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?????

Thanks sordino, your suggestion on doing the long distance maybe every other week is good, I think I may do that.  My other 4 runs are anywhere from 3 - 6 miles right now as well and same as you they include varying speed, intervals, hills, etc. 

fighead - I use a HRM for pretty much every run and LOVE IT.  It has been great for my training as it keeps me from pushing myself too hard, I think had it not been for the HRM, I would be suffering from overtraining by now because I notices I always tend to want to push myself too hard.  It also would make me push harder if I were ever being lazy.  Like mkculs, it helps motivate me to run when I need that kick in the butt because it shows me how much I am burning. I TOTALLY agree about listening to your body first and watching what that equates to with your HRM.  When I first started running with mine, I simply noted my heart rate and how I felt, after maybe a month or so of this, I started paying a bit more attention to it from a training perspective.  Mainly, for me, it has really helped on my long runs because I use it to keep me going slow enough that I won't burn out before finishing the distance.  Funny thing is now, I can pretty much tell you what my HR is depending on how I am feeling in my run and probably be within about 5 bpm.  Its just nice sometimes on that last hill repeat or that last interval sprint to be validated by a HR in the 170's for feeling like I am just not going to make it.  Its also nice to see how much my fitness has improved by how fast I can recover.  

I also worried about the strap.  I am using my husbands old Polar HRM designed for cycling, so I have an old hard strap, and when I first looked at it, I was like, how am I going to keep that thing from being uncomfortable.  You know what, I don't even feel it!  And the only time I have had a problem with the readings going a bit whacky was after losing a significant amount of weight and not realizing I needed to tighten the strap. 

You all inspire me!!!!!   ( :

My knee has been hurting more than usual, so I have been biking more than anything, but I am still fast walking the doggie most mornings.  

All you runners are rocking!!!   keep up the good work!!!!!!

I love my HR monitor.  It's really motivating.  For those who use one what is your average hr for a run?  Mine is 169 I am 25 years old.  I"m trying to improve my time but I think I need to let my heart adjust to the distance more. 

It depends on my run, but when I am doing a tempo run, I average around 155 (I range from about 145 at the beginning of the run to ~165 towards the end), when I am doing speed training (hills, intervals, fartleks) it usually ~160-65, and on my long runs and recovery runs, I try to keep it to an avg of ~145 bpm. 

I was averaging a HR bit higher that those above when I first started using my HR monitor until I realized that really to make progress, I needed to slow down a bit and have noticed significant improvements in my running, HR recovery, and speed by doing this.  I event hink now I may still be a little on the high side for the long and recovery runs, but I am working hard on slowing myself down.

I am 32, and according to the "magic" formula, my HRmax should be 188, however, I have gotten my HR up very close (when I wasn't in as good fo shape as now) to this which means that it is actually probably a bit higher, and that formula is not accurate for a majority of people really. 

While I made some initial improvements in time just by getting into shape, I wasn't able to really imrpove my speed until I added some speed training in, and wa able to quickly shave a minute and a half off my mile time, BUT, since then, I haven't been successful in improving that much more.  I am going to concentrate more on speed after I run the half marathon in Sept.

My knee felt better today, so I braved it.   It was great.   Good pace, good breeze, felt good. 

( :    I like days like those!

Just curious, since we're talking about heart rates.  Does anyone else have an abnormally low RESTING heart rate?  The last time I went to the doctor (for advice on knee pain), my resting heart rate was 45 bpm, and my blood pressure was very low as well, something like 80/55.  My doctor scared me to death by telling me it was TOO low and giving me an EKG on the spot.  Everything looked "beautiful" on it thankfully, and the doctor attributed my insanely low heart rate to a combination of genes and long distance running.

While I'm not overly worried, it does still freak me out when I think about it too hard, especially when Ryan Shay died suddenly during the 5th mile of a marathon.  He was around my age, and in seemingly perfect health.  Of course, he was diagnosed with having an "enlarged heart" when he was young, which also causes abnormally low resting heart rates.  Just makes me wonder.  I hope I don't have an "enlarged heart," and if I did, would that have shown up on an EKG?

Olivia- I love running with a breeze!  Lucky you.  I also like it when it's really overcast, and about to storm.  When I hear thunder in the background, it makes me run faster.

yep, ridiculously low HR and blood pressure here too.  My resting HR is around 48 bpm (only gets this low when I am doing a lot of aerobic exercise), but it climbs quickly as soon as I get off my arse.  My blood pressure has ALWAYS been low, haven't had it taken recently, but its not usually quite AS low as yours sordino, but close 95/50 ish.  Never had a problem with it, but I think its why I am always cold.  My mom and sister also have low BP, so I think the BP thing is a bit genetic.

One of the benefits of losing weight and running for me so far has been a lower resting heart rate. It drop from the high 80's to about 55-60 range.  Blood pressure dropped backed into low normal range and Cholestoral dropped significantly.  My doctor attributes it proper eating and exercise. 

HI! I get excited to hear about other runners out there, so excuse me if this is long winded. Today I took my first morning run. I am not a morning person at all, and usually run in the evenings. I run with my two dogs, but the humidity really hinders their endurance. It was so humid on our run last night that I decided to give it a shot. I have to be at work at 7am, which meant getting up at 4am to run...but it was great! Like you said, I felt like the boys and I were the only ones left in the world. It was so serene and a bit cooler too. I loved that there were no other dogs or people to distract them (they go nuts) and with a combined weight of 150lbs. between them, it is hard to run with them sometimes. So it was a great change to not get a shoulder workout at the same time.

As far as your knees go...I used to have the same problem. I noticed the pain was more evident if I tried to run more miles or run faster than what I was used to. I started taking Glucosamine supplements, which helps repair and maintain the cartilage in your joints. Often what happens in sports like running, the cartilage in your knees can wear away and can then lead to knee pain. This works great for me. It takes a while before you start to feel a difference (maybe a few weeks), but the pain did go away for me. I also do weight training. You want to make sure that your quads are strong. Running works out your hamstrings quite a bit more than your quads, so you might want to do some weights for those muscles since they directly support your knees. The stronger the muscles, the less pressure on your knees. The fitness section of msn.com has a great thing called "the fit zone" click on that and then click on the particular muscle group you are interested in and it will give you a list of weight training exercises.

Yeah, I dont use my ipod anymore. It started out because I used to run around 8-9pm so I wanted to be aware of my surroundings. But there is something about the tranquility in silence and the rythmn of my breathing and my shoes hitting the ground, that I just don't miss it.

It is hard to find new routes. I live in a new subdivision so it is hard to find developed areas where I won't kill myself by running on uneven ground. We don't even really have sidewalks! I like loops too and it is hard when the loop I am used to covers about 6 miles, and my goal is farther than that. I get bored easily, (that is why I can't do more than 3 miles on a treadmill) and sometimes I need new visual stimulation to get me through the tough miles. Yopu can try picking up the pace for shorter distances on certain days to add variety, but I would try looking around for trails or parks nearby. If your area is well developed, maybe you can try mapping out a course you are familiar with (like to the supermarket) that will meet your mileage goals for the day...just to spice it up...Well, happy running!!!

I have no idea on the heart rate thing.   I guess I need to get one of those, but I am pretty positive that I am slow enough, I am never in danger.  (lol -- sad but true)

HI khooder!!!   ( :   ALways nice to see a new face here.    I love the seemingly absolute solitude of running in the morning.   I let my mind go and find many times, I solve problems or at the very least discover an inner calm that starts my day off in a nice way. 

I had to cut back on my distance because the knees were so painful.   I am only doing maybe 2 miles now when I run which is disappointing, but since I cannot get into the knee doc for more than a month for xrays, I figured better safe than sorry.   I got some good stretch ideas from a few other friends, and I am on a continued ibuprofen/glucosamine regimin, but MAN.  Especially whene I return to work at school soon, wearing REAL shoes is going to kill me.  ALTHOUGH I am hopeful being about 70 lbs lighter this fall will make some difference.  ( :

munrori good job getting your heart rate/BP/cholesterol down!  55 to 60 is ideal.  I'd like to see mine go UP a little to be in the 50's!

khooder hello!  Good to meet new people.  I've also tried the glucosamine, and I wasn't quite sure if I thought it was for real or not.  My knee pain DID go away, but I was also icing/stretching/ibuprofin-ing so much at the time also that I couldn't attribute the improvement to glucosamine.  I continued taking it  for a few months after, then stopped...  I hope I haven't screwed myself!

olivia  Work at school?  Are you a teacher also?  If so, what subject/grade?  I teach 6th grade English, and I go back Tuesday, August 5.  What time do you have to be at work?  I find I CAN'T run before work during the school year since I have to leave my house between 6 and 6:30.  It's dangerous for women to run alone while it's still dark outside.  Grrrr.  I will return to the late afternoon runs next week.

Hi! Thanks for the warm welcome! the glucosamine i have to say has worked great for me. It might have different effects on other pople. It might be good to do some research or ask a doctor about it. i stopped taking it for a while and my pain returned. I started taking it again and it went away. The only bummer is waiting during the transition period to where you notice the difference.

Olivia - i think it might be a good idea to take it easy on the knees until you can see your doctor. Heels can be brtual. I love 4 inch heels and i realized that heels are all i have in my closet when i had no shoes to wear for 2 months because I sprained my annkle. It was a bit tough getting back into them. i had to go out and buy a few flats. I am not sure about your dress code, but some cute flats may be an option until your knee is back in tip top shape.

sordino - i feel your pain on the morning running. Today was the first time i could pry myself out of bed to go. But i have to say that it was a great morning. Although I also do agree that it is dangerous for women to be out and about in the dark like that. I am glad i have my boys with me. But i also worry that because they are so lovable, that instead of defending me, they will just lick my assailant. i am looking forward to fall/winter when it is cooler and i can run in the afternoon.

Okay so I don't think I am out of the normal range for my HR that's good to know. 

Khooder glad to hear someone else is out running with their dogs! :)  it's great for them.  Plus i know nobody will bother me with me big boy by my side.  I hear you on the humid weather, I hate it.  It's no so bad as long as there is a breeze but lately I haven't had that .  And Monday 92 and very humid :(

I love running with my poopie dog.  She loves it too.  ( :

That;s me, sordino.  I have to commute 30 minutes, so my carpool ride arrives at 6:30 on the dot.  I do run in the morning still, but my super small town is boringly safe.   I teach high school English, usually 10th and 11th grade.   I think I will keep running in the AM and just switch my biking to the afternoon -- and vice versa in the winter.  Me + icy sidewalks + the dark = bad.  lol

I think the gluscosamine really does help.....  stretching and ice too!!

lol, khooder.  I am a terrible person.  I wear almost all sandals, all year long, even in the winter.   (blush)   I do wear my 3 fave pairs of wedges a lot, but I love my sandals.  I have a couple of pairs of cute ballet flats etc, but man.  I hate going back to school and having to adjust to real clothes and foot wear again.  I think, for me, going back to work makes the eating on a schedule a LOT easier.  

hi leslee! yeah running is great for the boys...they know it too, as soon as i put on my tennis shoes and my watch, they run to the hall closet to get in line for their leashes. yeah humidity is horrible. Last night we went running at 8pm, and it was 93! i kept running through sprinklers just to keep us all cool.

hee, hee, that is funny olivia. it is weird typing your name because my name is olivia too! were you born in 77? i was! yeah i am not very coordinated either. I am not very good ona  bicycle...i have tried. i have fallen a few times running too and that is actually how i sprained my ankle! (makes you wonder how i walk around in heels).

i understand the work dress code thing and please dont get me wrong, sandals are great too! i love flip flops but unfortunately those don't fly at work, so i had nothing to work with. But my faves are heels. i just feel great in them...i think i have better posture with them on.

seriously, khooder????  I have never met another adult named Olivia.  A few little girls, but YAY!   and yes, 1977.   You are not an April baby too, are you?    ( : 

I am clueless on a real bike -- always was.  Wanted to read a book to figure out how to make it work for me at age 7.   That is why the inside, stationary is perfect for me.  LOL

Not really supposed to wear actual flipflops, but sandals are ok at my school.   Lucky me. 

Yup! That is my name! I have never met another adult with that name either. I dont think our name was very popular in the 70s. I was born in September though. :)

LOL! Oh yeah, bikes are death traps for me! My fiance loves mountain biking and it baffles him that i cannot stay on a bike for very long without toppling over!! i usually just run behind him...it is safer for everyone.

 

khooder -- how cool  ( :   Don;t tell me Sept. 7th or 9th though,....

LOL --  I would be dangerous on a real street bike anywhere but an empty parking lot.   I REALLY want a three wheel adult bike ----  oh, dare to dream......

You guys need to get the kind of bikes you sit down in. they're like a recumbent bike.  They give you a really good but work out and have 3 wheels so you can't fall over :)  you guys are cracking me up.