The Running Thread - 2018

[camaker]

March Total: 56.4 miles

Definitely a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly this month.

The Good: Getting back to running and getting 56.4 miles in after putting up a blistering 0.0 miles in February. No recurrence of the shin issue. Found a local PT who specializes in running and started discussing strategies for preventing recurrence and improving my form.

The Bad: While my legs have been quick to reacclimate to running and want to go back to my old paces, my heart and lungs have been much slower to regain fitness. It’s frustrating.

The Ugly: The aforementioned PT identified that I have an atypical curvature to my right tibia. That causes my foot to strike at an angle, making the calf muscles work harder to pull the foot into line for the push off and has led primarily to the shin injury. Also, none of the new shoe styles I’ve been auditioning have panned out and my best bet for the future, the Glycerin 15s have now been implicated as potentially contributing to the shin issue. That leaves me with 2 pairs of Glycerin 13s to run in and nothing to turn to after. I’m a bit worried by that situation...

 

[Bree]

Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

Ran my 7 miles today and all I thought about was the key lime pie that’s in my fridge.

I bought a Cadbury egg yesterday that I’m saving for next weekend’s long run. This whole trying to lose weight really sucks sometimes. I love Cadbury eggs and peeps and reese’s peanut butter eggs.

 

[Bree]

March Total: 56.4 miles

Definitely a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly this month.

The Good: Getting back to running and getting 56.4 miles in after putting up a blistering 0.0 miles in February. No recurrence of the shin issue. Found a local PT who specializes in running and started discussing strategies for preventing recurrence and improving my form.

The Bad: While my legs have been quick to reacclimate to running and want to go back to my old paces, my heart and lungs have been much slower to regain fitness. It’s frustrating.

The Ugly: The aforementioned PT identified that I have an atypical curvature to my right tibia. That causes my foot to strike at an angle, making the calf muscles work harder to pull the foot into line for the push off and has led primarily to the shin injury. Also, none of the new shoe styles I’ve been auditioning have panned out and my best bet for the future, the Glycerin 15s have now been implicated as potentially contributing to the shin issue. That leaves me with 2 pairs of Glycerin 13s to run in and nothing to turn to after. I’m a bit worried by that situation...

I have no shoe suggestions, but I hope you can find something that works. It’s frustrating when they redesign a favorite shoe.

 

[LilyJC]

March Total: 56.4 miles

Definitely a case of the good, the bad, and the ugly this month.

The Good: Getting back to running and getting 56.4 miles in after putting up a blistering 0.0 miles in February. No recurrence of the shin issue. Found a local PT who specializes in running and started discussing strategies for preventing recurrence and improving my form.

The Bad: While my legs have been quick to reacclimate to running and want to go back to my old paces, my heart and lungs have been much slower to regain fitness. It’s frustrating.

The Ugly: The aforementioned PT identified that I have an atypical curvature to my right tibia. That causes my foot to strike at an angle, making the calf muscles work harder to pull the foot into line for the push off and has led primarily to the shin injury. Also, none of the new shoe styles I’ve been auditioning have panned out and my best bet for the future, the Glycerin 15s have now been implicated as potentially contributing to the shin issue. That leaves me with 2 pairs of Glycerin 13s to run in and nothing to turn to after. I’m a bit worried by that situation...

@camaker, I think you were the one who gave me helpful shoe suggestions after I was distressed about the Glycerin 15s not working for me at all.... I’ve been meaning to search for the conversation to report on my visit to my Running Center.

When I headed over, thankfully my most trusted, very favorite lady was working and helping me. She immediately suggested the new Brooks shoe - the Levitate. She shared some fancy info about them, and when I tried them I loved them!

Have you by any chance checked those out? Not sure if the Levitates would aggravate your tibia issue, but I’ve put about 60 miles on mine and have been pretty happy. The drop difference between the two styles is minimal, but it took me a couple runs to adjust. Hopefully you can find something that will work - I understand the shoe search discouragement. Good luck!

 

[camaker]

@camaker, I think you were the one who gave me helpful shoe suggestions after I was distressed about the Glycerin 15s not working for me at all.... I’ve been meaning to search for the conversation to report on my visit to my Running Center.

When I headed over, thankfully my most trusted, very favorite lady was working and helping me. She immediately suggested the new Brooks shoe - the Levitate. She shared some fancy info about them, and when I tried them I loved them!

Have you by any chance checked those out? Not sure if the Levitates would aggravate your tibia issue, but I’ve put about 60 miles on mine and have been pretty happy. The drop difference between the two styles is minimal, but it took me a couple runs to adjust. Hopefully you can find something that will work - I understand the shoe search discouragement. Good luck!

Thanks for the suggestion! The Levitate is one of the two shoes left on my current “need to try” list. I’ve been focused on brands other than Brooks thus far in an attempt to diversify my shoe brand portfolio. As none of the other brands has panned out this far my next stops are going to be the Brooks Ghost and Levitate. Now to find a coupon... Auditioning shoes can get spendy!

 

[beatlecat42]

hope everyone's been having a good weekend!

So many things!

dogs: ugh, in a city especially, keeping dogs off-leash is so damn irresponsible (for people and dogs!), it makes me so angry...

breakfast foods: yum. Waffles are superior to pancakes, though.

Nice report. I was curious about the Rock n Roll part as they advertise that they have better everything this year... How were the music, the animation, the water stops...?

I did New Orleans this year and last year...despite the claims of "better" than before, I didn't notice any significant changes (other than actually *less* live music during the 5k). It's not bad, but anticipating any great improvements is a recipe for disappointment. (also, people who have signed up for marathons with the promise of a finisher's jacket are PISSED that the organizers have appeared to pull a bait and switch on that aspect).

QOTD: With all the PR's over the weekend I wanted to ask, when you meet a goal or PR, do you treat yourself to something special?

nothing special, but after the Lancaster race in a couple of weeks, my sister and I are definitely planning to put some hurting on a shoo-fly pie...regardless of results

QOTD: For fueling during your long run or you a "liquids" (think GU) or solids (think the jelly bean fuel) type of person and why?

solids. I like some kinds of chews, it gives my mouth something to do (also, I've found a lot of liquids to have unpleasant textures).

QOTD: Today lets discuss compression socks. Do you use them? Do you wear them while running or for recovery, or both? What would you suggest to someone who is looking to get a pair?

I finally found a pair of sleeves that will fit my giant calves, they've felt pretty nice to have on after a long race.

Good morning folks! Today’s Fun Good Friday QOTD: Are you off of work today for Good Friday? Any interesting traditions? Easter traditions?

Our Good Friday is next week, so nothing special this weekend. Next week, though, we're planning to go to the parents' house. Lots of church, lots of candles, and ultimately, LOTS of food. Love me some Greek Easter.

 

[PaDisneyCouple]

DH March totals:
72.7 miles First month over 70 miles since last August!
8050 yards swimming

7 greyhound teeth extracted
1 happy hound who just led us on a brief walk with a spring in his step!

 

[Wendy98]

March started with a bang, ended with a bust. I haven't ran since March 22. I spent 2.5 hours on the elliptical yesterday. I then walked on the treadmill in an attempt to make my feet feel normal after the elliptical. That is dangerous for me, like asking the addict to "just hold the drugs". But I just walked a couple miles and then got off. My leg is feeling SO MUCH better, so healing is happening. Now if I could do something about the blisters on my hands from the elliptical.

March miles: 151.08
Avg. Pace: 7:30/mile

 

[DopeyBadger]

March Training Summary

Running duration = 9:06 hours
Running mileage = 62.8 miles
Indoor Virtual Biking duration = 17:51 hours
Indoor Virtual Biking mileage = 383 miles
Total (training) duration = 26:57 hours
Total (training) mileage = 445 miles
McMillan Core Routine = 20 min x 12 times = 4 hours of Strength Work

March was a month of recovery for me. I finally got the all-clear in mid-March to return to running from my fibula stress fracture. I'm following the Jack Daniels protocol for returning to running. Equal easy weeks to amount of time off from running. So 6 weeks off = 6 weeks of easy at 33%, 50%, and 75% mileage. To compensate, I joined Zwift (an indoor virtual biking game) to continue to get some aerobic exercise. Obviously, I'm not where I was at my peak in mid-December, but I continue to make steady progress to returning to normal. Using a common HR amongst runs I can measure improvement. At a HR of 143 (or 73% HRR), my pace has quickened from 9:16 two weeks ago, to 7:51 this past Friday, with the hopes of getting back to peak at a 6:52 min/mile.

 

[gjramsey]

March totals:
Total Miles: 114
Total Time: 16:11:36
Average Pace: 8:32 min/mile
Average HR: 143

Another month of taking it kinda easy. Took a week off mid-month, trying to detgermine if I had a strained hammy, or just over-tight. I have my final race of the spring season next weekend, and have no goals with it. Than the next race in not until Oct.

@LSUlakes, here are my races for the fall that I am signed up for

Oct - 14 - gjramsey - Cypress Texas 10 (NG / N/A)
Oct - 28 - gjramsey - Houston Half Marathon (NG / N/A)
Nov - 4 - gjramsey - Katy Texas 10 (NG / N/A)
Nov - 11 - gjramsey - Cypress Half Marathon (NG / N/A)

 

[CDKG]

March Miles: 89.5
2018 Miles: 216.7

March was a good running month for me. It started with the HC 15k (improving upon last year's time) followed by a new 10k PR on St. Paddy's Day. With signs that my current training program was working, I decided to add a 5th day of running per week. So far, so good!

April begins with a week and a half visiting my parents in AZ. Their flat, gated neighborhood is great for morning runs and walks which led to a 10-mile PR after returning home last year. I'm running the same 10-mile race this year and will be thrilled if I can further improve upon that time. Oh, and April brings registration for my first full marathon!

 

[Dis5150]

March miles - 90.7

This included marathon #2 for my year of 5 marathons, so I had 10 days off for recovery following the marathon. Very happy with my running/training/race this month! Now 5 weeks until marathon #3!

ETA: Checked my actual mileage sheet, (which I keep at work) this morning and it is actually 93.7! Forgot about my treadmill miles which don't show up on my Garmin. Yay, go me, lol!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

Early Bird 10 Miler Race Recap

Short: Wind, Hills, Beat my Goal

Long:
The hosting race company (Pink Gorilla) puts on a great race with a fun atmosphere, so I was excited to run the inaugural Early Bird 10 Miler. Knowing that rD accepts 10 milers as a marathon POT, this was a great chance to try for that too.

My husband and I set off for Omaha on Friday. I choose to abstain from meat on Fridays during lent, so figuring out what to eat was a bit of a challenge as my normal pre-race meal was out. Despite the lack of protein, cheese pizza treated me ok. I slept terribly and after waking up every 30 min, at 2:30am I thought, “I wish this was a Disney race so I could just get up now!”

Advanced packet pick up was only available on Thursday, so I needed to pick up my race packet the morning of. I parked in my previously assigned lot and the walk to the start area was about 12 min and hilly. As I was walking back to my car to drop of my shirt, I realized my legs were already tired from just walking up the hills. Not good!

The weather forecast was terrible. The temperature dropped all morning, due to the 20-30 mph winds, gusting over 40 mph. I waited in my car for a while and the wind was shaking my car, thus shaking my confidence.

I headed to the starting area, lining up at the back of the 11:00/front of the 12:00 pace flags. My goal was to run 11:45mm, getting a McMillan calculated POT of <5:29:59 for marathon weekend. I had trained for this pace, but the poor racing conditions made me unsure that this could happen. I saw a gal in the same area with a mickey baseball cap on, so I talked to her a while about Disney and running, a great way to pass the time and ease my nerves. (I hope she had a great race!)

After running 1 min uphill and into the wind, I decided to revert to my tried and trusted 2:1 interval, despite many training miles at 3:1. I think this was a good choice, allowing me to save a little energy for later in the race. Around mile 2, we entered a large lake area, making for a beautiful (and cold) course. The trail was a little narrow in some areas, but overall it was a great course. There were water stops every couple miles, a gu stop and multiple cheer stations.

Being constantly whipped in the wind was exhausting, both physically and mentally. After mile 6, I did the #math and knew if I kept my pace, I could still meet my goal. I did some serious pep talking in mile 7, trying to convince myself the discomfort now would be far less than not meeting my goal.

I crossed the finish line at 1:57:02, beating my goal time by 31 sec. I am proud of my effort and excited to think about what’s to come, knowing I could have raced faster in different conditions. McMillan estimated this at a 5:28:31 marathon and honestly, I’ll be so disappointed if runDisney doesn’t calculate it similarly.

The post race breakfast was a delicious combination of donuts, cinnamon rolls, fruit, a breakfast burrito and seriously great coffee. Definitely would recommend this race to anyone close to Omaha! The early bird does get the worm after all!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

^^^ Whoa. Way longer than I intended! Sorry!

(I probably need my own journal... )

 

[BikeFan]

March miles: 201

Hit my goal of 200 for the month, just barely. April should be fun, with a race every weekend, although I'm not actually running on the last weekend, just volunteering for a local 5K. At least the temps should be nicer.

 

[roxymama]

Congrats @run.minnie.miles !!! I know how much you were worried about the wind so it is awesome you beat your goal time.

Nice work to everyone who ran in cold/windy/annoying weather or volunteered in it this weekend. My LR today started normal but then got way slower than I know I have in me because the wind was just UGH, but luckily my last 1.5 miles had the wind at my back so it pushed me along. I'm just super ready for it to not be 27 degrees out which I feel like it forever is when I decide to run outside.

Everyone posting March reminds me that I'm a few runs behind on strava updates...getting better at updating that is a new years resolution I've yet to master!

Hoppy Easter or Happy Sunday to all.

PS One large Cadbury egg and two mini ones. I had some restraint

 

[Miranda]

March totals: 69.5 miles, 22 hr 22 min, 3134 ft elevation

This is my first full month on my first DB training plan and I'm pretty sure this is by far my highest mileage month ever!

 

[run.minnie.miles]

PS One large Cadbury egg and two mini ones. I had some restraint

Easter is not over... don’t quit now

 

[chiisai]

Question, not sure it belongs here or a new thread... I was fitted for running shoes at a store and have a pair of supportive shoes now. They felt fine in the store, but as I’ve been wearing them, on my right foot the arch feels too far back and it gets painful. I’m going back to the store, but any thoughts on running shoes I can suggest to try on where the arches are more forward in the shoe?

 

[FredtheDuck]

March mileage: 103.4. A new record for me!

We had a hint of spring last week and I did lots of outdoor running. Tomorrow will be back on the treadmill, we are getting sleet and snow in the early morning hours.