The Running Thread—2023

[Naomeri]

-He also told me to keep running, and that NOT running wasn't really going to help me (and I had just taken 2 months off, thinking that would make it go away, and it.did.not.)

Well, that’s encouraging news in regards to my decision to absolutely not skip Springtime next weekend.

 

[prncssjas]

Well, that’s encouraging news in regards to my decision to absolutely not skip Springtime next weekend.

I am so sorry to hear this but I wish you quick, speedy healing vibes so that you can run. I know how disappointing that can be.

 

[Grabnar]

You guys, I’m so sad! It’s finally going to be spring this weekend and I have to cancel all my runs because of a sudden onset of plantar fasciitis. I’m icing and resting and massaging the foot and calf and basically trying everything I can to make it through Springtime Surprise next weekend. I’m even wearing shoes in the house, which I HATE. Any magic solutions you all have are welcome.

I had PF for the longest time that's only really gotten better from a lot of PT through RunLab in Austin (though I think they have a location in FL as well).

Some things that have helped me during flare ups:

1. Freeze a water bottle and roll it under your foot putting a reasonable amount of weight on it (not too much, just shy of it being a bit painful)
2. Same thing but with a lacross ball
3. Talk to your PT to do fascial stripping. It'll hurt like but helped me long term

Long term my fixes were:

1. Arch strenghtening
2. Calf and lower leg strenghtening
   1. Calf raises calf raises calf raises
   2. Negative calf raises/dips
3. Activating my glutes/hips more to take stress off of my feet/calves

Also keep running or at least walking. If you stop moving entirely your fascia can stick more and cause more pain long term.

Edit: The corollary to this being that if it's affecting your gait make an emergency PT appt at a running specific PT because you're going to get stuck in a bad pattern

 

[sandam1]

Well, that’s encouraging news in regards to my decision to absolutely not skip Springtime next weekend.

I will pass along my PT's parting words when I tried to do a race (Dopey) while suffering with PF "Be smart."

Talk to your PT to do fascial stripping. It'll hurt like but helped me long term

Amusing story about this treatment - when I first starting doing PT for my PF, I saw them doing this on some other clients and thought "hey, that looks interesting, I wonder why I'm not getting that." Then, many weeks later, I got this treatment. Holy moly! I realized that my feet were so inflamed at the beginning that I couldn't have stood it. Even later, I think I left permanent fingerprints in the table from gasping it so tightly. It looks like simple, but wow, it sure is uncomfortable.

 

[Grabnar]

Amusing story about this treatment - when I first starting doing PT for my PF, I saw them doing this on some other clients and thought "hey, that looks interesting, I wonder why I'm not getting that. Then, many weeks later, I got this treatment. Holy moly! I realized that my feet were so inflamed at the beginning that I couldn't have stood it. Even later, I think I left permanent fingerprints in the table from gasping it so tightly. It looks like simple, but wow, it sure is uncomfortable.

I had to do it in my feet and in my shins. The feet were nothing compared to the shins, those were amazingly painful but it felt *so much better* afterwards.

You can do the same thing at home with some shea butter or massage oil and your knuckles if you have any "stuck" spots. Jay Dicharry has some guidance in his book "Anatomy for Runners." It really helps when I feel like I start having some pain in the shins or feet.

 

[surfde22]

QOTD: What app or system to do use to track and/or plan your runs?

I use Garmin to track all my runs and then have them sync to Strava. I like that I can program my distances and pacing into my watch and have that help me track during a run.

I use that one Wisconsin guy to plan my runs.

I use that Wisconsin guy to plan my runs too. I transfer his plan to my own Google Sheet file and cross them off there once completed. I build out a strength training plan too, but it seems I never manage to stick to that one.

 

[Naomeri]

Well, I ran out to the walk-in ortho clinic over lunch, and he didn’t give me any advice you all didn’t give me. Strongly recommended against a shot because he said it increases the chance of rupturing the stupid painful thing. The orthotic he offered put direct pressure on the absolute most painful spot, so I declined those. But I’ve ordered a night brace, and I’ll do icing and stretching and rolling/massage and anti-inflammatories and hope for the best. I’m still not going to run this weekend, but I’ll do some treadmill walking, in addition to the stationary bike.

I did discover that my running shoes feel better to wear than the slip-ons that I had been using around the house, so I’m wearing my most worn out running shoes, since they’ve most been downgraded to walking shoes anyway.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: NRC on my phone and Strava for the social aspect. Strava measures about 5% longer than NRC.

Also, I haven’t been able to react or post much in the last few days… We had an ice storm in Montreal and I am out of power and most of cell coverage since then.

 

[prncssjas]

QOTD: Do you train in a certain pair of shoes and then race in another pair? If so, what do you use? I train in the Brooks Ghost and race in the Saucony Endorphin Pros Or Nike Vapor Fly. Maybe it helps or maybe I just have fooled myself into thinking it helps....

 

[DopeyBadger]

ATTQOTD:

Easy days - Saucony Ride
Moderate days - old pair of Nike Next% between 600-1000 miles on them
Hard days or Long days (>90 min) - Nike Next% with less than 600 miles on them
Treadmill - Saucony Endorphin Pro
Race day - Nike Next% with less than 100 miles on them

I also tried the Alphaflys. The air pocket burst after less than 200 miles.

 

[camaker]

QOTD: Do you train in a certain pair of shoes and then race in another pair? If so, what do you use? I train in the Brooks Ghost and race in the Saucony Endorphin Pros Or Nike Vapor Fly. Maybe it helps or maybe I just have fooled myself into thinking it helps....

ATTQOTD: No changing things up for me. I have princess feet and have a very hard time finding running shoes that they will tolerate. Once I find something that works, that's it. Right now it's the Brooks Ghost for training and racing.

 

[prncssjas]

ATTQOTD:

Easy days - Saucony Ride
Moderate days - old pair of Nike Next% between 600-1000 miles on them
Hard days or Long days (>90 min) - Nike Next% with less than 600 miles on them
Treadmill - Saucony Endorphin Pro
Race day - Nike Next% with less than 100 miles on them

I also tried the Alphaflys. The air pocket burst after less than 200 miles.

@DopeyBadger do you like your nike next% a lot--do you find them to be "poppy" when you race? I mean, you clearly like them because you race in them ( ) but curious what you like about them and if you feel they truly make a difference in your performance.

 

[WillRunForPizza]

ATTQOTD:

Easy/long runs: Alternating between NB 880v12s and Brooks Ghost 15s
Faster paces: Hoka Mach 5s
Races: Saucony Endorphin Pro 3s

At my last expo I picked up a pair of Endorphin Speed 3s on sale that I plan to start using for speedwork once my Hokas wear out in the not-too-distant future. I'd like to have a shoe that I use specifically for long runs as well, but I haven't found anything I'm totally happy with yet. Although hmmm, maybe it's worth trying the Speed 3s for long runs instead?

 

[sandam1]

ATTQOTD: No changing things up for me. I have princess feet and have a very hard time finding running shoes that they will tolerate.

This is me as well. My physical therapist would probably either a) murder me or b) plan on building a wing in my honor with my co-pays if I decided to try this.

 

[Naomeri]

ATTQOTD: I have some ASICS and some Saucony that I rotate between during training and for races. I’ve mostly been in the ASICS lately, because most of the Saucony have been aggravating my Achilles (which they didn’t do when I originally got them, I ran the W&D half in a pair of my Sauconys and they were great)

 

[DopeyBadger]

@DopeyBadger do you like your nike next% a lot--do you find them to be "poppy" when you race? I mean, you clearly like them because you race in them ( ) but curious what you like about them and if you feel they truly make a difference in your performance.

I started racing in the Next% in Sept 2019. Long answer:

Spoiler: Long answer

Pre-Next% Notable PRs:
5/13/17 - BunnyHead 5k time trial - 19:29 (VDOT 51.4)
10/1/17 - Lakefront Marathon - 3:14:05 (VDOT 49.0)
1/5/18 - Disney 10k - 39:54 (VDOT 52.1)
1/5/18 - Disney 10k (5k split) - 19:27 (VDOT 51.5)
1/6/18 - Disney HM - 1:30:35 (VDOT 50.6)
1/7/18 - Disney M - 3:15:59 (VDOT 48.4)

I weighed 157-170 pounds during most of those races. I got injured the summer of 2018 and switched to more cycling+strength+run instead of exclusive running.

With Next% Notable Race Performances:
9/22/19 - DoLittle HM - 1:34:57 (VDOT 47.9)
11/10/19 - Madison HM - 1:28:40 (VDOT 51.9)
5/23/20 - 1 mile time trial - 5:42 (VDOT 51.3)
11/14/21 - Madison M - 3:15:13 (VDOT 48.6)
2/26/22 - Princess 10k - 42:11 (VDOT 48.8)
3/26/23 - First Call HM - 1:33:55 (VDOT 48.5)

I weighed 170-182 pounds during most of these races. I do way more weight lifting than I did pre-2018, so I definitely have more muscle tone now. I didn't go back to exclusive running (with some weight lifting) until June 2021. I probably am still carrying more excess weight than I was in pre-Next% days regardless of the additional muscle mass.

Taking all things into consideration, what I would take from the above is that my best days pre-Next % are as good as my with-Next% days. When I ran my 39:54 10k in 2018 without Next%, I was probably also capable of the 1:28:40 and 5:42 mile I ran in 2019/2020 then with the Next%. So the data above would suggest that I haven't seen any major changes. Now is this because my training was better pre-2019, or is my weight gain post-2019 a factor, or some other outside reason, I can't say.

For me, the longevity of the shoe has been the real winner. I use to race in the Saucony Kinvara. I would get maybe 150 miles out of them at a cost usually around $60-90 per pair. Now I race in the Next% which I usually get for $150-200 per pair. I can get a good 100 miles of racing, an additional 500 miles of hard running, and another 300-400 miles of moderate running out of them (near 1000 miles). So they give me about 20 cents per mile at the high end, compared to the Kinvaras at 60 cents per mile. So the initial cost is higher, but the longevity of them for me makes them 3x less per mile. Now if I get burned by a pair like the Alphaflys did to me, then the cost/benefit isn't there anymore.

They definitely have a noticeable pop compared to my Saucony Rides/Kinvaras. I found the Next% to eat up the uphills better than the Endorphin Pros did. The Endorphin Pros felt as good as the Next% on flat road running. In 2020 when I did mile training, I did paces in the upper 4s/low 5s and honestly never felt faster than I did then in the Next%. They really felt like they helped my turnover.

Lastly, I suffered leg bone injuries in Oct 2016 and Jan 2018 doing the same volume I've been doing since June 2021 without any bone injuries. Maybe the shoes? Maybe the additional muscle? Maybe the increase in Vitamin D3 supplements (which I started in Jan 2018 and my BMD is now in the Top 2%). I can't say anything definitive.

So, maybe? Maybe not? Definitely nothing striking saying that Next% are giving me a massive boost compared to days before I started using them.

 

[GreatLakes]

On the roads I train and race in Saucony Kinvaras. I do wear racing flats for 10K and under and don't generally train in them other than the occasional track session.

I get around 450 miles out of the Kinvaras give or take.

 

[striker1064]

ATTQOTD: I train in Nike Pegasus and Topo Ultrafly, and race in Topo Specter. I just like the lighter weight and feeling of the Specter, but they're definitely not supportive enough for me to train regularly in. I'll do a couple of my normal interval/speed training days in them leading up to a race to get used to the feel again, but that's really it.

 

[flav]

ATTQOTD: I train and race in ASICS Nimbus. The longer the race, the newer the shoes. I know that they are not fast shoes but if it ain’t broken…

 

[nancipants]

I only have one pair of running shoes.