tape my hubs all the time. Mostly shoulder, rotator cuff. If I were going to tape a leg, he would have to shave it. Otherwise, here comes his first "wax" !!!!

[OakLeaf]

Ha. :D Funny how the thought of having a female PT tape my bare azz, does seem so much more awkward than my male MTs digging around in my obturators and iliacus through a sheet, or the chiropractor doing it through tights. :cool:

I like StrengthTape for my feet, ankles and legs, SpiderTech Gentle for the delicate skin on the anterior shoulders, KinesioTex Gold for the posterior shoulders. Got a whole stable in my medicine cabinet.

Taping hairy parts ... unlike white athletic tape (which men definitely shave before applying), I don't think the adhesive on kinesiology tape is strong enough to pull hair off? I make sure my legs are freshly shaved before I tape, just for better adhesion, and I think I'd do the same taping a hairy man's shoulders. But seven to nine days (which is how long StrengthTape typically lasts) is plenty of time for hair to grow up underneath the tape on my legs, and it doesn't yank it off.

RnR, hooray for aggressive, goal-oriented rehab plans and the most stable pelvis in your race!!

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck with all that, RnR. I can't even imagine how a glute would be taped. I don't know much about taping, obviously! Not sure I want to know. ;-)

[rocknrollgirl]

RnR, hooray for aggressive, goal-oriented rehab plans and the most stable pelvis in your race!!




Oak I am glad to hear you say that. I was worried that he was pushing me pretty hard, but they all keep commenting that I am pretty strong and need to be pushed a bit. He is doing stuff I recognize from when I had PT years ago for and IT band issue like monsters and clam shell, but I have been cheating when I was doing those exercises at home and his form corrections are kicking my butt, literally. My glutes are sore today. The only thing that is really new, new is that stability pad.

So I did get to run today. They told me I could if I halved my distance, no hills and no sprints. So our rail trail is pretty clear of snow and I went and did a very easy 5 milers this morning. Aside from my glutes being sore I felt pretty good. The PT said I should do the clam shells and monsters at home, but I am so sore today. Maybe I will do them later and just cut my sets down.

I started to get a little freaked out about lost trail time until my husband reminded me that if you are an East Coaster...everyone's trails are snowed in. That did make me feel better. If we lived someplace that we could cross country ski, or ski mo I would just switch to that, but our trails just get crappy. Deep frozen foot prints. Very tough to run on. Not too many people with snow shoes around here to pack the trails dowm

[OakLeaf]

Glad you've been able to run a little. Sounds like miserable conditions out there, and more coming in tomorrow.

Got any tips for doing the clamshells? I've always wondered about the hip and knee angles, but my PT never corrected me. I know how much difference that kind of stuff makes - like how the figure 4 stretch is so much deeper when the contralateral knee is at 90° -

So I dragged myself out of bed and ran that half this morning. Ironic thing, half the reason I signed up is because DH and his cousin had made a noon lunch date, so I knew whatever I did I'd have to get it done early-ish, but cousin had to cancel after I'd already signed up for the race. Anyway, conditions were pretty good, 45° and overcast, very little rain, there was wind but it was mostly a crosswind, the only negative about the weather was the unavoidable puddles, so my feet got wet right away. Another 2d place in AG, which I really was not expecting, the fast gals had come out for this race in the past, but not so many of them today. :cool:

I still cannot understand drinking beer at 9 a.m. when you're going into hypothermia ... but there were plenty of people taking the free beer on offer after the finish ...

[Crankin]

Good job, Oak. Yeah, beer at 45 degrees and rainy, after running 13 miles does not seem like a recipe for recovery. A few years ago when I was running in the early spring, it seemed I only ran on days I wouldn't ride, as in 45 degrees and rainy.

[Pax]

Way to go, Oak!!

Beer makes you not care that it's 45 and crappy. :p

[rocknrollgirl]

Glad you've been able to run a little. Sounds like miserable conditions out there, and more coming in tomorrow.

Got any tips for doing the clamshells? I've always wondered about the hip and knee angles, but my PT never corrected me. I know how much difference that kind of stuff makes - like how the figure 4 stretch is so much deeper when the contralateral knee is at 90° -



I still cannot understand drinking beer at 9 a.m. when you're going into hypothermia ... but there were plenty of people taking the free beer on offer after the finish ...

I do not get the beer at 9am thing either. Actually not even after a race. Blech.

So clamshells. I always did them propped up on my elbow with my knees folded 90 degrees to my hips and my feet 90 degrees to my knees. He has me do them lying all the way down on my side. Head on my outstretched arm and leaning in. Not holding on to anything. Knees at more like a 120 degree angle, feet more forward and heels flexed hard. Made a big difference.

Same with the monster walks. Slight change in form and ouchy.

[OakLeaf]

Thanks. I'll try them.

[emily_in_nc]

Great job, Oak! I could not have run in that cold.

I did a 3-mile run today in sunshine and wind, temp around 58-61. Quite nice! Trying to work back to where a 5K distance is easier again; I've been so erratic in my running lately that it's still a bit of a struggle.

[OakLeaf]

Nice, Emily!


Really, what we had yesterday was the kind of weather that it's tough to motivate for a training run, but near perfect for a hard effort once you're out there. Probably a good thing I ran the race on that level, too, because sticking to the training book and doing 15 miles easy pace, I might have sat around procrastinating until the sun came out again this morning. :p

[rocknrollgirl]

So more tales from the PT front.

Yesterday's session included adding lunges onto the stability pad. They did add another exercise, an extension with a straight leg. That was no bueno, so I stopped. I did wonder briefly yesterday that they were pushing me too hard, but I trust they know what they are doing. Aside from muscle fatigue, nothing hurts from an ut oh stand point while I am doing it. Just sore muscles day after. And the PT does pay 100% attention while I am updating him. For example when he asked me yesterday how I was feeling and if I ran over the w/e and how did it feel he was very attentive. So I must trust.

So perhaps on the other side of this I will be much stronger ( and have a really nice butt from all of these exercises). The question is, does a period of less running in the middle of training derail the train, or sink the ship as it were. Before the hammie cried stop, we were almost up to time and distance necessary for our upcoming May 1st trail race. The last time we did this race in 2013, most of our long training runs were around 2 hours. Hopefully between that good solid 2 month training block and what I can put in after my leg feels better will be enough to have a decent race. And by that I just mean enjoy the race without having to worry every 2 mins if my hamstring is going to hold up.

Worst case scenario, I can change my distance up until the day before the race if I have to and drop down. I have already found another trail half about 6 weeks after the May 1st race in case I do have to drop down and feel like I still want to run a longer race before summer.

And onward we trudge. Keep on running ladies! We have bitter cold coming so I will have some chilly stories for later in the week!

[emily_in_nc]

RnR, I am thinking that the base you've already built up will carry you through this period of less running. I know that has been the case for me for cycling at least. May 1 is still a ways off!

It's super chilly and crazy windy here in Central Florida, with three cold fronts coming through in two days (how is that possible??), but I keep telling myself that most everyone else has it worse, so I try not to be too bitter. :D

[OakLeaf]

Sounds good, RnR.

What does the PT say about maintaining your overall running fitness? Is there other cardio you can do, to keep that end of it up? Most of what I've read, is that when someone's well-trained before having to take a break, it comes back pretty quickly.

Hang in there!

[rocknrollgirl]

Sounds good, RnR.

What does the PT say about maintaining your overall running fitness? Is there other cardio you can do, to keep that end of it up? Most of what I've read, is that when someone's well-trained before having to take a break, it comes back pretty quickly.

Hang in there!

I will ask at PT today. I know I can ride the trainer, maybe elliptical? I have not really brought it up, since I am allowed to "run". I did another easy 5 miles yesterday. Felt ok. It is hard to tell I am so sore from doing the lunges! It is the w/e long run that has me worried.

I am going to try a trail run this weekend. Stick to the flatter trails and keep it under an hour. It is the flat part of this formula that has me worried.But I will stay the course. If I am this sore from doing the rehab work, obviously there were weaknesses in the chain.

[rocknrollgirl]

So i went to PT Wed, and they were not at all worried about my soreness. They said awesome because it is muscular and not structural, They worked me hard, and stretched my well and then the chiro did some voodoo magic on my foot with a metal too called Graston technique. When I woke up yesterday morning, no leg pain. hmmmm.....I waited all day for it. No pain. First day i have been blissfully unaware of it in 2 weeks. Ran yesterday ( in the 20 degree weather), no issues.

Could it be the voodoo magic? Or is all of the rehab coming together? I am going to call for more voodoo today. It is excruciatingly painful, but if it works like that, count me in!

[Catrin]

Graston is awesome, it CAN be too much in the hands of someone less experience! My chiro uses that on me from time to time. All Active Release techniques (tool or hands) can be excruciating but usually only during the application, as you found out. Sounds like you've a good one! There are still a few out there that think it must leave bruising and residual pain/soreness to be effective but that's just not true.

Sounds like the voodoo magic was the perfect followup - hope you continue to feel better!

[OakLeaf]

Nice!!

I've never had Graston done, but I had gua sha once, which is a TCM technique that's supposed to be the inspiration for Graston. Left some crazy marks, but no residual soreness. My experience with a lot of deep tissue work is that the amount of soreness that lingers for more than a day after treatment, really depends on the condition the muscle and fascia were in before. It's not necessarily the oldest stuff, either (that's usually the least painful, because it's so shut off, until it really starts functioning close to normally, when it can hurt). I pretty much always get stippled bruising if I roll my ITBs with a spiky stick, but they're never sore more than a day, even when a bodyworker gets into them super deep. Last week my suboccipitals were crazy tight, and they were sore for four or five days after my LMT released them, which is extremely unusual.

But for sure too, different practitioners have different approaches to a patient's pain tolerance. My chiropractor in Florida seems to have a very keen sense of it - there are newspaper photos on his wall, of him treating an NBA star, and the athlete grimacing. He can take me near my limit, but so far never past it. Then there are patients I overhear, who either have very limited pain tolerance, or are already in so much pain that anything additional is nearly too much, and he's only taking them to their limit. My northern chiropractor, on the other hand - I've never had an LMT who hasn't commented on my pain tolerance, but there were a couple of times when she was into my infraspinati, that I was literally holding back tears. Holey moley. I have a very high opinion of both of their skill, their understanding of fascial relationships and their ability to release adhesions, but they just have a different set of expectations from their patients.

[rocknrollgirl]

Poo.

So I went for more voodoo magic yesterday. Woke up feeling great. Planned on braving the cold and heading to our local trails to try so flat trail running. I seem to be fine on the rail trail, so I thought, why not. My husband went with me and we planned on running the first bit together and him taking off onto the harder trails.

I was fine on the double track, but as soon as we turned off on the single track my glute started barking. The problem area is where the hamstring inserts. The trail was not hilly by any stretch, but not flat like the rail trail. We popped out on the double track after a few miles and hubs went his way and I took the easy way back to the car. By this time I was feeling frustrated and a bit sorry for myself. I KNOW it is silly. Intellectually I know it is ridiculous to be upset and frustrated over running. For heaven's sake I do not have cancer. But emotionally, boo hoo.

So I had to wait about 40 mins for Chris to come back and by that time my blood sugar had dropped and I was not only feeling sorry for myself, but I was down right crotchety. Needless to say there were tears and apologies ( on my part) shortly after we got home. It is hard to go out and watch him have such a great run and I am feeling frustrated. I know that makes me sound awful. I am really not awful....I swear. If and when I try the trails again, 2 cars:) I will stick to the rail trail for now.

Oh well. Pity Party is over. And onward we trudge.

[OakLeaf]

It's okay to be frustrated! Some people having it worse, doesn't make things any better for you. It stinks being injured, it extra triple stinks being injured and cold and hypoglycemic and getting your abandonment feelings triggered.

Keep healing.

Day off for me. Yesterday the DC was about knuckle deep in my right glute medius, yikes. Didn't really realize how much that was involved in throwing my hip off, all the stuff we've been working on with the QL and the psoas and the obliques, the glutes are in there too. And having him do my adductors, even through tights, was definitely awkward. :o Made a difference I could tell right away though, looking forward to tomorrow's run.

[Catrin]

Hang in there everyone! Keep healing Rocknrollgirl, it will come, and I think you did great with everything that happened!

Oakleaf hope you have a great day tomorrow, it sounds like the DC found exactly what he needed to find!

[rocknrollgirl]

Thanks everyone for not making me feel like a big baby.

So today is another day. Got up, did 35 mins on the trainer, did all my at home exercises. I even ordered a stability pad to use at home. Lifted, did lots of core, so I am feeling less mopey. The good news is, the discomfort from yesterday did not radiate through my hamstring, it stayed very centralized. I think that is good. Back to PT tomorrow! I will try an easy flat run before I go.

[emily_in_nc]

You are not a big baby at all, RnR. As hard as you've trained, your frustration is completely justified IMO. Glad you're feeling a bit more upbeat and hope the PT goes well tomorrow.

Between one thing and another (including a very sore left shin from a long, hilly walk -- yes, there are hills in Florida, at least in Lake County!), I have not run since sometime last week, and tomorrow looks like a perfect day for a ride, so Tuesday it is likely to be.

[OakLeaf]

So, maybe running those two half marathons wasn't such a great idea ...

I'm not well recovered this week. I had my HRM on at yoga yesterday, and noticed my HR was way higher than it normally is in savasana. I'm sore in unaccustomed places (a good thing I think, changes resulting from the bodywork) and really thinking of taking a pass on tomorrow's scheduled workout and just doing slow distance instead. Plus, we've got houseguests coming in this afternoon, which adds to the mental stress and scheduling difficulty. Wish I'd realized it earlier - the training plan lists Sunday's workout as skippable, not tomorrow's. But, I'm not going to push through tomorrow, not going to risk overtraining when I've still got nine weeks to go. See how I feel in the morning.

Plus, my running watch is acting weird. Worst case, the old, super heavy one still works fine. But I'd rather not have to deal with glitchy tech right now.

[Catrin]

Feel better Oakleaf!

[emily_in_nc]

Feel better Oakleaf!

^^^ Ditto!

Got out for a nice little 3 miler today, slowly getting the pace back (10:02 min/mile today) after too many layoffs due to injuries, sickness, weather, travel, and other priorities. We had a gorgeous day for it, breezy, sunny, and not too warm (70-72F) as the humidity was blessedly low for Florida. I'll take it!

[rocknrollgirl]

So, maybe running those two half marathons wasn't such a great idea ...

I'm not well recovered this week. I had my HRM on at yoga yesterday, and noticed my HR was way higher than it normally is in savasana. I'm sore in unaccustomed places (a good thing I think, changes resulting from the bodywork) and really thinking of taking a pass on tomorrow's scheduled workout and just doing slow distance instead. Plus, we've got houseguests coming in this afternoon, which adds to the mental stress and scheduling difficulty. Wish I'd realized it earlier - the training plan lists Sunday's workout as skippable, not tomorrow's. But, I'm not going to push through tomorrow, not going to risk overtraining when I've still got nine weeks to go. See how I feel in the morning.

Plus, my running watch is acting weird. Worst case, the old, super heavy one still works fine. But I'd rather not have to deal with glitchy tech right now.

When in doubt, leave it out. I wish i could go back and skip the couple of workouts that pushed me over the edge. Take it easy....

[Crankin]

I have learned this the hard way, so many times... I am better than I used to be, but still. It doesn't matter what sport it is, just say no.
I say this as I head off to the doctor after not heeding my own advice!

[rocknrollgirl]

Seriously, I want to smack myself in the head. I think it is part of the reason I am so frustrated. With myself. I think part of the problem, my problem at least, it that when I veer off the path, it is slow and insidious. I do not always recognize that it is happening, until it is too late. So I made a big old not in my training log.


AAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

[OakLeaf]

I took you guys' advice. I was feeling almost there this morning, and programmed the workout into my watch - which polls heart rate variability, one measure of recovery, for the first few minutes, and it said I was OK to go - but after two miles of warm-up I still felt kind of borderline, so I bailed on the workout and just did 14 easy. Thanks for helping me feel like it was the right decision. :)

[Catrin]

14 miles is EASY!?!?! LOL, guess you can tell I'm not a runner ;-)

[OakLeaf]

14 miles at easy pace is WAY easy when the prescribed workout was for seven of them to be three 2-mile threshold pace repeats, plus one more single mile at threshold pace.

Distance doesn't make someone a runner or not a runner, either. I wonder if Usain Bolt has ever run 14 miles at a time, in his life. :)

[rocknrollgirl]

Good. Stay on the path...you know your body better than anyone.

The PT wants me to try and run up a hill this weekend. Hmmm.....

[emily_in_nc]

14 miles easy???

Does not compute for me. But good, glad it worked for you, Oak! I will be happy if I can say "3 miles easy" one day. Right now it's still 3 miles, hard. ;-)

[Catrin]

I figured it was something like that, I'm just amazed at the idea of actually running that far... :-)

[Aromig]

I figured it was something like that, I'm just amazed at the idea of actually running that far... :-)

There have been times when I've been amazed at BIKING that far :-)

[rocknrollgirl]

OK, so updates from the world of my glutes.....

Went to PT Wed. and it seems all traces of my "bad behavior" from over the weekend are forgiven. The PT said a few more days of walking around pain free and he will cut me loose. It makes sense because I feel like I have maxed out with it. I can do everything he is giving me at home at this point. I think lots and lots of one legged stability stuff and lots and lots of lunges are in my future.

I can continue with the ART and Graston and just do the rehab at home. Speaking of Graston, the chiro did it on my hip on Monday and ouchy, so I asked her to wait to do it again lest I end up with a gigantic bruise.

So I did a flat 5 miles on the rail trail last night, aside from VERY sore glutes, everything felt fine. I am going to try some flatish trail again tomorrow. They want me to try and run a hill or two to see where I am. I have a route planned that has some incline and one small hill. I will let you know how i make out.

Fingers crossed....

[emily_in_nc]

Good luck, RnR. Sounds like you are coming along!

I rode MWF this week, ran on Tues., and plan my next run for Sunday. Thurs. and tomorrow are long walks (utilitarian).

[rocknrollgirl]

Update from yesterday's trail run.

Things went great. I avoided all of the big hills and got in 6.5 miles. Took it nice and slow. I let myself slow down, probably a minute per mile slower than normal and just relax and run. I kept waiting for my glute to start hurting, but it never came. Feels fine this morning. I just got done doing all of my PT exercises and lifting. So mayyyyyyyyyyyyyybe, I am rounding the corner and if I stay patient and smart I will toe the line for my intended distance on May 1st.

PATIENCE......

[OakLeaf]

Yay RnR!! So glad things are looking up for you. Fingers crossed.

Friday morning I was feeling nice and rested from my easy week. Then the chiropractor got into everything with his Graston tools and thumbs and yikes I'm still sore. No bruising at all, which surprised me, but my transversus abdominis and hip rotators feel like a week's worth of planks. Lots of work on the feet and lower legs too, which aren't very sore, but I really notice the difference in mobility.

Marathon pace run today, which is the workout I'm the most comfortable with ... laundry hung, drag self out ...

[rocknrollgirl]

Yay RnR!! So glad things are looking up for you. Fingers crossed.

Friday morning I was feeling nice and rested from my easy week. Then the chiropractor got into everything with his Graston tools and thumbs and yikes I'm still sore. No bruising at all, which surprised me, but my transversus abdominis and hip rotators feel like a week's worth of planks. Lots of work on the feet and lower legs too, which aren't very sore, but I really notice the difference in mobility.

Marathon pace run today, which is the workout I'm the most comfortable with ... laundry hung, drag self out ...



I feel better after the Graston too. Although I did skip my appt on Friday afternoon because I wanted to be as fresh and unbruised as possible going into yesterday's run. I will ask her to hit my hip again tomorrow. AND, I get to have a massage tomorrow too.

Have a good run today Oak!

[Catrin]

Glad the Active Release and Graston is working for both of you! I generally can't handle Graston - it tends to inflame my arthritis too much but it's good to find out what works for you.

Rooting for both of you and have fun running!

[emily_in_nc]

YAY, RnR! Very happy for you. :)

I ran 3 miles this morning on a lovely day. For some reason I was about 30 sec. slower on each mile than on Tuesday; not sure why. But I felt decent and nothing hurt, so I guess that's a successful run. It really never gets any easier, though, but I've only been managing to run 2x a week lately, so that probably has a lot to do with it! Guess I'll just keep on truckin'.

[rocknrollgirl]

YAY, RnR! Very happy for you. :)

I ran 3 miles this morning on a lovely day. For some reason I was about 30 sec. slower on each mile than on Tuesday; not sure why. But I felt decent and nothing hurt, so I guess that's a successful run. It really never gets any easier, though, but I've only been managing to run 2x a week lately, so that probably has a lot to do with it! Guess I'll just keep on truckin'.


I can only speak from my own experience, but it did not get easier for me until I was able to string together long periods of consistent running 3 days a week. And still there are days that just feel hard. It will come, keep trudging along.

[OakLeaf]

I'd say my experience is the same. Not only as far as frequency, but in terms of percentage of total mileage - I'm never not tired at the end of a run that's more than around 30% of my weekly mileage - and I never get the feeling of active recovery, when I'm fresher after the run than before, unless I've gone less than 15%. That's true for me no matter what my weekly mileage might be at any particular time.

Got it done yesterday - and had kind of a funny experience. Three or four miles into my warm-up I passed a guy doing a run-walk, and after we both stopped for water at a little park, we chatted for a little bit before I re-passed him. I usually run later in the day than most of the local marathoners, so while I'll see them at shorter local races, I don't often see them on the road. This guy, turns out, is an ultra-runner, just a couple of weeks off a trail 50K, out for a shake-out run. We chatted for a little and I went on. Then about five miles later, not long after I'd started my race pace segment, we passed each other in opposite directions on a boardwalk. Six or seven miles after that, we rounded the same corner in different directions. It cracked us both up.

[emily_in_nc]

Thanks for the feedback. I was starting to feel better running when I was managing to get 3 runs a week in consistently in Mexico. But that hasn't happened for a long time for various reasons, so I am not surprised that the same meager distance seems harder (and I'm slower) than in the past. Just gotta keep plugging away! On the plus side, my riding is going better since I am doing more of it. Been getting in two or three 30-35 mile rides weekly, and that fitness seems to come back pretty fast for me (vs. running, which has always been much more difficult for me).

[OakLeaf]

I just pulled the trigger on my plane tickets. Sh*t just got real. :eek:

It was extra hot today and crazy windy, so I was really glad that my workout today was shorter intervals that I could do on a pretty sheltered street. Did a circuit of the bridges for my warm-up and got my face sandblasted! I get tomorrow off, then Friday should bring me to my first 50-mile week of this cycle, always a milestone for me. Not a lot of mileage for marathon training, but it's what I can handle. I'll blame it on my age. :cool:

[Crankin]

Where are you staying this year?

[OakLeaf]

I'll PM you.

[Crankin]

Got it..

[rocknrollgirl]

Ok...hmmm....catch up time.

Monday I did a slog, I mean an easy run and then went to PT where they had NO sympathy that I had done all my exercises at home the day before. After PT I had a massage at the clinic. The massage therapist was excellent, but took no prisoners, and got into my glute with her elbow. So Tuesday it was a bit sore.

Wed I was back for my final round of PT which went well, and had chiro after. The chiro was super aggressive in her stretching of the injured glute and it was a bit sore yesterday. And not in a good way. That dissipated during the day and I was able to run after work, but I could feel a little tug on the inclines. Dand it.

So now I am ready for everyone to BACK OFF MY GLUTE and take my PT matters into my own hands. I am taking a full rest day today and will try my trail run tomorrow. Hopefully they have not reawakened the beast and all will go well.

I think between PT at home and the foam roller and less aggressive ART, I will continue to get better.

[emily_in_nc]

Oooh, elbow to the glute, RnR, I cannot imagine! :eek: That does sound aggressive!

Finally had a good run today. First time I've made it for the full 5K distance with no walking (after a walking warmup), and my time was faster than it's been in awhile (since Mexico) as well. I think the weather helped as it was cool (upper 50s), breezy, sunny, with low humidity. Helped my mood and seemed to help my running as well, or maybe I've finally done enough runs lately to start feeling a bit better. Yay!

[Pax]

That is great, Emily!

[VeganBikeChick]

i got out for my first run/walk yesterday in at least 3 months. It was a gorgeous, sunny 60 degrees! So good to be outside. If only the nice weather would stick around.

[rocknrollgirl]

Seven miles on the trails this morning. No issues. I could have kept going, but I am trying to be smart about increasing my distance post injury.

I was a bit concerned after the chrio on Wed. But I did not have any issues. Stayed off the big hills again and took it really easy, which is hard. It feels better mentally to run hard and push. I was going to add another 1/2 mile on next week, but my husband thinks that it might be wiser to hold steady at 7 miles next week and try a few of the smaller hills. Makes sense. Same distance but a bit harder.

[rocknrollgirl]

I forgot this funny moment from this morning. I stopped at about 45 mins to grab a gel and I got my gloves off andd got it open. Got the whole thing in my mouth and went to wash it down....hose on my hydration bladder is frozen solid. It was 18 degrees out. I should have blown any excess water back into the bladder before I started and I forgot, So now I am gagging down a gel with no water. My hubbie had a hand held, but he had already moved off and was too far down the trail to call back.YUK. I finally gave up and stuffed as much of the hose down the front of my shirt as possible, hoping that middle aged thermonuclear body heat would defrost it. It took about 15 mins, but it finally warmed up enough to get a drink.

Noe to self.....get the water out of the hose!

[OakLeaf]

Oh brrr/yuk/brrr. Glad you're feeling better and getting back to strength!

First 20-miler of the cycle yesterday, and the whole thing felt like a slog. Not exactly sure why. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not much wind, but I started off sore from yoga and bodywork (elbows everywhere! You get an elbow, and *you* get an elbow... !) and just never loosened up. By the end of it my biomechanics had completely fallen apart. Bleh. Got it done, I'm not excessively sore today, though it feels like I'm having a little bit of kneecap tracking issue.

Funniest thing I saw yesterday was some people teaching their little dog to skateboard. "Push push push" (walk with one paw on the back of the board) then "hop on" for a little ride. :D


VBC, yay! Welcome back to the roads, hope the weather stays amenable for you!

[rocknrollgirl]

Oh brrr/yuk/brrr. Glad you're feeling better and getting back to strength!

First 20-miler of the cycle yesterday, and the whole thing felt like a slog. Not exactly sure why. It was a beautiful day, not too hot, not much wind, but I started off sore from yoga and bodywork (elbows everywhere! You get an elbow, and *you* get an elbow... !) and just never loosened up. By the end of it my biomechanics had completely fallen apart. Bleh. Got it done, I'm not excessively sore today, though it feels like I'm having a little bit of kneecap tracking issue.

Funniest thing I saw yesterday was some people teaching their little dog to skateboard. "Push push push" (walk with one paw on the back of the board) then "hop on" for a little ride. :D


VBC, yay! Welcome back to the roads, hope the weather stays amenable for you!

Seriously, what is with the elbows lately.Everyone needs to keep their elbows to themselves and out of my glute. I am going to kinda put my foot down today and speak up if we start heading in an overstretch direction.

Sorry you had a slog. I hate when that happens and I am sure I have a few in my not too distant future.

[OakLeaf]

Naw, I need the elbows. Whenever I see a new massage therapist I tell them to bring a pair of pliers and a sledgehammer, it's really not far from the truth.

Hope we're ALL finished with slogs for a good long while.

[rocknrollgirl]

Just got in from trail running, did just under 9 miles. Felt good the entire time except for a hot spot on the bottom of my one foot. I had my old orthotics in and my feet got wet. Even though I had wool on, it may have just been a bad combo. I took some nice pics, I will post a few. The sign made me laugh this morning, I just muttered no kidding as I was hitting the bridge in question

[emily_in_nc]

Beautiful photos RnR. Reminds me of the wooded area where we used to live when it would snow. Great job on the 9-miler!

My runs are coming around. I'm back to doing a few unofficial 5Ks per week, no more stopping to walk, and my speed is coming back. Just getting my time under 10 minutes/mile again and feeling better. Temps have been perfect (for me) for running, which means 60s at the time I go. It's supposed to be warming WAY up this coming week, though, so I will have to get out much earlier on the days I run.

[OakLeaf]

Glad your running is going well!!

I've really been struggling with the threshold-pace workouts. Some days it's been because it's been extra hot on those days, and those are the workouts that bring me closest to overheating - long segments at a high heart rate. But having to bail on those means that I'm not in the shape I should be for the days when it's cooler. Hope it doesn't mean anything ominous for race day. Marathon pace workouts have been going well. Sunday was a 14 mile race pace segment plus warm-up and cool-down, I hit all my numbers, hardly had to stop at all to cross the street, and never hit the drawbridge when it was up. Yesterday's T-pace workout, not so much. Bleh. Just have to keep the M pace workouts in my head as evidence that I *can* do it.

[emily_in_nc]

Good going, Oak! It's definitely been a lot warmer lately. This morning I did my run at 8 am (early for me) to avoid the worst of the heat. It helps that my runs, including warm up/cool down walking and stretching, take less than an hour start to finish. I know you're doing super long runs, and that is difficult in the heat/humidity/sunshine.

[rocknrollgirl]

Good going, Oak! It's definitely been a lot warmer lately. This morning I did my run at 8 am (early for me) to avoid the worst of the heat. It helps that my runs, including warm up/cool down walking and stretching, take less than an hour start to finish. I know you're doing super long runs, and that is difficult in the heat/humidity/sunshine.


We are suffering here as well. It went from 19 degrees last Saturday to 73 yesterday afternoon. No time to acclimate. The trees are blooming about 6 weeks early so the allergies have started as well. Not pleasant at all. I really, really hope it is not hot on race day.

[Crankin]

When I rode on Wednesday, it was 77 at the end. I was wiped out. It was a fast ride for the beginning of the season, but, I get a certain horrible feeling from heat exhaustion, that can happen when it's not even that hot. I need lots of time to acclimate. The one 5K I ran was in 98 degree temperatures. No wonder my time of 34 minutes sucked.

[OakLeaf]

34 minutes is an extremely respectable time in 98 degrees! Yikes :eek: !

[rocknrollgirl]

So this was a week of testing out my recovery. Tuesday we did a short trail run, but ran all of the hills I have been avoiding. No issues. Today we ran long and added in all of the hills I have been avoiding, no issues. A hair over nine miles on the trail and no problems with my glute or hamstring. And I went into the run very fatigued from lifting this week. I am starting to realize that it may not have been caused by running hills, but by a combination of running hills, and doing my long runs too fast. I think all of the hard work the past 7 weeks is paying off, and my legs and glutes feel strong. So maaaaaaaaaaybe, just maybe I will come out on the other side of this injury stronger.

[OakLeaf]

RnR, that's great! Keep getting stronger. :)

It's been another up and down week for me. A lot of figurative running around last week left me tired. And with the bodywork from last week and the week before, I'm getting to the point of some major breakthroughs on some very old injuries and imbalances, like stuff that goes back to high school. Which on one level is spectacularly great, but on the other hand is changing my biomechanics in ways that aren't necessarily the best thing to do five weeks out from a race. :rolleyes: Came time for Sunday's T-pace workout on another very hot day, and I just didn't have it in me. I dawdled and procrastinated away the morning, thought I might just modify the pace a bit, but stupid Garmin Connect was down and my watch doesn't let me edit workouts on the watch itself. As I told my DH, it wasn't that I was really feeling terribly beat up, it was just, if I could go another day without someone (including myself) beating me up, that would be great. So, I just did the mileage at an easy pace, and even that kind of beat me up.

Monday I took completely off. Normally I'd bike to yoga early-early and do a little recovery run before class. But between the time change and some worrisome soreness in one Achilles tendon, I just took a rest day. Drove down to the wildlife refuge to check on the bald eagles' nest and see what else we could see.

Today was even hotter, and my scheduled workout was intervals ... and it went fine. Hit all my numbers, and I don't feel excessively spent now, even with the heat. One thing I did, that I've been doing on most interval days, is to do my warm-up, then come back home for a quick ice water and a gel, then go back out to do my intervals on the MUP just across the road. Today I also set out an ice-cold wet towel in my little cooler. I'm pretty sure that's what let me complete the intervals successfully. Yay.

The only weird thing now is that my right ankle, the one that the Achilles isn't bothering me, is just sore. I'm pretty sure what's going on is that at least some of the ankle immobility I've had, actually comes from the hip and thoracolumbar restrictions that we've been working on. So all of a sudden my ankle is moving in ways that my muscles aren't used to supporting ... that's the ankle I sprained several times years ago, though it's been very stable for at least the past 10 years. Going to be keeping an eye on it and having some targeted conversations with the LMT. And definitely keeping on with the single leg raise/lower and balancing work that I've been diligent about *after* my Achilles started bothering me. Sigh.

[OakLeaf]

Ugh. My ankle is still sore. I'm pretty sure it's "only" iffy ligaments, but I made the mistake of asking Dr Google, and now I'm worried that it might be the talus cartilage. I was planning on getting a little jog in this morning to make up for skipping Monday, but wound up deciding it was probably a bad idea. The really frustrating thing is that everything else feels really good and I'm jonesing for a run. I put a brace on it to do the vacuuming and laundry this morning and it didn't get any worse, so at least that's something.

[Catrin]

I'm glad it didn't get worse! Dr Google can be scary, and sometimes it's close to correct, hope it improves!

[rocknrollgirl]

Oh Oak. I am sorry to hear you are having an issue this close to your race. I know how hard you have been working. Hopefully the ankle will stop barking quickly. Have you tried taping it yet? So frustrating.

My hamstring an glute are holding up well except that now my feet are bothering me. I had tried a new pair of shoes about 6 weeks ago. I want to try more cushion and they felt fine to start, but now the tops of my feet are bothering me and my big toes. Has to be the new trail runners. So yet ANOTHER fail on shoes. Fortunately my old trail runners still have some life in them so I will switch back. I am hoping everything calms down quickly.

Running a local trail race tomorrow, so I will let you know how it goes. I had planned on running a 20k, but I think I will drop down to the 10k since I was sidelined for a bit. The last thing I want to do is push it now and re-injure my hamstring 6 weeks out from North Face. So i will try and be smart.

Hang in there Oak.

[emily_in_nc]

Sorry for the pains, Oak and RnR! Hope you both heal up quickly and can do the races you have planned without injuries or pain!

I have not been able to run much lately because we've been traveling back to NC from Florida. I did get in a nice 5K run around one of our campgrounds on 3/14, but that's the last one I've managed. We've done a lot of walking, hiking, and managed a very nice, hilly bike ride yesterday, though. My Asics are bothering my feet a little -- top of foot pain off and on, and big toe joint pain (I've got arthritis there that flares up from time to time). I've got to find some shoes in NC that will work for me and not spring leaks in BOTH toes within 6 months, which is downright ridiculous! I've had good luck with Asics in the past, but not this pair.

It's funny, this is the first time I've everbeen fitted for running shoes at an actual running store, and it resulted in the most foot pain and then shoes that sprung holes in them so quickly, vs. the good luck I've had in the past buying shoes that felt good to me in Rack Room for about half the price. I think I'm heading back to Rack Room, since my budget really doesn't allow for $125+ shoes every six months for the amount of running I do. It would be different if I were doing marathons, but I'm doing 5Ks a couple times a week! Urgh. The first Asics I bought were from Rack Room and were great -- they were trail runners so held up a bit better than regular road runners.

[Pax]

I wore Asics exclusively for about 15 years, then about three years ago I started getting less and less life out of each pair. Seams popping, holes in the mesh above my toes, and the structure breaking down after about three months (I used to get six months out of a pair). New $100 shoes every three months wasn't going to happen, I switched to Brooks Adrenalines and have been really happy with them. Not sure what's up with Asics anymore.

[OakLeaf]

LRS staffers are usually trained by the shoe manufacturers, and IME a lot of them buy into shoe myths that have contributed to the running injury boom. Latest research says your lowest chance of injury happens when you get shoes that fit. Which ought to be obvious, but as someone who's hard to fit, I've been told all my life by shoe salespeople that I should just cram my feet into whatever they want to sell me based on what they see in two minutes of watching how abnormal my gait is in shoes that don't fit.

Sounds like you've been doing it right on your own.

[emily_in_nc]

I wore Asics exclusively for about 15 years, then about three years ago I started getting less and less life out of each pair. Seams popping, holes in the mesh above my toes, and the structure breaking down after about three months (I used to get six months out of a pair). New $100 shoes every three months wasn't going to happen, I switched to Brooks Adrenalines and have been really happy with them. Not sure what's up with Asics anymore.

The holes in the mesh above the big toe is what has happened to mine. First one, then the other. I am not sure if this indicates that the shoes really don't fit properly or if it's just really cheap, thin mesh. I do appreciate how lightweight they are, but not at the expense of durability. I will look into the Brooks Adrenalines. Thanx Pax!