Running! 6-18-07 to 6-24-07!

[tattiefritter]

HappyAnika,

tha's basically what I've been doing. I use products from these people (no connection, just grateful muscles):

http://www.tptherapy.com/quad%20baller%20.php

I use the quadballer to roll my quads on and my IT band (they have demos on the site) though I feel like a bit of a contortionist when doing it. I also use the little ball thing to pinpoint other areas and to roll across the IT band - it hurts like hell. The ball thing is "good" got the piriformis too. It is almost like a human thumb but is not as good as a proper massage but good to use inbetween massages. I also have the footballer for my calves which is good for the achilles but I find myself using the little ball more as its easier to pinpoint certain areas.

The TP site has lots of pictures on how to tackle various muscle groups with the ball and the roller, the little ball is definitely the most versatile and I'm sure a tennis ball is a reasonable stand in.

[KSH]

1h 35m
8.01 miles
11m 52s /mile

8 Miles from House - Climb: 253.00 feet

I was going to run at the lake, but I saw rain on the radar, and it had already poured down rain once.

So, I decided to go home and run around where I live.

The first 4 miles were pretty good. Lower legs were tight, but it was doable.

The last 4 miles and really the last 2 miles were torture. My left calf started cramping up, and I walked some. I finally got back to running and pushed through till the end.

It wasn't pretty, but I got it done.

[HappyAnika]

Thanks for the info and the link, Tattiefritter. (And I'd like to take the opportunity to say I think your avatar looks like a seahorse. If you look to the side of it and you see it indirectly, the shape of you on your bike with the shadow looks like the shape of a seahorse, I think its cool).

Anyway, tempo run this morning, 10 min slow warm up, 25 min tempo, 5 min slow. First 5 min at faster pace felt like crap, but I got over it and was feeling great. Knees were back to their minor protesting after last week's hiatus, but it could have been the pace.

[colby]

This week, I've done a lot of riding, but not a lot of running, just one day. Bad colby, bad! It's great to be on the bike, though. My run was just 4 miles. I have a sprint tri on July 15th, otherwise I'm going to try to scope out a HIM for September before I transition to marathon training.

This weekend is IMCdA (about 10 miles from my house). It's going to be hard not to sign up, but I just don't know if I'm ready for that kind of commitment. I would need to put in the miles, increase my bike average, change my schedule around... but it would REALLY put purpose to my winter/spring! Le sigh...

[colby]

Sounds very similar to the lower leg pain I get. It's not exactly on the shin, but on the inside of the leg... a vertical 2-3 inch strip.???

I get that pain, and really tight calf muscles.

I haven't found a solution for fixing either pain. Ice seems to help on the inside of the legs... and not running too fast. Faster running tends to make my pain flare up more.

I've had the same problem with the shin pain, to the point that it's tender to the touch, especially after long distances. Acupuncture did seem to help, but it was reoccurring. Going to check out Wahine's stretches...

[Jolt]

Don't know the distance, but did a 1hr 10min run on the Midstate Trail this afternoon (the section that goes through Westminster, MA). That's quite a bit longer than I usually run; I normally do 30-40 minutes. I definitely enjoyed it! I did take a digger at one point due to not paying attention for a few seconds; not even any root or rock there, just plain tripped, like a klutz! Fortunately the only damage was a bit of a bruise at the top of my right knee and a tiny scratch on my right shoulder (plus a bruised ego, but at least nobody witnessed the wipeout), and at least there was no poison ivy where I landed (though there was some on a part of the trail that goes through tall grass, so I guess if I have any itchiness around my ankles tomorrow I'll know why). See, you don't necessarily have to be on a bike to crash!!