The Official Thread for Runners

[Pheidippides]

Fun to catch up on everyone's running accomplishments. And holy crap, Lambda, that is some serious weight loss and it's great to hear that you enjoy getting faster. Just be careful not to push it too hard.

Speaking of pushing too hard, I've been thinking about something lately as I've been several months now around 35-40 mpw, much of that easy or recovery pace (lately with a hill workout and tempo run added in). I know the common error is to run 'easy' runs too fast, but what do people think about the possibility that running easy runs too slowly might also be detrimental? Not just to economy but also maybe with implications for the stress-adaptation cycle the body needs to keep bones/tendons/muscles fine-tuned and resistant to injury. Is it possible to have your easy runs be too easy? I wonder this as I have battled several minor injury issues nearly since i started running and have developed quite the paranoia about running too fast or too hard.

I only have my own anecdotes here but I'm a fan of low and slow. The Pfitz training I did last summer was mostly low and slow with increased mileage and got me a PR. The next cycle also had lots of junk miles and had me doing the marathon leg of the Goofy in what would have been a PR save the October race. And this ironman training...it's been mostly low and slow, but I've found new speed at the same time. I think I could break my old marathon PR by 10 minutes right now, although that's a guess.

All that said, I'm doing some crazy speed work over the summer.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Thank you everyone for the comments on my weight loss. I still have 17-ish pounds to go before my BMI drops below 25 (I'm at 28-29 now), with that said, I feel like a million bucks. Not to take anything away from FN Phat or anyone else that has lost major weight running, it is inspirational to hear others' successes.

This site has actually been quite the font of knowledge and advice on running as well as a motivation. Your advice has really helped me deal with my ITB and knee issues. They are still there, lurking in the background, but they are manageable and fading. I've really been focusing on my form, specifically striking mid-foot and cadence and posture. I especially think the mid-foot thing is really helping me manage the increase mileage without tearing up my knees. I did an 8 mile run a few weeks ago and my knees recovered within a day or two rather than the 2 months it took to recover from my first 10k.

Congrats and good luck in the home stretch as you shed those remaining pounds. We've discussed it a lot here, but it's still fascinating that people spend millions, billions probably, on fad diets, weird machines and other get-thin-quick schemes, usually with only temporary success, if any at all, when simply eating a little better and moving a little more, but doing it consistently over a period of months is pretty much 100% effective. It's also much more satisfying since you really earned it and it's a regimen you can stick with for life. Good work.

[happyone]

Congrats on the weight loss LC - been there!

I've changed my jogging schedule a bit - I'm now jogging 4 day a week (MTThF) about 3 miles per time

A couple of off the wall comments - If I don't stretch consistantly after my walk/jog I takes me a mile or more to get loose enough to walk comfortably the next day

Also we put in a jetted tub last year - the best investment we've made in the last 15 yrs! It used as oftern as I can find the time to soak for 30-45 min.

When I switch to my spring/summer routes a couple of them include going up to US89. It seems like every year I forget just how steep that blessed hill is! It takes a few times to get used to it again

[Eddie]

Congrats on the weight loss LC - been there!

I've changed my jogging schedule a bit - I'm now jogging 4 day a week (MTThF) about 3 miles per time

A couple of off the wall comments - If I don't stretch consistantly after my walk/jog I takes me a mile or more to get loose enough to walk comfortably the next day

Also we put in a jetted tub last year - the best investment we've made in the last 15 yrs! It used as oftern as I can find the time to soak for 30-45 min.

When I switch to my spring/summer routes a couple of them include going up to US89. It seems like every year I forget just how steep that blessed hill is! It takes a few times to get

Which street do you walk up to get to 89?

My wife used to live near the top of Crestwood. She used to tell stories all the time of climbing that hill as a kid.

[happyone]

I normally go up Mutton Hollow, but I'll sometimes go up either Gentile or Antelope. To me Mutton Hollow is the worst ( a climb of about 450 ft in 1 1/2 miles with about 300 feet of it in 3/4 miles) - althought Antelope with the dip is pretty strenous ( actually to get up to 89 there is a second dip that seems almost stright up)

If I go up Mutton Hollow, I'll come down either Crestwood or 2nd North, unless I'm really ambitious and go down to the road that runs in front of Davis Golf Course. If I go up Antelope I'll normalyl come down Gentile or Mutton Hollow depending on how I feel. If I go up Gentile, I'll come down either Mutton Hollow or Crestwood.

I like walking/jogging along 89 esp since they widened and paved the shoulders.

[Eddie]

I normally go up Mutton Hollow, but I'll sometimes go up either Gentile or Antelope. To me Mutton Hollow is the worst ( a climb of about 450 ft in 1 1/2 miles with about 300 feet of it in 3/4 miles) - althought Antelope with the dip is pretty strenous ( actually to get up to 89 there is a second dip that seems almost stright up)

If I go up Mutton Hollow, I'll come down either Crestwood or 2nd North, unless I'm really ambitious and go down to the road that runs in front of Davis Golf Course. If I go up Antelope I'll normalyl come down Gentile or Mutton Hollow depending on how I feel. If I go up Gentile, I'll come down either Mutton Hollow or Crestwood.

I like walking/jogging along 89 esp since they widened and paved the shoulders.

I haven't ever walked/jogged there - but I have biked north on Main in Kaysville, then up Crestwood and then back South on 89. It is quite a steep climb.

[lambdacoug]

I just saw this in my news feed. It looks interesting.

http://gizmodo.com/speedform-under-a...feet-510120541

[FN Phat]

I woke up yesterday a bit early and decided to get my run in for the day. My typical run is 2-2.5 miles depending on the path that I take. I got to the turn around point and decided to go another route as I was feeling pretty good up to that point. Most of the run is on a few back roads with no traffic. I enjoyed the morning sun with a few rabbits, plenty of squirrels and a few deer. It was the most pleasant run I have had. The last third of the run was along a road that had a bit of traffic but nothing too bad. I ended my run and felt great. My legs were a bit tired but my lungs felt fantastic. I drove the route last night to see how far I actually ran. It turns out that I ran exactly five miles. If you would have told me to run five miles at the start of my run I would have told you that I couldn't. I didn't wear my watch so I have no idea how long it took me. If I had to guess I felt like I maintained a 10 minute mile. Maybe a bit less during a long slight uphill portion. I feel like I made up for it the last mile when I kicked it in high gear. I was just enjoying the road, the experience and the solitude with nature.

[MarkGrace]

I woke up yesterday a bit early and decided to get my run in for the day. My typical run is 2-2.5 miles depending on the path that I take. I got to the turn around point and decided to go another route as I was feeling pretty good up to that point. Most of the run is on a few back roads with no traffic. I enjoyed the morning sun with a few rabbits, plenty of squirrels and a few deer. It was the most pleasant run I have had. The last third of the run was along a road that had a bit of traffic but nothing too bad. I ended my run and felt great. My legs were a bit tired but my lungs felt fantastic. I drove the route last night to see how far I actually ran. It turns out that I ran exactly five miles. If you would have told me to run five miles at the start of my run I would have told you that I couldn't. I didn't wear my watch so I have no idea how long it took me. If I had to guess I felt like I maintained a 10 minute mile. Maybe a bit less during a long slight uphill portion. I feel like I made up for it the last mile when I kicked it in high gear. I was just enjoying the road, the experience and the solitude with nature.

Nice!

I feel like running becomes more enjoyable as you get comfortable enough to start pushing out those distances. Enjoyable in the sense that it's rewarding to challenge yourself and see what you can do. It just feels good afterward when you start topping your previous distance marks.

[lambdacoug]

I woke up yesterday a bit early and decided to get my run in for the day. My typical run is 2-2.5 miles depending on the path that I take. I got to the turn around point and decided to go another route as I was feeling pretty good up to that point. Most of the run is on a few back roads with no traffic. I enjoyed the morning sun with a few rabbits, plenty of squirrels and a few deer. It was the most pleasant run I have had. The last third of the run was along a road that had a bit of traffic but nothing too bad. I ended my run and felt great. My legs were a bit tired but my lungs felt fantastic. I drove the route last night to see how far I actually ran. It turns out that I ran exactly five miles. If you would have told me to run five miles at the start of my run I would have told you that I couldn't. I didn't wear my watch so I have no idea how long it took me. If I had to guess I felt like I maintained a 10 minute mile. Maybe a bit less during a long slight uphill portion. I feel like I made up for it the last mile when I kicked it in high gear. I was just enjoying the road, the experience and the solitude with nature.

That's awesome!

Be careful to keep your weekly mileage increases to around 10%. My first 5 miler put me way over that mark and put me out of running for 2 months with knee issues. Since then I've tried to keep things very close to the 10% weekly increase mark and I'm up to about 17 miles/week.

[OhioBlue]

UT County runners...or those coming in for a visit and looking for a good run...the recently completed Murdock Canal Trail is a serious gem. I love it. Been running different sections almost every day, and there's lots to enjoy about it. Great scenery. Plenty of room--in some parts it splits into two paved paths, one for runners/walkers, the other for bikers. If you want to run/ride on packed dirt/gravel instead, they've rolled out 2-3ft wide sections on the sides of the paved portions. Bathrooms/water fountains every couple miles at trailheads. Mile markers every 1/4 mile. I believe about 16 total miles. Tunnels under any major road, marked crossings at the minor ones.

I've been from Lehi to Lindon so far, some great scenery in PG/Lindon when you're up against the mountains with great views. Since it follows the (now covered-over) canal, it's relatively flat with a few exceptions. The lone disappointment so far is the weird detour in AF by me, you can see where the path could have easily gone but maybe someone disputed property ownership or was a stinker somehow, who knows. But even that isn't horrible and it takes you through Highland Glen park which is quite nice.

I hope people take care of this trail. It's a great complement to the other wide, paved trails (Provo River, Jordan River) in the area.

[woot]

I lectured yesterday about running biomechanics and the shod vs. unshod debate. I wore my Merrell "barefoot" shoes for demonstrative purposes, which I had also worn the day before on a short run. I haven't been running that much lately, and between trying to run with a perfect barefoot style and then wearing the same shoes for walking a bunch the next day, I'm quite hobbled. My calves and arches are killing me.

It's kinda cool though, since this corresponds perfectly with what I told my students. 35% of the energy of a running step is stored and returned by your calcaneal tendon, and 17% by your plantar fascia, which is great for efficiency eventually, but it also puts a lot more strain on these soft tissues -- which tend to be very weak from lack of use, even in very active (shod) folk.

If you're interested in this stuff, the best review paper I could find for my students is available on Dan Lieberman's website. It's a really good one: What We Can Learn About Running from Barefoot Running. There are a bunch of other good papers available for free download there too if any of you runners want to binge.

[OhioBlue]

As a follow-up to my post above about the Murdock Canal Trail in UT county, a couple pics from this a.m.

IMG_7147.jpgIMG_7149.jpgIMG_7154.jpg

[lambdacoug]

The week off after the half marathon is over, time to get back at it.

[OhioBlue]

Checking in...I'm having a stretch of the best training yet in my 3 years' running, and feeling good about it.

Which means I'll be back in a bit to complain about my new injury. Knock on wood, I'm feeling pretty good.

Keeping the mileage at about 35-43/wk and have finally been able to get back to the track once a week. Been doing 800s and having a love/hate relationship with intervals that I guess makes me like every other person that's ever run intervals. Also getting in a tempo run once/wk and the long run is up to about 13 on Saturdays.

I have a string of 5ks coming up in July and August, and feeling cautiously optimistic. We'll see.