TT Running Club

“Hmmm. Link just went to the search page. OK, just enter 729 in the box....”

“No, that guy behind me didn't catch me.”

“Today I ran for the first time in over two months. A friend of mine wanted to run a little today so I went with her.
We walked over to the local high school and ran their asphalt track. What ever happened to the old tracks of cinder and dirt?

I started out walking 2 laps then we would run the straight sections, walk the curves. We did that for about 5 laps. Then we ran a lap and walked a lap for about 4 laps. We ended up running two more laps. I was really sucking wind at first but finally got to the point I good breathe.

It really wasn't that bad but I did miss the cushioned track from running indoors. Looks like if I want to do the 5K race in 4 weeks I had better start running again. I want that beer stein and cold beer at the end for running the race.”

“Nice work, Ewk!

I successfully completed my first week of "marathon training." All I had to do was complete a total of 25 miles for the week and an 8- or 9-mile run. I just got back from a 9.5 miler, which gave me about 26 or 27 for the week. Yay for me.

Also, we went to watch a friend do a triathlon this morning. Wow, that was cool! I decided I'm going to try one next summer. I have to figure out how to swim better so I don't drown, but other than that it should be a great challenge....”

“Good for you, Ewker. I ran yesterday for the 1st time in a few months as well. I promised myself a no-guilt workout, walk when I wanted to, ran when I wanted to. I have not been eating well for the last week, and I really felt it last night most of the way through.

But, if you look here, (http://runmichigan.com/results/04/witchshat5k_091104.shtml) you'll see that I won my age group in a 5K Saturday. I was signed up to do it, but my boyfriend's 15-year old cousin ran it in my place. He did quite well!! But, I ended up with my race t-shirt anyway, and a pretty cool one at that!”

“Keep up the good work-all.
I don't run, just lurking..
Bowlderman, if you need to wear a wetsuit for the triathalon, and are allowed to, I urge you to research them and practice in it”

“I'm bummed cause I havn't been able to exercise hardly at all the last week and a half. I did soemthing to my stupid ankle and its been sore and a little swollen for a few days now. I thought it was just a strain or slight sprain and would be allright in a few days. BUT, it seems to be getting worse instead of better. So maybe I'll have to go see a doctor (cringe) I hate doing that.”

“Way to go, Smiley! Well, smiley's boyfriend's cousin, anyway.... I looked through the results and noticed that there was a 60-year-old guy who ran 18:42, or 6:01 per mile!

Winter, they do allow wetsuits, even though the temp is relatively warm (75). I would probably wear at least a top, for buoyancy, since I have a tendency to sink. It was interesting to see the variety of swimwear - everything from the skimpiest suits to full wetsuits.”

“Ha! Just tallied up my miles for last week: 26.2 - I think it's a sign....”

“I noticed last night after running that my knee was starting to feel a little funny. Today my knee is swollen and feels extremely tight. It feels like there is a lot of fluid built up behind the knee cap. I can make the knee pop like you do your knuckles and it feels good for a while then it gets tight again.

Tonight will be fun as I have to help my daughter move from one apt to another, both are upstairs..sigh”

“My ribs finally healed enough for me to start running again. I've been off for 2 months or so. I started training again, gently, 10 days ago.

Waiting to run was torture...

Ran an 8 mile race on Mackinaw Island Saturday with my wife and 1200 others. The weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful. Had a very nice (but not fast) race. I love it there.

I won't be doing any marathons this fall, I lost too much training time, but I think I'll do a trail half marathon on Mackinaw Island in Oct.”

“le Sub - what did you do to your ribs?”

“Did my first run in two weeks today a 6 miler (48:30). It felt sooooo good to get out.

Le Subtil sorry to hear about your ribs, I hope all is well.

My plan is to work my way up to some really long 20 plus milers, I want to do an ultra next year so we'll see.

I am also working on doing army pft test. I am going to work on maxing for my age then working down to the 18 year old standard, oughtta be fun.”

“Q:
I learned how to not to water ski!

The Dr. told me I pulled the front end of my lower ribs out of their cartiledge "socket", and probably fractured them around back too. He had done something similar once. It was far more painfull in front and took longer to heal than a fracture.

With that, following a bad bout of epiditimytis, this was the "summer of pain".
But all is well now!

P.S. I started attending speed skating practice 2 weeks ago. That is SOME workout...”

“soft tissue injury to the ankle. got a script for some anit-inflamatory stuff and told to lay off for a few days. duh”

“Too many injuries, folks - get well!!

I'm cross training today, after a rousing 46 minutes on my 10k Hills of Severe Pain course yesterday. Amazingly, I am waking up each day feeling fine - no soreness, nuthin'. Rode the bike to work today, and I'm headin' off to lift a few weights in about 10 minutes. Looks like the marathon training plan is going OK in Week 2....”

“I am entering in a short run in November. I have already started training, but I know I will need a better pair of running shoes for the race.

My question is, would you purchace a pair of trail runners and used them on concrete. I would like to kill 2 birds with one stone here.”

“theres been some discussion about this and generally the answer seems to be no. Maybe more important for you with the knee - running will put some pressure on teh knee.

If your gonna take up running for a hobby or as part of your fitness plan, it would be worth it to go get "fitted" for a pair of good shoes. Running on roads puts a pounding on your feet and knees.”

“Thanks Roam, that was what I thought. I used to run, back in high school. That is probably what caused the gravy buildup in the knees.”

“ok, i'm confused by the "gravy". what the heck are you talking about?”

“One reason I had the "Wounded Knee" was due to fluid build up under the knee cap. I was joking one day, here, and said I kneed to have the gravy tapped from my knee.

I guess you just had to be there.”

“I would second the recommendation to get "fitted" for a good pair of regular running shoes. Go to a small shop that specializes in running, not a giant athletic equipment superstore.”

“Thanks, I will be checking at a local shop”

“One other thing, especially for folks with knee probs: Make sure you keep track of how long you have the shoes and how many miles you put on them. Your mileage may vary, but I won't go more than about 300 miles on a pair, and I've heard that the materials will break down in a year or so even if you don't run in them.”

“the pair i just realized was worn out is just over a year old - i just ran in them the last three months, but wore them daily prior to that. They weren't special or "fitted" or anything, but I developed a heel/ankle issue thats bothering me now.

Wear good shoes!”

“ditto to bowlders comments on getting "fitted" I will be ordering my new piar of New Balance 815's size 10.5 EEEE, Yes I have freak feet with very high arches.”

“Wow, birch, that sounds like what the Hobbits' feet look like. Are yours really hairy, too???? :-D”

“damn birch, but you know what they say about guys with big feet....














































.....



big shoes.”

“Bowlderman, I would love to have hair covering my feet, then no one could see them...

Roam, I thought the saying was "big feet=plantar fascitis" LOL!”

“First "intensity" workout in a while last night. I did a tempo run: 10 minutes warmup, 20 minutes with heart rate between 160 & 166 (I think that's about 85% of my max), then about 8 minutes cool-down. Felt reasonably strong, and I was able to keep my HR in the range pretty well. I've made plans to tag along with a friend of mine for a long run on Sunday AM - she does ultras, so I may be getting in over my head, but I can always veer off for a shorter run if necessary. The run is at one of my fave spots - may see some deer, turkeys, snakes, etc.”

“I just got back from finishing my 20-miler. It was a good run and I felt strong. Chicago marathon, here I come!

Time to plunge into an ice bath now. Arrgh, I hate those.”

“you rock man!

ice bath? yowsa! thats cold!”

“Wow! Did my long run this morning with my friend Paula and two of her friends. It had sprinkled a bit on the drive to the lake, but was merely cloudy when we started. After about 45 minutes it started raining lightly, then it just let loose. It rained as hard as I've ever seen it rain in my almost 43 years here in the Bay Area. And there we were, slogging through the mud and rain! I've never gone 3 miles laughing out loud the entire time. We were so soaked, barely managing to stay on our feet on the steep fire trails. It was GREAT! My watch said an hour and 45 minutes at the end, so I'm guessing about 11-12 miles....”

“hubcap, 20 milers are great arent they,lots of time to think for sure.

Bowlderman, I love running in the rain.I get way overheated when its warm so a rainy run is a blessing to me. Hows the marathon training going?

I am back in full swing,slowly adding the mileage, prolly break 30 this week. I am in love with the 7.8m route I do. I will do it for a 3rd time this week on sunday. Had a great 7 miler yesterday, 58:34. Felt absolutely amazing the whole time.”

“I think my ankle is feeling good enought to start back this week - plan on trying a mile or so Sunday just to see how it feels.

been missing it.

(sick ain't I)”

“Hey birch! Training is going well. Despite the probably-too-quick increase in mileage, I'm not really feeling too dead. 14-miler tomorrow....”

“bowlderman, I doubt the quick increases will bother you. Its not like you arent coming at this with gazzillions on miles under your belt LOL!”

“I havent run a "time trial" for a 3 mile run in a long time,so I thought I'd do it today. 19:35, a new PR for me!!!! I didnt do precise splits but the first 1.15 took about 7:40 at 2m I was at 13:42 so my last mile was prolly a touch under 6min! My stomach still hurts, it was not a very fun run, thanks goodness it was over quickly.”

“thats a pretty awesome time birch. Good job!”

“Wow, nice time trial, birch!

I successfully completed my 14-miler yesterday. I averaged about 8:10 per mile. At the last minute, I decided to wear my HRM, and I was amazed at how consisted my HR was - right on 145 the whole run! I was getting pretty zonked the last couple of miles, so it was good to take it easy the rest of the day. No, wait, I came home and did a couple hours of yard work!

Anyway, I will finally take a day off today. Saturday was supposed to be a day off, but I ended up hiking to the top of the mountain on Angel Island, a 3 mile round trip with 730 feet elev. gain!”

“My dad and I ran a 10k yesterday for Leader Dogs for the Blind. I didn't do as well as I should have. But, I haven't run in two weeks and I was out late the night before (past 1am) and drank a couple beers. So, considering that, I am not too disappointed w/ my 1:01:29, or a 9:54 pace.

But, to make myself feel a little better about the pace, I decided to do a short, quick run on the local trail, 2.6 miles. My pace for that was 8:15. It worked... I feel better now.”

“Hit the track last night - ugh! At least I can say I completed the workout. I did 6 800s with 2:00 rest. I had hoped to average around 3:00, but I could tell from the beginning that my legs were like jello. I averaged 3:08, so at least I hung in for that. Felt so dead I went to bed early last night, so I guess that means I worked hard enough....”

“Well, I took the first real step toward committing to the marathon - I made a hotel reservation. Of course, I can cancel 24 hours before, but still....

OK, so I also announced "running a fast marathon" as my goal for the next few months to several family members. Gulp....”

“A friend of mine down here is going to Chicago next weekend - my hats off to her!

What marathon are you planning for Bowlderman?”

“Bowlderman, speed work is my least favorite. I admire you motivation. I'd like to borrow some...

Roam, anymore 5k's scheduled?”

“Hey roam, I'm hoping to do the California International Marathon on December 5th. I, too, have a friend doing Chicago. His goal time? 2:30.

I actually like the speedwork, birch. Especially when I'm at a high school track and the kids stare at me like, "Geez, I've never seen a guy that old do speed work." I keep wanting to invite them along to see if they could stay with me!”

“LOL! It'd be fun to outrun the kids.

I've been laying off for a few weeks, partly because my ankle swelled up and was really sore and then partly because I'm trying to get packed and move. Gonna get back in the routine now though and try for a 5k in my new city in Oct.”

“Oh, my friends time in Chicago last year was around 3:35, not sure what her goal is this year, I'll ask her. 2:30 is FAST!”

“Yeah, my friend is an amazing all-around athlete. He was on the Stanford baseball team in college, and claims the all-time 1-mile record for baseball players there. He ran like 4:45 or something in baseball cleats! After college he started running and has done really well. He ran a 2:40-something at the Cal International last year.”

“I've been reading about Roger Bannister and his pals training for trying to break the 4-minute mile in a book called The Perfect Mile, which is actually more about the mile he ran against John Landy at the Commonwealth Games in Vancouver later on. It's interesting reading about the workouts they were doing. At one point a few months before actually breaking 4:00, they ran 10 400s (well, 440 yards actually) in about 66 seconds each. Then they gradually worked their way down from there. It was interesting to read that because I once did a workout averaging that! Later, they had plateaued at a 61 second average - just couldn't seem to get down to that 60-second average, which would get them to a point they thought they could break 4:00. So they went mountain climbing in Scotland over one weekend to get away from running. When they came back - BOOM! - 59 second average. So the moral of the story is if you want to improve your mile time, go climbing!?”