Daily Exercise 6/29/12-7/7/12

[savingmomof2boys]

Yesterday was a rest day for me.

Today I ran 10 miles and it had to be my worst run ever. I got a new pair of shoes last week and I don't think they are a good fit for me. I ran 5 miles in them outside on Thursday and they felt okay. Then I ran on the treadmill Friday and about 20 minutes into my run my knee started bothering me. I dealt with the pain a little but ended up cutting my run shorter then planned. I took a rest day yesterday since my knee still bothered me a tad when going down stairs.

Today I decided to wear my normal running shoes and my run started good. Around mile 3 I started to feel my knee bothering me. I stopped for water and when I started running again the knee was a little worst but manageable. By mile 5 it would go from being painful to feeling okay. I started taking little walk breaks and it would feel good until I started running again. I ended up walking the last .5 mile and it was even painful to walk.

I am not sure what to do since I have a half marathon next Sunday. According to HH training plan I should have ran 12 miles today and run 2 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I think I am going to take Monday and Tuesday off and try a 2 mile run on Wednesday. Or not run again until Thursday and just do a short 2 mile Thursday and maybe Friday. I am really hoping that with resting it for a few days that I will be able to get through this half on Sunday without pain.

I am not one to take pain medication but as soon as I got home today I popped some advil.

Sorry for my little book here, I am just feeling a little frustrated and defeated.

[Love4leon]

Ashley- I think you need to rest. It sounds like if you do, you will be able to do the marathon, but if you make your injury worse- you might not be able to do it at all. I think you will be ok during the marathon- just do what you are able to.

[cody82414]

Originally Posted by Love4leon Don't know if you all remember me- looks like there are some new people here I had several weeks of surgical procedures and I am finally getting back to exercising. I was running up to 6 miles and biking, along with doing JM videos before I had polyp removal surgery, egg retrieval (for IVF) and then polyp removal surgery and D&C procedure. I ended up allergic to the anteseptic they used for the D&C- so think about that one ugh!!! I am finally feeling more myself- after hormones, etc... it seems like it was pretty crazy. This week I have been biking- Thursday 90 min bike Friday 70 min bike Luckily I haven't gained any weight with all the time off and hormones- I am so relieved that I weigh exactly the same before everything happened...

great to see you back love4leon!!

Did you find that you were able to pick up where you left off - in terms of stamina and strength?

[cody82414]

Originally Posted by savingmomof2boys Yesterday was a rest day for me. Today I ran 10 miles and it had to be my worst run ever. I got a new pair of shoes last week and I don't think they are a good fit for me. I ran 5 miles in them outside on Thursday and they felt okay. Then I ran on the treadmill Friday and about 20 minutes into my run my knee started bothering me. I dealt with the pain a little but ended up cutting my run shorter then planned. I took a rest day yesterday since my knee still bothered me a tad when going down stairs. Today I decided to wear my normal running shoes and my run started good. Around mile 3 I started to feel my knee bothering me. I stopped for water and when I started running again the knee was a little worst but manageable. By mile 5 it would go from being painful to feeling okay. I started taking little walk breaks and it would feel good until I started running again. I ended up walking the last .5 mile and it was even painful to walk. I am not sure what to do since I have a half marathon next Sunday. According to HH training plan I should have ran 12 miles today and run 2 miles on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday. I think I am going to take Monday and Tuesday off and try a 2 mile run on Wednesday. Or not run again until Thursday and just do a short 2 mile Thursday and maybe Friday. I am really hoping that with resting it for a few days that I will be able to get through this half on Sunday without pain. I am not one to take pain medication but as soon as I got home today I popped some advil. Sorry for my little book here, I am just feeling a little frustrated and defeated.

Did you run inside on the treadmill today? or outside??

[savingmomof2boys]

Originally Posted by Love4leon Ashley- I think you need to rest. It sounds like if you do, you will be able to do the marathon, but if you make your injury worse- you might not be able to do it at all. I think you will be ok during the marathon- just do what you are able to.

Thanks, I think I am going to be doing a lot of resting this week. I may not even run at all until the half.

I have talked to a few people today and everyone says it sounds like my ITB. So rest and ice is what I will be doing for the next few days.

I am just hoping that pushing through it a little today didn't make it worse.

[savingmomof2boys]

Originally Posted by cody82414 Did you run inside on the treadmill today? or outside??

I ran outside today. After that happening Friday, I don't think I am ever going to step in the treadmill again.

[llamabeans]

Sounds like runners knee. I get this occasionally when I do too much or up my mileage a lot in a week-2 weeks period. I also have issues with ACL on one knee (15 year old soccer injury) and this is always the knee that acts up...but it's the classic hurts when I swing my knee in a walking motion and up-down stairs. So I know it's not my ACL again. But I think that knee is weaker to a degree, or I favor it.
The treadmill will bring it out because you don't adjust your gait like you would on a free run, but run in the same stride over and over, so if it's a bad stride, it will hurt.
Do you take any sort of fish oil? This seems to help too as well as working the muscles that support the knee.

[savingmomof2boys]

Originally Posted by llamabeans Sounds like runners knee. I get this occasionally when I do too much or up my mileage a lot in a week-2 weeks period. I also have issues with ACL on one knee (15 year old soccer injury) and this is always the knee that acts up...but it's the classic hurts when I swing my knee in a walking motion and up-down stairs. So I know it's not my ACL again. But I think that knee is weaker to a degree, or I favor it. The treadmill will bring it out because you don't adjust your gait like you would on a free run, but run in the same stride over and over, so if it's a bad stride, it will hurt. Do you take any sort of fish oil? This seems to help too as well as working the muscles that support the knee.

Thanks for the info. I use to take fish oil but have been slacking the last few weeks. I will make sure to start taking it regularly.

The funny thing is that I have increased my mileage the last 2 weeks. This past week my mileage has actually been down. The only thing I have done different is new shoes and the treadmill. I think it is the treadmill. I don't use it much but when I do I find myself focusing on the way I run so I think I was over thinking my stride and did something. I have been running since February and this is the first time I have experienced this.

When it happens to you, how many rest days do you normally take before you can run pain free again? Everything you described is exactly what I am feeling. Pain when my knee bends, especially going up and down stairs.

[llamabeans]

Man girl you're ambitious! I've been running for a year and still feel like I am not ready for a 1/2.
I was doing HH training along side a fellow runner (who quit it as well) but I recently just took a break from it. It's too much IMO. In my brain and my love for running, I WANT to do it because it's a huge validation as a runner. But, at the same time, I've met 2 older men in the past week while at our city rec center who are marathon runners (they were doing 8-9 miles, "short runs") and they say to take 5 years to get to be a good solid runner, work on stride, pace etc then go for a long run like a 1/2.

I right now run 6 days a week, but I stop at the 3-4 mile mark which is usually when my knee starts actin up. I have cut my long runs, I don't do them anymore because this is when I was noticing knee problems the most.
I've ran 10 miles in one run but that night and following day paid for it. I was sore, I felt run down. It was just too much mileage for a week.

When I really had problems with it I never let it get to the point of real bad pain. But it took about a week or a little over a week to go away and for me to just be able to run without freaking out about it. I took 3 rest days that week instead of 1.

I think it mainly has to do with balance. All of my runs are usually on the treadmill. I have to spend the first 1.5 mile working on getting my muscles warm and landing right. I really have to concentrate on keeping my foot pointed straight, this is when I start feeling my knee. It's just with one leg, the other is golden.

I just recently got new shoes too, my first run in them was a free run and my second was a treadmill run. It takes a while to break them in and make them feel like they mold to your foot.

What shoes do you run in? Yes an take your fish oil and calcium! I've noticed a huge difference when taking fish oil.

ETA:
Oh and I was told to start running hills (I do 2 miles of hills 2X a week) this seems to help too. I run them at a 12 min pace. I swear they have helped to correct my overpronation. IMO the treadmill is a good tool but you have to take it easy on it, it's a completely different run than a free run.

[savingmomof2boys]

When I first started running I was running in a pair of Nike Lunar Glide but I was experiencing some discomfort. Since then I have been running in a pair of Brooks Ghost. These shoes have served me well and took care of the discomfort I had. My only problem with the Ghost is that since it got hot out my feet get extremely hot. I wear proper running socks but my feet still get hot to the point I want to take off me shoes and walk barefoot. So last Monday I went to the local running store in search of something I little more lightweight and more breathable. I ended up getting a pair of Brooks Pure Flows and they feel pretty comparable to my Ghost and they are a little more breathable.

I feel pretty comfortable with how I have increased my mileage as I never increase more then 10% at a time. I started with couch to 5k which was 3 days a week. Once I completed that program I kept running just 3 miles the 3 days a week. I added a 4th day of running starting with just 2 miles that day. Once I got to 3 days of 3 miles and 1 day at 4 miles a week I added 1 mile every week to my long run. I am now at the point that I ran 4 days a week (5 miles, 4 miles, 5 miles and a long run of 6-10 miles, on average).

I have not once ever had an issue with my knee since I started running so I think I just ran wrong on it and now it is just inflamed. I am hoping that once it is healed I don't have a problem again. Atleast this is what I am hoping.

The only other thing I have done is that starting 2 weeks ago I have made my 4 mile run a tempo. I agree that you have to add mileage slowly but I think 5 years to get to 13 miles is a little extreme but that is me. Now if you are planning on racing marathons then yes it probably is going to take some time. I have personally noticed that my pace has increased just by adding mileage. When I first started, regularly ran around an 11:00 min/mile pace. Now my short runs are around a 8:55 pace and my long run around 10:20 pace. Those pace increases just came naturally to me as I started running farther. I also have a good amount of hills in my runs. There is no avoiding hills where I live but I don't set out to do hill repeats or anything like that.