THE......Definitive Runner's Thread!

[JRT6]

I'm doing this run. Got to drop a few pounds and take about 3 mins off my 4 mile b/c I want a sub 30:00 but I have over 12 weeks to train.

http://westlake.patch.com/articles/h...-s-rainbow-run

[thepainter5]

I'm doing this run. Got to drop a few pounds and take about 3 mins off my 4 mile b/c I want a sub 30:00 but I have over 12 weeks to train.

http://westlake.patch.com/articles/h...-s-rainbow-run

Those are the types of runs/walks that are worthwhile especially because of the reason behind the run. Good luck with your goal time.

[thepainter5]

Well my first half of the year is done. I started off with a 1 mile warmup run and some stretching then lined up waiting for the start. There were 1975 of us waiting to go once the gun went off. I was a bit suprised when I looked at my GPS log of the race and the fact that it was too quick of a start. The first 2 miles were 1 minute faster than I had planned and I actually felt it over miles 3 & 4. The race took us along our Stanley Park Seawall which allows for a nice view of the Pacific ocean. The rain had stopped by starting time and while it was cloudy it was actually a great day for a run and warm enough to just be in shorts and a long sleeve t-shirt.

As I was starting the 5th mile my legs were happy enough to pick up the pace and start moving up the pack. I was pleased to see that I was at only 1:07 at the halfway point. I worked at keeping up a my pace but my legs were feeling a bit heavy at the 10 mile point. I knew that as we rounded Lost Lagoon we would be headed for the finish line. I was a bit concerned that the last mile or so would have a hill that a few races use and it is short but steep. That would be the last real challenge on the way to the finish line. When I got to the hill I shortened my pace and quickened my breathing and I lost no ground while climbing the hill. At the top of the hill we actually started on a downhill grade which came in very handy. I started to feel something that I enjoy, the finish line, I could smell the finish line and it was time to break from the cluster I was in and go for it. I knew that if someone was going to pass me at this point, they were really going to work for it. As I started making ground and passing some other runners I saw something special, this senior runner had also smelt the finish line and this fellow was giving it his all. He wasn't letting anyone off easy and while I did catch up to him he did finish a step a head of me. I don't know how old he is but I do know from the results that he is at least 70.

All in all I finished a bit faster than I had expected and only 3 minutes slower than my last half last Nov. which is fine with me because I lost 2 months of training due to an injury. During the first part of the race I was thinking that a full marathon in May would be really painful but now I am looking forward to next Sunday's half race and my training for this coming May.

[rpaul11]

sounds like a good run Painter

Man it was nasty here today. I opted for a treadmill run this week. 6 miles. 11:30 pace. I'm really starting to feel less tense in my runs which is a welcome turn of events. Legs felt great today and I felt I could go further, but I the plan called for 6 miles so thats where I ended it.

[mlandis]

7 miles today, this winter has been made for runners, upper 30s in Ohio today!

[RMBros]

Getting a few double sessions in lately, so I'm getting closer to my "two 45 min sessions a day" plan.

Switching jobs, so I've got to figure out a new running trail, but the good news is that I'm next door to an established trail and park that runs along the Trinity River.

Also x4 on the commute with the possibility to go to x10 or more in traffic, so I'm leaving early and doing cardio and lifting when I get close to work.

Lots of planning and scheduling if I'm going to keep up the pace I've planned out.

[JRT6]

I've settled on a 2 degree incline on the dreadmill for now. I've had to reset my training pace and lower the training frequency a little but being a heavy guy I need to keep my milage down while maintaing intensity. I ran a 9:30 pace for a little over two miles before my HR got into the 150's. I then ran another mile at 11:15 pace for 3.25 total.

[rpaul11]

I've settled on a 2 degree incline on the dreadmill for now. I've had to reset my training pace and lower the training frequency a little but being a heavy guy I need to keep my milage down while maintaing intensity. I ran a 9:30 pace for a little over two miles before my HR got into the 150's. I then ran another mile at 11:15 pace for 3.25 total.

good running....I did my long run today. 7 miles...which is my furthest run ever. I maintained and 11:30 for about 5.5 miles, at a 1% incline. The last mile and 1/2 I went to no incline and a 12 min pace. Distance wise I'm ahead of schedule for my upcoming half in May, so hopefully I can try and get my pace up a little also in the upcoming months.

[thepainter5]

I was out there this morning racing another half marathon and the rain held off for the whole race. There was a great turn out, about 2,000 between the half, 10k and 5k. There were about as many of us doing the half as there was for the 2 shorter races combined. It is always a good boost seeing so many people out shortly after 7am just so we can all dress funny and run against a clock.

I purposely started the race at a slower pace than I started with last Sunday. We were about 3 miles in when I realized that the course was changed since last year and there is something to be said for running the same course and knowing what to expect. This new course threw in some more unexpected hills, both up and down. These hills made for some good challenges as many runners shy away from training/running on hills. Fortunately for me, I am not one of those runners. I was able to use the inclines to close the gap on some runners as well as use the declines to blow by some other runners. Running down hill and letting gravity do most the work is a technique worth learning and incorporating in races. Running uphill takes a bit more work but done properly can save you time and still leave you strong at the crest of the hill.

With the large crowd today there was always another runner just a little ways ahead who became the next goal line. When we rounded the 18th mile we were back on the first part of the course and all obstacles were no longer unknown. I knew where I was and where I needed to go so it was time to dig a bit deeper and keep a good pace all the way to the finish line. Shortly after that point a woman who had been working to stay ahead of me (we went back and forth a few times) turned around and started walking the way we had just come from. She was looking down and I could only assume that she had dropped something that meant enough for her to stop running and look for it. I felt bad for her and I hope she found whatever it was as I never did see her after that.

When I was on the last 1/2 mile I passed a fellow about my age and he didn't much care for that so he picked up his pace a bit. As we got closer to the finish line I started picking up pace because (as I stated last week) if someone is going to pass me at this point they will be working hard for it. I didn't see him again and a passed a few more runners in the last stretch towards home and now I had my sights on a woman that I previously thought I wouldn't catch up to. By now I am sprinting and just as she realizes that I am passing her, I realized that this 16 year old kid is passing me in just the same way. That was funny but he was really working for it so good on him.

I managed to run 1 minute faster overall from last week and I averaged a 9:35/mile pace. Now I have three more weeks of training before my next half marathon and it workes out that my next two half races coincide with my running schedule, one on a 13 mile LSR day and the other on a half marathon race day. Well time to jump in the hot tub and relax as my days work is done.

[JRT6]

good running....I did my long run today. 7 miles...which is my furthest run ever. I maintained and 11:30 for about 5.5 miles, at a 1% incline. The last mile and 1/2 I went to no incline and a 12 min pace. Distance wise I'm ahead of schedule for my upcoming half in May, so hopefully I can try and get my pace up a little also in the upcoming months.

I tried 3 degrees today and it went so well I'm staying there instead of 2. I maintani the speed and drop the incline to .5 for recovery.

My pediatrist says that heavy guys like us need some sort of incline b/c othewise we're just sling shooting our achilles tendons every step. Plus from my own experience if I don't train with some kind of incline then the ups and down incline of road running kills me. Running on an inline on the treadmill is a pace killer for heavy guys but the heavy weight variable dosen't change.

[rpaul11]

I tried 3 degrees today and it went so well I'm staying there instead of 2. I maintani the speed and drop the incline to .5 for recovery.

My pediatrist says that heavy guys like us need some sort of incline b/c othewise we're just sling shooting our achilles tendons every step. Plus from my own experience if I don't train with some kind of incline then the ups and down incline of road running kills me. Running on an inline on the treadmill is a pace killer for heavy guys but the heavy weight variable dosen't change.

i've also heard from my Chiro that the incline is a lot easier on the joints. must be something to it

[vcackerman]

Lot of great work going on - been fighting a cold but getting out today for 7 miles to continue the base building. Looking to get in about 50 miles this month after doing 42 last month. Legs feel great - had a few days off due to the cold and recovering well.

[BigMech]

I finally reached a goal of mine that I have been pushing for. I ran my first sub 8 minute mile - 7:58! Took me about 3 months to work down from a 9 minute mile. Not too bad for someone who had never run a mile in their life as of 12 months ago.

Now begins the work of maintaining that pace for more than a mile. I run 3-4 times a week and average between 8:30 and 8:50 for distances up to 5 miles.

I'm signed up for 2 5k's already this year, and I want to start doing some 10k's. We will see about longer distances once I get a few 10k's under my belt.

[thepainter5]

After a rest day on Monday I went out yesterday and planned to just run a light run to loosen up. Along the way I started to have fun so I ended up pushing and tackle a route that had 2 half mile hills. As this route is part of my next half marathon race it seemed like a good plan to practice these hills. My run ended up being 6.2 miles at the same pace as last Sunday's half. It was a good run and I figured I would just do the easy light run today.

So after work today I headed out for my run and I did start off fairly easy and I managed to keep it that way for the first 5 miles but again I found myself feeling good and having fun. Over the last 4 miles I felt strong and just kept going to see how much more was in the tank. When I checked my GPS log I discovered that from mile 3 I was running each consecutive mile 15 - 20 seconds faster than the mile before and that difference became 30 seconds faster from mile 8 to mile 9. I am not sure what was up but I will take this kind of running any day. I now have in 30 miles this week with another 12 planned to stay a bit a head of my training schedule for May's marathon. The cound down is just over 72 days and it is days like today that makes it fun to plan for tackling the full marathon.

[JRT6]

I had lead legs today so instead of blowing my training HR zone I changed up the run. 1.5 miles at 1 degree and 6.1mph followed by 1 mile at 4 degress at 5.2mph. A half mile warm up a 3 mile total run w/ an average HR of 146bpm. A bit high but still pretty disciplined for me.

[ricka182]

No running for me for a little while, maybe a few weeks or so. I had a gait analysis done this morning. He had me on the treadmill with my shoes and insoles on, and also barefoot. He used some software and a big screen to compare the 2 different strides side by side. I am a typical heavy heal striker, but only when running with shoes. He said the natural reaction when running barefoot was to have more of a forefront strike, because landing directly on the heal would hurt and cause damage. When I had my shoes on, my whole body was behind my feet strike, therefore putting all my bodyweight on one leg with each strike. I guess that's a bad thing..

I also was running in shoes a 1/2 size too big. I had already bought a pair of 12's, but was able to return them and order a set of the 11.5's, same 4E width. I just won't have them for a week or so. I asked if I should try to trade those for Vibrams or a similar barefoot runner shoe, he said I didn't need to. The new shoes would be fine; I just need to retrain my stride. He also said the insole I bought was the the right one for my arch and size...

So I have to find new cardio for a week or two. Maybe rowing, which I hate. I'm not very good on elipticals either, not sure why. They just feel awkward after a few minutes, even more at higher speeds. Stationary bike is also an option..but no running or long walks. Need to keep stress off the leg to give it time to heal.

This all kind of sucks, seeing my total training time until Tough Mudder is steadily winding down.. as opposed to going up. I have about 9 weeks left, and am hoping if I rest it for 2-3 weeks I'll be able to pick it up again in time to work on my distance runs a few times before TM..

[JRT6]

Change your gait after the race.

[JRT6]

5 degrees incline for a 14 min per mile avg w/ 144 BPM HR avg.

[thepainter5]

I am 70 days out from my first full marathon race and training is going well. As I work to increase my pace as well as add mileage I wonder about whether or not I will do any other full marathons. The added training time is the number 1 reason I may just choose to run half marathon races.

This past weeks runs had both good and bad days with the good days out numbering the bad days 4-1. The bad day happened simply because I got a bit greedy and pushed way too hard from the get go. That led to tightness in my lower calfs and every step was painful. Once I got home and had a good stretching everything was much happier.

All together I managed 5 runs this week for a total of 42.5 miles. Tomorrow is my LSR day and I hope to put in 16-18 miles as next Sunday I will max out at 15 miles because the Sunday after is race day (a HM) and I am looking to improve on last years time for this course.

[JRT6]

1 degree for 30mins, 9:25 average pace w/ a 144BPM HR avg. I'm quite happy. I did a half mile warmup with a brief walk before starting the run.

[ricka182]

I think I'm going to give running another try... It's only been 5 days off to heal, but I feel so lazy I need to run again. Rowing only does so much for me.. I'll just have to slow down and work on my run form. I need to get my forefoot to strike first, as opposed to my heal. My gait checker said that is what's causing the pain in my leg. Hopefully, I can get a better form worked up..

If it pains me as it before, I'll step off right away and row again.. I have new shoes arriving today, will be able to try them out tomorrow if the legs hold up.

[thepainter5]

..... I need to get my forefoot to strike first, as opposed to my heal. My gait checker said that is what's causing the pain in my leg. ......

Are you actually meaning a mid sole strike, because you don't want to be landing on the balls of your feet as that will cause other issues that will hamper training.

I had a really nice 4.5 mile recovery run today which turned out a lot better than I expected based on how dead my legs were last night after running 18.3 miles, which is now the farthest I have ever run at one time. Only 8 more miles to go for the full and I hope the next 67 days training go well.

[BloodySalad]

All my life I've hated running. I mean really, really hated it. I've always used swimming as my cardio
But beginning from the New Year, I took up treadmill running and I absolutely love it. I get going and I'm mesmirised for the 30 minutes or so that I'm on there. Almost like in a trance. I've even gone out and bought my own treadmill and I have to keep telling myself to stay off it as I just want to keep running. I'm even tempted to step out my front door and go road running (although not quite - I'd be dead within 5 minutes with the traffic around here).

I have a question for all of you proper runners out there: I'm assuming that most benefit is to be gained from road running. Does anyone have any idea of any percentages? How does treadmill running compare in muscle exertion (ie: I run very easily on the flat of a treadmill because it's bouncy but I'm sure I'd fare less well on a flat rigid road)? Could I expect to run quicker on a flat surface or the same decline as I would on a road. Does road-running tax muscles in a different way? Calorie-wise: how many more calories would you burn on a flat road over a treadmill at the same distance?

Why I'm basically asking is because I'm wondering by just how much I'm taking the easy route by choosing the treadmill over the road.

[JRT6]

I'm no expert Ricka but I don't think your foot strike is causing your shin splints because shin splints is an overuse injury.

1 degree at a 8:57 mile pace for 2.5 miles and then another .5 miles at a 9:50 pace w/ an avg HR of 151 bpm.

[ricka182]

Are you actually meaning a mid sole strike, because you don't want to be landing on the balls of your feet as that will cause other issues that will hamper training.

Yes, that's what I mean. Just not landing on the heal so much. I used to keep my feet low and do more of a shuffle than an actual running stride..

I'm no expert Ricka but I don't think your foot strike is causing your shin splints because shin splints is an overuse injury.

I'm starting to think I may need a walking cast to keep the foot from oving at all for a few weeks.. I get pains even from just walking in the office or climbing stairs. Weird thing is, if I just push through it I can usually get a full workout in without having to stop. Icing it for a bit before I start also seems to lessen the pain...

I was going to try a little 1 miler today with my new runners in the correct size....I'll go for today, but I'm going to talk to my Ortho Doc next week about it. It's becoming a daily pain now..

[vcackerman]

Ricka - shin splints can be caused your foot strike. I used to get them all the time because I was a heavy heel striker. I moved to a midfoot strike and the problems went away. Also, watch the size of your stride. Long strides will lead to heel strikes. I tend to have a short quick foot turnover (sometimes called cadence in running articles) that keeps everything working well and on my midfoot. Also, slow down - trying to go too fast will also lead to heel strikes.

You need to be careful with shin splints - repeated shin splints can lead to stress fractures which is a much bigger issue.

[ricka182]

Ricka - shin splints can be caused your foot strike. I used to get them all the time because I was a heavy heel striker. I moved to a midfoot strike and the problems went away. Also, watch the size of your stride. Long strides will lead to heel strikes. I tend to have a short quick foot turnover (sometimes called cadence in running articles) that keeps everything working well and on my midfoot. Also, slow down - trying to go too fast will also lead to heel strikes.

You need to be careful with shin splints - repeated shin splints can lead to stress fractures which is a much bigger issue.

I did a 1 miler yesterday... I can't walk today. Ice only kills the pain until the leg gets warm again. Now I remember why I hated running so much.. I'm not sure which to think, splints or fracture. Either way, I'm not running or doing any legwork for a full week.

I'm trying to get into my Ortho Docs office next week to have my shoulder arthritis checked, and hopefully get a cortisone shot for that. I will bring up my constant leg pain as well. All the advice is appreciated y'all.. Someday, I'll get a damn 26.2 in, if I have to crawl and drag my ass across the line...

[JRT6]

TBH you're gonna need a lot longer than a week to get rid of the splints. I would totally reset if I were you. I've had to do it myself before and if you maintain your aerobic base the running will come back fast.

[thepainter5]

Resting your legs is a great plan but as already mentioned 1 week may not be enough. Shin splints need to be dealt with properly so that (as also mentioned) you don't end up with fractures. Here is a link that while it isn't everything about shin splints it give useful information. http://www.thestretchinghandbook.com...nts.php#causes
While the link doesn't list heel striking as a cause of shin splints, I recall reading that heel striking can be the problem. I will try to find the source of that and post it if/when I do.

[JRT6]

Ricka is a big guy, like me, and although the minimulist trainers (NB) I wear on the dreadmill have changed my stride I don't think shoes can solve the big guy road running problem. It's lose some weight or find something else. i hate to say it but I avoid the road b/c of that.