I really think I am rounding the corner today. I have not coughed at all. I am hoping this is the beginning of the end of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
I really think I am rounding the corner today. I have not coughed at all. I am hoping this is the beginning of the end of it.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
Resting is hard even when we KNOW we should do it! Wishing all the best for everyone with injuries and illnesses right now, hang in there.
I am having a small problem with one of my hamstrings complaining when I start running. I don't push it to hard, and it is up high, near the insertion point. This is NOT the same hamstring I injured a gew years back that some will remember. It is more of an ache rather than pain, and I do stop when I see it is settling in for the duration. I suspect tight muscles as the underlying culprit. Anyone have this problem and found a solution? I do have a two 5K off-road events coming but not until May.
I have been getting back to a little treadmill running this month since we're staying in a complex with a gym. I haven't run indoors or out for over a year, so I'm taking it slowly. Today I did 3.5 miles total, 1.5 of that was running at a slow 11-minute mile pace, and the rest walking on a slight incline. It was nice to do that after a 40-mile ride yesterday and have nothing hurt!
First race (technically 2 of them) of 2014 and first race in my new age category (50-54 and darn those women are still fast!). It was chilly, 50 and WINDY but it was sunny. Bad part was 20-25 minute delay due to a motorcycle cop getting hit by a bus on the race route. Weather was fine for running but not for standing around. First race the 10 K. I'm not really up to speed but I did set my sites on a 1:06 time and I did it! 1:06:24 if we must be accurate! Had about 30+ minutes to stretch, walk around and try and stay warm before the 5K. I took this one easy and had no goal set but to finish. Took small walk breaks at each mile. The wind was wicked when it was in your face. So race weekend #1 of the many upcoming races now complete. I'm pretty satisfied today. ITB is a bit angry but it always likes to remind me it's there!
Everyone...hope you get well. Take it slow and easy. As for losing the running bug...I find myself there often and planning races (even short ones just for fun) help.
K
Nice work Kat! Congrats!
Hope the motor cop will be okay. What a thing to happen today when so many of us were out running MegSMiles. :(
Six mile tempo run, plus warmup and strides for a total of 7.5. I'd been pretty well dreading it after last week, but the weather was SO much cooler, pretty much perfect for running. It was hard but not horrible.
Good job, Kat! There are several blindingly fast women in that age group here, and I'm hoping for a sudden increase in speed in about 7 years now!
It was all of 15F this morning so back to the treadmill. It should have been a long run but I honestly don't have the mental fortitude for that, so just 5 miles. And I learned a valuable lesson: it's good to pack the gym bag the night before, but not good to put it in the car. My shampoo was frozen solid, and shoes and socks were painfully cold to put on.
Maybe I'll run outside tomorrow, if it's as warm as predicted. In hope of staying healthy I'm avoiding running outside in frigid temps. Still have to walk the dog though, and have been bike commuting as long as it's at least 20F.
Ran 6 megsmiles first thing in the morning. It was dark, peaceful and quiet. Thought of everyone taken by drunk drivers...
I get to exercise today! Our mt bike group is going to do a super easy local ride, very flat, so my husband and I talked it over and decided I am well enough to go. I have not coughed in 3 days, and I am feeling very, very much improved. Everyone knows I have been sick so we are going to take it easy. The guys all did a hard group ride yesterday so they go their fix. I will report back.
Have a good ride, RnR.
Hubs and I had a very nice run yesterday on a snow covered (packed) road. We are (once again) in a pollution inversion cycle in the Salt Lake Valley (ick), so we went up to Park City to run. Gorgeous up there, no smog, and my lungs were much happier. 8 slow miles, with a few walk and stretch breaks (I am still dealing with the high hamstring garbage a little and it was a pretty nice day to just scan the hillsides for elk). My hamstring is a little cranky this AM so I am going to take a day off, although I really want to go skate ski given that we are quickly losing our cover; the skiing is what has kind of fired up the hamstring again, though :(
The pollution inversion doesn't sound like fun, glad there is somewhere you CAN go. Your comment about the high hamstring problem caught my attention, are you doing anything for that outside of not running? I am dealing with a bit of that right now myself. It is getting better, and I try running occasionally 0 getting further and further before it starts acting up so it seems to be working itself out. I am doing some hip mobility work to help encourage this to pass so I can get back to my running conditioning work.
Quote:
Originally Posted by yellow
Catrin, I typed a big long response and then my internet crashed and I lost it. I will paraphrase it here.
If your hamstring pain is new and not the result of trauma, then I suspect that it will resolve on its own if you don't run or stretch it for a while. Once it's not hurting, have your trainer show you some hamstring specific strengtheners. Don't stretch an angry hamstring. Just don't.
I think my case is a little different in that I have high hamstring tendinopathy (aka rotten tendons, according to my doc) that mostly stays at a specific pain level. I use one of these, massage it, and do some strengthening exercises that my PT gave me. I choose to keep going with mine, and thus far have not used cortisone (I quit using NSAIDS late last summer). Mine is the result of a hamstring tear at the end of July 2012, which I injured 2 more times in 8 months. For the most part it is manageable, although I did take a couple of months off of running in the fall to give it a break (didn't seem to make a difference, though). It hurts a little when I run but mostly when I sit on it and it is often painful in the morning. I usually ice it right after running if I can. In other words, I do what I can to keep it from getting worse. I did PT for months last year and it had no effect (extremely frustrating). At least it didn't get worse! Skate skiing currently seems to be making it angrier than running, which was not the case least year (last year skate skiing was really all I was doing since I reinjured it in Oct '12 and Jan '13).
It's an odd injury, and I suspect everyone reacts differently to different treatments. Give it a few weeks.
Ran 3 mi for megsmiles yesterday. It was on the dreadmill but still worth it.
I'm glad to see you are feeling better, RnR!
Great race, Kat!
Catrin and Yellow - take care of those hamstrings!!
I actually ran yesterday! A real run...not a little 2 mile jaunt on the treadmill just to say I did something. It was 40F and dry with some sun peaking through, so I went out with a plan to just run. No training plan, no target pace. I was thinking I'd do somewhere between 6 and 8 miles since those are my favorite routes but when I hit 1 mile and my left foot (not the injured one!) started twinging on me, I made the decision to keep it at 6 miles.
Funny enough, I was at 5.5 mile when I realized how good I felt and how enjoyable the run had been! I'm still glad I did just 6 (6.3 actually) because I'm starting a new training plan today and I didn't want to get ahead of myself. I think that perhaps...I'm BACK! :)
GLC, welcome "back"!! I started my new program today, too. I haven't missed the spreadsheets but I am looking forward to the structure again (and not having to think about what I am going to do on any given day). While there is snow, my coach has me skiing on two days that would normally be running days (as long as I ski at least 40k total those two days). I think this will help ease my transition back to real training.
I had another nice run on the snow-covered road that hubby and I ran on Saturday. Air is too crappy in SLC proper so I had to get in my car (and add to the problem) to drive up the canyon to run. Finished by headlamp. Quite lovely. Ski by headlamp tomorrow :D
Hope everyone is feeling better soon! There seems to be so much going around, on top of all of this 'lovely' weather (harumph, mumble, grumble)
After my group training today I attempted 2 sets of a 400 meter light jog. In between I walked 200 meters. My hamstring was ok with it, which is a good sign since I did a heavy conditioning workout yesterday that included, among many other things, 24 body weight deadlifts.
Trudging along with my Couch-to-5k plan. I found an app that tells me when to run and when to walk, and that makes things a lot easier to keep track of.
I survived my outing and even got in a short run. I am feeling much, much better. Now we just have to survive the " end of the world" snowstorm. For heaven's sake.
Did 4 miles on the treadmill today -- about 1.75 miles of that was running. I used the "interval" program which automatically changes between a walking and running speed every 1.5 minutes or so. Really works for me as I would not be disciplined enough to do that on the road, especially without music. With all my favorite tunes and a set program, I do very well. I know most people hate the treadmill, but it works for me. :-)
Didn't run yesterday as I had to spend about an hour at my oral surgeon then followed by 4+ hours at my dentist. I actually feel pretty good today. Swollen...I look like a "Whoo" from "Whooville"! No real pain as long as I don't smile. It's a bit chilly here but couldn't miss out on a run on a day off. Kept is easy and did 3 miles. We have quite a chilly north wind that was in my face when I started but it was nice when I turned around and headed back home!
K
Yesterday was 5k on the treadmill. The snow was just starting as I headed over, and the drive home was interesting! I tried to go this morning but my car wouldn't run and it was too damn cold to walk to the gym to run on the treadmill, even though it's less than 1.5 miles. Might make it over later today, even though I hate running in the p.m.
Kat, glad you're not in too much pain - hope everything heals up quick. RnR, glad you're feeling better!
4 x 1200 today. The last three weeks' speed day has been the same total distance done in progressively longer intervals - 8 x 600 two weeks ago, 6 x 800 last week. Today was pretty much all I had in me.
While I was warming up I passed a guy hanging out by a bus bench. He said hi and then pointed out a bare tree and asked me, "Does that look like a bird to you?" I had to turn around and look at it. "I guess it's kind of that shape, yeah," I said - the branches sort of formed an outline of a bird with folded wings. "Okay," he goes, "I wasn't sure." Pretty stoned for 9:30 in the morning! :cool:
Catrin, I haven't even watched this, but saw it and thought of your hamstring injury. Hope you and Yellow are both feeling better.
Yesterday was a pace run - 5 miles with 3 at 9:47. I didn't think I'd be motivated to do it on the treadmill, so I did it immediately after work from the parking lot. I had daylight for the first mile or so and then not so much! I also didn't have my watch display set up optimally and I was running without my glasses (as usual). I realized as I entered the first pace mile that I had no idea what I was doing in terms of speed. I ended up just guessing my pace based on RPE and this morning when I uploaded the data, I found out that I did 9:48, 9:49 and 9:44. Woohoo! I don't think I could have done any better even if I had a huge pace clock following me. ;-)
Holy moly GLC, nice work! I can't get that close with a watch constantly beeping at me.
Five mile recovery run this morning, and for once it actually felt like recovery. Yay.
That's great, GLC -- you are a rock star!
We got out for about 3 miles yesterday. It was cold. Really cold. My brain wanted to go longer, but I am trying to be smart and take my time increasing my distance after being sick and injured. Tomorrow I think we are going XC skiing, so that will take the place of my run. I am slowly getting back on track.
Stay warm out there.
RnR, I told hubs yesterday that I am DONE with the cold (and it's not nearly as cold here as it is where you are). We went for a run in the evening and, damn, it's cold running on the snow-covered road after the sun goes down. I almost turned around about 10 times in the first 2 miles because I was so damn cold.
I love winter, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to running on some dirt.
Hmmm, I feel kind of bad for posting this, but I had a delightful run at lunch today. The sun was bright, it was about 43F and it was sooo nice to get out of the office! I only did 2 miles per my plan, but man...I didn't want the run to end. It literally took some willpower to not do another loop! A rumbling stomach helped to turn me towards the building, but I LOVE wonderful runs like that!
Quote:
Originally Posted by GLC1968
-43 and you enjoyed running in it???!!!! You ROCK :)
All joking aside, it was good to read about your run, and good to know that the entire world isn't locked in this Arctic chill. I think that running at 43 would be far more pleasant that riding at 43...less clothing required :)
I've been trying to avoid the dreadmill at my gym, but once I get my HR zones from the VO2 max test Monday, I think it is time to move my conditioning efforts to the dreadmill so I can mix up the incline and pace more easily. At this point we will be above freezing in MAY, and I've a little 5K run/mud obstacle run in mid May and a 5K trail run on May 31. If I wait until I can run on the trails I won't be ready.
Our trails are so icy, that if you aren't snow shoeing, you need Ice Spikes.
I suspect that is the case here as well Crankin. We keep getting snow accumulation, sub-zero temps and when the temps don't get below zero the wind chill falls far below it. Tuesday morning they say the air temp will be around -10 here...and I won't have the luxury of staying home that day. Today I finally broke down and went to ****'s Sporting Goods to buy new gloves, none of my others are up to these temps and I've a 3ish block walk from parking garage to office. I spent $30 on these gloves, although mine are black, not pink. I am pretty sure they are the warmest gloves I've EVER had, though it is odd getting used to the fact there are no 'fingers', but of course that keeps my hands warmer. Makes driving feel a bit odd...but I can deal with it to have warm hands :) I've almost been in pain this week, my fingers have gotten so cold in that 3 block walk and I had good gloves on! Not good enough for these temps, and it doesn't help when they tell us on the news that it is warmer at the South Pole on that particular day!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
I AM looking forward to eventually being able to take my brand new Brooks Cascadias out of their box and introducing them to the trails :) I posted about how I was lucky enough to get a brand new pair for free in my "beginning to run" thread. I've found my LRS for sure!
I just noticed the forum starred out the name of the sporting goods store where I found my gloves. That is a hoot!
Those look similar to my my Cabellas, which I wear for nordic skiing. I have tried to wear them driving and it's pretty awkward.
I didn't notice any real problem driving or shifting with them, just things like picking my keys up off the floor when I dropped them. Basically they are myQuote:
Originally Posted by Crankin
"anti-frostbite" gloves when conditions are too severe for my other gloves. I TRIED to find non-mitten gloves that were in the same category, but apparently Di*ck's thinks that all women have very short fingers. At least the brands they carry do. They did have a brand that would have worked that were fingered, but I am NOT paying $70 for a pair of gloves :eek: and I couldn't even if I WOULD. If I had that much to burn I would get that $75 shearling hat from my favorite little shearling goods supplier in Vermont ;)
Amazing how poorly my expensive Gore wind-blocking gloves perform in these temps - though if they were large enough for me to fit them over my wool gloves then it might make a good combination. Sadly...they aren't.
Seven mile tempo run today, plus warmup and strides. Unlike GLC, my splits wobbled across a 16 sec/mile range WITH the aid of my watch. Sigh.
I passed another runner about a mile and a half from finishing, and he's like, "Slow down! Slow down!" I said back, "I can't, it's my tempo run!" :D
I got it done and all of it within the target range, but it was very challenging. I am really hoping for a recovery week next week ...
I did a 3 mile run/walk, despite just having had my PT "unstick" my psoas (or something near it). Whatever I did at the gym 10 days ago has really worsened my lumbar issue, so I am going to stop trying to run. Really. The back is not happy now, despite doing all of my correctives earlier. Off to do more now. I will have to live through you ladies, as I guess I am just not built to run.
We did a snow ride today about an hour south of here. They had less snow from ths weeks's storm, and it has been so cold that the snow has stayed nice and fluffy, so it was not icy at all. It is funny that when we left the house it was 20 degrees and felt warm compared to the past few days. All in all, I would rather have this than hot and humid. I was so quiet in the woods my husband said it felt very like a zen ride. Even the group was pretty quiet.
4 mile walk/run on the treadmill yesterday -- about half and half with intervals.
Oak - that's funny! I always wonder what other runners are thinking of me when I'm running at a speed that is clearly a challenge for me!
Today was an amazing run. I did 8 miles, which is my favorite route anyway, but on top of that, it was a spectacular day for running. Mid 40's, dry, bright sun, no wind... such a joy! I also stuffed my face full of food yesterday, so I my glycogen stores were well topped off and I could totally feel it. I was strong all the way to the end and I had to make myself stop running (even then, it was at 8.2 miles!). I need to file this feeling away for all the runs yet to come that I'm sure will totally suck. ;)
GLC, I think you nailed one of the fundamental issues a lot of women have with running (and other activities that require a high energy expenditure): they don't eat enough. It's a struggle to figure out how much to eat to fuel running and reconcile that with whatever programming each of us has in our head (and even harder if one is trying to lose weight). I am very sensitive to trying to keep my weight at a maintenance level, but I will often not eat enough. I'm getting better about eating foods with good fat and not freaking out; for years I ate too little fat of any kind. And there is no doubt that I run much stronger when I've had several days of good, balanced eating. Most importantly, in the fall I discovered that I run really, really strong the day after moderate red wine consumption. It was not a one-time experience! :p
Hubs and I ran out on the island in the Great Salt Lake today (Antelope Island). Conditions were sketchy but manageable; lots of old snow, ice, and some mud and it looked like the bison have been having parties on the trails (big bison foot holes everywhere). It was slow going, which was good. I don't need to be running fast these days. We saw a huge herd of pronghorn, probably 70-80 animals. Very beautiful. And we saw a grand total of one other person on the trail. I love running out there.
Had a beautiful 3 mi run today outdoors. I've finally discovered that instead of all-out stopping when it gets too tough, I can just slow down & plod along. It doesn't have to be full-bore or not at all. I think I live up to being an Aries in that respect:rolleyes:
Yellow - I know exactly what you mean. Over the past 6 months, I've been diligently tracking my food, eating an incredibly nutritious and well balanced diet and being very, very consistent about it. BUT, I've spent a lot of that time in a deficit (intentionally as I'm working on losing weight). I've all but (temporarily) given up on recreational biking because I just don't have the energy stores to recover after a hard effort (like a hill). But running hasn't been too much trouble, mostly because I just don't run very hard. That said, I have now done two longer runs that have come after a day or two of really over-eating both calories and carbohydrates and the difference in my ability to stay strong for extended periods is remarkable. I'm really looking forward to the point where I'll be happy to maintain my weight (and eat more!)...for performance.Quote:
Originally Posted by yellow