Running, Anyone...?

[nutmegchoi]

I haven't done any distance longer than 5 miles since last year NYC Marathon.
Now I have stress fracture and pulled ligaments on my left foot, I'm in total limbo.
I missed 3 half marathons and numerous 4 mile races.
Life sucks pretty bad right now.

[GeezerSteve]

I haven't done any distance longer than 5 miles since last year NYC Marathon.
Now I have stress fracture and pulled ligaments on my left foot, I'm in total limbo.
I missed 3 half marathons and numerous 4 mile races.
Life sucks pretty bad right now.

Damn. Find the patience to let it heal, of course. I know people who have survived foot stress fractures and went on to run oodles of marathons and ultras.

I booked my 87th ultra finish 9 days ago with my 19th McDonald Forest 50K finish on a very muddy and slow course. I'll be running for the 20-year finisher urn next year.

[Cruiser]

That's mind boggling, Big Steve. So many races. So many miles. I'm in awe of the kind of dedication that it must have taken you to stay committed to the game for so long.

[nutmegchoi]

Damn. Find the patience to let it heal, of course. I know people who have survived foot stress fractures and went on to run oodles of marathons and ultras.

I booked my 87th ultra finish 9 days ago with my 19th McDonald Forest 50K finish on a very muddy and slow course. I'll be running for the 20-year finisher urn next year.

I hurt my foot from snowboarding back in January, but didn't know I injured my foot extensively (they didn't show on x-ray).
I went on 13 day ski trip to Jackson and Aspen, foot got worse, back to see a doctor, MRI and a month rest which I followed.
I started running again in March and the pain increased.
Now I'm just riding stationery cycle and elliptical machine.
I'm gonna see how I feel to run few miles next week.

Ultra marathon isn't something I consider to do.
I think it's amazing some people can do that, but my finish line ends at 26.2 mile.

[GeezerSteve]

Thanks for the kudos, but there's really no serious dedication on my part. I now run a couple ultras each year to stay in touch with my friends in the ultra community, and I do just enough to finish under the cutoff, i.e., walk the uphills, shuffle the flats, run the downhills, on general conditioning via ski touring, off-trail hiking, mountaineering (mostly mellow), urban jogs and an occasional trail run. I have not deliberately trained for an ultra in 10 years.

[Cruiser]

@choi Hopefully you can get some modest distances in without causing it to get worse. Sucks to feel like you can't get out there at all without having all sorts of pain.

[nutmegchoi]

Thanks for the kudos, but there's really no serious dedication on my part. I now run a couple ultras each year to stay in touch with my friends in the ultra community, and I do just enough to finish under the cutoff, i.e., walk the uphills, shuffle the flats, run the downhills, on general conditioning via ski touring, off-trail hiking, mountaineering (mostly mellow), urban jogs and an occasional trail run. I have not deliberately trained for an ultra in 10 years.

Steve, I'm not out there to walk the uphills, shuffle the flats and run the downhills for bazillion miles.
So I think you are amazing.

@choi Hopefully you can get some modest distances in without causing it to get worse. Sucks to feel like you can't get out there at all without having all sorts of pain.

Thank you.
I just want to have my Sunday long runs back.

Hope you can get back in running/shape soon.
I'm sure after a month or so, you'll be right back to where you were

[GeezerSteve]

I think it's amazing some people can do that, but my finish line ends at 26.2 mile.

FWIW, most ultra courses are much easier on the body than a typical marathon course.

Best o' luck to you and your foot.

[Viva]

Nutter, when you begin running again, consider using a track- generally softer surface, and you can bail the exact second you feel discomfort- would suck to have to walk a mile or two back home.

Also, if the BF isn't already giving you regularly scheduled foot massages, now's the time to begin. Right?

[stapes]

I've been off my running routine lately as well. Really need to get out a few times this week.

[nutmegchoi]

Nutter, when you begin running again, consider using a track- generally softer surface, and you can bail the exact second you feel discomfort- would suck to have to walk a mile or two back home.

Also, if the BF isn't already giving you regularly scheduled foot massages, now's the time to begin. Right?

I was a semi professional fencer (foil) through junior high and high school.
But I end up retiring at age 16 because I started developing early stage arthritis in my both knees.

Now I always have to babysit my knees to make sure they'll cooperate.
I did my marathon training on treadmill except races and long runs on Sunday.
I'm very familiar with track- generally softer surface.

Do you know what it takes to get a foot massage from my boyfriend??!!
An even trade! And my BF feet are twice as big!! lol

I got myself a very nice foot massage place in Chinatown.
No happy ending though.

[bean]

I find the longer the race the easier the recovery. I had my marathon debut a week ago (2:56!) and felt good and got back to things quick but I still have a really, really low limit. Meanwhile I skied two peaks and rode Mt Evans the weekend after a 140.6, and I'm sidelined for 10 days after a good 5k.

[hutash]

Downhill technique question...I am running the Mammoth Half Marathon weekend after next. It is mostly downhill, but not too steep, probably max of max 5%, but mostly 3-4%. What is the best way to run down relatively gradual roads? It is not steep enough to be real knee jarring, and the downhill portions are the chance to make up time for the little uphill sections, and a few flat rolling sections which are at 9,000+ feet. Longer strides with a lower cadence seems to work better for me on these section, but over striding seems to be a lot harder on the ol' knees (58 next month) The run finishes in town at just under 8,000 feet. Post race beers at Mammoth Brewing Company for those in town.

[Viva]

Dirt or paved? That'll figure in your approach. Really, though, just go with what works for you. That's something you know better than any of us. Avoid overstriding or anything else that may result in discomfort or even possible injury,and have fun!

BTW, there used to be a full marathon at Mammy. It was a combo of paved and dirt roads. Ski area down to 395 and back, essentially. Last time I ran this, August 1992, it was sunny and warm, so I dropped my shirt somewhere and went "skins". Fucker started raining heavily on the uphill return. At the last aid station, the volunteers were huddled in their car, and the aid consisted of nothing but water.

[::: :::]

in college crew, they made us run down hills backwards "to save our knees"...sounds like a plan for half marathon, no?

[bodywhomper]

Roll down the hills!

[Cruiser]

I'm no pro but I've run a bit of downhill and I seem to benefit from a really careful and controlled gait. It seems like, when I loosen my stride up going downhill, I lose some comfort and control. My natural inclination is to go for a big loping gait (cuz I have kinda long legs) but I have to be mindful of shortening it up in order to keep myself centered.

[mtngirl79]

brooks addiction stupid brick shoes. walk half the time but I can still run the stairs because that's different muscles and not the fucked up ones, and I can run them on the up (versus walking) about 40% of the time for 10 trips (approx 70 ft of steep stairs).

[mtngirl79]

Hiking down hill with a pack use to kill me, I could go up all day long but would limp after a day of down. Now I go purposely slow when I do the stairs and it has totally eliminated that issue.

[hutash]

It's all pavement, or tarmac if PNWbrit, chimes in. Long strides on steep downhills are definitely bad for my knees, and I actually lose time in deference to my knees. I am just curious if the is some magic way of maximizing time and minimizing damage. On flats an increase cadence and decrease stride is generally better, but how much does this change on the down? Again, not a real steep down, but the better part of a thousand feet over 3-5 miles?

[I've seen black diamonds!]

Plenty of folks in this thread are much better runners than me and can no doubt offer more nuanced advice, but I've always been pretty comfortable on the downhills: Short, quick strides. Focus on picking up your feet. Use arms for balance more than pumping. Focus on being as smooth as possible. Try to land pretty flat footed as opposed to on the forefoot or the heel.

[nutmegchoi]

Plenty of folks in this thread are much better runners than me and can no doubt offer more nuanced advice, but I've always been pretty comfortable on the downhills: Short, quick strides. Focus on picking up your feet. Use arms for balance more than pumping. Focus on being as smooth as possible. Try to land pretty flat footed as opposed to on the forefoot or the heel.

Do you race with NYRR?

[GeezerSteve]

just go with what works for you

This. There are lots of ways to run downhill. I have no problem freewheeling 3-4% downhhill road, and back in the day I had no problem freewheeling 5% road, always with a long stride and no knee problems. Think about keeping your hips forward and be careful not to cook your quads.

[Dantheman]

Try not to extend your knees past about about 165* and use your hips and core to absorb the landing as much as possible. Better yet, avoid the pavement altogether and run in the dirt on the shoulder if possible. Downhill pavement sucks no matter what.

[topwater]

My mantra for running downhill dirt roads is quick feet. I like to feel like each foot strike happens for just an instant. Also, look as far ahead as you can which is much easier on a smooth dirt road than technical trails.