Running Thread

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Not so good. I've only been out a few times this year. I live up a hill now, it's a 1+ mile incline from the riverfront where I usually run to my condo. That's an ass kicker!  I did get the new Nike ZoomX Invincible and they are amazingly springy and soft. I need to sign up for a race for some extra motivation. I've mainly been using my Peloton, treads, and elipticals for workouts.

Hell yeah that's good.

Here in New England you're always running uphill.  The entire run....

[Marquette Fan]

I had to stop running after I developed Piriformis syndrome.  One of my hip tendons was rubbing against my sciatic nerve.  Good times.  Took several months of PT to fix.

Just doing some fast walking for now.  Per my Fitbit, it burns almost as many calories and keeps me in the Fatburning Zone better than running.

Bummer - I had issues with the piriformis years ago and had to do PT also.  Sounds like the fast walking is going well for you for now at least.

Fan,

Being in Florida for almost all of the pandemic made this pretty easy for me. Ran outside all last summer in spite of the heat (early mornings, easy pace) but I'll be back in the gym on the treadmill by the middle of this month. Averaging about 20 miles a week, no (knock on wood) injuries. Only time I fall short is due to laziness.

Yeah I would not do well with the heat.  My favorite weather condition to run is mid 50's with a light rain actually.  Good luck with the treadmill runs.

[Marquette Fan]

Not bad. Doing about 20 miles per week currently. About to start ramping up. Half marathons scheduled for two weeks from now, August, and October. Capping off the year with the Nashville Marathon in November.

Good luck with the training and with all the races.

Not so good. I've only been out a few times this year. I live up a hill now, it's a 1+ mile incline from the riverfront where I usually run to my condo. That's an ass kicker!  I did get the new Nike ZoomX Invincible and they are amazingly springy and soft. I need to sign up for a race for some extra motivation. I've mainly been using my Peloton, treads, and elipticals for workouts.

Good luck finding the extra motivation.  I'm only signed up for one race the rest of the year so far - a 5K at the beer garden near my house.  I started to hate 5K's once I started running marathons and have pretty much sworn them off.  But once I saw their tshirt that on the back says 'I run because I really ilke beer' I was sold .  I posted about the tshirt the race was offering on Facebook and had 4 friends sign up to walk it too .  I need to pick my fall marathon and then I'll sign up for a half-marathon or two that fit in well with the traning schedule.

[jficke13]

Anyone have any thoughts on the accuracy/precision of fitness tracker heart rate monitors? The handles on treadmills are useless, but can I trust the fitbit?

[Billy Hoyle]

Anyone have any thoughts on the accuracy/precision of fitness tracker heart rate monitors? The handles on treadmills are useless, but can I trust the fitbit?

I think so.  When I'm on my Peloton I have a HR monitor on my upper arm as it displays on the screen. The HR on my Garmin watch is nearly identical to what is displaying on the screen. My wife does the same, but with a chest strap and Fitbit watch, and has the same observation.

[Marquette Fan]

Anyone have any thoughts on the accuracy/precision of fitness tracker heart rate monitors? The handles on treadmills are useless, but can I trust the fitbit?

I'm not sure about Fitbit but I've had a wirist heart rate monitor on my last two Garmin watches and that has proved to be very valuable for me for my training.  I know when my HR gets way too high, I need to slow down.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I just got the bummer news.  I have a torn meniscus.  I still have no idea how it happened but the doctor said "it can just happen.  It's not always sport's related."
6 weeks on crutches tucked into 4 months of rehab from surgery before being cleared to run again. 

[Galway Eagle]

I just got the bummer news.  I have a torn meniscus.  I still have no idea how it happened but the doctor said "it can just happen.  It's not always sport's related."
6 weeks on crutches tucked into 4 months of rehab from surgery before being cleared to run again.

I had that surgery when I was 15 or 16, tough rehab and ask for a preventative second bill of PT. It'll make a world of difference.

[ATL MU Warrior]

I had that surgery when I was 15 or 16, tough rehab and ask for a preventative second bill of PT. It'll make a world of difference.

Out of curiosity, how did you injure it and where/how bad was the pain?  Yes, I am trying to self-diagnose.

[Galway Eagle]

Out of curiosity, how did you injure it and where/how bad was the pain?  Yes, I am trying to self-diagnose.

Lacrosse or distance running. Wasn't horrific unless I needed to pivot on it, just a constant annoyance that in old videos you can see I'm sort of compensating with a slight limp when I was running. Wasn't a full tear either though

[Marquette Fan]

I just got the bummer news.  I have a torn meniscus.  I still have no idea how it happened but the doctor said "it can just happen.  It's not always sport's related."
6 weeks on crutches tucked into 4 months of rehab from surgery before being cleared to run again.

So sorry - that is a big bummer .  Best wishes to you on your surgery and rehab.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Out of curiosity, how did you injure it and where/how bad was the pain?  Yes, I am trying to self-diagnose.

In my case I have no idea?  It happened in early March.  I was only doing very light running on my treadmill in Jan & Feb.  I don't recall any mishaps?  I don't remember any weird leg twists either outside of exercise.  Don't remember any pops or crack sounds.
Like Galaxy said, I can walk on it but I can't pivot.  I could run a 5K today but the knee would be swollen and stiff and in major discomfort for two weeks afterwards.  I have very little stability on the knee.

[Marquette Fan]

I just registered for a Marathon in November - happy to have a goal race in mind to train for now.  And it will be two years between marathons due to Covid cancellations and an injury.

[WarriorFan]

I just got the bummer news.  I have a torn meniscus.  I still have no idea how it happened but the doctor said "it can just happen.  It's not always sport's related."
6 weeks on crutches tucked into 4 months of rehab from surgery before being cleared to run again.

I am not a medical practitioner but have done the torn meniscus / surgery / recovery thing several times. 
- used crutches the first couple times but never again
- walk out of the hospital same day
- walking the dog and working out the limp to a proper gait within 1 week
- elliptical training from day 7
- light and short jogging on day 10-14
- no problem with longer runs by the 4th week
- hitting the gym 2-3 times per week to do leg strengthening work
- ice 2-3 times per day
- ibuprofen right away when it puffs up.

I'm in week 7 of recovery from the most recent one and despite advancing age, it's the same deal.  Problem this time is the doc (and the video of the procedure) show the ACL (reconstructed in 1989) is gone.  At least the replacement lasted longer than the original!  So, I have a little less stablity than before.

A lot of doctors espouse a very conservative approach that actually causes significant muscle atrophy.  Every day of atrophy takes 2 days of exercise to recover.  Few people actually do he work to recover fully and then have limitations that can last a lifetime. My theory is to not let that happen.  I've worked with several PT's along the way and most say that as long as you listen to the pain and control the swelling - do everything the joint can tolerate.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I am not a medical practitioner but have done the torn meniscus / surgery / recovery thing several times. 
- used crutches the first couple times but never again
- walk out of the hospital same day
- walking the dog and working out the limp to a proper gait within 1 week
- elliptical training from day 7
- light and short jogging on day 10-14
- no problem with longer runs by the 4th week
- hitting the gym 2-3 times per week to do leg strengthening work
- ice 2-3 times per day
- ibuprofen right away when it puffs up.

I'm in week 7 of recovery from the most recent one and despite advancing age, it's the same deal.  Problem this time is the doc (and the video of the procedure) show the ACL (reconstructed in 1989) is gone.  At least the replacement lasted longer than the original!  So, I have a little less stablity than before.

A lot of doctors espouse a very conservative approach that actually causes significant muscle atrophy.  Every day of atrophy takes 2 days of exercise to recover.  Few people actually do he work to recover fully and then have limitations that can last a lifetime. My theory is to not let that happen.  I've worked with several PT's along the way and most say that as long as you listen to the pain and control the swelling - do everything the joint can tolerate.

WarriorFan - I like what you're typing.  You exactly described my arthroscopic surgery recovery 7 years ago. 

My Orthopedist said he has done about 75+ of these surgeries.  He's saying I'll be in a knee brace with the crutches.  I re-read the protocol he gave me and it says 4-6 weeks, so it sounds like the 6 weeks they keep reciting me is a conservative time frame.  I was scheduling my post-op appointments and I said I planned to drive there myself and the assistant said I might still be on pain killers (a week later?) and wasn't sure I could drive with a brace.  I gave her a WTF and said I won't be on prescription ones for more than a day and I know ibruprofen will be enough for me. 

Thanks for this.  I have a pre-op appointment and I'm going to ask questions on why so conservative a recovery approach.

[MuggsyB]

I just watched Gabby Thomas destroy in the 200m Oly trials.  Uhhhh.....she's awesome.  You can see she's a bona fide superstar who will crush it in Tokyo.

[Billy Hoyle]

I just watched Gabby Thomas destroy in the 200m Oly trials.  Uhhhh.....she's awesome.  You can see she's a bona fide superstar who will crush it in Tokyo.

I've known Woody Kincaid for about 8 years and one of my closest friends was his college coach. I went to the Trials to watch Woody in 2016. Really happy he learned from his mistakes in that race and is headed to Tokyo.

[WarriorFan]

WarriorFan - I like what you're typing.  You exactly described my arthroscopic surgery recovery 7 years ago. 

My Orthopedist said he has done about 75+ of these surgeries.  He's saying I'll be in a knee brace with the crutches.  I re-read the protocol he gave me and it says 4-6 weeks, so it sounds like the 6 weeks they keep reciting me is a conservative time frame.  I was scheduling my post-op appointments and I said I planned to drive there myself and the assistant said I might still be on pain killers (a week later?) and wasn't sure I could drive with a brace.  I gave her a WTF and said I won't be on prescription ones for more than a day and I know ibruprofen will be enough for me. 

Thanks for this.  I have a pre-op appointment and I'm going to ask questions on why so conservative a recovery approach.

more details in PM

[Marquette Fan]

How is running going for everyone?

I'm happy to be training for a marathon for the first time in ages - in week 3 of a 16 week plan right now.  I've been doing a boot camp now too - trying to improve my strength and conditioning to try to avoid getting injured again.

[Galway Eagle]

How is running going for everyone?

I'm happy to be training for a marathon for the first time in ages - in week 3 of a 16 week plan right now.  I've been doing a boot camp now too - trying to improve my strength and conditioning to try to avoid getting injured again.

Did 2.5mi today, including a large hill both ways. Still trying to focus on my sprinting ability than distance so probably gonna be between 1mi and a 5k for the next year till North Americans 

[BM1090]

How is running going for everyone?

I'm happy to be training for a marathon for the first time in ages - in week 3 of a 16 week plan right now.  I've been doing a boot camp now too - trying to improve my strength and conditioning to try to avoid getting injured again.

First half-marathon went pretty well considering I never got above 5 miles in training. 7:55 pace. Hope to be down to about 7:40 when I run one in a few weeks.

Next marathon is November. I want to PR but considering our wedding and honeymoon are mid-September, finishing may be a more realistic goal.

Good luck with your training.

[Billy Hoyle]

How is running going for everyone?

I'm happy to be training for a marathon for the first time in ages - in week 3 of a 16 week plan right now.  I've been doing a boot camp now too - trying to improve my strength and conditioning to try to avoid getting injured again.

Haven't been, too hot and back issues. Been on the Peloton almost exclusively.  I was gifted some Infinity Zoomx Flyknits a few weeks ago. I've never run on a shoe with such bounce back.  I may sign up for a race in the fall to get my ass moving.  Plus, my wife is doing shoe testing for Nike so since she'll be out I should join her.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Been in a leg brace since surgery July 13.  Hopefully back to running around November 1 per protocol my doctor laid out.  Second post-op appointment tomorrow so hopefully I at least get some physical therapy news as I'm ready for go time.

[Lennys Tap]

How is running going for everyone?

I'm happy to be training for a marathon for the first time in ages - in week 3 of a 16 week plan right now.  I've been doing a boot camp now too - trying to improve my strength and conditioning to try to avoid getting injured again.

Same old, same old - 5 days/20 - 22 miles miles per week. Moved mostly indoors (Florida), mixing easy (9:30) and quicker (8-8:30) miles, some interval training just to push myself a little. At 73, training for races is in my rear view mirror. Good luck with your marathon training - stay healthy! Curious as to your training regimen. Back in the day I think I also used a 16 week program. It was designed by an old guy trainer named Hal Higdon. What does yours look like?

[bananahammock]

About halfway through 18-week training plan for the Chicago marathon. All had gone well until my 18 miler 2 Saturdays ago. The heat/humidity did me in along with an IT band flare up. No issues the past 2 weeks but the runs have been shorter. A little concerned that the pain will creep back in during tomorrow's 20. I really need to stretch and foam roll more often. Perhaps this was a reminder.