2013 Running Thread

LuvLuLu

Hey, groovygirls, good luck running Boston. You'll have a blast. The real exciting thing is you never know what you're gonna get with the weather. Last year was record breaking heat; the year I ran (back in the 90's) we had a blizzard the week before.

I'll see you at the Run to Remember.  Haven't started adding distance yet, but I'm a real long time runner (going on 35 years - GULP - showing my age) and I have done some 1/2's and a couple of full marathons.

Usual run is 8 miles, but this morning (due to 27 inches of snow) we had to do our "winter" run of 6.2 miles.  It's an awful route, uphill, uphill, and more uphill and somehow the downhills coming home don't seem easy, then one last uphill to get home.  Did I mention this is at 5 AM in the dark? But it was mild this morning, about 35 degrees. Soon I'll up it to 10 miles, once the roads clear.

One foot in front of the other, that's all it is!

goldlining

Hi SharonLC good luck with the upcoming run. 

I only use water in training too, but I never train as far as the half marathon events I do, so I actually do take the powerade in the halfs. I decided to deviate from the "never do something new on race day" when I read the program for whatever Disney half event it was (there is one for the upcoming Disney Princess Half online now.) On pg 11, it summarizes common "race day mistakes". Item 3 and 4 seem to contradict themselves on this topic for the water-only trainers: "eating something new" and "drinking only water". Pg 37-39, the medical tips, also suggests powerade, even a small bit. I waffled and waffled and finally decided to follow the instructions even though I hadn't trained with it, and it has always worked out for me. (Tips on page 30-31 are by Jeff Galloway about race day tips and I read them religiously every time.)

As I say, I don't take electrolytes when I train either, but a half is a long run. I don't avoid them for training, but I am carrying enough crap with me and it's one more thing I don't need to carry.

Your cramps: too much gatorade, or not enough? Or maybe not the gatorade, but the speed of drinking it (gulp vs sip, 2 oz vs 6 oz per station, etc.) In a half last summer, my husband felt nauseated mid race and stopped taking powerade at the water stations, and ended up at the finish line very dizzy. He still blamed the powerade for the dizziness. The next half, he drank only water, and ended up in the medical tent for an hour afterwards, hooked to ECG and all. He took some salt and started to improve, and they told him to get some sports nutrition advice because he seemed to have an electrolyte imbalance.

Be sure to tell us what you did and how it went! Good luck!

I'm off to New Orleans tomorrow and hoping for nice weather so I can run outside! Through the gutters full of beads and vomit, I suspect...

301724

For races longer than 10 miles, I drink half water/half Gatorade. For my one and only (so far!) marathon, I also used Clif Shot Bloks - 1 piece every 2 miles or so, starting at about mile 5.

pat01

Goldlining - enjoy your trip to New Orleans - we just got back from there a week ago (superbowl!).  My son lives there, and judging by his facebook photos you are right, the streets are full of beads and vomit!  His last picture was of the police closing down (or I guess you could say opening up)bourbon street at midnight last night, the official end of mardis gras 2013.

firstcall

Hope everyone is doing well.  I've been increasing my running to get ready for Boston.  Last year I went to Boston to run the Marathon, but took a deferment because I was in Chemo.  My final chemo was two days after the marathon.  I was going to try to see how far I could go, anyway, but when the temps went into the 90s I decided to defer.  So....this will mark the one year mark from my completion of Chemo. I won't be setting any records, but I'll be there.  I'm doing a half this weekend, part of my training plan.  I had a stress fracture in my foot the first of January, so that was a bit of a set back.  It seems to be doing pretty good now, but I'll take it pretty easy on Saturday, and walk it in if I need to.  

Regarding gels....I usually use GU.   I dont think it has caffeine, I didnt see it listed on the ingredients.  I generally use 3 or 4 of them in a marathon, about one every 45-60 min after the first hour.  

Hope everyone is doing well with their runs.  

eulabt

Firstcall- Could you add the Color Vibe 5k in Rochester,NY on April 20th! I am running it with my daughters who are 10,12 and 14!

lovestorun

Good luck this weekend Firstcall,  SharonLC & LovesDogs! (Firstcall - good luck with that foot, Hopkinton awaits!)

Way to go ladies!  Yall are such an inspiration.

friedom18

I relate to running as my "go to" for the last 23 years> Diagnosed 1/24/13 W/DCIS. I am so greatful that this is my dx, but I am in such a state of shock. No drama, but cannot get on my treadmill, and too treacherous to run outside- northeast nj. I am not sure about treatment choices, but desperate to be me and run again.

goldlining

welcome friedom18 -- No fun to be here on BCO at all, but you've found the cheeriest forum on BCO.

I am also a DCIS person and even though it was the best possible bad news, it's still a reckoning. I'm professionally focused on minimizing risk by fixing problems at the source, so I went the scorched-earth surgical route. That gave me plenty of recovering to do, but having runs to anticipate helped take my mind off the series of surgical procedures. I'm north-er than you and am known for my love of escaping to runDisney events in warmer locales. I've got all the gear and run outside other winters but am not into that this year so it's been treadmill for me.

Hope to read about your runs!

LuvLuLu

Welcome, friedom18.  This is a wonderful, positive group to talk to.

DCIS, me too.  Also from the northeast, dealing with running in the cold and snow.  I have a wonderful running partner who pushes me thru when necessary, and kicks my butt quite often.

I see plenty of running in your future!!!

NatsFan

Cold weather runners - I have a question.  Sunday my HM schedule called for a 6 mile run.  I've done that before - it's not easy yet for me, and I run it slowly, but it's certainly doable.  It was 20 degrees with a wind chill in the single digits, cloudy with occasional snow flurries - the first time I've run in weather like that.  I layered so I wasn't cold, but it was an rough run anyway.  I felt like I hadn't run in months - I had no stamnia at all!  I made a slow 3 miles, then had to walk a bit before being able to run another mile, then I had to walk more before tackling another mile, then I had to walk even more before I could finish up the last mile.  I usually don't have to walk at all for that distance. 

Was it just a bad run, or does cold hit you like that when you're not used to it?  Any tips?  Or is it just a matter of running in the cold a few more times to let my body acclimate?  The course was a bit more hill-y than my normal courses (we were out of town) but not drastically so.

SharonLC

Welcome friedom18!

Natsfan ... I don't live in really cold weather, but I do live in hills ... most likely both contributed to you feeling bad on your run ... hills can effect your breathing and fatigue legs if your not use to them. Don't get discouraged ... you'll do better next time in more favorable conditions.

Thank you for the good luck posts everyone!!

I had a great first HM race on Sunday ... 2:08:56 ... a bit faster than I expected. It was cold and not hot (Yeah!) ... sunny upper 20's to mid 30's with wind chill (20 mph winds which I felt a whole bunch especially on the beach and over the bridge) ... a beautiful course with lot of great people out in the cold cheering ... after two miles I could feel my feet. I did take a 1/2 a GU gel around the 5 mile mark ... they were handing them out ... and I had packed GU chewables but only took one piece of those around the 10 mile mark ... drank a few sips of water every mile after the 5th mile ... overall felt well until the last mile ... I got a cramp in my right butt cheek and started to feel like I wasn't able to concentrate fully, so I probably needed to take more of the GU, but with a mile left, I just dug deep and kept running til the end. Then I ate all of the GU chewables that were left while walking through the chute and other food that the race provided in the runner's village and felt fine mentally after that, but got very cold and legs started to tighten up. The GU worked well with my stomach so I am going to incorporate that into my long training runs to figure out what amount works best. When I race in the heat in the future, the gels and power drinks will be a necessity to replenish electrolytes ... I'm planning on continuing to do HM's and a also run the Full Marathon next year at this race ... I am going to do this race for as long as I am able to run/walk ... it was very inspirational and a top notch event. My quads are still hurting today, but nothing got injured ... medic tents reported that they had a lot of people with muscle problems due to the cold weather and the elite marathon runners said they didn't feel warm until they had 3 miles left ... I don't think any of them layered up at all. I did get to see the top two men marathoners run very quickly past me the last mile on the bridge ... my HM chip time was actually faster then their's but my corral started about 10 minutes after the official start so that was pretty cool seeing them on the course at the end of the race. I saw my Radiology Oncologist today and he took a look at my skin and said "yuck" ... the weather was harsh on it because of the base layers collecting moisture and with the coolness against it for a few hours. It just looks bad though ... still same amount of itchiness and not peeling ... so I am happy regardless of how it looks ... 13 more treatments and then it should start to improve.

I hope everyone is feeling well and having good runs!

Firstcall and lovesdogs ... how did your HM races go?

LuvLuLu

Nats, definitely you have to acclimate.  The cold doesn't bother me too much any more but the wind is always an issue.  It takes a few runs in the cold weather for you to get used to it, but you will.  I always found it hard to get a full deep breath when running in the cold until I'm acclimated. Don't get discouraged.

Do you keep a log?  I always enter my times and weather conditions - they so make a distance.  Of course, I have notebooks and notebooks from years of running. My son has one app on his phone that keeps all his records . . .

LovesDogs

Hi all,

I completed the Austin Livestrong Half-Marathon on 2/17.  It was the last race in a series of 6 that I signed up for.  Time was 2:14:13.  Perfect weather - cool and sunny!!  Hilly course, but my goal was to RUN up all the hills and I successfully did that.

This time last year I was in the middle of doing chemo.  I am so grateful to be feeling well now and able to run.  Not sure what I'll do next, but I'd like to try some more trail running

LovesDogs 

NatsFan

Thanks for the reassurance on the cold weather - I just gotta get out in it more, I guess. That was so startling the other day so I appreciate hearing that it wasn't unusual.   I use the Nike+ Running app on my phone to keep track of my runs. 

firstcall

Just catching up, and I enjoyed reading the race reports.  I did run my half marathon on Saturday, and it went well.  I didn't run a step in January, because of the stress fracture in my foot.  Did a lot of swimming and biking, and started back running this month.  I've been keeping the pace light, and my time for the half was 2:25.   This week I'm running 6 miles a day, and I did some hill repeats yesterday.  Saturday I plan to do another 2:15 run, to try to stay on track for running Boston.  For those of you who are new, I was scheduled to run Boston last year, but my last Chemo was two days after the marathon, and it was a 90 deg day.  So I had to defer.  So, I'm trying to increase my mileage and stay injury free for the next two months.  I appreciate everyones encouragement, and I look forward to hearing how each of you are doing with your running. 

I will say this about last year's Boston Marathon.  Even though I didn't run it, it really helped me get through chemo.  I kept it on my schedule, and planned to run it.  It was very helpful to keep looking forward to it.  During chemo I saw my speed go from 9 minute miles to 15 minute miles, but I know that the running helped me get through it.  I went to Boston, thinking I would run as much of it as I could, but when the weather turned out so hot, I knew I had to defer.  My last Chemo was two days later, and my oncologist told me that if I messed up my electrolytes, I couldnt have the treatment.  They've never offered deferments before, but did so because of the heat, and I took the deferment.  So.....I'm on track to run it.  I'll definately be a back of the packer, and I'm a little behind schedule in training because of a stress fracture in my foot the first of the year. 

I think I have the calendar caught up.  If I missed something, point it out to me and I'll update it.  I think some of you are holding out and not putting your races on the calendar. 

lovestorun

Congrats all! This thread rocks! 

SharonLC

Thanks firstcall and lovesdogs for your updates ... it was a beautiful weekend for running HM races ... fantastic times!

Having a race on the calender to train for definitely helped me mentally get through, too. Something to look forward to doing and a great distraction from BC.

Thanks lovestorun ... Any info on your dx and treatment plan?

Annette47 ... Are you feeling better from your bronchitis? Any runs lately? Has your RAD treatments effected your running at all?

MMTOMH ... How's the running going? I hope you are still doing well.

Goldlining ... How was your running in New Orleans? I hope you had a nice vacation and got a break from the cold.

goldlining

I didn't run in New Orleans although I walked a fair bit there in the evenings after I got the suit and heels off. As soon as I got home, I packed for Florida and in 3 days have also not put the shoes on. Just one thing after another (not a vacation - one night did a night shift work thing, then after 3 hours sleep, back to work activities the following 2 days - 12 hours the first and 8 hours today. I didn't get a chance to have dinner until 10 tonight and I have to be up at 7 tomorrow just to get to the airport, so no last-chance run tonight. I am sad to miss out on it and it's making me crazy that I didn't sign up for the Princess Half and it's right here and I'm going home too soon!! Just too much work. I don't want to sound tooooo complainy though... there was lots of roller-coaster riding in the work.

MMTOMH

In a bit of a rut right now...not much running this week.  I think I'll fit a run in Saturday or Sunday.  Lots of stuff going on right now at work and with the kiddos 

lovestorun

Thanks SharonLC.  DCIS - lumpectomy (next week!), radiation & tamoxifen - so much to be happy about in that news.  Have not run much in the past few weeks - lots of reasons and I just went with it - but am looking forward to lacing my shoes up and getting back out there.  Still targeting a half in the Fall with some shorter fun runs in between now and then. 

Disney Princess runners, have a great time this weekend!  I hope the weather holds for you.

Member_of_the_Club

Hey fellow runners!  I've been away from these boards for a while, too busy running.  I'm big into half marathons and am a member of Half Fanatics (a national club of folks who run half marathons and have met certain criteria, organized through a website.  Marathon Maniacs is the sister organization for marathoners).  I ran 4 half marathons and have 4 scheduled for this spring, so far.  I'm starting with the Rock and Roll USA HM.  (Did a 16 mile run this morning and now I taper).  Natsfan, since you're local, which half are you training for?  I'm probably running it!  I'm the one wearing the compression sleeve and glove (yes, lymphedema).

As for gel, yes you need to get used to consuming it.  I like GU brand.  Some of their gels have caffeine, some have super duper caffeine and some have no caffeine, so you should experiment to see what you like and what your stomach can tolerate.  I'm currently bouncing between the expresso flavor (high octane!) and the vanilla (some octane).  I usually use the gels for runs over 7 or 8 miles, though in teh summer I lean more on Gatorade and use the gels for longer runs.

firstcall

Hey member of the club - lets get your runs on the calendar.  I'm in the half fanatics club as well as the marathon maniacs club. 

Member_of_the_Club

You're a double agent?  But of course, you're in the northwest, so home to both clubs.

I didn't know there was a calendar.  Do you meanf or races?  This is what I have now:

March 16 -- Rock and Roll USA Half Marathon, DC

April 28 -- Iron Girl Half Marathon, Columbia MD

May 11 -- Maryland Half Marathon, Howard County, MD

June 1 -- Zooma Half Marathon, Annapolis, MD

I'm also thinkiing about an addition May anad August half and there will probably be five more in the fall.

Annette47

Thanks for the shout-out, Sharon!

Bronchitis is over with, but the radiation fatigue has really kicked in big time, so haven't been running in a few weeks.   I only have 6 more treatments though, so am hoping to get back to it soon.   I'm guessing if I hadn't had to stop for the bronchitis, I might be able to handle at least short runs now, but after not running for a couple weeks from the coughing, with as tired as I am these days, the idea of putting on my running shoes is just too daunting!

I dreamt I was running last night though ... I really do miss it!   I've signed up for a small (in memory of a local child who just died from brain cancer) 5K on April 14th, so that will give me some motivation to get back out there once I'm done with rads.

firstcall

member - I have you on the Calendar at the top of the thread.....We're going to count on you to help motivate us

Annette - you too!  Does your 5k have a name? location?

Annette47

It's called Team Tyreek 5K and is held at Mercer County Park in West Windsor, NJ - now I'll really have to get my hiney in gear and get out there if you're going to put it on the official list, LOL!

firstcall

Thats the thing about putting it on the calendar - then you have to do it!

goldlining

It was SO hard to fly OUT of Orlando on Friday as all the Princesses were arriving. (Plus it was 31C there and I was coming home to snow.)

Finally read my email today to learn that the registration for the runDisney Wine & Dine Half opens on March 12. It's an evening run during the food & wine festival that goes through Animal Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and ends at Epcot for the after hours food & wine. Nice course, great amenities. Will sell out fast. I have the reminder for the Wine & Dine registration in my calendar and will be clicking as soon as it opens!

NatsFan

MOTC - good to see you again!  Saw your race calendar - wow!  I think I'm doing the one half marathon you're not - the Nike Women's.  I entered the lottery on a lark and was stunned when I got in.  My next thought was damn - now I gotta train for the thing.  There were so many disappointed women who didn't get in that I feel I owe them my best effort - it would not be fair to take a coveted slot if I wasn't going to train seriously for it.  Yep, I'm one of the LE "swell sisters" too. 

Thanks everyone for the advice on the gels and blocks.  I bought a small sampling of different flavors and brands today, and will start experimenting to find out what works for me.  Still having worried dreams about the 7 mile run on my training schedule tomorrow - 10K is  my longest ever distance so tomorrow will be a new distance record for me.  So far the weather forecast is good.