OT - Running

[Phred]

Hey guys - I missed a lot of these updates.

 

+1 Dave. At this point distance is more important than speed. I also support the adding of time to the run rather than distance. It's kind of a double edge sword in that, when you get faster - you go further.

 

Dave, I am sorry to hear about your toe, that really truly sucks. Knock on wood - nothing like that yet for me - but I am only 37 (BTW - if you scroll up, you will see that earlier I stated that I was 38. WTF?? I am not, as you get older I guess you start to forget things ).

 

I have been having a rough time starting my training for this full marathon. A lot was on my plate, and I am recovering from hand surgery (nothing serious, but I can;t play piano for a couple more weeks either) which delayed my ability to run too (the dr. didn't want me to swing my arms and 'throw blood' to my extremities. I started back up yesterday, and have to rebuild a bit of my base again. I am not too discouraged, and I still have plenty of time before my marathon at the end of May.

 

It is nice to hear that so many of you love running, and for those just starting, keep it up. It has highs and lows. Beating that 'impossible to beat PR' is a huge rush.

[Phred]

(BTW - I live in Ottawa, and have to run all winter long to get in shape for May). Part of the problem with winter running, besides the obvious (brrr) is that a lot of my running routes are trails or bike paths that are closed, or just too impossible to run on. Finding a 30K route that doesn't use a trail, or bike path, and isn't full of cars, is a bit of a challenge.

[Justin Havu]

Went to the gym, did quite a bit of core and back exercises. Looking forward to my run tomorrow. NOT looking forward to running in 32¤F temps, but it's gotta be done!

[Phred]

Personally my favourite running temperature is about 10ºC (50ºF).

It's cool bug not cold, and I don't overheat or need as much water.

 

Today however, it's much much colder. I have a 10k (6.2 mile) scheduled and it's about -12ºC (10ºF).

[eric]

My running bug is still intense! I have been every day this new year except I do take a break on weekends other than when there is a scheduled 5k or whatever. I've done 6 miles every day and it is getting a little bit easier each week. I need to get some new shoes and some compression shorts as I'm finding my usual exercise shorts are chafing a bit.

 

I may need to PM someone about this, but wondering if the forum has recommendations for running spots in SoCal when I come out for NAMM next week? I'll be staying in Buena Park and often drive down to the beaches. I'm thinking I could run on a boardwalk by the ocean, but curious if there are any "destinations" in the LA area? I usually make a stop in Pasadena while I'm there.

[Nillerbabs]

I've got a question. I've just returned from downtown, where I have equipped myself with some running gear and assorted garments suited for physical expression. I'm going to hit the road tomorrow morning, but the question is - do I have breakfast before or after running? Please help out a newbie in this realm!

[eric]

I've got a question. I've just returned from downtown, where I have equipped myself with some running gear and assorted garments suited for physical expression. I'm going to hit the road tomorrow morning, but the question is - do I have breakfast before or after running? Please help out a newbie in this realm!

 

I'm still a bit of a newbie myself, but I usually have a square meal the night before. Prior to my morning runs, I eat a banana and drink some water. I don't like running on a completely full stomach. After the run, I usually eat some carbs like a bagel or oatmeal along with fruit and more water.

[Nillerbabs]

Sounds like a good plan. I was kinda imagining the same about a heavy breakfast jumpin' up and down in your belly. I don't have any fruit in the house just now, so I'll grab a carrot. Or better yet, get hold of some fruit!

[Joe P]

Nillerbabs,

Eric's suggestion about the banana is good. You need some carbs, even if it's just crackers. Coffee doesn't hurt either! And yes, you definitely want to avoid running on a full stomach. Even the blandest things can come "up"!

 

Good luck!

 

Regards,

Joe

 

 

[Phred]

With regards to running and food timing, the best thing is to do what works - for you. You need fuel in you, but you also can't be too full or bloated. I do similar to Eric if I am doing a morning run. I used to get bad stitches in my side in the am, and I read that is because I wasn't hydrated enough. I haven't had that problem in a long time, but I can't recall if I did anything to change it.

 

Runs later in the day are trickier to gauge. Generally I like to wait a couple of hours after I eat before I run, and I don't eat too much for those meals right before.

 

Eric, proper shorts and shirts are important. Especially when the distances get longer. Shirts that can chafe and cooler weather makes for a pretty miserable run.

 

[Joe P]

Phred,

I read somewhere you can help the side stitch go away by altering the pattern of your arm movement with respect to your legs. For instance, if your right arm moves forward when your left leg moves forward, switch it. Try it out if you get another stitch, it might help. It has worked for me.

Regards,

Joe

[Phred]

...I have a 10k (6.2 mile) scheduled and it's about -12ºC (10ºF).

 

So I chickened out of this, and did it on a treadmill. Doing 10k on a treadmill is boring as heck, but I muddled through.

 

Phred,

I read somewhere you can help the side stitch go away by altering the pattern of your arm movement with respect to your legs.

 

While on the treadmill, I did not have a stitch, (I don't really get the anymore) but I tried to alternate my arm swings. I almost lost my footing and darn near flew off of the back!!! Probably something easier and butting suited for outdoor running.

[Phred]

Sounds awesome!!! I would love to go back to LA, now that I am a runner. It would be great to have weather like that at this time of year. I went to LA once about 12 years ago, and had a great time.

 

I did yet another 10k on the treadmill yesterday. I suited up for a run outdoors, and made it 0.5K, before heading home, and driving to the gym to hit the treadmill. Some of you that live in the south may get an intense shiver (or may not even believe me) when I say what the temp was yesterday, but it was -26ºC (-15ºF). I hope that the weather gets warmer, so that outdoor runs get a little more bearable.

 

 

[Joe P]

Anyone check out the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials this past Sat. in Houston ?

 

Meb Keflezighi was a surprise at first- especially after just winning the NYC Marathon just 9 weeks ago. Ryan Hall the favorite took second. I was unfamiliar with Abdi Abdirahman.

 

Shalane Flanagan, running the second marathon of her career won the women's in an event-record time of 2:25:38. Congrats to Desiree Davila who I also wasn't familiar with and Kara Goucher, whose races I follow somewhat, was third.

 

I saw the results on Runner's World. I'm always pulling for Ryan Hall but he always seems to fall short of the hype.

 

And Kara Goucher, what is there to say?

 

I have a HUGE crush on her. It's okay because my wife knows about it!

 

Always rooting for her. In 2009 Chicago Half Marathon she beat eveybody including all the men.

 

Regards,

Joe

[Phred]

Speaking of Ryan hall, anyone seen this? It was set up in november by asics for the NYC marathon in a subway station in NYC. The idea is to show how fast Ryan Hall runs when he is racing. It's a 60ft representation of his marathon pace, that people can race.

 

[video:youtube]

[Justin Havu]

Well, it was very unusually warm today for southern ME--47F. What better way to take advantage of it than a nice, long 45min run!

[Joe P]

Well, it was very unusually warm today for southern ME--47F. What better way to take advantage of it than a nice, long 45min run!

 

I'm jealous! It's THE MILL for me tonight....

 

Regards,

Joe

[Justin Havu]

Two more miles done today. Weather permitting, I'll be going out again tomorrow.

[Justin Havu]

Well, it was very unusually warm today for southern ME--47F. What better way to take advantage of it than a nice, long 45min run!

 

I'm jealous! It's THE MILL for me tonight....

 

Regards,

Joe

lol.

 

I don't really do much running on the treadmill at the gym anymore--mostly outdoor running. I've just been doing some simple hill workouts. After approximately 5 minutes of brisk walking at 3.5MPH for warming up, I'll increase the incline to about 5%, I'll walk that for 2 minutes or so, then speed up to around 4-4.5MPH, almost a light jog, for around 5 minutes, then slow back down to 3.5. I'll increase the incline by 2.5%, and repeat the walk/jog routine--until I reach an incline of around 10-12%. Once there, I'll just alternate between walking for 2 minutes, then a light jog for 5 minutes. The main reason for this workout is to boost my cardio.

 

I've only just recently started running/working out the morning of a gig, and when I go to play the gig, I feel more energized.

[Joe P]

Well, it was very unusually warm today for southern ME--47F. What better way to take advantage of it than a nice, long 45min run!

 

I'm jealous! It's THE MILL for me tonight....

 

Regards,

Joe

lol.

 

I don't really do much running on the treadmill at the gym anymore--mostly outdoor running. I've just been doing some simple hill workouts. After approximately 5 minutes of brisk walking at 3.5MPH for warming up, I'll increase the incline to about 5%, I'll walk that for 2 minutes or so, then speed up to around 4-4.5MPH, almost a light jog, for around 5 minutes, then slow back down to 3.5. I'll increase the incline by 2.5%, and repeat the walk/jog routine--until I reach an incline of around 10-12%. Once there, I'll just alternate between walking for 2 minutes, then a light jog for 5 minutes. The main reason for this workout is to boost my cardio.

 

I've only just recently started running/working out the morning of a gig, and when I go to play the gig, I feel more energized.

 

Gig day runs are good. One thing about running is it can give you a peace of mind you wouldn't otherwise have. Equanimity. There can be a transcendent, meditative type of effect because your mind is free. I have worked out a lot of problems, written songs and come up with ideas while running. It's one of the lesser-mentioned benefits. It's also why I don't listen to music while running, aside from the safety aspect.

 

Keep running Justin!

 

Regards,

Joe

[stepay]

Speaking of Ryan hall, anyone seen this? It was set up in november by asics for the NYC marathon in a subway station in NYC. The idea is to show how fast Ryan Hall runs when he is racing. It's a 60ft representation of his marathon pace, that people can race.

 

[video:youtube]

 

Man I haven't seen this thread recently. Awesome.

[stepay]

Anyone check out the U.S. Olympic Marathon trials this past Sat. in Houston ?

 

Meb Keflezighi was a surprise at first- especially after just winning the NYC Marathon just 9 weeks ago. Ryan Hall the favorite took second. I was unfamiliar with Abdi Abdirahman.

 

Shalane Flanagan, running the second marathon of her career won the women's in an event-record time of 2:25:38. Congrats to Desiree Davila who I also wasn't familiar with and Kara Goucher, whose races I follow somewhat, was third.

 

Sorry so late in replying to this. I was a bit disappointed with the men's race after seeing Dathan Ritzenhein take 4th. He's a real talent that just hasn't seemed to conquer the marathon just yet. I think he eventually will. He briefly held the AR in the 5,000 meters at 12:56 (man that's crazy fast) and I do believe has a 2:06 marathon (or even faster) in him if he can stay healthy. Abdi is a good runner, but he has huge ups and downs, so I'm surprised he beat Ritzenhein, but also not too confident he can do well in the Olympics. Ritz finished 10th and was the top American finisher in the last Olympics. Maybe Ryan Hall can put together a great race this time around.

[Justin Havu]

Gig day runs are good. One thing about running is it can give you a peace of mind you wouldn't otherwise have. Equanimity. There can be a transcendent, meditative type of effect because your mind is free. I have worked out a lot of problems, written songs and come up with ideas while running. It's one of the lesser-mentioned benefits. It's also why I don't listen to music while running, aside from the safety aspect.

 

Keep running Justin!

 

Regards,

Joe

 

I rather enjoy listening to music while I'm out running, sometimes I become one with it, and I forget that I'm running. Mind you, I'm still very aware of my surroundings. My music choice varies, but it gravitates towards more heavier stuff (Dream Theater has been my main choice for that) but I like to sometimes listen to my own music as well. It just depends on my mood.

[Phred]

I think I would trip if I ran to Dream Theater - the first bar of 13/8, would really mess me up

 

I too dislike treadmill running, but in the past 3.5 weeks,I have done 90km of it. The main issue is the snow, and ice and freezing rain. I can normally deal with the temps (except for that CRAZY day that I described above: -26ºC / -15ºF), but the roads/paths are not good after a snow or freezing rain, and it seems that we have had a lot of that.

 

I get board on the treadmill. To try to beat boredom, I normally try to make a game out of my pacing... Here is what I did yesterday (for example). It's sort of a modified tempo run. The first 0.62 Miles at 6.2mph (about 6 minutes). Then up to 7.5MPH, and every 30 seconds increase by 0.1 MPH. When I get to 8MPH run for a couple of minutes at 8MPH, and then start increasing by 0.1MPH every 30seconds until I hit 8.5, and run that for a while. Then I drop to 7.5MPH, and run that for a while until my breathing gets a little more comfortable, and continue gradually increasing again. I did 6.2 Miles (10K) in just under 49mins doing this, and that includes the first warmup KM at 6.2MPH). It keeps me interested in the running, and gives me some goals. Also, I find that it does a good job of making my 7.5MPH (5:00min/km) pace feel slow. Whenever I drop back down to it, I feel relieved, and am able to get my breath back.

 

 

[Bronks]

 

I did yet another 10k on the treadmill yesterday. I suited up for a run outdoors, and made it 0.5K, before heading home, and driving to the gym to hit the treadmill. Some of you that live in the south may get an intense shiver (or may not even believe me) when I say what the temp was yesterday, but it was -26ºC (-15ºF). I hope that the weather gets warmer, so that outdoor runs get a little more bearable.

 

Gold times here too, in Finland. Today I was near the concept "too cold for running". With -20 celsius/ -4 F and windy weather I was really concidering indoor sports. But it was OK to run an easy 10 k, so breathing still doesn't hurt, you know. Anyway, it's nice to have a sauna afterwards...

 

And it still beats treadmill;)

 

[Justin Havu]

44°F today! I'm shooting for 3 miles.

 

[Justin Havu]

Well, change of plans, I decided to do my usual 2-mile route. Finished in just under 20min.

[Justin Havu]

Did another 3 miles today. 44°F today, couldn't pass it up!

 

I would like to start doing some more core exercises to help with my posture and such. Any recommendations?

[Iconoclast]

I used to be much more of a pure runner than I am now. Used to log 3x3-6mi runs a week.

 

In Sept I joined a crossfit gym and started running way less. Crossfit workouts frequently work in many shorter runs (400-800M) interspersed in a workout. For example todays workout had 4 seperate 400M runs. One of the points of the crossfit program is to get away from repetetive workouts and injury and to increase your core stregth.

 

As a result my run times at everything less than 5mi have gone down! I'm actually faster by running less.

 

My 4mi last week was 34minutes. My 3mi is 23:50. My 800M is 3:05. I'm 47 and these are speeds I used to run 20 years ago.

 

My point is, there's much more to running than just running. I highly recommend the crossfit or crossfit endurance training program to anyone for any level of fitness. Google and youtube as required, there's plenty of information on crossfit out there.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZZdp59yyG0M&feature=relmfu

[Phred]

A 9km outdoor run today at 5:00/km, about 7.5 MPH. Felt good, but it was a dig by the end...

 

I did another on tuesday at the same pace (roughly) and it was much easier.

 

Running is funny like that