Hey everyone... sorry for being away :( I did read everyone's posts but there is just to much to comment on it all.

I've got shin splints as was suggested :'( I haven't ran in a week now! Anyone have any idea how long they take to get better? I'm a heel striker and wondering if I should try to change that... anyone have any ideas?

Ran 5 miles today cut 1 min off last time.Yeah!

Actually...I am an architect:D Structures was never my strong subject though. I'm trying to remember the specifics of the arches and domes of the cathedrals and am drawing a bit of a blank...I just keep getting caught up in the notion of "arches getting stronger"...I get it in the terms of muscles and ligaments, but in terms of concrete, wood, steel, etc. that is pretty much impossible. Those members can't get stronger. They do have the ability to snap back to form after a load is removed, but the stregnth they have is the strength they have and when you over load them they will fail in time.

I guess maybe could say that about an arch because it supports itself through compression at the center while a straight beam supports itself through tensile strength. However, the arches in our feet are not shaped like a true arch...so that compression would not be the same. Anyway, it's been a long time since school and that's why I rely on engineers:) Sorry about your dad.

Only had time to squeeze in 8 yesterday, but had plenty of stamina to run the 10...it was probably a good think I only could do 8 because I'm becoming increasingly concerned with my injuries. I have no running the next two days, so Wednesday we'll see. But I'm mentally preparing myself to walk if I feel pain. If I'm truly going to make it to the starting line in June I'm better off taking time off now...

MBN: So glad you had joyful runs this weekend!

devadiva: Nice job on shaving off the minute!


I ran my planned 3 miles on the treadmill tonight, and it was all supposed to be at 5.3 mph... but one of the trainers came over to speak to me about something during my run, and I had to cut the speed back to 4.5 mph for a few minutes so I could talk, lol. BUT, I made up for it by upping the speed to 5.5 mph with 5 minutes left to go, and then to 6.0 mph and 6.5 mph for the last two minutes of the run. I was totally happy with how decent I was feeling at 5.5 mph - and I'm making it a goal to do at least one 3 mile run at that speed by the end of the month!

Had a busy weekend with visitors and now have a paper do tonight. I'm going to try and squeeze a run in this evening. Hoping it will help clear my mind and maybe I can crank this paper out better. Sounds like everyone is doing great! Getting a little nervous for my 8k in three weeks. I have only run 5k's up to this point and I know it isn't a huge difference but still worried.

Sounds like everyone is doing really good!

I have been taking it easy with my calf, trying to do some trigger point massage and foam rolling. Decided to go for it today, did 3 miles on the treadmill in my Merrells. I had to go at 4.8 for most of it to feel comfortable, but I am not feeling pain right now :D Hopefully I will be okay. Taking it outside tomorrow and will see how it goes.

@roncygal - If it were me I'd get something different for other than running stuff, just to keep track of the wear and tear factor so you know when to replace the running shoes.

Cold windy rain drove me back to the treadmill today. Even watching SMASH which I love didn't make the time go fast!! Just 4 miles is all I could make myself do.

4 more run days before I'm out for 6-8 weeks. 2 years ago I couldn't imagine running .5 miles. Now I can't imagine going weeks without being able to run 20-25 miles per week!!

Hopefully the results of the surgery will make it totally worth it!!

Hey everyone!
I haven't been posting on 3fc for a while (since Christmas-ish), but I've been lurking and still steadily losing weight... This thread caught my eye and I thought I'd jump back in :)
I started C25K back in Sept on the treadmill but beginning of December I was having a lot of problems with my foot and had to back off, and then the holidays came along and I didn't get back into it for quite a while... January I started running on the treadmill again, but it was pretty slow progress.
The last few weeks I've started running outside with the weather being nicer, and I LOVE it!! At first it was difficult, and my muscles were really sore afterwards, which I wasn't really expecting... Now it's becoming a little easier, and I'm so happy because running is no longer a chore, I really enjoy it when I'm outside! And I'm improving every time.
I have a 5k route that I'm doing, and right now my time is at about 36 min... I have yet to run the whole thing without taking any walking breaks though. If I can run it in under 35 min (and preferably with no walking breaks) by next Tuesday I'm going to enter a 5k race on April 29th. Very excited!! I ran cross-country in grade 12, but I've never done road races before.

Popping in quickly to say Hi,

Had a wet and windy run the morning, but felt great afterwards.

Hi to bpatt. You are faster than me for 5k...but look out....I'll be right behind you! I'm beginning to enjoy running too. Fun isn't it!

It will be SO worth it !!!! You have earned this be patinet with your recovery you will be able to walk ect after awhile..and you will be back at it faster and sleeker than ever before YOU GO GIRL!!!! I am watching you:carrot:

5 mile treadmill run today -- intervals to try to get my speed back up. Still slow, still taking some walk breaks, but definitely seeing progress. I remember the days when I could hop on the TM and knock out 10 min miles all day long .... maybe someday ....

Well darn it... i had a good thing going with the running there, (for 4 whole days) Hey! it was a streak non-the-less, and THEN....

i FINALLY bought my dream road bike!! i just went out on sat night and DID it! ive been wanting one for a couple years now, literally, and with me being so athletic, and so endurance focused, i KNEW i was going to love it, so i wasnt going to buy a cheap bike, and then have to upgrade in 4 months, kWIM?

So i found this 2000 bike, worth 3000 at LEAST, and on sale for 1299. I couldnt RESIST.
Bought the bike, and now im ALL about it. hehe. I want to ride to work everyday, im planning 40-50 mile rides for every day on the weekends for the next couple weeks, til im ready to up that and head into the mountains... my biggest fear is CARS. But Colroado is VERY road bike friendly. Most of the roads are designed with large shoulders for road bikes, and people here know to watch out for riders, etc... but STILL.... its very scary. I rode into work yesterday and had to be a "vehicle" the whole way. Enjoyed it though. i wish i didnt have school two nights a week or i could ride in more often.
But the way i see it, the road bike is paying for itself. Everyday i ride into work i save 10 dollars on parking ( i work in downtown Denver). Do that 2-3 days a week and i save 120 to 150 bucks a month! thats how much my paytments are for the bike (6 months, interest free)

Now i just have to figure out how to make time to ride in the am AND run.....

Chickadee-- i hate to say it, but i told you so ;) GREAT JOB on getting out there and doing it!! iknew you were ready!

Ummm---re: heel striking, barefoot running, arches, etc....


its defniitely NOT for everyone. HOWEVER, i you ARE a heel striker, an dy our DOCTOR says its causing problems ( not the 18 year old "specialtst" at Road Runner Sports) Then i do suggest trying barefoot running.... like, literally. either barefoot on your treadmill, or go out to the local HS track/football field. Take off your shoes and socks and either run on the track, or if your are a wuss (JUST KIDDING) run in the grass, parrallel to the track, for a couple laps. Your calfs will make you pay the next day, but you will definitely "unlearn" heel striking" Do that once a week, or so, to stay on top of it. It will forc eyou to ball/forfoot strike, and force you to keep your feet under you. It will also force you to lead your stride from the hips, and NOT from the knees ( heel strikers lead their strides with their knees) You dont have to go out and buy a 100 dollar pair of vibrams

mkroyer - how cool you got a bike!! I'd love to get a road bike someday, I'm stuck with my mountain bike for now.

Did 3 easy miles today. I think I have been doing too much of a forefoot strike, does anybody know if that would give you calf pain? I was pretty sore and tight from running in my Merrells yesterday too. I did a warm up routine and some jump rope and jumping jacks to make sure I was really warmed up. I tried to go easy and be light on my feet and most of the run was okay. I may just have to resign to going back to only running 3 days a week. I don't want to do that!

BigKnit-- YES, a forefoot strike would give you calf SORENESS......But as your body is/becomes adjusted to the techniques, that sorenss should dissapate

My husband has been plagued with calf problems and purchased a pair of calf compression sleeves for running. I haven't tried them myself, but he swears by them. He hasn't had any calf issues since. I had other friends that have had good success with them too. Your calf issues may just be due to adjusting to your new gait, but trying out the compression "sleeves" wouldn't hurt (except, maybe, in the pocketbook).

Also - you mention jumping jacks as a warm up ... those kill my calfs. Maybe an added stressor?

mkroyer - Something to think of for sure, my shins are still really sore. I do dog agility and just running on the padded floor there made them hurt though I'm hoping it was just the amount of sudden starts, stops and direction changes. I may try changing my striking before I try barefoot though. I'm also going to try strengthing my anterior tib muscles and quadriceps, I read that's supposed to help both shin splints and falling arches. How about pictures of you and the bike? Is 40-50 miles your commute to and from work or just what you want to ride? It would take me a week to ride that far!

Cherrypie - Good luck with your surgery!

MBN - How are they supposed to help?

I love the ideas here!!!!

I am a heel striker :o It was very uncomfortable trying to change stride today, so I think I am going to work on my shins.

I also realized that I don't have the oppurtunity to use stairs in daily life, my work is on first floor and I have no reason to go upstairs in my house (only the kids' rooms up there, older kids).

I attempted to do jump rope to warm up, light jumps but landing on the balls of my feet. I will continue to work on this, I wasn't able to do many :(
And there are some stairs down by the river leading to the bike paths that I am going to try and workout on. Will look silly at first I am sure!

MK - You KNOW you can totally do both, **** do both in one day! My DH is getting back into biking, so excited he's actually taking interest in his health and I'm thinking I may do some biking myself at some point.

Intervals today - 800s at 10k pace - 45-60s...5 miles total, whoa...it was a tough workout! But pretty satisfying...if I didn't have these injuries nagging me I think I could have pushed my pace even further which tells me I may not have my 10k pace dialed in just yet.

Great day everyone!

YES! Ever since my first barefoot run I've had sore calves. Like, really sore. Like, 4 days in and I am still feeling it. Haha. And barefoot is also more of a forefoot strike. I am pretty sure I tiptoed a bit too much which is why it's so intense. I am new to barefoot running and I forgot the part where my heel is still suppose to touch the ground a few times. Hihi. Oh well, I am hoping my calves will come out of this a bit stronger than they were.

mk - Thank you, and yes, you were totally right. :lol: And I was very happy you were! I'm glad you're having such a great time with the bike, but maybe keep running where you can fit it in - you were just starting to have fun with it again!

CherryPie - GOOD LUCK with the surgery! :hug: Everything is going to go great, and you are going to be SO happy you took this step. Come and vent when you're frustrated during recovery, and we'll help get you through it. You'll be back to the gym and back to your usual routines in no time, and 6 months from now you'll look back on these next few weeks as just a blip in time.

bpatt: Welcome!! And just sign up for the race NOW. :D You can already handle the distance, your time right now is totally reasonable, and in 2.5 weeks time you'll be feeling even more confident - and you'll be running even faster on race day with the adrenaline. Just do it!! :)


I ran my planned 2.5 miles tonight at 5.3 mph, and again upped the speed to 5.5 mph with half a mile to go, and then to 6 mph and 6.5 mph the last two minutes. Feeling really good at 5.5 mph, and then totally beat (in a good way) with those higher speeds at the end. Friday or Saturday I'll be doing my long training run (6.5 miles), and then starting Monday I'll up my speed for the shorter runs to 5.4 mph.

I'll be getting my protocol this week for my next IVF cycle, and then I'll know when I need to take a couple weeks off from the running again after the embryo transfer. Based on the timeline for my last cycle, I'm guessing it will be around May 20. So, once I get past this 10K on Apr 28, I'm going to make a plan to get the most out of my running during those following three weeks that I can. :)

Chick- im so sorry, i didnt realize you were TTC and having to go to such extents. I will keep my fingers crossed for you that this one takes!!!

Thats got to be exciting too though.... *knowing* the day you are going to become pregnant! The rest of use have to wait till we feel like crap for at least a couple weeks till we have our "DOH!" moment and pee on a stick ;)

I am definitely going to have to figure out a way to do both running and biking. And i have no problem donig both on the same day.. the issue is TIME, at least, during the work week...... And i do feel obliged to see my offspring OCCASSIONALLY, though at this point she's really just raising herself (incredibly independent)

Ncueno- im confused... intervals. 10K pace. 800's. 45-60seconds? was that the rest period in BETWEEN the intervals? DO you go to a track for intervals? Just curious. I find it borning to run a track, but when i get really focused on running, its the best way to do short-distance intervals (under 800 meter intervals).

I ran on the bike path yesterday and managed a mile in 9:30 or something. For some reason I thought I was running a lot more slowly.

Well I made it through 3 treadmill miles in some new shoes, a little more supportive than what I've been using. It went okay, did my warmup routine and some jump rope before I ran. Going slower seems to help a bit. I don't know what is going on with me :lol: Just going to try and strike midfoot from now on and do my best to go slower but with good form, also will keep doing the warmup and cool down routines.

Thanks everyone for all of the input and help!

Theoretically the compression helps with return blood flow and also helps to minimize the muscle "rebound" that occurs during high impact exercise. I haven't tried them personally, but I have friends (and DH) that really likes them. Here's an unbiased review: http://www.thatsfit.com/2010/06/08/f...nts-effective/ that gives a little more informaiton.

Have you all always enjoyed running? I started C25K (W3 coming up). Is it something you enjoyed from the first day or did you grow to love it?

Did a 3mile and ran at 8-9min/mile tempo interval. It felt so great though I could not sustain the speed for longer than 2minutes each time, it felt like I was running instead of jogging. I also notice a definate change in my stride even though I wore my nikes instead of barefoot. That one-time barefoot and then walking around on thin soled shoes the whole week and paying extra attention to how I walk gave me more of a 'feel' for how to use my feet.

I also didn't put on music, so I could really focus on my body. Now if only I could do the breathing thing more easily without thought... haha.

Heck no! I've tried running a few times before but I just hated it because I could not even reach the end of my street. I did not see how people could ever run longer than 20minutes and enjoy it! Then I started c25k and saw improvements and was excited, but got bored with it after 5 weeks so I wen't outo n my own. Now I can do 4-6miles easy and I love it. A run shorter than 3miles does not appeal much to me anymore though.

True story: I never thought I could "run". An incentive program at my company's gym got me on the treadmill and I managed a VERY slow 3 mile jog after a week or so of trying. My running sister then put the bug in my ear to train for a half marathon :yikes: with her. I wanted to try out this running event thing, so signed up for a 5 mile (5 MILE, not 5K!) race 3 weeks later. Yes, I went out and sort of ran a 5 mile race event when I had been running for all of 3 to 4 weeks!

It was really crazy. I took off too fast and was walking inside of 5 minutes. I had absolutely no concept of pacing, hadn't even gone more than 4 miles at one time. Still, I managed to walk/run my way to a sub-hour finish -- as I approached the finish line, I heard the announcer wrapping things up "And thanks everyone for coming out today ...." ;)

BUT -- crossing that finish line was a revelation. People were cheering - for ME. For a total non-athlete, a 40-something gal who had never done anything like this before. I was tired (and later, sore!) but I wanted that feeling again. I signed up for that half marathon, successfully completed it with my sister, and the rest is history: 24 half marathons, 5 full marathons, 2 50K ultramarations and who-knows-how-many shorter races later.

I don't just run, I train. I always have some goal in mind. I do enjoy the run, most of the time! But it took a while to get there. Even now sometimes it's a slog, most of the time it is fun (hard but enjoyable), and occasionally it is joyfully magical. And it is those moments that keep me going.

I didn't think I could ever run, ever, until 2010 (I'm 25). It was miserable when I started out then - I would be shaking and out of breath for hours afterward!

I absolutely dreaded it at first. I had heard running was a good way to drop weight, so I thought i'd give it a try. I started the third week of November with the C25k program, and managed to keep at it until the 14/15 of December. I hated each and every time I stepped foot onto that treadmill...I gave up for a few weeks.

When January came around, I wanted to give it a go again, but this time with no training plan. I just wanted to run. I had trouble completing the first 5 minutes...but slowly worked my way up to a mile. When I hit that mile run without stopping, something changed. I felt so accomplished and wanted to try and beat that. Keeping in competition with myself totally changed how I saw running. And now I love it, and run 6 days a week. I can do a 6 mile run at a 10 minute pace now. Also training for a 1/2 marathon and crossing fingers I'll be able to complete one before summer is over

Thanks so much! I really hope the results are going to be worth it and I hope that they are. I ran 5 miles on my lunch hour today and was trying to envision what I will feel like running without this huge blob of skin bouncing up and down with me every step I take!

I had a dream a couple months ago that I was running. Running to the point of feeling like I was flying. When I woke up I felt so exhilarated, which never happens. (sleep apnea, lucky to feel awake most mornings even with CPAP)
I want that feeling back! I would get like that occasionally when I used an elliptical, but just feel the need to run since that dream.

ohh you should do it!! I admire the way children run just for the pure exhiliration of it. I am more of a distance runner but it does sometimes feel good to bust out in a sprint!!

Hi there, just been reading through everyones posts.

ChicK: Good luck with the IVF, I shall be thinking of you.

And mkroyer, congats of the bike, its great to read how excited about it you are. I'm looking forward to hearing about your epic bike rides.

Free1. No i have NOT always enjoyed running. I have no idea why i like it so much now either! But i do!

Today was a rest day for me, and I am running both days at the weekend, then not on Monday as we are going away on holiday :) .....but I am taking my running kit with me on holiday of course!

Hi to everyone else, I have read all your posts even if i have not managed to reply

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Oh gosh, I am gonna pay for my over enthousiasm soooo dearly! I started barefoot running as you might have read. And I did my second barefoot (no shoes at all) run today. I was going in such a nice pace and not getting tired that instead of my planned 2mile run I went for a 3mile/5k run. I have never been able to do 5k under 32minutes. I just did it in 29.20 minutes without feeling any pain in my shins or calves!!!

Only - my soles are so not ready for this yet, so I have two big big blisters on the bottom of my big toes now. I am gonna regret this for the next few days to come. But still. AWESOME to finally run it in under 30 minutes.

Be careful what you wish for lol! This thread is going so fantastic this month I can't keep up!

Cherrypie! I'm so excited for your surgery I can't even tell you!!!

Philana - really glad to hear you had no pain, not so glad about those blister, yuck!

Chick - fingers crossed for your IVF, I can't say I had trouble getting pregnant, but it took 6 months and that was hard, I can't imagine what you're going through, I hope this is the month!

Everyone else, I'm reading I promise, you're doing fantastic!

Did I love running at the first step? I honestly don't remember...I know I never hated it, but love it? Love it the way I do now? Heck no! It took time for sure, but once I fell I fell hard! I can't imagine my life now without running...it really is like a friend to me and provides me with so many emotional outlets. I'm pretty sure I'd be lost without it now.

Tempo run today, had a little trouble with it because I was having stomach issues and my injures are still plaguing me. I did rest some this week by cutting a few miles off and plan to cut my LR Sunday and push a run back next week if there's no improvement. In general there has been improvement, but there is still some pain in my hammy that's concerning me. What's concerning me more is that these injuries ate probably becoming chronic and I'm becoming used to running injured. Right now my goal is just the June start/finish line, but then it's time for some serious healing. That may sound stupid to a lot of you...but I have some serious issues, mostly mental when it comes to this stuff.

Anywho, you all are doing fantastic!!!!

Made it through a pretty crappy run today. I ate about an hour before, guess I will stop doing that. I usually just go on an empty stomach and it has been working fine. I think I need to quit fixing what isn't broken. Seems like I was causing my own calf issues with too much poking and rolling :lol: I am over-thinking the whole running thing, just need to relax and go and not worry so much!

@philana - nice job on the run! I hope your blisters aren't too bad!

wickedlady.....I am trying!!! I have never been a runner, so this is all new to me.

I did get a few sprints in on my walk on Wednesday, figuring about 60 feet within a mile. Weather was bad the last couple days, so worked on jump rope & stretching. I did not get any shin splints this week!