Beginning to Run Thread

[Crankin]

Well, I went to boot camp this morning. My back is stiff and I modified some stuff, but I'm in less pain than yesterday. We didn't really do a lot of running, more jumping and weights. So... tomorrow is going to be raining in the AM, when I am free, so I am going to try another run, as I won't be able to ride. I think I will drive to run in the center of town, where it's flat. I can look at the nice Victorian homes and generally motivate myself more without the hills.

[Catrin]

Sounds good Crankin, hope it goes well!

I checked out the running clothing at TE and was very interested to note that PI Amfib tights are also being sold to runners, I had wondered how well they might work for cold weather running! I had wondered if they might be a bit too confining. Then I remembered that my Amfibs were always more comfy than my Midzero tights on the bike.

Trying my best to not spend money on colder weather running gear, I've a broad range of jerseys that I figure I can wear over my smartwool base layer. I DO need some thin wool socks for running in but I think that is all I really need...at least for now.

[Crankin]

I think I will be skipping the running today. Sigh... I am going to do a slow ride with a friend, since my work appointment got rescheduled. My back is really stiff/hurting on the one side that is the culprit. I've been ramping up the exercises from the PT, but I may have to see him to get out of this cycle.
Catrin, everything I wear running can also be worn for the gym or hiking, x country skiing, or just walking. Except for the socks, it all does double duty.

[Catrin]

Crankin - I hope your back feels better soon! That is good to hear about being able to do double duty with everything. It will depend on how cold my asthma will tolerate running if I will need to get a thermal running jacket. My thermal bike jacket is something like 12 sizes too large - it would literally fit 3 of me. That is fine for the bike since I use a hydration pack, but not so much for running.

I had something kind of freaky happen earlier this week related to riding - I may not be riding for a period of time until I get over it - just plain terrified to ride right now. I am SO scared to ride that I think that very fear will cause a problem related to second guessing myself and flinching in traffic. WHAT happened doesn't matter, but I need time to process/deal with it. It isn't like I am able to go on nice long rides anyway right now. So I will focus on what passes for trail running for me and my gym work until I deal with this. At least I've a trainer at home to go along with my Jungle Gym

[Catrin]

Our coach had assigned us some cardio "homework" so I decided to fulfill it via trail running 30 minutes of slow paced running at 2 minutes running/2 minutes fast walk. I am VERY pleased to report that my heel cord is only very mildly aggravated, my knee and Achilles in the other leg are just fine! This time I decided to run all the uphills that fell in my running splits rather than wimping out and walking them, and that went well. I am not talking about very long climbs. My average HR for the entire 30 minutes was only 125, right at the bottom of what I consider my training zone. Felt fine afterwards..and I must admit that lately I've been walking far less than that but he wanted us to put in equal times of less than max effort and something closer to resting.

[Catrin]

I dropped by an LRS today that does free video gait analysis on a treadmill. They confirmed that I do have a neutral stride and the Brooks Cascadias another LRS sold me are a great choice for me. They also showed me the Brooks Ghosts should I decide to get a road running shoe for gym work. Nothing wrong with trail shoes on the road, but of course that will cause them to wear more quickly. I think I need shoes for work before I can justify yet another pair of fitness related shoes...

Anyway, it was nice to have that choice confirmed, though as good as the Cascadias feel I knew they HAD to be the right choice!

Hoping to hit the trail tomorrow, but since they are calling for winds from 25-30 mph tomorrow afternoon I might head to the gym and do some track work instead. I really want to run in the woods tomorrow however so it will have to be pretty bad to run inside tomorrow. I was really heartened by my trail run last weekend, easy and no repercussions I think it is time to start adding a bit of distance and start to track it. If I am going to do a quarter marathon in January then I need to SLOWLY start adding distance, and I do mean slowly...

The LRS noted that one of my feet "toes out" a bit when I run, they said it can either be a tight hip or a leg length discrepancy. It IS the side where my hip is the tightest, so I will continue working on it.

[Crankin]

I ran yesterday for the first time in 10 days. I wanted to go on the trail, but the beginning is full of wet spots and logs, which really slow me down, so I opted for the street. Not that I go fast there! I am sore, but I did my stretching when I got home and this morning, as well as taking a bath in Epson salts. I also noticed a callous developing near my bunion and my feet just feeling not right. I think i need new running shoes; they are 2 years old. They don't look worn, as I mostly use them at the gym, but I have gone through 3 cycles of running for 3-4 months at a time. These shoes (Mizunos)are really perfect for me, so I will get the same ones. Thinking of getting a pair of Aisics cross trainers for the gym work, but I am concerned that the toe box will be too narrow.