Virtual Running Buddies -- Week of July 16

[Natasha]

And a happy Frrrrrrrrrrrrrriday to all!!! :)

Les, I'm sorry to hear about your bike incident and that you're still suffering the aftereffects. I hope the Aspirin does the trick. I'm guessing that this isn't helping your sleep overall? When I'm nursing an ache or pain it can affect my sleep, I find (if I have to adjust my sleeping position as a result or whatever). Anyway, good luck healing! I hate biking injuries :( Okay, I hate all injuries! ;)

Alice, I agree wholeheartedly with what Les said about chiro and massage, including the suggestion of trying to find one from running buddies or a good running store. Good luck and let us know how it goes!

On the subject of adjustments, I've had my ankles adjusted, which is funky, but never my wrists. As I said in the other thread, if my wrists start to act up again I'll have to give that a try!

Hello to Seathyme (when is your next TNT run, by the way), Elizabeth, Susan (hopefully still enjoying the post-race glee), Mary (sorry to hear about the shoes and yes, I would have been looking for new ones too), Kristi, Terri, and everyone else. Have a good Friday and start of weekend.

Natasha

[seathyme]

Thanks for starting the new thread, Natasha.

Ditto regrets to Les, and to Alice, for continued pain. Alice, I hesitate to say it but what you're describing sounds very similar to what I experienced. I actually never had x-rays or MRI, though I'm sure you'll get good information from those. Rest and chiro cured me -- but it did take awhile.:( Good luck!! Oh, and I too read ChiRunning while unable to run -- so that "injury free" bit was both taunting and compelling, if you know what I mean. I actually have tried to relax my lower body more since reading that, and think this might help lower injury risk.

Hey, I completed a 2-hour LSD this morning. Emphasize the S! Hadn't run that long/far since before the groin thing, so this feels like a symbol of healing. Yay! :)

Good Fridays, runnahs.:cool:

[SusanMac]

Happy, Happy Friday! (I said that to some colleagues yesterday in a call and appropriately got laughed at. So, today's it's for real. Can you tell I'm ready?)

Les - You can just pretend you're a Tour de France rider this week with your road rash!

Natasha - wishing you luck in getting over your depression and bad attitude about running ;-)

TLee - Snapping wrists??!! Oh my. couldn't handle that. I've had some wrist issues lately, and it never occurred to me to see a chiro. The aches are for certain due to my 8-hours-a-day with a mouse, but the rowing excacerbates (sp?) it.

Well, I must still be on a post-race high because I've signed up for another tri next weekend, Sat, July 24. DH is doing it with me, which means who will take pictures of us?? Also, this means we can't watch the final Tour time trial live :-( (what geeks we are)

I forgot that I could share my recent pics with you guys. Here ya go...http://www.ofoto.com/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&collid=57152912206&page=1&sort_order=0

[ktg0930]

Hi everyone! Happy Friday.

This week has been crazy. I've been trying to keep up with what everyone is doing, but I don't think I can remember everything. I just know that there have been some injuries and some good runs!

As for me, I ran 3, 4, and 5 miles this week. I have school all day tomorrow so won't be able to run then, so will be doing a short run this evening. Sunday I have another 7 mile run scheduled. I did 7 last Sunday and was quite pleased with myself as it was the longest run I have ever done.

Hope that everyone has a great weekend!

Kathy

[seathyme]

Susan, great pics!! You look like you were really having fun.:D So how does it work when you're changing from swim to bike? Do you take off the suit (and if so where??), or just add bike clothes? Newbie is curious.

Kathy, congrats on your longest run ever. Doesn't that feel great?:D Good luck with this week's.

[ktg0930]

Seathyme, it does feel great to have run my longest run ever. My husband really helped keep me going though, when I felt like I was about to die and have my legs fall off. And thanks for reminding me that I forgot to say...

Susan, thanks for posting the pictures. It was fun to see you in action.

Okay, I have to get some work done so I can go home.

Kathy

[SusanMac]

Whoa - I missed the news of ktg's longest run! What an awesome feeling. Great job! & is a great milestone, as you now know that you could do a 10K. And, yes, that's what DH's/running partners are for.

I realized after I posted the pics that you guys wouldn't know which one was me in the group/swim start shot :-)

Seathyme - My wonderful DH luckily got me a tri-suit for my bday, so I didn't have to worry about changing clothes...wore the same thing for all 3 sports. God bless moisture-wicking technology. Most people just throw shorts on top of their swim suit. Except for the guy at the half-ironman who chose to strip down to absolutely nothing but a HRM right in front of me & my FIL !! Didn't I tell this to you guys?? It was clearly the highlight of my sports spectating experience. I had to stop cheering for DH for a few minutes as we both watched in awe. I guess I'm now closer to my FIL than I was before.

[seathyme]

LOL Susan!!:D :D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Natasha - Thanks for starting us this week. I'm getting better but still a little stiff from the tumble on Wednesday. So far I haven't told my coach (should I tell him or just show up in the morning with the bruises and scrapes?).
Susan - Great pix! It looks like you had a great time. Quickly answering your question from last week - I'm kind of hit and miss with stretching. I'll say more when I post again this evening but suffice to say I'm not always as good about it as I think I should be. That's a hoot too about the guy at the half-tri but considering all the things I've seen in marathons, nothing really surprises me. :D
Kathy - Congrats on your longest run. Doesn't it feel cool? :cool:
seathyme - Running for 2 hours is nothing to sneeze at. I bet your priming up for the half. But you do have a little time left before the race don't you?

My typical Firday - rest. And it was much needed today. Gotta go, it's 5:45 and Friday and I'm still at work.

Happy trails,
Les

[TLee4]

Hi all! Thanks for starting the thread, Natasha. One of these days I'll take the the initiative. (It never occurs to me until after someone else has done it!)

Awesome pics, Susan! Youlook like a true athlete. Me, I'm sure I'll be looking just like that Ironwoman any day now. ;)

I'm about to get my butt outside (finally) for the 4-miler I've been procrastinating. It should be a snap compared to tomorrow's 12. (I'm always copying Seathyme. She runs for two hours...I run for two hours...!) :)

Hope you all have a good weekend. DH and I are going to see that Robot movie tonight..his choice.

Terri

p.s. Susan, if your wrists really hurt, you should try the chiro. It's amazing!

[beckms]

Great pics, Susan! You look so happy and excited, not tired at all! :D

So today I had made up my mind to just be lazy and not run or go to the gym, but then 6:30 rolled around and I found myself really wanting to go for a run, so I did! I took Wrigley and decided just to set my timer and run around town in neighborhoods I'd never been in before. I set my watch for 15 minutes, thinking I'd just turn around and retrace my steps to make it an even 30, but then I got lost and had to ask for directions, so my run ended up being about 35 minutes, including a small mountain in the middle that Wrigley the Mountain Goat clambered up easily, but that I had to actually climb with the aid of my hands for the last bit. :p

And here's the kicker...my knees hurt. I've noticed it the past couple times I've run. They don't hurt the way they did before I replaced my old shoes,and it's not horribly painful, I'm just aware of it. It feels the way my knees feel after I've been sitting on the couch for a while with my feet propped up on the coffee table with my legs straight. Does that make sense to anyone? It's really only my left knee, actually.

What do I do? And don't say stop running, because I'm only just getting into my groove.:(

[Leslie Ferguson]

Rebecca - That's interesting about your knees. A couple thoughts - have you changed the running surface recently? Gone to harder surfaces? How about your total mileage in a week? Sometimes when your mileage jumps you can get sore knees. Where is the pain/ache? Inside/outside? Above/below? Is there any swelling? When was your last day off? There must be something else that I'm not thinking of right now so I'll muse over the other questions and I'll get back to you tomorrow.
Terri - Good job on the 4 today and you'll fly through 12 tomorrow - I know.
Susan - Told LW about your story about the man stripping to his HRM - she rolled her eyes and said "well, not too surprising really."

Computer puked earlier this evening so I'm relegated to a short check in. 12 tomorrow (again) but I'll be going a little better pace but still slower than my norm probably. Of course, with a little swelling in my knee that is to be expected.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Terri and Les, good luck with your 12's today. Les, I hope your aches and pains resolve quickly!

Terri, my DH wants to see the robot movie too. How did *you* like it? I'm trying to decide how easy to make it for him to take me.:p

Rebecca, I'm sure Les has more knowledge to bring to bear on your knee issue than I do. FWIW, I have had a couple of rounds of knee discomfort in the past 6 years or so of running. The first time I think it was mild tendonitis, which got better by running a little less for awhile and doing considerably more strength training. Theory is that if you strenthen the muscles around the knee, the tendons and ligaments are better supported and less stressed. Second time was a short-term patellar chrondomalacia (sp?). Again rest, and strengthening of quads, helped quite quickly. If this doesn't go away on its own, you might want to get thee to the gym a bit and see if it helps. Good luck.

No run for me today -- legs are recovering from yesterday's long one. But I do have an afternoon date with a friend to walk our dogs in a great off-leash park here, so that will feel good.

Haffa good Saturday all.:cool:

[beckms]

Off leash park? Where, please?:)

My current gym workout, which I try to do three times/week (sometimes only get to 2), includes squats (I put 80 pounds on the Smith machine, but I don't know how much weight the bar adds) and wall sits. Are there other exercises in particular that I should do to focus on the muscles around the knee? I don't like the machine for leg extensions, since I feel like it really stresses the knee. I think I'm paranoid because of BF's injuries.

[seathyme]

Off-leash park is Callahan in northwest Framingham -- it's a great dog place!! Here's a link:
http://www.mass.gov/dem/parks/call.htm

Actually you can run there too, if you can manage it without getting lost :o . Not that I've done that.:rolleyes: okay well maybe a couple of times I have. Oh and you'll want, um, protection for your car upholstery on the way home, especially if your pups like to swim...

Hopefully others will have better expertise on knee strengthening. I do do leg extensions, choosing a weight I can 2x12 times. I believe it has helped rather than hurt, but with a knee patient in your household, you may know better. I also use a leg press machine -- my gym has two kinds, one where you're seated at an angle looking up, if that makes sense, and another where you sit quite upright. I prefer the former. Then I also do lying hamstring curl to balance the quad stuff. I'd be interested to hear what others are doing.

[Leslie Ferguson]

15 :rolleyes: :eek:
And I wasn't ready for that distance. It's not specifically the distance that was the problem, rather the preparation. If I were going to do 15 for my run I'd hit a gel somewhere about 8 miles - just to give me that little pop to make the rest of the run. I can go about 12 miles without "assistance" but anything more than that and I have to have something. You may ask why I got to 15 - as a pace group leader I'm responsible for keeping track of the faster runners (I'm still the fastest over the long haul in our group). Well, a guy who goes out at about 10/mile pace was running this morning. I hadn't seen him on the trail (which isn't too odd) on the way out or even back to about 7 (the course is 6 out and 6 back on the same trail with toilet facilities etc. at 5 miles from the start) so as my partner and I are finishing up our 12 I needed to go back and find him. Well, it seems that he was only scheduled for 10 today (and I didn't know that) so I would have never seen him anyway. But I ended up running aobut 1.6 miles back to our water stop looking for him to no avail. About that time I started walking farther down the trail until I caught the coach and came back just under 2 miles with him. As we were returning he mentioned that Matt was only doing 10 today :o so I didn't have to go all the way back down the trail. Hence how I ended up doing too many miles today. I think I'm paying for that little indescretion too groin is not happy. :(

Rebecca - Another question about your knees - how balanced are your quads and hamstrings? In theory they should be able to lift close to the same amount of weight. If one of the muscles is a lot stronger than the other you can get knee pain. Also, how balanced are your legs separately? Again, if one side is stronger than the other you can imperceptibly stride "funny" when you run. Your quads and hams probably won't be evenly balanced but they should be within about 10 pounds of each other. Just another thought. Since you don't like extensions let me see if there's something else you can do. I'll be back with whatever I find.

Happy Saturday to all, hope it is pleasant and peaceful.

Happy trails,
Les

[SusanMac]

Whoa - no way my quads & hams could press/pull the same weight! Yikes.

[beckms]

Susan, that was my thought, too! I'll have to see about that when I hit the gym next.

I took today off, so we'll see how my knees feel tomorrow after a run.

Ok, I need some motivation, people! My mom has a friend with ALS (you can see her at www.voit.org , she's the white-haired woman in the middle), and she pledged to walk 500miles for $500 this year to support ALS research. Well, things being how they are, my mom is coming a bit short of her goal, so she's recruited my dad, my brother, sister, and I to help her out. I told her I'd aim for 15 miles/week (she also said she'd give a dollar for every 20 minutes of hard exercise, so I can work my way up to 15 miles in a week and still get in $15).

So send me good distance vibes!

:cool:

[MaryH]

Originally posted by SusanMac
Whoa - no way my quads & hams could press/pull the same weight! Yikes.

My thoughts exactly. I can do a leg extension at almost double the weight that I can do the hamstring curl. I strength train three times a week (one week it will be 2 leg workouts, 1 arm/back workout, and the next 2 arm/back and one leg workout). For legs I will do either a set of leg extensions or a set of leg presses, followed by either hamstring curls or lunges with weights. Then a set on the calf machine and a set on the ab and adducter machines. Last set is abdominals. Thankfully the only "injury" I've had so far is a very sore soleus (deep calf) muscle. I do think the strength training helps and keeps me from getting injured.

Susan, I love the pics and I just have to say that you look somewhat like my running partner who does triathalons. You both have the same build and although my running patern always has a ponytail, ypou both have similar coloring.

I was going to swim this morning but the pool was too busy after I finished my weight workout so I left. Tomorrow it's a brick.

[TLee4]

Just a quick hi to all! Les, sorry your run got so long. I don't think I could have made it. I did my 12, and the last mile was painful. Even though I got totally lucky on the weather (about 70 and overcast..in July!) it was hard. Well, this is the furthest I have ever run outside. One other time I did 13 miles, but that was on the tread. Anyway, in the final mile I was thinking very helpful thoughts such as "I don't think I'm cut out for this marathon stuff". :o But then I tried to remind myself that I have almost 3 months of training before the marathon.

Anyway, now that it's 7 hours later I feel great and I'm so glad I did the run! :) Hope you all are having a good weekend.

Terri

p.s. Seathyme, the movie was decent. I just hate feeling "stressed" during movies, and I was in this one. Jumping, etc! But for a husband-induced movie, it was good!

[seathyme]

Congrats on the 12 miles, Terri! Nice self talk, too; I'll have to try that "don't think I'm cut out for this" mantra.;) Glad you feel so good now. And thanks for the Robot review. I know what you mean about feeling "stressed" during movies. My DH and I are totally stereotypical about this, and rarely want to see the same thing.:rolleyes: Once in awhile there's a good drama we both like, but it's rare. Ah well, I love him nonetheless and once in awhile even go to one of "his" movies.

Natasha and Les, I've forgotten to reply to you about TNT and my half-marathon. I haven't run with the group in quite awhile, due to scheduling conflicts. And pretty soon we're going on vacation and I'll miss some more, unfortunately. But I'm feeling pretty good about training anyway. My hope is to train past the half level, really looking ahead to next spring's marathon. I plan to run the half in October for the racing experience -- it's still a pretty freaking long way to run! -- and to do something for the blood cancer cause. Keeping fingers crossed that I can keep injuries at bay...

Les, sorry your run got so long today. Especially given your bruised state, that must have been challenging.

Rebecca, good job running for a cause. I'm sure you'll figure out a way to "earn" the 15 miles worth, one way or another. Please don't make your knee worse in the process though.

Re: amount of weight for quads and hams -- seems to me I've read a formula for that, something like aiming to lift 75-80% as much with hams as with quad extensions. Does that ring a bell with anyone?

Mary, have a good brick tomorrow.:D

[Leslie Ferguson]

Busy afternoon. I guess my statement was a little out there. I agree that the quads and hams won't be able to lift the same amount. In my case I typically do 3x20 seated leg extensions (quads) with about 100-110 and 3x20 seated leg curls (hams) with about 90-100. I guess that puts me with about 15% difference in the long run. I find my quads are a little weaker than my hams but as the weights get closer my knees are happier. I'm not really sure what I could do on a single lift though. It could be something about my previous life (as a football player) and all the time I spent trying to keep all the muscles build together. And then I am probably just weird. (not probably - I know I am).

Terri - 3 months to go for your marathon - you're right on schedule. Just keep at it and you'll do fine. Just think - every long run from here becomes a PR. :D That's a great thing!! Thanks for the review about I, Robot. Another movie to put in my bag of movies to see.
Mary - Hope your brick tomorrow is a good one. I'm with you, strength training has kept me reasonably injury free for 7 marathons and I plan on keeping it up for that reason.
Rebecca - Positive vibes headed your way. I'll try to scoot you along with my mind on those longer miles if you'd like. And I'd be interested to hear what you come up with on your next lift. Tomorrow at the gym I'll make sure to ask my coach about knees etc.
seathyme - Thanks for the update on TnT training and your goal for next spring's marathon. Hope you have a good time in Portland with the half - I'm sure you'll do fine.

Another thing that came out of the extra long run that I didn't notice until later, a little chafing. :rolleyes: Funny how a little warm water helps find the chafed spots. :rolleyes: :eek: Ah, this too shall pass.

Quiet evening - LW and I had a sushi night in (with sake - YUM). Gotta love a little good carbs, raw fish, and raw veggies. Missed hearing from a couple folks this weekend - hope they are doing well.

Happy trails and I'll see you tomorrow.
Les

[badunnin]

Good grief I go away for a few days and look what happens! I apologize for not addressing you all personally. ;)

I got a short run in Friday night, 2 miles, just to stretch my legs out after my long ride up north. It took about an hour longer than normal, thanks to summer construction, and my legs were just dying to stretch. So, I took them (and the rest of my body - it's a package deal) for a spin around the park. Saturday morning I rode my bike into town to pick up a few things at the grocery store, then back again. Problem coming back. 15 knot headwind. I don't bike with an awful lot of finesse anyways, and suffice it to say, it was a long-ish ride. Ran 3 miles Saturday evening, slow but sure. Today is an off day - and I'm definitely feeling a little tired from yesterday!

Lesson learned this weekend: long, long warmups are good.

[seathyme]

Quiet day on the thread -- hope it's cause people were out enjoying a summer weekend! I got in six early this morning. Tried to run a quick "threshold" pace, worked rather hard and felt kinda speedy, but when all was said and done I hadn't run particularly fast, maybe 9:30 miles. Hmm. On the t'mill when I run at what feels like that kind of effort, it's at least 9:00 miles. I guess it's more evidence of how much things can vary day to day. Anyway, no complaints. I felt nice and "exercised" all day.

Bethany, don't you love it when you turn around at mid-point on a ride or run and suddenly realize you've just had a stiff wind at your back?:eek: Sounds like a good workout and worthy of rest today.

"See" you tomorrow, all.:cool:

[Natasha]

How's the gang? Sounds like everyone is doing well. Alice, if you're out there, what's the latest on the groin pain?

Les, wow, 15 miles when you weren't planning to go that far is a LOT.

Seathyme, thanks for the TNT update. I didn't realize you had decided to do a spring marathon. How fantastic! Hey, there's a great one in Ottawa I could recommend ;) :D :p

We have been having a very nice weekend so far. I ran yesterday and biked today and we also took Cabot for a hike this morning (his first hike - he LOVED it). This weekend we also went to the farmers' market, went to a movie with friends, went to a dog show where my sister was showing one of her dogs, shopped for furniture, saw family again, made blueberry pancakes for brunch and also some couscous salad for later in the day, and so on. Lots of fun and the best part is we took off tomorrow just because, so we have a long weekend. Yeah!

Hello to everyone else and have a wonderful evening.

Natasha

[TLee4]

Ooh..Natasha, I'm jealous! I want tomorrow off! (Only 3.5 more weeks til vacation..who's counting?!) We are going to CA to visit my family (the half of my family who is there). I usually see them twice a year, and Dan comes with me once. So this time we are going together.

Anyway, hope everyone had a good weekend. I enjoyed my rest day today (only a 1 mile walk for the dog..she is too chubby to get a day off!). But my quads are pretty sore from yesterday. Usually I am not really sore after running..how about you guys? I think I'm going to hold off on my morning run (tomorrow is 6 miles) and do it in the afternoon or evening to give myself a bit more recovery time.

Talk soon!
Terri

[TLee4]

Oh, forgot to say...I picked up my first "Goo's" at the store today. I'll try one out on my next long run. I got a vanilla and a berry kind. Anyone have favorite brands/flavors?

Terri

[MaryH]

Originally posted by Natasha
We have been having a very nice weekend so far. I ran yesterday and biked today and we also took Cabot for a hike this morning (his first hike - he LOVED it). This weekend we also went to the farmers' market, went to a movie with friends, went to a dog show where my sister was showing one of her dogs, shopped for furniture, saw family again, made blueberry pancakes for brunch and also some couscous salad for later in the day, and so on. Lots of fun and the best part is we took off tomorrow just because, so we have a long weekend. Yeah!


My first thought is hey can I take tomorrow off too? And then reality set back in, and I just have too much work to get done. But I enjoyed reading your post because it sounded blissfully stress free.

Got the brick in this morning. Man, who came up with this bright idea of running AFTER you bike? Must have been a male is all I can say. Rode for an hour and then "thought" I'd run for about 30 minutes. Yeah, well it sounds good on paper. The ride was an hour, but the run part lasted maybe 15 (20 max) minutes. Haven't done much the rest of the day except napping.

[MaryH]

Terri, we were posting at the same time. If you got "Gu" (it's the brand name) I like the berry falvor, but you HAVE to drink them with water. They taste MUCH better that way (IMO).

[Leslie Ferguson]

Terri - Gu are the principle gels I use. My top three (depending on the day) are vanilla, plain, and berry. Bananna and orange are next with chocolate not on the scale. If you have Cliff Shots - vanilla and berry are the only two I've tried there. ANd Power Gels - I can't use them, a consistency problem. Like Mary said too, lots of water is key. Secondly, you don't have to consume a whole one if it's too much - some people can't stomach a whole gel at once. But if you have a fuel belt you can dilute the gels sufficiently to figure out what works for you.
Bethany - I hear the tough sledding back into the 15 knot wind. YUK! ANd that comes from the certifiable fool that doesn't mind riding in the wind. But great that you had such a good ride. Way to go.
seathyme - Yep, some days it's just hard to run. I think that's what they talk about in ChiRunning when they mention perceived exertion level. Some days it's just a place holder and a "log the miles" day. Still good that you did a good run this morning.
Natahsa - You ain't kidding - 15 miles is a gut buster when you aren't prepared for it. I think from now on I'm going to pack my bike so if I have to go searching for runners I can get around a little easier.

It's gotten late and my ice and aspirin are kicking in so off to bed for this little grey duck. Until the morning -- QUACK!

Les

[123Alice]

I hope everyone is doing well and geared up to face a new week. I'm popping out of lurkdom to say "hi". I still have groin issues, so no running for me. It's been a full week now that I haven't been able to run at all. I do have a lot of other stuff to keep busy with, including a job interview on Wednesday. I'm trying to figure out a graceful way I can explain my limp....not really sure what to say about it, but I'd want them to know it was only temporary. (I know they couldn't discriminate or anything, but the job description has a physical demands/work environment [4 story building without elevators] section that will be somewhat pertinent to the job.)

Seathyme, you mentioned that my injury seemed very similar to your own. What I'm noticing most now is that my leg "locks up" when I've been sitting for awhile. If I'm walking for a bit, then it gets easier to move and I don't notice pain much, but if I've been sitting for awhile (for a meal or something) I have a lot of trouble just getting up and walking away from the chair. Did you experience anything like this? How long did you have to go without running?

Hope everyone has a great Monday morning! :)

Alice

[TLee4]

Thanks for the feedback, Les and Mary.

Les, I do have a fuel belt. Are you saying that I should actually pre-mix on of the gels with water, or are you just saying I can carry the thing in my fuel belt and eat only half at a time? Sorry if I'm being dense.

Alice, hope you feel better soon!
Terri

[MaryH]

Terri,

first off I'm in complete agreement with Les about the chocolate ones. Ughh. :(

Second, I "think" Les meant you could empty it into one of your water bottles. I say this because although you could just eat part of one, if you put it back in the belt, you'll end up with a gooey stickey mess. (Heck I get a mess sometimes if I'm just putting the wrapper back in.)

[Leslie Ferguson]

Originally posted by TLee4
Les, I do have a fuel belt. Are you saying that I should actually pre-mix on of the gels with water, or are you just saying I can carry the thing in my fuel belt and eat only half at a time? Sorry if I'm being dense.

Alice, hope you feel better soon!
Terri
Not having a fuel belt I'll just have to go with what I've heard. I'm told one of the ways to prepare your gels with the fuel belt is premix the gel with water/liquid then put the gel into the flask. As best I understand each flask holds about 8 oz of liquid. If you look at the gel packages they recommend taking the gel with about 6-8 oz water so putting a single gel into a flask then filling with water would do the trick. Again, not having tried a fuel belt I have no experience whatsoever. I'll defer to others who have them on this account.

Rebecca - (et al) Looking back and talking with my coach - It is typical that a runners quads will be stronger than their hamstrings. In fact they can be up to about 1/3 stronger and still be considered balanced. My coach's goal is to try and get the muscles closer than that for the typical beginner. I found yesterday (using Fitlinxx at the Y) that I could do 100 lbs on quads and 87.5 on my hams. If you'd like I can give a couple of his recommendations on how to work your legs or even provide our lifting regime so you can see what I've done for most of the past 3 or 4 years.

May be warm today and I'm scheduled for 5 hill repeats so I may end up on the mill for a little while. Need to go work calls.

Happy trails,
Les

[seathyme]

Originally posted by 123Alice
Seathyme, you mentioned that my injury seemed very similar to your own. What I'm noticing most now is that my leg "locks up" when I've been sitting for awhile. If I'm walking for a bit, then it gets easier to move and I don't notice pain much, but if I've been sitting for awhile (for a meal or something) I have a lot of trouble just getting up and walking away from the chair. Did you experience anything like this? How long did you have to go without running?


Hi Alice,

Sounds like if that job works out you'll get some good exercise at work! If the limp shows at the interview, I can imagine smiling and saying something like, "Sorry I'm moving a little slowly today. I'm actually in shape to run a half marathon, but have a dumb running injury at the moment." Or some such thing to signal that the stairs won't be a problem. If you're lucky you'll be telling this to a fellow runner who will totally understand!

Yes, I also had trouble getting up from chairs. I had to be careful just how I was initially putting weight on the affected leg when I first stood up. After that walking was not normal but sort of okay. Do you really want to know how long it lasted?..... That acute phase probably lasted about 2 weeks, then gradually improved over another 3-4 weeks before I could run again. Not forever, but not good news for your half.:( But that was just me. Hopefully YMWV!

While we're on fuel belts... last week with my 2-hour run I used all four bottles for the first time. Didn't go well! The two in back bounced around. I tried moving the thing higher and lower. Lower was more bouncy -- and I kept picturing what that must look like from the rear, on the rear, as it were. Plus it was uncomfortable. Higher it would start to ride up into my waist and get too loose. I ended up drinking the back 2 bottles both in the first 40 minutes then dropping them off at home with the dog.:rolleyes: Never have had trouble with the front ones. Any advice?

Happy Monday, all, and good luck with your tread-hills, Les!

[TLee4]

Seathyme, I also used all 4 bottles for the first time this weekend. (I had just been using 2). But I'm sorry to say (for you!) that they did not bother me a bit. I anticipated problems, but it was fine. It didn't really feel any different to me than with the two. I think I pulled it down lower, but it sort of "worked its way" back up occasionally, but really no discomfort issues. I do wear it pretty snug, but you probably do also, right?

Terri

[123Alice]

Seathyme, thanks for your advice and input! It actually doesn't look like my injury is gonna clear up any faster than yours did....might even be a lot longer. The Dr. called me this morning and it turns out that I do have a stress fracture. He said it's good that we caught it early since it hasn't yet permeated through the outer part of the bone. He's referred me to an orthopedic surgeon who I will see tomorrow morning. I guess the surgeon will decide whether the best course is rest and recovery or if perhaps surgery would be better. I guess I've developed this fracture in a "dangerous" spot, where it could easily turn into a full-out fracture if I'm not careful. I'm supposed to go pick up a pair of crutches today and keep my weight off of it.

I definitely think the half-marathon is out at this point. Does anyone know if they ever refund your money or at least apply it towards the same event next year? I kind of imagine they don't, but geez, I'd run it if I could and I don't want to be out $40.

As for the interview...that's looking pretty bad, too. I'm thinking I should leave the crutches at home. I don't want to be pegged as an invalid for the very first impression they have of me. (And I'll be meeting with a TON of different people, it's an all-day affair.) I'm not only supposed to have a tour of the library, but also a tour of the entire campus during the interview....I'm not sure how I'll navigate this in heels with an injury. Why oh why do these things all happen at once! :( [Alright, that's the end of me feeling pitiful. Thanks for letting me get it out.]

Alice

[SusanMac]

Another person who doesn't like chocolate gels here! I thought it was just me. Sometimes it's hard to find an energy bar or gel that isn't chocolate flavored these days. Has anyone tried the Snickers Marathon energy bar yet? I think that's a mental thing I won't ever be able to do. Yes, I know energy bars are a lot like candy bars, but I just can't do it. I have never tried mixing the Gu itself with water. The consistency of that sounds odd, but worth trying.

I have not had bouncing problems with the Fuel Belt, so can't help much there, Seathyme. I just got a new one, and DH's is 2 years old. We noticed that the placement of the bottle holders is different on them. I'm wondering if lots of other people had bouncing problems like you did?

Had 2 great runs this weekend. Sat was absolutely not in the mood to run, dead legs, tired, etc. DH got me out and I quickly got into a groove. That made me feel a million times better. Yesterday was running with a group, which is always fun. Today was rowing & weights. I've got my 20-year HS reunion at the end of the month. If I want buff arms instead of jiggly arms...will i have to lift weights every day between now & then??? :-)

[Kristilyn1]

Alice, sorry to hear about your injury! That stinks to have to miss your race. We missed our marathon earlier this year and when my husband called the race organizer he suggested a website where you can sell your number. I have no idea what the site is and I think it depends on the race and whether they allow it, but it might be worth looking into.

I did 6 outside yesterday and it was sooo humid, yikes. I was glad I got it done though! Dh put together our new Precor gym and I used it for the first time this morning---very nice!

Made a blueberry pie this weekend with some freshly picked blueberries and I can only say I better get something else in me today OTHER than blueberry pie! Anyone else love it cold?

Kristi

[MaryH]

Originally posted by SusanMac
I've got my 20-year HS reunion at the end of the month. If I want buff arms instead of jiggly arms...will i have to lift weights every day between now & then??? :-)

:cool: :D Mine is in September. (Guess that makes us the same age.) And hon, I don't think you need to worry about jiggly arms. :cool:

[TLee4]

Alice, sorry to hear about your prognosis! What a bummer. :( I personally would bring the crutches to the interview (if you are going to have to walk all over creation) and just tell them you had a running injury.

Kristi, good for you for getting OUTSIDE. I actually ran inside today. I did 1 mile on the track while I was waiting for the treadmill I like. (Yes, there were plenty of the other kind, but Princess Terri wanted HER kind!) Then I did 5 more on the tread. One of the best things about running is that I generally feel MUCH better in the middle of mile 6 than I do in the middle of mile 1.

Susan and Mary, I'm sure you both have gorgeous arms! :)

Terri

[seathyme]

(((Alice))) What a bummer about the stress fracture! I'm so sorry. Time to take up swimming for awhile, maybe... good luck developing whatever patience and mental strength you'll need to get past this. And the interview -- eep. Do you have any reasonably comfortable decent looking shoes? Curses on women's shoes, anyway! Sorry all this is converging on you.

Susan, interesting about the different bottle locations on the fuel belts. Hmm. Oh and ditto on thinking you really have no worries about the arm thing. Just casually mention your triathlon at the reunion and watch them turn green.:D

Kristi, good deal your DH actually got the gym set up -- and exactly when you predicted too.:p I *love* blueberry pie, hot, cold, with ice cream, without, you name it. Cannot keep the stuff in the house... Do you have ripe berries there already?

Princess Terri, glad you got the proper treadmill. Some people have no idea how important such things are.;)

I did weights and 40 min. elliptical this morning. Felt just fine. Couple more runs at home this week, and then on Thursday we leave for vacation in the UP! Yeah. Natasha, I pm'd you.:)

<waves to all>

[badunnin]

Susan - if you find the cure, or even a treatment, for jiggly arms, let me know. I've inherited mine. Even if I'm down at a scary low weight (122 at 5'8" - bad breakup, stopped eating) I still have a wiggle. And I was at the gym then, too.

[TLee4]

Oh yeah...Seathyme reminded me. I love pie. Just about all pie. Hot, cold, in between... the only pie I can pass up is pecan pie. Otherwise, I could live on pie. And cake. And cookies. Hence, the need to work out like a fiend!

[SusanMac]

Seathyme - I did not detect a jiggle with your <wave> :-)

Badunnin - My mother is responsible for mine, too! Because of that, I figure it is always a lost cause.

TLee - I can totally relate to needing a specific treadmill. They really are all different. Different buttons, different functions, different cup holders,...

Alice - Good luck on the interview! I'm sure the limp won't be a problem once you explain. Discussing groins is always good in interview ;-)

Natasha - Congrats on Cabot's first hike! What a big boy! They are just so darn cute at that age.

MaryH - That's funny that I look like your friend. I wear a ponytail, too, but have to wear it very low so I can easily swap between the bike helmet and running hat (oh, the little things you must learn for a new sport)

Les - I have every confidence that you can crank out a solid 15-miler most any time you want!

[beckms]

Originally posted by Leslie Ferguson


Rebecca - (et al) Looking back and talking with my coach - It is typical that a runners quads will be stronger than their hamstrings. In fact they can be up to about 1/3 stronger and still be considered balanced. My coach's goal is to try and get the muscles closer than that for the typical beginner. I found yesterday (using Fitlinxx at the Y) that I could do 100 lbs on quads and 87.5 on my hams. If you'd like I can give a couple of his recommendations on how to work your legs or even provide our lifting regime so you can see what I've done for most of the past 3 or 4 years.



Oooh, Les. I would love to hear what your lifting regime is. So far I only include squats, calf raises, and wall sits for the leg part of my routine. I thought squats were a good all-around leg exercise. Do I need to do others?

I'm off to the gym today, so I'll check and see what I can lift.

[Natasha]

Hi everyone!

monkee, I forgot to say that I made the zucchini wedges a few days ago, and enjoyed them. Thanks again for the recipe!

Alice, sorry to hear about the stress fracture :( :( I hope it heals soon. Vent away whenever you feel like it; most or all of us have dealt with running injuries before and I think I can fairly say that we all despise them :p At least I do!

BTW, about the geese, I have seen ornery ones before and if these ones looked like that type I might have been a bit more reticent to run so closely to them. These ones seemed so nice ;)

Susan, love the photos and thanks for sharing! You look so happy, and with good reason :)

Les, how's the biking injury doing?

Seathyme, thanks for the PM! Will PM you back soon :)

Kristi, sounds like you love your treadmill. Would you mind telling me what kind it is? I think it would be very nice to be able to get one, maybe next year, so would welcome your suggestions/recommendations. Thanks in advance.

Hi to everyone else, and I hope you're doing well.

I went for a run today and it was too hot for my tastes. Did 45 minutes and was pretty tired at times. I've trained 5 straight days so maybe I just need a day off training. :) It was fantastic to have the day off work today - absolutely what we needed.

Take care, all,
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kristi - Berry pie, hot or cold, with or without ice cream or topping - NOTHING BETTER!! Still have a soft spot in my heart for a good fresh cherry cobbler - Grandparents owned a cherry orchard in Oregon so we'd pick fresh cherries and make cobbler within an hour of picking off the tree. Used bings, lamberts, royal annes, and black republicans in some combination for almost every cobbler. Nothing better! :D
Alice - Curses on the stress fracture. I've never tried to postpone a race but most won't refund money for the current race but I'd imagine most of them would be willing to forward your application (or at least a portion of it) to next year's race. Like seathyme - I hope you find some good shoes to do your interview in. Personal opinion - you should be comfortable in whatever shoes you wear. And like everyone has said - vent away, we've all been injured and couldn't run etc. I know I empathize especially right now (more to follow). But take it easy, a stress fracture won't get better except with rest. Oh, and you may want to pick up your t-shirt if they don't let you race or transfer your entry. And most of the goody bags are great too so go ahead and pick that up if you can and they won't forward your entry.
Rebecca - I'll dig up my weight routine and send it your way tomorrow, the night just got away from me and I can't find the file right now.
Susan - Thanks, the 15 wasn't the biggest issue, more like not being prepared either mentally or equipment-wise. I was in serious energy debt when I finished the run and was beat most of the day because of that.
Natasha - 5 days in a row - you deserve a break. Well, the bike injury is mixed right now. I was going to mention before I ever got to the thread that I had interesting twist today after the bike spill last week. I started to develop a little tightness in my groin on Saturday (attributed it to the long run) but today the twinge is not only in the groin but in the hamstring on the side I hit. Looks like I'm favoring my right side a little which is outting undue stress on my hip and groin. Sitting on a heating pad (ok in my lap) with ice on my knee to help reduce the swelling and take the color out. Hope this passes tonight or tomorrow - never like a groin injury. :(

Sorry to any I've missed - it's been a long day and I need some rest. Well, the bells of midnight will toll shortly so I'm off to bed. Until the morning - happy trails and peaceful miles,
Les

[Natasha]

Les, sorry to hear about the ham and groin issues :( How does it all feel today?

Hi to everyone!

On the berry pie front, we will probably make berry crisp today to use up whatever berries are left from the weekend (after eating lots out of hand and having blueberry pancakes twice ;)). Yum!

Natasha

[Kristilyn1]

I have to say, the pie was one of my best.........I'm pretty humble about it too!

Yes, the blueberries are just getting ripe here, I'm thinking it's about a week early, give or take. It's going to be a great apple year too! I also bought peaches at the farm stand and OH MY GOODNESS! I love peaches but it is impossible to get a good peach from a grocery store, I don't even know why they bother to carry them.

Natasha- the treadmill. We got the ProForm CT 1260 almost two years ago now. The key feature I love is the Flex Deck. It's a nicer ride than I've gotten from the gym equipment I've used, and I've used some pretty nice gym equipment. The only thing mine does not have that the newer models have is the built in fans---boy would that be nice! DH is going to buy some small fans and mount them beneath our television, you gotta love a handy man! Ours cost approx. $1,000, but I've seen them now for a couple hundred cheaper. It gets a ton of use and we've never had a minute of trouble with it. It also does have features that allow you to download programs from the internet, etc. but we just use it to plug along at our usual runs with occassional hill use.

Can you tell I love my treadmill? LOL

Kristi

[TLee4]

Kristi,
what pie recipe did you use? I have 3 pints of blueberries in my fridge. (Buy one, get two free...who could resist?!)

Terri

[Kristilyn1]

I use the tried and true Betty Crocker recipe, but I modify it in that I always cook the sugar and berries together on the stovetop and thicken it with cornstarch. I like a very thick filling, it really resembles the filling you get out of a can. I can't stand watery pie.......

Kristi

[TLee4]

Thanks Kristi. I'm deliberating b/w muffins and pie...

[seathyme]

All this talk of pie and muffins is making my mouth water! Fortunately I have no time for baking at the moment as we're getting ready for vacation -- it's so ironic that getting ready to go on vacation can be so stressful, cramming in all the last-minute work as well as packing, logistical stuff, etc. By the time we leave I'll be exhausted and really needing a vacation.

Les, you have a groin/hamstring thing going on too? Ugh! I remember a few months ago we had calf injury week. Sorry, but I refuse to participate in groin week, at least not this time.:rolleyes: Hope you and Alice heal rapidly.

I got in 8 miles this morning, keeping HR down despite muggy weather. Translates into some slow mileage! But it felt good to cover the territory anyway.

Susan, you must be enjoying the Tour de France drama. Lance really is amazing.

Natasha, enjoy the day off of training. You've earned it!

"See" youz guyz later.:cool:

[Elizabeth B]

I've been having problems with foot/leg pain during and after my runs and FINALLY realized that the problem might be that it was time for new running shoes! I went to a wonderful running store today and bought some new shoes that I can't wait to try out. The owners had me run in the shoes so they could evaluate the fit, which was a little daunting for a beginning runner like myself!

Les - Once again, I think it was your advice about replacing your "scooters" that saved the day. I was sorry to hear about your bike spill and wish you a speedy recovery.

Susan - I went to my 20 year reunion a couple of years ago and trust me, you'll probably be in much better shape than most of your classmates! It's great fun, though. I hope you have a blast.

Take care, y'all!

[ktg0930]

Hi everyone! The thread's been busy with a lot to catch up on.

Elizabeth - I hope the new shoes work out for you and solve your problems.

Seathyme - Vacation is good, but you are right, too much to do before and then a lot to catch up on when you get back too.

Kristilyn - I too love pie cold, and will definitely try your recipe because I don't like runny pie either. I have a few pints of blueberries in the fridge, also a buy some get some free deal.

Les - I'm so impressed that you can run 15 miles...I aspire to that.

Alice - I am so sorry about your stress fracture. I hope you can get a credit for your entry fee and get back running soon. What did you decide about your interview?

Susan and Mary - I am sure your arms don't jiggle at all, but if you come up with the magic cure, let me know. My 20-year (hard to believe) is in 2 years:)

TLee - I'm with you there on the sweets--all of them call my name. It's very dangerous.

Hello to Natasha, badunnin, and beckms!

I ran this morning--5 miles--and it is starting to get easier. I ran 7 on Sunday and took yesterday off. I really like the converted railroad trailway near my house. It is about 20 miles long and there are just a few parts where you run along the road. On Sunday, I headed north on it and crossed the Croton Reservoir which is one of the NYC water supplies. It was beautiful. Of course, I have crossed it in the car, but you really get to enjoy it when running across the bridge.

Kathy

[Leslie Ferguson]

Well, I've taken my own advice (and the advice of many others to me) and I've taken a rest day today. I know the only way the groin will get better is to rest so... I am.

Checking out of work so I'll have to chat when I get home this evening. Anyway, glad to hear all the good reports.

Happy trails,
Les

[Kristilyn1]

Les- sorry to hear you are on the injured reserved list! I know how hard it is for you.......

Try to keep it together and do what you know to be best.

Kristi

[Natasha]

Kristi, thanks a bunch for the treadmill info :) That's very helpful. I want to be sure to get something (when we do get a treadmill) that will take lots of use, and I know you use yours all the time, so thought you were the perfect person to ask! I'll have to search out that model and give it a try.

Les, good thinking to take a rest day. Enjoy it and hopefully you'll get to spend some nice time with LW (and maybe eat sushi or cherry cobbler or something good too)!

Elizabeth, that's great that you found a good running store. Hope the new shoes work out well!

Kathy, sounds like a gorgeous run :) Glad you enjoyed.

Hello to everyone else!
Natasha

[Leslie Ferguson]

Kathy - That run sounds fantastic and makes me jealous. I'm always looking for new places to run around here but considering it's less than 15 miles to the Atlantic Ocean (and lots of those aren't fit to run) I've hit most of the good ones in the past 6 years. Isn't it interesting how the view changes when you run somewhere that you've driven before? I always feel that when I cover ground that I normally drive. And some day, 15 miles is in your future - I can feel it.
Elizabeth - Glad you found a good shoe store that was willing to take the time to fit you correctly. I bet you've been spoiled now and won't get running shoes anywhere else. :D
seathyme - Hope you have a good trip and a safe vacation. I fully understand the speed that doing miles with the HRM inflicts. BTW I've stepped into the HRM crowd too, nothing fancy just a Polar A30 but good for what I need it for.
Natasha - No sushi tonight but LW and I actually sat down together to dinner tonight. We were the next best place to sushi - stir fry. One of those things that we came to appreciate when we lived in Japan.
Kristi - Yep -it was hard to take the day off today but considering I was limping around the office I felt it hypocritical to run. So I was a good boy.
Rebecca - You asked for it so here goes, the basic weights workout that I do once a week (I'm into the advanced workout on bout upper and lower body)
Basic Weight Training for Endurance Running

1. Begin with between 10 and 12 minutes of brisk walking. Not enough to be out of breath but enough exertion to raise your body temperature.

2. Stretch your lower body, concentrating on the hamstrings and quadriceps for between 3 to 5 minutes.

3. The sequence of exercises is relatively important - attempt to execute the exercises in the order listed. The weight should be light enough to execute 3 sets of 15-20 repetitions with good form.

Basic lower body exercises:
1. Leg press
2. Walking lunges (see note below)
3. Leg extension
4. Seated leg curl
5. Calf raises
6. Seated calf raises
More advanced exercises:
7. Inner thigh
8. Outer thigh

Basic upper body exercises:
1. Upright fly
2. Shoulder shrugs
3. Abdominal (3 groups of your choice)
More advanced upper body exercises:
4. Triceps pull-down
5. Bicep curls
6. Lat pull-down
7. Upright rows
8. Back extension (only 1 set of 25 without weight to begin with)
9. Shoulder press

Lunges note:
1. Be VERY CAREFUL when executing lunges. It is very easy to injure your knees.
2. Proper form:
a. Make sure your steps aren’t too long. The stride should be of moderate length.
b. The lead foot should be pointed straight ahead - never off to either side.
c. When descending the lead knee should never exceed 90 degrees - e.g., it should never be more than parallel to the floor.
d. Balance is more important than speed. It is wholly acceptable to pause in the fully upright position (both feet side by side).
e. Make sure that you keep your head and shoulders erect to prevent over-striding.
f. Until you are totally comfortable with the lunges start with no (or very little) weight. Each of the 3 sets should have 30 steps (15 with each foot) before resting.

Caution - you may experience a “heavy leg” effect the day following this routine. It is recommended that you not attempt a speed workout on the day following this weights routine.

Well, felt good to take the day off today - even thought it was a little difficult to break training. But a day now is better than a week later and the groin just doesn't get better without rest.

Now, to bed as the capper to a rest filled day.

Until tomorrow... Happy trails,
Les

[MaryH]

You know you're a runner when....

your DH asks what you want for your birthday (which is still a couple months off, mind you) and you say, "well you could get me a heart rate monitor" :D

You know your DH is NOT a runner when....

he looks at you and says "huh? what is that?" :) :D ;)

[Natasha]

Originally posted by MaryH
You know you're a runner when....

your DH asks what you want for your birthday (which is still a couple months off, mind you) and you say, "well you could get me a heart rate monitor" :D

You know your DH is NOT a runner when....

he looks at you and says "huh? what is that?" :) :D ;)

:D :D

That's it. Loved the latest installment of "you know you're a runner when"!

Natasha

[TLee4]

Hi all!
Mary, whenever I tell my DH about my planned run for the day, he usually says something like "That's nuts"!

I was not the least bit motivated for my 7 miler today. I did all kinds of mental calisthenics trying to figure out some OTHER time to do it. Luckily there is no other time available, so I just did it and it was fine.

No running tomorrow but I am teaching 2 Spins. Had only planned on one but another instructor has an emergency so I'm taking his 6am.

Hope everyone is feeling a bit healthier today!
Terri

[SusanMac]

Les - Congrats on the big move to HRM! You'll have to keep us posted once you start using it regularly.

KTG - Good news on the shoes. I'm sure you're a better runner than lots of people those employees see each day.

Seathyme - Yes, I am loving the Tour de France this year. Not quite as much excitement as last year, especially for the #1 slot. But, the fight for #2 and #3 is interesting.

Yikes! No cycling at all in the past week, and I have another tri on Sat. Today is a water-logged day here, so hopefully I'll get a good one in tomorrow. My quads & hamstrings have been really, really sore after rowing lately. Hopefully this means I'm working them harder?? I also added weight to my hamstring curls on Monday after our little discussion of needing to lift the same weight on both quads & hams.
Ouch!

Tonight is supper club, so I'm off to go make white bean dip :-)

[monkee831]

Hi all,

I had a lot of catching up to do 3 pages of posts and it's only Wednesday!

Les Thanks for sharing your leg training with us. I can always use advice when it comes to lifting!

Beckms When I read your post that you squat 80 lbs, my first thought was she's an Amazon ! I aspire to that kind of lifting.:cool:

Kristlyn Your blueberry pie sounds wonderful. I made a blueberry pie this past week too for the same reason - great sale on BB's My recipe didn't require any baking just make a glaze, stir in the berries, and pile it all in a pie shell. It was quick, easy and best of all I didn't have to fire up the oven but I prefer the thick filling you describe - yum!

Last weekend I got in a 7 miler on Sat. and a 10 miler on Sunday. The 10 miles was easier than the 7 go figure!:rolleyes: This week has been a mix of running one day and weights the next. I'm trying to mentally prepar for a 13-14 miler on Saturday that I'll have to do solo.:( I have a seminar Saturday morning at 9:30 and the crew isn't going to start running until 7:00. Les what time do your group runs get under way? I've been trying unsuccessfully to lobby for earlier runs.

The seminar on Saturday is about grad school admission. I'm excited and scared to say I'm going back to school to work on a masters degree. Scared because once I got my bachelors I swore never again to go back to school! Excited because I'm looking forward to the challenge - and I'll be studying a different field.

What I'd really love to do is go to the Culinary Art Institute but work won't pay me to cook.:o

[seathyme]

Congrats on the grad school project, Monkee! I hope you find you enjoy being a student again. Good job on your runs too. I have the same issue with the group runs for TNT. They start at 8, and the meeting point is half an hour from my house. To participate I have to have nothing else to do before late morning at best. On my own, I'm out the door at 5:30 or 6, back home and sipping coffee before the TNT crew even gets started. So while I love the idea of the group, in practice it's challenging.

Susan, you win the prize for multi-sport queen! Too bad there isn't a quadrathlon, so you could swim, bike, run and row.:D Have a great time on Saturday in your cool tri-suit!

Les, hope you're feeling better. Good job taking some time off when you need it. We need to encourage each other in such things!

Kathy, your running route sounds beautiful.

Mary, you and I have the same DH, and sounds like Terri's is a close relative as well. Nice story!

Here's mine for today: you know you're a runner when you're getting ready for a vacation which will involve two very long days of driving, and actually have a dream about running in the stopover location ten hours from home...

Hi to all the berry-eaters and everyone else!

[Leslie Ferguson]

monkee - Our group ostensibly starts at 7 am (with a little fudge factor thrown in). I've attacked runs two ways when I had things I had to do during the time for the scheduled run. I've gone early and hooked up with the group once they've started (i.e., run some reasonable number of miles before hand so I can get to the starting point at the time they are getting there) or just blowing off the group run altogether and done it on my own in the afternoon. That's pretty hard if you aren't fond of running 13-14 miles on your own. Sorry I can't give you any other recommendations but my preference (because I like running with the group) is go early so you can get about an hour in with them -- finishing at about 8 (if that gives you enough time to get ready for your seminar). What program are you working on for your Masters? Hope it's something that you really have a passion for. My experience with the two Masters programs I've done (albeit at Military Graduate schools) is the classes are more about learning and less about weeding people out (like in my undergrad program).
seathyme - That's a good one too. I've been there, trying to figure out how to work my run in during the trip from Portland Oregon to Salinas CA (we stopped in Medford OR - in the mountains in December BRRR!). Worked my best to get in early enough to spin a few miles - and loved it! :cool:

Resting so far today. May try to go elliptical a little and test the groin but then again may take another day off so I can really recover. Remembering my recommendations to others, the groin only recovers with rest (you can't run through a groin injury :( ).

Check you all later.
Les

[Leslie Ferguson]

Back to backs but worth the check back...

I got a good and pain-free bike ride in this evening. I'm pretty much back to normal with my knee and elbow (except for the scab on my elbow). A little residual groin twinge which should be gone by tomorrow. Now for what I think the real culprit of the groin may be - the sprained/swollen ankle. It's a nice purple color and I've pretty much lost all definition over the ankle bone. Maybe that's what my problem was all the time. :rolleyes:

Susan - I'm sure you'll do fine in the tri on Saturday. Hope the hams aren't bothering you too much today. Inquiring minds want to know - how close were your quads and hams?

Fading fast (but not fast enough). Here's to peaceful and refreshing sleep and pleasant dreams for all.

Until tomorrow.
Les

[SusanMac]

Not even close! I press 110 on the quad press thingy. When I do hamstring curls, it's usually 30-35. There...I confessed it!

[monkee831]

Les!

You know you're a runner when you take a header over your bike and yet you still run with various shades of purple, green, and blue decorating the points of impact :D

Isn't if funny how even with the perfect excuse to take some time off and rest we just can't?:p :rolleyes: I'm considering doing just what you suggested heading out early and logging some miles and then meeting up with the group. Haven't quite figured out the logistics yet but I'm working on it.

:confused: Here's a question for y'all what do you wear for running in rainy weather? This weekend is forecasted to be a wet one. If it's just drizzling I wear my normal shorts and t-shirt but throw on a baseball cap to keep the rain out of my eyes. I don't really have a plan for if it's pouring buckets though. Is there something out there that is waterproof and yet still has a good breathabilty factor. I hate raingear that makes me feel like I'm wrapped in plastic and the sweat can't evaporate.

[SusanMac]

Good question, monkee. I recently had to do a race in torrential rain, and learned it isn't nearly as bad as I had expected. I'm not sure if there is anything truly waterproof (water-resistant, yes). So, I usually make sure I'm wearing something that wicks moisture. (I wore a long-sleeve Body Armor for the race, it's one of my favs) It won't keep me dry, but it also doesn't hold the water and turn me into a giant 200 pound sponge. Cotton t-shirts do that and it's miserable.

[Leslie Ferguson]

monkee - I'm a bad one to ask about what I wear during rain. In the summer it's just business as usual - singlet, shorts (shoes and socks too) I know someone would get me for that. In the winter I try to wear something that is more or less waterproof but don't have much in that vein. I like you am not a big fan of rain gear and here in Norfolk rain in the summer isn't cold, actually quite refreshing. I'm trying to be a good boy, especially considering my foot is really badly swollen and not running but it is hard to take more than a couple days without exercise of some sort thus the bike. I think tonight will be another bike ride - all depends on the time I get home on how long.
Susan - I wasn't trying to pry too much, just wondered. I think part of the reason that mine are so well balanced is my training for football and strengthening from physical therapy following a dislocated kneecap years ago. I've seemed to maintain a good balance between the quad and the ham.

Like I said, it's been a quiet couple days and I'm getting antsy but if I run I konw I'll just tweak my groin again so I will probably hit the bike again tonight and keep up the Ice and Compression too.

Happy trails to all,
Les

[beckms]

Originally posted by monkee831

Beckms When I read your post that you squat 80 lbs, my first thought was she's an Amazon ! I aspire to that kind of lifting.:cool:


<blush> :o

Susan, the quad press doesn't isolate your quads! It uses your quads, hamstrings, and glutes, at least, so I bet that's why you can do so much more on the press vs. the hamstring curls. Try the leg extension machine to isoalte your quads. I bet it will be closer to the weight you can do on the hamstrings.

[Leslie Ferguson]

Sorry - time warped for a second there. :rolleyes:

I was true to my word and didn't run or elliptical tonight. Did just over an hour on the bike. I keep adjusting the seat up and am feeling much better about the riding position - at least less stress on my knees. :) Not quite as recharging as running (my first love) but considering I'm resting this bum wheel I'll take any exercise that doesn't put too much stress on my ankle. I've been wearing my HRM on the bike and even though I'm peddling to beat the band I have problems reaching what some of the predictors consider the 65% rate (~131). It's pretty interesting to see how my body reacts to the sprints on the bike, now all I have to do is correllate them to how my body reacts to sprints on my feet.

A real rest day tomorrow in preparation (hopefully) for 13 miles on Saturday. And this time I'm bringing my bike - just in case I have to go shepherding folks on the trail.

So, who starts us in the morning? Natasha for the second week running? Inquiring minds want to know.

Happy trails,
Les

[Natasha]

Hello folks!

I've been AWOL from the thread for a couple of days as life got busy and my workouts got sparse ;) Actually, the one rest day was planned and the second one, well, I have to say that I probably could have fit some training in but just didn't. Oh, well! :cool:

Yesterday was about a gazillion degrees so I biked indoors, doing 45 minutes pretty much flat out. I also ran around the house with the pup a lot so am counting that as another half a workout ;) Today I'd like to run but hopefully the weather will cooperate. I really don't want to hit the gym if I don't have to.

I will let someone else start the thread this week :) Terri, didn't you say you keep meaning to start it? Anyone else? :D

Have a great day, all. Les, good plan to take the bike with you. Where will you put it when you run?

monkee, I don't usually wear anything specific for rain in the summer because like Les I find it refreshing. I almost always run with synthetics - as I'm sure you do - so they dry quickly and don't plaster themselves to my body too much. It's kind of fun to get soaked on a run on occasion anyway :D And I said the same thing after finishing my Bachelors degree - that I would never go back - and then a few years later, there I was doing my Masters part time. It was quite a lot of work but well worth it IMHO. I wish too that my work would pay for me to take cooking classes, but oh well... ;) Hope the seminar goes well! Anyway, speaking of work, I better go DO some.

Have a wonderful Friday, all.
Natasha

[Natasha]

P.S. Les, just saw the thing about you adjusting your riding position by adjusting the seat and how it was helping. I hadn't realized you'd been having issues with that. If you're interested, there is a calculation that Ned Overend (one of my heroes ;)) mentions in his mountain biking book. Based on the calculation you can figure out around where your seat should be. My husband adjusted my seat on the basis of the calculation and I'm more comfortable on my bike as a result. Oddly, my husband's own mountain bike seat was already at the very millimetre that it should have been according to Ned's calculation - but he has a lot more riding experience than I do so I guess it makes sense. Anyway, enough rambling. Let me know if you'd like the calculation, though it sounds like you've got it sorted out :)

Natasha