The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner

[RED-DOG]

If anybody is a size 9.5 shoe and would like a free pair of Nike zoom structure (prob unisex but they have a go faster orange bottom to them!!!!) then just say so on here!

Last year I sent off for a camelbak bladder and these bad boys turned up. Since then they have been sitting redundant, if anyone can put them to use and i don't mean ebay then they are more than welcome.

I will possible be in DTD this weekend or next, where I can drop off.

I could do with those if they will fit.

I usually take size 9 to 11 depending on price....

What, you go for the nines if they're cheaper?

Haha, It's a long story.

Cliffs.

Many years ago, when everyone I knew was poor, it was virtually unheard of for anyone to buy new boots, instead they would make do until a suitable pair came along in the tats.

Now say a decent men's pair turned up, if they didn't fit the head of the family that found them, they would be put by and offered to visiting friends or relations.

Invariably, the answer to the question, "What size Shoe do you take?" was always the man's true size plus one size ether side, i.e "Between a 7 and a 9, depending on the price."

The rational was that if the boots were cheap enough, and of good enough quality, the buyer would rather break in a tight pair, or put up with a loose pair than miss out on a bargain, or perhaps even a freebie.

[craigbetts]

The men's marathon has just started at the world championships. What made me chuckle was the officials telling a few athletes to move their feet inches back on the start line. Really? Is it an advantage? Oh we'll, come on Kebede. I can not see a Kenyan medalling!

[Jon MW]

... I was hoping you were going to say 30 minutes because that was the time I was going to set myself   (in context the fastest 5km split I've done was within this 5m and it was 35 minutes)

My target now is 25-30 minutes then

BHF Greenwich Park Run

31 minutes 35 seconds
109th out of 263

So I got close to my target - and to be honest my approach to training may be slightly on the laissez faire side, so probably a lot closer than I expected

[Honeybadger]

Latest Couch to 10k day was to run for 22 minutes non stop. I did it, and I felt great! Which is good, because the last two runs have been terrible with me feeling rough and struggling the whole way.

Problem is that I really think my Achilles is going to be a huge problem. It just won't stop hurting. Not a really bad pain that prevents me running. Not in the slightest. Just a constant slight pain whenever I run. And it feels 'bruised' whenever I touch it when I am not running. I have had a six day complete break to let it recover and am doing two runs per week rather than three as I am supposed to. But the problem is persisting. And I am worried that if I keep running - even with my easier schedule - then I will get injured and have to stop totally.

I will be gutted if I have to stop because this is something I really want to do, and I hate failing at things when I have set my mind on them.

What do you guys think? Should I just continue my running, but keep it to twice a week, and hope that the problem does not worsen and eventually goes away? Or do I need to give up running for, perhaps, a month to let it recover completely? And if I do stop running for a chunk of time, is the problem likely to return once I start again or will the break allow me to eventually continue running without the problem? Obviously I realise you cannot give me definite answers, I just want your best guesses and advice based on your experience and knowledge.

Finally, if I do have a longish break... what sort of exercise would you recommend to replace the running? Something that will not put pressure on my Achilles. I guess you are all going to say swimming, right? But I just can't see myself getting into swimming regularly. I don't really enjoy it that much, and it is a big ballache to have to get organised, drive to the sports centre etc etc compared to running which just allows me to set off from home when I can find 40 mins free.

Any advice welcome. I am really keen to keep going with this project and feel it will make a massive difference to my life if I see it through. Really I am hoping everyone advises me to just risk it and continue running. I am going for a run in the morning regardless (think it is going to be 24 mins non stop) and so am not going to check this thread until after my run, just in case you all tell me to stop!

[peejaytwo]

my daughter started the couch to 5k on 29th april and sunday is the event day (5k or 30 mins non stop)

she was capable of walking for an hour but generally hated exercise so started from a pretty low fitness level. the structured
training plan has really helped her and she's never given in when it got harder.
as i already did a little running (2 miles every now and again) i started the couch to 10k at the same time but missing off the
first 2 weeks of the schedule. i have to say that running with someone will definatly help as will the runkeeper app to track your progress and pace.

GL with it and kudos to you guys running 10k all the time

just here to record my first 10km (9.768 to be exact) run in 57 mins 11 secs.
took a little while longer than i meant but for the last couple of weeks ive been doing 6km twice a week. today i just got up and thought i'd better get it done.
my plan was to run at 10 mins/mile,a little slower than my "normal" pace, to give myself a better chance of getting to the 10k but it just didn't happen. settled into a rhythm at 9.30ish and just carried on, dodgy moment early on when Rick Astley was on the ipod (WTF?) and at 30 mins i really thought "jeez only half way" but a good dollop of stubbornness got me there.
i'm lucky tho,no niggles like stu but my knee clicks away when i walk upstairs.
still kudos to you regular 10k guys btw.

[byronkincaid]

Latest Couch to 10k day was to run for 22 minutes non stop. I did it, and I felt great! Which is good, because the last two runs have been terrible with me feeling rough and struggling the whole way.

Problem is that I really think my Achilles is going to be a huge problem. It just won't stop hurting. Not a really bad pain that prevents me running. Not in the slightest. Just a constant slight pain whenever I run. And it feels 'bruised' whenever I touch it when I am not running. I have had a six day complete break to let it recover and am doing two runs per week rather than three as I am supposed to. But the problem is persisting. And I am worried that if I keep running - even with my easier schedule - then I will get injured and have to stop totally.

I will be gutted if I have to stop because this is something I really want to do, and I hate failing at things when I have set my mind on them.

What do you guys think? Should I just continue my running, but keep it to twice a week, and hope that the problem does not worsen and eventually goes away? Or do I need to give up running for, perhaps, a month to let it recover completely? And if I do stop running for a chunk of time, is the problem likely to return once I start again or will the break allow me to eventually continue running without the problem? Obviously I realise you cannot give me definite answers, I just want your best guesses and advice based on your experience and knowledge.

Finally, if I do have a longish break... what sort of exercise would you recommend to replace the running? Something that will not put pressure on my Achilles. I guess you are all going to say swimming, right? But I just can't see myself getting into swimming regularly. I don't really enjoy it that much, and it is a big ballache to have to get organised, drive to the sports centre etc etc compared to running which just allows me to set off from home when I can find 40 mins free.

Any advice welcome. I am really keen to keep going with this project and feel it will make a massive difference to my life if I see it through. Really I am hoping everyone advises me to just risk it and continue running. I am going for a run in the morning regardless (think it is going to be 24 mins non stop) and so am not going to check this thread until after my run, just in case you all tell me to stop!

apologies if this is teaching granny to suck eggs but what have you done to rehab it?

stretching, foam rolling maybe using a cricket ball or similar on your calves, mobility work, ice, heat, thinking about your posture, running style and dare I say it on a kinboshi thread high dose fish oil for a week or so?

I have done all of the above with various different aches and pains, maybe something to think about if you haven't already. the older you get and the more sedentary your lifestyle the more you need to do this sort of stuff I think.

 

[kinboshi]

Sounds like sound advice to me.

Strengthen through exercise, rest and rehabilitate using ice, stretching and anti-inflammatories, etc., and give it time to heal if it's painful.

Stu, you've got to decide if it's a slight niggle or pain. If it's pain then you could be doing serious damage to yourself that you'll feel the effects long after you've completed the 10k - which is after all, just an arbitrary goal.

[Honeybadger]

Yeah that is the issue really... I don't have any idea how to tell the difference between a niggle and 'serious' pain. As I said, it does not hurt too much really, and definitely does not stop me running, or prevent me from enjoying it. But I remember that is how it started last time, not really a bad pain just constantly there, and it ended up getting really bad.

I actually decided to have another rest and so have not run for four days now. I will probably leave it another day and then go out tomorrow, and see how I get on.

One thing I am confused about is whether to apply cold or heat to 'treat' it and help it to recover. Presumably both cannot be correct... or can they?

I do some brief stretches after every run, including stretches that I presume will work on the achilles - although they actually feel as if they are stretching my leg a little higher up than the achilles. I have also been doing a few exercises for the achilles which involve standing on the stairs with my only the front of my feet on the stair then lowering and raising my body on my 'tip toes', if that makes sense. Definitely seems to be using the achilles, but I am not sure if it is doing it any good or harming it further.

byronkincaid mentioned 'think about your posture, running style' but I have no idea what to think about this. I mean... I just run. Slowly. That is all I know.

Also, what does fish oil do? I don't mind getting some cod liver oil tablets or whatever and taking these every day if this is likely to help.

My gut feeling is that this achilles pain is something that I should be concerned about, and that it is caused by me being pretty damn heavy and thus putting a lot of pressure on my achilles by running. Another guess is that I am running in a rather 'heavy' way, if that makes sense? I don't feel I am lightly springing over the ground like other runners seem to do. I feel like I am banging into the ground every step. I think this is because I am running so slowly and 'deliberately' (wrong word, but can't think of another) - it is difficult to run very slowly without pounding hard into the ground. Especially when you are a big lad like me.

Re: anti-inflammatories. Should I take an ibruprofen before every run? Will this help?

[kinboshi]

Cold after a run, heat in between and before (as a general guide).  Like you use a cold-compress if you bang yourself to reduce swelling, or have an ice-bath or similar after exercise to aid recovery.

With regards to your running technique, it's difficult to comment on it without seeing it.  My first question would be are you taking short or long strides?  Again, that might be difficult for you to determine, but if you feel you are over-striding it might make sense to try and reduce your stride-length so you can land less heavily. 

I think byron was suggesting the fish-oil as an anti-inflammatory, and I wouldn't suggest you rely on drugs to control this - as there could well be other side-effects from that?

You say that you're putting a lot of pressure on your achilles when you run.  The achilles isn't really stressed during walking, but comes into its own when running.  It stores and releases energy very effectively in humans when we run, making us very efficient runners (compared to other animals, such as the other great apes).  Do you feel pain in it when you land with each stride, or is it a cumulative thing that builds up and then you feel it?

You're not involving speed-work or hill-work in your runs are you?  That puts more strain on your achilles.

[Honeybadger]

I am definitely taking very, very short strides. This is an effect of the extremely slow speed at which I am running. I feel I am not running 'freely' if that makes sense - I am running slower than is natural because I am too unfit still to run freely. It almost feels that I am restraining myself when running, that the slow pace is unnatural and artificial - and I wonder whether it is this that is causing the issue. I imagine I am definitely heel-striking due to the slow, almost shuffling pace. If I was running at normal speed I guess I would be leaning forward a bit and the front of my foot would be hitting the ground first.

I cannot answer the question about whether the pain comes when I land or whether it is constant. I am going to guess it is a constant thing, but I will pay attention to it tomorrow when I run and let you know.

I have an idea that if I can build up my fitness enough to be able to run at a normal pace (and thus with a more 'forgiving' style) then there might be less pressure on my Achilles and thus no problems. This may be nonsense of course, I have no idea. Even if it is true then the issue is whether or not my Achilles avoids injury in the period before I get fit enough to run faster. So I guess it comes down to making a judgement about exactly how serious the pain is, whether it is a proper warning sign that I need to take seriously or whether it is just a niggle that I can run through with a bit of care and management.

Does it sound like I am thinking about things in the right way?

[byronkincaid]

omega 3 fish oil not cod liver oil if you OD on that you could get ill. as well as what boshi says it really thins your blood and you are trying to get some blood flow through your tendon. ice, heat is like squeezing and letting go of a hose pipe.

crossfit was set up by a fat looney to be a cult but a byproduct of their awful trainers is that they get loads of injuries and therefore have ended up with a great injury forum!

A quick google found these and if you read through and then go back and clink on all the links in the threads you might find some helpful stuff. GL

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDAQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fboard.crossfit.com%2Fshowthread.php%3Ft%3D67521&ei=TUobUp29GKSS0QWLgYGgAg&usg=AFQjCNH0mhEWAtPJF5rNFPXK3KrwMT2pQA&bvm=bv.51156542,d.d2k&cad=rja

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CD8QFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.crossfitbrandx.com%2Findex.php%2Fforums%2Fviewthread%2F7961%2F&ei=TUobUp29GKSS0QWLgYGgAg&usg=AFQjCNEhL_Ouj9COmSRjl0Mt4nzYn0HTCA&bvm=bv.51156542,d.d2k&cad=rja

Oh and



and

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trigger-Point-Therapy-Workbook-Self-Treatment/dp/1572243759

 

[Honeybadger]

So I had a full week off to allow my Achilles to recover, and it seems to have made a difference!

I just ran for 25 minutes non-stop (go me!!) and had much less pain in my Achilles than before.

I also made a big effort to run in a more 'normal' style than before. Still very slow, but was trying to go a tiny bit faster with a bit more spring in my step - rather than the straight legged almost shuffling style I have been running with. It meant that the run was harder of course because I was using more energy, but it has seemed to have a positive effect on the Achilles problem.

I will keep an eye on it over the next few runs though.

Bad news is that there is now no way that I am going to be ready for the 10k run mid October. But that was only an arbitrary target anyway, so it does not matter. Most important thing is to get there eventually... and preferably without injuring myself!

[kinboshi]

Good stuff. There are 10ks every week, when you're ready to do one give me a shout and I'll join you.

[pokerfan]

http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/messages-from-creationists-to-people-who-believe-in-evolutio?s=mobile

[kinboshi]

Not posted on here for a while, and this post is a request for sponsorship.

http://www.justgiving.com/derby10

I'm doing the Derby 10k on Sunday as part of a team at work. We're raising money for a charity the company supports, so if anyone can spare a tenner or even a fiver that'd be brilliant. The charity provides special moments for the terminally ill. You can follow the link on the justgiving page if you want to find out more about them.