Fall Running Thread

[rocknrollgirl]

Glad you had such a great trail run. 27 degrees though, eeek!

See now here is where the perfect yogi parts ways....I do not do well in the heat. So I am just approaching my time of year. You will hear me gushing when it is 5 degrees outside. I am a winter girl through and through.

[roo4]

I ran 2 miles through the woods. Beautiful. It was bright and sunny for the first half of the run and then blustery and sleeting for the second part. Still beautiful.

[OakLeaf]

Emily, hope you feel better soon. Both my Achilles are a chronic trouble spot for me, and there are many things I do that help, but I've got to say, the single thing that made the biggest instant difference was switching to zero-drop shoes. I wasn't even really looking for zero-drop at the time, it's just that the only shoes actually shaped like feet are also zero-drop, and I'd had so many problems with pointy toed shoes that I switched to the foot shaped ones almost as soon as they became available, and it was a big surprise how quickly my Achilles responded. General rule, calf muscles can't function in balance if my feet are hitting the ground collapsed or crossed-up. But yeah, TMTS can be so tempting and so damaging ... heal up quick.

RnR, that race sounds like a literal bear! Have fun with your training - sounds like you're all set for the winter, between liking the cold, and having nearby trails! I'm always freezing, myself, between my Raynaud's and my asthma I really can't train below 25°F, but even more than stuff that could actually hurt me, it's just the motivation to pull freezing cold skimpy running clothes out of the drawer and strip off my usual three layers of wool and stiffen up like a board just getting ready to run when it's even in the low 50s outside, perfect weather once I get moving, but hard to get ready for when I've been shivering in the house with blue toes up until then. Bleh.


So, me ... sigh. I posted a little in Thread Drift also. The long version is, back in the summer when I decided I wasn't going to run a fall marathon, somehow my subconscious took that as permission to partay and not even really train for the HM I did plan to run. As soon as I was ready to start hitting it hard again in September, I caught a bad cold and sinus infection that took a big bite out of my fitness and training time. Then this Monday I came home with the beginnings of yet another cold, not a bad one this time, but enough to make me wary of racing considering it came right on top of the last one and my immune system obviously hadn't recovered yet.

As late as Thursday evening I was seriously considering just blowing off this morning's race, especially with cold in the forecast (a full 20° colder than anything I'd run in yet this year). But I started to feel well enough that I decided I'd paid my money, I may as well show up and just have a fun run with 19,000 of the best people in Ohio, but that I'd take it easy and not take any risks of illness or injury. So, I piled all my warm clothes together and got ready for a 4:15 a.m. reveille.

I took a gel about 20 minutes before the start, as I often do, but for some reason it just didn't sit right. Rather than run through the nausea, since I'd decided to take it easy and wasn't chasing any particular goal, I stopped twice with dry heaves. The same thing when I started to feel incipient cramps in my feet and lower legs, I backed off just enough to keep the cramps at bay. And even though I ran more than two minutes slower than my PR, those three decisions probably cost me an age group placing - third place was less than a minute off my time (and a good four or five minutes slower than third place in this AG has been for the past few years). Aaaaugh.

Really though I'm okay with it. I was true to my plan not to hurt myself, to cross the finish line in good shape to kick off training for one more go at Boston. I couldn't have known that I'd have had a shot at an award with the time I was planning to run. Just a darn it, oh well, kind of thing.

Happy fall, everyone!

[OakLeaf]

I've also got to give a shout-out to my new The North Face over-mitts. I went to REI yesterday just to get some chemical hand warmers for pre-race, and found these half price (not on REI's website though, must be sold out in their warehouse). Worn over just regular knit gloves, they were absolutely perfect for a half marathon in 30° weather, even with my Raynaud's. Light and flexible enough that I never felt claustrophobic or clumsy in them as I usually do in mittens; grippers on the palms so that I had no trouble taking fluids from the aid stations; and just the exact right combination of warmth and breathability. They weren't what I went into the store for at all, and if they'd been full price I very likely would've passed, but I'm so glad I found them, and I would TOTALLY recommend them at full price!


Also, is there a snot Olympics? Because if there is, I think I qualified ...

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, hope you feel better soon. Both my Achilles are a chronic trouble spot for me, and there are many things I do that help, but I've got to say, the single thing that made the biggest instant difference was switching to zero-drop shoes. I wasn't even really looking for zero-drop at the time, it's just that the only shoes actually shaped like feet are also zero-drop, and I'd had so many problems with pointy toed shoes that I switched to the foot shaped ones almost as soon as they became available, and it was a big surprise how quickly my Achilles responded. General rule, calf muscles can't function in balance if my feet are hitting the ground collapsed or crossed-up. But yeah, TMTS can be so tempting and so damaging ... heal up quick.

Thanks Oak! I absolutely love my Asics, and I've been running in traditional shoes for years without ever straining my Achilles. That said, I would not be averse to trying zero-drop shoes when the time comes for my next pair. I have heard that they take some getting used to, though, and can cause calf soreness at first so have to be eased into. Did you find this to be the case?

My Achilles is already feeling much better just a little over a week out, so I'm hoping it won't be one of those slow healers like I read about online.

Congrats on your HM. Sounds like you did very well given all the challenges you had leading up to it!

[OakLeaf]

I have heard that they take some getting used to, though, and can cause calf soreness at first so have to be eased into. Did you find this to be the case?

I didn't have any trouble, but I'd been wearing Lems (minimal shoes) for everything except running for at least a year before I got my first pair of Altras, so my ankles were already used to full flexion. I did start with shorter bouts for sure, but I just don't have the patience to run a quarter or a half a mile and then change shoes. It was more like two or three miles at a time, at first.

Glad you're starting to feel better.

[roo4]

I was sidelined by a persistant hamstring problem, but I've been doing short, slow runs on the rail trail. The weather is spectacular, the trees are gorgeous, and I wish I could be out there longer. I guess that is what dog walks are for.

[yellow]

Emily, eccentric heel drops have saved me from chronic Achilles issues more than once. I try to do them on a regular basis now. I have chronically tight calves from being a forefoot/toe runner that runs up mountains a lot, and this leads to a cranky Achilles every now and again.

Oak, half the battle (OK, maybe more than half) is just getting out there. Nice work.

I did my last race of the year over the weekend. Time to do something else now (let it snow!). This race was my first experience with a timed event. Originally I nuttily thought I might do 24 hours but actually got smart for once and opted for the 12 hour event. I took it pretty easy, didn't really have a goal (I went to do the race with a friend who is new to trail running and new to ultra running so I wasn't really there to race). Tiny, local event in Morristown, Tennessee. Great weather, great organization, super fun crowd, and pleasant rolling course. I ended up doing 59 miles in 12 hours. I had time for one more lap but just didn't feel like it. I'm pretty happy with the result considering I didn't even think or feel like I was racing. It's all about who shows up and how many show up. I won the whole shebang. I'm pretty sure that is the first and last time in my life that will happen. My friend did great--her longest run ever (and she is already talking about her next race in November). And I had a great visit to Tennessee and North Carolina. The weather was beautiful and the hard cider was tasty.

Come December I have to start thinking about running again since many of the race lotteries open on Jan 1. I'll just read about all of you running until then!

[OakLeaf]

For myself anyway, it's just as important to do the concentric (raise) phase one-legged and without hanging onto anything (fingertips for balance if needed) - that sets up good alignment in my feet and calves, that I don't get if I just get onto my tiptoes however and then try to do the lowers. YMMV.

Yellow, great work!!! Congratulations!

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, eccentric heel drops have saved me from chronic Achilles issues more than once. I try to do them on a regular basis now. I have chronically tight calves from being a forefoot/toe runner that runs up mountains a lot, and this leads to a cranky Achilles every now and again.

I've actually been doing these since I got injured. Google was my friend and I found this very site online! Thanks, though. They don't hurt at all and actually don't feel like I'm doing much of anything, but perhaps they are helping. We do a lot of toe raises and calf stretching in the 3x a week yoga practice I go to, tons of downward dogs (and I can always touch my heels to the floor, no problem), so I am not sure that tight calves is my issue. I think I was over-striding in my first attempt at speedwork. Coupled with the many, many stair climbs I have to do daily because of where we live, I think it was just too much.

Congratulations on your race. I can't even begin to fathom 59 miles. You are amazing!!!

[emily_in_nc]

I didn't have any trouble, but I'd been wearing Lems (minimal shoes) for everything except running for at least a year before I got my first pair of Altras, so my ankles were already used to full flexion.

I might be okay, then. I never wear anything with a heel (haven't for years) and live in flat flip-flops here. And in yoga, we do lots and lots of calf stretching. I am quite flexible there, no problem with downward dog or any of the other moves requiring full flexion.

I did a little research and saw that there are some shoes that have 4-6mm drop (my current shoes have 11mm, I also discovered), so something in the moderate range but not zero drop might be a good compromise when it's time to buy my next pair of running shoes. I have narrow feet so always have a bit of trouble finding shoes that work well for me. Current shoe is Asics GT-2000.

Thanks!

[OakLeaf]

I get a lot of benefit from focusing on the same foot placement cues that we get in yoga, while I'm running. Four corners of the feet (or three, whichever way you're used to - though for me, thinking four corners sets up better forefoot-to-hindfoot alignment rather than just letting the heel point however), suck in the arches, second toe straight ahead. It's not easy for me, trying to bring studio cueing to 90 spm, but I think that's a lot of what's helped me avoid and heal from injuries.

And when all else fails, kinesio tape in a simple wishbone pattern - I'll try to find a link to how I tape mine.

ETA - this isn't exactly how I do mine, but pretty close. I would emphasize, keep the ankle in full flexion and in good alignment (not pronated or supinated) while applying it, zero stretch, and definitely round off the corners at the proximal ends too (closest to the knee), those are the ends that start coming off first.

[roo4]

Oakleaf, that sounds like a rough race, but a good attitude. A friend of mine once said that the joy and accomplishment of running races should be found in the training that leads up to the race. The race, then, becomes a surprise...hopefully a bonus on top of the training, sometimes great and sometimes not.

[OakLeaf]

Thanks! Hope your hammie heals up soon. Glad you're able to get out for a little, anyway.

[rocknrollgirl]

Just got in from the Tuesday long( ish) , easy run. Just 6.6 today on the rail trail as easy as I could keep it. My legs are pretty tired from this past w/e, so I just tried to let my mind drift away and keep on trudging. The weather was not too bad, a tad warmer than I like but no humidity and we were in the shade. My husband ran with me the whole time today, so the company was nice. Most days he warms up with me and then takes off at his own pace.

My stomach has been cranky on my after work runs, so I have been experimenting with taking a pre-run snack about an hour before. Today I wore my running pack and had water and a gel half way, and it seemed to work. At least for today. My lunch is at 10:15 am and we usually do not run until almost 4, so I think the extra crankiness is because it may be too empty.

I just got dinner in the oven ( stuffed peppers) so now it is just a matter of trying not to eat my show while I wait.