Before I started running, it took me somewhere between two and three weeks to get rid of a cold once I caught it.

For the past year or so, I have not only not caught as many colds, but it takes me only three or four days to get rid of one.

I don't know whether running itself has improved my resistance, or whether it's my mental attitude of wanting to get rid of it so I can get back to running.

So...
I have big plans for myself for the upcoming year... I have signed up to run my first marathon on february 21st, but time and low motivation has put a damper on my training. I work nights and my schedule is a little insane. I haven't had a real long run since november 14th after my first half-marathon. Now I'm psyching myself out because I simply don't think I'll see the finish line at the pace I'm going. I got up today and tried to get my game back on, after only doing a 6 mile run the previous week. Let me tell you folks... it sucked! I got on the treadmill and just felt like absolute hell. Palpitations, cold sweats and after ten minutes I gave up... Not really sure what happened, but I truly felt awful, not your normal "sucky run" of the day, but simply said... like hell, sickly. Tomorrow I'm going to try again. Start up with a lite warm up on the elliptical and see where it takes me. My only hope is to stay focused on my goal and complete that race. I hope everyone is doing well... I just needed to do a little venting. Happy running!
Mariana

So. I've been dealing with a bit of an injury...the ball of my right food started giving me a stabbing-like pain a few weeks ago.

I eased off the Vibrams and my minimalist shoes (Adidas Adizero Ace), as those seemed to be problematic, and started running solely in my heavy Asics trainers. The pain continued. I kept running, but I was concerned about my foot, especially because the pain never seemed to go away (it never got worse though), but it seemed to be the worst after long runs when I'd walk barefoot towards the shower afterwards.

I started researching the cause of this pain. The best I could come up with was either 1) a neuroma, or 2) a stress fracture (or pre-stress fracture) in my second metatarsal. I was just about to zip over to the running store for a pair of special metatarsal inserts when I discovered the cause of the pain...

( here's what I figured out today )

Can I just say how much I DESPISE the effing treadmill???

I just started running September of this year and until about 6 weeks ago I was strictly treadmill running.

The transition from running on the treadmill to running outside was hard the first two weeks. I had myself tricked into thinking I was a better runner then I was.

The past couple weeks, I have been retreating inside to the treadmill when it snowed. Typical runs for me up til this point were 5 to 6 miles. Yeah, my first treadmill run I set out for 5 or 6, and stopped at 3 out of sheer boredom.

Today was my 3rd time retreating inside to the devil mill, not so much because of the snow, but because of stupid finals not allowing me to get out til dark had already snuck in. I set out for my final long run before my first race ever, a 10k this saturday . Umm yeah. My 8 miles sadly turned into 4.

I seriously do not lknow what it is, but I can't run on that stupid treadmill anymore. I wish I had more will power to push through those hard long boring minutes, but I admit. The treadmill won again.

Here's the best news. Were supposed to get 6 inches of snow tonight, and tomorrow I will be forcing myself out in it just to prove to myself I can and will run 8 mother effing miles.

I have only ran in the snow one other time and it was miserable, so any tips would be gladly appreciated. Mostly I felt like I was going to slip and fall, and the lovely city of boise does not feel the need to clear snow whatsoever.

I now have a pair of Asics Gel Nimbus 11 and a pair of Asics Gell Speed Star 3 shoes. I plan to run in the Speed Stars for my speed work, some of my long-distance runs, and in races, and wear the Nimbuses for the rest of my runs.

Does that sound reasonable?

-- Michelle

More cross training advice needed!!!

So, I've been kind of a slacker with my cross training. I do it, but I know I'm not doing it as well as I could...this led me to the decision that I should definitely invest in some sort of "class." Fortunately, being an undergrad, the rec center on my campus has a plethora of classes to choose from, including master swim and a 45 cycle burn class (it's a lot of intervals, sprinting, yelling and 80s music...).

I've been trying to decide which one of these I should take. I have a lot of individual pros and cons for each, but I thought I'd throw it out there...

What would be the better cross training to follow? Cycling or swimming?

Oh, I'm going to be training for my second half marathon (maybe a full...later on...no idea), so, that might be helpful information.

So I ran a 5K this weekend and I felt like I was going to die. this is the 3rd one I have ran in the past 2 months so I honestly thought I would be okay. I ran it in 30:06 and I usually run in under 27. I was somewhat disappointed in my performance but I felt so bad I thought I was going to pass out. I decided to go to urgent care only to find out that I had pneumonia! The gave me a breathing treatment at the office to get my oxygen levels up...Needless to say, I was no longer disappointed with my time. The doctor said it was a miracle I was able to run and finish at all because I was wheezing so bad.

It really is a good thing though. I have been kind of going back in forth about running a half marathon in April unsure of my abilities. Saturday my husband said, "Becky, if you can run 3 miles with pneumonia, you can run a half marathon!" Maybe if I keep telling myself that I will start to believe it :) Anyways, just wanted to let you guys know :) Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Just thought i'd give you all a head's up on this awesome 'Wingtips' shirt from Threadless.com (the same company that makes the jogging hippo who wants to be a unicorn...i know how much you guys love that shirt). A modern approach to the winged sandals of Hermes. Right now they have it on sale for $10.00 plus a $4.00 shipping fee (the shirt is usually $18).

Christmas is right around the corner. :)

Anybody else get accepted into the Cherry Blossom for this year? I did! Yay!

I need to start training NOW, though. My running has been crappy lately and I think this is the kind of thing that may energize it back up again. Anyone know of any structured training plans for 10 mile races? I think I do better with a plan.

I've graduated from C25K, ran a 5k race yesterday (Christopher Martin's 2009 Run for Children, New Haven CT), and I have signed up for a 10k this upcoming June in Lake Compounce.

Which 10k training programs out there use interval training, like the C25k (I'm thinking here of things like W6D2, in a 10 min run/3 min walk way that culminates in a longer run on D3)? I felt that method really helped me achieve my goals without making each running day seem more insurmountable than the last, as is the case with some of the more popular ones that just say, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday, run 4 miles... is there anything out there like that, the "amped-up" C25(10)K?

Thank you!

Good morning runners! Here's the daily training thread!

Today I'm going to run. Probably about 45 minutes - 1 hour, with some hills sprinkled in. I'm also going to be doing yesterday's WOD: Complete as many rounds as you can in twenty minutes of: Row 500 meters/25 Turkish Get-ups with a 60-pound dumbbell

So how is everyone else starting off the week, training and otherwise?

And it's Monday -- how was your weekend? Highlights/lowlights/venting/commiserating/rejoicing/celebrating/other?

Discuss... and HAPPY RUNNING!

I typically go to the gym in wrestling shoes (Asics Matflex) -- I'm not a wrestler but I really like those shoes for the gym. They are extremely light with a thin, completely flat sole. However, sometimes I get there and my trainer wants me to do 20 minutes on the treadmill. The wrestling shoes are a pain to get in and out of because they come up high on the ankle, so I prefer not to just switch shoes. I typically do my road running in Nike Frees, so I am accustomed to fairly minimal footwear. Is it a terribly bad idea to do the treadmill in wrestling shoes?

Runners,
how often do you take ice baths?
do you take a hot shower after?

Winter decided to come all at once here in Iowa. We got about a foot of snow in 24 hours this week. Ever since, it's been impossible to run outside. And the treadmills at my school are impossible to run on. They're nice treadmills, believe me, but whoever runs the cardio center in one of our fitness centers keeps it about 72 degrees in there. Completely closed off. No fans. It's disgusting. I am dripping sweat before I get half a mile into my run. And to top it all off, you can only be on a machine for 30 minutes... which won't work if I'm running 5 miles.

But our other fitness center has no treadmills. It has elipticals and stationary bikes and an indoor track. I have taken a liking to this indoor track. Apparently, it is about 10 years overdue to be repaired or replaced or something, but it's softer than concrete and I like it. I run in lane 3, which I measured to be 230 meters. So my 6 mile runs are 42 laps. It's not too bad. :)

This morning, my dad and I ran 63 laps around the track. It was intense. And monotonous. And really not as bad as it sounds. The track has become my new favorite winter running spot. There's never snow or slush, I don't have to worry about cars, I don't have 1123989123 layers to peel off when I get back to my room... ah, refreshing. :)

Anyone else taking a liking to track running?

How fast is your pace for a mile?

A year ago, I could walk a 20 minute mile. When I ran my first mile in April, it was 14 minutes. Today I am at a 10-11 minute mile. I'm still slow, but yay me!!!! Seriously, I am so proud of myself!

This week starts my official training for a spring marathon. Woo-hoo!! Question, though: I've been running about 10 miles for my long runs for a couple of months now. The training plan I picked (Hal Higdon) starts out with 8, 9, 6 and 11 as the first four weeks' worth of long runs. Whaddya think? Should I keep running the 10 until the plan asks for more, or should I take a break and cut back to these shorter distances as the plan calls for them?

I'm off to do 10 today, regardless 'cause a heinous cold weather system came through mid-week and I didn't actually run the shorter distances of the plan...great way to start off!

(Who else is considering Eugene in May?)

I ran the Jingle All the Way 10K this morning. They don’t make road race courses much faster than this – it’s almost perfectly flat, with no sharp turns. This race also always draws a fast crowd. In short, unless the temperatures are absurd, or the wind is up, there are no excuses for not running fast. And today, there were no excuses. The weather conditions were near perfect for racing (if not for standing around afterwards), at 35 degrees, light drizzle, and no wind whatsoever. I ran 40:53, which knocked a minute off of my 10K PR, and was good enough for 12th woman overall and an age group win. So, I’m pretty happy.

( Read more... )

I've got an indoor half marathon coming up in 6 weeks, and I need some training advice. I ran a marathon on October 4th, so I had a pretty good base. Key word being had. Since then, I've definitely taken it easy. I've run a few times every week, but my weekly mileage has been in the teens. I did one 10 miler a couple weeks ago that went really well, so my fitness isn't completely gone.

My goal for the Jan 23rd half is sub-2:00. That would be 15 minutes faster than my first half split time in the marathon, which I think should be doable given a bit of weight loss and the fact that I'll be racing just a half, not a full. (My only actual HM time was 2:28, so obviously I'm going to best that.)

So my question is, do I do ~25-30 miles per week with a little bit of speedwork, or do I take the Lydiard approach and bump up my mileage to 40-50 very slow miles per week? I think that the speedwork might be a little harder on my body, but 40-50 mpw is a big jump from what I HAVE been doing. Plus I don't know if I have the discipline to run that much right now...

I guess the biggest reason I'd like to do 40-50 miles per week is because a few weeks after the half, I'll start training for Grandma's Marathon in June. It would be awesome to have a solid base for that, to not have to build up much more mileage before incorporating speedwork.

Thoughts?

What a great marathon!!! The cold is relentless but I would prefer the chill to the heat. New PR for the marathon. Read on for race report...