The Running Thread - 2018

[DopeyBadger]

Well at least I have several experiences with races that use Enmotive for setup and none have been off on distance. I'd worry about snow, but I worry about most things.
At least we both still have those shiny 5.9 mile PRs

Yea, it's a definite toss-up. Risk of snow vs risk of hot. But I'd probably take the risk of snow because those cool early April weekends are near perfect race temps.

Yes, yes. We certainly crushed that 5.9 mile race. Too bad we didn't just ditch down that alley for that extra 0.3 as was our last consideration. Still a magnificent personal day though regardless of the mishap.

 

[LSUlakes]

@Waiting2goback I'm very sorry to hear that news. Just know your running friends are here if you need us!

 

[Waiting2goback]

@Waiting2goback Very sorry to read about your dad, and hope that your trip in April brings memories you will always treasure.

And sending Pixie dust for your ankles.

@Waiting2goback sorry to hear about your dad

@Waiting2goback Prayers for your daddy and for all who love him.

TOTALS
December
Miles: 141.24
Time: 26.18 hours
Pace:11:07

2018
Miles: 1276.34 (24 miles less than 2017)
Time: 234.05
Pace: 11:00

Figured out that if I do the 2019 challenge in km instead of miles, I can do it!

Yes, making memories - and taking pictures - is a good thing to do. Sooner rather than later. Also get him telling stories about his childhood, his parents, etc on video (or if he is camera shy, just video the floor and let the audio record). My MIL was diagnosed with stomach cancer in early August and it has been a rough few months.

@Waiting2goback ....sorry about your Dad. That's really tough.

We are here for you.

Well at least I have several experiences with races that use Enmotive for setup and none have been off on distance. I'd worry about snow, but I worry about most things.
At least we both still have those shiny 5.9 mile PRs

@Waiting2goback I am so sorry about your dad. If you ever need trip advise or just someone to talk to just give me a shout. I took my mom to DL two Aprils ago while she was stage 4. It was worth it. Also

@Waiting2goback I'm very sorry to hear that news. Just know your running friends are here if you need us!

Thanks guys. I appreciate it. I have mentioned on this thread in a previous year that I didn't talk to my parents for 19 years. I came to find out my ex-wife was the reason and it's a long story, but we reconnected about a year and a half ago. So I am very grateful that happened. We went camping last summer and he and I got to talk for a few hours on the beach while the kids played in the water. He told me a few things that I had had questions about for years. So that time was very important for me to move on with things. I just feel bad because I allowed my ex to come between me and my family and it prevented my parents and my kids from having many important years together. That's the hardest part for me.

On a positive note, I had my doctor's appt yesterday. I really liked this doctor. He did his exam, asked me some questions about my left ankle, he checked that one for me too. He confirmed both tendons are in place where they need to be, which is was worried about on my left side. Then he said he would avoid surgery at all costs. He said I have no swelling, no inflammation, and no pain when he touches it. He said as a surgeon he only likes doing surgery when it fixes an obvious problem and while the tendon is torn the surgery won't fix it and he used my left ankle as an example. He said the repair only wraps the torn tendon with an artificial substance but the tendon is still torn and it will still hurt even after surgery. Meanwhile you have introduced a foreign object into the body that poses other issues. He told me as long as I can handle running through the pain I can keep running.

So the plan, at this point, is no running for 6 more weeks. I need to wear a hard brace for this time to limit the motion of my ankle and then I will go to PT to strengthen everything in the foot. Between the 6 weeks in a brace and PT I may be resting for a couple of months. Then he thinks I will be good to start running again. At this point I can keep using my bike.

So I may have some running in my life this year after all. It sounds like I will need some work to keep strong and maintain my running but I'm ok with that. He didn't tell me I couldn't run thee longer races yet but I may stop with the full except for the occasional WDW full.

He's a runner and when he asked me what races I ran this year and I told him a full and a 1/2 he said, "wow, that's some serious mileage for someone with torn tendons" so it out things in perspective.

 

[Waiting2goback]

 

[Waiting2goback]

Oh, and I am very curious to hear what @Baloo in MI has to say about my doctor’s opinion. I was thinking about you yesterday wondering how you are pain free when he tells me it is rare the pain would go away. Everything I have read on line has said the same thing.

 

[ZellyB]

@Waiting2goback I'm so sorry to hear the news about your dad.

I'm glad to hear you got encouraging news from the specialist though.

 

[LSUlakes]

The 2019 Running thread is up and running for anyone who is interested. Thanks again everyone!

 

[roxymama]

I don't want to be accused of enabling, so I will just share my joy with you that my shoes are on sale today for $65 (Brooks Launch on the Brooks site.) And right when I needed my next pair!

 

[chuckille]

@Waiting2goback, I’m sorry to hear about your dad. Good luck to you during a difficult time.

I’m a tad late to posting my 2018 numbers.

Dec 2018 Stats
Running Miles- 67.1 miles
Total Time- 9 hours 54 min
Avg Pace- 8:44/min

Year End 2018 Miles- 410 miles

 

[Wendy98]

I've been MIA for awhile, so here's my December and end of year:

December

total miles: 205.24
avg. pace: 7:40/mile

2018

total miles: 2603.36
avg. pace: 7:28/mile (*I think*, if I calculated correctly).

My 2018 goal was to run the year (2018). I passed that in September and then changed to 2500 for the year. I passed that in December and switched to 2600. I like round numbers. This was a mileage PR for me. I have always been derailed by injury in previous years. This year still had some injury setbacks, just not quite the severity of other years. I had a stress fracture in my tibia (or maybe fibula--I can't remember since this has happened before) in March, about 6-7 weeks out from Boston.

2018 was full of lows and highs. I was excited to start the year off running since I had my sacrum fracture in the previous fall. I was bummed I was slower, but ready to put in the work. I ran my first race (since June 2017) in early March. It was just a 5k, but I did manage 3rd place and finished under 20 minutes. I really had no idea how I would perform. I ran a 15k a couple of weeks later and finished 2nd. That was when I really started to feel the leg pain. I had been to the ortho the week before and only saw the physician's assistant to get my MRI results. He NEVER said stress fracture and said to take it a little easier. I went back after my race and saw my regular ortho because my leg was hurting so much. He told me it was a stress fracture and I was pissed. I would have never raced with that diagnosis--at least not a little 15k.

I spent a lot of time cross training and did my long runs on the elliptical. I squeaked in a couple of slow 10 milers, but that was the extent of my remaining marathon prep. Forward to Boston and I didn't have huge expectations. I was a bundle of nerves since it was my first marathon since May 2017 and I had the remnants of the leg injury. Those took a back seat when the worst weather ever struck. It was absolutely miserable and I hated running, racing, and life many times throughout that race. I finished in 3:18. I came home and had 20 days before my next race, The Flying Pig Marathon. I wasn't too enthused about it since the Boston experience was so raw. It was the 20th anniversary of The Pig, so I got caught up in the hoopla and registered earlier in the year. Race conditions were so much better and I finished 6th overall in 3:05.

Ran a 4 miler in June and finished 9th OA, then went on vacation to Hawaii for almost 2 weeks. I LOVE running in Hawaii. I did a 10k in Maui and finished 1st woman. It was a hard course and no where near a PR, but I was happy. My son did the 5k and rest of the family cheered. This was a highlight.

I came home and started training a little harder for Chicago Marathon. I ran a half marathon in August to test where my fitness level was. My goal was sub 1:30 and I finished in 1:29:21, 5th woman. I continued running, doing many runs during my son's cross country practice. I was struggling with the long runs--just didn't want to do them. The summer heat was taking its toll on me and I usually don't have a problem with it. I had to do a couple, including a 20 miler, on the treadmill. I had to cut my first attempt at 20 on the treadmill short because there was just too much sweat. The belt got too slippery so I called it done at 17.

In September, I ran a 14k race and finished 7th OA. My average pace was around 6:26/mile and I was happy to hit that. That time would have gotten me 2nd the previous year, so tough competition this year! This month I would hit 318 miles for the month.

I went to Chicago and genuinely love the city and race. Weather was great despite a little rain now and then. I was on pace for the first 16 miles and then started to slow down. I have tendon issues in both feet and my one foot was really hurting. The last couple of miles weren't pretty and I finished in 3:07. No regrets though.

Next on my race agenda was NYC. Ugh. After a marathon, I look forward to a little bit of unstructured down time. For the 2nd time this year, I had to think about runs and mileage. I didn't have the best NYC experience in 2015 due to injury, so I wasn't completely looking forward to it. Looking back, I didn't do a ton of prep after Chicago. I think I did a 12 miler the week before but was still having some foot pain. NYC was perfect--the trip, the weather, the crowd, everything. I felt stronger than Chicago and went out hard. It was around 19 miles that I got the foot pain (and other marathon pains) and slowed down. I get mad at myself that I "gave up" a little and didn't push through the pain more. I finished in 3:03 and was very happy with that.

I went to WDW in November and ran almost everyday before hitting the parks. My feet were really bothering me by the end of the trip. I skipped the annual Thanksgiving Day Run, mostly because we got back late the night before, but partly because I knew I wasn't feeling competitive.

Training has been a struggle since then and I have had to slow down. Some days I have a noticeable limp. I rejoined my gym (I canceled over the summer because it was hard to go when my kids are out of school) in an effort to cross train more. My biggest problem is motivation. It just isn't there. That is usually my biggest indicator of injury--when I don't want to run. I want to workout, just not run. Right before Christmas Eve, my back started hurting (one of my chronic issues, probably related to the feet) but that is improving. I was hoping to better my NYC time at WDW Marathon for a better coral placement in Boston. I think this will mostly be a fun training run. My goal is to run a respectable race and not hate life.

When I come back from WDW, I will transition to Boston training. Boston always excites me, so I am hoping to getting my running mojo back. I will not sign up for any Pig events until after Boston. As much as I like the full, it might be time to switch back to the 10k.

I am doing the Berlin Marathon in 2019. This will be my goal race.

 

[Wendy98]

@Waiting2goback --so sorry to hear your news.

 

[sourire]

@Waiting2goback, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. My dad passed in 2012 after complications from metastatic cancer. It's not a fun club to be a part of, but know that I am thinking of you.

Have been a little MIA and late in posting, but to catch up on stats:
November miles: 43
December miles: 39

2018 miles: 502
(Quite a bit less than last year's 739, but considering the months off due to a foot injury sustained while weeding my garden in the spring, I will take it!)

Running in 2018 was good to me: highlights included my 1st marathon and 1st sprint triathlon! There was also a 1st 15k, 2 10k's (one with mom-in-law, one with mom), 1 5k, and 1 half marathon (with a PR)!

Looking forward to all that 2019 has in store! Happy new year everyone!

 

[McNs]

Running summary:

December
202km/126mi (had to run 70km in the last week to meet my December goal!)
3,100m elevation gain!
5:28 min km/8:48 min mi - quite a slow month for me but partly due to the elevation and also still recovering from the marathon...

December was an odd month - the first couple of weeks I was still feeling the effects of the marathon the end of October, even easy runs were a struggle. The turning point was a 17km run day after Christmas that finally seemed to blow out all the cobwebs, and I've been feeling much stronger since.

2018
2,322km/1,443mi (goal was 2018km)
28,245m elevation gain (over 17 miles vertical!)
5:13 min km/8:23 min mi

Best ever year of running, smashed my distance goal, ran first marathon in 10 years, stayed mostly injury free apart from a niggly achilles, and really enjoyed my running.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Oh, and I am very curious to hear what @Baloo in MI has to say about my doctor’s opinion. I was thinking about you yesterday wondering how you are pain free when he tells me it is rare the pain would go away. Everything I have read on line has said the same thing.

First, so happy to hear that the diagnosis is no surgery! I hope that with some time it does not bother you too much.

As to your question, I am not pain free in the sense that my ankle feels normal/like it did prior to the injury. But the pain has lessened significantly in severity, frequency and I guess type. What I mean is after the injury and before I saw the doctor just putting on a shoe felt like being stabbed in the ankle. Now at just past 4 months out from the surgery I can feel it and it is clear to me everyday that it is still there. But the pain is very minimal, more achy than stabbing in feeling. And I have much more range of movement before feeling any pain. It is still weak and gets tired quicker than I would like.

But it is improving; things I could not do before I can now. My doc has said I will regain a new normal with time. It wont be the same but never said there will always be pain.

Anyway, wishing you the best! So glad surgery is not the option!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

I just found out last week my dad has stage 4 cancer and has about a year left to live. That's had me a bit stressed. So it's going to be a rough year and the running really would have helped deal with it.

On a positive note, I asked my parents to come to Disney with us in April to try and make as many memories for the kids as we can. As long as he feels up to it he said they will go. Keeping my fingers crossed.

So sorry to hear about your father. I have lost close friends to cancer.

I just feel bad because I allowed my ex to come between me and my family and it prevented my parents and my kids from having many important years together. That's the hardest part for me.

I hope this isn't too bold, but don't beat yourself up over past mistakes. The most important thing is that you're a part of your parents lives again and they're a part of your children's lives. Enjoy and treasure the time you have left and remember that death is a comma, not a period.

 

[Waiting2goback]

@Waiting2goback I'm so sorry to hear the news about your dad.

I'm glad to hear you got encouraging news from the specialist though.

@Waiting2goback, I’m sorry to hear about your dad. Good luck to you during a difficult time.

I’m a tad late to posting my 2018 numbers.

Dec 2018 Stats
Running Miles- 67.1 miles
Total Time- 9 hours 54 min
Avg Pace- 8:44/min

Year End 2018 Miles- 410 miles

@Waiting2goback --so sorry to hear your news.

@Waiting2goback, I'm sorry to hear about your dad. My dad passed in 2012 after complications from metastatic cancer. It's not a fun club to be a part of, but know that I am thinking of you.

Have been a little MIA and late in posting, but to catch up on stats:
November miles: 43
December miles: 39

2018 miles: 502
(Quite a bit less than last year's 739, but considering the months off due to a foot injury sustained while weeding my garden in the spring, I will take it!)

Running in 2018 was good to me: highlights included my 1st marathon and 1st sprint triathlon! There was also a 1st 15k, 2 10k's (one with mom-in-law, one with mom), 1 5k, and 1 half marathon (with a PR)!

Looking forward to all that 2019 has in store! Happy new year everyone!

First, so happy to hear that the diagnosis is no surgery! I hope that with some time it does not bother you too much.

As to your question, I am not pain free in the sense that my ankle feels normal/like it did prior to the injury. But the pain has lessened significantly in severity, frequency and I guess type. What I mean is after the injury and before I saw the doctor just putting on a shoe felt like being stabbed in the ankle. Now at just past 4 months out from the surgery I can feel it and it is clear to me everyday that it is still there. But the pain is very minimal, more achy than stabbing in feeling. And I have much more range of movement before feeling any pain. It is still weak and gets tired quicker than I would like.

But it is improving; things I could not do before I can now. My doc has said I will regain a new normal with time. It wont be the same but never said there will always be pain.

Anyway, wishing you the best! So glad surgery is not the option!

Well, no surgery yet! But something would have to significantly change for there to be surgery I guess. And it just reaffirmed my need to lose more weight. If I can lose the 20-30 lbs I have been wanting to lose it would be a lot less wear and tear on the body. I will also need to change the way I work out. More cross training, more time on the bike, no back to back running days, etc....

Your pain is stabbing? Mine is more of a burning, like someone is holding a match to my ankle bone 95% of my day. They only time I don't feel it is when I am running ironically.

So sorry to hear about your father. I have lost close friends to cancer.

I hope this isn't too bold, but don't beat yourself up over past mistakes. The most important thing is that you're a part of your parents lives again and they're a part of your children's lives. Enjoy and treasure the time you have left and remember that death is a comma, not a period.

Thanks to everyone for the week wishes about my dad. We are going to breakfast tomorrow morning. Soaking up as much time as I can.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

@Waiting2goback

DW and I send our thoughts to you.

 

[Waiting2goback]

@Waiting2goback

DW and I send our thoughts to you.

Thank you. We had breakfast today. It was a good time.

 

[runwillrun02]

Has anyone heard of or tried the High Performance Lifting program by Jason Fitzgerald? I'm looking for opinions on it.

The program is supposed to be geared for runners, and I suspect it would be good for tennis as well (which I play a lot of). I know Fitzgerald is pretty well-respected in the running field. But, it's a chunk of money for the program and I'd have to invest in some equipment. Also, Fitzgerald is a very tireless self-promoter, which I find very annoying, so I am really trying to separate the hard sell from the actual product.

I already do quite a bit of strength training, but I have to say it's probably not as good as it could be for my main sports goals of running and tennis. You can find a lot of advice for different handfuls of exercises you "should be doing" for running, but nothing it put together into a whole, periodized program, which is what I find appealing in principle about High Performance Lifting.

I'm hoping someone here has experience with it!

avondale,

Did you ever try this program or get any responses or reviews? I am considering the program myself and I would like to know if it has worked well.

Thanks.

 

[avondale]

avondale,

Did you ever try this program or get any responses or reviews? I am considering the program myself and I would like to know if it has worked well.

Thanks.

Thanks for pinging me or I would never have checked this. I kind of forget the process for getting the program, but you basically had to put in your email address and Fitzgerald would send you more information - basically a much bigger teaser - and then there was an ultimatum: you had to pay for the program by a certain date, like 3 weeks out, in order to get whatever deal he was offering.

So I have life going on and did not make following up on this my full-time job. I wanted to research how much it might cost to get a squat rack and some other major equipment. I was seriously considering this, but I ran out of time on the offer before I could decide.

I emailed him and said that I thought it was frustrating that there was this deadline coming up on the offer because I was considering it and wanted more time. I suggested that he seemed like he was using a high-pressure sales tactic and he might get more customers if he didn't pressure them with a deadline.

He emailed me back and said something like, "Thanks for giving me advice that goes against everything I've learned [regarding the sales tactic]" and was really snarky. That was it for me - I stopped considering it at all and frankly, I"ll probably never buy anything from him again if I can help it.

Sorry that I can't tell you about the program.