Runner's support and Accountability

Well the past few weeks have tried to hinder my running progress at every turn

First thing was that the day after my 1/2 Marathon (way back on September 29th), a poison ivy rash began to break out on the top of my right foot. I haven’t had a poison ivy rash in a decade or so. I’m usually super careful to avoid the stuff, but somehow I picked it up in a place I didn’t see it growing. The week following the 1/2 Marathon we rested and recuperated our muscles.

Saturday, 05 October
We completed a 5.0 mile Training Run in 1:00:54 for a pace of 12’11″/mile. Not bad, but after the run I noticed my rash was irritated and more wide-spread on my foot Full Stats: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4139240603

Monday, 07 October
We completed a 30-minute paced workout. We covered 2.32 miles for a pace of 12’57″/mile. I was a glutton for punishment. The rash got worse again So I decided to skip the next paced workout and the rash improved.

Friday 11 October – Sunday 13 October
We went on a camping trip with a Trail Life Troop – Having worn hiking boots for pretty much the duration of the trip, my rash went from recovering to worse than it’s ever been and enflamed! Still I figured it couldn’t get much worse and did another 5.0 mile run. Completed it in 1:00:50 for a pace of 12’10″/mile. Full Stats: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4179467654
As suspected the rash didn’t worsen, but I skipped the next paced workout. I spent the week at the office with one shoe and sock off under my desk treating the poison ivy rash and the swelling went down. I even took some time off from work to be sure of it.

Saturday 17, October
We spent the weekend in Ocean City, MD so we could run our 17-mile training run The Ocean City strip is roughly 9 miles long, so we started at the north end, ran south to the Inlet, and back. It was beautiful weather for the run and we got to spend some time with our dog, Maverick on the beach afterward as well as enjoy some delicious local seafood and homemade ice cream Anywho, we completed our run in 3:45:19 for a pace of 13’15″/mile which we thought was swell! (not a wave pun). After that run, both of us had all kinds of leg aches and pains. My knee acted up a bit. Full stats: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/4179467739 The poison ivy rash seemed finally gone, but the treatment had left the skin cracked and dry, causing a new form of irritation.

Monday 19 October
We felt recovered fully enough to do a paced workout of 30 minutes, but we took it easy. We went 2.30 miles for a pace of 13’03″/mile. My knee acted up again, even though it felt fine prior. It stayed a little painful through Tuesday and into Wednesday.

Wednesday 21 October
Against my better judgment, we did another 30-minute paced workout. We completed 2.39 miles for a pace of 12’34″/mile, but at the end my right knee was giving me all kinds of pain and still is today. It’s official. I have runner’s knee So here I sit, figuratively couched until my knee recovers…at least my dry skin will have time to recover as well We had planned 6.0 miles for this weekend, but it looks like that will be cancelled at this point.

@starbee Way to go on passing your PT test and don’t have to worry about it for another year! I know that was a huge relief on you before heading on vacation! Great job on all of your runs and mileage! Isn’t it awesome to hit those new longest distance milestones?! Such an accomplishment!! I can’t imagine running those distances anymore! And fantastic 4 miler pace on your first run back after the PT test! Keep it up! You are going to rock Dopey!!!

@RocketEAR99 You guys have been getting in great miles and at great paces!!! It’s an amazing feeling to hit those new distance milestones! I would always take great pride and be astounded each time we hit a new long distance! I can’t even imagine running 17 miles ever again! I’m so proud of you both! But oh no about your knee!! Where exactly does it hurt? I’ve dealt with my fair share of injuries and pains over the years. I may be able to give you some tips and suggestions so that you don’t have to stay sidelined too long.

@eeyorepoohfan you did so great yesterday! And you’ve been doing great getting out when it’s been challenging. I’m so proud of you for pushing through! Way to go!

That makes me very happy to see!

@RocketEAR99 thank you! It really seems to be working for me! I’m the past, when I was having a rough run and would check my pace, I would get frustrated if it was slower than I wanted. So now I just don’t look at it, I just listen for my beeps to walk/run and Keep moving forward! So it’s a surprise at the end. The interesting thing is that I’ve been running faster than I think I am! During the run I may feel like I’m at a 12:30 pace, hit stop and see a 12:15! So it boosts me up! I have yet to predict my time is faster than I’m actually running.

Okay, so your knee issue sounds like it’s likely your IT band being tight! I thought I had been having LCL issues in prior years, turns out it was this band! I’ve dealt with this off and on over the years. It’s on the lateral/outside of the knee at the joint, correct? That muscle starts in your hip and goes down. When it gets tight, the attachment point is at the knee so that’s where you feel pain since it’s pulling! You need to focus on stretching the IT Band. Ballerina stretches work great! Cross one foot in front of the other, put hands above your head and gently lean your upper body to the left for several seconds, then slowly switch to the right. You should feel a gentle stretch, not pain. Work on lateral work as well. Walk down the hallway sideways, meaning face that wall and lead with your left leg and walk the hallway. When you reach the end, lead with the right leg. Next level is to go into a gentle squat and lateral walk down the hall in the same method. The next level will be to do this with a resistant band around your knees are ankles to strengthen further. Lay on the floor or bed on your back. Pull your knee to your chest. Takes some deep breaths as you gently pull your knee towards your chest. Start pulling your knee to your chest but work in pulling it towards the opposite shoulder. Meaning, pull your left knee towards your chest, deep breaths to allow you to pull it in closer, deep breath and move your knee a few inches towards your right shoulder. You should feel a good stretch in your flute/hip. Deep slow breaths and move the left knee a few more inches towards your right stretch. Slow deep breaths and allow that knee to stretch a bit deeper. Repeat on the right leg and pulling towards the left shoulder. There are other great stretches online for IT Band Stretch. If you foam roller, DO NOT ROLL ON THE LATERAL PART OF THE KNEE. It will make it worse. IF you roll then just focus on the lateral part of your thigh. If you have access to stairs or an escalator stair machine, work on using it slowly. This actually really helps to strengthen the knees and hips. Ice the knee and hip after stretching if need be! These are all things that helped me! Cross training and doing some other exercises are important for runners. We tend to overuse only specific muscles in one direction only. It’s important to move the body and strengthen in different ways.

@RocketEAR99 Yes, some of my knee issues were close to the kneecap as well. The tightness in the area can lead to inflammation and spread the pain. The stretching really should help! Just go slow! It should only feel like a nice stretch, never pain. If you have pain, stop immediately. Continue with icing and resting as needed as well! But the stretching should help loosen that tightness. Work on flute strengthen and stretches too. Knee issues usually stem from weak flutes. I have this issue.

@RocketEAR99 Hey, I say do it anyway!! Give them some good entertainment to watch!

Good morning and happy Monday!

Yesterday marked day 1 of marathon training! Ran 3 miles under a 10 min pace, which is more than I thought I could do after not doing much for 2 weeks. Knee felt ok, but not great.
Today is weights.
My biggest challenge (other than staying consistent once the mileage starts getting high) is going to be eating. Cause I LOVE eating but now I just need to eat smarter.