The stretches and foam roller have made a huge difference in my legs. I don't feel pain 24/7. I ran 8 miles Saturday and felt ok when it was done. I felt like I had just run 8 miles. Later in the day my right knee had the familiar pain, but it left by Sunday afternoon. I ran this morning and was totally fine too. So the pain is going to happen, but I don't think its going to ruin my chances at completing the marathon.
This weekend my group will be doing 18 miles, but I will be doing 17 since I wasn't able to do the 16 miler. This will be a big test on my knee!
In sponsor news, I owe Jackie a ThanksPaints and my old coworkers at USF chipped in for a nice donation too. It feels great to get so much support!
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
I went to a gym
I wanted to try out a gym near my house to see if it will be good for strength training and winter running. It had its pros and cons. First, the workout: the walk is 1.36 miles one way, so I walked 2.7 miles total, I ran 2 miles in 20 minutes on a treadmill, and I did a few leg machines.
The pros:
-the place is close
-its not a corporate chain gym
-has no stupid initiation fees, can pay per use, per week, per month, per year etc
-wasn't as busy as I expected it to be for a Monday at 7
The cons:
-I hate running on treadmills now that I'm used to the great outdoors. I'd only run on a treadmill as a last resort winter type thing.
-It was dude-ical. I expected it to be meatheads but there were way more meat heads than I had hoped for. I think I was one of 3 women in the whole place.
-The layout was confusing. Leg machines were downstairs with treadmills and free weights, and arms machines were upstairs with bikes and ellipticals.
-It didn't have the three leg, hip, and thigh machines that I really needed. I'd have to do free weights and I'm too afraid to do that, nor do I know how to do that for legs...
-I sweat more than I've ever sweat before and I only ran 20 minutes. I missed the breeze outside.
So basically I don't know - we'll see if I join in the fall/winter. There's a corporate gym two blocks from it that is almost twice the price. If it's twice as nice it'd be worth it but I could also spend that money in a better way (like paying bills).
The pros:
-the place is close
-its not a corporate chain gym
-has no stupid initiation fees, can pay per use, per week, per month, per year etc
-wasn't as busy as I expected it to be for a Monday at 7
The cons:
-I hate running on treadmills now that I'm used to the great outdoors. I'd only run on a treadmill as a last resort winter type thing.
-It was dude-ical. I expected it to be meatheads but there were way more meat heads than I had hoped for. I think I was one of 3 women in the whole place.
-The layout was confusing. Leg machines were downstairs with treadmills and free weights, and arms machines were upstairs with bikes and ellipticals.
-It didn't have the three leg, hip, and thigh machines that I really needed. I'd have to do free weights and I'm too afraid to do that, nor do I know how to do that for legs...
-I sweat more than I've ever sweat before and I only ran 20 minutes. I missed the breeze outside.
So basically I don't know - we'll see if I join in the fall/winter. There's a corporate gym two blocks from it that is almost twice the price. If it's twice as nice it'd be worth it but I could also spend that money in a better way (like paying bills).
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
derailment
Doh! Injury! I've been fighting an injury since my 12 mile run. I suspected it was my IT band based on the symptoms (outer/side part of knee hurting) and talking with my trainer. Everybody kept telling me GET A FOAM ROLLER and I kept putting it off. Finally after a brutal 14 mile run, I ordered one and started using it. You know your IT band is the culprit if you feel giant knots while you roll over the foam roller. I felt them, oh how I felt them. The pain is so...painful. And you are supposed to keep on rolling the parts that are especially tender. But when it's done I can actually walk without horrid pain for a period of time! Stairs were still bad.
So this past saturday was a breezy 7 mile run, or SHOULD have been a breezy 7 miles. At 3.5 my right leg felt like it locked and felt like the 'hinge' (knee) was grinding with no lubrication. It was sharp pain and crippling. I had to walk for about 10 minutes, very poorly, then I finally was able to run/walk/hobble to finish out the 7 miles. Not happy.
I made an appointment with a physical therapy place nearby that came highly recommended. I was hoping they'd give me some simple at-home exercises I can do so I wouldn't have to go there all the time and pay out my ass. I was in luck! Lucky me, I've been so absolutely lazy about stretching and cross training that this injury is mostly all my fault!
The physical therapist said my hamstrings were amazingly, shockingly tight. Like, how have you made it this far tight. The tight hamstring combined with the right IT band problem compounded into mass problems for my right leg. The prescription was pretty simple:
1. Skip the 16 miler this weekend, talk to trainer about getting back up to speed in a few weeks.
2. Continue smaller 30-45 minute runs but don't push it if its feeling bad.
3. Bike this weekend for a long time to keep that endurance cardio going.
4. Do the following stretches 60 seconds per stretch, 2 times in a session, 2-3 sessions a day: hamstring wall stretch and lying iliotibial stretch. Do them both before and after each run.
5. Keep on foam rollin. Also foam roll before and after each run. Wanna see a foam roller in action and learn more about IT bands? Check it out:
I look pretty awesomely stupid doing it.
If its not any better in two weeks I go back to physical therapy.
So there you have it - laziness and procrastination don't pay!
I did the stretching regiment this evening in its entirety and it was ouchie during the stretches but now I'm feeling pretty good.
So this past saturday was a breezy 7 mile run, or SHOULD have been a breezy 7 miles. At 3.5 my right leg felt like it locked and felt like the 'hinge' (knee) was grinding with no lubrication. It was sharp pain and crippling. I had to walk for about 10 minutes, very poorly, then I finally was able to run/walk/hobble to finish out the 7 miles. Not happy.
I made an appointment with a physical therapy place nearby that came highly recommended. I was hoping they'd give me some simple at-home exercises I can do so I wouldn't have to go there all the time and pay out my ass. I was in luck! Lucky me, I've been so absolutely lazy about stretching and cross training that this injury is mostly all my fault!
The physical therapist said my hamstrings were amazingly, shockingly tight. Like, how have you made it this far tight. The tight hamstring combined with the right IT band problem compounded into mass problems for my right leg. The prescription was pretty simple:
1. Skip the 16 miler this weekend, talk to trainer about getting back up to speed in a few weeks.
2. Continue smaller 30-45 minute runs but don't push it if its feeling bad.
3. Bike this weekend for a long time to keep that endurance cardio going.
4. Do the following stretches 60 seconds per stretch, 2 times in a session, 2-3 sessions a day: hamstring wall stretch and lying iliotibial stretch. Do them both before and after each run.
5. Keep on foam rollin. Also foam roll before and after each run. Wanna see a foam roller in action and learn more about IT bands? Check it out:
I look pretty awesomely stupid doing it.
If its not any better in two weeks I go back to physical therapy.
So there you have it - laziness and procrastination don't pay!
I did the stretching regiment this evening in its entirety and it was ouchie during the stretches but now I'm feeling pretty good.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
get new gear
I got new shoes:
My old pair had been a pair of brooks. I tried the updated version of those, a pair of sauconys and these adidas. It was a close call between the brooks and the adidas, but these felt like they will be nicer on my knees.
I also picked up a new set of superfeet for the ole pronation and flat-arch problems I have.
The plan is to test out the new shoes with the old superfeet on Friday for a few miles. If I like it, then I'll wear that same combo for my 14 mile run. Then the upcoming week I'll put my new superfeet in. This combo should keep me going through the marathon in october.
I also got my fist tube of body glide. I wasn't sure I needed any as I don't get any chafing in my pits/booty/etc - the normal spots you get it. The dude said that it would alleviate the blistering I have on my feet and I did get chafing on the tops of my feet too the past few weeks. So we'll test that out on Saturday morning too.
All this consumerism has made me feel a bit better about my knee situation now that I'm updated on my goods.
My old pair had been a pair of brooks. I tried the updated version of those, a pair of sauconys and these adidas. It was a close call between the brooks and the adidas, but these felt like they will be nicer on my knees.
I also picked up a new set of superfeet for the ole pronation and flat-arch problems I have.
The plan is to test out the new shoes with the old superfeet on Friday for a few miles. If I like it, then I'll wear that same combo for my 14 mile run. Then the upcoming week I'll put my new superfeet in. This combo should keep me going through the marathon in october.
I also got my fist tube of body glide. I wasn't sure I needed any as I don't get any chafing in my pits/booty/etc - the normal spots you get it. The dude said that it would alleviate the blistering I have on my feet and I did get chafing on the tops of my feet too the past few weeks. So we'll test that out on Saturday morning too.
All this consumerism has made me feel a bit better about my knee situation now that I'm updated on my goods.
ouchie knee and thankspaint
Oy my right knee. Last night was the first time I ran since my 12 mile run that Saturday in Anaheim. I've been too sick to be able to go running since then. It was only a 30-35 min run and within the first mile I had knee pain, and lots of trouble transitioning between running and walking. Just the right knee. By the end of the night the outer portion of my knee hurt very badly. During the run its the actual knee. This is frustrating because one version, just the knee, is simply runners knee, the other version, outside bit, is an I-T band issue which is much more serious and can potentially force me out of marathon training.
To counteract this, I'm going to the runners store tonight to get fitted for running shoes or to see if my current ones are doing the trick. That will eliminate one potential cause for the pain. I've already tried a knee brace to no effect. The other thing to do is to be strict about a stretching and leg strengthening regiment. I've been super lax about starting one, but I have no choice now. So now even more of my time will be devoted to running.
Also, I made Nate a thankspaints but its too cheesy to go on here. So there.
To counteract this, I'm going to the runners store tonight to get fitted for running shoes or to see if my current ones are doing the trick. That will eliminate one potential cause for the pain. I've already tried a knee brace to no effect. The other thing to do is to be strict about a stretching and leg strengthening regiment. I've been super lax about starting one, but I have no choice now. So now even more of my time will be devoted to running.
Also, I made Nate a thankspaints but its too cheesy to go on here. So there.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
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