Time for a new thread! Welcome to August, everyone. This is typically a cool and rainy month for us, but that's not unlike how our (unusual) July was so we'll see what it holds. This is also the "gotta do it" month for me of increasing mileage while avoiding injury. Equinox is September 15!
Slow and steady on the rebuild, Shannon, and I sure can relate to that. I had my first "mostly" pain free run yesterday. The "owie of the day" however is a little cut on the bottom of my second toe, apparently caused by a sharp part of my toenail on the middle toe. I thought I'd done something to that middle toenail from all the blood on it (messed up socks AND new insoles!), but it's from a tiny cut from rubbing. So... trimmed it up better and have a bandaid on the boo-boo that I hope will stick.
Good for you on your working out and losing weight, Paul. Be careful to avoid "rebound" when you wrap up Insanity. I'm not familiar with that program though... is it a limited time thing? Or phases? All I know is I need to get back to the weight room, it's been too long. Something for fall/winter, I guess.
Oh Mighty Wing
Hello August!!!
Erica - How many years is this for you for the Equinox? And cuts on the bottom of toes are the WORST. My pinky splits every once in a while and it is the pits! So training is going a little rough?
Paul - I have heard what erica mentioned about the insanity - afterwards the benefits diminish quickly if you don't replace it with something. But it sounds like replacing it shouldn't be an issue.
So, slow and steady is something I'm trying to do, but it didn't stop me from entering the Monkey lottery... but that's a 14 week goal which I think I need to keep me moving forward. Plus it sounds like fun! LOL On the plus side today was a nice 3 miler in which I felt semi normal!
Insanity - who knew?
Hi, Shannon (and Paul and Erika, and anyone else who is posting).
I've pretty much taken a forum hiatus, but I'm still running. I could do without the heat, but it is what it is.
Last night we finished up a running club "decathlon", which is a series of 10 races and other speed work, once a week during the summer. Well, finished for us, but there's one more event next week we'll miss. That was fun, as I get hardly any track work. Harriet and I pretty much just added this to our normal training, so we ended up doing doubles on Wednesday. We called it "running sauce". (we call icing "cupcake sauce". I guess it's one of those things -- you had to be there...)
Lou, (aka Mr. predawnrunner), MD, USA | Lou's Brews | lking@pobox.com
Hi Lou! That decathlon does sound like a good series.
Shannon, this will be my 8th running of the Equinox. I did the 50k the first two years they offered it, but then they changed it to a 40 mile run and I'm just not into that much abuse (yet). So, this will be the 50th anniversary of the Equinox and apparently they're expecting a crowd. I've got a friend who posts in the masters forum coming up from OH this year to run it, so that will be fun.
Yesterday's late lunch run was 7.5 miles with the last three at tempo (2 at 7:5x and the last at 7:19) and it felt pretty good. Bandaid stuck to the toe boo-boo so all good there. Today I worked thru lunchtime so will try to get out of here early enough for 5 easy miles. Tomorrow will be just 2-3, if any, and then the half marathon on Saturday morning. (and here I was looking forward to sleeping in on Saturday!)
[ETA: I was thinking about Bugs yesterday on my run for some reason... hope she's doing ok.]
Last night we ran 800m. Results just came out -- I came in 5th out of 27 guys. Here are the top 10. Malcolm is screaming fast, and being 61, with the age grade adjustment, almost always comes in first. Ron (10th place) normally beats me in real time (the first time), but I guess he's got some kind of injury, as I beat him the last two races. I am 11th overall in the standings, prizes of which go to the top 10. Oh well. Maybe next year...
place name age time <age grade> <adj time> points
1 Malcolm Senior 61 2:41 0.7947 02:08.0 27002 Art Gregory 68 2:56 0.7462 02:11.3 26003 Stephen Vigder 56 2:39.5 0.827 02:11.9 25004 David Lieb 52 2:36 0.855 02:13.4 24005 Lou King 55 2:44 0.8336 02:16.7 23006 Tim Stevenson 45 2:31 0.9081 02:17.1 22007 Chase LeClair 14 2:31 0.9089 02:17.2 21008 Tim O'Keefe 59 2:51 0.8074 02:18.1 20009 Don Boyer 68 3:06 0.7462 02:18.8 190010 Ron Black 57 2:50 0.8205 02:19.5 1800
Lou!!! For not doing track work normally, 11th overall is not too shabby!
Erica I think it's so fun to run something every year. And 8 years is even cooler! I wonder if they will do anything special for the big 5-0? Will the course be able to handle a large crowd? Hopefully, it will still be fun.
3 miles for me today. I've been sticking right around there. I'll stretch it to 5 on Sunday. Every run my time goes down a little... I know it's not about time right now, but I'm a numbers junkie. I also attribute the decreasing time to my legs remembering what running is because each run feels a little more comfortable as well. It's funny when I first started running I was awkward, but I didn't know it until I did plyometrics and speed work and it helped my stride. Now that I'm back at the beginning it's weird because I feel awkward and know it's because my stride is this tight little thing... does this mini rant make any sense?
Bugs
I couldn't help but drop in. I was thinking of about five years ago where Dave, Kim, Erika, Cash, and Lou,... oh how well we all were and how dear you are all to me. Just a member of really good times
I am excited to see Shannon back here. Shannon stay, you should have never left.
Paul, need your weight loss tips.
Erika,
Dear indomitable Erika, Equinox is soon, enjoy it. You just keep getting strong.
It is odd you thought of me on a very hard day, and I happen to read today. I am still "Racing for the Cure of ?" I hurt. I wait. I hurt. I wait. It sucks. It took Mayo six weeks to deny my referral for rheumatologist. I was taking ice baths and had pain everywhere. I have seen an alternative medicine doc who seems to know his stuff. He confirmed I have Adrenal Gland fatigue, low cortisol, and other related hormones which can cause slow healing, swelling, depression, heart arthymia.. all of which I have had. But we both know, he hasn't found 'it' yet.
Now we are testing for certain viruses, since this all started after a spell of bronchitis. I have no idea what alt. doc is costing, if his tests will be covered by insurance, and I hate that this will affect my family. The alt. doc can but doesn't typically prescribe prescription medicine. My $150 worth of drugs was, vitamins, black liquorice drops, DHEA tablets, and brown rice protein powder. Yesterday I woke up to hands that were on fire, weak, it was a very hard day. It is really like being in a black hole, hurt, and no one coming to help. I cried, I told my husband I wished it was cancer. Cancer doctors don't shit around, they move on it, they don't wait for you to get worse, they do something. There is a Caring Bridge site, people bring you food. This I'm just in pain, and life is hard, very hard. And I try really hard for it not to affect anyone else. But I've read enough of people's diseases, struggles, that things could be worst, don't waste time bitching.. make the best of it.
Good news, I got an appointment for rheumatologist. I fired DocC3 for crappiest referral letter ever.
I am suppose to rest a bit more now, but did complete triathlon on Sunday. Most of training was from biking. Up to 150 miles in a week. I was able to swim, and run very little, but I do run. I don't have a training plan, I just go out knowing I may have to stop if something hurts. I know I could get worse so I don't waste time. The TRI was great. With my hands feeling so weak and hurting I hate going in the open water, but they were fine. And I can run out of the water, whip off my wetsuit like I do it everyday. My heart rate was high for bike, but I ran all 4.4 miles. My knees hurt in the bike, and my elbows hurt in the run... but I felt so good. "Don't waste time" is my mantra, you can borrow it
Hey Shan!
Im on the fence for the September Northcoast 24. I will likely run it...although I have barely run since the last one--but when has that stopped me? If I can get in 150 miles over the next 6 weeks, that will be way more than Ive managed in training for the past ones.
Also signed up for the Monkey lottery. Figured I gotta do that at least once. It will be over 3 years since my last marathon by that point..
Bugs - I'm sorry to hear about the pain and i hope the Rheumatoid Dr can lead you to a solution. This may sound stupid but have you been tested for Lyme's? I've just heard it doing so many crazy things when it goes for years undiagnosed. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.
Murphy - we have a very similar story happening. I also lotteried. It will be 2 years since my last one... I can currently run 3 miles...
Not a stupid question, Shannon. Lyme does have similar symptoms.
Dearest Bugs, I just feel so sad to hear about your situation. You are amazing though. How the heck did you do a tri? How do you do the bike with your hands hurting? I just can't imagine. You have an inner strength that will pull you through this. {{Bugs}}
Go for it Murphy! If anyone can do something like that on minimal (as in... no) training, it's you! I'd like to do the Monkey someday, but not this year. I'll have to check my log but I can't remember the last time I only did two marathons in a year. But this year that's probably all it will be. The new job is just a little too intense right now, and we kind of tapped the travel budget pretty hard last year. 2011 was awesome for my running so I guess it's not unreasonable to have a somewhat less-than-stellar 2012.
Ran 7.1 miles yesterday which felt pretty good. Today I was going to run 2-3 just to loosen up for tomorrow's half, but it might be a rest day. It's cold, gray and windy out there, and I just have no desire to go out in that.
Erica - if you have no desire you should just stay home! I know it's not my normal motivational brewhaha but i'm slowly learning that our body speaks and we should listen... i've always heard it loud and clear I just normally tell it to shut up.
3.7 for me today in 97F on hills... it took me a very very long time - i was also very chatty... my lungs were not impressed - possibly what led to the slow pace... did I mention the hills?
So sorry you're going through this Bugs. Speaking of Lyme, one of my neighbors finally got diagnosed with that, after several years of investigation. Not sure why it is hard to detect, but I guess it is. Hopefully they figure this out, and you can get some relief.
Harriet and I drove 540 miles to Lansing, MI today. Will run med-long tomorrow morning, then continue to Thompsonville, MI meeting up with a large crew from her family for a Langlois family reunion. First one since "Bumpa", her Dear Old Dad, as she calls him, passed away a couple of years ago. It will be bitter-sweet, as there is a whole new generation, some of which never got a chance to meet their great grandfather. Bumpa was what his oldest grandchild called him, because she couldn't pronounce Grandpa, and it stuck.
There are two types of lymes disease tests. The accurate one is expensive, done by special lab, and then treating it you need a lyme disease literate doctor. If caught within one year the treatment is much easier. I ran and live in woods, and have considered it. My alt. doc seems to have a plan of what to test for. I missed a call from doctor and will not find out till Monday. I hope my blood tests showed something.
Lou, got any recent pictures of that grand child?
So Bugs did you get word?
Nice swim today... I only swam 15 minutes, but it'll get longer. Of course I need to learn how to count laps...
Will call doctor tomorrow morning. I am hoping they found I have an infection that can be treated.
Shannon, are you training for? After my last triathlon I'm finding it is my preference.
MTA: I swim mostly by time. Although I did master swim this winter, where instructor gave workouts. I was much stronger swimmer than. If you can swim with group is the best. We did circle swimming, like 3-4 in lane. Forces you to keep going.