Fall Running Thread

I got out for a good trail run yesterday, just under 7 miles. Solo run this week, my husband was mt biking with some of our riding buddies. Normally we ride on Sat and do our longer run on Sunday, but I have a saddle sore, for lack of a better term, and so I opted not to go ride. It also gives him an rare opportunity to go ride with a group of guys a not have to worry about how I am surviving. I know he is not comfortable with me being off in the woods by myself, but to his credit, he did not say a word.

It was SO beautiful yesterday morning. Crisp, like 27 degrees or so, and I was actually in the woods before sunrise, so I got to see it come up through the trees. I was going to take a picture, but that required taking my pack off. I did get a picture of steam rising off the lake when I was done. Very pretty.

I did pretty well, just ran my own pace, added on a mile. I got up and did a few easy miles on the road this morning to work out a few stiff corners, and I will head off to gooey yoga this morning to stretch.

Nice picture, Rocknroll.
I am envious of everyone running. I so want to be a runner, at least on a moderate basis, but my body rebels. I even bought some nice trail running shoes, because I like it better than road running. But, even that hurts my hips and mildly affects my knees.

Beautiful, RnR. That is the perfect temperature. Fall running is so lovely.

I love running in the woods solo (well, here we don't really have woods; more like occasional groves of trees interspersed with rock outcrops and oak brush fields). I have no idea what hubs thinks about it. I feel safer out there than I do when running in urban areas.

This was from a run a couple of weeks ago (this area is now covered with snow). Happy fall! More pictures, ladies! Where do you run?

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Gorgeous running photos!

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Originally Posted by yellow

Beautiful, RnR. That is the perfect temperature. Fall running is so lovely.

I love running in the woods solo (well, here we don't really have woods; more like occasional groves of trees interspersed with rock outcrops and oak brush fields). I have no idea what hubs thinks about it. I feel safer out there than I do when running in urban areas.

This was from a run a couple of weeks ago (this area is now covered with snow). Happy fall! More pictures, ladies! Where do you run?

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Yellow,
That is beautiful. Solo running in that country would cause heart palpitations around in this house. I understand my husband's concerns, there is a story behind it, so I do not let it bother me, as long as he does not try and stop me from going. Normally he is with me so it is not an issue. But we have talked about it, we acknowledge his concerns and I do my best to try and quell his concerns. Short of not going. He would not ask and I would not acquiesce. Well he might, but he knows I would still go:)

Remind me to tell you all the mountain lion story some time.....

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Originally Posted by Crankin

Nice picture, Rocknroll.
I am envious of everyone running. I so want to be a runner, at least on a moderate basis, but my body rebels. I even bought some nice trail running shoes, because I like it better than road running. But, even that hurts my hips and mildly affects my knees.

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I feel your pain. Every time I get to running on a regular basis, something seems to happen to thwart it. From a bad cold with cough to a broken toe to my current Achilles issue, sometimes it seems like it's just not meant to be. My knees and hips have been good, but my feet are giving me fits! I'm not giving up, though. I'm stubborn like that. :D

Absolutely gorgeous photos, RnR and Yellow. I would be happy to run in either of those settings! I'm running in a very different kind of place that looks like this:
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It's pretty, to be sure, but there's a lot of landmines (dog poop) from unleashed dogs running around, and it's hot and sticky. Last winter when we were here I ran mostly at the track, but there is NO shade there, and at least this MUT has quite a few areas of shade at the time I run (mornings).

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Absolutely gorgeous photos, RnR and Yellow. I would be happy to run in either of those settings! I'm running in a very different kind of place that looks like this:
Attachment 17838

It's pretty, to be sure, but there's a lot of landmines (dog poop) from unleashed dogs running around, and it's hot and sticky. Last winter when we were here I ran mostly at the track, but there is NO shade there, and at least this MUT has quite a few areas of shade at the time I run (mornings).

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Holy cow that looks hot. No shade at all.

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

Holy cow that looks hot. No shade at all.

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Oh, I took this photo later in the day. I can't remember why because it's from last year -- probably doing a bike ride? When I run at around 7:30 am, there is a lot of shade because the sun is low in the sky. Also, on many parts of this path, there are buildings on the right side that provide shade.

That said, it is still very warm even with shade. It's usually in the upper 70s when I head out around 7:30 am, and the humidity is very high since it's highest in the morning. The humidity would be a little lower later, but there'd be less shade and more heat, so I continue running when I do.

So I am off from school this week. I did a short run yesterday morning on the rail trail. My second favorite place to run if I cannot be in the woods. I kept it short and easy because we are signed up to race on Sunday, a 10k trail race with lots and lots of punchy, rooty climbs. My right calf is barking at me, so I ran a little and stop to stretch and ran a bit more and stretched. It was tough to baby it because I felt good otherwise and just wanted to go, go, go. Perhaps it is a blessing in disguise holding me back a bit for Sunday. I really hope it settles down before the race. I hate racing with a niggle.

Good luck on Sunday and have fun!

That's a beautiful rail-trail, RnR. I hope your cranky calf will be happier during your race.

My Achilles is still not 100% but is a lot better than it was, so I am doing just a little running a couple of times a week after a long walking warm-up. Tuesday I ran close to 2 miles out of my 3-mile walk, so that was good. Not even wearing my GPS as I don't want to think about speed or anything. Just enjoying the cardio and taking it slowly.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

That's a beautiful rail-trail, RnR. I hope your cranky calf will be happier during your race.

My Achilles is still not 100% but is a lot better than it was, so I am doing just a little running a couple of times a week after a long walking warm-up. Tuesday I ran close to 2 miles out of my 3-mile walk, so that was good. Not even wearing my GPS as I don't want to think about speed or anything. Just enjoying the cardio and taking it slowly.

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I just got in from testing the cranky calf waters and it seems to have calmed down. At least on flat roads. So if I behave and talk nicely to it I may just be good to go for Sunday. I am glad your achilles is feeling better.

Survived my trail race today. It is a tough course. Punchy climbs and descents with lots of roots. It is a state park so they built stairs on lots of the steep climbs and I am not sure if that is better or worse for short legs. I was slower than last time I raced it, but I knew that would be the case. But I ran a solid race and none of my niggles bothered me. I did come home with a very sore instep on my right foot. Not during, started barking after. Not sure what that is about, but it feels like the meaty part of the foot so I am sure it is just trail weary.

I have not seen the full results yet, so I have no idea how I stacked up to the rest of the runners, not sure I care too much at the moment.

Yay, RnR, you did it! Hope the instep thing doesn't bother for long.

Foot felt fine yesterday. So back to normal. My legs were a bit tired day after and my stomach is always a bit wonky day after. So all is normal. I am going to try and do a slow easy recovery run today. On to the next one!

Good, RnR!

I'm healed from my Achilles problem, I think. I haven't been using a GPS lately because I get too competitive with myself when I do, but I managed to run farther today than I have since I got injured -- maybe 2.5 miles? Plus a mile or so of walking. No pain. I'm making sure to take it slow and easy. I'll probably start using the GPS again Thursday if I don't have any after-effects from today.

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Good, RnR!

I'm healed from my Achilles problem, I think. I haven't been using a GPS lately because I get too competitive with myself when I do, but I managed to run farther today than I have since I got injured -- maybe 2.5 miles? Plus a mile or so of walking. No pain. I'm making sure to take it slow and easy. I'll probably start using the GPS again Thursday if I don't have any after-effects from today.

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Em,
Glad to hear your Achilles is better. I hate having niggles. I got in a nice 4 mile recovery run yesterday. It was raining so I had the rail trail to myself. Only passes 2 other people. Legs felt ok, stomach was blechy, but that happens sometimes when I run in the afternoon. it will get better as the weather gets cooler. it was pretty sticky yesterday for running and I was over dressed.

Finally got last Sunday's race results. I placed 5th out of 26 in my age group. Not too bad. If I had run the same time as three years ago, I would have been in second place. Something to work on for next year. I was a min/mile slower. I knew I would be. I was a trail running beast ( well as beastly as an old, slow middle of the packer can be) last time I did the race. Time to find that beast again:)

I got out for another easy, rainy 4 miler yesterday, feeling pretty good and recovered in spite of 2 really hard yoga classes this week. Ready for tomorrow's longish trail run. Ok...off to work I go, time to impart knowledge of noncyclic photophosphorylation to a herd of very smart teens.

That's really good RnR! And the fact that you raced faster before, I'm sure you can get that back!

I'm running about 1 min/mile slower now since my Achilles injury. Really taking it easy but just very glad to be running again. Yesterday I did wear the GPS, and out of my 3.5 mile total, I walked the first .75, then ran 2.5, then walked .25. Felt good! Just happy to be back at it and not even thinking about speed at all. :-)

I actually ran a little today, and nothing is hurting! After yoga, everything (hip, SI, groin) felt good. My intent was to hike on the trail that you can access from my neighborhood. So, I changed my top, kept my capris on, but I did not change into my trail running shoes, just kept my regular shoes on. Got down my driveway, and the urge to run just "overtook" me. Ran down the hill, with a short walk break on the uphill), onto the flat part of the trail. Didn't want to get my nice shoes all mucked up, so I decided to run up to the point where I can hike up a very steep incline, back to the street. This is a trail that I have only gone up or down on, on snowshoes. It is not the same one I have described as being steep. It's even steeper! But, shorter. I ran up as long as I could, started hiking, and actually had to stop for a sec. for a breath. The place where it intersects with the other side, which I usually go up, is probably 20% grade. You can see the street, but it is still a steep climb to it. Just as I crested the top and stepped down onto the street, I was thinking of walking back to the house (it's downhill from here) when a guy on roller skis was coming up on me. I guess peer pressure made me run to my mailbox. Then I walked up my driveway.
No idea how far, I'd say about 2 miles, maybe 1.75. I'm letting myself believe going up that climb counts for more. Will stretch more, use heat on my SI and hope all is well tomorrow. I am going to a conference, so I will be sitting for 8 hours.

Good going, Crankin! I am sure that was some strenuous running, with the hills. I have an almost dead flat path to run on here, just a slight bit of grade. I like it, though, as I seem to be so injury-prone, and running hills, up or down, would seem to make injuries more likely. Hope you don't have any bad after-effects. Just don't do too much, too soon, since you haven't really been running. I have made this mistake before. I am trying to avoid yet another injury by not doing that again!

I don't see a lot of running in my future. But, I often find myself running in the shoulder seasons of fall and spring.
Woke up this morning with my right SI screaming, but this happens quite a bit. I didn't sleep well last night, but got up and did 20 minutes on the treadmill. Combination of walking, hill walking, and running. I did all of my stretching and foam rolling; now at the conference, and I am stiffening up. It's boring, too.

Good Job Crankin!! Sounds like an awesome trail. Sorry about the screaming SI joint. Mine gets cranky sometimes too so I sympathize.

We our longish trail run this morning, just under 8 miles, 90 mins, all single track, mix of hills and twisties. I felt pretty good considering my legs were tired from racing last w/e and from yoga this week. I am working on my nutrition so I took a gel at 35 mins and half a honey stinger waffle 30 mins later. Both sat well. So I consider that to be a win. My stomach is the worst.

I was pretty pumped when I got home. Got cleaned up, ate, did some chores and then we headed out to shop at REI and Trader Joe's. At about 2:15 pm in REI it was like somebody flipped a switch. I looked at Chris my husband and said, I am going down like a stone. I got SO sleepy. So we wrapped it up and drove on home. Now I am ready for a glass of wine and some dinner. And the couch:)

Sounds like a great trail run, RnR. I know that feeling of suddenly just being dead tired. Shopping does it to me, especially after physical exertion. I hope you get some good rest and maybe take a day off to recover tomorrow?

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Originally Posted by emily_in_nc

Sounds like a great trail run, RnR. I know that feeling of suddenly just being dead tired. Shopping does it to me, especially after physical exertion. I hope you get some good rest and maybe take a day off to recover tomorrow?

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I just did a 30 min recovery spin on the trainer and I am going to an easy yoga class at 10:30, so all easy active recovery today.

I miss the Sunday restorative yoga practice I used to go to in Belize from time to time. On a rainy day like today, that would be perfect. Our studio does not have weekend practices. :(

Finally, my first three-mile continuous run since my Achilles strain. Taking it slow and easy to avoid stressing the Achilles (10:54 pace) but felt good. It was a beautiful morning, the first nice one we've had in awhile -- it's been rainy and gloomy for days and days.

Hi guys!
Got in 2 solid runs so far this week. Tues and Thurs. Both days I had a window of time after about 30 mins where I felt absolutely fantastic. Could be that it is cooling off a bit, could be that I took it really easy with yoga the days in between. Not sure, but I will take it! Tomorrow is my lonish trail run. Looks nice and cool so I am excited to go.

I think I am going to back my yoga down a notch while I am increasing my running for my race in May. That may mean practicing at home during the week and only taking a group class on w/e for a few months.

I love my studio, but as you well know, that class is at the whim of the instructor. For example last week I went to an All Levels cool class. Normally challenging but doable. Well the instructor made it "all about balance day." The whole class was lunging, no hands, standing on one leg, lots of warrior III. So not anything I can't handle, but not the best for letting your legs recover between running workouts. My legs were so tired after.

Home practice will allow me more control over time and difficulty. Just for a few months.

I struggle with this too, RnR. Since I'm not racing, I'm hanging in there, but the yoga practice I go to is pretty exhausting on the legs, so with running, I am not sure if the two mesh all that well. Normally I go to yoga MWF and run TuTh and sometimes Saturday before I volunteer at the dog rescue place. I only ride my bike on Saturday, short to the dog rescue, and longer on Sunday, because of the traffic and very limited routes. I have a feeling my running would be better without yoga, and I even wonder if my Achilles problem is due to yoga and not running, which I originally thought. It is still tender, and I occasionally feel a twinge in yoga but not while running.

So, I'm not sure what to do. Since it's so much cheaper to pay by the month for yoga, I hate to go less, and it is so good for my flexibility, especially my back and hips that really need it, as well as upper body strength, which I also really need.

I guess for now I'll just keep on keeping on and see how things go over time.

Glad you're having some good runs! I finally ran a continuous 5K (unofficial) plus walked another couple of miles yesterday, and it was tough mostly because of the heat and humidity. We are having summer-like weather right now and just waiting for the next Norte to bring it down a bit. I also ended up with a blister on my toe...ugh. I wore toe socks, so that must have been the problem since I haven't been wearing those. It's always something!

Just got in from my "long" trail run. We did just under 8 miles. Same as last week. We were joined by a friend for the first half. He is going through a bitter divorce, so he ran behind me and I just let him talk it out. I did not add much to the conversation except and an occasional snot rocket and a reminder that he did not ask for what he is going through.

Second half was a bit brisker pace, just focusing on pacing and nutrition, and not shuffling my feet when I get tired. That is a recipe for disaster.

So a solid training run. I need some more food and a good stretch before I start to wrangle the dust bunnies.

Good going, RnR! I would love to be able to run 8 miles someday. But not in this climate!

It was another sultry morning -- we are having summer in November here. I managed 2.5 miles of running, which was fine, because I don't have much time on Saturday morning. After my run, I have just enough time for a quick shower (today a sponge bath b/c our water was out!), breakfast, change into bike clothes, and ride up to the dog rescue, where I volunteer on Saturday mornings. Was glad to find that the toe blister didn't bother me, nor anything else other than the humidity -- gak! :eek:

Got in a great 5 miler yesterday. Legs are feeling more recovered since I have backed off yoga. That being said my husband's separated shoulder has healed enough to resume mt biking so that will now get added into the mix. So I will just have to keep on eye on my weekends.

Sounds good RnR!

We had a "cold" (make that cool and blustery, for here) front come through, and yesterday it had just stopped raining when I got out for my morning run -- 5K miles at a gentle pace. It sure was easier with clouds and cooler temps! Tomorrow looks like more of the same, though we may see some sun; we'll see. I plan to get out for my own personal "turkey trot" before feasting later in the day. :D

Oh what I would not do for a "cool front". It is so ridiculously warm here right now. Probably 25 degrees above normal. It is just not right. Blech. Anyway. We got in 8.5 on the trails today. My legs were tired from mt biking on Thursday so the entire 1:35 mins was an exercise in separating mind and body. I was pretty shot by the end.

About an hour after we were home, showed and fed, we both realized that if we did not get up and move, the couch would suck us in. So we went out and ran errands for a few hours. I am sure my legs will be tired tomorrow.

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Originally Posted by rocknrollgirl

Oh what I would not do for a "cool front". It is so ridiculously warm here right now. Probably 25 degrees above normal. It is just not right. Blech.

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Somehow I doubt you'd be very impressed by our cool front. The main thing it did for us is bring the dewpoint down from 79-80F to 69-70F. The temps are somewhat lower too, but still 70 to low 80s, but the lower humidity makes it feel so much better. Hope your temps will cool down soon!

I did 3.5 miles running (plus more walking) on Thanksgiving and 2.25 miles running (a little faster) plus more walking today. I am pressed for time on Saturday mornings so have to keep it short, so sped it up a bit and didn't seem to have any issues with my Achilles. Happy about that. I am definitely enjoying being back to the running 3x a week, but next week we're traveling, so I'll only get in one run (Tuesday).

Congrats on your 8.5, RnR; that's great!

Thanks Emily, and good job to you. It sounds like it is coming along. Running takes patience. Slow and steady you go.

I was going to do a 30 min recovery run this morning, but it is raining and since I don't "have to" why get wet? So I think I will eat, grade some papers and go to yoga in a few hours.

I got in three solid runs this week. Monday and Thursday 5 each on the rail trail and yesterday we did an hour trail run, but hard. We had just done 3 weekends of building on the long trail run, so we decided a step down week was probably in order. My foot that I had surgery on last year is barking at me. I feel like it is fighting the orthotic in the shoe. I have an appt with the doc that did the surgery on Wed. It would make sense, the device was made pre-surgery to help correct the problem I had surgery for. It is not the same foot.

I went to the foot surgeon yesterday. I always bring all of my current running shoes with me, so I had a 3 pair of shoes dragging along. I called the collection, the old ones, the wrong ones and my trail runners. he is a HUGE doc for all of the big runners in the area. Olympic athletes, professional athletes, the whole deal. So everyone is always dragging theirs shoes with them.

I pulled them all out, he takes one look at my current shoes and says....What the heck you doing in those? That is WAY too much shoes for you. No wonder your orthotics hurt.

So the good news is my foot is fine. The bad news is I need to ditch my current shoes and go back to my Brooks Ghosts. Lucky for me I found a pair on sale last night. He is also making me another pair of orthotics, so bad news that I had to shell out big bucks for those. He is out of network so I have to pay up front and then fight like crazy to get money back.

Even my surgery, I had to pay a huge chunk up front, and then BCBS deemed it medically unnecessary and we are still fighting to get money back.

But if that is the worst of it, fine. Merry Christmas to me, new orthotics. And I did not resign up for yoga, so that balances out.

RnR, I hate it when a pair of shoes just doesn't work out. I usually turn them into garden shoes. I have many pairs of garden shoes:p

I have not run a step since the 12 hour in mid-October. I have a wee problem that I decided I would just let mellow by taking a break from running. I just started doing some longer (30-minute) walks this week and once I can do these without pain then I will start to run/walk again. It's ski season so once we have a consistent base for skating, I suspect that will take up the bulk of my exercise time. I also got some new backcountry ski gear this year (Merry Christmas to me!) and hope to try out SkiMo. Lots to keep me occupied.

I did sign up for one race next year (in June) but that might be it. I am considering some big life changes and might not have the time and energy to train like normal. Still working through it all.