The Running Thread - 2018

I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

A few short runs (8 longest) and lots of time spent on the bike trainer. Got to keep the legs moving without stressing them too much.
 
I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

My rule of thumb is 1 week of rest following a half and 2 weeks rest following a marathon or more. Then I essentially "reverse taper" to ease back up to normal training volume.
 
I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

I had no running from the marathon until Wednesday (1/17), so off for 9 days (I aim for 10-14 off days). Then it was 35 min, 42 min, 42 min, 47 min, and 58 min all at easy pacing. I'll continue only easy for another week before gently reintroducing hard pacing.
 
I felt pretty good the first week and planned to do a short 3 mile run on Thursday, but after one mile, I felt a little hamstring twinge and stopped. So I waited a week and have done a couple of 3-4 mile runs last few days, alternating with some Vinyasa yoga to work on leg strengthening.
 


I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.
Well you are kicking my butt, in the "ramping back up" phase. LOL! I did 6 miles this week TOTAL at a comfortable pace and those were my first 2 runs since Dopey. I'm hoping to progress to 15 miles this week and up to 25 by the end of next. My legs have been fine, but my lungs feel heavy, so I'm taking a really slow rebuild phase.
 
I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

I slowly started getting back into things last week. Total of 11 miles. I'll ramp back up some more this week and get in a tempo run to keep my fitness level up.
 
I just did 3 miles outside this morning for my first run since Dopey. Ironically it was about the same temp as those freezing mornings in Epcot yet felt more comfortable since the humidity was less. Dodging ice and puddles was not fun. I was just walking, stretching and yoga prior to recover from the strange knee/ITB pain I had during the marathon. Plan to start a Hanson's half marathon plan at the end of the month.
 


I just had my first run post marathon on Friday. I wasn't really planning on it but the weather was too nice to pass up, made it a whopping 3 miles. Went for an easy 5 yesterday while dh worked out at the gym. I'm about to go for another easy one to close out the week. Next week will all be easy too.

I might start with some substance runs the week after but I'll be traveling so we'll see how it goes. I really need to register for a spring race so I can get a plan together.
 
I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

Shin splints on my left leg and a chest cold have kept me from running since my Tweedle Dumb challenge. I have gone to the gym and used the bike just to keep things in motion. Leg is better and coughing is almost gone, so I'll be back hitting the pavement next week with my 3/4/3 on Tues/Wed/Thur and longer runs on Saturdays. Will take it slow and see where it goes from there!
 
Race Recap: Fred Lebow Half Marathon

This was my first race of the year, my 3rd half marathon (first since June), and my return to Central Park after two pretty terrible experiences. Certainly not my best race, but overall, it was decent. My goal for this race was a pace of 12:00 min/mile, which would officially lower my NYRR best pace. I discovered pre-race that the NYRR best pace is not the best pace you've run in a NYRR race, it's your best calculated 10K pace. So I didn't even need 12:00 min/mile, but I still kept that as my goal.

The Excellent:
  • This was actually a few days before the race, but I really love the NYRR packet pickup. Bib numbers are assigned at packet pickup - you go in, they scan the QR code associated with your account, and then they take a bib from the top of a stack, stick the right corral letter on it, and scan it to attach it to your account. Much faster than any other packet pickup I've ever done.
  • Course support at NYRR races is always great. Other than the fact that NYRR staff couldn't seem to agree on how to pronounce "Lebow," the staff and volunteers were all great.
The Good:
  • I started off strong, but not too fast. I had the 2:30 pacers in my sights early in the race, which is a pretty good place for me to be early on.
  • My friend (who lives on the UWS) joined me for the second loop. She definitely pushed me harder than I should have run, but it was good to have someone running with me.
  • There were a ton of water stops. So many water stops. I was not expecting that many water stops (I probably should have looked at a map, right?). It was good.
  • I hit my goal!
The Bad:
  • I had a weird foot numbness issue at the end. I've never had that before. It made it hard for me to finish as strong as I wanted to.
  • I was not happy during this race. Too many stinkin hills.

The Evil:
  • The course. They announced at the beginning that there were 16 hills. That's like 15 too many. The Harlem Hill was the worst, but the way they designed the course, we hit all the worst uphills. I wasn't a fan.

Official Time: 2:36:51 (11:58 min/mile) (that's actually a personal worst ... but since I wasn't going for a PR and I beat my goal, I'm happy with it)
New NYRR Best Pace: 11:21 min/mile (which apparently is my calculated 10K pace) ... Corral K, here I come!

If you're interested in a longer recap, I have one in my journal.
 
I am taking a longer taper up this year post Dopey. I took one week off completely from doing anything outside screaming at my TV when the Saints lost in the divisional round to a play that is still haunting me! Beginning last monday I am on my bike trainer in the basement three times a week. I will. Begin running on February 1 and the plan is to keep it easy paced for the first few weeks. This is all to give my body a chance to recover and get amped up for a difficult training period.
 
ATTQOTD Friday: I live near WDW so no park/resort running for me.

Isn't this backwards. If I lived near it I would run there all the time. :teeth:

I have a question for the group. 2017 was not a good running year for me. I ended the year with less than 600 miles. My schedule is now allowing me some more free time to get back to it. For anyone who has taken a extended break, how long did it take for you to get back to your normal paces? I know the distance will take a while to work back up to, but I was not expecting the speed to be so much slower for me. @DopeyBadger perhaps you have a scientific approach to this?

I'm right there with you my friend. It was an awful year. I would get in a groove and see gains and then something else would stop me and set me back. It will be like one of those runs you have where everything goes right. I was doing 11/miles and one day I went out and came back and checked my splits and it was in the 8's the first couple of miles and was shocked because it didn't feel like I was trying any harder. Just be consistent and trust the process and it will come back. At least that's what I tell myself.

On my schedule for 2018? I typically have a spring and fall marathon and sprinkle stuff in wherever or however I feel. I did 4 marathons from Oct. 2016-May 2017--not sure I want to do that again. My fall 2017 marathon was a DNS because of injury. Right now, Boston is my spring race. I just love the experience so not sure when I will get tired of it. I don't know if I will do Flying Pig again (20 days between marathons was a little rough). I might switch back to the 10k. I will probably do Chicago in the fall. I was on the fence with it and NYC, but Chicago is so much easier logistically since I can drive as opposed to fly. And I love the city of Chicago! I didn't have a lot of love for NYC marathon, but would like to try it again.




I love the Wilderness Lodge/Ft. Wilderness loop. There is something about running past that stable of horses early in the morning that makes me happy. I have run before it is quite daylight before and I get jumpy from the wildlife--the worst was the time I saw a snake.

I like the Boardwalk/DHS loop too but usually end up on the roads and DHS parking lot some to add in mileage.

I leave for Saratoga Springs next weekend. Has anyone ever ran there? Last time I stayed there I was 5 months pregnant and not running.



Come join me on the struggle bus. I was off nearly 3 months (with some random, non-doctor approved runs thrown in). I am noticing improvement, but it is taking time. My first step was just to run. Don't pay attention to time, but just go run. I stayed there for about 3 weeks. These runs were short (for me), about 5-8 miles, sometimes less. Lately, I have had a lot of quality treadmill time, so I am forced to see the pace. This can be a slippery slope because I know what I can do on a treadmill and have a tendency to take it too fast.

Right now, my biggest challenge is motivation. I think I have the overshadowing thought of injury constantly in my head.
It is hard worrying if the next step will always put you out of commission.

Hi everyone - I need some advice about an injury! I recognize the internet is no substitute for medical attention but thought some of you might recognize the symptoms.

I just completed Dopey and will readily admit that I was untrained. I was in excellent shape in October and then pretty much only ran the DL Avengers weekend and a handful of 3-5 milers between then and Marathon weekend. I wasn’t too worried - the goal was to finish and I did, even doing parks commando-style with my family all week long too.

My ankle began to hurt the morning of the marathon, before we even started but walking to the corrals. I needed to biofreeze it during the race twice and it turned a bright purple for two days after. Then the swelling went away and the pain was only going down stairs, and then no pain at all after another couple of days. I never saw a doctor and assumed it was an overuse injury that would go away with rest. But it still makes a funny creaking sound when I flex my foot? I wasn’t too worried and figured it was healing up.

Yesterday I suddenly developed pain in my heel and today it is worse. It hurts only when I stand/walk on it and goes away with continued use. Dr. Google makes me think it might be plantar fasciitis or Achilles tendonitis, neither of which have ever been a problem for me before. I also don’t know if they fit since I have complete and painless range of motion for the ankle in all directions. I just hear/feel the tendon creaking when I flex up.

It will be difficult for me to see a doctor in the next week with my work schedule and some travel that I cannot avoid. I also need to get back running for the Big Sur marathon at the end of April. Do these sound like generic symptoms that go away with rest and stretching? Any other suggestions?

Hard to give advice without knowing more about you. It could be either PF or tendinitis but I agree, the bruising is a HUGE concern for me. I would ice it daily but get to the doctor before doing any further damage.

I'm curious how the rest of you ramp back up after WDW Marathon Weekend. I did RCM in early December, so I'm doubly pooped (technically 2.5 * pooped, since I did the Goofy).

I did 24 miles this week, with an 8 mile 'long' run. All of it at reduced pace.

What is everyone else doing?

My plan is different this year. I am just focusing on shorter distances this year I think so I'm currently just doing 4-5 miles runs and trying to build endurance so I can get my pace back where it was.
 
QOTD: We have not had a good chafing discussion in a while. Who experiences this problem and what do you do to prevent it?

ATTQOTD: I have this problem for runs that last over 45 minutes. I use body glide which usually does the trick. Sometimes for those really long runs band-aids while need to be used or I will find myself screaming when I get in the shower. Never had any kind of bleeding from chafing, but have seen people that have. Thats gotta hurt very badly.
 
QOTD - I usually only have chafing issues on the longer runs. For those, I use body glide and mole skin to prevent any issues. For the most part it works pretty good.
 

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