Official 2011 Princess Half Marathon Thread - Link to new thread Post 3703!

[Benducci]

I am bummed- the weather here is awful, pouring rain. I don't belong to a gym so I am stuck doing nothing- any simple exercises that someone can suggest I can do at home? Thanks!

 

[Cripey]

Best to let the blister subside naturally.......


Not being one to do that - I tend to mess with the nail just enough so the blister will pop and the pressure released. There is not a real sanitary method to keep the former blister pocket sanitary so use something like polysporin along the quick for a few days to help keep infections down.

Yes, no matter what you have donated a toenail to the running gods. It will leave in about 4-6 months, depending on how you body grows nails.

EWWWW! Is this normal...something I can expect as my training progresses? Oh man, I hope not. I am very much addicted to pedicures and open-toed shoes...I think I'd freak if I lost a toenail! Is there anything one can do to prevent this?

 

[cewait]

Benducci-

Whatcha got in at home?

Jump Rope?
A step or other platform?
A couple cans from the pantry
Stretch bands?
A space on the floor?

With a little imagination you can create a makeshift gym. If you have a rope, then jumping rope for 30 minutes is an excellent cardio workout. If you have stairs or a step stool for reaching things up high, do some step ups on the stool. Lead for a minute with the right leg then follow the next minute with the left leg. Keep repeating - stay conversational. Carry a couple cans as you do the steps. You can use the cans and do a few arm curls while stepping up, shoulder presses, and tri extensions. Stretch bands may be a stretch but you can use them for resistance training. Finally, everyone hates this but you can do pushups and situps on the living room floor.

ADDED
If you find nothing take this rain day and go to Dick's or other sporting goods store and purchase a set of elastic bands for rainy day use.

 

[cewait]

EWWWW! Is this normal...something I can expect as my training progresses? Oh man, I hope not. I am very much addicted to pedicures and open-toed shoes...I think I'd freak if I lost a toenail! Is there anything one can do to prevent this?

#1 way to avoid is through properly sized shoes with a nice toe box. Generally you would want shoes about a half size large. You want to lace so your limit the slip in the heal but not drive the foot forward.

However, even with the best of care, you will end up with a mangled nail at some time in your career if you pursue longer distances. I am sure there are folks who have never lost a nail but I would say most of us have, at least once. Think of it as a badge of honor.

 

[Rupert B Puppenstein]

EWWWW! Is this normal...something I can expect as my training progresses? Oh man, I hope not. I am very much addicted to pedicures and open-toed shoes...I think I'd freak if I lost a toenail! Is there anything one can do to prevent this?

Go to the running store in the afternoon (our feet swell most in the afternoon) that way you can get shoes that fit you with enough room. It also depends on how you run but most people I know never lost a toenail with a half marathon distance. I am the odd one in that traditionally, I wear the same size regular shoe as I do for running. But, it seems to change based on brand. Nike are always true size for me. Which is fine with me.

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Laurie~How did your 11 miler go?

Oh thank you for asking! It went awesome and you can read my blog about it here:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3562468

 

[HockeyKat]

I need someone to talk me through losing a toenail. I have a wonderful blister up under one of my toenails, and I am sure I will lose it eventually. It hurts pretty bad. Should I pop the blister to release some of the pressure? I know blisters are self contained vessels that shouldn't be popped, but the pressure under the nail is growing.

I have had the same problem, the second toenail on my right foot.

I know, and agree with coach, that you should let it subside naturally.

Warning: Squeamish should skip the next part!

That being said, I took a needle, dipped it in peroxide, and drained it. This process needs to be repeated a few times a day as it will puff back up.

My toenail is gray and has some debris under it, but so far is hanging on. Dark toenail polish is a wonderful thing.

 

[disneyaway]

I have a lot of catching up to do from this weekend. I will have to read and post later.

But I have a quick question: can a different treadmill cause injury/pain? Went to Napa this weekend and worked out on their treadmill, which seemed an older moder. I only went three miles and didn't go any faster than I normally do( which isn't fast at all anyway). But for the last two days, my knees and shins have been killing me. I get these intermittent sharp shooting pains down my shins and my knees, esp my left, just ache. I don't know if it's the treadmill or something else. I didn't really walk a whole lot more in Cali than I normally do.

I decided to give up my workout for today and probably tomorrow. I am just planning on sticking an ice pack on my leg. if anything, I was thinking of doing some yoga, either a tape or the Wii.

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

I had a mixed bag weekend, myself. 5k race on Saturday went stunningly well. 27:47, which was a PR of 1:29 for me, and a huge PR pace wise. The course was very hilly, including one very steep incline for about .25 miles, which I charged right up.

Unfortunately, I did a little too much work on Saturday, because I was unable to do a LR yesterday, which really killed my mileage for the week. Ended up with 15.7 rather than 26. Grrr. And now it’s pouring buckets today, so I’m not sure exactly what my new plan is for this week. VERY frustrating, with less than four weeks till the Philly RnR.

 

[jenn-]

Go to the running store in the afternoon (our feet swell most in the afternoon) that way you can get shoes that fit you with enough room. It also depends on how you run but most people I know never lost a toenail with a half marathon distance. I am the odd one in that traditionally, I wear the same size regular shoe as I do for running. But, it seems to change based on brand. Nike are always true size for me. Which is fine with me.

Just FYI, my shoes fit perfectly fine. I worked shoe sales for nearly 3 years, so I am pretty good at sizing myself. I already use the tying method for anchoring the heel back and down, as I have a narrow heel and a wide toe area. I just have a feeling I will be one of those that will deal with this as my distance increases.

 

[jenn-]

I have had the same problem, the second toenail on my right foot.

I know, and agree with coach, that you should let it subside naturally.

Warning: Squeamish should skip the next part!

That being said, I took a needle, dipped it in peroxide, and drained it. This process needs to be repeated a few times a day as it will puff back up.

My toenail is gray and has some debris under it, but so far is hanging on. Dark toenail polish is a wonderful thing.

That's what I ended up doing. The pain was increasing. It hurt worse after DH drained it for a bit. Now, it is feeling a little better. I will watch for it to puff back up.

 

[HockeyKat]

Just FYI, my shoes fit perfectly fine. I worked shoe sales for nearly 3 years, so I am pretty good at sizing myself. I already use the tying method for anchoring the heel back and down, as I have a narrow heel and a wide toe area. I just have a feeling I will be one of those that will deal with this as my distance increases.

Mine do too, wide toe box, extra half size, etc.

I read somewhere that as well as the too-small shoe cause, another cause of the toenail issue can come from the pressure under the bottom of the toe, from all of the time on your feet.

 

[jenelope]

I ran my first 5K yesterday. Running-wise, it went pretty well. I finally understand what people mean when they say, "Race day adrenaline will make you run faster and not get as tired." I tried to stick with my regular 2:1 running intervals, but I was running with my niece and she started her running track before I did, so we were off by about 15 seconds. For a while, we were going by her's, but then she accidentally hit the rewind button and it got pretty confusing. It was confusing enough already, because even though we had been standing less than 100 yards from the starting line since 10 minutes before the 5K started, we somehow managed to miss the start and ended up starting 15 minutes late. By that time, not only was there no start timing person there, we couldn't find the pack and none of the police or volunteers knew the route well enough to tell us where to go. At that point, we almost quit, but decided to just use my Nike+ to figure out the distance and run where we thought the route was. We passed some of the 5K runners approaching the finish line and one lady very helpfully recommended we run the route backward using the other runners as a guide. We did that for a while and eventually found some directional arrows which got us back on track.

Unfortunately, not knowing the route caused a number of problems. First, we had to keep stopping and asking for directions, which messed up the pace quite a bit. Second, I'm sorry to report we didn't run the whole 5K. The Nike+ put our final distance at 4.3 km, which disappointed me quite a bit because I feel like I haven't run a 5K race yet. We did, however, run down the rather steep hill approaching the finish twice and ran up it once! So that felt pretty good. Third, since timing didn't pick up our 15 minute delay for the start, my official finishing time is 51:16, which I would have been happy with in January, but is just not gonna cut it now!

Apparently, there were several people who got lost even running with the pack and some people ended up running an extra half mile. This was the first year for this particular race, so they probably have some kinks to work out. At any rate, they had 411 runners total and raised money for Special Olympics and I had a pretty good run with my niece. Overall, I'd call that a win. There's a 5K about ten miles from my house on September 12, which is the next weekend my training plan has scheduled a 3 mile run. I plan to register for it and call that my "first and a half" 5K.

After the race, my sister and her partner told me that although they wouldn't be able to go to WDW for my trip, if I was amenable, they'd send my niece with me *and* register her for the half marathon. I tend to be a lot more relaxed when I run with my niece, so I am absolutely amenable to that! She'll be 14, which is the minimum age for the half, and I am concerned about what running at that distance might do to her body. However, she's joining the cross-country team at her high school this fall so that should help build her skills and she'll have a whole family of "mother hen" types watching over her and making sure she's running at the appropriate level for her age. I, for one, have been reading lots of articles on young teens and distance running.

 

[dumbo_buddy]

I ran my first 5K yesterday.

nice job on the 5k! ok, so it wasn't the full 5k but it was pretty darn close AND you kept going even though you were off the path - go you!!! keep it up! and how great is it that your niece will join you!

I had a mixed bag weekend, myself. 5k race on Saturday went stunningly well. 27:47, which was a PR of 1:29 for me, and a huge PR pace wise. The course was very hilly, including one very steep incline for about .25 miles, which I charged right up.

Unfortunately, I did a little too much work on Saturday, because I was unable to do a LR yesterday, which really killed my mileage for the week. Ended up with 15.7 rather than 26. Grrr. And now it’s pouring buckets today, so I’m not sure exactly what my new plan is for this week. VERY frustrating, with less than four weeks till the Philly RnR.

nice work on the 5k! where was it? sorry about not getting your LR in but you've been training hard and i bet you'll be great for the race in philly!

the weather is nasty, isn't it? yuck!

Oh thank you for asking! It went awesome and you can read my blog about it here:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3562468

great job! great report! how do you log your splits and calories burned? do you have something you use to run with? or do you just calculate it? and nice having your hubby along for the ride!!! woohoo!

****

this morning i took the baby jogger out and prayed that the rain would hold out. i did my 3 miles around suny maritime and it was SO WINDY. wound up running it in 40 minutes which is slower than when i jog without the stroller but i felt like i was really pushing during this run since i was running against the wind for most of it!

things i'm nervous about: my long run so far has only been 4 miles. well, the 2 and 3 miles i've been doing during the week have been hard! doesn't really seem like they are getting easier. how am i going to triple my mileage??

 

[Benducci]

Benducci-

Whatcha got in at home?

Jump Rope?
A step or other platform?
A couple cans from the pantry
Stretch bands?
A space on the floor?

With a little imagination you can create a makeshift gym. If you have a rope, then jumping rope for 30 minutes is an excellent cardio workout. If you have stairs or a step stool for reaching things up high, do some step ups on the stool. Lead for a minute with the right leg then follow the next minute with the left leg. Keep repeating - stay conversational. Carry a couple cans as you do the steps. You can use the cans and do a few arm curls while stepping up, shoulder presses, and tri extensions. Stretch bands may be a stretch but you can use them for resistance training. Finally, everyone hates this but you can do pushups and situps on the living room floor.

ADDED
If you find nothing take this rain day and go to Dick's or other sporting goods store and purchase a set of elastic bands for rainy day use.

Thank you!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

You should also try to run in the rain, if it's not thundering and/or lightening. You never know what conditions will be like on race morning, and it's great to have practice in all types of weather.

 

[MamaCrush]

You should also try to run in the rain, if it's not thundering and/or lightening. You never know what conditions will be like on race morning, and it's great to have practice in all types of weather.

Very good point. I had never thought about that...

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

great job! great report! how do you log your splits and calories burned? do you have something you use to run with? or do you just calculate it? and nice having your hubby along for the ride!!! woohoo!

I wear my trusty Garmin Forerunner 305 every time I run. Its the best piece of running equipment (other than shoes) I own. Love it!

 

[MamaCrush]

Oh thank you for asking! It went awesome and you can read my blog about it here:

http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3562468

Love your blog, Laurie! Thanks for sharing your progress!

 

[need_a_Disney_fix]

Love your blog, Laurie! Thanks for sharing your progress!

Thank you so much! I blog every single training run...even the easy 2 mile recovery runs in this blog. Its my running diary and I do refer back to it from time to time.