The Official Thread for Runners

[lambdacoug]

I did my 6 miles this week in 2 runs instead of 3 (I did 2 5k runs on Th and Sat). I wanted to see how my knees handled the larger chunks of mileage. I'm glad to report everything is a-ok. Hopefully, I'm out of the woods on knee issues for now. I think the glucosamine is helping. That, and stretching.

[OhioBlue]

So as I battle my seemingly chronic shin issues and try to figure out what works and what doesn't, let me ask you all a question. I am currently able to keep my shin pain fairly well under control but it has never gone completely away unless I take time off. And then within one or two runs, there is at least a minor tenderness if I press along the inside of my shin, especially on the left leg. And as soon as I pick up the pace in any of my runs, I can be guaranteed that it will elevate in tenderness.

So I've tried endless combinations of things, among those different inserts vs. no inserts. I recently tried switching from orange Superfeet to SOLE heat moldable inserts (the kind you stick in your oven). I also tried some Zensah sleeves, but they don't do a thing. The tenderness in my shins is still there, but unless I'm imagining things it is lower down on the leg (closer to the ankle) than before. Why would the location of the pain move?

Somehow I believe this is relevant and might help me understand whatever biomechanical cause is behind all this, but I turn to any of you for ideas about what exactly that might mean. The new inserts have a more pronounced arch and maybe a little deeper heel cup. Is the different structure under my feet just causing the stress on my shins to move to a different focal point? Why is it not removing stress on my shins? Neither insert has any sort of supportive feature beyond the arch (ie no forefoot post/wedging of any kind), just a little cushioning. I've read that one prominent podiatrist treats MTSS with a full-length varus wedge, going all the way through the forefoot, could this be what I'm missing?

I don't know if anyone has any ideas or not, but it's been well over a year and I'm still scratching my head. Incidentally my brother suffers the same thing and has also tried just about everything, so I wonder if it's just some bad-luck genetics.

[Eddie]

I haven't done any running for a week and a half. Leg was feeling good, so I decided to just go out for a light jog and start building up again. My plan was to go really super slow, and alternate a minute of jogging with a minute of walking.

I made it about a mile and a quarter. Then my calf started acting up again.

Gonna have to stay off it for longer, I suppose. Started back too soon, now it's going to set me back at least a couple more weeks. Crap.

[lambdacoug]

I typically run a 5k during lunch a couple times a week. Today everything just seemed to click. It was about 25 degrees and I was feeling good. The run felt just right, not too hard not too easy. When it ended I looked at my phone and realized that I ran it in 34:30, only 2 minutes slower than my PR. It was just a nice validation after seeing little to no gain (or dropoff) since I started running again after the hoildays. I'll be under 30 minutes before too long.

[Parrot Head]

I'm not sure if it's the lack of a race on the schedule or the end of the holiday challenge but it's been a lot harder to get head out before 6:30 am and run like I was doing before.

[happyone]

I'm not sure if it's the lack of a race on the schedule or the end of the holiday challenge but it's been a lot harder to get head out before 6:30 am and run like I was doing before.

I never could get out in the morning - one of the reasons I go after work

[Pheidippides]

Um, wow.

http://youtu.be/MVIyq-kGL5Y

[bluegoose]

I'm not sure how you afternoon and evening runners do it. I've tried on occasion for years to run after work. It rarely turns out well. I just feel like garbage. Pace is lousy. Stride feels too mechanical and choppy. Even if it has been 5 hours since I have eaten anything I still feel like lunch is far too close to coming back up.

Even though it stinks to get up in the cold and the dark, I guess I am just going to have to accept the fact that I am an early morning runner.

[PaloAltoCougar]

I'm not sure how you afternoon and evening runners do it. I've tried on occasion for years to run after work. It rarely turns out well. I just feel like garbage. Pace is lousy. Stride feels too mechanical and choppy. Even if it has been 5 hours since I have eaten anything I still feel like lunch is far too close to coming back up.

Even though it stinks to get up in the cold and the dark, I guess I am just going to have to accept the fact that I am an early morning runner.

I'm the same way. If I haven't run, ridden or hit the gym before breakfast, it ain't gonna happen.

[BigPiney]

I'm not sure how you afternoon and evening runners do it. I've tried on occasion for years to run after work. It rarely turns out well. I just feel like garbage. Pace is lousy. Stride feels too mechanical and choppy. Even if it has been 5 hours since I have eaten anything I still feel like lunch is far too close to coming back up.

Even though it stinks to get up in the cold and the dark, I guess I am just going to have to accept the fact that I am an early morning runner.

I'm the same way. If I haven't run, ridden or hit the gym before breakfast, it ain't gonna happen.

wusses.

I do most of my runs of up to 10 miles after work.

[happyone]

wusses.

I do most of my runs of up to 10 miles after work.

I'm glad I'm not the only afternoon runner/walker

[lambdacoug]

I'm glad I'm not the only afternoon runner/walker

I'm simply not a morning person, I cannot manage to get up early enough to run before work on a regular basis. I should though, on race days I do like how it leaves me feeling the rest of the day. That extra 30 minutes to an hour of laying in bed is just too damn tempting. I'll probably transition to morning running at some point, but not until it warms up and the 1-2 feet of snow from the last two snowpocalyptic storms melts away...

[Dwight Schr-ute]

I ran this morning for the first time since October 18. Not as horrible of an experience as I had anticipated. I found out yesterday that I've apparently been volunteered to run a work related 5k next month. My team will need me to run about a 7:45 for us to be competitive. I did not run that this morning. So I have a month to shave off 1:30 from my pace.

[ERCougar]

Just ran the Dirty Hurty Trail Half Marathon:
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/282366094

I forgot just how much I love trail running. There was a crazy amount of big ups and downs on the course (including a river crossing), and I was a wet and muddy mess, but I haven't had that much fun running in a really really long time. I need to work in more trail races.

Ran it in my old NB MT10's, which probably have 700-800 miles on them. I freaking love that shoe.

[PaloAltoCougar]

Wow, that's a very fast time ER, especially given the terrain and elevation gain. Very impressive. It took me 25 minutes to run the extra 0.2 miles at the Diz World half; sounds about right, what with the overpasses and all.