The Running Thread - 2016

[LSUlakes]

I am not revising my goal for my race, but I am not brimming with confidence that I will achieve it. I've had shin splint issues the last few weeks and haven't finished my training as well as I'd hoped. I am nonetheless looking forward to my Half Marathon. No matter whether I reach my goal or not it will be a nice update of where my training is and a kick in the rear to correct any issues I am having in reaching my longer-term goals.

Very positive way of looking at it!

Can I ask the board a question related to "coming back from an injury"? Mine is minor. I tweaked my foot running hills during a 10k at the end of April. I rested with no running since that happened and my foot all week has gotten better and better. It's feeling pretty darn good today compared to that race weekend. I did not end up seeing a doctor because it was improving with rest and was never a mind-numbingly painful thing...more of a soreness thing. Sooooo...how do you all babystep your way back into training. Tonight is out because my hubby has his swim triathlon training class. But tomorrow since the weather is nice I could go out on a walk just to see how I feel. My next big race is in July so I have time to ease myself back. I miss running but don't want to be stupid about it. I also NEED new shoes and I think this confirms it...the cushioning I believe is pretty shot.

The answer to your question varies depending on your level of fitness prior to the injury. I would start the first week back a little below your average weekly mileage just to make sure everything is ok. If everything goes well, I would then resume with your normal mileage on week 2, although I would take the pace a little easier than normal. I say this for two reasons. 1. You are still easing back into it, 2. Its a bit warmer outside than it was 6 weeks ago and that difference will slow your pace down a bit as well even with the same effort. If everything is going well, then week 3 resume your normal runs at a steady effort. Hope this helps some.

 

[RunDisneyDad]

ATTQOTD: I can't think of any I regretted, but instead have regretted decisions during many runs...poor pacing at the WDW Marathon, many, many times where the dreaded "low battery" popped up on my watch and I wished I had remembered to charge it, etc.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

The answer to your question varies depending on your level of fitness prior to the injury. I would start the first week back a little below your average weekly mileage just to make sure everything is ok. If everything goes well, I would then resume with your normal mileage on week 2, although I would take the pace a little easier than normal. I say this for two reasons. 1. You are still easing back into it, 2. Its a bit warmer outside than it was 6 weeks ago and that difference will slow your pace down a bit as well even with the same effort. If everything is going well, then week 3 resume your normal runs at a steady effort. Hope this helps some.

I agree with this 100%. 2 weeks is not long enough to have lost much fitness or strength. Test the injury for a week, then get back at it.

ATTQOTD: Yes - a few times, and always because the run produced an injury that cost me other runs. Never because the run was tough or because of a bad run. I get the big picture and know how important those runs are in developing mental toughness.

But I could do without the injuries.

 

[ebradley23]

$90 is not a bad deal if the runs are supported. While I don't mind carrying my own fluids, as the pile of Fuel Belt bottles and belts in my apartment can attest, I find it much easier to have drinks and snacks waiting for me along the way. I love turning a corner and seeing the car waiting for us with ice pops, pretzels, jelly beans, and kinds of other good stuff.



Does Don still run you up to the last lefthand turn before the finish and then congratulate you and send you on your way? That's one of my favorite memories of the race.

There were over 1000 MTT participants last year, so it's not Don any longer. Now they have the MTT broken down into small teams (14 teams with a total of 80 coaches). My team coaches ran the last bit with me before sending me downhill to finish on my own. It was just as memorable considering those guys had been my cheerleaders for nearly 6 months. I'll never forget my head coach running up to me around mile 25 asking how I felt. With a smile on my face, I answered with "I hurt from the waist down." He chuckled and told me that I was doing it right then.

 

[FFigawi]

There were over 1000 MTT participants last year, so it's not Don any longer. Now they have the MTT broken down into small teams (14 teams with a total of 80 coaches). My team coaches ran the last bit with me before sending me downhill to finish on my own. It was just as memorable considering those guys had been my cheerleaders for nearly 6 months. I'll never forget my head coach running up to me around mile 25 asking how I felt. With a smile on my face, I answered with "I hurt from the waist down." He chuckled and told me that I was doing it right then.

1000 people is fantastic! We had 8-10 small teams too (I was on the blue team), but nowhere near 1000 people. They really are the best training group I've ever been around.

 

[opusone]

QOTD: Have you ever gone on a run that you regretted?

Three runs that I can think of:
1. When I was young, I went running when I thought I was over a cold, but I had pneumonia (didn't know it). That run wore me down so much, it took weeks to recover.
2. Got caught out in a thunderstorm once... at the time, I really wished I hadn't gone out.
3. Poor route planning: I picked a trail route once that I thought would be clear of snow/ice, but no... it was a very uneven refrozen landscape that I shouldn't have been on, but I suffered through it anyway. My ankles were sore for quite a while after that one.

 

[Miranda]

I am not revising my goal for my race, but I am not brimming with confidence that I will achieve it.

This is about where I am at. I haven't run longer than 10 miles this training cycle, 3 weeks ago at my race where I strained my calves and started my achilles problem. I did do 6 miles last Saturday and felt fairly good, although I could still feel something in my calf on the uphills. Thankfully the race should be fairly flat.

I got some KT tape to try out, but I have never used it before and I'm not sure what I'm doing. I'll try putting some on tomorrow before I go for a short ~2 mile shakeout run.

 

[FFigawi]

I got some KT tape to try out, but I have never used it before and I'm not sure what I'm doing. I'll try putting some on tomorrow before I go for a short ~2 mile shakeout run.

http://www.kttape.com/instructions/

 

[Miranda]

ATTQOTD: Last year during Tink training there was a run I definitely regretted... it was poor route planning. We had a terrible winter in New England last year, multiple 3+ foot snowstorms. I did the first 2.5+ months of training on the treadmill in the gym, but after doing the 10 mile run in mid-March on the treadmill and dying of boredom (there's only so much Netflix I can stand to watch in 2.5 hours of running plus fuel/bathroom breaks!), I was dying to get outside to do a long run. I was terrified that if I didn't start running outdoors soon, then I wouldn't be trained enough for road running since I'd been treadmilling it all winter. I still had 11.5, 13, and 14 on the plan. The 11.5 run went ok, but the route I planned for the 13 miler ended up going for almost a mile on an unmaintained dirt road in the woods (it did not look like that on Google Maps!) and even though it was April, the snow was still about knee deep in the woods. I waffled with whether to keep going or bail out, but I ended up pushing onward because I didn't want to stop my run and figure out where I was going to add on the extra distance... it would have been probably 2.5-3 miles total I would have needed to re-route. That late in the year, the snowpack was pretty dense and icy, and I didn't actually sink all the way to my knees in many places, mostly just to ankles or mid-shins, but it was still really unpleasant.

 

[Miranda]

http://www.kttape.com/instructions/

Thanks... yeah I watched the video before. I'm a very literal person though so I hear things like "stretch it to 50%" or "stretch it to 80%" and I'm like "how do I know EXACTLY how much that is?!" I'm sure I'll figure it out!

 

[Mimsy Borogove]

Just got back from Tink and catching up (I've started a TR if you're interested, link below in signature)! Good luck to those running races this weekend.

QOTD: If you normally run in the afternoon, but would like to start running in the morning, what are some tips you can share to help with the early wake up and run?

I was always a night owl until I took ornithology in grad school and that one semester turned me into a morning person. However, I still used to run in the evenings and preferred that up until a few years ago when I started pre-dawn running. For me, I like the sense of accomplishment before I've started my day and sometimes with my current job, I'm too zapped at the end of the day to muster up the energy to run, even to de-stress. What I've found echoes what a lot of folks have already said: routine, have clothes ready so you can sleep to the last possible minute, have a running partner meet you, go to bed early the night before.

Oh, and I forgot another tip that can help with morning motivation: if possible, find a group or another person that will be waiting for you.

This.

QOTD: Do you run with a group. Either a structured running group or just friends that have found a time to get together and run? If its a formal group, what is the cost associated with being in the group?

I used to run solo, but a few years ago, I participated in a running camp which provided coaches and placed individuals in groups of others with similar paces. I met my BRF (we ran Dopey together this year) at camp and continued training once the first cycle of camp was over. Camp runs 9-10 weeks, 3 days a week (2 weekdays and long run on Sundays), and costs about $120 per person and includes a tech shirt and discount coupon to the running store. At the beginning of camp, they have everyone do a 2-mile timed run to gauge where everyone is at and the end of camp is structured to fall around either a 2-mile or 5K race so everyone can see how they've improved, which is really encouraging. For me, it also challenged me to do the exercises I don't always like and try to get out of if it's just me, I tend to work harder for my coaches (who are awesome people) than if I'm training alone. And that reminds me to check to see if they're doing one this summer...

Our local running store also does a Wednesday night fun run that is free and very popular with the local running community.

QOTD: Have you ever gone on a run that you regretted?

Never!

 

[michigandergirl]

ATTQOTD: There's only one run that comes to mind that I've regretted. One week before the Disney marathon I needed to get my 8 miler in but the weather conditions were icy & snowy. I couldn't fathom doing 8 miles on the treadmill so outside I went. I ended up slipping on the ice, feet up in the air, and landed on my back and butt super hard. I thought my marathon dream was over. Fortunately by race day the pain and bruising eased up and I finished.

@LSUlakes I think I need to adjust my goal to sub 2:50 for my 25K on Saturday. I must have been feeling over confident or slightly delusional when I said 2:40. I've had some not so stellar training runs recently...

 

[Dis5150]

ATTQOTD: After I had finished it, I regretted running my first real Half Marathon (other first was W&D half of a half) on my injured ankle. I was able to finish but right after crossing the finish line I couldn't even put weight on it. I seriously do not know how I ran that race. I couldn't put weight on it for 3 weeks!

This is the description of my half this weekend. I am terrible with estimated elevation changes! Would you say this is a big uphill climb? How does it sound to you all?

"This route features 5 miles of flat terrain, 4 miles of uphill terrain and 4 miles of downhill terrain. The first 2.75 miles are completely flat as the course follows the waterfront, it then gradually climbs 324 ft over the next 4 miles. Once you reach mile 6.7, its all downhill including a 175 ft drop within half a mile at mile 8.5, becoming mostly flat again at mile 10.7 and staying flat until the end."

My expectations for a good finish time depend on how hilly this is. I was secretly hoping for a 2:45 finish but if it's hilly that probably isn't going to happen.

 

[FFigawi]

No, that's not a big uphill climb. It's a long one, though, at about a 1-2% incline.

 

[Miranda]

324 foot climb sounds like a lot to me although it's over 4 miles so the grade is probably not too terrible. The hill that wrecked my calves in my 10 mile race 3 weeks ago topped out at 125 feet (from a couple feet over sea level), but that was only over 0.5 mile. And I'm sure that isn't even that big a hill but it's much steeper than what I normally run.

 

[Chaitali]

The only runs I've regretted have been after my first half marathon. I hurt my foot during that race, rested 2 weeks after the race and then jumped right into beginning to train for my next half marathon. The foot hadn't fully healed and didn't get better until months later when I fully let it rest for like 4 weeks or so. I wish I had just let it rest more in the beginning and it probably wouldn't have taken so long. I did see a podiatrist and he indicated that I probably wasn't making the injury worse by running but I wasn't letting it heal either.

 

[DopeyBadger]

No, that's not a big uphill climb. It's a long one, though, at about a 1-2% incline.

324 foot climb sounds like a lot to me although it's over 4 miles so the grade is probably not too terrible.

@Dis5150 I agree with these. However, the 175 ft drop in 0.5 mile is a 6.6% downward grade so you might want to be more wary of that. Just make sure to keep good form when going uphill and downhill and you'll do great! All things considered though I'd say you should keep your goal as is. Good Luck!

 

[Disneyland_emily]

Answer: my early nov half last year.. I broke a contact a few days before, put in an old 'standby' and didnt think much about it.. Till race day when after i faded in mile 2 as vision issues made everything 'off enough' but just battled through.. I ended up in a fog that i sat in my car for a good hour trying to get enough balance back, got lost driving home (i knew the way...) and it ended up being a good month before i felt 'normal'.. Had i just done a short run and figurednit out...

 

[PrincessV]

QOTD: Have you ever gone on a run that you regretted?

ATTQOTD: +1 for running on an injury. BAD case of ITBS and ran my first TOT 10-miler anyway - regretted that call by mile 5. It was a looooong 5 miles after that.

Can I ask the board a question related to "coming back from an injury"? Mine is minor. I tweaked my foot running hills during a 10k at the end of April. I rested with no running since that happened and my foot all week has gotten better and better. It's feeling pretty darn good today compared to that race weekend. I did not end up seeing a doctor because it was improving with rest and was never a mind-numbingly painful thing...more of a soreness thing. Sooooo...how do you all babystep your way back into training. Tonight is out because my hubby has his swim triathlon training class. But tomorrow since the weather is nice I could go out on a walk just to see how I feel. My next big race is in July so I have time to ease myself back. I miss running but don't want to be stupid about it. I also NEED new shoes and I think this confirms it...the cushioning I believe is pretty shot.

With 3 weeks or less off, I can usually just jump back in - I'll test a recovered injury with some walking first, then a 30-minute easy run to see how it feels. But new shoes first!

 

[Waiting2goback]

I just finished my Tink recap if anyone is interested
http://www.disboards.com/threads/it...impossible-my-marathon-journey.3500733/page-4
you can scroll to the bottom if you just want to read about the race, the earlier posts are the days leading up to it.

Nice report. Sounds like a good time. I didn't know you a year ago but it sure sounds like you have come a long way in just 1 year. As for being nervous about Goofy, its understandable. If I am able to end up signing up I'll be nervous. I have done both distances before, but never back to back. The training has me nervous and the races do, because I'm sure that marathon will be tough. BUT, it can be done. Just put in the training and you'll be fine.

Don't feel bad about not talking to Keels. I probably wouldn't talk to anyone either if I saw them in a park. I wouldn't want to bother anyone on their vacation.