All,
i have now experienced how truly horrifying a marathon can be when it all goes horribly wrong!! 26 miles is a LONG WAY when its just not your day! Oh, and im so sore im up 5 pounds

Congrats on the Marathon MK! Even if it wasn't your day I'm proud of you for doing your best! Are you starting that recovery plan next?

Mkroyer: Congrats on the marathon!!! I hope you had great timing!

Myself, I'm going to get back into running this week.

Congrats on your second marathon, MK! Sorry to hear about the less than ideal race, but at least you got to run in some nice weather, eh?

Congrats on the finish MK, you are stronger for it. Sorry it wasn't as smooth as the first.


I still just pluggin along trying to figure out all the fun thing my forerunner can do. I'm still battling that pulled back of my leg top to bottom. It's great if I'm in yoga everyday, which would be great if I had unlimited time to do whatever I wanted. My MIL told me I just needed to retire like her. She's training for Boston and nursing her injuries through daily yoga, chiropractic message, cross training, steam-room etc, etc. The only way you get to spend that much time on yourself is to retire apparently....

Geranium, wouldn't that be nice? I took a week off around Thanksgiving and spent sooo much more time in the gym, running, really taking care of myself... it was so nice to have that much time to dedicate to training! Unfortunately it's about, oh, 40 years until I retire so I probably shouldn't get used to it.

Had a fabulous 4 mile run yesterday. My best mile time was 9:49!!! I've never hit a sub-10mm before! Going to attempt spin class for the first time today... hope it's not too much torture!

Ran a small-ish 10K on Saturday in blessedly WARM weather. Got a PR (55:26) and first in my age group! Getting older isn't ALL bad ... I hit a new age group in September and have been doing pretty fine in it so far. (You don't have to get faster, just outlast everyone else your age ...)

MK - sorry you had a struggle! Some days are just like that. It all depends on the day ....

FP Hope spin was awesome. I love it, I think it's a great compliment to running.

MBN Congrats that's amazing. Good for you.

Hi all -

Sorry I've been MIA, work has been crazy-busy and then our internet server was down the better part of two days last week which made getting online impossible. Since I've last posted I've had two outdoor runs (I've mostly been TM, but we actually had some warmer weather) and I am a little discouraged that I cannot go as far or as fast outdoors. Something about hills (I'm in the foothills of the blue ridge...) and wind. I did an out and back Saturday and I swear when I turned around the wind changed so it was still in my face on my way back! And on the TM I have instant feedback on distance, speed, etc which I don't when I'm outside...maybe to celebrate onederland I'll get myself a garmin to better track outdoor runs.

Also, I made the discovery the hard way that it's not good to run on a full stomach. I had pizza on Thursday night and then slogged out 3.25 miles on the treadmill about an hour later and felt like I had a brick in my stomach! I'd read it in all the running books, but I guess I had to learn it for myself...

Settling into my routine of 3 days running, 2 days lifting, 1 day cross train and 1 day rest per week. It's demanding and requiring juggling in my schedule, but I think it's the best plan for me now. Monday I took two classes back to back: one aerobic dance and one yoga which was nice for a cross-training day. I am so close to onederland and want to keep pushing myself!

MK - congrats on your marathon! Even if you didn't feel great about it, you still ran 26.2 miles which is a huge accomplishment!

FP - new photo looks great!

Eve - how are you feeling?

LJ - how is your return to running going?

All,
Thanks for the encouragement about the marathon!
Heres the re-cap on everything tat went so, so wrong...

you know how every runner tells you "dont do ANYTHING different the day before/day of a race, etc etc" I believe i have spouted those words too.... well, i went to the expo, and was "stuck" there for a coulpe hours (waiting for friends to arrive) and i end up GORGING, literally gorging myself on free sample cliff bars, luna bars, power bars, all that crap. I literally probably ate a total of like 20 FULL cliff bars. They were so darned good, and i have no willpower.. overly processed sugary fattening deliciousness. To make the story more interesting id been constipated for 4 days prior. can you tell whwere this is going?
I had the WORSE diarreah i have EVER HAD in my entire life for the ENTIRE 26.2 miles. I almost dropped out, twice. I remember thinking while i was sitting on a porta potty for the past 8 minutes, for the 10th or 12th time, that i was going to die there, and no one would ever find me. Remember how i was going to run with my friend and pace him to a 4:30 marathon? Well, by mile 10 we had already stopped twice. Then it REALLY hit. I literally c ould not make it to the next porta potty (and they ewre almost every mile, which was great) and i had to go behind a wall. it was awful. I told my friend to go on without me, that i would catch up. Well, i finished my business, ran a half mile, and it hit again. And then again. and then again. At this point i had lost maybe 20 minutes, and i had nothing physically let in me. Id been running 8 minute miles in between bouts, trying to catch up to my friend (which i had NOT trained or practiced to do...... i had trained to run this at 10 minute miles). So id run at my Boston Qualifying pace for a mile or two, hauling a** pass everyone, and then it would hit. And then repeat. The worst part was since i was planning on running it with my friend, i didnt have my IPOD...so no music the whole marathon. He also had pockets so he was carrying all but one of my running goo gels for me. So no energy. i did finally catch up with im around mile 25. I was in SO MUCH pain at this point. BUT at least i know now that i am FULLY CAPABLE of running a marathon at Boston pace, if i train for it. I was able to run the entire seond half of the marathon at that pace, and let me tell you, it HURT. it HURT every part of my body. My BUTT. my BACK, my FEET, my QUADs, even my BICEPS. Those things are STILL sore. it SUCKED SUCKED SUCKED. We crossed the finish line together in 4 hr 34 minutes. Im pretty upset. I promised him a sub 4 30. Its also over 30 minutes slower thn i ran denver. But what can you do?

SO...today.....3 days later.... i am UP 8 pounds (at 143, from 136 before the marathon)
My body is experiencing a "perfect storm" of bloating, so to speak. I am bloated from the inflammation/soreness from the marathon. I am bloated because my electrolytes were so outta whack from the diarreah. I am bloated because i binge ate/carbo loaded all weekend, and did you now that for every gram of glycogen stored in your muscles, 3 grams of water are stored with it? I am bloated because even though i dont get a period anymore, i still "cycle" and get bloated around the 18 thru 20th of every month. Oh, and im constipated again, so im bloated from that. OH, and im not exercising, so i ahve no way to sweat it out...i am very uncomfortable and its taking every ounce of my being not to go for a run. My pants didnt even fit this am. i am literally wearing my fat jeans.....

MK: So sorry to hear about your marathon. You must have been miserable, and so depleted and weak from all of the water and nutrient loss. What happened to you is one of my worst fears when running a race and why I usually run on an empty stomach first thing in the morning. I don't want to eat because that usually brings my digestive system out of dormancy, if you know what i mean. I usually hang out in the maintainers and strength training forum but have been lurking in the runners thread for a while now. I started running late spring and am LOVING it more than words can say. I never thought I would like running but I started slow and now run every other day for 3-5 miles at a time. I am 48 and had some hip and knee and ankle pain but that all seems to have settled down so maybe I will increase my mileage and start working on speed. I am doing the winter distance series at Chatfield (I am from Littleton, CO) and had a blast both in December and last weekend (I ran the 5M in just under 50). So, this post is mainly to offer sympathy and empathy (I could easily eat 20 bars of any kind in one sitting) and to say hi to you and to everyone else in this thread and to FatPants, who I also noticed is from Colorado. I've learned a lot from this forum and can't wait to start posting more often!

Pam

Blue- I'm still here! Missing running like crazy and waiting for my referral to go through so I can make some darned progress on my hip situation!

I'm so angry with this whole situation. I want to get the **** back to training because I feel like such a slob. I've still been exercising, just at a lower intensity and I'm going crazy.

Mk- What a crazy story! I've always been terrified of something like that happening. It sounds like you handled it very well.

Hey there Ladies. I have a question. I don't post here often but am a runner. I have some pain just below my big toe (on the ball of the foot, not on the toe) that has been a killer when I am running. Any remedy for it any of you can suggest?

Also, I have bleeding on my left foot--where two toes are rubbing. Any help with it would be appreciated.

as far as bleeding--- trim your toe nails. its probably one toenail has an edge that is rubbing against the other toe..had it happen a million times to me

RE pain underball of foot/big toe--- could be a form of sesamoiditis-- a catch- all diagnosis for anything wrong with the sesamoid bones under your big toe. They can be inflammed, they can have stress fractures... Metatarsal pads help with that. They go on the ball of your foot and redistribute weight

Can't post much - super busy at work, but wanted to share that my long slow run yesterday was 4.5 miles! Woohoo - that's the longest I ever have run. Sleety/icy so ran on the treadmill - took it at between 11:30 and 12 minute mile. Happy weekend to all - will post more later.