Running

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Nov 24, 2021 6:55 pm

Torfish, I highly recommend upping your game, sign up for a 5K and see if that inspires you to greater things. I started there and ended doing a full marathon (which I'll likely not do again but it was a great experience and didn''t do all that badly). Participating in races gives you a goal to keep going...and completion is a very satisfying reward. When you do this, you're not racing against the others, but against your own personal bests. The running community is highly supportive as well. You will not regret it.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:53 am

I think I popped a ligament in my ankle yesterday playing Capture the Flag and I'm quite bummed. I was running for the flag and it felt like my ankle got punched. Given that I clearly wasn't punched, I then thought I had accidentally kicked my ankle with my other foot, but in talking with my brother who was chasing me, he said my stride had looked fine and he didn't see anything like that happen. He was actually surprised when I pulled up because I looked fine. So that's why I'm left with something snapping inside there. At first I thought I might be able to walk it off. I walked to the jail area and then sat down and spent time massaging it and making sure I had the full range of motion. All of that was a little painful, but not too bad. I got up and could walk on it, but knew I couldn't run as I couldn't push off without pain and knew I'd never be able to land on it. So I went inside and put on a brace and iced it a bit. A few hours later, I couldn't walk at all and it was incredibly painful. Started alternating tylenol and advil and went to bed. This morning, it was least doesn't hurt to merely exist, which is nice. I can't walk on it, but my hobbling is getting faster. Still might go to urgent care today just to make sure it's nothing more serious.

The reason this is in the running thread is because I'm now done for at least this month and maybe the year and that stinks. I use running for stress and weight control. I haven't been to a gym since the pandemic started and had started collecting cold weather running gear. I've gotten good at running in temps as low as the 20s (which is cold for South Carolina) and was looking forward to pushing through December. Additionally, I'm 3 pounds from my pre-pandemic weight (after ballooning up 25 lbs) and really thought I might get there before the New Year. In the past, this is the time of year when I gain weight and was really thinking the outdoor running would help me avoid that. Just so bummed. If this is where it ends for the year, I'm at 224 runs over 203:36:45 covering 1,282.89 miles. Considering I started at that +25lbs on Feb 6 with a 3 mile run, I'm pretty happy with the final tally (even though I was really hoping to break 250 run and 1400 miles).

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:18 pm

Torfish wrote: ↑Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:41 pm I started jogging last year in September. With the pandemic sending me home, I started walking the trails that is literally right in front of my house. WFH gave me extra time in my day. A quality of life improvement. After a few weeks of walking and seeing so many joggers, I was inspired to try it out. I haven't jogged since college. I started out extremely slow and ramped up slowly. I jog 3 days straight and one day off. I'm up to 3.1 miles (5K) per run with an average mile pace of 9:30. I feel great and have lost about 20 pounds with no other changes. I enjoy ending my work day by putting on my headphones and taking a nice jog through the woods and a lake.

I have no plans to run a race. I want to keep it causal and focused on health.

That's great. No need to run races if you aren't into them. They can be expensive.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Mon Nov 29, 2021 12:28 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Sat Nov 27, 2021 7:53 am I think I popped a ligament in my ankle yesterday playing Capture the Flag and I'm quite bummed. I was running for the flag and it felt like my ankle got punched. Given that I clearly wasn't punched, I then thought I had accidentally kicked my ankle with my other foot, but in talking with my brother who was chasing me, he said my stride had looked fine and he didn't see anything like that happen. He was actually surprised when I pulled up because I looked fine. So that's why I'm left with something snapping inside there. At first I thought I might be able to walk it off. I walked to the jail area and then sat down and spent time massaging it and making sure I had the full range of motion. All of that was a little painful, but not too bad. I got up and could walk on it, but knew I couldn't run as I couldn't push off without pain and knew I'd never be able to land on it. So I went inside and put on a brace and iced it a bit. A few hours later, I couldn't walk at all and it was incredibly painful. Started alternating tylenol and advil and went to bed. This morning, it was least doesn't hurt to merely exist, which is nice. I can't walk on it, but my hobbling is getting faster. Still might go to urgent care today just to make sure it's nothing more serious.

The reason this is in the running thread is because I'm now done for at least this month and maybe the year and that stinks. I use running for stress and weight control. I haven't been to a gym since the pandemic started and had started collecting cold weather running gear. I've gotten good at running in temps as low as the 20s (which is cold for South Carolina) and was looking forward to pushing through December. Additionally, I'm 3 pounds from my pre-pandemic weight (after ballooning up 25 lbs) and really thought I might get there before the New Year. In the past, this is the time of year when I gain weight and was really thinking the outdoor running would help me avoid that. Just so bummed. If this is where it ends for the year, I'm at 224 runs over 203:36:45 covering 1,282.89 miles. Considering I started at that +25lbs on Feb 6 with a 3 mile run, I'm pretty happy with the final tally (even though I was really hoping to break 250 run and 1400 miles).

That sucks. You might think about a spin bike in the meantime. It isn't as good as running (at least not if you do it casually) but it can help fill the void.
I need to add up all my hours and miles as well. I kept a biking log last year and started a running/biking/walking log but haven't updated it since May. It's time to start setting goals for next year, though, so I need to see where I am this year.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 2:42 pm

Went to the Dr. (really nurse practitioner) today as the ankle was still tender to the touch and there were some other troubling pain signals. Got an x-ray which was negative, so that's good news. She's setting me up with a boot, though, and an appointment with Ortho to figure out how long I have to wear it and then PT for when I get out of it to get my strength back. So I basically have a doctor's note to play video games over the holidays. Merry Christmas to me!

Seriously, though, I told her I had been trying to get back running and taking little jogs in the driveway to test it out, but it was still too painful. Her eyes got big and she said "Don't do that!" She said as a runner, I already put more stress on it than normal so it will take forever to heal if I keep that up. So I'll listen to advice and hope to get back at it in the Spring. Now to try and not gain 30 lbs while sitting on my butt...

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:15 pm

My plan to get to 450 miles this year has now been completely derailed because, well, prostatitis really sucks (TMI, I know).

The doc said I can run (it won't do any sort of damage), it's just a matter of how much pain and discomfort I can handle. As bad as it is right now, the unfortunate answer is...not much. Even just the typical walking around the house I do in a day is painful enough that I can barely sit come evening. Hoping it improves over the next week so I can get back at it before the new year.

I'm currently sitting at 397 miles on the year. I need to at least get to 400.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:39 pm

Good luck! I know what running with epidydimus was like and hope your situation resolves quickly.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Mon Dec 13, 2021 4:29 pm

Bummed to hear you guys are dealing with injuries, stessier and Skinnypupy. Nothing sucks more than when you have the motivation to run but injuries get in the way. Hope you both heal up soon and can get back after it.

JCC · Post by **JCC** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 10:21 am

So, this was 99% walking and only about 1% running but today I hit 1400 miles for the year (and counting). Not bad when I was mostly sidelined for 2 months with sciatica. I do plan to give running another chance next year, but with all the injuries I have endured from running, it's definitely on double secret probation.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:01 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:39 pmepidydimus

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:21 pm

Isgrimnur wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:01 pm
stessier wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 3:39 pmepidydimus

Pepsi, meet monitor.

Isgrimnur · Post by **Isgrimnur** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 12:24 pm

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:45 pm

I'm back on the running train again after trying a few weeks of exclusively walking. I'm still walking on off-days, but I found myself getting bored with *just* walks. Turns out that as much as I hate running, you can't get bored if you feel like you're about to die.

I've been tracking mileage and workouts in a spreadsheet, but on Jan 1 I'll start posting the running totals in the weight loss thread as well.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:51 pm

My issue has finally turned for the better, so I'm planning to get back at it on Sunday (barring any new complications).

I'm really not looking forward to that first run after three weeks of not being able to really do any sort of physical activity at all.

Pyperkub · Post by **Pyperkub** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 5:14 pm

I'm doing more cycling than running due to knee issues, but if anyone is using garmin devices I'm on garmin connect.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Dec 17, 2021 5:20 pm

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 3:51 pm My issue has finally turned for the better, so I'm planning to get back at it on Sunday (barring any new complications).

I'm really not looking forward to that first run after three weeks of not being able to really do any sort of physical activity at all.

Remember, take it slow and don't go very far. Leave yourself wanting more rather than bemoaning the pain from running too far. Give yourself the space to get your stamina back.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 11:23 am

First run in nearly 3 weeks today. Holy shit, that suuuuucked. Felt like I was running with an anchor ties around my ankles. Probably didn’t help that it was also 15 degrees when I left.

It ended up not being completely terrible (still top 30), but man that was tough. Definitely have some ground to make up for that break.

Kurth · Post by **Kurth** » Sun Dec 19, 2021 6:16 pm

For anyone dealing with coming back from injuries or time off, consider easing back into it with run/walk intervals. Two minutes on/two minutes off works great. Keep the running pace slow (5/10 max) and the walking pace brisk.

It’s a great way to get more miles in while not over doing it.

In fact, I try to mix those in one day a week in the normal course. They are some of my most enjoyable runs.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Mon Dec 20, 2021 1:08 am

Kurth wrote: ↑Sun Dec 19, 2021 6:16 pm For anyone dealing with coming back from injuries or time off, consider easing back into it with run/walk intervals. Two minutes on/two minutes off works great. Keep the running pace slow (5/10 max) and the walking pace brisk.

It’s a great way to get more miles in while not over doing it.

In fact, I try to mix those in one day a week in the normal course. They are some of my most enjoyable runs.

Seconded.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:36 am

This morning’s run put me over 400 on the year, with a week to spare. That goal seemed completely unachievable when I started, but will just be the baseline for next year. Shooting for at least 550 miles in 2022.

Stamina seems to be coming back quickly too. This morning was a top 10 run.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:48 am

Skinypupy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 22, 2021 11:36 am This morning’s run put me over 400 on the year, with a week to spare. That goal seemed completely unachievable when I started, but will just be the baseline for next year. Shooting for at least 550 miles in 2022.

Stamina seems to be coming back quickly too. This morning was a top 10 run.

Awesome! Great job.

My own end of year running numbers are not where I want them to be, but I am just now finally feeling confident that my achilles issue is fully resolved (also, no gym time since March 2020 has not helped at all, as for some reason I prefer my speed workouts on the treadmill). Planning to ramp up again in 2022 with the goal of knocking out 2 half-marathons.

2021 - 491.2 miles run; will break 500 barely. 2020 was 619. I did raise my walk # considerably, from ~400 miles in 2020 to about 1,000 in 2021 (getting dogs sure helped this), and also added ~180 miles on the bike. So overall I am happy with my year, but I aim to get back over 600 miles run in 2022, preferably 700.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Wed Dec 22, 2021 4:34 pm

I didn't have a goal for the year specifically for running but did have a goal of 1000 mile running/walking and a goal of 4042 miles running/walking/biking. Totals for the year (minus this last week):

Running:562
Walking:503
Outdoor Biking:1168
Indoor Biking: 2093
Total: 4326

That's above my goal for walking/running and for biking. I'm not unhappy with the running totals but I am unhappy with Novemeber and December this year. My wife doesn't like running in the wind and it's been windy so we've walked rather than run way too much. I think I'd be over 600 otherwise. We also didn't run at all the week of Thankgiving. Our last run of 10 miles or more was November 6th and we should have had 4-5 more of them in before it's below 0 for the next two months.

For 2022 I'd like:
Running: 720 (60 per month)
Walking: 500
OB: 1500
IB: 1000

I think my indoor biking is going to fall substantially as I'm not going to be working from home after 2021. I often get an hour of indoor biking just working on email and meetings every day.

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Fri Jan 07, 2022 1:52 pm

stessier wrote: ↑Mon Dec 13, 2021 2:42 pm Went to the Dr. (really nurse practitioner) today as the ankle was still tender to the touch and there were some other troubling pain signals. Got an x-ray which was negative, so that's good news. She's setting me up with a boot, though, and an appointment with Ortho to figure out how long I have to wear it and then PT for when I get out of it to get my strength back. So I basically have a doctor's note to play video games over the holidays. Merry Christmas to me!

Seriously, though, I told her I had been trying to get back running and taking little jogs in the driveway to test it out, but it was still too painful. Her eyes got big and she said "Don't do that!" She said as a runner, I already put more stress on it than normal so it will take forever to heal if I keep that up. So I'll listen to advice and hope to get back at it in the Spring. Now to try and not gain 30 lbs while sitting on my butt...

Finally got to the specialist yesterday (initial appointment for 12/28 was canceled because the Dr. got sick). It was good news - no broken bones and all tendons appear intact! They used an ultrasound to view the tendons which was pretty cool. They also located the two areas that are causing me the most pain at the moment and determined they were pools of blood. They were going to put me in a Tri-lock brace, but I said I'd already tried that and the current swelling makes it too painful to work. So I'm in a boot for the next 3 weeks to get the swelling down, then likely the Tri-lock brace for 3 weeks, then PT to get everything back up to strength. Should have no long term effects. Sounds like I might be running by late March/early April. Was pretty happy with the news as I really thought there was going to be surgery in my future.

Unagi · Post by **Unagi** » Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:03 pm

Grats! Avoiding surgery is a great dice-roll.

Zaxxon · Post by **Zaxxon** » Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:12 pm

Unagi wrote: ↑Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:03 pm Grats! Avoiding surgery is a great dice-roll.

2nded.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Jan 07, 2022 2:23 pm

Glad to hear it’s not more severe.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:31 pm

Of my top 10 runs, 6 have come in the past week. Including PB both yesterday and today.

I leveled up in 2022, apparently.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:08 pm

Hope everything gets better, stessier. It will be tempting to come back early once you start feeling better but stay in that boot for the three weeks and if you can, get a PT appointment. They'll help you get back to it safely.

Congrats, Skinypupy. It's always nice to see that progress, especially if you've been on a plateau for a bit.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Mon Jan 17, 2022 7:27 pm

I've been doing 10k steps a day since the first of the year (in addition to the 3x a week runs) and it's really helped my running. Primarily because I'm actually moving on my "off" days so I think my body's getting used to being mobile every day. While I still get some occasional soreness, it's not nearly as bad when I was running "cold" every other day.

2 weeks in and I'm close to 100 miles this year walk/runs. Compared to 250 ALL of last year.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 11:19 am

Yesterday's run was the coldest so far, a balmy 9 degrees when I walked outside. This morning wasn't much better at 11.

I have learned that my body kinda refuses to function in single digit temps.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:05 pm

I'm wrapping up Week 5 of 6 of my (third?) go round at 5K guided training. Going very well so far.

My company gave us $75 credit towards some health/fitness site as part of our health insurance. Most of the stuff was things I would never use like credit towards yoga classes and really overpriced smoothies, etc. However, they did offer a $100 Foot Locker gift card. So I applied the credit towards that, then turned around and used that towards some Brooks Ghost 14s.

My last two pairs have been Hokas which I really liked, but Foot Locker doesn't carry those. The Ghosts got really good reviews from Runners World though so I figured I'd give them a shot. They are bright neon highlighter yellow, because I am a firm believer in making my running shoes as obnoxiously bright as possible.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Wed Feb 09, 2022 6:23 pm

Somehow my wife got me to agree to run a marathon. Yesterday she registered us for the Minocqua Northwoods Escape Marathon in Wisconsin on May 29th. Not sure if I'm glad for the push or dreading all the time it's going to take preparing. Probably both. I should have no issue hitting the my goal of running 720 miles this year.

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Wed Feb 09, 2022 6:27 pm

Good luck!

Jeff V · Post by **Jeff V** » Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:43 pm

How the hell does Minocqua do a marathon at the end of May? Aren't the roads there not yet cleared of snow and ice until the day before Memorial Day? How is anyone supposed to train?

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Thu Feb 10, 2022 12:05 pm

In High school our cross country sectionals were in mid November and we ran in the snow in our teensy shorts and tank tops. Of course that was only a 5k and to your point our training was generally BEFORE the snow, so never mind!

Skinypupy · Post by **Skinypupy** » Thu Feb 10, 2022 12:35 pm

Now that I actually have some stamina, I have upped my frequency from 2 days run/1 day off to 3 days run/1 day off. It's going well overall (and should definitely help with the overall 2022 mileage goal), but man, that third day is tough.

Will take some getting used to, for sure.

YellowKing · Post by **YellowKing** » Thu Feb 10, 2022 4:22 pm

Update on the Brooks Ghosts - so far so good. I'm not blown away by them like I was blown away by the Hokas when I first tried those (I'M RUNNING ON PILLOWS!!!) However, they feel fine and I've done a couple of 2-2.5 miles runs in them with no issues. They do feel quite a bit faster than the Hokas - they're lighter with a much slimmer sole. So far I haven't missed that reduced cushion, so I think the Ghosts do a good job of offering good cushion in a smaller package.

Saturday will mark the end of my 5K training. Goal is to just keep running 5k 3 times a week after that for a bit until I feel comfortable with it. Then I'll start the 10K program.

EvilHomer3k · Post by **EvilHomer3k** » Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:31 pm

Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:43 pm How the hell does Minocqua do a marathon at the end of May? Aren't the roads there not yet cleared of snow and ice until the day before Memorial Day? How is anyone supposed to train?

Most marathons (at least the ones we want to go to) are in May and early June. The others we looked at were Deadwood, SD and Ogden, UT. We did a half marathon in April in Iowa and are looking for another half this year but closer to March. My wife ran a half-marathon in January a few years ago. I'm actually worried it will be too warm at the end of May in Wisconsin.

Baroquen · Post by **Baroquen** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 9:10 am

EvilHomer3k wrote: ↑Tue Feb 15, 2022 12:31 pm
Jeff V wrote: ↑Wed Feb 09, 2022 8:43 pm How the hell does Minocqua do a marathon at the end of May? Aren't the roads there not yet cleared of snow and ice until the day before Memorial Day? How is anyone supposed to train?
Most marathons (at least the ones we want to go to) are in May and early June. The others we looked at were Deadwood, SD and Ogden, UT. We did a half marathon in April in Iowa and are looking for another half this year but closer to March. My wife ran a half-marathon in January a few years ago. I'm actually worried it will be too warm at the end of May in Wisconsin.

Yeah, April/May are big months for races as is October. I'm running Green Bay in May (after two years of COVID postponements). Hadn't thought about the weather too much. I've found the towns/cities usually choose weekends that have a decent chance of adequate weather, but who knows.

In other news, I went 2.5 weeks before deviating from my training plan. Was hoping I would be able to stick to it better, but then Super Bowl/Valentine's Day happened. It'll all work out in the end but I still feel like I dropped the ball.

Good luck on your race EvilHomer3k!

stessier · Post by **stessier** » Wed Feb 16, 2022 11:03 am

I started physical therapy this week which is really just a bunch of ankle bending type exercises. Not at all sure it's worth $84/session. Doing all the exercises he gave me for home - takes about 20 minutes to get through them. Tentatively planning on running 15s on / 1 min off this weekend. He said if I handle that, can slowly start to ramp up. Would like to be back to mile running by the end of March if at all possible. 3 months without exercise has really packed on the weight.