The Official Thread for Runners

[lambdacoug]

Went out for a run today and my cat followed me for the first half mile or so. LOL

[ERCougar]

I was thinking about you St. Georgers as I ran my long run today. Week 4 and aready up to 9 miles. Marathon training is much more brutal than half marathon training. I pondered how I was going to get another 16 miles out of me in January as I finished up. Good news is my training pace was my race pace for the diz half I did a month ago.

I need to have shoulder surgery, but I will hold off until after the marathon.

LC, there is nothing I love more in running than running on a cold morning. Exhilarating to me.

Amen. Winter running rocks.

[happyone]

Amen. Winter running rocks.

agreed - one of my most ethreal experiences is running/walking in a snow storm in the dark and watching the snow flakes in the street lights (no wind of course)

[ERCougar]

agreed - one of my most ethreal experiences is running/walking in a snow storm in the dark and watching the snow flakes in the street lights (no wind of course)

Funny. Running in extreme cold conditions can actually be kind of fun. I've never had that feeling running in extreme heat.

[Coach McGuirk]

Funny. Running in extreme cold conditions can actually be kind of fun. I've never had that feeling running in extreme heat.

Me neither. Heat running just kills you.

[BigPiney]

Was in NYC for a wedding last week and found a 5 k to do while there. My goal was to pace my wife to her first sub 20 min 5k, and still beat her.

Race was in Prospect Park. We took a short wrong turn and it was enough to prevent us from the coveted sub 20. I think I was 8 seconds off and she finished in 20:22. Man so dissapointing, though we really haven't done much speed work at all, so I don't feel too badly. She did win the women's race and I think I was 5th overall, so it was not a fast race. One thing that was tough was that the course was not closed, so there were hundreds of other runners out there on the road doing their saturday morning runs.

This saturday I hope to do better.

[bluegoose]

Track workout today. 200m intervals followed by 200m recovery walk/jog. I tried to keep them between 41-43 seconds each. I had initially planned to do 24 intervals, but the darn snooze button made me miss about 10 minutes, so I only got in 16 intervals.

Cardiovascular felt great, but doing that much speed is not very easy for my aging musculskeletal system to do. My hips aren't willing to give me enough hip extension for a good follow through on my stride, and my legs just don't turn over like they used to. I'll probably have a little hip flexor and adductor muscle soreness tomorrow morning.

[lambdacoug]

I'm not training for a marathon so I won't comment in that thread about this, but bluegoose said, in response to ERCougar:

It took him several weeks and perhaps even a month or two, but the aches and pains of running daily eventually dissipated and his speed skyrocketed.

What constitutes 'normal aches and pains' and real overuse injuries? The program I'm following has me running 4 intervals of 2000 yards (1.17 miles) with 170 yds walking between them. This totals out to a tad over 5.0 miles every other day. My knees are starting to complain by the end, so I've been stretching and icing them for 15-30 minutes after the run. At what point does this become something more than normal aches and pains?

[ERCougar]

Track workout today. 200m intervals followed by 200m recovery walk/jog. I tried to keep them between 41-43 seconds each. I had initially planned to do 24 intervals, but the darn snooze button made me miss about 10 minutes, so I only got in 16 intervals.

Cardiovascular felt great, but doing that much speed is not very easy for my aging musculskeletal system to do. My hips aren't willing to give me enough hip extension for a good follow through on my stride, and my legs just don't turn over like they used to. I'll probably have a little hip flexor and adductor muscle soreness tomorrow morning.

Yes!
My right hip flexor is my number one recurrent area of soreness. I watch these college runners run, legs extending far behind them, heels hitting their butts, and yeah...that's not me.

I'm not training for a marathon so I won't comment in that thread about this, but bluegoose said, in response to ERCougar:


What constitutes 'normal aches and pains' and real overuse injuries? The program I'm following has me running 4 intervals of 2000 yards (1.17 miles) with 170 yds walking between them. This totals out to a tad over 5.0 miles every other day. My knees are starting to complain by the end, so I've been stretching and icing them for 15-30 minutes after the run. At what point does this become something more than normal aches and pains?

Unfortunately, this is an experience thing, and not something we can tell you over the computer. Sagal's been running a long time and knows what constitutes "normal". I'd be careful with joint pains. Joint structures are not nearly as well vascularized as muscle so recovery is much slower. I'd suggest cutting back, but if you don't want to, just make sure they're not getting more severe. My wife still ices her knees occasionally but much less than she used to, so it CAN go away as your body adapts. But I'd be very careful about increasing mileage while you're still having pain. You don't want to get floored by an injury in the early part of your running career.

[Pheidippides]

Yes!
My right hip flexor is my number one recurrent area of soreness. I watch these college runners run, legs extending far behind them, heels hitting their butts, and yeah...that's not me.



Unfortunately, this is an experience thing, and not something we can tell you over the computer. Sagal's been running a long time and knows what constitutes "normal". I'd be careful with joint pains. Joint structures are not nearly as well vascularized as muscle so recovery is much slower. I'd suggest cutting back, but if you don't want to, just make sure they're not getting more severe. My wife still ices her knees occasionally but much less than she used to, so it CAN go away as your body adapts. But I'd be very careful about increasing mileage while you're still having pain. You don't want to get floored by an injury in the early part of your running career.

Please, lambda, listen to these people I didn't and ended up getting injured while trying to match what they did, even though I was a rookie and they'd been doing it for some time.

Building up mileage takes time and patience. 10 percent a week. I'm seeing some people say 8 percent a week these days.

[lambdacoug]

Please, lambda, listen to these people I didn't and ended up getting injured while trying to match what they did, even though I was a rookie and they'd been doing it for some time.

Building up mileage takes time and patience. 10 percent a week. I'm seeing some people say 8 percent a week these days.

I will. I was running about 8/9 miles a week two weeks ago and now it's up to 15/week. It first started bugging me when I decided to run a 5 miler, just to see if I could. Anyway, I have a 5k Saturday and a 10k on the 27th. I will cut back after the 10k and not increase my mileage anymore until then. I was planning on also running a 10k on 11/17 and 12/15, maybe I'll scale back to a 5k on 11/17 and see where that leaves me for 12/15. I can focus on pace instead of distance. The goal is a half sometime next year, I have no desire to have an injury and I have plenty of time to increase my distance more slowly and still hit my goal. Thanks for the responses.

[Coach McGuirk]

I've been running 6 years now off and on, but more on that off. This year I really turned the screws up. I have run consistently since may following HH training plans of one sort or another, putting in over 400 miles for the year so far.

During this time I have run almost all of the miles on the road and have made it a habit of waving at each car that passes. I started doing this for two reasons, 1 to make them more aware of me, and 2 when I first moved to Utah there was this old man that would run/walk on geneva road every morning and he waved to every car as well. I have always remembered that guy.

Anyway, it has been long enough that I thought I would give some observations.

ages based on looks,

Men - 25-55 are the most likely to wave back and give room

Women - 25-55 are 4 times less likely to wave or give room

people <25 regardless of sex are even more rare than woman to wave or give room

Olds - are the least likely to wave or give room, but old women are the worst and seem to hug the edge of the road, yet still not realize you are there.

Women are 10 times more likely than men to be driving while talking on a cell phone while teens are more likely to be texting while driving.

Hunter/campers (determined by loaded truck, camo, towing 4 wheelers) are just A holes

lastly,

I have always been taught to run against traffic, ride with. I am pretty sure I am right about this, so if I have one more biker or runner tell me I am on the wrong side of the road, I am going to scream, real loud, but I want to make sure I am not wrong here. anyone?

[happyone]

I've been running 6 years now off and on, but more on that off. This year I really turned the screws up. I have run consistently since may following HH training plans of one sort or another, putting in over 400 miles for the year so far.

During this time I have run almost all of the miles on the road and have made it a habit of waving at each car that passes. I started doing this for two reasons, 1 to make them more aware of me, and 2 when I first moved to Utah there was this old man that would run/walk on geneva road every morning and he waved to every car as well. I have always remembered that guy.

I always wave to traffic also - mainly, I know if they wave back I know they've seen me. I also say good day/good evening to anyone I meet on the road or in the subdivisions.

As far as the right side/wrong side debate - I ALWAYS run/walk against traffic. I don't know if it is correct or not, but I think it is safer.

[Pheidippides]

I've been running 6 years now off and on, but more on that off. This year I really turned the screws up. I have run consistently since may following HH training plans of one sort or another, putting in over 400 miles for the year so far.

During this time I have run almost all of the miles on the road and have made it a habit of waving at each car that passes. I started doing this for two reasons, 1 to make them more aware of me, and 2 when I first moved to Utah there was this old man that would run/walk on geneva road every morning and he waved to every car as well. I have always remembered that guy.

Anyway, it has been long enough that I thought I would give some observations.

ages based on looks,

Men - 25-55 are the most likely to wave back and give room

Women - 25-55 are 4 times less likely to wave or give room

people <25 regardless of sex are even more rare than woman to wave or give room

Olds - are the least likely to wave or give room, but old women are the worst and seem to hug the edge of the road, yet still not realize you are there.

Women are 10 times more likely than men to be driving while talking on a cell phone while teens are more likely to be texting while driving.

Hunter/campers (determined by loaded truck, camo, towing 4 wheelers) are just A holes

lastly,

I have always been taught to run against traffic, ride with. I am pretty sure I am right about this, so if I have one more biker or runner tell me I am on the wrong side of the road, I am going to scream, real loud, but I want to make sure I am not wrong here. anyone?

I'm positive you are right. I do the same.

[lambdacoug]

I'm positive you are right. I do the same.

As do I. Whether it's right or wrong, I want to be able to jump out of the way rather than get hit from behind.