2012 Running Thread

Add one more race for me- a color run 7/28!

Thanks for the encouragement!  Will be doing 40 minutes on the treadmill this morning, once I finish with Lisa's taxi service....   one trip each to high school, middle school, grade school, then train (for DH).  

pat01 also find out what the "knee" pain is. I had pain near my knees but it was the IT band not the joint. The physiotherapist can help a LOT. My physio has been sooo helpful educating me about anatomy. I never knew there was an IT band. I do some stretches for it, which is hard for me because I am very flexible and it takes a lot to stretch me, and a very painful exercise on a firm roller, which hurts like hell but feels so good when you're NOT doing it. Also, not increasing distance too quickly, and also making sure I am running on a level surface so that one foot is not landing lower than the other on a prolonged basis. If I start to feel the knee (or hip, the other end of the IT band) feeling "rusty", I check the level of the ground, maybe move to the other sidewalk, pause and stretch it out, etc.

Running on a soft surface seems good for reducing impact but beware it can slow you down because it absorbs the energy of your impact and rebounds less. I tried and rejected the wooden boardwalk near my home because I would regularly faceplant after tripping on boards, and running through the parks because I would regularly faceplant on roots and sticks hiding in the grass. I used to belong to a club with a lot of wheelchair athletes and they had a very springy track and it was a big track too, meaning fewer laps for the same distance. However the track sucked all of the energy out of my feet. Once I figured this out, I gave up on the ideal of a soft running surface and got cushioning shoes (adidas "ride" work for me) and went back to the road and regular treadmill. Keeping the same pace on a springy track could be a harder cardio workout. No free lunch, as they say, so pick your poison. 

I am also a lifelong non-runner, started post 50. I like to say that until that point, the purpose of my body was to keep my head off the ground. But the side benefit of starting late is that compared to people my age, I have knees in mint condition. 

Pat01- are you on Tamoxifen? I noticed that since I have been on it my joints ache more. I find naprosyn helpful- 1 to 2 caps twice a day. Different activities may not aggravate your knees. I would try the classes and see. If I can remember correctly, Zumba is low impact (and a lot of fun!)

Zumba can be low-impact, meaning it can be modified to be lower-impact.  But it can get pretty bouncy!  That said, it's a TON of fun an the way it impacts your joints is totally different from running.

My two cents.

Yeah, Adey!  Baby steps gets you there...and usually with fewer injuries!!

Now that I had what I think is a respectable time on a 5K, I am trying to decide what to aim for next...Faster 5K, or run in a 10K?  So, I decided to try a long run today.  I slowed down to 5.5 mph and ran until I didn't want to go anymore.  I started having trouble with my bunyon, so I stopped just shy of 7 miles...maybe it is my limit.  I have never gone further without some pain or another.  I don't want to injure myself.  So...I am not sure what to do...  Any advice???  I would love some.

Hope this finds you all well...

Claire

Firstcall...I am not sure if I want to concentrate on building my base or on speed work.  It might be grand to be able to say I ran a half marathon or a marathon...but I don't know if the bunyon and the adductor and all that might really be a reason to aim instead for increased power rather than endurance.  I can run close to 7 miles.  Maybe I should not push that (so I don't aggravate all my little issues)...and instead I should focus on power and speed...  Or maybe that is a cop out...and I should just keep going longer...

I feel a little bit in a quandary.

I am  so glad the swimming was good for you.  I am looking forward to hitting that pool, as soon as we open it.  I am a little nervous about straining the area, but I will build slowly.  I do SO love swimming.

I ran a 10K this morning, and my time was 1 hour, 7 minutes. Nowhere near my PR, but that's the longest I've run since my BMX on March 7. It was fun to run a race without a time goal. I ran with my best friend, and we had a great time!

My daughters liver enzymes are continuing to fall. They were down by 1/3 on Friday. She is feeling so much better now.

My mileage goal for next week is 14. I plan to run 4 days.... 4,3,4,3. I have a visit with my PS Thursday, and I don't know if I I'll be getting another fill,or if I am all done.

Happy Mother's Day!

5K race this morning, my first since completing treatment.  I've got butterfliies!  The weather turned out beautiful, 60 and fairly sunny.

I would love to know more about this total mileage concept.  I know you're supposed to be build mileage every week (and I think I heard somewhere you shouldn't increase by more than 10% each week or risk injury, overtraining, etc.).  But how does it relate to your overall goals?  For example, I want to do this 10K in June but wouldn't dream of doing it if I had never run at least that distance before.  I see training plans that build up total mileage but the long run doesn't meet or exceed the race mileage - i.e. a 10K training plan that builds you up to a long run of 5 miles but not 6+, or a HM plan that builds you up to 10 miles but not 13+.  I'm not sure how this works but I always see that the total mileage builds so I figured that has something to do with it.  Can someone explain?  I do see the practicality as you get into longer distances, time-wise it might not be possible to do, for example, 20+mi long runs every week when training for a marathon....

kks_rd I've seen some training plans that explicitly say that they wind up short of the full distance because of the excitement factor. If you can rein it in and not start out too fast, the adrenaline can fill in the last bit. For me personally, because my first time at a distance just has an "upright and smiling" goal, as long as I am injury free and can run half the distance, I am usually confident I can walk the rest and get my medal. I have never done proper speedwork, just distance, and will be interested to see if trying speedwork does anything for me, but I am not sure I have the diligence to really stick with it when I know they have enough medals for everybody ;-)

Before all the surgery my pace was improving just by sticking with it, in the same distance range of 5-10K. I was initially about 11.25 mins/mile running and 12.5 walking and gradually saw it decline to about 9.5 mins/mile running with no conscious training plan other than just sticking with it. Of course, surgery has just kept interrupting all that conditioning and my pace has dropped again although I do see glimmers of hope. 

What is really perplexing me is my maximum heart rate in the 5K was 192, and I am 55 years old. I did not have a heart rate monitor pre-op so I can't compare to what it was before. I have always had a high exercise heart rate, however. My resting heart rate would be in the 80s. I basically use the Borg Scale and determine whether to walk or run based on perceived exertion. When I sense that I need to walk for a while, I do. My heart rate goes back to a comfortable level with reasonable rest and I don't have chest pain doing it, just a sensation that my heart is going as fast as it can and needs a rest. When I feel maxed out, I take a walk break down to 165 for a bit before I run again.

My hr monitor ranges for "fat burning" and "cardio fitness" cannot be attained while running. I was 115 bpm standing at the starting line waiting for the 5K to begin! When I move faster than a walk, I am above the highest training zone.

My version of speedwork is to sometimes try a quicker speed just from here to the third lamppost kind of thing but whenever I do this, it always reduces my speed in the next leg, to allow the hr to go down a bit, and also reduces my total endurance for the session.

I know ventolin increases heart rate but I do not always use it. In bad air quality, I would use the ventolin before a run, but in good air I have no need and I see no difference in the heart rate I have. I have absolutely normal blood pressure 110/65 type of thing, sometimes even lower systolic.

My physio is at a sports medicine clinic so I asked her to find out who I should see for advice. I am quite sure a cardiologist would say "why are you bringing me your unproblematic heart?" I told the anaesthesiologist and he said "now if you have a high heart rate in surgery, it won't worry me as much". My family physician discourages running and weight training. She is big on walking. That's no fun. Walking is just transportation.

I must say, I have learned more about anatomy and physiology from running than anything I studied in school. (And I did get a B in Work Physiology!)

Okay...build up to longer races it is.  Please put me on the list for the Tristate Classic 10K October 21...:)

I even registered...which is a big thing...because both of the last Octobers have been filled with breast surgery...I am just deciding right now that we aren't going for three in a row!!!

Have a happy mother's day...one and all!

Thanks everyone for the replies on the training plans cominig short on the full distance. That's encouraging for my 10K, since I can already run a good 4-5 miles comfortably.

Claire, congrats on signing up for the 10K - your first one, right??  Were your hands shaking as you hit the "submit" button like mine were?

The race was terrific.  There was terrible congestion at the start line and my "gun time" and "chip time" are very different - too bad, because the ranking was based on gun time (which makes no sense IMO).  Anyway, my chip time was 32:30, and although I didn't PR, it's a damn respectable 10:30 min/mile pace and I'm proud to have finished.  Saw my friend from work, the one who, when I was in the throes of chemo, suggested that by May I *would* be able to run again and that this race would be the perfect one to have as my comeback race.

So, I am making progress,slowly but surely. I started week 4 of couch 2 5K and it was awesome. I'm increasing my speed a little bit at a time but right now I'm focusing on building my endurance. I've been doing it on my treadmill and know I need to take it outside but I'll get there.



Happy Mother's Day!

So, I am making progress,slowly but surely. I started week 4 of couch 2 5K and it was awesome. I'm increasing my speed a little bit at a time but right now I'm focusing on building my endurance. I've been doing it on my treadmill and know I need to take it outside but I'll get there.



Happy Mother's Day!

Still experiencing discomfort - it actually hurts the most right below the knees on the inside of the leg, which is why I suspect tendonitis.  No walking for me since Friday.  Yes, I am on tamoxifen, I guess this could be a coincidence, but before I tried jogging I was experiencing very little joint aches, and this pain is actually below the knee joint.  I will try naprosyn, I've been using ibuprofen for some relief.

Pat