Beginning to Run Thread

[Catrin]

The weather didn't cooperate with my trail running this weekend, not with cold-air induced asthma So I ran inside again at my gym and chose to hit the treadmill. THIS time, however, I chose to run first, not after a hard workout and my body seemed to have responded to that. My left hammie was much happier with me, so that tells me I probably should continue that trend if I choose to run at the same time I've an intense workout. Granted, my workout Saturday was lighter than usual, but I was focusing on how my hammie felt while running and for the rest of the day.

Walked 5 minutes, ran 7, walked for 5 more minutes on the track. No problems going for that time, though my speed was only between 4.5 and 5 mph. At my level I don't think that unreasonable and I am still focusing on increasing my running tolerance without injury. This week I've a couple of timed repeats for my first run of the week, and for the second I've a 10 minute run on tap. My plan plan still calls for only running twice a week, but that is going to change in a couple of weeks.

My trail run event is on May 31, I would like to be able to run the full 5K by then, but I won't cry if there is some walking involved. Hopefully I can practice the hillier portions of the route before then, but if this winter weather continues...but it HAS to stop sometime, yes?

[Catrin]

I FINALLY was recovered enough from my recent bad asthma bout to break out my trail shoes. I was able to do other things (even with the cough) but I've been unable to run at all in the past few weeks. That changed today

I didn't want to over-do things, so I went back to what I should have done the week I got sick - which called for a 5 minute walk warmup, 3 splits of 3 minutes of running with 1 minute walk, then a 5 minute cool-down. I had intended on going through that cycle two full times but that didn't happen. The first "set" felt fine, and I know I can run more than 7 minutes at a time without stopping so the 3 sets of 3 minutes each were not taxing at all. Then I took the 5 minute walk and prepared to do it again.

I completed the first round of 3 minutes but noticed my legs were getting fatigued. Considering it was my first run in 3 weeks I thought it wise to call it enough for the day. I was pleased to note that my left high hamstring was just fine, unlike previously. Apparently that hammie really needed a few weeks rest to recover

I also noticed that I am getting bored with those same trails. They aren't very long, and apparently I am covering more distance than I realized on those 3 minutes of running. My Endomondo phone app had a little problem with GPS acquisition, but I think I ran a bit over a mile not counting the walking. It is time to expand my horizons, I think if I were on a different set of trails I probably would have run longer - though that may not have been the best idea.

I did break down and buy a Nathan waist hydration pack at the LRS for which I had a gift certificate. THIS is the only one I could find online so it must be a discontinued model. I really like the horizontal orientation of the bottle, it felt supportive and not sloshy at all. It also gave me more confidence about just getting out there and trying different directions without worrying about getting too far from the water bottle in my car.

Unsure what the little "nutrition" bottle is for, gel perhaps? I DO like SKRATCH, perhaps it would be useful for a concentrated mix for longer runs - but I am not running long enough to worry about that right now. That is the only product of that type I've found my body and stomach will tolerate, especially in warmer temps. I might be able to do jerky and dried cherries on the bike, but I don't think that will work for running. Also like SaltStick.

Anyway, the run felt good - and I was excited about actually being able to get out into the woods.

4ish weeks to my Dirty Girl Mud Run, and I've a 5K trail run/race (HAH) on May 31. I don't think I will die

[BikeDutchess]

After many years of swearing that I would never, ever, ever run because running just hurts...I was inspired by two coworkers to sign up for the Disneyland Half Marathon this upcoming Labor Day weekend. A moment of temporary insanity. It was my plan to just walk the entire thing (as coworker #1 had done, only 4 months after getting a coronary stent), with the only goal to finish within the 3 1/2 hour time limit. But as I was starting out with my training, I looked into the Jeff Galloway training program which was on the Disney website. And I thought - surely I can run for 10 seconds at a time, as he suggests for beginners. Plus his training program only has you training only 30 minutes two days a week plus a longer run on the weekend. I should be able to combine that with cycling. So I modified his schedule to work around some cycling events, bought some good running shoes & sports bras, splurged on a Forerunner running watch, and off I went.

I dabbled a bit in Feb/March, and it took a couple of weeks before I felt that running (even 10 seconds at a time) wasn't just painful work. I also had to work through some IT band issues after an intense cycling weekend in March (resolved with hip strengthening exercises suggested by my son who is an athletic trainer), and got on a regular run training schedule by April. I am enjoying this much more than I ever expected! My regular training "runs" are now at 15 sec run / 45 sec walk intervals, and I'm probably ready to increase the run portion. My average pace is certainly not going to break any records, but it is very gradually getting a little faster and on target to comfortably finish the Half within the time limits. And... (drumroll)... I did my first 10K this weekend! Since it was literally all downhill, I was able to do a 30/45 interval consistently (until the very end when I picked it up a bit). I finished in 1:09 (11:14 pace, yay for the downhill!) and felt good (not wiped out) at the end. What a blast that was!

So, a new fan of the Galloway run-walk-run method here! I hope I can keep up the training throughout the summer (heat is an issue for me) and finish the Disneyland Half. It's fun to have a new challenge!

[Catrin]

Sounds like you are having fun! I, on the other hand, keep getting complaints from my hamstring. I think it is due to an ankle flexibility problem as little else bothers it. Giving it a rest for now, and while I am still going to do the Dirty Girl Saturday, I will probably just walk the 3 miles rather than run it. I and my event partner are determined to have fun

[Scrappy]

I am just getting back into running (jogging really) after 2 ACL/Meniscus surgeries in the last 15 months. Like you Catrin, I'm finding that my body hurts more than my lungs which is actually sort-of a nice surprise. Patellar Tendon and TFL pain on the surgical side are the issue. A tendon strap was a HUGE help, as well as massaging the TFL while jogging. It appears that the medial quadracep muscle is very weak and causing my foot to rotate out to the right (duck foot) irritating the TFL and pulling the patella to the outside. Bottom line, long slow process and taking it easy with a break or a brisk walk other day is helping rather than hurting.

Cheers and Tally Ho!
Scrappy

[Wahine]

I am just getting back into running (jogging really) after 2 ACL/Meniscus surgeries in the last 15 months. Like you Catrin, I'm finding that my body hurts more than my lungs which is actually sort-of a nice surprise. Patellar Tendon and TFL pain on the surgical side are the issue. A tendon strap was a HUGE help, as well as massaging the TFL while jogging. It appears that the medial quadracep muscle is very weak and causing my foot to rotate out to the right (duck foot) irritating the TFL and pulling the patella to the outside. Bottom line, long slow process and taking it easy with a break or a brisk walk other day is helping rather than hurting.

Cheers and Tally Ho!
Scrappy

The muscle imbalances you are describing here are really common. Yes your inner quad is certainly weak, working on that will help. What also helps is getting your hips doing what they should be. This article is a bit long but is a really good explanation of what hips things you might need to work on. I really like the way he talks about recruiting your glutes at push-off by thinking about getting "goosed".

[BikeDutchess]

That article was really interesting, Wahine, thanks for posting.

[Scrappy]

Thank You Wahine. I have been practicing the pushoff this week as well as turning my right foot inwardly. The combo seems to be helping a bit, the discomfort has now shifted to the outside of the knee. Sigh..

[Catrin]

Very interesting article!

Wahine, if you see this, is it reasonable for me to assume that ankle inflexibility can cause hamstring issues upstream? I had MAJOR foot surgery in 2004 - ankle ligaments were either torn or so stretched that they were like noodles (my ankle could do tricks you only see in cartoons) and they did a calcaneal osteotomy to correct a congenital problem with how my foot hit the ground. While it took roughly 1.5 years to fully recover and to be able to walk without thinking about it, that ankle is and remains a bit inflexible. Considering everything that isn't a surprise. Frankly I had NO idea what I was getting into with that surgery as far as recovery - which is good as it was very much needed.

I am wondering if this is the case since running is the only thing that causes issues with that hamstring, and only if I run regularly - oddly enough trail running takes longer to cause the problem if it has had time to calm down. Considering all of the other crazy things I do without symptoms I just don't think there is an actual hamstring injury.

[Wahine]

Very interesting article!

Wahine, if you see this, is it reasonable for me to assume that ankle inflexibility can cause hamstring issues upstream?

Yes. People with poor ankle flexibility tend to have problems at push-off. This does 2 things, makes it harder to use your glutes properly and shifts your contact points forward. What I mean by this is the initial contact with the ground is too far out in front and the push-off occurs too soon and not far enough behind the body. In this type of stride, the hamstrings get over-used pulling the body forward over the forward foot at initial contact. There is a shift in where your overall forward movement comes from, making it come more from your hamstrings pulling you forward (kind of) instead of it coming from your glutes pushing you forward.

[Catrin]

Yes. People with poor ankle flexibility tend to have problems at push-off. This does 2 things, makes it harder to use your glutes properly and shifts your contact points forward. What I mean by this is the initial contact with the ground is too far out in front and the push-off occurs too soon and not far enough behind the body. In this type of stride, the hamstrings get over-used pulling the body forward over the forward foot at initial contact. There is a shift in where your overall forward movement comes from, making it come more from your hamstrings pulling you forward (kind of) instead of it coming from your glutes pushing you forward.

Thanks Wahine, I am going to have to think about this but I understand what you are saying. I am going to experiment again with trail running on Sunday and I will see how things go. I have noted that it takes much longer to bother me on dirt. Given the source of my ankle inflexibility, is there really anything I can do to help this? I do a ton of ankle mobility work that has, over time, helped both my ankle and calf out a lot. I will also also try to be mindful of just where that left foot is striking in relationship to my body.

[Catrin]

Tried some trail running today. Between walking/running I covered 1.56 miles in 23:54 minutes...which is really bad but I wasn't doing it for time. I had a deep tissue massage a few hours before and I wasn't about to push things. Hamstring complained at first but it got over it as I started (after warming up) by walking/running 1 minute each. Then my running split gradually increased. But THEN my cranky knee got, well, cranky. It is prone to do that if I've not run for awhile.

During the deep tissue massage she found some adhesions in my foot and found a quite tight IT Band - she said my hammie wasn't all that tight. So back to work on foot, calf, and IT Band. I know what to do and I've been backing off on that since I've not been running much lately. There at the end my knee wasn't complaining near as much so am not really concerned about it - it was just complaining because it was having to do a little work.

The deep tissue massage was very interesting, never had one before. She had a tool to work on adhesions with and what she found in my shoulder wasn't unexpected. What WAS unexpected was how effective she was with some of my neck stiffness/soreness. She was very, very careful with my neck but the results were nothing short of amazing. Pity I can't afford to see her a couple times a month! Now I am off to pour some Epsom salts into a hot bath :-)

[Wahine]

About ankle ROM restriction. It is typical to have ongoing restriction after the type of ankle injuries and surgeries described but by continuing to work on mobility, you will maximize your situation and really, if you have 50% or more of your original ROM, it shouldn't limit your running.

Good job on your run today. Keep up with the massage if you can.

[Catrin]

Thanks Wahine, the information is appreciated. I DID have some high hammie aching last night as I was relaxing on the couch, so will keep working on mobility. This is just something that I will always have to do and that is ok! Movement > No Movement! She also told me my rhomboids on my "bad" side are pretty much scar tissue, most of her work was in that area. I need to figure out how to fit her in my budget!

[BikeDutchess]

An update on my run/walk progress: I was doing pretty well keeping to my training plan until I hit some 9+ mile long runs, when my left hamstring started protesting. Luckily my son was home for a visit soon after that and could evaluate me. He said there didn't seem to be any injury, just overall weak hamstrings, and gave me some strengthening exercises. At the same time I also asked my personal trainer (who is a great runner and also coaches runners) to assess my running form. She gave me several form pointers, including advice to shorten my stride even more (getting at what Wahine wrote about shifting the contact point) and focus on softer landings. It is amazing what a difference just these few tweaks made! I got through my next long run without having to resort to limping the last few miles. My last long run was this morning, just shy of 12.5 miles. My goal for Disney is still to finish within the allowed time of 3.5 hrs, with a stretch goal of 3 hours. If I can maintain the same pace I did today, I'll squeak in a fraction of a second under 3 hrs. Let's hope the lower altitude and flatter terrain will help offset having to deal with the crowd of 12,399 other runners. I'm getting excited about the event!