ILX running running thread

Nah, I wear sensible old-lady shoes with conservative 1" heels -- almost flats but with a tiny bit of arch. And no pointy toes, either. It's not a shoe thing, except in the sense that I guess I could wear sneakers instead.

But I have two sets of insoles in my sneakers as well, and it doesn't make my bones ache any less.

laurel, get some orthotics, asap!

xp huh

another 8.5k today, in heat this time. feeling v good about this at the moment.

wooo 8.5 miles, new record.

tho - there is a worrying gap between what my lungs/heart/brain can do and what my feet/toes/legs can do. I had various leg problems in college, so I'm constantly paranoid about something bad happening on a run.

I did 30 miles over 3 days (12-9-9) this Sat-Mon, and it was some of the hardest running I've done in ages. Even though NYC was rainy, it was humid and too sweaty. Still, iatee, if it helps, the more you run, the stronger you get (legs and heart/lungs). There's also nearly always a warning: if you feel a twinge (sometimes runs from your calf up to your butt), or like it hurts to walk after you've stopped, either lay off a little, or try to find dirt / grass. Makes a huge difference.

It's odd to me that people avoid running in winter and start in summer. Soooo much harder to run in July-August than December-January. Sure, leaving the house is a bitch in winter, but you're warm in 3 minutes...whereas it takes 2 hours to cool down after a run in summer.

Does anyone else need to vaseline nipples?

No, I do have to treat my thighs, however. Have you ever used Body Glide? It's fantastic.

http://www.bodyglide.com/

I considered running today but it's still 91 degrees at 7:30 pm, so forget it. I need to renew my gym membership b/c it seems like in Chicago there are like only 20 days of outdoor running weather.

i've been doing 5k every other night for awhile now, probably going to up it to about 6 before the summer is out.

i just use vaseline, need it for my thighs and upper arms on longer runs because my clothing seams tend to bug me.

i'm 9.5 miles away from my monthly mileage goal, and all of a sudden it's in the eighties and i'm traveling for three days and aaaaaah i'm afraid i won't finish. it would be rotten to miss the goal by a few miles.

I need to renew my gym membership b/c it seems like in Chicago there are like only 20 days of outdoor running weather.

because the other 345 days are too cold.

Figured might as well ask here - anyone dedicated to running but absolutely hate it? I go because I have a couple of friends who I can run with at a local track, but man, I haven't liked it anymore over the last year I've been doing this (though I stopped for about 6 months due to the cold weather). I guess I'm doing it for health or to cure boredom, but I thought by now I would be more mentally into it. Of course that I'm completely out of shape and can barely jog a quarter of a mile straight adds to it (mostly I have to walk, admittedly), but I feel more motivated out of masochism than anything else. It just totally feels wrong.

then stop

do something else

Oh I hate. Every single step. I have some delusions of getting fit though. Ain't working though.

I used to absolutely hate it, but I wanted to lose weight and feel better and have more stamina. And then it became tolerable. But then at some point I started liking it.

I will probably be back to the second stage when I start up again.

i don't exactly enjoy the actual process but i figure that if it doesn't hurt it's not having any effect - like there's no point if i don't push myself and end up gasping for air and feeling like i'm about to die. and i REALLY enjoy the clear-headed and physically strong feeling i get afterwards, both immediately and in the next few days, and i'm not going to get to that if i don't go through the pain. plus it's a really virtuous kind of pain anyway.

I'd say I like it around half the time, and the other half is what I have to pay to build up the stamina that allows me to like it. But I never know how I'm going to feel about it until I'm a couple miles in. (Also, I started running to lose weight, and it didn't really work! I lost like 5 pounds 3 years ago but my metabolism has totally adjusted to it.)

this thread is making me feel guilty for how ridiculously long i've been using shin splints as an excuse

has anybody ever heard of/tried Chi Running

i have now done a five mile run. thank you ilx

It's weird, but running actually seems like a middling activity in terms of weight loss -- good insofar as it's easy to get out and do, but maybe not all that big of a calorie-burner for a beginner? I dunno.

I've totally slid backward on this, which is worrying me -- even taking every third day off or so, there are mornings where I can only get a few hundred yards before my knees or ankles go wrong or wobbly and I start worrying about injuring myself. Maybe I just don't have the joints for it. It is so frustrating, though, to go out in the morning, ready to go, and have your knees cut you off before you can even break a sweat, instead of the couple miles you were hoping for.

Should I be doing leg exercises to strengthen and stretch everything in the meantime?

Or get your gait looked at, at the running shoe store?

You should always always stretch, always. Someone who's more of an expert can say when that shd be -- I think stretching is more beneficial in the beginning-middle of a run once there's actually blood flowing to your extremities, but only a quick stretch to get the kinks out in case your hip or knee has locked up or whatever.

Do a full-out stretch for flexibility only AFTER your workout is done; loosening up all your tendons and joints could make you MORE injury-prone if you were going to keep working hard after.

Yeah, gait analysis is on the agenda (and new shoes), though I'd be surprised if it were that far off, since up until recently I could manage a mile or two at a time -- I actually feel like I'm going through and eliminating one weak spot at a time, like first it was shins, then they strengthened up and it was thighs, then they strengthened up and it was foot pain, then that passed and now knees.

(I think I'm okay stretching-wise -- I'm just wondering if I should be doing leg lifts in my spare time or something, to strengthen up around the knees)

new shoes helped me a lot when i was having knee pain--they were just old

also yes, do lunges etc. because weak quads are a source of knee pain also

i think i will pick up running again next week. i am frustrated at myself!

i really really should do gait analysis. every time i start running after eg a 2-week gap, i'm basically limping for at least a day afterwards with that stabbing pain in my right foot that i mentioned upthread - but if i run a few days later and keep it up, it just stops happening. i stretch too but probably not "properly" but nothing too terrible seems to have happened yet :/

q.

are all the ppl who have recurring pain problems with running in this thread all people who have taken it up in their 20s/30s?

I had no pain when I was a regular runner in my early 20s, but now I can't get up and walk to the subway without having foot pain of several different types. Currently battling another recurrence of plantar fasciitis in one foot, but even when that's gone, everything else will still ache.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/25/health/nutrition/25best.html?ref=style

yup only took it up in my 20s. apart from that occasional stabbing pain i don't have any other serious issues though, esp not the knee ones, and i'm not even that professional or careful when i run. that said i don't run much more than 8k twice a week.

took it up/down in my 20's, the last jag in november or so i got persistent but manageable soreness in one foot. i randomly experiment with too many different strides i think

I generally like the solitude of running, but recently I've been thinking about joining a running group. There are a ton of them in Chicago. I'm not interested in any social aspect, but maybe it would give me some extra motivation to run more regularly.

3.65 miles today

Ok, I lost my little running mind today. Got in one of those trances where I couldn't stop. I haven't looked at my gps map yet, but I'm sure I went at least 5 miles. Two things I've been doing differently recently, 1) slowing down. I've found I get more satisfication out of miles rather than pace. It just feels better when I pull up a map and see all the area I covered rather than seeing I can't get any faster than 8-9 min a mile. and 2) have no planned routes. Basically I've started running around just turning down random streets and parks. It keeps things interesting and it is nearly impossible to get lost on the north side of Chicago.

Ended up running 6.24 miles.

that's awesome jeff. i love running to explore, and not worrying about pacing makes it much more fun. i'm trying to do it here in northern iceland this summer, but i am SO not used to running up and down hills and gravel, it's hard on the knees.

argh my shins have started hurting when i run again since this thread was last live :(

3.4 miles today. Felt good and I don't seem to have any nagging injuries.

ran the last 3k today in a fucking torrential thunderstorm

on balance it was a negative experience but definitely ~bracing~~~

ran 4 miles the other day but hadn't run in a few weeks, so i've got a couple days of soreness before i run again. i'll hit the same route again this weekend for sure.

it's kind of amazing to me how being really sore from running doesn't affect biking at all, different muscles etc.

^^^yeah, that's why triathlon bikes are designed the way they are

I'll run through virtually any stiffness/kinks/tightness/exhaustion/discomfort, but if was experiencing the kind of pain that marathon dude in the Times article was feeling, I'd stop immediately and get my ass to a doctor and not fuck around trying to run nine miles gimping away.

After my latest mileage increase, I believe I've developed a case of runner's knee. It's just one knee and I feel ok, just walking along, but as soon as I step up or down stairs, I get this searing pain just below my kneecap. I haven't tried any physical activity beyond walking since it happened. Very discouraging.

ugh yeah running on rocks/gravel is terrible...i found a great secluded & quiet trail area along a river near me but long stretches are rocks and gravel and it destroys my feet + knees and plus u cant go at a very quick pace at all..

ran on the treadmill 2day and feel good

yeah i had a tiny blister for a couple of days this week that was really awkwardly placed - could barely walk - and its was annoying to have to curtail my routine esp since the weathers been so nice

xp

ok i started running again for the first time since moving 2 months ago. i'm trying to do it in the morning, which has always been hard for me but it's so hot and humid here it's impossible to run during the day. it's amazing how fast you can get out of shape but i keep telling myself that means you also get in shape fast. i like running.