The Running Thread - 2021

[Tall Todd]

February 2021 Training Summary
February was a busy month. I was a guest on a running podcast.

Don't drop something like that and not plug the podcast. Post a link.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

I was thinking of doing that anyway. I’ll give the massage a try and see if that helps.

If you can, ask for some recommendations on a good massage therapist from your PT or others in the area. Try and find one that will really focus on the trouble spots as opposed to doing their normal routine. Like a doctor, chiro, or PT, finding the right person can be the difference between it having a big impact for you and just being ok and not really giving you the benefit you're going for. I'm a big believer is massage as a tool, but it can take time. The tightness didn't happen overnight and unfortunately neither will the relief.

As others have already said, I wouldn't give up. For something you love, a second opinion is a relatively cheap price to pay and you just never know what different ideas/experiences someone else might have that end up working for you.

 

[huskies90]

February miles = 111

I strained my calf on January 31 which kept me out for the first week of February. Add in the short month and lack of races to train for and I really had to push to keep my 100 mile per month streak going. But I was able to keep the streak alive which is now at 36 months - that’s 3 years to you and me

January = 145

2021 total miles = 256

 

[gjramsey]

February Totals:

Total Miles - 113.58 mi
Total Time - 16:17:35 h:m:s
Average Pace - 8:36
Avg HR - 142 bpm

The Coldocalypse that hit Texas hard knocked out about a week of activities, luckily we did not have any busted pipes like a lot of folks around Houston. I really did not feel like running much when the temps were below 32.....

 

[flav]

February 2021 totals
From Moukmouk Island to Abitibi River
Distance: 114.3km (71mi)
Average pace: 6m40s/km (10:44/mi)
YTD: 307.2km on 2021km

February was meant to be a small running month, and it was!

The first week was a recovery week (no running), the next two weeks were ramping up on a new plan and the last week was start of Spring break. Add to this less than perfect road conditions and we get the smallest volume in almost two years. That means that I am 20k behind in the 2021k goal if we consider a linear progression.
Everything else is ok. I am so looking forward to truly start dreaming about vacations and races.

 

[Baloo in MI]

Feb Totals:

I finished the month with 104.85 running miles and 123.6 walking miles. I have been pushing my walking miles to continue to get time on my feet without wearing out my legs. But the running miles will really grow over the next few months. I am two weeks out from starting my new ultra race prep plan!

 

[Novatrix]

It was a busy February for me running-wise. I didn't have access to a treadmill most of the month, so I've been getting the proper gear for when running outdoors is a dark, frozen tundra. Still had my 2nd highest volume month since I started running.

Activities 24
Total Distance 124.11 mi
Average Pace 9:20 min/mile
Average Heart Rate 155 bpm
Average Run Cadence 181 spm

 

[dis_or_dat]

@Waiting2goback I'm sorry to hear about your health issues. I do think PT is very helpful and recommend it as I've seen others have great success with it.

@Tall Todd : it's the Fat Man Running podcast episode 3 (I hope that's ok I mention this, please delete this post if I can't). He did a great job!
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-3-billy-blaser/id1549283691?i=1000507344481
February totals:
Miles: 152.39
Avg pace: 8:37

 

[dtrain]

 

[Waiting2goback]

@Waiting2goback - I am glad your daughter turned out to be ok, that must have been terrifying.
I wanted to echo @jmasgat and suggest reigning in your future sight and any assessment that limits your future activities. I will also add my +1 on massage and state I was doubtful about the standing desk but found it to be helpful.

Massage- my low back/hips have been a constant problem since injuring the growth plate in my femur/hip joint, not specifically for running which I took up later in life, but it was noticeable in many other activities. When a friend needed someone to practice on while getting certified, I found massage to be helpful in alleviating much low back & hip discomfort. I then forgot about it for 10 years until I was pregnant with twins and in enough pain that even walking was difficult. My Doc suggested PT, floating in a pool, and massage, with the latter being easier to schedule I went with that first. I walked out of the place with slightly less discomfort, but with a noticeable change in my step- literally. I kept going back and found that my gait was notably changed and I walked more than waddled for the three days following a massage. So, I am here to say you should give it a try unless there is a medical reason to avoid it. When running, I have found it to also be helpful, but not necessary to maintain my recreational status and not possible given my current level of public health comfort.

Standing Desk- We got them at work and I thought it silly. Eventually I used it just to get a change in light level in our cave-like cube farm. I really missed it when we went to endless WFH, and so I got my own. It allows me to stand and take pressure off my lower back as well as stretch my calves while working. Even a do-it-yourself riser for a laptop could be helpful.

Not-so-used treadmill-I got one recently when very frustrated by endless ice and snow. Given my past experience, frustration and boredom with a treadmill, I did not anticipate using it for much more than 3 miles of running at a time- and that was judged to be better than me not running at all. I do find myself using it to walk when on phone calls or meetings I can turn off my video and mostly be on mute. I got in a walking 10K on corporate quality day calls! So while it is not what most people use it for and I wish I were more dedicated in general, I do love having it.

I scheduled a 2 hour deep tissue massage for this Saturday. This guy was voted the best massage therapist in my area for 6 years in a row so I'll see if I like him. If I do, the plan will be twice a month until I feel looser.

The reason I was thinking of the standing desk is because at my prior company I worked for Verizon selling phones. I hated the job but it was the only thing I could get when returning to work after being home with the kids for 7 years. Anyway, I was on my feet all day. My back hurt less than it does now. Overall my body wasn't even remotely as tight as it is now, sitting all day. When I get up from my chair I look like I did when I first get out of bed in the morning, as I am sure most of you that are 45+ will know what I am talking about.

Thankfully, my wife is on board with whatever I need to do to feel better. I had a little melt down the other day. She knows I am always in pain and I have been home with 7 kids for the last year, since the shut down began, so it all boiled over at the thought of not running. She convinced me it is OK to spend a little money on myself (which I never do, as I always feel I need to save it for everyone else in the family) so I can keep running and try to feel better.

If you can, ask for some recommendations on a good massage therapist from your PT or others in the area. Try and find one that will really focus on the trouble spots as opposed to doing their normal routine. Like a doctor, chiro, or PT, finding the right person can be the difference between it having a big impact for you and just being ok and not really giving you the benefit you're going for. I'm a big believer is massage as a tool, but it can take time. The tightness didn't happen overnight and unfortunately neither will the relief.

As others have already said, I wouldn't give up. For something you love, a second opinion is a relatively cheap price to pay and you just never know what different ideas/experiences someone else might have that end up working for you.

I will be calling after I type this to cancel my chiro appointments this week. I am hopeful about the massge on Saturday. My chiro said I am one of the tightest people he has ever seen in his practice so I will be curious to see what the massage therapist says. Once I give massage a try for a bit, I will see how I improve and decide on the doctor at this point.

My wife also wants me to try accupuncture. Not sure how I feel about that idea just yet but worth a shot potentially.

Needless to say, I have no mileage to report this month. I spent the whole month on my vertical climber. I bet if I added up the steps I climbed it would be over 100,000 for the month.

If anyone is looking for a nice, low impact, option for cross training I would highly recommend:

https://www.soletreadmills.com/climbers/cc81-sole-cardio-climber
I have been using it consistenly since October when it arrived. There are no bells and whistles but it works great, I get off every time with three puddles of sweat, one under each arm and one in the middle from my chin. I have noticed significant improvement in my cardio as my heart rate would skyrocket when I first started using it. Now as the same level that use to cause it to shootup, I am not even getting into Zone 2. I have to push myself way harder now.

On a positive note, I may try a run on the treadmill tonight. The chiro told me to stop cause it was causing inflammation. The PT says this isn't true. I haven't run in probably a month. With the warmer temps coming back I have been getting the itch to run outside, but I'll take the treadmill for now. Also curious to see how my conditioning will translate to a run as opposed to the climber. Also dying for a nice weekend day so I can break out the bike for a few miles.

 

[camaker]

February was a quiet, solid month of training while holding my breath to see if my race at the end of March would be a “go”. I’ve fully switched over to my “modified” plan at this point where I cut back the mid-week miles in order to give me back to back long runs on the weekends without boosting my overall mileage. So far, so good from a training standpoint. Now we’ll just have to see if that translates into a solid 100k performance. One piece of good news did come in over the weekend, too. The race expects to receive its final permit today, so I should be running down the NC outer banks come the end of the month! Here’s what February looked like from a numbers perspective:

February Training Summary
Running Miles: 166.14
Running Time: 27:40:00
Average Pace: 10:00/mi
Average HR: 141/min

Extras:
Walking Miles: 64.9
Rolling 12mo Running Miles: 1,977.33 (New PR!)

 

[Bree]

February came and went so fast!!!

FEBRUARY TOTALS
Miles: 103.69
Time: 17:45:30
Average Pace: 10:17

I won an age group award y’all!!! My first one ever!!! I ran the hot, humid, no shade, VERY HILLY Orange Blossom 10K in Haines City on Saturday. I am so bad at not looking at course and elevation maps before I pick races. Heck, I didn’t even look up where Haines City was until Thursday before the race I placed 1st for Females 40-44 with a finish time of 53:07 and 8:33 pace, but I think the course was short. My Garmin had me at 6.12 miles and an 8:40 pace. No matter what time is the correct one it was still a huge PR for me. My previous best 10K was 56:30 so I cut off more than 3 minutes!!! The award was a super cute mason type jar that will definitely get put to good use. Finishers received Sonny’s BBQ, Orange Blossom Brewing Co. beer, banana and a selection of cookies. I chose Oreos Sommer Sports is holding lots of events this year if you are looking for a race.

 

[Dopey 2020]

February totals

Running miles - 87.6
Avg pace 9’52”/mile
Walking miles - 136.3

Walking as much as I can to keep total mileage above 200/month. This month was very nice as a good amount were WDW miles

 

[opusone]

February Training Summary
Running Miles: 140.1 miles
Running Time: 21:37:39
Average Pace: 9:20/mi
Average HR: 132/min

 

[michigandergirl]

February totals

Run: 53.7 miles
Elliptical: 4 hours
Winnie walks: 15 miles
Yoga: 10 sessions
Strength: 1 or two times a week

I've had to take a little break from running. I strained some muscles in my left lower leg from running in the snow (it hasn't been right since the Grounghog half), so I've been taking it easy and doing lots of dog walks, the elliptical, and yoga. I'm hoping I'll be good to go again later this week. The good news is I finally have my new treadmill and walked on it last night for the first time.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

February totals: 56 miles. Average pace of 17:29 per mile.

Numbers may be slightly skewed because one run got recorded on FitBit before changing to Garmin. I appreciated the information on how to track pace in Garmin, so I have more data to track just how much or how little I'm doing.

While I've never worried too much about pace for races, right now I'm more concerned with getting out there and doing something. Once I have a live race to worry about, then I can concern myself with increasing the pace.

 

[Rogue224]

February totals:

93.75 miles;
Avg Pace: 10:43

Not as many miles as I wanted. My work schedule has been crazy. But I back in a routine. Knowing it’s better to get in what I can and being happy as opposed to not doing anything when I know I can’t get in what I want. It’s a hard thing to keep in mind.

 

[PrincessV]

So why am I here after so many months away? Because I want to see if anyone has has success with chiro or PT, or massage.

Caveat: I am not a medical professional and I obviously am not able to make any assessments of your medical situation. With that out of the way... yep, I have a lot of personal experience with back issues, albeit different issues, though similar. I have a fairly significant case of scoliosis and it causes a couple things in tandem: 1. major tightness in my upper back muscles on the "short" side, 2. around a 1/2" height difference between where my shoulders/hips/knees/ankles sit, and 3. compression in my lower vertebrae.

Sitting or standing for any length of time is very painful, and I work at a computer all day. I alternate 20-30 minutes standing/20-30 minutes sitting all day and it helps a LOT to reduce pain and stiffening. I highly recommend this!

A strong core is crucial to me being able to run, so I do yoga and Pilates twice a week. The combination of dynamic stretching plus strengthening helps enormously.

I have seen a chiropractor, but she happens to also be a runner and is more of a sports chiro than a new-agey chiro, if that makes sense. She makes no claims about curing illness with chiro care, but aims to keep people moving as much as possible. She'll do a few adjustments, but much of what she does is massage (via the little gun thingy and a power massager, and electro stim) to reduce the inevitable tightening. During the pandemic, I've been DIY-ing it, though, and have had good results using a TENS machine and a wand power massager. So yes, I think the advice to spend your money on massage vs chiro makes sense, but know that you can also probably do some on your own, once someone helps you pinpoint where you need it.

Running... I find run-walking regularly helps my back quite a bit. Per my chiro's recommendation, I wear very cushioned shoes (Brooks Glycerin) to reduce some impact on my back, since I mostly run on concrete sidewalks, and I run on grass or dirt whenever I can. I religiously foam roll and do some dynamic stretching before and after each run to reduce tightness. I avoid the treadmill as much as I can because the perfectly even surface causes me back pain: I do much better outside, where I can make sure my terrain is constantly changing.

Honestly, I've been in pain more than half my life: it never fully goes away. But per my primary doctor and chiro, it is what it is: my curvature cannot be corrected through surgery, and running isn't causing damage. So medically, I'm clear to run as much as I want, at whatever pain threshold I want to deal with. I actually find that running helps me ignore the pain for a while.

I hope this helps!

 

[BigEeyore]

@Bree - congrats on the podium!
@Waiting2goback - sorry to hear about your injuries - hope you can get it sorted out!

February totals: a pretty solid month for me

Run = 106.5 mi
Swim = 10,700 yds
Bike = 267 mi

 

[cburnett11]

February Training Summary

Total Miles: 145
Average Pace: 10:00/mi

Had a couple Treadmill runs here so just rounded things.