Masters Weekend Races and Runs

Thanks to everyone for their responses, lughead that is positive information on the three who have had surgery.

Next week we will go back into the rotation, if anyone would like to open the thread just give me a email shot and we will work you in.

I feel fortunate to be running after almost 4 years off but it is hard getting used to being so slow.

I increased my training to 3 runs this week and think I left some of the race on my wednesday run. Woke up saturday and my legs were still a little creaky. The warmup verified my suspicions. I didn't feel too bad as the race started but my splits were a little slower than I was hoping for. I picked up the pace the last mile and passed some others to finish 4th overall. After I got home I was still rundown so I slept through most of the first half of the Buckeyes game. (As did the Buckeyes themselves). Fortunately, they woke up the fourth quarter.

Well that sure is a bummer about the achilles! Tendons are made with a lot of magnesium so make sure you take that. I had a partial achilles tear and it pout me in crutches and out of commission for a good stretch. They do heal back though, it just takes time. You might be able to bike or do spin classes. I sat in the sauna nearly every night to get a good sweat in for the first six weeks or so in order to allow for some form of detoxification.

Fanelli, glad you liked Santa Fe and yes those hills are nasty. I used to be a wrangler at a ranch an hour north of there as I've probably mentioned.

Sarah--good to see you back in action. Humbled you are always an inspiration.

Mostly getting in some running with some folks I coach. Managed to live through a couple of ho-hum workouts this week, nothing to get too excited about. Might do the SF Banana Chase 5K next Sunday. The three women I coach should roll PRs, and a few of the guys look ready too.

Good vibes to all.

Sorry that Kevin was so flat for the Fluffy Bunny race. Here's hoping we can have him ready for a big marathon in four weeks.

My IT band has gotten so tight you could run a bow across it and play Mozart. Consequently, hammy often knots up at the insertion. Usually it resolves itself in a few minutes to a few hours, but this week it stayed with me for several days, until I got a brutal massage from my Amazon therapist. So today's trail run wrapped up a brilliant 13-mile week.

At least my HS team is running well so far!

Anyone heard from JimH since his enigmatic appearance a few weeks ago?

No Achilles issue here--sorry. That's just about the only problem I've not had. (I realize I have now doomed myself.)

Back running again, slowly. Still doing some elliptical and cycling, too, as I have time.

Teams doing well. Girls ranked 6th in the region right now, which sits well with me. We've successfully dealt with some team issues and are less than 2 weeks away from our first meet of the year. Wahoo.

Howdy Masters.

Mornings are getting colder, days shorter here in the Northwest. Frisky running weather.

Logged 47 miles this week, the most since early track season. No real workouts. Some barefoot strides on grass, a light, hilly 4-mile tempo run. Sunday was 9.5 miles on a sliver of singletrack through dense woods, splashing through multiple creek crossings. Started putting together a list of races for the XC season this week, which was motivating.

Nothing to offer OMBTS on the Achilles, except to agree with getting a second opinion, and note what lughead said about not rushing rehab.

SoCal Pete, that sounds like a mean tumble. And you bounced? At your age?

Muddy's take on the course for XC Club Nats is spot-on. I've raced 5K XC there a couple times. Basically a big soccer park. Soft turf, not speedy. Some really soggy spots when wet. The wind can blow hard and cold off the river.

At the edge of the park a dirt road drops down closer to the river and climbs back up to the grass, maybe a 50-meter hill if I remember right. I thought we pretty much maxed out the topography for a 5K race. It will be interesting to see how loops are laid out for a 10K.

Have a great week everybody.

Old Man by the Sea wrote:

Good morning from a humid Outer Banks. Tropical Storm Hannah brought us a little rain and a bit of wind, it went inland and skipped us, stay away Ike !

I cannot give a race or run result because of my achilles but decided to ask if any of you have ever had a achilles operation ? my orthopedic has recomended surgery, a week off of my feet then six weeks in a cast, he said it could be eight months until I feel healed and he won't guarantee there will not be pain. I really don't think I have a choice , it's either keep gaining weight with a limp and no running or operation with a shot at running again. Enough of my blues.

Please share your awesome run or race results, the fall season is upon us.

Post em up !!!

Never had at problems but have had to deal with not running and done so successfully!

-surgery only as a last resort and then without any intention of ever running again.In other words I would not go under the knife so I could run.

-weight gain means work on the diet and find alternative physical activities that did not make the at worse.

Running can become a self destructive behavior.I have seen it on this thread many times.

OMBTS:

I'm not sure how severe your tendonitis is. If it's a tear, it's beyond my experience, but if it's still in the sharp, nagging pain regime, it's similar to what I battled last winter. Some things I did that helped, including some suggestions from

http://www.drpribut.com/sports/

, were:

1. Avoiding wearing flat profile shoes such as slippers, sandals and racing flats. Heel lifts helps minimize the stress on the tendon when you push off from the ground. I wore training shoes almost all the time.

2. Moderate pace runs were okay, and were probably good for blood circulation, but speed work and hills aggrevated the tendonitis. Mild discomfort is okay, but pain is not.

3. Be careful on stairs. I found it helpful to avoid landing on my heel going down the stairs, and I also went up quite gingerly to avoid rapid stretching of my Achilles.

4. Run on grass or soft surfaces whenever possible.

5. Take your time. It took me five months before I felt close to normal and could comfortably run up hills in racing flats with a full range of motion.

Good luck!

Ghost--if you are interested (or you may know this one)--for stretching out the IT band, lie down flat on your back, loop a belt around your affected foot (like a lasso), and keep your 'belt-looped' leg straight and pointed perpendicularly up and away from the body toward the ceiling.

Keep your hips/glutes/shoulders as squarely as possible to the floor. With your foot secured inside the 'lasso,' pull it over/across your body toward your opposite shoulder until you feel the isolation of the IT band and correct stretch. In most cases, forming an "L" shape will suffice.

Good week here, making it two in a row after being out several weeks with a foot problem. Managed ~ 82 miles, including some 800s Tuesday and mile repeats Friday, at close to 5k pace and roughly HM pace respectively. Plus a fun trail run with some buddies yesterday.

Week ended on a sour note as we had to put down our 20 year old cat. She'd been with me nearly half my life, but it never occurred to me, really, that I'd grown attached to her, until the last month when it looked like her time was running out. She was getting very uncomfortable, so it was her time. We treated her like a queen her final month, feeding her canned Sockeye salmon, often by hand. I'm sure she appreciated that. She was around longer than our son and helped raise him. :-) I think she was happy to see him enter university last week before she passed.

Have a great week, everyone!

Hey all. Still reeling from the Payette Lake 30K on Labor Day weekend, but had to make the appearance at the Air Force Appreciation 5 miler here in Mountain Home,Idaho,on Friday night since it's the only race here all year. It was an evening race and the wind certainly wasn't conducive to running fast. Due to my screaming quads I shut it down mid-race and ran hard enough to win, 30:15 for 5 miles, which put me 1:20 ahead of second place. The ladies from my training group cleaned up, taking first, third and 4th overall on the women's side.

After that a mad dash to Lewiston for the weekend for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday, watched the Cowboys clean up on the Browns yesterday and drove home late last night. The weekend was a blur.

I got in a decent 9+ miles at 6:30-6:40 pace yesterday and felt good about that. Am racing a 5K in Boise next Saturday and hoping to feel much better and run in the 16:30 range.

Best wishes for a speedy revovery to those of you who are injured !

Thanks. I know that one, but don't do it often enough. Need to be stretching with my high school team every day!

whatever man wrote:

Ghost--if you are interested (or you may know this one)--for stretching out the IT band, lie down flat on your back, loop a belt around your affected foot (like a lasso), and keep your 'belt-looped' leg straight and pointed perpendicularly up and away from the body toward the ceiling.

Keep your hips/glutes/shoulders as squarely as possible to the floor. With your foot secured inside the 'lasso,' pull it over/across your body toward your opposite shoulder until you feel the isolation of the IT band and correct stretch. In most cases, forming an "L" shape will suffice.

Sorry to hear about the achilles, OMBTS. I wish I had information that could help.

Things are looking up for this old never was. I ran 15.5 on the Wildwood Trail on Saturday and am back to doing regular track workouts that are inspired by Hadd. I'm hoping to be in shape to run a reasonably strong marathon by December.

Tryon, I wish I was running Wildwood with you, my son was pulling out race pictures of me from 03 "look how you looked then Dad". Great to see you posting again.

Was it that long ago when you were out here? I am getting old.

A much better week training-wise than the previous week as I worked the post-Hood to Coast soreness out of the legs. Managed 2 workouts and a race this week along with solid mileage.

Tuesday workout was 2 sets of 2 miles at lactate threshold pace, 400 jog, 1000m at LT - 5%. Thursday ran 6 x 60 second hill and then ran easy mile to the track where a JV football game was going on. Got in 4 x 200m fast and relaxed while the crowd cheered the teams. Sunday ran a 10K here in town and won the masters division with a 33:18 which also cracked the top 10.

33 days until Royal Victoria Marathon.

OMBTS - Good luck with the achilles. Having had my knee cut open three times, I can tell you that it's always a struggle at first. The PT in crucial to recovering, so don't take it lightly.

We've had a nice start to Fall. The hurricane's carry over drenched us on Thursday. Still managed to get in some good tempo runs and a 12x400 on a newly resurfaced track.