Running into the New Year! Week of New Year's.

[Jolt]

Getting into it slowly is definitely a good idea. Have you made sure you're in the right shoes? That can make a difference too. And if you've had IT band issues (even if they weren't from running), be careful about doing too much downhill running too soon and make sure to stretch that area thoroughly.

[emily_in_nc]

Crankin, your speed is just fine! I am happy with a ten-minute mile, and I've been running for nearly a year now. In Chi Running, the author says that speed is the last thing to work on (after form and endurance), so I am taking his advice to heart -- I don't ever plan on winning any races; I just want to be fit and healthy and keep my heart and circulatory system in good working order. Even "slow" running will do that just fine! And John "The Penguin" Bingham has done amazing stuff running at a slower pace, including many marathons.

Today I finally got back to the gym after a 2.5 week break over the holidays. Ran 3.25 at a 5.5 mph pace. I purposely took it easy since I wanted to ease back into it after time off. Over the holidays I did take lots of walks, pulled plenty of lines (on our sailboat), and did a little Pilates, but no "hard" cardio, so it felt good to sweat today!

[Crankin]

Yes, I learned about the pain of running downhill when I first moved to my house. So, I have the perfect situation: walk down the hill as a warm up for 1/2 of a mile and walk back up the same hill as a cool down.
Jolt, my shoes are fine. I bought a pair of good shoes back in 2003 and then in 2006 I replaced them with the same ones. God, I am having a mental block, but I went to the running/sports store that is in Chestnut Hill because I got a $100 coupon when I did the Seacoast Century. After trying on several other brands, I settled on the same ones. They haven't been used much, except for some walking on the road in the good weather. Usually I walk in my trail runners in the winter or if I am hiking in the local woods in the summer.

[OakLeaf]

I wonder if www.Mapmyrun.com works in other countries?

It works in Italy... and just out of curiosity I looked, and there are maps for Japan as well, including routes that people have uploaded.

Do you have a GPS you can upload the routes to? I would worry about not being able to read signs, too! Sounds like great fun! My sister spent two years in Japan on a postdoc and loved it.

[Jolt]

No running for me today since I ran yesterday. I did some of the exercises from the new book along with a few other glute exercises since I know that area needs work. Might be sore tomorrow...

[Grog]

Went for 20 minutes in the snow/slush/rain/ice.

Sort of fun.

[OakLeaf]

I did that ladder workout I'd been saving, only it turns out when I entered it into my GPS I left out the rest after the 1:00 interval, and it was beeping at me to go right into my :30 interval without any rest. Twice, since there were two repeats down the ladder. Oh well. Fixed for next time.

I didn't feel especially strong during the workout, but it wasn't too bad, and I've felt really great all day. I suppose I ought to try harder to drag myself out for a run in the morning more often instead of stewing about it all day. But there is that little problem with the tides if I want to run on the beach....

[OakLeaf]

Oh yeah, also when I was running yesterday, the understanding finally came to me of how brifters work!

I don't remember now, but it must've been in a meditative state during one of the recovery segments, because I wasn't running the intervals hard enough to have visions.

It doesn't make me feel any more confident about trying to rebuild one, but it's a huge step of understanding from where I was yesterday morning...

[Jolt]

I went to the Y and ran on the treadmill today since the weather was so rotten here. The inside-back of my left knee started bugging me so I wrapped up after 15 minutes on the treadmill. Then I went to the indoor track upstairs and ran barefoot for about 5 minutes since that was a little experiment I wanted to try. It felt really good and for some reason I went a lot faster than I normally run. However, after I finished stretching I went down the stairs to leave the building and felt a twinge in that @#*! left IT band area with each step down! Really fairly mild, but I am not a happy camper!! I think the treadmill running is probably what did it given that this is when I was having discomfort during the run (shame on me for not getting off it and onto the bike or something as soon as that started). So now I am taking Aleve and icing to bring down any inflammation, going over the entire left leg with the Stick to try and loosen up anything that needs loosening up (I'm wondering if something on the inside is tight--it did seem that way when I stretched tonight--and that's why the inner part started hurting first and then that was pulling things out of alignment and aggravating the outside), rolling on a ball on the floor for the TFL to keep it loosened up/get rid of the trigger point it seems to have, stretching, going back to doing my glute exercises daily, and taking a few days off before I attempt to run again. This is frustrating. I thought I had beaten this but maybe not quite yet. And the fact that the discomfort starts on the inside/back of the knee is strange. Anyone have any more tips?

[kelownagirl]

I'm back it again. Been running off and on all fall but now I'm 'in training again. January's goal is simply base training. 3 runs a week. 12-15km total. One long run every 2 weeks. Long for me is anything over 5km.

[Urlea]

Ran a little over 5 miles before 6:30 this morning with the running group.

Good news is I was able to stay within 50-75ft. of the 7mile group this time (either I was the only 5 miler or they were behind me) until they split off into a different residential loop. After that group split it was a little harder knowing the pace I was running, but overall it was decent.

Jolt- Sorry to see that you had a painful run. I don't really have much advice, but to take it easy & try not to get discouraged. You will beat this.

[Jolt]

Well, the good news is going down stairs does not hurt today so I think the aggravation last night was pretty mild (plus I have been icing and taking Aleve just to be safe). Basically I am throwing everything at it that I can think of. I'm thinking it is a matter of stretching things and getting the glutes stronger (and maybe retraining myself to use them more) so they do their share of the work; I can feel that the left glutes don't seem to be activating as much as the right and I think that is why I have had the problem and why I still just feel "lopsided". Maybe some rollerblading (at a rink, of course) would help with that, along with the exercises I'm doing from PT. Looks like I need to put some junk in the trunk (which on me would be a good thing)! Tonight I will be swimming--one of the other lifeguards at the Y where I sometimes work is doing swim workouts twice a week for whoever wants to participate. It will be sort of like being on swim team again.

[Jolt]

Ouch!! Maybe I should stay off the indoor gym track...did you alternate directions, or was the whole run going one way?

[Crankin]

Hit the treadmill again today. 31 minutes, 2.54 miles including warm up. I was able to run consecutively for 5 minutes at 5.5, 4 minutes at 5.8 (twice), and 2 minutes at 6.0, with another minute at 6.0 after a walk interval. The walking was done at 4.2, some at a 3% incline. I was wiped... it's like I have never exercised a day in my life.
Then, I made the mistake of going to a "Core and More" class. I've been to this a couple of times, always with a different instructor. It's 30 minutes and I thought it was a good thing most of the things are done in a lying down position so the others can't really watch. Plus, it's right in the middle of the fitness center. Today's instructor used lots of props and did so many reps I wanted to kill her! The other students all looked older than me (60's) and in worse shape; I had to modify a few of the abs things because it hurts my neck to do abs work with my neck unsupported.
I feel fine now, knees and groin still OK with the running, but I will sleep well tonight. I am looking forward to spin class tomorrow as I know I won't feel like keeling over!

[Deborajen]

Syndirelah, I did the same thing a year and a half ago. It was the first time I'd run on the track and I did 6 miles. Took a break every 15 minutes to drink some water and shake my legs out but it wasn't enough. I know other people who run on the track all the time and don't seem to have problems - I guess not everyone can do it.

Deb