dgirard Posted February 4, 2015 Report Share Posted February 4, 2015 Hi everyone! I want to keep a log of my runs and experiences so I don't forget the struggles and triumphs. I figure they can help motivate me later on, especially after I finish the program. I am a 22 year old female 5"8 and approx 155 lbs last time I checked. I have always hated running, but admired runners and their determination, especially when I see them running in the snow/rain. Over the holiday season I gained about 10-15 lbs and was feeling extremely sluggish and unmotivated. About a week and a half ago something clicked and I decided I would go ahead, get off my butt and do something to make myself feel better. I had tried to train for a 5k about 2 years ago with a friend, but she backed out about 1 week in. This time I decided I would do it alone. No relying on another person to give me the motivation. I can run with friends or alone but either way I'm gonna do it! Day 1 was tough. I misunderstood the time on the app so ended up stopping about 12 minutes early, but I honestly felt I couldn't go farther. After the first 2 jogging sessions I really had to pay attention to my breathing and it was cold and windy so my ears, nose, and lungs really hurt. Even though I didn't finish day one I felt good about it. I had finally taken action. The day after day one I went on a long walk. It felt good to loosen up sore muscles. W1D2 I was actually looking forward to my run! I never thought that would happen. I went into this workout with the mentality that I would finish no matter what. It was SO much easier! I could breathe easily I wasn't daunted by the number of jog sessions like I was before. During every walk break I could get my breathing back down to normal. It was like magic! Also, I normally eat/snack out of boredom and am very lethargic. After my run on day 2 I had much more energy and was ravenously hungry. I feel like most of the challenge is mental. You just need the motivation and determination to get out there regardless of the results. I just completed W1D3 and I feel great about myself. It's so uplifting the amount of progress I have made in only 1 week. If I just monitor my breathing and make sure I don't go too fast (which I have a tendency of doing at first) then I can complete the whole workout with relative ease. I did have a bit of trouble with my shins today. During the second or third running session the outside front of my shins started to burn almost like a cramp. I had to stop walking once to stretch them because they were burning so bad. I am running in a hilly area on Tarmac with Nike Shox. I also think I heel strike a bit so that might have something to do with it. Does anyone have experience with this? It seems like my symptoms are similar to compartment syndrome but the pain goes away very quickly after I stop running/walking. I think it's mostly heel striking from my shoes and the Tarmac. I'm coming to the realization that I will have to get my gait analyzed and get more appropriate shoes if I want to continue on injury free. Lj59 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azatol Posted February 5, 2015 Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 First off congratulations. You may have started as someone who doesn't like running but it sure sounds like that has changed a bit. Remember that quite often it's your mind that defeats you. It's much lazier than your body. DON'T LET IT WIN! Analyzing your gait via a forum is something that may be difficult even for someone who knows how to do that (of which I am not). What I can suggest in the interim is that you look into a dynamic warmup and a runners cool down. Warming up and stretching those calves and hips(stretch only after a run and never before) are paramount in preventing injury on future runs, Additionally you may want to consider some strength training. Stronger leg muscles = stronger runner. In fact, EVERYTHING in life is easier when you're stronger. I know that's probably a lot to lay on you on week 1 and I get it so maybe let's think about doing this in pieces. I don't support the 5 minute walking warmup. it's not enough IMO. I'd look online for runners warmups and incorporate that first. After run stretching ASAP. We can worry about the strength training after you start to get your groove on. Hope this helps!! PS: Listen to your body. If you experience pain, not sore or cramp, but pain, STOP IMMEDIATELY. Every step you run while inured will add to your injuries down time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2015 Thanks Azatol, your words are always very inspiring. I really like the advice to put the phone away and not think about the time. As far as my gait goes I'm gonna try and go to a running store to get my gait analyzed. I might get some new shoes depending on their suggestions. I've also heard that running on dirt is better for the joints, so I need to try and find a place near me. And thanks for the suggestions. I agree that walking to warm up isn't enough. I'll have to look into that. I'm eager for week 2 to start, I may repeat a day of week one if I get too impatient. Azatol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2015 So week two starts tomorrow and I've lost a lot of my enthusiasm. I haven't been sleeping well for the past few nights, so I've been fairly exhausted. Plus I have a ton of things I need to get done for school so I've been pretty stressed about that. I just need to make sure that none of that gets in the way of running, but it's gonna be tough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdbeachgirl Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Maybe integrate running into your study breaks? Exercise helps A LOT in reducing stress! Even a quick run around the block can help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Thanks sdbeachgirl, running really does help with stress. I just got back from finishing w2d1. Man that was tough. I've been reading a lot on how to go from being a heel striker to a forefoot striker. I was really surprised at how easy it was mentally to make the transition. It was harder to sustain physically though. I felt like I had to run faster to not fall back into heel striking and I was taking longer strides. So that coupled with starting week two made for a tough day. On the second to last run I was going up a hill and felt like my legs just couldn't go any further and I felt nauseous so I stopped for a second. Then I started walking again and I was so disappointed with myself for giving up that I started wheezing. I don't have asthma or anything but this felt like an asthma attack. I returned to normal after a few minutes but I scared my boyfriend, who was running with me, pretty bad. Let's just say I'll probably have to repeat w2d1. And next time I need to focus on regulating my breathing more. Most of the run today I wasn't paying attention to it, so I'm sure I was hyperventilating quite a bit. I'm sure that didn't help with the nausea and wheezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 So it looks like I'm injured. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I think it has to do with inadequate cool down/stretching and the added stress of changing my running style. I felt fine after the run, then sat down for about 20 minutes and once I got up it felt like I had pulled a muscle near my left sacroiliac joint. The pain steadily got worse until I was almost doubled over in pain from trying to walk to the kitchen. I tried some stretching but it didn't seem to help. So I've been alternating ice and heat for the remainder of the day and it's gotten a little bit better, but I can still barely walk. I hope it gets better soon because I hate the idea I missed running days. Does anyone have any advice? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Azatol Posted February 8, 2015 Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 So it looks like I'm injured. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I think it has to do with inadequate cool down/stretching and the added stress of changing my running style. I felt fine after the run, then sat down for about 20 minutes and once I got up it felt like I had pulled a muscle near my left sacroiliac joint. The pain steadily got worse until I was almost doubled over in pain from trying to walk to the kitchen. I tried some stretching but it didn't seem to help. So I've been alternating ice and heat for the remainder of the day and it's gotten a little bit better, but I can still barely walk. I hope it gets better soon because I hate the idea I missed running days. Does anyone have any advice? Physical Therapy!!! If you're in the southeast, Results Physiotherapy took care of me nice nice. Got me back out running today. Taught me how to avoid getting the injury again. Cool people! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 8, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2015 Good news! After getting up and moving around a little this morning my hip feels much better. Not 100% but I can definitely walk now. I think I'm gonna head out into this wonderful sunny weather for an easy walk to help loosen me up a bit. The weather is great today so I'd hate to waste it! Azatol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KellyAnn Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Thats Great, DGirard. Keep us posted as to how you do! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 After waking up this morning my hip felt almost as bad as the first day. So I decided to go to the chiropractor to get this thing delt with. She said I had a sacroiliac joint subluxation. That's what I had suspected after doing some research earlier. She used a ramped up tens unit and adjusted me and said I should just keep walking until it feels completely better. Then I can slowly start running again. I'm not quite sure how long that will take but I don't suspect more than a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdbeachgirl Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Good for you for getting it looked at! I hope you heal quickly! I'm sure you'll be back to running in no time. Did she say what might have caused it and/or how you might be able to prevent it in the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 The day that I started hurting I had switched from running on Tarmac to running on the trail. She thinks I may have just twisted my hip a bit on the trail due to the uneven surface. She said I should just be a bit more careful to prevent getting injured again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgirard Posted February 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 So I got back out there today after three days of rest and damn that was hard! I decided to repeat w1d3 as a way to see if my hip was completely healed. I didn't expect it to be so difficult. I just couldn't get into a groove. I felt awkward the whole time. And by the end when I was walking my legs started feeling extra weak. I'm glad I ran though. It seems like any time longer than one day off is too much. I start to lose enthusiasm. I think on Friday I will start week 2 over again. I need the extra exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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