The Running Thread - 2021

[SheHulk]

I'll see you there.

This should be my 3rd time running in person (last year ended up being virtual, so 4 times total.) It's a big race, but fantastic for a good POT.

I've run it twice before too! I plan to get to the start very early so if you're looking to meet up with somebody to chat with before the race, you can DM me. Still deciding whether I'm going to make it a PoT attempt or just a training run.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

I am really starting to focus on using my hamstrings and glutes more in my running, and it helps - a lot. I have been doing some drills to help me pick my foot up directly under my body when running. With a little forward lean at the ankles, this technique has increased my stride length without any increase in effort. This means that I am running faster without increased effort or increased cadence. To me, it feels like I am pulling myself along the road.

 

[GreatLakes]

Is there anyone on this thread that lives in Phoenix and can answer a few running related questions about downtown? I will be there for a work trip during marathon training and have a few questions about the routes I am planning and also a few tracks that look close enough to use.

 

[BuckeyeBama]

Is there anyone on this thread that lives in Phoenix and can answer a few running related questions about downtown? I will be there for a work trip during marathon training and have a few questions about the routes I am planning and also a few tracks that look close enough to use.

I am not from Phoenix, but am there often for business. The Tempe Beach Park has a trail that runs in both directions for miles and miles. I run there pretty much every trip. I do not run downtown so can't really help with that.

 

[GreatLakes]

I am not from Phoenix, but am there often for business. The Tempe Beach Park has a trail that runs in both directions for miles and miles. I run there pretty much every trip. I do not run downtown so can't really help with that.

Thanks. I will just be running from my hotel down by the convention center so wanted to ask about the route I planned and also about two tracks I found close to downtown while poking around Google Earth to see if they are opened to the public.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Is there anyone on this thread that lives in Phoenix and can answer a few running related questions about downtown? I will be there for a work trip during marathon training and have a few questions about the routes I am planning and also a few tracks that look close enough to use.

Going deep in the memory hole on this one, but does @dtrain live in Arizona (Phoenix area) possibly? I'm putting this memory at like 2-3% at best.

 

[dtrain]

Is there anyone on this thread that lives in Phoenix and can answer a few running related questions about downtown? I will be there for a work trip during marathon training and have a few questions about the routes I am planning and also a few tracks that look close enough to use.

Going deep in the memory hole on this one, but does @dtrain live in Arizona (Phoenix area) possibly? I'm putting this memory at like 2-3% at best.

@DopeyBadger is correct.

Phoenix resident here, hit me up.

 

[GreatLakes]

@DopeyBadger is correct.

Phoenix resident here, hit me up.

I appreciate the help and will shoot you a DM with my specific questions so I'm not cluttering up the thread.

 

[avondale]

I am really starting to focus on using my hamstrings and glutes more in my running, and it helps - a lot. I have been doing some drills to help me pick my foot up directly under my body when running. With a little forward lean at the ankles, this technique has increased my stride length without any increase in effort. This means that I am running faster without increased effort or increased cadence. To me, it feels like I am pulling myself along the road.

What sort of drills are you doing?

 

[BuckeyeBama]

What sort of drills are you doing?

I do 3 things every day before my run, and then focus on the form during the run.

1 - I stand still (when I first started, I stood with my back to a wall). Then I lift my heel up, one leg at a time, bringing my heel directly up under my buttocks. Focus on lifting the heel backwards and directly upward - not lifting the knee forward. The idea is to practice using the hamstring to pull the leg up behind me - no use of the quads. I repeat about 20 times with each leg.

2 - I now do it in the open, but with a little hop when switching legs. Focus on landing directly under your hips. By doing it without moving forward, you get used to lifting your legs with the hamstring rather than your quads.

3 - I then skip using the same form - leaning forward at the ankles and letting my hips pull me along. Feeling the hamstrings engage.

If you are doing this right you can put your fingers on your hip flexors when you are running and they will feel relaxed. You can still feel them move, but they won't be tight. If you run using your quads, your hip flexors feel very tight with each stride.

ETA - As I have improved I have also noticed that I can switch between quad running and hamstring/glute running when one muscle group gets fatigued and needs a break. I hope to eventually get good enough at it to be completely balanced, but I am not there yet.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Let's talk iron levels.

I've been exhausted for a week now. Could take a nap every day, or have accidentally fallen asleep for at least an hour in the middle of the day. There's a lot of stuff going on at home (including a baby that wants to wake up at 1am and get in bed with us, and then gets up at 5am for the day) and running around, and i'm in my peak weeks for training, but I'm a lot more wiped out feeling than I usually am. I've seen a lot of online "articles" saying distance runners needs to take x, y, and z supplements, so I'm here to see what ye wise ones like to do.


(Seeing a doctor is an obvious option, but paying $85+ for a finger poke that the nurse does seems a bit ridiculous.)

 

[PrincessV]

ETA - As I have improved I have also noticed that I can switch between quad running and hamstring/glute running when one muscle group gets fatigued and needs a break. I hope to eventually get good enough at it to be completely balanced, but I am not there yet.

I feel like we are living opposite-parallel running lives: I have the exact opposite situation, in that my natural stride is hamstring-heavy and I'm really bad at engaging my quads - to my detriment when I get to WDW and all the downhills (I live where it's FLAT, so even the "hills" at WDW are more than I normally encounter!) trash my quads. I started doing stair running and old-school step aerobics, which have helped a lot, and now take some time in each run to focus on pulling my legs up from the quads. Balance is tough!

Let's talk iron levels.

I've been exhausted for a week now. Could take a nap every day, or have accidentally fallen asleep for at least an hour in the middle of the day. There's a lot of stuff going on at home (including a baby that wants to wake up at 1am and get in bed with us, and then gets up at 5am for the day) and running around, and i'm in my peak weeks for running, but I'm a lot more wiped out feeling than I usually am. I've seen a lot of online "articles" saying distance runners needs to take x, y, and z supplements, so I'm here to see what ye wise ones like to do.


(Seeing a doctor is an obvious option, but paying $85+ for a finger poke that the nurse does seems a bit ridiculous.)

I'm sorry, but I'm team see a doc. Especially post-partum. I experienced what you describe when my son was about a year or so and it turned out to be hypothyroidism thanks to an autoimmune disease - I'm on medication every day for the rest of my life, and there was NO way of knowing that without bloodwork.

 

[camaker]

Let's talk iron levels.

I've been exhausted for a week now. Could take a nap every day, or have accidentally fallen asleep for at least an hour in the middle of the day. There's a lot of stuff going on at home (including a baby that wants to wake up at 1am and get in bed with us, and then gets up at 5am for the day) and running around, and i'm in my peak weeks for training, but I'm a lot more wiped out feeling than I usually am. I've seen a lot of online "articles" saying distance runners needs to take x, y, and z supplements, so I'm here to see what ye wise ones like to do.


(Seeing a doctor is an obvious option, but paying $85+ for a finger poke that the nurse does seems a bit ridiculous.)

I think you’ve answered your own question, really. There’s a lot going on in your life, it doesn’t sound like you’re getting enough sleep, which is very important for running performance, and your plan is peaking, stressing your body to take your endurance to new levels. One thing you haven’t mentioned is the heat, too. Regardless of where you are, this time of year is going to be some of the highest relative temps that you run in. That’s draining, regardless of the actual temp numbers. It‘s all adding up to wear you down.

The bottom line is that I doubt supplements are really going to help with the situation as you describe it. If you were getting lots of rest, it was cool out, and you were doing baseline-level training and feeling this way, I’d say you might want to evaluate the possibility of an imbalance.

As far as the rest of your question goes, I don’t take any supplements other than some glucosamine/chondroitin for knee maintenance. I’m pretty leery of what I read in online articles, too, as there’s a lot of incorrect and/or contradictory information out there and a lot of them seem to want to sell you something.

Hang in there!

 

[kps7795]

I am really starting to focus on using my hamstrings and glutes more in my running, and it helps - a lot. I have been doing some drills to help me pick my foot up directly under my body when running. With a little forward lean at the ankles, this technique has increased my stride length without any increase in effort. This means that I am running faster without increased effort or increased cadence. To me, it feels like I am pulling myself along the road.

When you mention drills to help pick up our foot under your body, are you referring to the "pose" method?

 

[BuckeyeBama]

When you mention drills to help pick up our foot under your body, are you referring to the "pose" method?

So, I had never heard of the pose method and just looked it up. It is very similar to what I am trying to achieve, but my drills are a little different than those which I found. Same outcome (I think). Using hamstrings and pulling yourself along rather than using quads and hip flexors to push yourself along.

 

[kps7795]

So, I had never heard of the pose method and just looked it up. It is very similar to what I am trying to achieve, but my drills are a little different than those which I found. Same outcome (I think). Using hamstrings and pulling yourself along rather than using quads and hip flexors to push yourself along.

I might have to give that a try myself. I went out for a ten mile run last Saturday and my right quad was KILLING me halfway through the run. I'm willing to give anything a go. Good luck with your training!

 

[NavyDoc]

Let's talk iron levels.

I've been exhausted for a week now. Could take a nap every day, or have accidentally fallen asleep for at least an hour in the middle of the day. There's a lot of stuff going on at home (including a baby that wants to wake up at 1am and get in bed with us, and then gets up at 5am for the day) and running around, and i'm in my peak weeks for training, but I'm a lot more wiped out feeling than I usually am. I've seen a lot of online "articles" saying distance runners needs to take x, y, and z supplements, so I'm here to see what ye wise ones like to do.


(Seeing a doctor is an obvious option, but paying $85+ for a finger poke that the nurse does seems a bit ridiculous.)

Full disclosure, I am an MD.

I would agree with what has already been said; your description of daily life points to several aspects that may be compounding your fatigue. If you want the reassurance of lab work, definitely get an appointment to evaluate iron, absorption factors (B12, folate, iron binding capacity), and possible thyroid hormones.

Most (not all) people don't require specific supplementation of iron unless they have a restrictive diet. If you feel like your diet does not give you much in the way of iron, vitamin D, B12, folate, etc. I'd consider taking prenatal vitamins as a first step.

 

[FFigawi]

A guy ran 309km in 24 hours the other day, breaking a 24-year old record. That’s an incredible feat. 7:29 per mile for 24 hours. Wow.

 

[flav]

August 2021 totals
Distance: 237.5km (147mi)
Average pace: 6m34s/km (10:37/mi)
YTD: 1612km on 2021km

It was a very warm August. I am impressed by my volume and even my pace, considering the weather.

 

[OldSlowGoofyGuy]

August Totals:
Running: 29 miles
Average Pace: 10:02

Not a good month.

Another PW on distance. Despite cutting way back on mileage, my foot pain has not improved. I'm half-way through a 2 week complete shutdown to see if I can reboot my body. No running, not much walking, not even 'real' yoga as it can be tough on your feet. I switched to a restorative yoga class, which is seated and reclining.

The ruptured biceps tendon is doing OK. I'm at about 40% of where I was, strength-wise.

Of course I'm making up for my lack of exercise by increasing calorie intake. I feel like I'm on the 5K-To-Couch program.