The Running Thread - 2016

[MommaoffherRocker]

ATTQOTD: I also have a rescued pit bull that likes to chase little furry critters so running with her is out. But we have been thinking about adding another dog to the family. I have been researching dogs that are good to run with and we might be getting a blue heeler soon.

@Waiting2goback I am sorry to hear that you have to go through that, I'll be praying for a speedy recovery for you!

 

[Miranda]

I have been researching dogs that are good to run with and we might be getting a blue heeler soon.

Beware, that is what Penny partly is... Australian Cattle Dog, although she's more of a Red Heeler mix. Although she looks more like a straight dingo than an ACD. They have crazy energy.

 

[disneydaydreamer33]

I have a almost 6.5 year old Bichon (omg, is he that old already??!) that I REALLY wish I would have trained properly. He's pretty stubborn. How is the training going?

I think it's going OK. The first few days I wanted to pull my hair out, because she would not move an inch when I put her leash on her. I started dropping bits of treats along the path and that seemed to help her get the concept of actually walking forward when the leash is on her. I've only gone on like 15 minute walks with her and she has a lot to learn still!

 

[roxymama]

unfortunately I am not fast enough to get a pie, you have to finish under 20 mins for men and 24 mins for women

I don't know how I feel about this. This makes me quite sad to hear. I'd try to steal someone's pie, but I fear they'd all be too fast for me to catch.

 

[Kathymford]

I think it's going OK. The first few days I wanted to pull my hair out, because she would not move an inch when I put her leash on her. I started dropping bits of treats along the path and that seemed to help her get the concept of actually walking forward when the leash is on her. I've only gone on like 15 minute walks with her and she has a lot to learn still!

Good luck! The only thing mine knows how to do is groan at me when I don't notice that he's put the ball at my feet. He loves fetch. Like loves. And he sleeps on a pillow like a human. LOL.

 

[LSUlakes]

Decided on my next two 5ks. July 4th Run Wild 5k and August 22, Twilight Classic. The Run Wild race starts/finish at the St. Arnold Brewery in Houston Texas. Extremely high chance of a post race beer and glad it will be a craft beer and not a Light beer!

 

[huggybuff]

I'm pulling for you @Waiting2goback !

So since I've started running again I've noticed my pace has improved by almost a minute per mile. And my legs still feel heavier than bricks right now as they get accustomed to running once again. I feel like I'm going slower than ever even though I'm going faster. Weird. Less than a month until my 5K and I don't know if the BFF is going with me. She hems and haws until the last minute. It would be nice if she walked it for her own health but selfishly I just want some support.

 

[Kathymford]

So since I've started running again I've noticed my pace has improved by almost a minute per mile. And my legs still feel heavier than bricks right now as they get accustomed to running once again. I feel like I'm going slower than ever even though I'm going faster. Weird.

I have this exact same feeling!! I'm thinking it's all mental. My brain telling me to stop running. lol

 

[CherieFran]

QOTD: If you have a pet, do you take it out for runs with you? Do you adjust your pace to accommodate your pet? How far do you run with your pet?

I have a pug who loves to run and is super fast and agile. Unfortunately, running in a straight line is not his strong suit. So his running is limited to the dog park.

 

[ebradley23]

So I'm trying to increase my speed. Right now my comfort zone is in the 9:30 area. I pretty much catch myself settling into that pace no matter what distance I'm running, and it's been that way for well over a year. I haven't really worked on speed, because I was building my distance last year. I really just wanted to finish the marathon. No time goal was set. That's not going to get me to my sub-4 marathon goal for this year though.

I've been pushing myself to get my comfort zone down in the 9:00 range or less. Let me tell you it sucks. Not physically, because I can run these training distances easily at that pace. But, mentally getting myself to recognize when I'm running slower is taxing. I can't really zone out and run. I'm not really looking for advice. I just needed to vent.

 

[Waiting2goback]

I'm sorry that this is all happening, but I may be able to provide some limited optimism for you. What you are going to have done sounds very similar to the surgery that my wife had done 2-3 years ago. She has very flat feet and that, in combination with a deformity in her heel bone, led to the overstretching and calcification of the tendon that ran over the outside of her ankle. She was to the point that her leg was cramping constantly at night before she sought treatment and the doctor told her much the same as yours did, that the worst that could happen was the snapping of the tendon which would just be replaced during surgery. She ended up having the tendon replaced by a transplanted tendon from her little toe area and they also sliced her heel bone, realigned it, inserted a titanium wedge and ultimately secured everything with a screw.

It's kind of good news/bad news from there. The bad news is that the surgery and recovery processes were quite painful. The good news, though, is that her foot and ankle have performed much better since the surgery and rehab, to the point that she ran her first ever 5k this year at SWDS. Given her poor physical condition going into the operation versus yours, as an established distance runner, I would expect you to be able to recover even more completely and return to running. Maybe not at the pre-surgical level, but enough to resume the activity that you love. I wish you the best going down that road.

Thank you for the information. I am not worried about the pain, at all. I have had surgeries before (rotator cuff repair on both shoulders) and was told how painful they would be. I took the Percocet the first day and after that I was on Motrin. I have a high pain tolerance, which is possibly how I got in this situation. I never get anything checked out because I just deal with it. I appreciate the words of encouragement and I just want to schedule this because I am ready to take it head on.

Sorry to hear that you have to have the surgery. Sounds like no fun but hopefully everything will go well and you will be able to get back there in the fall. Impressive that you are still going to do the races you have scheduled. I'm hoping for the best for you with the surgery.

It may sound impressive that I am doing the races still but honestly, when I run it is the only time it doesn't hurt. Actually, the more I run the better is feels, its like the blood flow helps or something. Thank you for your well wishes!

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, but don't start worrying about things that are both outside of your control and that may never come to be. Stay positive. You're worth it.

Thank you!

Had my first triathlon of the season this weekend...was shooting for a time under 1:10 and despite some really tough conditions (85º+ and 20mph winds) I managed to get my goal and won my age group! My race recaps are way too long and have way too many pictures, so I posted it over in my training journal (which I am now dubbing my Race Recap thread). Check it out if you have a couple hours to spare

http://www.disboards.com/threads/ch...-a-bunch-of-triathlons.3503953/#post-55925802

Awesome recap Mike. What do you do for your upper body work, is it just the swimming? You are clearly ripped!

Very sorry to hear about this. I hope your recovery goes well and you can get back to running in no time.

Thank you!

Really sorry to hear this, but like others have said you need to stay positive and only worry about the things you can control through this whole process. Attitude really does go a long way and I am confident that you will be able to continue on your running journey once you are all healed up!

I have decided I will be fine, there are no other options!

ATTQOTD: I'm super allergic to dogs - no running with animals for me.

@Waiting2goback I am so sorry you have to deal with this injury. Surgery and the the recovery period are tough, but having the final outcome seem uncertain makes it all that much harder. However your determination is clear from your posts, so I am sure you will meet your goals once you are fully recovered. Hang in there! And enjoy the finish at the 50, I am very jealous

Thanks. I plan to enjoy these upcoming races. With no pressure for a certain pace I will enjoy them like I enjoyed the Disney marathon! I will soak in the atmosphere, be grateful I got in a couple more races before the surgery, and watch my 2 girls finish their first race.

ATTQOTD: I also have a rescued pit bull that likes to chase little furry critters so running with her is out. But we have been thinking about adding another dog to the family. I have been researching dogs that are good to run with and we might be getting a blue heeler soon.

@Waiting2goback I am sorry to hear that you have to go through that, I'll be praying for a speedy recovery for you!

Thank you!

I'm pulling for you @Waiting2goback !

So since I've started running again I've noticed my pace has improved by almost a minute per mile. And my legs still feel heavier than bricks right now as they get accustomed to running once again. I feel like I'm going slower than ever even though I'm going faster. Weird. Less than a month until my 5K and I don't know if the BFF is going with me. She hems and haws until the last minute. It would be nice if she walked it for her own health but selfishly I just want some support.

Thank you! And I know it would be nice to have someone run with you for support but you will be amazed at how good it feels to do it by yourself. It's basically the first step to breaking down those excuse walls. When I first started running I had nobody to help me. I went to WDW and did the ToT race all by myself. It was intimidating as heck, being surrounded by that many people for my first real race. But I did it, I had a blast, and felt amazing when I finished. Two weeks later I did my first marathon. I was by myself. I stood at the starting line surrounded by 4000 people and I wanted to cry from fear and vomit at the same time. Instead I went and did the hardest thing I had ever done in my life and ran a marathon. It was that month of October 2014 I finally realized I could accomplish whatever I wanted. You can do it too!


Thank you all for your responses. I spent the day processing everything. I am disappointed I won't be able to run for 3 months but I will fix this and I will get back at it. If this doctor can't fix it so I can run, someone can with all the medical technology and procedures out there. I live an hour from the best hospitals in the world. Someone will fix it if he can't. Worst case scenario, I can't run again. I will buy a nicer bike and become a cyclist. I just love the atmosphere of races so I will just volunteer at them if needed. My point is, I will adjust. My plans have not gone the way I wanted this year but it just means I need to adjust my plans. Most of my life I would have quit but that was a different person, there is no quit in me anymore. I am getting up early tomorrow for a bike ride and I will enjoy every minute of it!!!

I still want to check off my bucket list races. I want to do a triathlon of some kind. I have things I want to still accomplish.

 

[Waiting2goback]

There were so many quotes I could have used today. This one is fitting though. @huggybuff- I am going to give it all I have. I just hope you do too, even if you have to do it by yourself. Your legs may be heavy, you may be scared or nervous, but when you cross the finish line you will never regret giving it all you had! We will support you if your friend doesn't.

 

[Slogger]

HEAT... are we Floridians allowed to start complaining yet?! For the first time so far this summer, the heat got to me Sat. I had a heat index of 89 at 6am... yes, that would be BEFORE sunrise. 90% humidity. It was, fortunately, pretty cloudy, but with about a mile to go, I got the rapid pulse, dizziness, etc. that always means I'm flirting with heat trouble, so I slowed down and walked a decent chunk to finish. Got into the AC, pushed fluids, took a cool shower and felt better after a couple hours. Apparently it's time to start pushing electrolytes every day, not just during runs, again.

I share your pain.....I was in Florida Friday-Sunday and the 6 AM Saturday run was somewhat unpleasant thanks to the high temps and humidity. Bonus points that I had no water with me and no electrolytes or fuel when I finished. Glad that you survived serious heat issues.

Similar conditions for my visit to SC this week. Temps are about 80 degrees with high humidity before the sun even comes up. Most likely I will suffer tomorrow and then do the rest of my runs on the beach this week so at least I will get a nice ocean breeze.

 

[Slogger]

QOTD: If you have a pet, do you take it out for runs with you? Do you adjust your pace to accommodate your pet? How far do you run with your pet?

We have 5 pets right now.....3 dogs, a cat, and a guinea pig. None of them are able to run with us as the two lab/golden retriever pups are too young and we want their bodies and behavior to mature before they can go run. Our other dog is 12 years old with short little legs and not a runner.

BUT we used to have a golden retriever that loved to run.....all out....all the time....and a big yellow lab that ran with my wife for about 4 years before he started slowing down. He did lots of turkey trots and events and was always the life of the party. He was great and always went at her pace and in return she always gave him plenty of time to read doggie mail and get treats at the end.

 

[CheapRunnerMike]

Thank you for the information. I am not worried about the pain, at all. I have had surgeries before (rotator cuff repair on both shoulders) and was told how painful they would be. I took the Percocet the first day and after that I was on Motrin. I have a high pain tolerance, which is possibly how I got in this situation. I never get anything checked out because I just deal with it. I appreciate the words of encouragement and I just want to schedule this because I am ready to take it head on.




It may sound impressive that I am doing the races still but honestly, when I run it is the only time it doesn't hurt. Actually, the more I run the better is feels, its like the blood flow helps or something. Thank you for your well wishes!



Thank you!



Awesome recap Mike. What do you do for your upper body work, is it just the swimming? You are clearly ripped!




Thank you!



I have decided I will be fine, there are no other options!




Thanks. I plan to enjoy these upcoming races. With no pressure for a certain pace I will enjoy them like I enjoyed the Disney marathon! I will soak in the atmosphere, be grateful I got in a couple more races before the surgery, and watch my 2 girls finish their first race.



Thank you!



Thank you! And I know it would be nice to have someone run with you for support but you will be amazed at how good it feels to do it by yourself. It's basically the first step to breaking down those excuse walls. When I first started running I had nobody to help me. I went to WDW and did the ToT race all by myself. It was intimidating as heck, being surrounded by that many people for my first real race. But I did it, I had a blast, and felt amazing when I finished. Two weeks later I did my first marathon. I was by myself. I stood at the starting line surrounded by 4000 people and I wanted to cry from fear and vomit at the same time. Instead I went and did the hardest thing I had ever done in my life and ran a marathon. It was that month of October 2014 I finally realized I could accomplish whatever I wanted. You can do it too!


Thank you all for your responses. I spent the day processing everything. I am disappointed I won't be able to run for 3 months but I will fix this and I will get back at it. If this doctor can't fix it so I can run, someone can with all the medical technology and procedures out there. I live an hour from the best hospitals in the world. Someone will fix it if he can't. Worst case scenario, I can't run again. I will buy a nicer bike and become a cyclist. I just love the atmosphere of races so I will just volunteer at them if needed. My point is, I will adjust. My plans have not gone the way I wanted this year but it just means I need to adjust my plans. Most of my life I would have quit but that was a different person, there is no quit in me anymore. I am getting up early tomorrow for a bike ride and I will enjoy every minute of it!!!

I still want to check off my bucket list races. I want to do a triathlon of some kind. I have things I want to still accomplish.

Oh man, there should have been some kind of disclaimer before reading your post this morning...now you've got my eye's "sweating" as I call it here in the office. My heart breaks and sings at the same time reading this...it is sad obviously, but the way you are approaching it speaks volumes about you as a person. The gratitude for what you do have, the drive to get back and do what you love, the assurance that you will persevere no matter what and find something that will help you reach your goals. This coming from someone that professes to have been put down all through their life...just amazing. I will meet you ni person one day at a runDisney event and I will give you a big bro-hug

Swimming is about the only thing I do for upper body, and thank you for calling me ripped! No one has ever said that before, it's usually people cally me skinny, which I hate. I am not 'skinny', I am lean or maybe trim...but not skinny. 8 years ago when my wife was pregnant with our son I was over 200lbs (on a 5'8" frame). I lived like that for a while but eventually decided I needed to change and began by making better eating decisions. A little while later my wife decided she wanted to do P90X and asked if I would do it with her. I went through the entire program and loved how it made me feel and in turn how I felt about myself. I started running shortly afterwards and then took up triathlon as well. I ended up losing over 50lbs and I have been able to keep it off. We all have our stories...I still feel like a fat guy every now and then on my bad days. Not sure I'll ever really get over that, but I'm trying my best

 

[ZellyB]

@Waiting2goback so sorry that you have to go through this, but with the attitude you are exhibiting, I have no doubt that you will come back better and stronger than ever.

 

[Miranda]

Good healing thoughts to you @Waiting2goback !

 

[surfde22]

I have a pug who loves to run and is super fast and agile. Unfortunately, running in a straight line is not his strong suit. So his running is limited to the dog park.

That sounds very much like one of my pugs. I wish I had trained him for agility courses because I think he would do fairly well at them. Running with him on a leash was very difficult.

 

[Slogger]

View attachment 175380

There were so many quotes I could have used today. This one is fitting though.

Your support of other runners is very inspirational given your current situation.
Good karma points that will hopefully come back to you in the future.
Stay strong!

 

[huggybuff]

I am going to give it all I have. I just hope you do too, even if you have to do it by yourself. Your legs may be heavy, you may be scared or nervous, but when you cross the finish line you will never regret giving it all you had! We will support you if your friend doesn't.

Thank you so much for your kind words of support. I really appreciate them! The main reason I want the BFF to go is for accountability. It's way too easy for me to let my fears keep me at home on race day. I've missed a handful of races the past couple of years because I've undertrained and not wanted to face my shortcomings at the starting line. I think as long as I keep up with the training I will get out there whether I'm alone or not.