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I need to whine, some... (Read 1054 times)

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rectumdamnnearkilledem

    I just returned from my worst. run. ever (well, at least in recent memory). It was awful. I can only think that the heat/humidity (in addition to not sleeping well because of it) combined with my difficult run on Sunday with Eryn/backroadrunner were the cause (I think I was suffering some mild heat exhaustion during that run, as towards the end I was getting chilled and had 0 kick at the end. I had no kick at the end of my previous run, too...my Scandinavian/Scot blood simply cannot handle heat well at all, apparently). I could tell 30 seconds into it that it was going to be not one of my better runs. By 8 minutes into my 43 I was in pain. Sharp pains in my shins and my calves had become rock-hard and painfully tight like they did during nearly every Track workout in HS. I finally broke-down at about the 10 minute mark and walked a bit. I spent the next 33 minutes alternating walking and slow jogging. I stretched a bit at one point and it did help, but not enough to allow me to run the entire rest of the way. Ick. It was really miserable. I honestly had convinced myself that my calf/shin issues were 15 years behind me, never to return--boy, was I wrong! I really want to run tomorrow, but I'm not sure how that will go. At the very least I will go for a long walk. I'm pretty bummed that I went from my best per mile time of 11:02 to my worst at 13:32 from one run to the next. And now I'm frightened that my months of good, painfree runs may be gone. I don't want running to be something to dread. k

    Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

    remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

         ~ Sarah Kay

    Mile Collector


    Abs of Flabs

      Kirsten, Did you notice that everyone that made a post recently had a bad run this weekend? I don't think it's a coincidence either. We're not acclamated to the heat and humidity yet, and so we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves. Can you elaborate on your pains? It's unusual to have pains in both the shin and the calf. When you say they're "rock-hard", are they cramping up? It could be that you had an electrolyte imbalance. I tend to lose a lot of salt in my sweat. After a long run, my face and arms would be white from the salt. If you lose a lot of salt, then you'll get muscle cramps. If it's hot tomorrow, maybe you should take a day off. It'll take off some anxiety from not running well, and give your body a chance to recover.
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      rectumdamnnearkilledem

        Thanks...yeah, I guess we all did have bad runs. And in 2 months we will be looking back and saying "heat, what heat?" Tongue My calves aren't really cramping...not like a charley horse--I've had those and this is a whole different beast (and those do respond to increasing my daily potassium). It's like the muscle tightens up and is in pain, but it's not a sharp, stabbing pain like a muscle cramp...more of a constant, intense, dull pain. I have almost never had shin splints that weren't accompanied by the calf issues. I'm thinking it's more of a lactic acid issue, maybe? At least that is what I was always told in HS. I'm hoping and praying it was just a fluke and not a return to the problems I had years ago... Tonite a cold front should be coming through that is supposed to bring highs in the low-70s for the rest of the week (ahhh...). Tomorrow may be full of thunderstorms, so if that's the case I won't be running, anyhow. If there's no lightning I will decide to run or not by how I feel. I'd be content just to walk for an hour, if need be. Smile k

        Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

        remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

             ~ Sarah Kay

        Wingz


        Professional Noob

          I had a rough run too. It's been hot here in NC, and I started at 9 am instead of my preferred 6:30 am. Rest, drink extra fluid, start run earlier in the day, find a shady trail, and expect to be slow for a few weeks. Don't give up just on one bad run. Or a week of bad runs. At the absolute worst you'll be slow for the summer and then speed back up in the fall, right? Going for a walk tomorrow sounds like a good idea. See how that goes. Good luck!

          Roads were made for journeys...

          vicentefrijole


            Did you notice that everyone that made a post recently had a bad run this weekend? I don't think it's a coincidence either. We're not acclamated to the heat and humidity yet, and so we shouldn't be too hard on ourselves.
            I totally agree (and at least it makes me feel better about a miserable run)! There is really a big difference when we're acclimated to the heat and when we're not.. I've read how our bodies adjust many things.. like how close our blood vessels are to the surface of our skin, and total blood volume, etc. I'd bet the same run under the same conditions at the end of the summer would feel completely different. Anyways, we should all just be careful to listen to our bodies, watch out for dizziness (your "chills" have me worried... careful!), and take a rest day as often as needed. I know I am!
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            rectumdamnnearkilledem

              Interesting re: the chills. My hubby said that a friend of his on the Sunday afternoon bike ride they did also was experiencing chills in the intense heat (I guess in the Grand Rapids area where they rode it was in the upper 90s...we were probably 5-10 degrees cooler out on the lakeshore). The little I read stated that this can be an early heat exhaustion symptom. Good thing we were about at the end of our run when that started. I've experienced that before and it's really a odd sensation on such a hot day. Made that big, cold glass of Gatorade taste that much better! Smile I really hope I do acclimate to the heat better over the next couple of months. I would really hate to have to cut my runs short because of the weather. Do people in the South ever get used to that kind of heat and humidity? k

              Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

              remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                   ~ Sarah Kay

              Mile Collector


              Abs of Flabs

                You do get acclamated to the heat. Last year, I ran Boston in the 70 degree heat. When you trained in 40 degree weather, 70 is like an oven. Later that same year, I did NYC Marathon at the same temperature, and it was just right because I got used to the summer heat. My friends that visited the south in the winter would walk around in t-shirts while people that live there had to break out the heavy winter coats. It's amazing that the human body can adopt to any conditions.
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                rectumdamnnearkilledem

                  Oh, that always cracks me up about people down South during the "Winter" months. I visited friends of mine in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area a year ago last Fall. It was in the 80s, so I was in shorts, sandals and sleeveless tops--they were all in long sleeves and jeans. They thought I was nuts! And I can remember going to the beach in FL over spring breaks as a kid...the locals would be in heavy sweaters while we were playing in the surf! And they all whine that it is cold when it gets below 50º... Big grin I think what really kills me is the high humidity with no breeze (which we get a lot of right next to Lake MI). When I was sweating on Sunday it had nowhere to go and didn't serve to help keep me cool. That 80º+ wouldn't have been so bad with a little breeze and lower humidity. k

                  Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                  remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                       ~ Sarah Kay

                    And Kirsten, the way you sweat, I don't doubt you are losing alot of salt! Seriously, when we got back from our run on Sunday, she looked like she had been standing in the rain!! And when the sweat dried, you had white on your face & back. I've even had trouble with my runs this week. They've been under 4 miles, which you know is rare for me, and even that 3-4mi has been terrible. Generally speaking, I like heat much better than cold, but it does take an adjustment period. And the weather has been so irratic here (in Michigan, no way?! Roll eyes ) that every time you adjust to heat, it gets cold, you adjust back to that, it is hot again. Give yourself time to adjust & don't worry about how long it takes you to run a mile. Just set a goal of running so many minutes per day & focus on that instead of the mileage. Today is perfect. It is only about 60 right now, the sun is shining, just a slight breeze. If I'm feeling good, I'm going to try for 2 hours. Of course, if I don't get my butt off the computer & in my running clothes, it will be too warm in an hour... Eryn
                    So do not get tired and stop trying. - Hebrews 12:3
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                    rectumdamnnearkilledem

                      Yeah, today's weather IS perfect...and I can't get a run in (Derek's going on a ride with some people after work and won't likely be home until close to dark). That's always the way it goes, 'eh? :P k

                      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                           ~ Sarah Kay

                        Ok, just to add to the whine...today sucked!! My plan was either a 12.2mi or 13.6mi, depending on how I felt. The day was supposed to be in the high 60's, low 70's, overcast, slight breeze. Perfect weather for a nice run. I filled one water bottle & sliced up half an orange & half a banana. At mile 7.5, my groin started to hurt again, but that got better by mile 8. The temperature & humidity went WAY up in the first 6 miles, which wasn't expected. I ran out of water at mile 7 (something that hasn't ever happened to me before). At mile 8, I was nauseated, feeling dehydrated, by mile 8.5 I tossed whatever water I had in my system, along with my breakfast, on the side of the road. Dead At this point, I'm still almost 4mi's from home, so I called a friend & had her save me at mile 9.2. Bad running day, all the way around!!
                        So do not get tired and stop trying. - Hebrews 12:3
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                        rectumdamnnearkilledem

                          Let's just chalk this up to a BAD RUNNING WEEK!!! I vote for a do-over. Next week needs to be fun, again! Smile k

                          Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                          remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                               ~ Sarah Kay

                          Wingz


                          Professional Noob

                            DO-OVER!!! Agreed!

                            Roads were made for journeys...

                            Mile Collector


                            Abs of Flabs

                              Ok, just to add to the whine...today sucked!! My plan was either a 12.2mi or 13.6mi, depending on how I felt. The day was supposed to be in the high 60's, low 70's, overcast, slight breeze. Perfect weather for a nice run. I filled one water bottle & sliced up half an orange & half a banana. At mile 7.5, my groin started to hurt again, but that got better by mile 8. The temperature & humidity went WAY up in the first 6 miles, which wasn't expected. I ran out of water at mile 7 (something that hasn't ever happened to me before). At mile 8, I was nauseated, feeling dehydrated, by mile 8.5 I tossed whatever water I had in my system, along with my breakfast, on the side of the road. Dead At this point, I'm still almost 4mi's from home, so I called a friend & had her save me at mile 9.2. Bad running day, all the way around!!
                              That somehow reminded me of "A League of Their Own": Jimmy Dugan: Are you crying? Are you crying? ARE YOU CRYING? There's no crying, there's no crying in baseball. Rogers Hornsby was my manager, and he called me a talking pile of pigshit. And that was when my parents drove all the way down from Michigan to see me play the game. And did I cry? NO. NO. And do you know why? Evelyn Gardner: No, no, no. Jimmy Dugan: Because there's no crying in baseball. Ok, so it's not baseball, but the same rules apply. Seriously though, don't be so hard on yourself because you're not used to the heat and humidity. You'll get used to it soon enough and before you know it, you'll be flying!
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                              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                                "There's no crying in baseball!" is one of my VERY favorite movie lines of ALL time! We holler that at our 5 year old son when he starts crying and whining about silly things. Big grin k

                                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                                     ~ Sarah Kay

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