2014 Running Thread
Comments
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Kayb, I have yet to see a half marathon race rule that says "must be 49 or under" so if a half is something you want to do, go for it! I don't use an iphone app so I can't help there (I use a Garmin GPS watch and an old fashioned spreadsheet. One of my columns is a Tamoxifen count down - only 1,743 left! Hah!)
Hope everyone is doing well. I know some of you are struggling right now - treatment, unanticipated side effects, anticipated side effects that are still sucky, running injuries, the cold weather, etc. - am sending good thoughts your way.Those of you with upcoming events send them in! 5K, 10K, 1 mile - they are all good! I'd love to see a long long list at the top of this discussion thread to illustrate the collective awesomeness of this group. You all rock!
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Hi lovestorun--I'm running the Covered Bridges Half Marathon on June 1. So psyched!
kayb, really, that pace is perfectly fine! Paradigm shift, baby. You ARE a runner, no apologies. It's very common to run just every other day, to alternate running with walking, to stick with runs of 2 or 3 miles. None of that goes with "not a runner" in my book. Have you read Running for Mortals? I totally recommend that book. Very low-key, helpful, and inspiring. If you like it, then you can move on to Marathoning for Mortals and you'll be training for a half or full before you can say Gu.
Goldlining--I'd never considered before that my Garmin 305 might track cadence. I just checked, and it seems it only picks up cadence in bike mode. But I could maybe get a rough idea of cadence comparing my Fitbit step count to my Garmin distance reading, right? So thanks! When I count my steps on the TM, I'm always really low, about 156. I'm only 5' 4 1/2" and I have extra short legs for my height, so what is taking me so long to get that next step taken??? I always say it's because I started out as a sprinter, reaching ahead for the next stride. I can push myself up to about 172 if I concentrate, but then I revert. I suspect if I could somehow really learn to take more like 180 steps a minute, my cranky calf would be much happier. I read the book Tread Lightly, all about running form, and this was my takeaway.
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Hi all -
I have been an infrequent poster because I have had such hit or miss success with trying to get myself "back in the game." Even before all the BC stuff reared it's ugly head last March, I had been taking time off from running because of a broken wrist in a full arm cast and sling (student pushed me down at school). But yay, I am finally feeling like things are normalizing! Was able to get out for an eight miler today in absolutely gorgeous weather.
Kayb, I am an older runner. 60. I feel so lucky that I am still out there. So what if I'm slower, who cares. I still feel so awesome after a run no matter what. If you are running 3 miles every other day, guess what. You are a runner!
lovestorun, you can put me down for two dates:
3/9 San Diego Half Marathon
8/31 Disneyland Half Marathon
Donna
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runfree16, I have extra long legs (hell finding pants to fit), so I have to be fill tilt downhill to get 180 and I'm worrying the whole time about tripping! I was able to get cadence (one footed, e.g., 90 left foot strikes) from the Wahoo app. It picks up cadence from the shoe chip (either adidas or Wahoo's own. Nike uses its own system that is not compatible with ANT+ standard). The Wahoo thing started crapping out for me when I got an iPhone 5, and the ANT+ receiver only fits the old iPhone connector so it needed an adapter too, so it was this fairly large protrusion off the end of the phone, and it wouldn't fit easily into my SPIbelt and if it flexed and dropped the connection, it wouldn't pick it back up again - I did not want that while I was tracking a long run. They have released a Bluetooth HR monitor but they don't plan to release a Bluetooth shoe chip. I started to fall out of love with them. Their support team is really responsive and helpful, but the dongle drama became a deal breaker.
The beauty thing about the Garmin 620 is it has some kind of mojo in the heart rate strap, in addition to the accelerometer in the watch, so it works out your cadence, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation from the strap. I'm still learning how to use it. I have to go back to that review website "DC Rainmaker" and read what he did with it and learn some more.
I am so envious of Donnabelle and the weather! I came home from cooking for my parents today to find 6" of wet snow that I had to shovel off my steps and sidewalk. :-P Too sick to run, but you gotta shovel your snow or it goes on your permanent record, or something.
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I miss running! I usually do my long runs Sunday morning but instead I'm sitting in bed typing. I'm almost seven weeks out from my BMX and just cleared by my PS to start running again but I'm finding the TE's really hurt. I had my first and hopefully last "overfill" last week and have been really sore every since so I'm hoping to try running again in a few days and see if their is any improvement. Anybody find the couldn't run with the TEs and had to wait for the implants? In the meantime, doing a lot of walking, and hope to to start back yoga and cycling classes this week.
I love reading your running post Makes me feel a little more connected while I impatiently wait. Goldlining- love DC Rainmaker! I have a Garmin 310xt that I use for triathlons, and anytime I don't know how to work something I go to his blog. My watch doesn't work with my iphone though so I just looked up your 620 and that has some great features!
Below are the races that I am committed to at this time...waiting to see how training goes before adding anything else.
3/15-Shamrock, VB- 8K
9/6-Patriot Half 70.3, relay, swimming portion (this was a defer from 2013 due to biopsies that halted training)
11/15-Richmond Half
Happy Running!
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See, Goldlining, I knew you were light years ahead of me in understanding all this running gear. Thanks for your comments. Do you suppose there's an Android app that would track cadence? Lazy question, I know. I'm not asking you to do research, but if you know something off the top of your head, why, pass it along. And thanks to you and Aloha for the recommendation of DC Rainmaker's blog. I just checked it out and I really like it, and I like his wife's blog too. It's great that they live in Paris, where I once lived for a year. I will favorite both of them!
Aloha, sorry you're still in pain. You have some great goals there.
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It's inspiring to read all your posts. I used to run - picked up the bug when I was 38 and completed 5 half marathons and the Disney full marathon last jan - 2 months before my bc diagnosis.
Now I am doing the couch to 5k program and having a hard time with my breathing. I am wondering if the Herceptin treatments affect that? Thinking of signing up for a race as motivation!!!
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I need to do a program that starts with 'couch.' RunFree, is that a picture of Ellen on your avatar? Or do you look just like Ellen? Or maybe you actually ARE Ellen? Each of these possibilities is interesting in its own way.
Oh how I wish to engage in discussions of cadence and what kind of Garmin to get. I need new shoes also. But I am nowhere near deserving of any of these things, since I am just getting back into it myself. My PT is opposing me at every turn, but I know she is not necessarily in the right. No yoga, no running, and I have another sx scheduled for March. I know there must be 1,000,000 examples of women who have done some form of running in my position. Hate physical therapy and am sick of this whole thing in the extreme. Do you think I should sign up for a 5K? Or do you think, given sx schedule and the opposition I face, it would be too much pressure? Could always walk the 5K, like an old granny.
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Wahoo apparently has a beta Android app. Not sure what features it includes, e.g., how it would communicate with stride sensor for cadence, but this is the link I stumbled on and maybe worth playing with to see.
http://support.wahoofitness.com/entries/22766104-...
Welcome Aloha and ukkate!
ukkate, I did not have Herceptin (or chemo or rads) but my cardiorespiratory system was sluggish for a good 18 months after my DIEP. I blame recovery from the anaesthesia for that, just because I had nothing else to explain it. I felt like I was exerting myself just as much as formerly, but my pace was noticeably and consistently slower. If you slow your pace down, you may find you can tolerate more distance. You will get your pace back, but right now you just want to be out there. I'm a big believer in signing up for events as motivation. It gives me things to look forward to instead of just drifting through time and space.
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bobogirl, I think you need to look for another PT! Maybe a sports-medicine PT!
I did a 15K with an aircast boot for a stress fracture (yes, walking it), and felt so bad for the people I passed, some of whom were running. I did a half marathon 6 weeks after my DIEP, with my surgeon's blessing (he did warn me my "time would suck" because I wouldn't be able to train during the 6 weeks - all I could do was walk on the treadmill 4mph for 60-90 minutes once or twice a week. I did it in 3:08. Best medal ever.)
Obviously, we don't know the reason your PT has given you the kibosh, but a lot of us have had people tell us things based on unnecessarily conservative outlooks and fail to treat the whole patient, particularly the part from the neck up. ANY running is a trade-off of risks and benefits. Even an Olympian could rip a ligament or fall. Do you have other PT clinics where you live? Can your MD refer you to someone with a more complementary outlook?
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Goldlining, thanks for the referral to Wahoo. I will check it out more deeply. Much appreciated!
bobogirl, I am not Ellen (funny thought though!), but yes that's her picture. Sometimes students (I teach at a college) who want to get on my good side tell me that I remind them of her. Now that I'm growing my hair out, that's less common. Regarding what you deserve, I would say at the very least you deserve a new PT and some good running shoes, even if you're walking for a while. I say look for a 5K maybe in May or June, do some ramping up now if you feel like it, and then you'll have a bit more base to go back to when you're post-surgery in March. Then if you walk the 5K, who cares, you did it and you had something to point your feet toward the future. While you look for a new PT, your current PT doesn't have to know you're easing back into running. Don't ask, don't tell. As goldlining says, running is key for mental and emotional health even if it did nothing for us anywhere else--although of course it does. Looks like you've been on BCO for a year, same as me. Long ride. I have been learning that we don't just "move on" so easily, but getting one positive plan in place that's just a bit future-oriented has been helpful to me.
Ukkate, I did the Disney full a year before you did. During the training I told my family it was a one-off, but then I got injured and my time was crap and of course that made me wonder how much better I could do. Now I'm setting my sights on another full maybe in 2015, but not that early in the year. My daughter will be going off to college that fall. Maybe a late fall marathon would help distract me. (See how I'm already stressing out about that?)
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Kayb- I did just start PT last week and she does the trigger point massage too. My next appointment is tomorrow morning so I'm already looking forward to that massage. My DH is like "another co-pay..sighhh" but I told him it is worth every penny! So I'm hoping that this is my week to get back in the game. Thank you for mentioning it though because hopefully someone else will come along and read how helpful it is.
So I think by posting this morning, I became more motivated. I'm usually more of a lurker online but I think posting creates commitment/accountability for me.I took my 10 & 7 yr old sons to the tennis courts this morning and at first I'm just watching them play while checking my email and then I decided that I should be productive and started walking laps around the tennis court and then tried walking with some short spurts of running. The TEs were really tight but I think it was warrior woman who posted that she thought of her TE's as the sports bra and even though I was also wearing one of those for some reason that mental image made the tightness more bearable and I decided to go for it. I set my run keeper app and ran my first mile!!! It is crazy how happy that 1 mile makes me feel. I feel like I have a baseline now and can keep building from here. Thanks for the support!
bobogirl-I agree with everyone, get the shoes! When in doubt always get the shoes:) New running shoes are such a good motivator, even to walk in until you can run.
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Let me ask you girls a question. Does having a Garmin and using an app help with your motivation and setting and achieving goals? I have never used any type of equipment in my 35 years of running, and now I feel like I'm missing out on something that may help me.
Congrats on that first mile aloha! You took the first step and I know from experience how good that feels.
I didn't have TEs so I can't comment on that. I did a TRAM and I know that a nice, tight sports bra really helped me for a while.
Bobo go get some shoes! I didn't need new ones, but I was at the Nike outlet and they had my shoes in a beautiful turquoise that I couldn't resist, and it gave me a real boost. New running tights are great too!
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lovestorun
Please add for me:
5/18 Bay to Breakers 12K San Francisco
Thanks!
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Donnabelle - I love my Garmin 220! I can't say that it helps me with motivation, but it has helped with setting and achieving goals, if that makes any sense. I love that it tracks distance and pace (I don't use it for much else). If my training program says run X miles, I don't have to map out my run in advance - oh so nice! They are not cheap though. I have friends who use smartphone apps and I have friends who just wear a plain old sportswatch. And I have a friend who put his Garmin away - he realized he was becoming too data driven and it was sucking the fun out of his running.
I started using a spreadsheet for the first time last spring and that has helped with accountability. I modeled it after one used by a local training program. Don't ask me why it makes a difference, but it does. I get a certain feeling of satisfaction recording a run or a walk or some other form of exercise, much like checking an item off of a 'to do' list. (And yes, I've been known to add something to a to-do list simply so that I could cross it back off.) It was really nice to look back at last year's spreadsheet and see entries of "15 min. run in the am / 30 min walk in the pm" progress to runs of 2 miles then 3 then 4 and so on, culminating in a half marathon in the fall. I just pulled the spreadsheet back up and laughed out loud when I saw written next to a run: "jello legs".
Really, the biggest motivators for me have been (a) registering for an event that I then have to train for and (b) having a running community (in person and virtual).
Way to go Aloha and KayB!
Have a good week all!
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Kayb-3.7 miles! Awesome:)
Donnabelle- I'm a numbers girl. I like to know how far and how fast. The garmin and runkeepers app is great for that. I have been able to drop my average pace per mile by 3 minutes and I'm sure that would have naturally gotten faster without the gadgets but as I could see the numbers it was motivating for me. When I'm running a race and have a PR in mind it also helps me not give up when mentally I could probably talk myself into taking that walk break. With that being said there are plenty of runs that I purposely leave all the gadgets behind and just enjoy the run.
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Totally! I started with Nike+ five years ago last October, and it has played many roles for me. At first, it was a speed limit, to keep my pace from going faster than I could maintain. I never really paid attention to the challenges. If I did it, I did it, and if I didn't, well, I did what I did. But I liked looking back and remembering. I especially like looking back at the GPS maps especially for travelling. Thanks to running, I have maps from New Orleans, San Francisco, Tokyo, Berlin, London, Paris, Singapore... I like having the heart rate data because my HR goes pretty high and I think it's prudent to monitor during the run, and I like the stride rate as well.
I switched to the Garmin GPS watch due to the iPhone dongle thing, and I really like the additional diagnostics. As a hate-stuff-on-my-wrists person, it's surprisingly tolerable. The touchscreen is cool.
Having the gadgets make me feel like I am taking it seriously. It's not an expensive sport, but little treats once in a while are a nice reward.
Here's another question for everyone: Other than your Garmin or app, what other "serious runner" equipment do you like best? For me, I think it's the compression tights. And compression knee socks for afterwards / recovery. Nice to have fresh legs.
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Hide-Ho, Sisters! I'm relatively new to running and am shooting for my first 5k this summer, using, for the most part, the Couch-2-5K running plan. Hoping to learn from the rest of you.
Cheers!
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Does my "fancy schancy" Garmin 410 motivate me? Well that depends on the day, but I like to know how far I have gone and my pace so it helps for that. I've pretty much always ran with a Garmin, I got my first one within months of starting to run because all the cool kids had one and what can I say, i like my gadgets! I prefer a Garmin over a phone app because I don't always bring my phone, I find it bulky to carry and it's easier with a watch type gizmo. I'm also highly motivated by goal races, no goals and my motivation goes down the drain.
As for my favourite running gear, it's a four way tie with my Garmin, CW-X compression tights (helps keep IT Band issues away), my Shock Absorber sports bra (I'm very picky about sports bras and I hate any movement) and my Fuel Belt (water belt with smaller bottles equally spaced around your waist so it doesn't bounce as much).
It's interesting to see that I'm not the only one finding that my stamina on runs has gone down since treatment. I was attributing it to the extra 25lbs on my body since last spring and the fact that I stopped for a couple of months but maybe it's more than that. I just had a MUGA Scan (heart scan with radioactive tracers) so it will be interesting to see the results.
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What a great thread to stumble upon!
Like many of you, I use to run before my BC diagnosis. I completed a half just 2months before and a full 8 months before treatment and felt like I was in one of the best shapes of my life. After chemo, I was was struggling just doing a couple of miles walking. You guys are all an inspiration. 2weeks ago I just started going to the gym and worked with a trainer there to help me ease back into exercise without injury. I am feeling better now and ready to start back on the treadmill. I need to start looking for an event because I am a goal oriented person. I need that finish line to motivate me. Thank you ladies for the inspiration to start again,
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Welcome Mely! This is an inspiring and helpful thread! Good luck getting started!
I decided to cross-country ski on Saturday despite the sore arm.... and it was worth it! My friend and I skied for an hour in the sunshine, which was just what I needed after a long and cold week! It was only 9 degrees but it felt balmy and so good to move.
On Sunday, I talked to a friend at church who is a physical therapist, and she is going to do some research about my arm pain and whether there are other physical therapist in this City (Duluth, MN) who have experience working with people after breast cancer surgery! So I am hopeful that some therapy will be in my future soon!
I got together with friend from my running group to watch the Superbowl. It was fun to talk about spring and summer races! I hope to run Grandma's Half Marathon on June 21 and will sign up for the lottery next week.
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Goldlining, Aloha, lovestorun, and oncearunner, thanks for your input on the Garmin. I think I will start small and maybe get a Nike+ and see if I like tracking runs, times, etc.
Mely good luck with your training.I am similar to you in that I did a full 9months before diagnosis and several halfs before that. All I was able to do for many months was walk, and it took some time, effort and ups and downs, but I feel I'm almost back and feeling so much better about myself. I met with my new onco last week (had to change insurance carriers) and he told me exercise is the most important thing we all can do.
Looking forward to hearing about everyone's great runs this week!
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I've had an inhaler for about 20 years now. I mostly only use the brown/orange steroid one (flovent) when I feel a bug coming on, to fight off irritable airways that also I get with dogs and smokers. I also use flonase for the sinuses under the same circumstances.
I almost never have to use the blue one (ventolin) for rescue purposes but it's the blue you're supposed to use pre-exercise to open the airways. There are no steroids in the blue. It's just a bronchodilator.
I used to use it every time I went out, and noted it made a difference in my pace because I felt like I was oxygenated. However, I have found since running, my breathing has improved so much that I have not felt that I needed to use the inhaler before regular exercise at home.
However, as I recently discovered via Dr. Google after the symptoms hit me, warm humid air can irritate exercise induced asthma as much as cold air does. I have a lot more experience with cold, where I live, than with warm and humid air, but I was in Florida. What I figure is that the air I was breathing was humid, and then my airways constricted, making it harder to expel the moisture in the air. It certainly felt like I had a litre of water rattling around in the bottom of my lungs when I stopped. Breathing shallow (a trick I learned from a few dances with pneumonia), I avoided having too much coughing, and was able to do the half marathon the day after the 10K, but when I went for a run 4 days later, all the accumulated fluid got agitated and I added more new fluid, and either there was pathogens in there already or I licked a doorknob somewhere along the way, and it took off.
I noted that my husband and daughter were sick within 24 hours of me arriving home, so I think more likely I encountered a fast-multiplying pathogen at the point when I re-irritated my lungs with the 3rd run. I got much sicker than either of them because of the base layer of asthma irritation, I think.
Because the flovent and ventolin were not relieving the crap in the lungs, they switched me to advair (the purple one) which is a combination steroid and long-acting bronchodilator. The purple has been terrific and I will be kind of sorry to go back to the blue when the time comes. However I don't expect revisiting my medication to lead to any discontinuation of inhalers permanently. If it was just an acute case of bronchitis and after some treatment was gone for good, I could see them discontinuing it, but I have asthma for the long haul. I have a mild case, but it is what it is.
I am down to coughing maybe 20 times a day. Much better (but hoping it's not just that I am shallow-breathing it away). I am concerned about getting the last bits of goop dried up so there are no contraindications to doing my tune-up surgery next month! I also hope to do some running when I am in Florida again next week!
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I went back to my running group yesterday for the first time since finishing chemo and having an axillary lymph node dissection!!! I ran 3 miles. In the freezing cold. With my best running buddy! And I got hugs from so many of my running friends! Now that is good medicine!!!!
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You rock, runningfrom!
"in the freezing cold" - that's commitment!
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That's the BEST medicine, runningfrom!
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So happy for you runningfrom!
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Hi Ladies,
With the motivation and inspiration you are all giving me, I have been running or running/walking every day. Yesterday, I approached three miles. It is my goal today to run 3 miles without walking, and then once I reach that, try to run 3 miles 5 days a week and work on increasing my pace. Thank you all for your support. Also, I was able to locate a store that sells Shock Absorber athletic bras in my area. I will go check it out this weekend. Thank you for the recommendation.
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Way to go YoungTurk!
Hope everyone is doing well.
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