Beginning to Run Thread

[Crankin]

I am so happy for you! Don't do too much!
I am hoping by the time summer comes, I can try running again. Like you, it will only be on the trails.

[Catrin]

I am so happy for you! Don't do too much!
I am hoping by the time summer comes, I can try running again. Like you, it will only be on the trails.

Thanks Crankin, and I am trying very hard to keep everything balanced without progressing too quickly while getting 2 or 3 days rest weekly (I alternate weeks with 2 days and weeks with 3). I normally do extra lifting on Saturdays (mainly deadlifts and squats), but since we are focusing on max lifts (which for me are the same two lifts since I am not allowed to go overhead) during my group training this month I am doing other things on Saturdays, like interval metabolic training instead.

Looking forward to seeing what my training schedule will be like that I get tomorrow! She is starting it with where I am, and I already know that she will program only 2 days of running a week, at first.

I don't know why it is my uninjured hamstring that tends to complain when I try to ramp up my running too quickly, and not the one I tore a couple years back that you might remember...when Knotted basically bribed me to persuade me to get to the doctor I do listen however, and there have been a few days when I didn't run at all because that hamstring started complaining from the start. It is up high, by the insertion point.

[OakLeaf]

Very nice Catrin!

Yeah boy, for such big stonkin' muscles, it's hard to get into those little hamstring attachments, isn't it? I'll be on the foam roller and even the 6" ball and everything will feel fine, maybe find a couple of little spots with the 3" ball, and then one of my therapists will just barely put their finger up in there and it'll be like YEOW!!

[Catrin]

I hear you Oakleaf! The interesting thing as I can't seem to quite hit that portion of my hammie with any of my tools. Guess it is time to address it with the LaCrosse ball for a bit of tough love. It IS complaining a bit today but I DID set a deadlift PR yesterday...

[Catrin]

I received my running training plan this morning. She is starting me pretty slow and only 2 days a week for awhile, but that is probably a good thing. I want to improve my conditioning, not do too much, too fast and wind up with overuse injuries. Again.

So far, this is the first time in 4 years that I've not spend Jan-March in physical therapy Tired at throwing good money at my shoulder/neck without results and there is nothing new! Woot!!!

[Catrin]

Yesterday we did stair sprints at the end of our group training going session so I skipped the running I was going to do yesterday. I will do that instead this afternoon when I swing by to pick up my new 14 KG kettlebell for my tiny home gym.

On tap for today is a 4 minute run. Coach convinced me that I should back down and ramp more slowly. She has me ramping it up fairly quickly, she just wanted to start my training at a lower level. I am all about avoiding overuse injuries this year!

[Catrin]

Did my prescribed run after our crazy Sunday Funday workout this morning. While my hammie was a bit tight before I started, and that didn't change, it didn't get worse. I DID cut back a bit since the hammie didn't seem to want to loosen up. Between the stair sprints on Thursday, a LOT of squats and kettlebell swings yesterday, and our usual craziness this morning, I think that was a good call. I do feel better every time I run though, now if I can just keep the right balance of work to rest and avoid over-use injuries as I build my conditioning for the spring

Really looking forward to hitting the dirt in my trail running shoes for the first time this year! I am planning on taking my bike with me for a 20 minute victory ride afterwards! If I must limit myself to very short rides then I must - but I will find a way to celebrate those short rides

[Crankin]

Nice, but cloudy day today. DH not feeling that well, so I ventured out to do a run/walk.
I started with Week 4, Day 1 of Couch Potato to 5K, the only reason being that I lost the page with the first 3 weeks of the plan. Basically I did 5 min warm up, 3 minute run, 1.5 min walk, 5 minute run, 2.5 minute walk and then repeat the 3 min run/90 sec walk/5 minute run. Felt great until the second 5 min run, when my lower right back got a little cranky, but no spasms, or real pain. The last 5 minutes were also uphill. Not the big hill, but enough of a hill. I find concentrating on holding my core in and deep breathing helps. I had .99 mile to get back to my house when I was done (only a cyclist would know that), which allowed me to walk up the big hill and then I ran for another minute between the top of the hill and my house. I stretched a lot, used the foam roller, and the heating pad and feel pretty good.

[Catrin]

Sounds great Crankin! We had "warrior cardio" week this past week in group and I wont run after that. This week I will start back where I was, I usually do my run "training" after my group training sessions. Usually that is fine, but not the last week of the month. I think I've a 6 minute run on tap for Tuesday, then on Thursday a couple rounds of "run three minutes, walk 1". Glad you are feeling better after the run!

As for me, I did a 500 kettlebell swing workout this morning, and I think some foam rolling is going to be part of my evening

[emily_in_nc]

crankin, I didn't go back and re-read the thread, but for some reason I was remembering you saying that you were done with running due to all the problems it caused you. What made you decide to try again?

[Crankin]

Maybe because I am stupid?
Seriously, I have been going to Pt every wk or 2 wks since November. I took a couple of weeks off in Dec., and since my ski trip on 2/12 I am trying to see how I do. Been trying to stand up every chance I get, but, it's hard. Doing my stretches, some days, more than others. I guess what I am trying to say is that I've only had one day of what I'd call severe pain in a month and that was one of the days I was Nordic skiing and we were slogging through ungroomed snow. I've found heat works a lot in keeping it relaxed.
Had to sit in an uncomfortable booth in a restaurant last night; but no pain in the morning. I went to boot camp, where it was stiff, but I stretched and used the heating pad before work and it's ok now.
I just want to do little runs when I feel like it; maybe more on the trails in the summer.

[emily_in_nc]

Maybe because I am stupid?

Not stupid! Just stubbo^H^H...persistent -- that's it.

I hope it works out for you and that the pain will go find someone else to pick on -- not another TEer, tho, of course!

[Catrin]

Yesterday after a butt-kicking group training session that featured everything from sandbags to trapbar deadlifts to kettlebell cleans, I felt good enough to take on my prescribed running for the day from my training plan. After all of that work it seemed cheating to only run 6 minutes and walk 5, but that is what my plan called for so that is what I did. Slow, yes, but it felt fine and for the first time my HR didn't break 150 So improvements continue - yayyyy!

[emily_in_nc]

Good going, Catrin!

[Catrin]

I just did the same 6 minute run after my group session this morning, and considering we finished with a metabolic 'finisher' that consisted of a 4 minute bear crawl (hands on sliders, so perhaps more of a plowing motion), I felt pretty good about that. I am also getting really bored with running on the track inside - and I KNOW I can run a lot further on the trail than I can on the inside track. 50's this weekend - though plans will likely keep me too busy for any trail running