The Running Thread - 2018

Some not-so-great news on the health front...Got an MRI done on my ankle, since the doc was also wondering why a sprain was taking so long to heal...it looks like I've got a foot coalition (I guess a couple of bones are fused together where they shouldn't be), which is normally not an issue but the sprain aggravated it and it's refusing to let everything heal, which is why it continues to not feel right after 5 months. So now I get to decide between a cortisone shot or possible surgery. Awesome. At least it's not hurting too bad at the moment, mostly because I wrenched my back/hip yesterday getting some equipment into my car, and now everything hurts and I'm dying.

But, it's the weekend, and even though I'll be working (and the thought of sleeping on a museum floor in my current condition is already bringing me to tears), that's some happy thoughts.

QOTD: You can only register for races that are one distance for the remainder of your running career. Which distance would you pick and why?

Bonus QOTD: Junk food. Sweet or salty??

10k. Have been enjoying the distance, I just wish there were more opportunities around here...

Depends. Sometimes both. Yes to cheez-its.

QOTD: How do you balance running with work and/or family life?

Bonus QOTD: What is a food you were made to eat as a child that you refuse to eat now?

Still working on it...in part because work is so inconsistent at the moment, that it's rough to get into any sort of routine.

Shout out to all the pea-haters, I've long said that peas are the devil. As a child, though, I was a rather picky eater and thankfully, my parents didn't really make me eat anything in particular. Although my mother did used to make a "vegetable soup" that was basically a bunch of veggies mixed in a blender and heated :crazy2: the consistency is something awful. How we used to eat that, I'll never know...

Good luck to everyone running this weekend!
 
Fuel - train with the same gels I race with, usually only if running 8 miles or more. Train with water for longer runs, race with whatever electrolyte they have
Half - long enough to be a challenge but not too long that it destroys you!
Running life balance - go early for long runs on the weekend, try to be home by 9:30am so work backwards from there depending on length. I have also started running in the evening once dinner and family duties are over, and quite enjoy it, but have to be careful what we have for dinner. Have had to cut the odd run short due to, um, well I'm sure you guys know! I also try to run early during the week but bed usually wins.

Pineapple - yes on Dominos/Pizza Hut style pizza (i.e. junk pizza), no on NY or Neapolitan. Youngest DD ONLY eats pizza with pineapple...
Salty
I eat anything, don't recall anything from childhood I don't at now. I do remember hating pumpkin when a kid but love it now!

@Wendy98 I bow down to you! By far the baddest a$$ around these parts. Inspiring race report!
 
Happy weekend and good luck to all the racers!

I work full time, but from home - and my husband travels 3-4 days every week. So I run during the week during lunch (when DDs are at school and daycare). I do log on early for work (6am) to get some time in before the girls wake up if I am going on a run longer than 30min at lunch.

I do long runs on the weekend, and sometimes do weekday runs early if DH is home.

It’s all about taking advantage of little windows of opportunity and being flexible day to day!
 


Disboard Running Family,

I've been diagnosed with a medial tibial plateau "stress area" or "stress reaction" which I think means that it's bruised but not (yet) fractured. MRI shows some liquid in the bone. It caused some severe hobbling around after preparatory long runs and a subsequent half marathon.

What I'd like to ask is:
  • Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with this?
  • How quick was the recovery and what did you do or not do during the recovery?
  • What did you do to maintain fitness during the recovery? One of the benefits of running that I really enjoy and started to take for granted is that I could pork out and not gain weight. With the downtime, the weight has already increased a couple pounds in a few weeks. So keeping active during recovery would really be good.

upload_2018-4-21_16-36-34.png
 
ATTQUOD: Finding balance is quite easy for me, as luckily I teach High School, so I'm done most days at 2:30pm. I am only a parent to Fur-babies, who need to get out and exercise anyways, so fitting my runs in is (wonderfully) rarely factored by me scheduled!
 


Disboard Running Family,

I've been diagnosed with a medial tibial plateau "stress area" or "stress reaction" which I think means that it's bruised but not (yet) fractured. MRI shows some liquid in the bone. It caused some severe hobbling around after preparatory long runs and a subsequent half marathon.

What I'd like to ask is:
  • Have you or someone you know been diagnosed with this?
  • How quick was the recovery and what did you do or not do during the recovery?
  • What did you do to maintain fitness during the recovery? One of the benefits of running that I really enjoy and started to take for granted is that I could pork out and not gain weight. With the downtime, the weight has already increased a couple pounds in a few weeks. So keeping active during recovery would really be good.

View attachment 318195

I had a stress reaction in my tibia last fall. It was mild, grade 1, but it hurt like crazy. I took a total of 6 weeks off from running. The first two weeks I didn't do much of anything, just tried to stay off of it as much as possible, and iced it for 20 minutes every night. The following 4 weeks I cross trained on the elliptical and stationary bike. Then I eased back into running doing intervals of walking and running for about two weeks, and then did continuous running starting with 3 days a week and worked my way back to 5 days a week (about two months). This was in September/early October and I was able to complete Dopey in January with no problems.

I know it's hard to be patient, but hopefully you'll be back at it soon!
 
Gazelle Girl Half marathon report:

First off, spring has finally sprung here in Michigan! It was perfect running weather, with temps at the start around 38 and warming up fast to the upper 50's at the finish, sunny and no wind. It felt great to be running in short sleeves finally.

This is an all women's race in Grand Rapids - they have a 5K, 10K, and a half - this is the 3rd year in a row I have run the half. The course is mostly flat and scenic, running along the river and through parks. I do some of my long runs on portions of this course, so it's like my home turf, which is maybe part of the reason why I generally do well on this course. My favorite part of this race is a large group of guys in one of the parks cheering on the women every year - they are always so fun and loud and hilariously dressed (the best were some guys in nothing but grass skirts and coconut bras).

So my training for this race has been less than stellar, to say the least. This was my 4th DB plan and about midway through, life happenings, sickness, shin splints, weather, etc. caused me to miss or shorten more runs than previous plans. I was worried that my hopes of another PR at this race was out of reach. I adjusted my expectations and just went in with a good attitude, I was running in short sleeves after all!

I'm happy to report I managed a PR for the third year in a row at this race, knocking 1:19 off last years time. Official time is 2:05:17. :D
 
Working on my recap today, but
Naperville Women's Half Marathon 4/22 2:25:38 which is a PR!! Not the final time I had in mind earlier this year based off my fitness gains in the fall. But extremely happy with that number after the training changes I had to make this winter. I could have pushed harder and gotten a few more minutes off but my legs started giving out in the last quarter of the race and I switched to running with my heart instead of my legs.
Perfect weather, 50's, all shade, kind of hilly course and a bit head-windy. Overall I think I needed this confidence boost and the kick in the capri pants to get back to real work!

On Saturday I had crumbled cheezits over my baked mac n cheese so that may have also helped.
 
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Race Recap - Run As One 4M

Good news: Spring has arrived in NYC.
Bad news: Nobody told me that when I got dressed yesterday morning.

Anyway... weather was beautiful (unless you were some kind of idiot wearing an extra layer) and the trees and flowers were in bloom, so being in Central Park was actually kind of nice.

The course itself had some hills (because it was Central Park, and while I didnt love the hills, they didnt seem super brutal.

I went out planning to run a super aggressive pace for as long as I could, but that only lasted about 1.5 miles. I backed off in mile 3 before ramping up a drop for the downhill in mile 4.

Considering my inability to dress for the conditions (and a few other small factors), I think I did put in the best effort I could for the day. Finished ahead of goal at 40:32.

I'll be running the same course next month, so it'll be interesting to see how I feel about it then.
 
On Saturday I had crumbled cheezits over my baked mac n cheese so that may have also helped.

I love the idea of a food providing a psychological boost (whether you were serious or not, and in light of the recent cracker discussion). When I was a kid, our town's park department had a field day. I used to run the 50 yd dash, amongst other things. I remember one year eating a bowl of cheerios (with whole milk) beforehand and doing well in the dash. I still think that bowl was my "breakfast of champions" (although, ironically, Wheaties were not!)
 

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