For Joggers and Runners

[Dance-with-me]

Sigh. I miss running so, so much. I was a regular runner in my early 20s until I let life just get in the way. Two years ago (after almost 30 years of not running) I started the Couch to 5K program (C25K) and went from barely making it through 5 minutes of exercise to half walking/half running a 5k just a month later. A week later I started having weird weakness in my leg and arm that a year later they finally diagnosed as two disks in my neck pushing way into my spinal cord - after three docs said that there was no choice except surgery, stat, I had a two-level discectomy and fusion last January. It's probably not at all smart for me to consider running again, but I wish with all I have that I could go back to it.

A friend who started the C25K program with me finally tired of running 5ks, just ran her first two half-marathons, and is going to train for a marathon in the spring.

Sigh.

[JAGG]

I loathe running when it is below 48. I prefer 70 - 80 . I havent been able to run since last Wed. Too cold in the am. And I was too busy all weekend. Getting too cold means I will be buying a new eliptical and recumbant bike.

[MissItalianDiva]

Originally Posted by Angeltoes

I think I need you to run next to me and tell me to quit my cryin'

LOL anytime...I love running with company

[MissItalianDiva]

Originally Posted by sylvie

i love the frigid air as well.. The only thing i have problems with are the snow and ice.. If we had proper street cleaning, i would be all over it indeed.

i completely agree with the escape, it's been very much that for me as well.
i love running off a stressful or emotional day!

I am glad that it isn't just me...the burn from the air feels so good

[Dance-with-me]

Also, to anyone who would like to start jogging or running, look into the C25K program. I have several friends who went from very sedentary to now regularly running. There are very helpful apps that you can get for your iphone/smartphone or ipod touch that you can use to prompt you through it and record your accomplishment. I also suggest signing up over at DailyMile.com -- fantastic and supportive community there.

A few pointers for anyone just starting:
- Don't wait to get yourself some decent running shoes. Your worn-out walking shoes or your cute sassy lime-green chucks are going to hurt you.
- Wear wicking socks. Only wear 100% cotton socks if you really like blisters.
- Go for endurance, not speed. If you're doing the C25k program, it doesn't matter if your "running" speed is slower than most people's walking speed, or if your walking speed would let you cover a mile in 45 minutes. The important thing is to just do it at a pace that you can sustain for the 30 seconds or 2 minutes or 5 minutes or whatever time it is that you need to do it. You can work on speed after you push through the endurance.
- Don't overdo it. No, doing it every day is NOT going to be better than doing it three times a week. Your body is doing something really new, and your muscles and joints need to rest and repair in between times in order to build up the capacity to let you really do this.

[Greco]

Hey Joggers/Runners,

Its been 5 days since I last ran (sounds like confession, damnit), anyway , home getting over seafood, worried about my family in NY, overwork, saying yes to a new part of my life, has all left me with fever, sore throat, a cold to boot.

Enough of the whining...the beach that I found here, and became a 7mi friend to me continues closed due to H-Sandy...I walked up there yesterday, and yes, the ocean continues a bit still on the parking lot...I miss this beach, it was the first place I felt comfortable running when I got here. Changes, and more changes...still I'm grateful to have had the runs there that I did and know that they'll never be the same again.

Still, today at home, on computer, wanting and not being able to run this week has left me irritable, pissed, and otherwise crabby.

So, if you are running, jogging do some for me will ya.

Regards, Greco

[JAGG]

Originally Posted by sylvie

i miss running..SO much.
the cool morning air, the exhilarating feeling..
the energy to take on the day with a positive mindset.
the sound of the feet hitting the pavement.. controlled breathing.

i have felt so out of shape when i stopped running & working out. i have a tendency to get hard on myself and stop doing the things i love, a self-punishment.. So now that i'm getting the workouts back in, i will be working this back into my program as well.

What do ya's do through the winter months for those of you who get snow?
Our city here arent great about street cleaning, and so i may have to rely on running on my treadmill through the winter months.. But i find running on a treadmill completely different from the outside run.

I do not like running on a treadmill at all. Instead I love a recumbant bike and an eliptical to get me through winter.

[alexri]

Originally Posted by sylvie

What do ya's do through the winter months for those of you who get snow?
Our city here arent great about street cleaning, and so i may have to rely on running on my treadmill through the winter months.. But i find running on a treadmill completely different from the outside run.

With the colder weather, snowy roads, and darkness coming so early, I do hit the dreadmill a lot more than I want to in the winter. But the reality is that it is safer. I don't trust drivers here in bad weather/icy roads. We do have bike paths and trails but they are not very safe in bad weather or they are not maintained in the winter.

Or I just go do events in warm states... ha.

I'm gearing up bigtime for Goofy now. Yesterday was 9.5, today is 16-18. Today I have highs in the 40s (ugh) so part of me is really debating doing it on a treadmill at my gym-- not because of fear of the cold, but because my gym is very humid with no air conditioning, and would actually realistically be closer to the conditions in Florida in Jan. That's my other thing- I always need to be conscious of what the weather will be like where I race so the body is not shocked but sudden extreme temperature changes.

[alexri]

Well, my racing year is definitively over. I could have signed up for more events, but I'm tired, and it's a bad time of the year financially, so I'm done for the year. I was 40 race miles shy of 500. I really wanted it, but I've been hurting and injured for a lot of the year, and I don't want to hit a goal for the sake of a number and not have it be fun anymore.

Gearing up now for Disney-- 6 weeks to the Goofy Challenge in WDW in FL, and then I'm headed over to CA for the Tinkerbell Half in Disneyland the next weekend. I'm actually nervous as hell about Goofy. Disney World races are awesome, don't get me wrong, they are a lot of fun. What gets me is the pavement- most of the roads are cement or don't have asphalt, and we are very unused to that in New England. For many people it has a much greater impact on the joints and the knees. I try to get on sidewalks here because that is the closest. Hoping my friends will help carry me through.

In 2013 I want to focus on quality, not quantity. I want good miles. I want to set new PRs. I want to get faster and leaner. I think this year I am setting up a no-repeat rule to freshen things up; if I did the race in 2012, I don't do it in 2013. I don't have a lot planned right now; I'm booked for Goofy/Tinkerbell, then the Mercedes Birmingham Half in AL in Feb, then Shamrock Virginia Beach Half in VA in March (which is my favorite race of all time and an excellent one for all walkers and runners who want do to their first half or full), Kalamazoo Marathon in Michigan in May and the Cox Providence Half in RI in May.

[alexri]

Alright, I know a couple of you were into Disney/looking into the Disney races.

If you missed it-- they just announced today that they are adding a 10K (6.2 miles) to Disneyland Half Marathon weekend. They are adding it to the Saturday of the weekend, before the half marathon on Sunday, in addition to the 5K that already exists. From what I understand, logistically Disney will never be able to pull off a full marathon in CA because they just don't have the room. The FL races are entirely on their property while in CA they have to use city streets.

Just to drive all us runners nuts and make us want to go back out there, they've added this fun challenge:

Saturday, August 31 - Sunday, September 1, 2013

Start/Finish: Disneyland® Resort

If you think that a half marathon is just a walk in the park, put your endurance to the test and compete in the all-new Dumbo Double Dare! A 19.3-mile adventure held over two days, participants will run the Disneyland® 10K on Saturday, followed by the Disneyland® Half Marathon on Sunday. If you finish both races within the pacing requirements, you will be awarded the all-new Dumbo Double Dare medal in addition to your Half Marathon and 10K finisher medals.

Can't wait to see photos of this medal...

[sylvie]

A friend and i plan to do the Disney run, but in 2015.
It's a great goal, which i am hanging on to, and hope to do even if she decides that she can't.. i know i won't do the best *time* though, since i will be stopping to take pictures with each character i pass along the way!

tee hee!
We plan on doing both the half & full on that weekend!
She's already been to a Disney run but this will be a first time for me!

[sylvie]

Ohh, and Dec 31, i am registered for a 5k.
i am excited about this, although we just got dumped on with snow and not sure how that will work out for me running! Hoping it's a clear, dry path.

It's done through the Running Room, & i get a free jacket for registering and participating.. Yay! Haven't run a 5k in some time so wish me luck please! Will feel great to get back at it!

[alexri]

Originally Posted by sylvie

Haven't run a 5k in some time so wish me luck please! Will feel great to get back at it!

GOOD LUCK!

I know you will do awesome!

[Greco]

Ok, I have no idea what the temp was this morning, But it was cold and windy!

I love running on the beach that I found here so much that well run I did. I don't like caps, But I wore one. I don't like gloves either, But I wore them as well.

Running on the treadmill during the week is boring for me but its so dark out that well I run on the tread. So running on the beach...outdoors...in Mother Nature is a Must for me come the weekend.

The trick for me is, when running in the cold and wind, is to keep running! I don't stop until I get back to the car then stretch quickly and start the car and at warm...though I admit that while I'm running I am warm, its only when I stop at the car that the cold sets in quickly.

Have a great New Year of running Everyone!

Greco

[alexri]

Ugh. I am tapering for WDW Marathon weekend, which is two weeks away.

I have never been so under-prepared for any race in my whole life. Between my whole ax-to-the-foot incident, being sick as heck for 10 days, the weather, etc., my training has been horrible.

I got in 8 miles yesterday w/ friends and really, really wanted 16 today at the gym, just to feel better about myself. I don't know what it is, but I have heel pain now on both feet. I used my regular shoes/running socks. I'm thinking maybe my feet were not happy that I haven't been on a treadmill in two-three weeks because of being sick. I'm not sure.

I am really going to need the magic of Disney to get me through this.

[EmpressM]

Have you thought about trying a form of minimalistic/barefoot running? I started distance running about a year ago and my coach started me off in Vibrams. As a result, I don't heel strike, and land and rebound from my forefoot. I never have heel, foot pain, or shin splints.

Originally Posted by alexri

I got in 8 miles yesterday w/ friends and really, really wanted 16 today at the gym, just to feel better about myself. I don't know what it is, but I have heel pain now on both feet. I used my regular shoes/running socks. I'm thinking maybe my feet were not happy that I haven't been on a treadmill in two-three weeks because of being sick. I'm not sure.

I am really going to need the magic of Disney to get me through this.

[alexri]

Originally Posted by EmpressM

Have you thought about trying a form of minimalistic/barefoot running? I started distance running about a year ago and my coach started me off in Vibrams. As a result, I don't heel strike, and land and rebound from my forefoot. I never have heel, foot pain, or shin splints.

Hey there... I have tried Vibrams and I just didn't like them. I wear Brooks GTS Adrenaline series. I've never experienced anything like this pain today. I am normally a center-foot striker anyway and I can either do full run, walk, or a Galloway method.

I'm coming off a bad year for me. 2011 was 45 half marathons. 2012 was just 23 and a handful of fulls. I am planning some major resting in 2013.

[sylvie]

So while i have run 5k in distance, i haven't ran in an actual event.
On New Year's Eve i rang in the New Year running my very first actual 5k event, with a number and all.. It felt SO good, i was so proud of myself.
The conditions weren't the best since we were dumped with much snow days before, and so we weren't able to give it our all since we had to be safe as well.

But finishing, despite the slippery conditions, the intense cold & windchill and my making excuses for two days prior why i should *not* do it - i was SO proud of myself. And since i hadn't run since about September, because of starting school it was a wonderful accomplishment and to know i still can.

Great way to begin the New Year - it's been a super uphill climb since then!
Yesssssssssss! Also loving that the weather has been ridiculously mild here and our snow has been melting down so much that we see pavement.. Once the black ice is gone, my plan is to get outside running because the dreadmill makes me crazy. i love fresh air!

[Greco]

So, why do I run?! Well, I run not to be a grouch! Yes, you heard right...Greco is a grouch!

Went to work today after being ill (I'll spare you the details) for most of the week, and as I laid on my bed, under covers, watching the wind make hay with the trees my mind had visions of the beach. The beach and how running on icy sand felt in my thighs, ankles, and how delicious a hot shower always feel afterward.

But there I laid not having moved a muscle for three days, well except to head to the ER first time in my life folks, and trust me when I say that I intend not to make it a habit.

So, that's why I run. To feel alive with Mother Nature, a primal feeling for sure, and to continue staying as healthy as I am...Yes folks, I'm not lucky, I do work for it believe me and thankfully I've "met" some folks here who work for it too...I better get off now feel a bit grouchy at the moment...run on!

Greco

[curlyredhead]

Hope to start running again in about 3 weeks or so!