Pandemic Running Thoughts (Comments Welcome)

We interrupt this mid-week lull in posting to bring you ....

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New Shoes! These happened a little by accident. I've known that with the heavier training I'm doing in the Hansons method, I would need another pair of shoes for the Montreal Marathon. I don't quite have @DopeyBadger's storehouse full of shoes, but neither do I run as much as he does. The accident was that I had forgotten my shoes when I headed out to the gym for a treadmill run yesterday (the weather called for rain and possible thunderstorms so I resigned myself to 5 miles on the treadmill :crazy2:) so I headed to a running store to find...... they were having a sidewalk sale with some of the older shoes discounted! In fact, my New Balance 880v6 that I've been wearing since I started running again in March (after the non-stress fracture layoff) were on sale for just about half price ($80 CDN rather than $150 CDN).... so I got these puppies. A different colour (my main pair are bright neon yellow) but a shoe that I know is working for me and at half the price!
:stitch:

Sweet new kicks!
 
Montreal Rock n' Roll Marathon - 14 Weeks to Go!

Well, this week was tough. I'll tell you that. The foot injury is getting worse and, while I completed all my runs last week, I've decided that this week I'll ease off a bit.

Here's last week's results.

Monday - 3 miles - I did this one on the treadmill at about 13:20/mile

Tuesday - 5.01 miles - 1:04:47 (12:56/mile)
Mile 1 - 13:05
Mile 2 - 13:14
Mile 3 - 13:00
Mile 4 - 12:55
Mile 5 - 12:34

The story of the week was rain and storms. I was trying to outrace the dark clouds towards the end of the this run, hence the faster times.

Wednesday - off

Thursday - 5 miles - 1:07:00 (13:24/mile) on the treadmill

Again, rain was threatening so I took this one indoors.

Friday - 3.11 miles - 41:41 (13:24/mile)
Mile 1 - 13:19
Mile 2 - 13:30
Mile 3 - 13:18

This was tiring due to the hot and humid weather. I felt like my legs had no "giddy up" and they were feeling very heavy.

Saturday - 3.11 miles - 41:11 (13:15/mile)
Mile 1 - 13:09
Mile 2 - 13;12
Mile 3 - 13:23

This one felt much better. I was in the groove and really holding myself back so I wouldn't go too fast. I felt like I could keep going.

Sunday - 6.10 miles - 1:13:15 (12:01/mile)
Mile 1 - 12:10
Mile 2 - 11:51
Mile 3 - 12:17
Mile 4 - 12:16
MIle 5 - 11:34
Mile 6 - 11:53

Mile 5 had a big downhill, explaining why it was so much faster than anything (as did Mile 2). I felt good overall with this pace and with this distance. There was some fatigue at the end but my foot was really starting to bark at me on this run.

This week:

I'm really not sure what is going to happen. I took today off from running (but went to the gym) and rode the eliptical. There was still some pain in the specific point in my foot that's really bothering me and I'm hoping the day off of running will help, and the fact that there's only one running day before Thursday will give it some rest.

Here's the original schedule

Monday - 4 miles (didn't do it)
Tuesday - 6 miles easy
Wednesday - off
Thursday - 6 miles easy
Friday - 4 miles easy
Saturday - 5 miles easy
Sunday - 7 miles easy

It's still a lot of miles to run. I'm not sure how the foot will react. This week is going to be a test to see if I can make it through or if it's going to be better to shut things down for a bit.
 
Injury update. I decided to take Mon-Wed off this week. The foot is feeling better and I'll go for a run tomorrow morning. We'll see how things hold up.
 
Injury Update. I'm officially on the shelf. The pain was just too much to stop and the diagnosis is not fun. Plantar fascitis, Achilles tendonitis, heel spur and bursitis. So lots of fun. i've gotten some orthotics (a modified/customized off-the-shelf orthotic rather than full custom-made ones) and have been spending time in the gym off my feet over the last week. I can feel some improvement but it's slow going and I probably won't return to running for at least a couple of more weeks. This obviously scuttles the marathon goal.

:(
 


Sorry to hear that. That's a rough set back, but hopefully things will improve and you'll be back out there better than ever. Hang in there!
 
I know you've been waiting with baited breath for an update.... so rest assured that I haven't forgotten about running, this thread or the DIS altogether!

There is markedly less pain in my foot since starting to wear the orthotics and I've returned to running in a very controlled way.

My first run "back" was about 1.20 miles on August 20 which I actually did because I was short of time and I had to run to pick up my mom's car for a gig I was called to play at the last minute. It was tough but I ran it pretty fast (11:10/mile) and without any additional pain in my foot afterwards.

The following Wednesday (August 23), I did a proper run of 1.55 miles at 13:57/mile followed by 1.54 miles at 13:50/mile on the Friday (August 25).

I took most of the next week off but ran 2.00 miles on September 1 at 13:40/mile and then ran 1.54 miles on September 4 at 13:51/mile.

And today, I ran 1.55 miles at 13:48/mile, right after swimming for about 25 minutes.

Yes. The thought of a triathlon has crossed my mind. Right now, I'm just trying to drop some of the weight I've put on while being more sedentary than normal, though.

As always with injuries, there's a reassessment of goals and, in my case, I've had to "let [it] go" the hopes of running the marathon in Montreal a few weeks from now.

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So, if by "letting it go," I'll be trasformed into a Disney princess, I'm all for that.

Goals:

Short term: SLOWLY build up mileage.

I've had a week of 4.5 miles and this week, my goal is 5 miles. Then 5.5 miles, then 6.1 miles, etc. Following the adding no more than 10% per week guideline.
I'm going to be traveling with my wife in late November through January so my other goal is to keep running while we're on the road (although this may be challenging in India).

Short term: Lose weight.

Again, this is a "slowly" goal. I have a feeling that I'll lose weight while we're in India but I do want to drop some pounds before then. Not only will it be easier to run, but it'll put less stress on my foot and help it heal completely.

Short term: Run pain free by January

Mid term: Run Half Marathon in May.

Mid term: Run Dopey Challenge or facsimile thereof at Marathon Weekend 2019
Sub-mid term: I'll probably do a half marathon while training for the Dopey
Sub-mid term: Run the WDW Marathan Weekend 5K with my wife (yup, she wants to run a Disney race)

Long term: Boston
 
Have you been to India before? Depending on where you're going, you might not want to run, just for poor air quality. Delhi and Agra were both tough cities in terms of respiratory health when we were there, and my husband said the same about both Mumbai and Bangalore (I didn't visit those two cities—he went on a different trip). However, other cities we visited were totally fine. In my experience, you'll want to be careful with running no matter where you are... the rules of the road are more like guidelines. I'm so jealous that you get to go for such a long trip... I hope to get back sometime in the future!
 


Hi Fred! Thanks! I've never been but my wife is from India so we'll be seeing a lot of her family in our first week there, in Kolkata. I don't think I'll run there, mainly because of the hot and humid weather, and, now that you've mentioned it, air quality issues. However, most of our trip will be in Rajasthan which is in the Northwestern desert. I anticipate the air quality to be much better as well as having cool temperatures in the morning and evening (since we'll be there in the winter).

I have heard stories about the roads there... Hopefully they won't be as scary where we're going.

I'm definitely excited about it!
 
We spent a bit of time in Jaipur, and while I wouldn't run the mains, there are some side streets that are doable, for sure. Couple of parks, too. Air quality was totally fine there (it was November when we went). In my experience, the earlier in the morning you can get out, the easier time you'll have.

And now I'll go daydream about Lassiwala in Jaipur.
 
We spent a bit of time in Jaipur, and while I wouldn't run the mains, there are some side streets that are doable, for sure. Couple of parks, too. Air quality was totally fine there (it was November when we went). In my experience, the earlier in the morning you can get out, the easier time you'll have.

And now I'll go daydream about Lassiwala in Jaipur.


That sounds great. I think we'll be in Jaipur for a week, and then for a week in some of the other cities/towns like Pushkar, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Jaisalmer. I have a feeling that in the smaller cities it's going to be easier.
 
Just a quick update. I've gotten up to 5.5 miles in a week (1.5m/2m/2m), generally keeping times in the 13:00-13:45 min/mile range. Was supposed to run today but I'm sidelined by a cold so I'll try to get plenty of rest and hope to resume on Thursday.
 
Un autre update (Another update)

The Montreal Marathon has been . . . cancelled! Due to a heat warning. They're expecting a humidex of 38 degrees celsius (100 degrees F) on Sunday and they decided to cancel the full marathon. Which means . . . I'll actually get a refund of my race registration (or a deferral, but I think I'll take the refund). I should get an email after I don't show up to the half marathon on Sunday asking which option I want to choose.

Speaking of running, I ran 2 miles today (Friday), the first run since coming down with a cold. This will be, over the next five days or so, a 6 mile week, so I'll run two miles a day on Sunday and Tuesday to complete the "week."
 
After recovering from my cold (but still with a lingering muscle strain in my upper left portion of my back), I've been out running once and, after reading @DopeyBadger's recaps and posts, I'm inspired to get out and do my run today despite miserable weather and general exhaustion from a couple of weeks of early mornings (for me), lots of gigs and stress including the Jewish High Holidays. Phew. But, I'll probably run today on the treadmill, given that the only place I have to use as a "base" for the run is a gym near where I need to work at 5pm and the roads in that area are not ideal for running. So 2 miles on the treadmill it is!
 
The cold is gone! And I completed a 6-mile week! woohoo! Monday will start up the 6.6 mile week!
 
Ok, it's planning time.

Since my wife and leave for Israel and India on November 22 (returning in early January), there's not much time to get my flabby butt in better shape while ramping up the running. The pain is mostly gone although standing for long periods leaves my left foot sore.

In my ramp-up to getting away, I'm following the "only add 10% per week" rule to keep the stresses from overtaking my precious feet. This past week was 6 miles and I have a 'step-back' week the week of October 29. All of these runs are going to be done fairly slowly (13:20-14:00 min/mile).

Week of S M T W TH F Sa Total
Oct-08 n/a 2.2 n/a 2.2 n/a 2.2 n/a 6.6
Oct-15 n/a 2.4 n/a 2.4 n/a 2.5 n/a 7.3
Oct-22 n/a 2.5 n/a 2.5 n/a 3.1 n/a 8.1
Oct-29 n/a 2.2 n/a 2.2 n/a 2.2 n/a 6.6
Nov-05 2.5 2.2 n/a 2.2 n/a 2.1 n/a 9
Nov-12 3.1 2.3 n/a 2.3 n/a 2.3 n/a 10
Nov-19 3.1 2.3 n/a 2.9 n/a 2.7 n/a 11

My goal is to get back to 11 miles per week by the time I leave, which will require running on Friday, November 24, in Israel.

After that, it's anyone's guess. There may be potential for two runs the week following the 11 mile week while I'm still in Israel but I'll be in transit and then in Kolkata for a few days (and then more traveling to get to Rajasthan the following week) so I'll probably have a week and a half of nothing. Then I'll do what I can and hopefully I'll be able to maintain the 11 miles per week or so while I'm away. Ultimately, I'd love to be able to work myself up to 15-16 miles per week by the time I return in January but I'm not going to worry about that.

Goal 1: drop a lot of weight in India (that part I don't think will be too difficult, given all the walking, traveling, and illness I'm sure to have there) and, even if I haven't been able run as much as I wanted, returning 10-15 pounds lighter will make the running easier on my joints.

Goal 2: keep running!

Goal 3: Goodlife Toronto Half Marathon May 6, 2018 - I'll see what my conditioning is like for this one but I'm hoping to improve on my HM time from 2016 of 2:27:00 (my PB from thinner days is in the 1:57:00 area). I'm hoping to use this as a PoT for Disney in 2019.

Goal 4: Toronto Waterfront Half Marathon October 22, 2018 - This will be a time that I'm building towards, hopefully breaking the 2:00:00 barrier again

Goal 5: Dopey 2019. I'll be running the 5k with my wife (who wants to run a Disney race) and, I'm hoping the 10k with her too. I'm hoping to really bring my marathon time down for that race, from the 5:28:00 I ran in 2017 to (hopefully) under 4:30:00. With that in mind, I'll run the rest of the races slowly (especially if DW is coming with) to leave myself tons of energy for the Marathon.

With about 15 months to go, I think I can do it!
 
So my run yesterday (2.2 miles at 13:15 min/mile) went fine, although I think I went out a little too fast and ran out of gas at the end. Man, it's been so long since I've really built things up, I know I've lost all of the fitness I had before. Grr.

The real reason I'm writing this update is that, at my wife's suggestion, we found an interesting race in India that would be pretty awesome: The Jaisalmer Tuffman Desert Ultra! There are distances of 10K, 20K, 30K, 50K, 80K, a 24 hour category, 100 miles and 220K. I think I'll do the 10k and costs are pretty reasonable (plus staying in the host resort, also pretty reasonable). The timing works out perfectly too!
 
Hey! A Weekly running update is back!

Monday - 2.2 miles - 13:15 min/mile
Wednesday - 2.2 miles - treadmill @4.4mph
Friday - scrubbed due to lethargy/lack of sleep the night before
Saturday - Instead of Friday - 2.2 miles - 13:24 min/mile

In general, my 6.6 mile week was pretty solid. I've shed the jelly legs feeling that I was getting in the previous week towards the end of runs and have felt much stronger.

Next week has 7.3 miles - 2.4 on Monday, 2.4 on Wednesday and 2.5 on Friday
 
I have been running! Really, i have! I just have been slacking on the posting.

Last week - 7.3 miles expected.

Monday (Oct 16) - 2.55 miles (12:44 min/mile). Was looking for a slightly shorter (2.4 miles) loop where my gym was but in between about 2.2 miles and 2.55 miles, there's not much.

Wednesday (Oct 18) - 2.32 miles (13:50 min/mile). This was around another gym further from home.

Friday (Oct 20) - 2.55 miles (13:09 min/mile). Same route as Monday. Why am I running so much faster on the longer route? Well, fewer hills than on Wednesday, anyways.

Total: 7.42 miles

Anyways, i ran Monday and will be running today and Friday to complete an 8.1 mile week. Next week is a step back before ramping things up to 4 days a week in the week following!

The road (literally) to recovery.
 
Weekly Report:

Goal: 8.1 miles

Monday: 2.55 miles (13:13 min/mile) - This run felt good. But it was a bit chilly.

Wednesday: 2.52 miles (12:37 min/mile) - most of the first part of this run was downhill but even on the uphill portions, I felt strong.

Wednesday night, my wife dragged me to an Azerbaijani dance class. It's a very athletic dance style that left me sweating and my legs burning after about 30 minutes. Fortunately, things cooled off from then to the end of the class, but what a workout! But that left my legs a little on the weak side for . . .

Friday: 3.11 miles (13:12 min/mile) - The legs were a bit sore but there wasn't a lot of "push-back" going on. That really had me feeling good. The dance class didn't make me too sore to run.

This was my first time running 5K in one shot since starting my recovery. Things overall felt pretty good. There's a little soreness with the foot, but again, it comes more from things like the dance class and if I have to stand for long periods of time, but it's not getting worse from run to run and rarely bothers me during the runs. The achilles tendinitis which was diagnosed in the bone scan I had is also not really problematic although I can feel it in there.

Total distance: 8.18 miles

Next week is a step-back week. I do 6.6 miles (three runs of 2.2 miles each) before stepping back up to 9 miles the following week.
 

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