I Don't Get Runner's High

Eat, Pray, Run: Meh

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 22:05:11 -0500

eatprayrun:

You guys are right. If I want to get serious with running I have to stop making excuses! Being sidelined by an injury is another thing though. I still remember how excruciatingly painful it was to walk when I got ITBS and sometimes the fear of going through that again stops me from pushing too hard.

Question, though. In your experience, how do you know when you can push some more and when to stop? People always say, “Listen to your body,” but how are you able to interpret correctly what your body is trying to tell you?

Personally I generally only stop whenever I absolutely feel I need to. My shins been on and off lately and my run on Monday consisted of me stopping probably .15 miles short of what I actually wanted to run. Normally I would just run through the pain but I knew well enough I should stop. If something doesn’t feel right for me in the beginning of the run and I run 10-20 minutes or so and its still not going away it usually is a sign that its something I shouldn’t be hurting further. The whole “run through it” thing can work in some situations but it can be extremely detrimental in others.

In your case, although I haven’t personally dealt with ITBS, you know your limits on it. You don’t want to stress your body out and especially with the IT band its not something you want to mess around with. If it starts hurting more and more during a run, that’s a bad sign. If it starts off hurting and as you run it “melts” away I would say continue on ahead.

When your form breaks down, is when you should stop. If you are favoring one side more than another, you will do more damage. There is video and picture evidence of me running my first marathon. I’m having hip problems and my whole body is swaying. I ended up needing Physical Therapy to fix it all, which I don’t regret because that’s where I met my girlfriend.

If you back off and it still hurts then somethings really wrong, but if you can push through the pain and maintain good form, then you are just trying hard usually. Bad form = more problems.

So...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 20:13:48 -0500

I got a thing for a Tri Club in my area in my race packet. They meet for group rides 2 blocks from where I’m going to be moving….

nevermindthebolex: I’m a firm believer. Fits nicely with my...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:33:58 -0500

nevermindthebolex:

I’m a firm believer.

Fits nicely with my mantra of “Fuck ‘em if they can’t take a joke”.

Crossing the River Styx

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 14:26:15 -0500

Crossing the River Styx

My own personal Wayne Stock

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:04:03 -0500

Foreigner Pandora Station yielded this Amazing Line up

Foreigner

Journey

The Cars

Boston

Van Halen

Eddie Money

Kenny Loggins

Asia

Aerosmith

and closed out before lunch with

Phil Collins (In the Air Tonight, of course)

To be honest, I knew this would happen typing Foreigner into...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:53:39 -0500

To be honest, I knew this would happen typing Foreigner into Pandora. I just didn’t expect it so soon

themattsmith: mykicks: “In addition, 3 million New Yorkers...

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:40:58 -0500

themattsmith:

mykicks:

“In addition, 3 million New Yorkers reportedly left the city because they realized the phrase ‘Only in New York’ is actually just a defense mechanism used to convince themselves that seeing a naked man take a shit on a park bench is somehow endearing, or part of some shared cultural experience.”

Photo

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:35:23 -0500

Eat, Pray, Run: Meh

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:01:00 -0500

Eat, Pray, Run: Meh:

I hadn’t been able to run the past week and it was awful. Awful! At first, I missed running days because I was busy with family stuff - sister came in from out of town and there was a party. Then I missed running days because of the weather!

Monday night - I slept early (well, early for me is…

The worst thing you ever want to hear, but maybe the best advice:

I was explaining to my former Track coach, and I suppose boss as a I was an assistant coach at the time, about how I might have to miss my weekend runs because of the Track meet and then some other obligations. All he said was:

“It only affects your training if you let it”

Damn it. He’s right. I suppose there was a reason he was an All-American, despite his British citizenship (a joke of which I frequently reminded him). I didn’t like him so much, but he knew his stuff. I ran that weekend.

Happy 90210 Day

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:35:42 -0500

Happy 90210 Day

PRs

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:35:07 -0500

In my post college age of running, here are my current PR’s

5k- 24:09 - Chocolate Chase Rabbit Race 5k 2009

8k- 41:17 - Shamrock Shuffle 2010

10k - The time was never posted online, I’ll have to get it off my Garmin - Run for the Butter 2009

10 mile - 1:24:37 - Soldier Field 10 Mile 2009

Half Marathon - 1:56:44 - Chicago 13.1 2009

Marathon - 4:33:05 - Chicago Marathon 2009

50K - 6:06:09 - Chicago Lakefront Ultra

My original goal this year was to lower my half to at least sub 1:55, and my Marathon to 4:15, but bombing at the Illinois Marathon didn’t let that happen. That 50K time will taunt me until I do another one, since all i wanted to do was go under 6 hrs but the wind that day just crushed me and I ended up walking a lot. One day I’d like to see my 5K time get back to below 20 like it was in high school. So with the exception of my 10k time, that’s were I stand, and you all know where you stack up against me.

Hard finding a guy on a website when you're not 100% sure his name is Mike(Michael in this case) and you're 100% sure you don't know his last name haha. I won the internet though.

Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:20:11 -0500

Yeah, I woke up very impressed this morning when I checked my email. I figured I would find you, since you’re name is pretty obvious. Nice, sorta creepy, work

What are your current PR's for your races? Kinda nice being able to talk to someone about running, all my friends look at me like an idiot when I talk about it haha

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 18:52:38 -0500

I was just thinking about this the other day. I’ll look them all up and post them. Perhaps it will be some good motivation to lower those numbers, since some are a little too high for my liking.

Research

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:13:00 -0500

I’m currently looking up how much a blimp would cost. I think blimp captain has a nice ring to it.

Things look promising

Do you ever use any gels before running? I don't know if its just me, but I try and get GU rocktain in before my long runs and I usually feel incredible. I don't usually get much caffeine in my system but I really think it helps. Plus the carbs/calories before the run are a definite plus

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:25:00 -0500

I use gels on runs longer than 10 miles typically. So usually just my weekend runs. GU Roctane did nothing for me in terms of what everyone says it does, which is make you feel like a god basically. I use the Powerbar gels because that’s what they hand out at the Chicago Marathon, so that’s what I train with so I’m used to the consistency and all that. Not to mention I load up there.

Anyways. I don’t take them before, and I’ll usually only take one or two during a training run (versus the 8 or so I took in Chicago 2009). I like the “train low, race high” mentality. Sort of like getting my body used to being tired, so then when it really is tired, it seems normal. Probably flawed but oh well.

I need to buy some gels actually. Thanks for the reminder.

I have this incredible urge to listen to House music for the rest of the day.

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 11:56:18 -0500

I have this incredible urge to listen to House music for the rest of the day.

isworeidneverliveinwisconsin: Fifty Nifty United States! Mike...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 10:01:38 -0500

isworeidneverliveinwisconsin:

Fifty Nifty United States!

Mike and I are campaigning to get the national anthem changed to this.

Join the cause

littletinyfish: Why is six afraid of seven? (via binbons) (via...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:43:24 -0500

littletinyfish:

Why is six afraid of seven? (via binbons)

(via failbag)

Toothpaste for Dinner

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 09:27:56 -0500

Toothpaste for Dinner

jasencomstock: rosieloveswords: quickwitter: Kabbalah is the...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 08:28:57 -0500

jasencomstock:

rosieloveswords:

quickwitter:

Kabbalah is the newest brand of Russian Vodka created by beverage maker EZ Protocols. Called “Kabbalah vodka – with Christian infants”, the vodka bottle features a unique handmade infant inside, which is made of fortified glass. This plays off the old wives tale circulated in Europe that Jewish religious rites required the blood of Christian babies.

—-

I have no idea what to think of this…

Oh my god.

What is wrong with people?

I mean … c’mon!

link

I need this, or at least that little glass baby