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?????

mkculs- Good job getting out there again!  Once you do it regularly for a week or two, it becomes routine again.

nicole-  I feel your pain about the weather.  Yesterday I was supposed to run a 4 miler to hit my 35 miles a week goal.  Of course, it was thunderstorming all day so i didn't make it.  I currently don't have access to a treadmill, although I'm thinking about getting a gym membership.  It would definitely help me get through the steaming hot months of August and September, when I go back to work and can't run in the morning! I will have to run around sunset instead. (I'm a teacher.  I have to leave my house at 6 am during the school year.)  Also, if I decide to do after-school tutoring this year for extra cash, I won't have to worry about it getting dark before I run.

For all you treadmill users- How often do you run on the treadmill versus outside?  Do you find that running on the treadmill sometimes makes it harder to run outside?  Is there a way to program it to automatically speed up and slow down at certain intervals so I could do speedwork?  I've been on one that did incline intervals, but I don't know about pace intervals.

 

Hi,

Well this does seem to be turning into the running support group.

I run and have picked it back up after a long absence - about 2 years ago. 

As mkculs will tell you I am a trail runner. I happen to live in a great city, Portland, OR, with great old growth forests. 

On the morning runs - honestly, I run better in the PM but in order to get my runs I will run @ 5:30AM (as soon as there is light). I find I go slower in the morning and have a harder time enjoying my runs but I do feel better in the morning vs. hitting the snooze button. 

On your knees, olivia, have you considered shoe inserts - they have ones that you bake and then you step in and they helped me with issues. 

Emergency bathroom - OH MY GOD! yes, terrible. Diving into bushes... I carry toilet paper with me. 

On the trail there is an etiquette - usually hikers go to the side for the runners, other runners try to go to each of their sides and pull their arms to their back so that you don't hit each other. Sometimes you get some arrogant runner who does not yield which is a problem. 

On the run length - I usually try to do my run faster and challenge myself and then other times I go longer. In general, I believe you need to challenge your body every day and not get into your same run. This is how your body gets stronger and stronger. A good heart rate monitor can help you keep track of your progress.  It has helped me to know where I am and some targets of where I should go.  I would definitely push so that I get stronger, but that is just me. 

Also I believe in weightlifting as an adjunct to my running. I also like to do yoga once per week to stay limber. 

Happy running... 

-Carol

Knees: I have had NO knee trouble since resuming running--but I ONLY run on trails, nothing hard. I think this makes a huge difference.

If you live near a high school, see if it has a track you can use. Much safer than roads, anyway.

Forgot to mention that before!

Hey guys

I'm looking for some support from fellow runners out there.  I did the learn to run 5k and I am now at the end of the training so I need so support to continue running!! I haven't had the motivation to run the past couple of days.  It's been high 80's and VERY humid. 

Everyone is doing great on running. I promise I will go in the morning :)  I need someone to be accountable to :) 

If it's really awful out, just walk, or walk some with the running. You will develop the habit of getting up and out without overdoing it. My first morning run in YEARS--today--was in horribly humid weather. Yuck. But it wasn't too hot, so I made it!

Good luck.

So I'm planning on getting up and out but only for a short walk. We're going to a water park tomorrow and that will mean climbing lots of stairs and walking a lot. Plus I intend to eat whatever I want without even thinking about it. Haven't done that since starting here. It will definitely make for a restful mini-vacation!!

I'm about to step out the door.  Today's run will be a form of therapy I believe.  WE just bought a  house, and the closing date was SUPPOSED to be TODAY.  However, the people in the mortgage company screwed up by not putting the FHA loan number on a form to send to the bank.  Well, they've had to redo the entire process and now I don't get my house today!

Of course, most people have the common decency to let you know when there's going to be a delay, but not my mortgage people!  The ONLY reason I found out was because I called them yesterday to confirm the amount of my down payment.  THEN, the loan officer had the nerve to FLAT-OUT LIE like he was in middle school, and told me that he had been in contact with us last week.  Pardon my language, but BULLSH**.  Nobody called me, nobody called my husband, nobody called the realtors, and nobody called the sellers (who are just as infuriated and inconvienced as we are.  we happen to know them).

SOOOO.... sorry for the rant.... but instead of sitting in someone's office giving them pointless threats and cursing them out for ruining my life this week, I am going running.

good for you, sordino, for channeling that anger into running instead of snacking.   ( :    hopefully it will all work out ASAP   (if not, go in and kick some butt!!!!)

hi leslee --  welcome to the post.   I chat on a C25K Motivational thread too.  Even if you are not currently doing the pogram anymore, it is also full of runners and your advice/expertise would be welcomed!   ( :     Keep up the good work!!!  I find if I give myself a time goal etc, I do a lot better than just "go run."  The structure of c25k is awesome - ---  it is also addictive to have something that tells you when to do what.  Making up your own "program" is tough but fun!!!!

keep up the good work, ALL!!!!!   (  :

Ah, I didn't get up and out this morning, thinking we would be at the water park and I probably needed the extra sleep, especially because it's a 1.5 hour drive each way. But now we aren't going--the weather will be much better tomorrow, so we are waiting. DARN. At least I can get in a decent workout later!

For you newer runners: I definitely find it helpful to set small goals for each run, while sticking to an overall larger goal. I'm trying to increase my distance a bit each day for about 10% overall increase/week. Somehow, it's easier to think of adding a bit each day than the total 10%--when I focus on the bigger number, I tend to overdo it. My current run is about 4 miles, which means I can safely add another .4 miles by next Monday, and that is about 1/10th of a mile each running day added. Easy to remember and easy to do, usually! Since I change up the route a bit each time (going different directions, starting in different places, etc.), I just have to add the distance wherever I feel like it.

My long term goal right now is to be able to finish the entire "black" trail, which is an expert-level cross country ski route with LOTS of hills. It is 7-7.5 miles. That seems like a lot to me right now, but I'm giving myself lots of time to get there. I don't have a deadline set, because I am too likely to push to hard if I set one (can you see a pattern here? I tend to over do it!!).

By the way, how old is everyone? I know Carol is almost my age--I'm 49. The rest of you?

: D      31 here, mckuls! 

30 (sheesh, when did that happen?  i'm still used to being a kid!)

I know how you feel sordino... 32 here.  I feel like one day I just woke up, had a husband, a kid, and was quickly approaching my mid 30's (granted, I guess it kind of happened that way since I got married and pregnant all in the same day...oops!).  Then of course there was the overwweight, totally out of shape stage after having my daughter.... and now she is 2.5! 

leslee - i agree with mkculs advice.  Also, I would recommend signing up for a race, its a huge motivator to keep running.  I did C25K and after finishing it I had such a hard time mentally going further than 3 miles, but I just kept getting out there and running, and a few weeks after finishing, I was able to push myself to do 4 miles.  Also, I started out running 3 days a week and slowly added in 2 more days over the course of a few weeks, those two days started as 2 mile runs.  Then I slowly started increasing my weekly mileage by no more than 10%, which I usually do by adding an extra half mile or mile to one of my runs.  I will be running my very first half marathon in septemeber, which is less than a year from when I started the C25K program (end of Nov '07).  If you would have told me last year at this time that in a year I would be ~30+ lbs lighter and getting ready to run a half marathon I think I would have burst out in fits of laughter.  The human body is an amazing thing to be able to change so drastically in a relatively short period of time.

 

OMG!! I did it.  I ran all of my 5k today, not a good time but who cares I'll work on that.  Just 8 weeks ago I was only able to run for a min. at a time.  Manta I completly agree with you about your body being able to change so quickly.  It is truely amazing. 

I am 25 here.  I will have to check out that thread too.  i went to runners world website for a new goal.  My husband just gave me some adivce on my next goal so I am all set yeah!!

Thanks for keeping tabs on me it's alot easier for me to have to get up and run if someone is checking up :)

Wow, leslee, that's wonderful!! Not everyone does the C25K in 8 weeks!! Congratulations. And yes, the time is not important (now or ever, unless you want it to be!!)

Sordino, did that "anger run" work for you? I know how amazing it is to start out in a really bad mood and end up "high." I hope that happened, or something close!

WOO HOO, leslee!!!   ( :      that's awesome!

Hope everyone's runs went well today!  

I am skipping mine today, just cause it was SO HUMID yesterday.   I do plan a LONG bike ride and some Bowflex.  

I find running to be an awesome kind of therapy, angry, sad, confused, you name it.  It always helps.... SOmething about pushing my body-machine to new heights with my doggie beside me (ok, in front of me).  Always makes me smile!

Leslee- great job!  Isn't it an awesome feeling knowing that you're in good enough shape to run 3 miles?  It's sad, but most of the population can't even run 1/4 of a mile without stopping, and a few years ago I was one of them!  Now that you've got 3 miles under your belt, you have 2 options:  either work on your speed or distance.  If you go with speed, run with intervals- say 30 sec faster pace for 2 minutes, then jog super slow for 2 minutes, repeat.  Just be careful not to run too hard or fast for your knees, feet, and ankles.  Listen to them carefully, they will let you know when they're being pushed by giving you little aches before they go out on you completely.  If you work on distance, just do 1 run a week that is longer than usual.  The rule is to increase total distance/mileage by 10% a week. 

By the way, I'm also a Leslie, but I spell mine with IE (the right way! LOL)

mkculs/olivia- The therapy run works to an extent.  I definitely chilled out and didn't kill people, but I was still angry.  Just not as quick to do anything stupid.  The closing date is now tomorrow, but I worked it out with the sellers to get my keys today.  YAY! So when I get back from my run, I go pick my keys up, and start moving!  Now, as long as Hurricane Dolly doesn't throw too much rain and storm my way, it will be a productive day (weather forcast calls for 40% chance)

I am 26!

It has been so humid for me the past few weeks, I have only gotten a few runs in. This morning I woke up to run and it was overcast so it was pitch black dark!

The track is a great idea for a safer place to run. I have one not too far from me!!

Your post made me sooo happy :P  I just started running this summer, and started after work, but now run about 7.3oish every other day.  I was doing the couch to 5k thing, and now my goal is to be able to handle myself at a Race For the Cure for breast cancer :D

 

i LOVE my morning runs.  i'm a huge people watcher, and i also love to see others up and about, getting ready for work, getting in a run, etc.  there's a small group of us out every morning.  It's cute :D

 

1) I've always had knee issues, good shoes or not.  My biggest theory is listen to your body, and do what it says. so when my knees say "no more!"  I gotta do what they say, even when I don't want to!

2) not lately, but when I was on my field hockey team I was always glad for the portapotty at the end of the field >.<

3) 100%.  I might start ditching it.  honestly.

4) you're not alone with the rude drivers.  and the worst part is i KNOW the people who almost run me over.  you'd think they'd be more accountable because I'm going to trash talk them to the neighborhood for being almost-runner-killers

5) I'm the same way, i like my loops.  Today I just upped  my speed a lot, and I'm good and sore now >.< 

 

I love your posts, and i LOVE all the other posts!  It's so cool to have people in the same boat, and to hear everyone's advice and ideas!  Keep up the morning running all! <3!

yay for new houses, sordino!!!  congrats!!!!!   ( :

bex   ( :    I love the enthusiasm.   You sound a lot like me! 

Congrats Leslee!!!!  It is such a great feeling isn't it? 

I would recommend holding off on adding in speed training just yet (its actually recommended that you have about 6 months of running under your belt before adding it, and then you should really only speed train once a week).  The reason its recommended that you don't speed train too early is that while your fitness may be up for it, your joints and connective tissues are definitely not.  It takes them quite awhile longer to catch up and be able to really withstand the beating running gives them.  While I didn't wait 6 months to add in speed training, I did hold off for a little while and  started ~4 months from the time I started C25K, once I had 5 solid days of running in and felt comfortable doing those I decided it was time to add it in.

Did 3 miles of intervals this morning and ran in at just under a 9 min/mile pace.  I have been having a hard time getting any faster than that.  When I first added speed training in, I went from a 10.5-11 min/mile down to a 9=9.5 min/mile relatively quickly, I was floored, but now I just can't seem to go faster.  Not that I am disappointed with those speeds, but I always like to improve!  I won't worry about it for awhile as I have two races coming up in the next two months (14K on Aug 10, and half marathon on Sept 21).  And after those, I am thinking I may back down my distance and work on speed for awhile. 

Sordino, do you have any recommendations when it comes to backing down your distance?  While I am happy to be able to run the half marathon, its not a distance I want to be running all the time.  I would like to keep my long run to a good maitenance distance (maybe 7/8 miles??), but I am not entirely sure how I should train when I don't want to increase mileage every week.