2015 Running Thread

hey LuvLuLu,

I'm 37 and just started Aromasin. I get Lupron shots that put me into menopause. I just switched to it from femara because of the severe joint pain I was having in the femara. I still have very slight joint pain but nothing like before. I follow a vegan diet so I can't speak to eating cheese or animal products. My time are def slow but I think it's because of the weather and not being able to get out there much.

I also think this cold weather is really effecting mood!!! We are almost through it though so hang in there!! Def call your onc though. That's what they are there for!

Hugs,

Renee

Thank you girls . . . now any hints on how I can get FASTER??

Rseman - run NY, run/walk NY, walk NY ... You get the point. I blew up around mile 16 and struggled the rest of the way in. It didn't matter people cheered for me like I was a rock star even when I was shuffling through 13 min miles. It is a once in a lifetime experience. I am in the lottery with about 1 in 10 chance of getting in. Fingers crossed.

LuvLuLu - To get faster in general increase consistency (run more days), increase distance (slowly), then add one day a week of speed work. More fun way to add speed work is to race every weekend. That said we do get slower with age. Your meds can effect your training. Most important listen to your body. Some people use a heart rate monitor to see if they are going too fast or too slow in training.

On the treadmill tomorrow. Minus 20 windchill in AM. My furnace hasn't shut off all day.

237/2016

That medal hanger rocks!!!

My hubby now has bronchitis and I'm still nursing this knee but I know it will all come together for our Arizona Half on the 28th. My playlist is complete with the hope I can finish in just under two hours.

I think I am going to lay off the races this year and just focus on the marathon training. And I'm all signed up for Fred's Team. I am so excited that I am actually going to do this. I guess it can officially be added to the list!!

Goldlining- GAH I was just there an saw no such thing! is that one yours?

hahaha I said I was going to lay off the races to marathon train!!! Well I just agreed to do the Cape Cod Ragnar May 8-9. Ahhhhh, I've never done one before so this is going to be interesting. I always do this ughhhh

hey trailrose, it's a 12 person thank goodness!! I don't think I could handle a six person. I was so happy to be asked. I've been working so hard on my running. I really think it's helping me stay well. Now if this weather would cooperate and warm up!!

It's now been 2 weeks since I started tamoxifen, and I am having a lot of trouble with joint pain, especially my hips. Is this for real, or due to something other than tamoxifen, or all in my head? I never had pain and stiffness like this before, even when I was doing a lot of mileage. It seems odd this would come on so suddenly. I don't think I can take 5 years of this.

bratscher - I started taking tamoxifen 10 days ago. Hip joint pain started this week. I'm not sure if this is from the med or 6-mile run on Sunday.... I'll have to wait to see.

I was on AIs and had joint pain, but it did get a bit better with time. My onc said it was like the body throws a temper tantrum because it's suddenly deprived of estrogen, and you get all the s/e because of the "tantrum". She said for most women, somewhere around the 9 month mark the body adjusts and stops throwing its tantrum and the symptoms ease. Unfortunately I apparently have a very bratty body because my symptoms didn't ease at all till about 3 years in. But over those years I learned a few tricks to help manage the joint pain.

• Do more joint flexibility exercises like yoga and Pilates. I took a weekly gentle yoga class, and also had yoga and Pilates DVDs I could do at home so I got in at least two sessions a week. Yin yoga, where you hold lower body poses for up to 5 minutes at a time, was especially helpful.
• Mix up your workouts. Don't just run for your aerobic workout - cross training, like using an elliptical or bike, gives your joints a break. I had a lot more issues when I all I did was run than when I'd force myself to do something different at least one day a week.
• Don't do the same thing two days in a row. If you run one day, do yoga the next, maybe run the next, then do weights the next. I tended to have more issues if I did the same type of exercise 2 days in a row.
• Give yourself at least one rest day a week. That means no running, no yoga, no weights, no nothing. I found that when I did that, I had less joint pain than when I tried to do something every day.
• I also did some acupuncture that first year which really helped.

Those were things that helped get me through my 5 years. It's frustrating not to do exactly what you want when you want, but I found I'd have to pay the price in pain when I didn't follow the suggestions above. Despite that, a few times things got so bad that I was ready to quit AIs altogether. At that point, my onc suggested that I take a one month "vacation" from letrozole. I found that the symptoms began to ease within a week or 10 days, and by the end of the month I was much better. The good thing was that the benefits of the vacation seemed to persist - once I went back on letrozole, the symptoms didn't come back right away - I got several weeks of reduced joint pain after the month was over.

Well, that "keeping an eye on things" didn't last too long...this morning I woke up with very painful stiffness in one ankle, as though I'd sprained it. My shoulders, back, and fingers are stiff as well. This is after only 16 days on tamoxifen; I feel like a little old lady with bones full of ground glass. I'm going to stop taking tamoxifen for a bit to see if any of this goes away.

NatsFan, thank you for the tips! It was so painful that I had to limp... And a few days ago the pain woke me up in early morning so I had to take oxycodone to go back to sleep. I've started taking fish oil, doing gentle stretch every day. I used anti inflammatory patch my mom sent me, which helped alot! I was able to play hockey and run 5 miles this weekend.

Brascher, how's your joint pain? Hope you are feeling better...

Bratscher, glad to hear you are feeling better. The pain became more manageable after oxycodene and anti-flammatory patch. I'm seeing my MO in two weeks. I'll talk to her then.

Welcome Lucy1010! It shouldn't be too long until you can run again but your PS would likely be AOK with walking to tide you over. I think some have had more amenable PSs who did allow them to run carefully in a reasonable time, but I'll leave it to them to share their experiences with TEs.

For those tracking the upcoming Disney run registrations, the Wine and Dine registrations should open soon. That's the after-hours run in early November. As always, it will sell out fast.

For those who are seriously, out-of-control, addicted to Disney running, Disneyland Paris has announced theirs will be September 2016, and they have a website where you can sign up for email notification of more details. It's unclear whether it's runDisney or DLP in charge, but I'm in regardless!

(Edited to put back missing words, oops.)