The Running Thread--2024

[GuinnessRunner]

Well, it turns out “hypermobile” isn’t just an observation: it’s a DIAGNOSIS. Literally nobody told me that: I found it while looking through my clinical notes, mentioned it to a friend who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, and she hooked me up with a doctor who specializes in EDS and Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder. I fit all criteria for HSD. And that diagnosis finally got me to the appropriate information for managing it.

Know how wonderful it can feel to finally get a diagnosis. Our 18 y/o DD has hypermobile EDS and I've run Marathon Weekend the last couple years raising money for the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Feel free to ping me if I can provide you any of the resources we've come across in dealing with EDS.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Race costume related post:

sparkle athletic is having a BOGO half-off sale right now with code "warehouse"

 

[SheHulk]

Race costume related post:

sparkle athletic is having a BOGO half-off sale right now with code "warehouse"

Thanks! Just bought some things from there for the first time!

 

[PrincessV]

Know how wonderful it can feel to finally get a diagnosis. Our 18 y/o DD has hypermobile EDS and I've run Marathon Weekend the last couple years raising money for the Ehlers-Danlos Society. Feel free to ping me if I can provide you any of the resources we've come across in dealing with EDS.

Thank you! Definitely, just knowing what I’m dealing with is a help: at least I understand now why certain exercises are problematic that seem like they shouldn’t be. I have two close friends with EDS, one of them hEDS, and the EDS websites & studies they’ve shared have been eye-opening! I’d love any additional resources you can share.

 

[GuinnessRunner]

I’d love any additional resources you can share.

I will pull some stuff together and message you. Sounds like you've already got one of the most imprtant things though which are people within the "EDS club" that can help. One of the most frustrating aspects for us has been finding doctors who know about EDS (or at least don't dismiss it). Our DD had what's known as the EDS trifecta (EDS, POTS and Mast Cell Activation Syndrome) so it can make figuring issues out and then the right treatment a challenge. Connecting with our Georgia group (via Facebook) has been awesome as we all share the names of specialists when we need a new one. We litterally have to travel to NC for her gastroenteroloigist as there was nobody with experience in Atlanta but would have never found him without the help of those in that group.

 

[camaker]

Quick question for all my self-diagnosing enablers on here. Has anyone dealt with sharp pain just below their armpit while running? Not like a side stitch, much higher at the top of the rib cage.

I've had this occur in the past when losing weight. It seems like when I drop below a certain weight, the area just below the armpit feels like it's bouncing and pulling on something underneath that's causing a sharp pain, but there's nothing apparent that's being aggravated. In the past, it's subsided pretty quickly and not returned. This time it feels like it's sticking around longer, though, having bothered me for 2-3 weeks now.

So far I've tried a compression undershirt (no affect), KT Tape to pull up and stop the jiggle, and Biofreeze under the KT Tape. The KT Tape/Biofreeze combo has been the best, but the tape has a tendency to come unstuck during the run, leading to unfortunate consequences.

Any suggestions for how to deal with this in the short and longer term are welcome. I've got a marathon next weekend and the prospect of having this hurting for 4-5 hours is not appealing. Thanks!

ETA: My next plan was to try a snug Ace bandage across my upper chest to prevent the bounce tomorrow. I'm not thrilled by that prospect because I'll be solo for my race and am not sure about getting it applied and snug enough by myself.

 

[flav]

Quick question for all my self-diagnosing enablers on here. Has anyone dealt with sharp pain just below their armpit while running? Not like a side stitch, much higher at the top of the rib cage.

I've had this occur in the past when losing weight. It seems like when I drop below a certain weight, the area just below the armpit feels like it's bouncing and pulling on something underneath that's causing a sharp pain, but there's nothing apparent that's being aggravated. In the past, it's subsided pretty quickly and not returned. This time it feels like it's sticking around longer, though, having bothered me for 2-3 weeks now.

So far I've tried a compression undershirt (no affect), KT Tape to pull up and stop the jiggle, and Biofreeze under the KT Tape. The KT Tape/Biofreeze combo has been the best, but the tape has a tendency to come unstuck during the run, leading to unfortunate consequences.

Any suggestions for how to deal with this in the short and longer term are welcome. I've got a marathon next weekend and the prospect of having this hurting for 4-5 hours is not appealing. Thanks!

ETA: My next plan was to try a snug Ace bandage across my upper chest to prevent the bounce tomorrow. I'm not thrilled by that prospect because I'll be solo for my race and am not sure about getting it applied and snug enough by myself.

I don’t have much to say but when having a massage, it seems that my serratus is always knotted.

 

[Bree]

Happy Mother’s Day!!!!!

Just left the Character Warehouse on Vineland and they had lots of princess and springtime items.

Picked up the Lug Puddle Jumper bag I had been eyeing all season for $80.

 

[Dotluvsdisney]

Do it! Why suck at one sport when you can suck three? Kidding aside, they really are a lot of fun.

Just wanna say, did a sprint tri in Clermont. Did Epcot and an overnight at OKW night before. Super fun race and only 40 min from Disney!

 

[jrsharp21]

Just wanna say, did a sprint tri in Clermont. Did Epcot and an overnight at OKW night before. Super fun race and only 40 min from Disney!

Awesome! I am signing up for my sprint this week. And I think that I have been coerced into signing up for Iron Man Texas 2025. I have been looking for a bike on all the classified type apps and sites. Trying to find an XL frame is not an easy task.

 

[Professor_Cookie]

Awesome! I am signing up for my sprint this week. And I think that I have been coerced into signing up for Iron Man Texas 2025. I have been looking for a bike on all the classified type apps and sites. Trying to find an XL frame is not an easy task.

It is not. I almost had a custom one made when I was thinking about tris, but then backed out. Although I did learn from the training I probably would have been a devastating swimmer

 

[FFigawi]

Awesome! I am signing up for my sprint this week. And I think that I have been coerced into signing up for Iron Man Texas 2025. I have been looking for a bike on all the classified type apps and sites. Trying to find an XL frame is not an easy task.

If you get a bike fit from one of the local fitters like Philip Shama, he should be able to tell you exactly what bike/frame will be best for you. Also might be able to help you find one through local tri clubs and training groups.

 

[jrsharp21]

If you get a bike fit from one of the local fitters like Philip Shama, he should be able to tell you exactly what bike/frame will be best for you. Also might be able to help you find one through local tri clubs and training groups.

We have "Go See Ken" (Bike Lane) in our area. I think I may have found a bike, but its about a 3 hour drive from my house. We leave for WDW this weekend, so it's going to have to wait until we get back. Hopefully it's still there. Since I have never ridden before, I have decided that I am going to go with a road bike and stick aero bars on it. If I get closer to IM and I feel more comfortable, I may then go look for a true tri bike a few months before.

 

[mtnmjd]

We have "Go See Ken" (Bike Lane) in our area. I think I may have found a bike, but its about a 3 hour drive from my house. We leave for WDW this weekend, so it's going to have to wait until we get back. Hopefully it's still there. Since I have never ridden before, I have decided that I am going to go with a road bike and stick aero bars on it. If I get closer to IM and I feel more comfortable, I may then go look for a true tri bike a few months before.

I went the same route for my foray into triathalon in 2023. I bought a entry/mid level road bike, added bars and swapped out tires figuring if I loved the sport I'd ineviatably upgrade later. The bike was more than adequate for the one sprint I did and my first 70.3 at Jones Beach NY last fall in the middle of a tropical storm (in fact, the bike leg in 40 mph winds and driving rain was the best part of the day despite forgetting all my nutrition in T1).
You will be fine with any bike that fits your budget and will see a wide array of bikes on the course. At this point, I would probably go a few more races before thinking of an upgrade as any upgrades to my fitness would probably have a bigger effect on the race results rather than my bicycle (but I will be waiting on the outcome of an MRI on my knee before adding another tri).

Have a great time with it and enjoy the training!

 

[fatmanatee]

Need some advice if anyone here has dealt with something similar: so I've been ramping up training for NYC/Dopey, with a half also scheduled for this month, and I'll admit I've been kind of aggressive about my pace in all my runs. Felt like it was going well but recently I started dealing with soreness on the outer side of my right foot. Came to a head during a 10 mile run and was rough afterwards so I decided to stop for a few weeks and book a visit with an orthopedist.

In the meantime, looked up my symptoms and all signs pointed to something called peroneal tendonitis. Went to the doc and he didn't exactly confirm the diagnosis but checked out my foot and recommended a few strategies:

- New running shoes for pronators
- A boot for stretching my calf out
- Ice after every run

He also said that I could start running again immediately (at this point it was 12 days since my last run), which sort of surprised me. I haven't ordered any new shoes because I wanted to assess how it goes if I slow down and be smarter about increasing my pace. So I've gradually gotten back into it. Went for a few very light two mile runs, but yesterday it was raining over here so for the first time in awhile I ran on the treadmill in my apt building's gym, which happens to have a mirror wall! And so I decided that it might be a good idea to watch my stride as I run and that's where I noticed that my right foot kicks out a bit with each step I take, which doesn't seem good (left foot has no kick out). I'm guessing that's how I'm ending up with foot pain but wanted to ask if anyone has ideas on how to proceed with all of this in mind. Is this enough of an indication that I should be getting a different pair of shoes (looking at Hoka Arahi and Saucony Guide, currently use Hoka Cliftons)? Should I look at changing my stride somehow?

FWIW I have a follow-up appt with the ortho in two weeks, so I'll mention what I've found since the first appt. Not doing the half, I could probably leg it out but I don't want to risk another significant flare-up.

 

[SarahDisney]

Need some advice if anyone here has dealt with something similar: so I've been ramping up training for NYC/Dopey, with a half also scheduled for this month, and I'll admit I've been kind of aggressive about my pace in all my runs. Felt like it was going well but recently I started dealing with soreness on the outer side of my right foot. Came to a head during a 10 mile run and was rough afterwards so I decided to stop for a few weeks and book a visit with an orthopedist.

In the meantime, looked up my symptoms and all signs pointed to something called peroneal tendonitis. Went to the doc and he didn't exactly confirm the diagnosis but checked out my foot and recommended a few strategies:

- New running shoes for pronators
- A boot for stretching my calf out
- Ice after every run

He also said that I could start running again immediately (at this point it was 12 days since my last run), which sort of surprised me. I haven't ordered any new shoes because I wanted to assess how it goes if I slow down and be smarter about increasing my pace. So I've gradually gotten back into it. Went for a few very light two mile runs, but yesterday it was raining over here so for the first time in awhile I ran on the treadmill in my apt building's gym, which happens to have a mirror wall! And so I decided that it might be a good idea to watch my stride as I run and that's where I noticed that my right foot kicks out a bit with each step I take, which doesn't seem good (left foot has no kick out). I'm guessing that's how I'm ending up with foot pain but wanted to ask if anyone has ideas on how to proceed with all of this in mind. Is this enough of an indication that I should be getting a different pair of shoes (looking at Hoka Arahi and Saucony Guide, currently use Hoka Cliftons)? Should I look at changing my stride somehow?

FWIW I have a follow-up appt with the ortho in two weeks, so I'll mention what I've found since the first appt. Not doing the half, I could probably leg it out but I don't want to risk another significant flare-up.

I think trying out new shoes is a good start - some shoes are structured in a way that impacts how your foot moves.
I've worn the Saucony Guide in the past and have found it to be a good shoe. If you have a running store near you, I'd recommend that you go in and tell them where the pain is and that your ortho recommended shoes for pronators - they'll probably have recommendations for shoes to try as well.

 

[fatmanatee]

I think trying out new shoes is a good start - some shoes are structured in a way that impacts how your foot moves.
I've worn the Saucony Guide in the past and have found it to be a good shoe. If you have a running store near you, I'd recommend that you go in and tell them where the pain is and that your ortho recommended shoes for pronators - they'll probably have recommendations for shoes to try as well.

Yeah I think that might be my next step. Was hoping to avoid it because my current pair isn't that old and I had been doing well with Clifton's but I might not have a choice!

 

[Zutroy]

I think trying out new shoes is a good start - some shoes are structured in a way that impacts how your foot moves.
I've worn the Saucony Guide in the past and have found it to be a good shoe. If you have a running store near you, I'd recommend that you go in and tell them where the pain is and that your ortho recommended shoes for pronators - they'll probably have recommendations for shoes to try as well.

Let me dust off my soap box here. *Ahem* Motion control shoes cause more injuries than they prevent, and the only way to fix injuries caused by pronation is to change one’s running style. The science backs high cadence + forefoot strikes, rather than a motion control shoe.

“A study led by Stanford bioengineer Scott Delp, PhD, and sports medicine physician Michael Fredericson, MD, looked at running form rather than shoes, exploring whether training runners to strike the ground first with the forefoot rather than the heel could reduce injuries. Sure enough, the forefoot-striking test subjects put less force on their shins and joints when running, likely preventing injuries over time. And that's just one of several recent reports finding that improving running form can keep runners on the road and out of the physical therapist's office.”

https://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2019/10/24/how-not-to-buy-running-shoes-according-to-science/

 

[SarahDisney]

“A study led by Stanford bioengineer Scott Delp, PhD, and sports medicine physician Michael Fredericson, MD, looked at running form rather than shoes, exploring whether training runners to strike the ground first with the forefoot rather than the heel could reduce injuries. Sure enough, the forefoot-striking test subjects put less force on their shins and joints when running, likely preventing injuries over time. And that's just one of several recent reports finding that improving running form can keep runners on the road and out of the physical therapist's office.”

The study linked there is specifically about tibial stress fracture so (as a not-quite-reformed former scientist) I'm not inclined to extend it to all running injuries but you do you.

 

[Dotluvsdisney]

Awesome! I am signing up for my sprint this week. And I think that I have been coerced into signing up for Iron Man Texas 2025. I have been looking for a bike on all the classified type apps and sites. Trying to find an XL frame is not an easy task.

Whoa! Out of the frying pan into the fire! Best to you in your search for the right bike and in surviving IM! I’d die.