The Running Thread

[Cockney Rebel]

I am doing my first 5K next weekend. The Redlegs Run for Home thingie that ends by Home Plate in the GABP

But will be doing NONE of this "running" nonsense you speak of here.

Someone once described me as a "walker", but that could have been a typo.

[Dan]

I'll keep the 10ft thing in mind on hills also and it makes sense.

The man is wise... My track coaches in high school taught us to look at the spot about 10 ft in front of us at all times. Apparently it's the best place for your head in regards to running form? Although... my Psych 101 discussed how the more things to keep your mind active the easier it is on the physical pain. The idea being that if your mind is thinking about something else (say, the passing scenery) then you're NOT thinking about the pain or discomfort you are in. So that class discouraged running on a track and promoted changing up your route. The more things you have to see and think about, the easier it is to run.

Of course, this applies to other things than running, too.

[Cockney Rebel]

This one time at band camp I indeed thought of the scenery. It was when I was banging Mr Unicorn underneath that rainbow.

Wow, there's another GSPotD lando owes me

[JohnnyRoyale]

This one time at band camp I indeed thought of the scenery. It was when I was banging Mr Unicorn underneath that rainbow.

Wow, there's another GSPotD lando owes me

Nearly spit my water at the screen over this one. Congrats on your 5k though!

And as for calling you a walker, maybe they meant this...

[JohnnyRoyale]

Tried the 10ft in front thing today, and I got really bored each time....like within about 5 seconds. I like looking around and seeing things. But this was a flat track so I'll try it on my next hill run.

I did run 3.2 miles today though, which is pretty much a 5k. So I'm ready for that race next week!

[JohnnyRoyale]

Eating/Drinking habits.

Do you guys eat right before a run or many hours before? Obviously things like pasta and PB&J are good for carbs, but any other things? And do you drink a lot of water before hand? I have been a little bit and I'm thinking it's not a good idea because I get cramps very easily while running.

Are cramps normal too? Usually up around my left tit, high on the rib cage, or down just under the right rib cage. I figure it's just normal and push through it, though it makes breathing hard sometimes.

[foolsgold]

The 10 foot rule is good for going up hills.  Not being able to see how much hill I have left has helped me.

As for the carbs, don't over-do it in danger of gaining weight.  For the most case, I ate what I would normally eat only carb-loading for my long training runs/marathon.  Your daily carb intake should be adequate for most runs.  If you can, eat foods low in the glycemic index because those carbs will release a lot more slowly.  Stuff like multigrain breads, whole wheat pasta, sweet potatoes, etc.

I don't get those kind of cramps too often, so maybe Dan might have some ideas.  It could be that you're running too soon after eating or maybe boosting your potassium levels would work.  It might also be a good idea to start taking a multivitamin too.  

On most runs, I will drink a glass or two of water about 15 minutes before I take off, usually before I start stretching.  Double that amount after the run over a course of an hour.  You could also try Gatorade or another sports drink which would hydrate you and maybe help with the cramps?

Have a ball at your run next week.  Steve's got his 1st 5K this weekend and is planning on finishing at homeplate as if he were Pete Rose and Ray Fosse was on the other side waiting...

[c-lando]

This one time at band camp I indeed thought of the scenery. It was when I was banging Mr Unicorn underneath that rainbow.

Wow, there's another GSPotD lando owes me

Damn. I JUST saw this post today.

[Dan]

My general thoughts:
Everyone has a different stomach, so you have to figure out what works for you. For me, I NEVER run after eating. Definitely not an hour after eating. Not two hours after eating. If possible, three or four hours even. Typically I run at 6:30 or 7 pm, and then eat dinner afterwards. So that's like 5-6 hours since lunch.

If it's a morning run and I mean early morning then I would have something like a half bagel about an hour beforehand for breakfast. But that's only for runs of 6+ miles.

As for what you're eating, fg is right. Personally I'd tell you not to worry about carbs and all that for something as short as a 5K except for the night before, and then I'd just tell you to have a normal meatless pasta dinner. Of course you should eat healthy foods because those have vitamins, minerals, and nutrients that your body needs as fuel. Basically if you feed your body crappy food then you're going to struggle to get through your workouts. If you give your body good food then you'll do better. Fast food needs to be completely forgotten. There is no nutritional value there, and thus you're just screwing yourself over if you eat it.

Cramps are a weird issue. It's probably b/c you're eating too close to your workout, but I can't be sure. I get the cramps below the ribcage a lot, but never have gotten the ones higher up. A trick that kinda works for mine is to try breathing OUT in rhythm with the foot on the opposite side of the cramp. So like, if the cramp is on the right side then whenever your left foot hits the ground should be when you exhale. Of course this doesn't work as you breathe slower than you run, so do it every other time the foot lands. Or maybe every three strides. Whatever... I think the point of this is to regulate your breathing, which helps the cramp? Or maybe it's to get the full breath out of your lungs. You know how you can breathe out, and then if you think about it you can keep breathing out longer and farther than normal? It might be good to get that extra air out of the lungs. Maybe. I don't know why or if this really does anything, but it seems to help me.

Also muscle cramps = need more potassium. So eat more bananas, like fg says.

Otherwise I'd say mess around with your food and water intake patterns and see if they help or hurt your cramps. Try less water and see if you cramp up. Try more water and see what happens, etc.

[Cockney Rebel]

Personally I canNOT do any kind of workout after I have eaten. It's almost as if my stomach can't compute digestion and exercise at the same time.

What's made this good is that "food" isn't the first thing I think about when I wake up each morning, instead I simply want my arse to go about its evacuation business in such a manner that I can then feel 100% comfortable about going to the gym.

Breakfast now always comes AFTER the workout and is thus viewed something of a 'major award'.

On the occasions when I have eaten or drunk anything but water and have then tried to exercise (even as simple as a lengthy walk) I feel as sluggish as a very sluggish thing with slugs for feet. Awkward and in some pain too.. which is never good.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Redlegs thingie, even excited dare I say it? Ray Fosse? Didn't he direct Liza in "Cabaret"?

[JohnnyRoyale]

Have a ball at your run next week.  Steve's got his 1st 5K this weekend and is planning on finishing at homeplate as if he were Pete Rose and Ray Fosse was on the other side waiting...

Naw man I'm running it this Sunday. Maybe. I cracked my knee at work today pretty good. It looked this afternoon like I wouldn't be able to do it, but the swelling has gone down and my chiro-buddy seems to think it's only a knee-cap bruise and no ligament or muscle damage. So, depending on how much pain I can swing, regardless it shouldn't do more damage to run, just maybe hurt a little. So I'm icing it like crazy and I'm going to attempt a small run tomorrow.

Really interesting idea Dan with the breathing and opposite foot thing and thanks for the food ideas guys. I eat a few bananas a week, but I'll add more and I like them, so no biggie. And I figured that different people eat/drink at different times and amounts, but just wanted some thoughts. I'll try a few things and see what works best.

Good luck CR!

[Cockney Rebel]

A piece of piss! Completed at "Adam Dunn" pace in almost exactly 1 hour.

[JohnnyRoyale]

Way to go CR!

[JohnnyRoyale]

Good and Bad news.

The bad is that my knee is still wrecked. I was able to go on a short run today and it wasn't that bad. But a couple of hours later I could barely stand up from a seat and was hobbling around for about ten minutes.

So, I've decided to not push it and risk worse injury (and pain) and I dropped the race for tomorrow. The good news is that I got a full refund and that I'm signing up for another 5k in mid-June, so I should be plenty healthy for that.

I'm pretty pissed, but it's the right thing to do.

On another note, I'm starting to see some of this mental part you're talking about while running. Today my knee hurt, but only really when I thought about it. If I kept thinking "this hurts, this hurts" with every step, then yeah, it hurt. But if I thought about other things while running (finishing the street, hot chick in a car, Jack White, Hookers n Blow, etc.) then I really didn't even notice the knee.

Weird.

[foolsgold]

Smart move to take care of yourself, JR.  It is so tempting to muscle through soreness/pain especially when you have a goal in mind, but that thought process will often end in injury/trips to a physical therapist.  I have a feeling that Dan and I could write a book from all the times we thought that we could jog away something that was nagging us.  It's stupid, but that feeling that you're stagnating is really a hard thing to ignore. 

Rest up and take very good care of yourself.  If you can, still hit the gym and do your weights circuit, but maybe throw in some stationary biking or elliptical machines to keep your cardio up (if it doesn't bother your knee, that is.) 

I've also been using glucosamine/chondroitin supplements which are supposed to be really good for bum knees.  It may be placebo or the fact that I am running fewer miles these days, but either way, they are feeling a lot better.