Early Morning Runners -Support Group ( :

Last summer, I started walking.   Then wogging.  Finally jogging/running.   I relished my cool morning workouts. 

Then summer was over and I had to shift my jogging to the 4PM heat and humidity.  It was almost unbearable, but I made it.   Then winter arrived and I had to deal with a host of new issues ----  never been an exerciser, let alone one who ran in the ice and snow, so how do you keep your glasses from fogging up or avoid bronchitis in the cold????    Made it through that too. 

This summer (up until yesterday's close), I taught summer academy but did not have to be there so early as with regular school, so I was able to return to my morning workouts.  HALLELUJAH  ---   I had forgotten how incredible cool, peaceful, and invigorating it is to run in the early morning hours.  It's as if my dog and I are the only living beings.....   I love it. 

My body clock is pretty good at waking me up and I try very hard to just make it happen every day --- for me to be done with my workout in the cooler weather and because my dog needs the exercise, but my friend Tamar who lives in a VERY HOT climate is having a hard time getting up to run. 

How do you make it happen for yourself?  How do you get up and get going???????

Other deep thoughts that cross my mind in the morning.......... 

1) my knees are  beginning to be an issue even with new shoes, stretching, ibuprofen, etc,   anyone here an OT or sports medicine guru?   I know I supinate/walk on the outsides of my feet and that is why my knees hurt ---from being torqued too hard side to side, so what do I do to strengthen whatever quad/ham muscles to stop/help my knees?   
  
2)am I the only person stricken at times with almost emergency bathroom situations while jogging before "voiding"?   
   
3) anyone find now the mp3 player that first motivated you to keep going is now just a distraction from the road and your pace?
      
4) what about runner's etiquette ???  -- I always get out of oncoming car paths -- even if it means running across the road or getting my running shoes wet/dirty, but still the people in this town are hateful.    

5) what about this --- the same routes I have been running (I have a range of 2-5 miles mapped out) are getting too easy/too short/I feel like I could run more, but I like to do a loop, you know?  start at my house, make 4 turns, I am home.  do I just try to pick up my speed (yuck) or do I do two trips?

This is long, but I hope to hear lots of good advice and get a support group going for all us early morning slaves of the shoe!   Are you out there?????

Original Post by cawilder:

Hi All, 

Mkculs: yeah it gets tough once things change over in the school year. I guess I would recommend to attack one thing first and not everything . . .

Things have been very stressful lately. Husband is on 1/2 salary and we are struggling. I think that it is very typical for the American life these days but nonetheless it is still difficult.

Thanks for the great advice; Carol; I definitely wasn't thinking clearly enough to think of it that way! One thing at a time. . . And I'm so sorry it is so stressful for you right now! Wow, what a change that must be. We've lived on 1/2 sal when hubby was on sabbatical, but that was planned. I can't imagine being thrown into that situation although I do wonder about it and try to figure it out, just in case. I hope the running is helping with the stress! I've never really tried night running but I can see how it would be both appealing and worrisome. I'm sure I'd run right into something and break a leg! But it sounds really cool, too. When time changes at the end of October, my only choices for running will be in darkness whether it is a.m. or p.m. It's dark here by 4:30!!

Happy trails!

Just saying hi, I'm a new morning runner (C25K) and so far I LOVE running by the Susquehanna River at daybreak with my pup. Such a great time to be outside.

OMY!! One of my "male" guinea pigs just had BABIES!! We have two of the cutest little ones you ever saw. Pics will be forthcoming. Boy, what a surprise, although I had said a couple of times that I suspected Punkie might be pregnant, but b/c "he" was male, I kept thinking I must be wrong and he'd just gotten really fat!! 

The kids are THRILLED, as you can imagine. A big push is on to keep them both. That will depend entirely upon what sex they are. God knows how I'll figure that out; if the pet store owners were wrong, I probably don't stand a chance!   Oh, my--an unplanned pregnancy and now I'm a grandma! Mom's pic is with my name on the post and dad is on the profile page.   Just had to share the news. It was just really amazing to find those two little living things in the cage today!

Original Post by emilyd22222:

Just saying hi, I'm a new morning runner (C25K) and so far I LOVE running by the Susquehanna River at daybreak with my pup. Such a great time to be outside.

Wow, I used to live in Owego, NY (a LONG time ago) and the house I lived in was on the Susquehanna River. Same area? I remember it as being very beautiful but also very muggy in the summer and infested with mosquitos.. 

Welcome to the group...

Original Post by cawilder:

Original Post by emilyd22222:

Just saying hi, I'm a new morning runner (C25K) and so far I LOVE running by the Susquehanna River at daybreak with my pup. Such a great time to be outside.

Wow, I used to live in Owego, NY (a LONG time ago) and the house I lived in was on the Susquehanna River. Same area? I remember it as being very beautiful but also very muggy in the summer and infested with mosquitos.. 

Welcome to the group...

Thanks! Nope, I'm in PA.

I lived in Cherry Hill, NY back in the early 90's...

Last run this am prior to Sat 5k. I tried to do a 4 mi long run at the gym. The roads were wet and rain threatened. I didn't want to get my new kicks muddy so off to the treadmill. Didn't pay attention when I got on it - no fans blowingmy way, and it was warm and muggy. Well I labored like crazy. After warm up walk of 2 minutes at 3.5 mph, I did maintain 4.9 mph, 12:14 pace for a full 3.1 mi or 5k distance. But that was it! I was spent. Spritzing like crazy even. Walked at 3.5 mph until I hit 3.5 mi mark. I maintained my target hr of 106-108 through out. That is clearly my endurance running level. I didn't try to raise it today. Will do a tempo run next Tue then Thur long run b4 Sun 5K. Tomorrow is a rest day - have to take E to the airport in the morning. Will prob do strength training on Fri and/or short walk to stay loose.

I'm a fairly new runner.  I started out by the Couch to 5K program in August, and now I can run 5K in around 35 min.  I have been running mostly on a trail which is pretty soft underfoot.  I want to start running on pavement so I can vary my scenery.  I'm scared of injuring myself with shinsplints.  Also, I have about 50 lbs to lose.  Does anybody have any words of wisdom?   Thanks.

Just thought you early birds might enjoy a laugh.  I haven't been running much but yesterday it was raining so I didn't have my phone just my dog toby.  I get to the end of the road just about to turn into my develpoment and notice one of my neighbors cows was out.  I thought to myself no big deal, we will just "sneak" around it.  WRONG!  I was about 25 yards away and he started snorting and bucking!  I froze cause at this time I realize it is a bull!

Toby and I cut across their yard to see if they are home.  Mind you there are not many houses around or many people home at 9:00am  I finally get my neighbor to the door as he charges us.  We had to jump into her house full of mud.  I felt so bad.  I look back and laugh now that I am home safe.  So watch out for the cows they are worse than the stray dogs! :)

Original Post by leslee24:

as he charges us.  We had to jump into her house full of mud. 

 I'm betting she would prefer mud in the house rather than a lawsuit due to injuries you'd have suffered if hit!! Wow, close call. I ran up on a bull once, but he ignored me, thank God, because I would have had nowhere to hide! I was in his pasture and no one to blame but myself for it!

Happy trails!

Well, it wasn't really early and I wasn't running, but I got back to my trails this morning for the first time almost since school started. Wow, it has been a long time! I walked 30 minutes on a the expert ski trail, and slowed down on the steep hills so my calf problem wouldn't get re-activated. Hurting my hamstring/glutes was the best thing that happened for that calf! Of course, this past Sunday I really did a number on those muscles and am now out of soccer for a spell--I just have not taken proper rest since starting back to running in April (between the running and the soccer) and I'm going to have to find a better system. I loved my time in the park this morning, even though by my standards it was really crowded (I passed 5 people). So maybe I'll be an early morning walker for a while. I also plan to get to the gym and work on weights while letting the most recent injury heal for a LONG time. I'm giving it at least 2 months, no soccer, no running. Ugh. That sounds like torture, but I can tell I need it! Then I'll have to re-evaluate how to resume the two things I love without hurting myself yet again. . .

Happy trails!

Well I survived my first 5k race - a charity for kids race put together by the project I am working on. My neighbor and I were surprised that this was really a cross country race which neither of us had trained on before. It was cool in the low 50's along the course because of the riverbed. The trail twisted and turned using switch backs to fit it into the recreational area where it was held. The grass was uneven and wet from the cool air. There were steep river banks we went up and down, gravel, sticks and branches from the trees, rocks, gravel and a lot of obstacles that had me afraid I would fall or injure myself. During a training run in the middle of C25K I ran into a small piece of sagebrush and found how hard it is when it punctured my leg and caused it to bleed. So I was cautious and as a result it was a slow, hard race.

I ran into a young engineer I work with and we decided to hang out. We started together, but my neighbor said she was going to start walking, then run, I was trying to run the whole way since I've covered more than a 5k in long runs during training. The engineer ran with me.

The good news is that I maintained my target heart rate. It jumped to 110 in the beginning so I backed pace down and kept it around 105, although I hit a peak of 114 maintaining pace up a long steep hill(not as steep as the banks which varied from 20 to what felt like 45 degree angles). I finished the first mile in 12:11 which is a pace I've run 3.5 mi at before, so I knew I was going slow even while maintaining the 105 hr. The course was harder and slower is what I figure. Ground being softer etc. The engineer pulled ahead of me around 1.5 mi  as I slowed down, my neighbor passed me just before the 2 mile mark. Heck even power walkers were passing me! I passed the 2 mile mark in 26 + minutes and knew I was slowing down, but at the same hr. Just after that I had to start walking. I had definitely hit a high 8 on exertion scale, hr still 105 +/-. Breathing hard, lungs burning. I didn't clock how long I walked but I let my hr drop to 90, and breathing under good control and started up again. There was a race marshal slapping our hands and announcing 200 yard to the finish. So I picked up my pace - I still had the energy thanks to the walk and got hr up to 112 and finished in 40:18, a 13:00 pace overall. Given that the 1st mile was 12:11 that wasn't bad. No pains tho, feet ok, nerve in left foot didn't complain at all. No aches or anything. The soft ground, while slower, seems to have been easier on the bod.

I was disappointed in the time. I was hoping for sub 38 minutes, but then it was cross country and harder than the streets I run on.

Lessons Learned: Warm up, warm up, did I say warm up. I started cold even with some walking around and stretching. I didn't jog a little bit to make sure I was loose. Something akin to the C25K warm up  of 5 min rapid walking.  The first 1/2 mi I felt tighter than training runs. More of a struggle, some from the route conditions tho. Later in the race it was just plain fatigue, but no pain.
I guess if I can I should walk a route in advance and should find a cross country course to run on.

Overall a great experience. Am looking forward to and thinking about next Sunday's 5k. Have to figure out how to make time to locate and walk the route before race day. Its along a different part of the same river and I had been thinking it was along the trail, an 8 ft wide concrete pathway. Will have to look to be sure.

Leslee24.  What a great story.  Would that I could enjoy pastoral scenese here.  I haven't seen a cow in years in my town in Japan.  I know they keep them hidden somewhere...  LOL  The scariest thing I encountered here are the dips and chinks in the pavement and sidewalks.  It is postively suicidal to go out running at night if you are on sidewalks.

Mkculs - You have to start somewhere.  You must be in pretty good shape to bewalking on ski slopes.  Getting out in the morning is so great, but hard to do...

Bobev - Congradulations!!!  5K is really great.  I started out with the Couch to 5K training program on CC+.  Tomorrow I'm going to run with my Nike shoes + and an iPod and partipate in a half marathon.  I think my story might be a little like yours.  I don't know which is more demoralizing, running alone or with a crowd that passes you by.  My husband isn't supportive and puts me down for even trying, so I need extra will power.

 

kryahiis - we'll be cheering you on. What is the start time so we can be thinking about it. One of the men on another forum is running right now in the Chicago marathon and we (others in the group) are tracking him using an MTrack web site. Do they have something similar where you will be running?

OOPS.  It's too late to cheer me on, but I sure appreciate the thought.  It was very tough running the race all by myself with nobody to cheer me on.  There were several factors that helped me finish and some lessons learned.

• I mapped my run the day before using Google Mapping, and I kept telling myself what I've seen on forums and other places - don't change your route. 

• It kept crossing my mind to just run in the park and do, but I stuck to my plan.  Once I got out on the second 5 1/2 mile loop, I started thinking about the home stretch section and that helped to keep me focused.

• It was much hotter than I had expected, so I made an unplanned stop at  a vending machine and bought some sports drink (those machines are everywhere in Japan).

• I wore tights under my running pants, but they were old ones a little the worse for wear in the crotch area.  I had a bit of rubbing in tender places, but luckily not too bad.  (can't find those tights here, so mine are old, and the seams are falling apart)

• I went and soaked in hotspring bath afterwards and got re-hydrated.  Despite that, I'll probably be sore tomorrow.

If you want to see pictures of the course I ran, look at my post in my file.

Thanks so much for the support, even if I didn't know about it at the time.

Am glad to hear it went as well as it did. My son and his family lived in Singapore for almost 4 years (they just came back to us) and we found clothing sizes very different. I once put on an xxl shirt that was to small for me! I was wearing a large back then (medium now).

Did 3 mi run using a route I hadn't done since early in c25k and one where a dog chased me! No dog today, but if he did I could have out run him! Used my slow run pace. hrm went wild at the start jumping to the 160's for almost 5 minutes b4 it came down to where it belongs.  Anyway it was an easy run. Maintained my target hr and had to resist increasing pace. I noticed my self going faster and getting hr up to 109 so I backed it down. Anyway, it was 38 min for the 3 mi, a 12:40 pace. It always interesting how the body reacts to running. Different muscles start talking in different ways. You know, the hamstrings start saying is he ever going to stop, then they give up and are silent, then a shin tightens a little saying will you please stop then it gives up. After awhile they all shut up and you can just sit back and enjoy it as you get fatigued!

Last easy run b4 Sun 5K with a runners club. We're having first cold front coming thru here in N Texas. This morning's temp in my area is under 40, its 43 in Fort Worth and 47 in Dallas. I wore long lined Nike shorts,  some C9 pants and two shirts. Short sleeve C9 underneath and long sleeve Nike, mock turtle with zipper. I had some relatively thin Nike gloves I bought to drive with and wore those. Glad I did. The pants were lined and were a little to much and I actually felt a touch overheated. Took gloves off, clipped them together and hung off camel pack belt. Had to unzip the shirt at times and pull up the sleeves. Have to learn to manage temp control. I think the pants are good for colder weather, the shirt layer was, well  I'm not sure. I think my legs not really breathing helped keep temp up. I was afraid to keep sleeves up and zipper down for to long. I was soaked and didn't want to get chilled. I'm sure I will learn how to deal with it. Stats - 3.5 mi in 45:58, 13:08 pace. I parallel laced both shoes and they felt better. I loosened the left shoe more after the run. I could feel it pressing more against the tongue. It is the "larger" foot because of the 1986 faciotomy in my calf. So I'm not surprised at how its behaving. Will go with E to a running store Fri night and see what they have and recommend.

Well the 5k was easy and faster than training runs. Finished in 37:31, 12:07 pace. Finish was strong and I was accecelerating when I crossed the finish line! Will start training program toward another 5K in early Dec

Hi, yes, I am alive. I have been traveling in the past few weeks so I have gone quiet.

I was in Boston last week. It was pure bliss to run beside the Charles River. It was sunset but so beautiful. I grew up there and I was so happy. Lots of runners. I told my husband he would like it as there are female college students with their perfect 20's bodies!!!  I ran 8 miles.

Yesterday my husband and I tackled some new trails new our house. It was fun but since it was a 2 hour run I was running conservatively but we misjudged the distance and it turned out to be only an 1:38 run - 9 miles. I love running through the forest.

I have been able to maintain about 25 - 35 miles / week.

We have decided to tackle a 50K in the spring. Need to figure out which one. But all told it should be about 5 hours. I just wanted to be able to get in under the cut off and finish. 

So, I am now going to take on getting rid of the additional 30lbs.  Here we go.

Isn't anyone running in the morning anymore? Great running weather here in N. Texas!

I ran Tue/Thur/Sat & Sun this past week. Am addicted!

Original Post by cawilder:

Hi, yes, I am alive. I have been traveling in the past few weeks so I have gone quiet.

We have decided to tackle a 50K in the spring. Need to figure out which one. But all told it should be about 5 hours. I just wanted to be able to get in under the cut off and finish. 

So, I am now going to take on getting rid of the additional 30lbs.  Here we go.

Hey, carol, good to "hear" from you! Sounds like you have quite the agenda set out for yourselves! Good luck with all the ventures--wt loss, running, etc.

I'm still struggling with the "transition" back to work--2+ months on. I have slowly gotten a few things back in order, but mostly I need to work out and am just not able to do what I want because of my stupid injuries. My doctor wants me to work on stretching my lower back muscles b/c he thinks that is where the problem really is, not my glutes or hams. So I can give that a try--Lord knows I am soooooo tight in the right lower back b/c of the ridiculous way I sleep, with right leg drawn up high AND back twisted . . .

So, I am aiming to get out for a short walk tomorrow a.m. and if I do, it will be the first in AGES. I mean it, the first truly "early morning" in a long time! I figure if I can't run, I might as well walk . . . and I'll get back to my trails next spring (or skiing x-country this winter) because they don't open early enough in the morning for me to use 'em before school.

Happy trails, all!