The Official Thread for Runners

[lambdacoug]

How much do you sweat off in a run? This morning I ran for about an hour, and weighed myself au naturel just before and just after the run (I don't eat or drink anything on runs of an hour or less, unless it's really hot). I dropped 3.5 pounds, and the scale is very accurate. Is that typical of your results? I won't inquire about other elimination habits at this time.

Usually between 2-3 lbs for a 3 mile/5k run.

[PaloAltoCougar]

P'dip, man, that's a lot of sweat. Mine works out to a half-pound per mile, which struck me as a lot but, as in all things, I've got nothing on you.

[Pheidippides]

P'dip, man, that's a lot of sweat. Mine works out to a half-pound per mile, which struck me as a lot but, as in all things, I've got nothing on you.

I lose a half pound per mile in the winter (which is almost your summer) so it sounds like we are the same.

[OhioBlue]

Ran 2 miles this morning with no pain and no soreness. First time in almost 5 months that I've ran without issue. That was quite possibly the best run I've ever had....in terms of pure joy.

Edit: The human pysche is a weird thing. I've just spent the past 30 mins looking at upcoming races....even a possible half marathon....all this after a 2 mile run after having been injured for the past 5 months.

Saw this earlier and meant to reply, but forgot: GREAT news for you Moliere. Your tenacity in fighting through injuries has been impressive to say the least. Here's hoping for continued health.

[happyone]

I average a pound per mile during the summer.

Even with me mainly walking - I'll lose about 3/4 lb per mile. I normally lose about 5 lbs for a 7 mile walk/jog

[happyone]

Getting old stinks. I run about 18 miles per week, and I'm finding that my achilles tendons are stiffening up each time I run now. Do you suppose I should be stretching? I've never really done much stretching.

What do you think of Glucosamine and Chondroitin? Do they really help lubricate the joints and what not? I wonder if my ankles need a little more of that.

If I don't stretch AFTER I walk, the next day is awful! My hamstrings will be so tight it takes 2 miles to get to where I'm walking comfortably let alone jogging. I haven't tried Glucosamine and Chondroitin

[Bo Diddley]

If I don't stretch AFTER I walk, the next day is awful! My hamstrings will be so tight it takes 2 miles to get to where I'm walking comfortably let alone jogging. I haven't tried Glucosamine and Chondroitin

I think it's a function of age, but I'm finding that I have to stretch more and more, both before and after running, hiking, or biking, or I'm gonna have problems.

[Moliere]

Saw this earlier and meant to reply, but forgot: GREAT news for you Moliere. Your tenacity in fighting through injuries has been impressive to say the least. Here's hoping for continued health.

Thanks. I'm taking it slow.....as usual. one or two runs a week of nothing more than 2 miles. If the pain still subsides then I'll slowly increase but I'll never make the same mistake I did last time.

[OhioBlue]

19:48.3.

Hell. Yes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544731765

a few more details later....

[Joe Public]

19:48.3.

Hell. Yes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544731765

a few more details later....

:rockon1::rockon2:

Awesome. I hope to join the club someday. Be sure to elaborate when you get a chance.

[CardiacCoug]

19:48.3.

Hell. Yes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544731765

a few more details later....

Nice job. I have no interest in marathons but an under 20 minute 5K is something I would love to shoot for if I could stop being so lazy.

[BigPiney]

19:48.3.

Hell. Yes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544731765

a few more details later....

Congrats, that is a good feeling.

[OhioBlue]

So a bit more about the experience for those interested. I detailed my training a bit above this in the thread, long story short I didn't have perfect but 'pretty good' training and consistency. So I came into the current stretch of races feeling optimistic.

And then I ran the Freedom Run a couple weeks ago. Heading into it the two weeks before were less than ideal in terms of mileage, but I at least got in a couple good workouts. I felt hopeful and even borderline confident about hitting sub-20. For whatever reason, I decided to run more 'organically' in that one and went sans GPS watch, and sans music. It finishes uphill for the last mile (up 9th East) and so I tried to be smart during the first two miles, then hit it harder. I rounded the corner into the finish and as I approached the line saw 21:xx on the clock. Damn. Ended up being 21:37, which isn't even close to where I thought I would be.

I was quite deflated, and it took me a couple days to shake it off and overanalyze it, and even then it was definitely in the back of my mind this morning. The only things I could think of were that I wasn't as fit as I had thought, that maybe at 39 my body was telling me 'sorry bud ain't gonna happen', or that possibly I hadn't pushed myself hard enough and without knowing my paces didn't know to push harder.

Anyway, two more weeks of training, some good workouts, doing everything as close to right as I know how. I thought I could at least get in a few 5ks between now and winter and hadn't lost all hope, but I'd be lying if I said I was confident heading into this morning's race. Mostly I was curious. Curious to see whether the Freedom Run was just a weird outlier, or if it was gonna end up being a dose of reality. I thought sub-20 today was perhaps possible, and told my wife to come just in case, but deep inside I was preparing for something about 30 seconds+ off my goal.

So I wake up this morning, do my usual thing, head to the race (Steel Days 5k here in American Fork, run in part along the parade route that took place later this morning), and start my warmup. As is the norm for me before a race, I feel jittery, anxious, and easily out of breath. Definitely not strong. But I've learned that those feelings don't necessarily mean anything about how my race will go. I run 15 minutes or so, do some lunges and dynamic stretching, and a handful of strides. Heading to the start line I'm committed to give it everything, and the strategy is to stay on top of my pace by checking my watch and shoot for mile splits of about 6:30, 6:25, and 6:20.

I start right near the front since it's just clock-timed, not chip-timed. As usual, a mass of humanity tears past me immediately. Much of that mass includes all the AF High School XC runners, who do this race every year and dominate the finish line. I barely even think about them and just focus on reining in the start a bit, what with the adrenaline and all. First half of the race is gently uphill, and I want to have something left for the last mile. I keep checking my watch and am quite relieved to see 6:3x quite frequently during that first mile. I think the first small seeds of hope and drive started to sprout then. I realized that although I was already breathing quite heavily and definitely feeling the effort, it didn't feel impossible to maintain. I kept my eyes on a guy in red about 10 seconds ahead of me that looked like he was a strong runner and also an older runner, figured he might be my age-group competition (came to find out he was actually 47, he ended up beating me by about 20 seconds).

Into mile two the steady but gentle uphill starts to get to me. I've run the race twice before so I know it's there, but I'm feeling it. The runners have spread and thinned quite a bit at this point, it still feels like there's 50 runners in front of me but I've passed a bunch during that first mile, and honestly, I'm barely aware of anyone else at this point and just focusing on keeping my legs driving and maintaining my cadence. Breathing is getting more and more labored. The seeds of doubt and 'I knew I wasn't going to be able to do it' start chattering away in my mind. It doesn't help that the few times I check my watch I'm seeing 6:45 and 6:50, but each time I try to push and surge. I'm realizing my goal of running the 2nd mile in 6:25 isn't gonna happen. That's okay. Just keep pushing. There are just a handful of runners around me at this point, and I haven't looked behind me at all. I hit a couple little steeper uphills and my legs are on fire; I try to keep the effort the same and then surge a bit right at the top of the hill. I pass a couple people doing this. I keep reminding myself that as much as I'm in distress right now, if I'm passing them it's likely they're hurting as much or more.

The last half of the course (it's a loop that technically nets a +7 feet in overall elevation change) flattens out and then goes into a gentle downslope until the very end. As I head into mile 3 all I can hang on to is that at least there's just one mile left. At this point the head-chatter about sub-20 chances subsides a bit as honestly I don't really have the mental energy to care about it right then, I'm just focusing on keeping the motor going. Lungs are burning, mouth has spit leaking out of it, breathing is getting ragged--you know, all the usual stuff I hate and love about the 5k. Legs are still moving somehow, and I can definitely tell I'm not going uphill anymore, but I'm tired. I up my cadence since I know my stride length is coming down, or at least subjectively feels that way. It's just me and one other guy within 5 seconds of me and I don't really notice much about anything further than that. He's a HS-aged kid, and it feels pretty good when I pass him but only for a second or so and then I'm back to wondering if my legs might just fold up and collapse or how hard, really, can my heart be pushed until it pushes back. At this point I love having the feedback from my watch. I'm at 6:10 pace. Awesome! Keep going. I'm at 6:15. 6:05. Holy crap I'm at 5:50 pace. NOw the real possibility of breaking 20 comes back in, but I don't let myself think much about it. Don't want to be disappointed, and besides, I'm dying right now. I'm a quarter-mile from the finish. Sub 20 or no, at least this misery is all going to end soon. I round the corner at the finish, and push. At this point I'm sort of aware that I'm grunting and gasping, my breath is definitely ragged, and I don't care how silly I look.

As soon as I'm close enough to read the clock, and see 19:xx, it starts to hit me. I don't even have anything left for a sprint, but at this point I'm running like 5:30 pace so whatever. I'm gonna f-ing do this. It's happening. Three years of single-minded obsession and work. And just two weeks ago my confidence was lower than it's been in a long time. I look around for my wife, don't see her, and do a little arm-raise as I cross the line in 19:48. Somehow I stay on my feet, at this point elation is kicking in as are the tears. Then I see my wife, and I'm really done. Blubbery mess and a big sweaty hug and kiss. I can't freaking believe I finally did it.

One of the things I love most about running is that the times and speed are all relative. There are people who finished well in front of me today who are disappointed in their times, or were taking it easy. There are also people who finished 15 minutes behind me who put in the exact same level of effort during their race, and for whom their finish is just as emotional. I have been emotional before at the end of a run--like the first time I made it a whole 3 miles on my treadmill without stopping. Or the first time I ran 6 miles. The tears then came from the same place that they come from today; hard work, dedication, accomplishing something that once felt impossible. I'm not athletic, I'm 39, I'm not supposed to be able to run a sub 20 5k. But screw all that, because that's exactly what I went out and did.

So I apologize for waxing a little poetic about the whole thing, but I trust that I'm among people who know the feeling themselves, regardless of what the goal was. I'm gonna live this up for a while and just soak it in. I'm truly very content and happy at this moment. Thanks for inspiring and motivating me with your own stories and accomplishments, it matters more than you might realize.

Incidentally, I finished 23rd overall and 2nd in 35-39 age group. I was rewarded for my efforts with a nice trophy, which is some good-tasting frosting. My splits were 6:36, 6:38, and 6:03. From mile 2.1 to 3.1 I ran a 5:58 mile, which is my fastest ever. I rewarded myself with a crap-ton of greasy diner breakfast and plan on continuing the celebration for the rest of the weekend.

[ERCougar]

You must have played a lot of beach volleyball this summer!

Congrats. That was fun to read.

[happyone]

19:48.3.

Hell. Yes.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/544731765

a few more details later....

Congrats

I'm really impressed

I couldn't go that fast when I was young and in semi decent shape

Now that I'm old and out of shape - I can't go that fast even in my dreams