Take care of yourself

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

IS, I've found that I just really can't run distances now. Whether it's because I'm still too heavy or if it's because I did so much damage to myself when I was massive, I don't know. I can sprint, just can't run longer than about twice the length of a basketball court without my shins and knees starting to hurt really bad.

It's a bummer, cause when I started to lose weight, one of my goals was to do sprint triathlon, and I don't think that's a possiblity now.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Did you talk to a doctor, SC? Knee braces have done wonders for a few people I know.

Oh, and after my teeth were yanked one of my first questions was when I could run again. She said give it 3 full days, and only then if I'm having absolutely zero problems. So I figure I'll probably give it at least four to be on the safe side.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Italian:
Expect leg problems at times when you run regularly. I've come to regard that as a fact of life. If they become chronic and you have frequent pain, that's a bigger problem.
My best advice, and what I do, is try to work in time once or twice a week on the elliptical, arc trainer or bike (NOT the treadmill, if you're looking to avoid pounding) instead of running.

And this is just my opinion, but maybe timing every run isn't such a good idea. Once a month or so, you can check on your progress without getting frustrated. Just finishing the run can be a success, however long it takes.
Faster runs=more pounding, anyway.

Just my 2 cents.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm reading up on strides. They say novices often try to increase their stride length to improve their times. That's what I was about to do. They say the best way to increase stride length has nothing to do with reaching farther when you step. Instead, it's all about the push you get off your back leg.

I also learned how to step. I always run on my toes. But that might be because it's so difficult to roll from heel to toe with the extra weight. I don't recall how I used to do it. I just recall being surprised at how well I could run.

I can't wait to find that zone where I can just go, go, go for mile after mile. I remember just reaching that point.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Zap! Pow! Holy shit, Batman.

Today's workout, done at home with the door gym for pullups: 15 pullups, 30 pushups, 45 squats, as many rounds as you can in 20 minutes. Triple the "Cindy" workout of 5, 10 and 15. In theory, shouldn't be that bad, because the last time I did "Cindy," I got 14 rounds. But this thing was a whole 'nother animal.

I went into it hoping to get six rounds. After doing the first round in 3:10, I knew that was sort of a pipe dream, but five was still in the realm of possibilities. But after the second round, I was just hoping for four. After the third round, I was just hoping not to die.

Without the AC on here in the hood lite hothouse, it's about 88 degrees with humidity in the high 80 as well. Sweat? Oh, yes dear, there was sweat.

Long story longer, four rounds in 20:26. Got to 34 squats at 20:00. I need a shower.

Joe

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Take it from someone who just learned the hard way: the way you run matters.

To be more specific, concentrate on your heel striking first. I started out like gangbusters on a running program last summer, made a ton of progress and then was forced to quit cold turkey for about two months in Jan-Feb because I was running too much on the balls of my feet and gave myself a nice case of IT band tendinitis. I've just recently gotten back to it, and am now trying to mix things up by running and playing basketball -- always concentrating on heel-toe, heel-toe.

I think it's even a bigger risk for bigger people who want to run regularly (I weigh about 185), so you might want to keep that in mind down the road.

Good luck!

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

damn you people reminding me about running.

I have a triathlon in two weeks and I have run maybe 10 miles total in the last three weeks. My training has been way too focused on the things I enjoy -- swimming and biking -- and I really haven't been running much at all.

Guess that means I need a good 5k tonight.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

I'm not a great swimmer. But I discovered that you can do the backstroke in a triathlon. That'll be my fallback if I struggle.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

That was my fallback (along with the breaststroke) during my first couple of triathlons when I really wasn't in very good shape.

Now, going freestyle for a mile isn't a problem. Just takes lots of trips to the pool for practice. Eventually, you get it down and it's all about getting into a zone and maintaining your pace and breathing.

The real struggle, for me at least, comes in open water when you have waves and other swimmers to contend with.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Today
Back squats (full squat), five sets by five reps: 115, 135, 155, 165, 174 x 4, 1. Without a spotter, I didn't want to go higher, so ...

Bosu squats, 95 x 10, 10; 105 x 10, 10.

Wall squat, five minutes total. Ouchie.

Also did some one-leg calf presses. Bleh.

Joe

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Thanks for all the running advice. I'm really excited now. Joe sent me some crossfit stuff that provides tips on running. Then I watched some Youtube video that also stressed proper form.

I now understand why I've always been a slow runner. I swing my leg out too far when I stride. When I was at my best 10 years ago, I had lost enough weight that my push off corrected my long stride by moving my body in line with my foot as it fell. Now that I'm heavier, though, I'm unable to get that same push. The result is that my body trails behind my front foot, slowing me down and wasting lots of energy. As I increase leg strength, work on stride and lose more pounds, this should improve dramatically.

I also learned to do a drill where you keep your feet slightly bent forward while you run. The drill basically is to hop forward without pushing out with the front of your foot. From what I understand, that slightly bent up foot serves as a spring and you lose that spring when you extend your foot. I've been running on my toes, so I've had no spring.

I also noticed that bending up the front of my foot causes my leg to be slightly bent on impact. That has to be better on my legs, as it keeps me from locking them out. I understand that a locked knee can be really bad on the bones and joints. I don't think I've had that problem because I've been running on my toes. But I'll have to keep it in mind as I change my form.

 

Re: Take care of yourself (LiveSTRONG)

Stallion--DO NOT SKIMP ON THE SHOES. Go to a place that specializes in running shoes, they'll watch you run and look at your feet and put you in a shoe that will help you run better. Boom--a very big guy who is highly athletic--has sent a lot of folks here to Asics, they all say they'll never go back to anything else.