I am scheduled to run the Cleveland Half Marathon this Sunday.  I've run it before.  About a week and a half ago, I developed pain in the bottom of my foot, sort of towards the outside of the foot and in the middle, not on the heel.  Anyway, I have not run much since.  I attempted a final long run a week ago but had to stop after 8 miles because my foot hurt too much.  I have not run since, but I can tell that the pain is still there, and I am not confident that I can run 13 miles without the pain coming back.  I am scared that if I try to do the race, I will have to stop several miles into it and be stranded or have to find some kind of ride back to the start line.

Certainly I plan to take some time off of running to let this thing heal.  But what should I do about this race?  Should I still go for it and give myself permission to quit if it hurts too badly?  Is it foolish to run the risk of doing further damage just to complete a stupid race that I've already done?  What would you do?

Does it matter how much you break up your mileage?  For example, right now I'm running about 15 miles a week, three days a week- Sun- 4, Wed- 6, Fri-5.  I have more time to do longer runs now since my daughter is in preschool.  In the summer I'll have less time and will probably take her with me.  Will I be able to do, say 3 miles three days in a row and then one 6 mile run?  Does it really matter how mileage is broken up?  I know I'm at low mileage (I've been coming back from a 2 month injury from last December and have been increasing really slowly), but still, I don't want to do the wrong thing.

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

A friend of mine randomly called me this dreary, rainy morning as I sat on my couch playing Sudoku on my phone. We each ran to the elementary school and met up for a nice run. When we split up again so we could each run back to our homes I thought I was going to be miserable, instead I was able to run almost the entire way without stopping. I just mapped the route and am satisfied with the 5.5 mile total :) I loved getting caught in a little shower on the run back too!

Getting excited for my first 12k next weekend as well. I've been out of the running world for too long, glad to be back :)

Current Mood: accomplished

New Jersey Marathon (and half-marathon)
5 May 2013
Oceanport, NJ

Pre-race: good stuff. Email updates were great, especially with concern about what the race would be like with the shoreline still recovering from Hurricane Sandy.

Expo: great. No lines! I arrived fairly late, having just flown in that afternoon, so I guess a lot of people went early. I'm not a shopping person, so I can't really comment on the quality of the merchandise.

Swag: a long-sleeved tech shirt. Woot! And in red, no less (my favorite colour). Plus a clear gear bag if you wanted to check anything on race day. No random crap in the bag, which for me is a win ("why are you giving me random crap I'm going to throw away?"), but possibly sad to those who like all those things.

Race day, pre-race: the Expo and start line are both at Monmouth Park, a horse racetrack, so we could stay inside where it was warm. Lines for the mens wasn't too bad. 20 minutes before race start, I headed out. Lots of portapotties, so in 5 mins, I had one last pit stop, and then it was into the corrals. Super easy to find, lots of space to be in. Waves were maybe 60 seconds apart.

The course: the first 5 or so miles is spaghetti through local streets. If you hate turns, this is not for you, but I find turns early on to be nice -- it breaks up the monotony. Fewer turns to get out to 12, at which point, it's essentially one long out-and-back. The turn-around is somewhere 18 or 19, and the finish is along the water. On a road, not the boardwalk (which is gone, sadly).

There were a few sketchy parts of the course -- broken pavement, weird re-routings -- but 1, hey, dude, Sandy, the fact that the race even happened is pretty awesome; and 2, anywhere there was anything weird, there were volunteers saying every 5 seconds, "watch your step" or "look out, broken pavement" or the like. Major props.

Post-race amenities, I don't know what that was like: I skipped it all.

I was staying at the flagship hotel (Sheraton Eastontown), and the operations for the shuttle busses (a bunch of school busses) to get back was poorly organized. That was the only downside. It's not a good way to end a race by walking unnecessary blocks and being cold. That's the only blip on this production.

Finisher medal is pretty sweet -- it's articulated, so imagine a circle with a spinny disc in the middle. And it's big. I thought Hartford had a big medal, but nope, this is slightly larger than that.

---

Me, I had a terrible race. :) Alas. It was my 3rd marathon (first was 2011 Cape Cod, MA, in 5:01; second was 2012 Hartford, CT, in 4:19). I was hoping to beat 4:19 by a bit -- 4:15, maaaybe 4:10. Instead, my brain never really engaged (I sadly started coming down with a bug Friday); my R knee blew out around mile 12 (hadn't been bothering me all season, but when does it start bothering me? Taper week.); I slammed into the wall at mile 21. Good times.

But I finished, and despite having a terrible race, I have this huge feeling of accomplishment. A friend at my running club put it best: "in some ways, it's the hardest ones -- not the ones where you beat your PR -- the ones where you're puking up at the end, that mean the most."

Next marathon: Disney, Jan 2014. Looking forward to it. :)

Hi guys,

I am about 2 months into preparing from my first half marathon and for the past 2 weeks i've been experiencing a lot of pain in my lower legs. Particularly when I am going up/down the staircase!

It's really affecting my training and was wondering had any ideas on what it might be and how to best fix it?

Thank you!

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

I am doing my first race Saturday, the Run to Home Base 9K in Boston. Any advice for the rookie? Specifically, do I need to worry about getting lost on the course, winding up in the wrong wave, etc.? I am a little directionally challenged :).

Current Mood: excited
Current Music: Defiance

I have my first war wound of the season. I seem to have chafed the entire inside of my thigh with my boxers. Ow!

This is good in a way, because I would have run too ambitiously for my own good.

It hurts like a dickens, but hey, it's kind of a badge of Honour's. Why be ashamed, right? Every rash, every blister, every bloody nipple is a sign that motion has occurred, right? Yay me!

Still, ow! Here's to Body Glide and Band-Aids

From Draft Magazine:

Two men undertake quest to run and drink 100 beers in one week






Last week, Robert Scanlon and Kevin DiVerde decided to drink 100 beers while completing a series of running challenges, such as a beer mile or a two-hour run.

“I have had to stop running from injuries before, from tiredness, from sickness, etc.” said Robert. “But never had I had to stop running because I was getting too drunk.”

Until last week, that is. In this Q+A, Robert shares his motivation, tips and words of caution.

So what exactly did you do?

I ended up having just over a hundred beers in under a week all while running every day. It started at 12:00AM Monday and ended Saturday night.

Whose idea was this?

I did this with my friend Kevin DiVerde. We are both in the Iowa State Running Club together. It didn’t start with the goal of drinking 100 beers. At Iowa State University, we have a weeklong party called VEISHEA (which is a celebration of the original colleges at ISU). To celebrate in our own way, several of our friends decided to create a list of challenges combining beer and running to be completed throughout the week. These included beer miles, beer runs, etc. By Wednesday, I started to realize the sheer number of beers I had drank and decided to shoot for the 100 mark.

( Crack open a beer and read the rest!Collapse )

Personally I would never try something like this. Would you? I am kinda wondering if these guys shouldn't think about a 12 step program. For drinking, not for running!

http://draftmag.com/beerrunner/quest/

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

( The Blue Marathon was my 15th marathon in 15 different states. My goal is to run a marathon in every state but that is just an extra benefit of traveling the United States with the family and creating some awesome memories. The Blue Ridge marathon goes down in the books for me. Rated as the toughest road marathon in America really added a twist to running a marathon. Read more...Collapse )

X-posted in my own journal.

This past weekend I was one of six runners for the Ragnar Relay ultra team 6 Shades of Ragnar. Six runners and one driver and 194 miles put in over a period of more than 24 hours!

( What is a Ragnar Relay? And what does it mean to be on an ultra team???Collapse )

( Very long race report. (Hey, it was a long race!)Collapse )

( Pics!!!Collapse )

I'm mostly a lurker around here, but I know there are fans of Vibrams around so I thought of this community when I got the email.  Vibrams are on sale on 6pm.com. 

 

http://www.6pm.com/vibram-fivefingers-shoes~6?utm_source=et&utm_medium=email&utm_term=6pm_130420_massmail_row1_1col1image_image1&utm_campaign=6pm_130420_massmail

 

Again can be caused by injury or arthritis.

There are two tiny bones that rest beneath the great toe metatarsalphalangeal joint, these are embedded in the tendons that flex the toe (pull the toe down). The pain is on the bottom of the joint and is aggravated when you put your weight onto them.

As with hallux rigidus, uphill running usually makes things worse. to Orthotic treatment can also be helpful. This is special soles where they cut a hole in the insole directly beneath the painful little bones that are no bigger than two little beans. If ice and medication are unsuccessful, occasionally a steroid injection and/or a rest period with casting may be necessary.

Sometimes toe injuries can be greatly helped by the use of Rocktape sports tape and i personally have bought this and used it for many small aches and pains during running and in competition.

The good news is that many people do experience when running at some time and don't have to give up, especially if they have run before and start away again after a few years. Where the mind and the leg muscles are prepared to go the feet say wait until i am ready…………A real pain.

Have any of you guys seen this yet?

I have been trying to order one all day but they are currently out of my size. They are making more but this is a limited edition.

Current Mood: good
Current Music: Nuffin

I figured that I wasn't the only runner who would want to do something in solidarity with and honour of the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings, the runners and their supporters, and everyone who has helped since. And so I have created a Facebook Event - a worldwide 5K to be run on Saturday 15th June, at 2:50 Boston time. For more info follow the link below.

Keep On Running - 5K For Boston

Please pass this on to anyone you know who may be interested.

I think in memory of the Boston explosions, there ought to be a day say Friday, where we wear our favorite race/running shirts

Current Mood: hopeful

Current Mood: sad

At least two are dead, and 22 injured. It's not clear whether or not they were bombs, but it is looking likely.

More here:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22160978

Horrific. Horrific.

I'm hoping for a bit of advice.

I started running early spring of 2012.  By last fall I was up to about 20ish miles a week.  In late November I was sick for two weeks and didn't run.  When I felt better I started running without starting slow- I ran 6 miles one day and 8 two days later.  Towards the middle of that 8 mile run the inside of my leg/calf was hurting, but I was 4 miles out and had to run back home.  Afterwards the pain was still bad so I took a few days off.  When I went to run again the pain was back before I'd run a half mile.  I took a week and a half off but then when I went to run, the pain was still there.  I was concerned and wanted it to get better, so I ended up taking six or seven weeks off of running entirely.

I started back running this February, super slowly, doing one minute on, one minute off and increasing over the weeks.  It's been about a month now that I've been running three miles three times a week.  I still feel like the inside of my leg- it's a couple inches above my ankle, I was thinking it was posterior shin splints- still feels a bit tender sometimes.  I've been stopping to walk for 10 seconds or stopping to roll my ankle a couple times during my runs usually, which helps I think.

I want to start increasing, and have very slightly, but I'm just wondering what people think about this tenderness or intermittent pain I'm still having.  From a lot of googleing I determined it was posterior shin splints and that I was overpronating.  I got different shoes and superfeet inserts, which I think have helped.  I’m just wondering if I’m imagining this pain- I mean, by now it’s four months since the initial injury I had.  Do you think I should just push through it and tell my leg to “’suck it up” or am I just not going to be able to get back to where I was before?  Has anyone experienced an injury that stuck around, mildly, like this?

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

Over the weekend I ran the Hells Hills 50k, in 6:55 which is a personal record time for me by nearly an hour! The race went really well despite a few bumps along the way, and I feel well-positioned for the longer races I've signed up for later this spring.

( Read more...Collapse )

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

Hey guys, a few weeks ago I posted about training for my first half marathon in September. Since then I have been on a few runs and have a few questions...

1. How do I slow down my running? Stupid question I know but I feel like I am always running at the same pace... FAST! My average pace is 8mins 22secs a mile... How do I "switch it up"? I've also read about "tempo" running etc.

2. Mid way through my run, I start to develop pain in my calves... can you recommend any stretches to avoid this?

Thank you!

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

Some of you will recall that last week I posted about running the Shamrock Marathon. This week, I ran a local race, another marathon. Yes, insanity.

On Halloween, I posted this:

Do one major thing every year that you thought you would never do

Today I signed up for two marathons, back to back. And a marathon training program. I guess that officially makes me a marathon runner.

So, that was that. I did it. In some ways, the first race was a training race for the second. In other ways, the second race was a consolation prize for being sick for the first race. But most of all, the second race was coming home. It was running a race on my home turf. It was running a race on the trails that I trained upon, starting with my first Marathon Training Program session, back on November 18, 2012.

( And here is the story. It's long. Sorry, no pictures!Collapse )

Greetings, runners! Please tell us about your past training week and upcoming goals

**This is a weekly thread maintained by myself, posted every weekend. Runners of all ages and abilities are encouraged to use it to document their training and goals. Feedback is also encouraged, which helps keep a sense of community - thanks!

Any Londoners on this list who can give me some ideas on where is best to knock out a long run (I need to get in 20) or any races that might be occurring end of March/first week of April? I'm over there for work, and figure I might as well cover some international ground!

Hi guys - I used to be a regular poster, but I fell off for a while due to annoyances with LJ (as well as the general death of LJ).  I saw some other people posting their race reports about Shamrock, so I thought I'd post mine as well.  Below the cut, if you're interested.

( Read more...Collapse )

Current Mood: peace