The Panda Chronicles

[Sean90]

It was successful. But as I mentioned in my thread. Shin pain is gone completely. But been replaced with minor knee pain. They were irritable all day yesterday...maybe the extra weight I'm carrying hurting my knees. Hope it gets better. Taking today off. Keep up the good work jeshi. You got this now. Your on the down hill slope ...

[Anne Lang]

so happy to see Ruthie here. good to hear from everyone on progress i posted in injuries felt a pop on what i did today. anyway im bad when junk is around and at work for some strang reason (Halloween) there has been a lot around im up 5 pounds in a week and half pay day is friday so im going to stock up on some good substitute snacks for next week. (can we just say chocoholic)

[Ruthie]

Jeshi had you in mind this morning during the second 3 minute and 5 minute runs. My calf was hurting again, and when the thought of quitting came into my mind I said to myself "Would Jeshi quit? No she would not!!" and neither did I. Nailed it :-)

[Anne Lang]

yay we are not quitters

[Jeshi]

@Ruthie: Awesome!!! So proud of you for continuing forward! Don't be afraid of slowing down (slowing down utilizes your energy reserves efficiently) and elite runners train at slower paces to run longer. You did great! 

 

@Anne: good plan! It's so hard for me to stay on my food goals when there are temptations around me. I'm the receptionist at my company and at the old office, my boss kept a candy jar at my desk. It contributed to a 40 pound gain in about a year's time. Yikes! Now, there is no candy near me and I'm doing much better.

 

@Sean: I read that pain in one part of the body happens because it has to adjust for alignment and gait issues in other parts of the body. For example, when I was running on my heel/outer edge of foot and had my leg to the side of my body, I was experiencing terrible shin splints. My feet and calves were much better today, but I noticed my right knee acting funny (then again, I was kind of bouncing onto the pavement and had to remind myself to step lightly). I hope you are able to resolve your knee issue. Joints are very important! Please ice and elevate it. If you can have a sport medicine or running store expert watch you run, maybe they can help your knee.

 

 

11/5/15 Thursday W6D2

 

I started with a stressful morning, but I wasn't about to let that derail my run. I got 8.5 hours of sleep last night (yay) and lost 2 lbs this morning (yay). Those combined with the fact that I ran yesterday and rolled for a bit, I felt great today. The run was generally effortless (my feet moved on their own, and my breath was relatively comfortable until the end of the run). My calves and feet were hardly sore. I was really prancing and bouncing and had to remind myself to step lightly and not pound the pavement. I was elated. My right knee felt a little funny, but is fine now that I'm not stomping into the ground.

 

One strange thing I thought while running is I didn't feel my heel coming in contact with the ground at all. I know many people feel like their heel does not come into contact with the ground but on a camera, you can see that their heel does hit (after the mid/forefoot and before rolling onto the forefoot to push off the ground). I'd be interested in doing a video, but I'm not sure where I can do that for free (or low price) as I'm not interested in purchasing a pair of shoes right now.

 

It's interesting that my food choices and sleep choices are now revolving around "how to make running easier and more enjoyable." Running has become very enjoyable for me, but I would still be nervous discussing with someone about it face to face.

 

Tomorrow is the long run. Bring it on!

[Anne Lang]

enjoy your long run hope u get into a zone

[Jeshi]

Thanks, Anne. Today was interesting.

 

 

11/6/15 Friday W6D3

 

When I stood on left leg last night, I noticed pain and was unbalanced. I have a very difficult time standing on one leg (even for a few seconds). This morning my left leg was in the same kind of pain but my right knee was better.

 

Due to being sick, I ran the slowest pace since I started this journey (about 3 mph). I made it through to the end of 22 minutes (woohoo!) but the elated feeling wasn't there. In fact, the toes on my left foot started going numb at 21:30. Normally, I'd stop immediately and walk, but I really wanted to finish the interval.

 

Now, my right knee is twinging a little bit. I think it's because I am running more now (about 4 days a week). I don't want to go back to 3 days, but I'm a little upset about my body given that I've stuck with good posture (maybe my posture isn't as good as I think--and need an expert to analyze).

 

I'm glad I'll be able to recuperate tomorrow and Sunday. Since this week was tough but doable, I might repeat it next week. It looks like Week 7 and 8 are progressively longer runs (up to 30 minutes). I think my normal running rate would let me finish a 5k in 55 minutes. It'll take more than 2 weeks for me to build up to that time, but that's okay.

 

Do you think I'm overdoing it?

[Azatol]

I don't know what your long run is or how much running experience you have(so take this for what it's worth) but in my opinion, you should only run 4 days once you have established a solid mileage base so much that some of your runs are routine. If you are still sore and fighting to complete your runs, you benefit more by having a day off after every run to recover and let muscle fiber repair itself stronger. I was running about 8 months before I added a 4th day to my routine. I've actually just started toying with idea of a 5th day.

 

If you aren't to that point, I'd reccomend you maintian a 3 day a week reginmen of a semi fixed mileage (I did 5k) on two of my runs and then bit by bit dialed up the distance on my long run. Once that got past 5 or 6 miles, my endurance increased significantly and the 5k runs got easier and began to approach routine. That's the point that I added in an additional day.

 

The long run is very beneficial!! It's your endurance builder.

[Jeshi]

Hi, Azatol, in each session I'm completing 1.5-1.75 miles (so very slow/short distances). I don't have any previous running experience (which is why I'm starting out slow).

 

I found this site and video which looks really good. http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/fixing-two-common-running-form-flaws_103966?utm_medium=whats-hot

[SteveJ]

This is a very interesting regimen - being on the last week of the 10K I ran my second 60 minutes on Wednesday and noticed a bit of soreness. I like the idea of 2 x 5Ks and a bit more a bit once a week. I like the longer runs but wasn't thinking I was going to be able to maintain at this pace. Thanks for this tip!

 

I don't know what your long run is or how much running experience you have(so take this for what it's worth) but in my opinion, you should only run 4 days once you have established a solid mileage base so much that some of your runs are routine. If you are still sore and fighting to complete your runs, you benefit more by having a day off after every run to recover and let muscle fiber repair itself stronger. I was running about 8 months before I added a 4th day to my routine. I've actually just started toying with idea of a 5th day.

 

If you aren't to that point, I'd reccomend you maintian a 3 day a week reginmen of a semi fixed mileage (I did 5k) on two of my runs and then bit by bit dialed up the distance on my long run. Once that got past 5 or 6 miles, my endurance increased significantly and the 5k runs got easier and began to approach routine. That's the point that I added in an additional day.

 

The long run is very beneficial!! It's your endurance builder.

 

Jeshi - it looks like you are doing incredible! Keep it up!

[Azatol]

Hi, Azatol, in each session I'm completing 1.5-1.75 miles (so very slow/short distances). I don't have any previous running experience (which is why I'm starting out slow).

 

I found this site and video which looks really good. http://running.competitor.com/2014/05/training/fixing-two-common-running-form-flaws_103966?utm_medium=whats-hot

I really think you would best benefit yourself sticking to a 3 day regiment for the time being.

 

As for that page, I tend to agree with it. I actually heel strike somewhat but it's not the devil that people accuse it of being. Heel striking is really only bad when your heel strikes out far in front of you while your leg is fully extended and transfers the road shock into your knee because your body is thrusting forward as your heel hits.  If your knee is bent your leg bends with the strike to absorb the force as it's designhed to do. Cadence IMO is the more critical number. Get your cadence up and your knees will be better. I don't focus on how my foot hits but instead I focus on running cues....

 

Running cues:

• Imagine a string attached to the top of your head pulling you upwards (AKA run tall)
• Imagine a brick wall in front of your body and you don't want to stub your toes on it while you run (AKA it makes your stride shorter and increases your cadence(Steps per minute))
• Tighten your core (try and touch your spine with your belly button.) This takes a lot of practice.

By actively visualizing these cues I was able to transitiion to a higher cadence (I average 177-180). This automatically makes your legs land more under your body and takes a lot of pressure off the knees. If you heel strike on a shotrter stride, it wont hurt your knees thus it isn't so much a problem..

 

You can see below that I am definitely heel striking but my knee is landing closer to under me and not out in front of me so the leg is not compressing in on the knee joint. (I'm also ridiculously pooped at this point and running on reserves so my form isn't at its best)

[Anne Lang]

tingling toes dont like that.Jeshi if u can find an expert why not. also website seems good. Good for doing your run

[Jeshi]

Thanks for the feedback everyone! @Azatol, I thank you for your input, but I think for myself personally, I need to keep up the frequency. The stabilization of my moods from mental illness, sleeping better, eating healthier with controlled portions and de-stressing just outweighs the negatives at this point.

 

 

11/9/15 Monday W6D1

 

Weighing myself on Saturday and this morning, I lost 4 pounds. I chose to redo w6d1 for mastery. I wasn't sure if I do could the 25 minutes of week 7. As soon as I started running, I wanted to try it, but I didn't want to deal with finagling with the app so I just ran with it 

 

It was cold out today (I suffer from intense inflammation, congestion, and sinus pressure in my head when the weather turns cold). This morning I was fine. I drew my legs closer to my body (like Azatol's photo) and went with midfoot strike. I tried to use smooth paces like riding a bike instead of bouncing up and down (like on a trampoline). There was no numbness in toes, hip, knee or foot issues today. It felt easy and was fast and far compared to my other runs. I did not lean forward. My breath in and out was about 2 steps in and 3 steps out.

 

In the last few minutes of the session, my breathing became troubled. I felt like air was hard. I started getting the worst headache. It felt like an intense drill bit going into my left temple and a vise grip on my right temple. It was so hard to finish the few minutes. I haven't experienced such a headache before.

 

After the session, the headache was still intense, but abated slowly. 2.5 hours after the session, my head is fine.

 

Do you think I went into anerobic too long?

 

 

 

edit: I googled "exercise headaches" triggers and wanted to note that it wasn't from warm weather (it was cold today), I'm not at a high altitude, I drink water in the morning before running, I'm running for 30 minutes (don't need water/electrolyte replenishment in the middle), I wear transition lenses (glasses that have UV protection like sunglasses), I'm not going too far/too fast/too intense (just following the app with repeat days).

 

edit2: For the past week, I also noticed that on the medial side where my left big toe joins my foot, it feels like a blister is trying to develop. I check the skin and it looks fine, no loose skin or air pockets, but when I stand on my left foot, it feels like a blister is forming. Any ideas?

[Anne Lang]

no ideas that head ach thing bothers me if happens again please go get checked out. Funny on my left foot while running yesterday it felt like a blister was forming on the ball of my foot behind the big toe nothing is there I felt it when walking today I thought might be a calous i havent googled it yet

[Sean90]

May not even be close to the problem. But how much water do u drink a day...I know I might be a little excessive but at first I was not drinking a lot if water and I was getting headaches when I ran. Now I drink a gallon a day and I feel better than ever. Sounds weird but I actually carry my gallon jug with me everywhere. Another accountability tool. I know that gallon needs to be empty by the end of the day

[Jeshi]

Let's see: On weekdays, I drink a 32 oz green smoothie (no sweeteners except fruit) and a gallon of water. Weekends (non-run days), I drink at least 80 oz of water, more if I am exercising.

 

 

11/11/15 Wednesday W6D2

 

Monday night, I passed out at 8 PM and slept for 10 hours. I spent my running time on Tuesday to prepare for the day. I had so many odd symptoms lately that I googled and found many of them correlated with B12 deficiency, which I have been diagnosed with very low levels on a blood test in the past. My doctor recommended supplements, but I eventually stopped taking them. I started taking some yesterday, will continue, and see results. It could take a few months to level out, but one step at a time.

 

I went to work out last night. It was a big realization that I used to hold my breath during exercise. Applying a similar breathing technique helped me get more out of the workout. I went home and ate dinner (not a lot of volume, but quite calorie dense). I passed out at 10 PM, but woke up at 3:30 AM, and couldn't fall asleep again until 5:30. I have to get up at 6. I know it is normal to sleep 4-6 hours, wake for 2, and sleep for another 4-6 (that's how people slept before the invention of the light bulb), but with modern's society's work-week, it's too difficult to devote 10-14 hours for just sleeping.

 

So, having only 6 hours of sleep and being B12 deficient plus other medical conditions, I felt a lack of energy and exhaustion this morning. I'm not going to lie, I really didn't want to run. I had to be firm like a parent telling a child he needs to brush his teeth. If I let myself argue, I might have convinced myself not to go. But I needed to do this.

 

So, I ran. W6D2, the first 10 minute interval was tough. I wanted to give up many times and kept glancing at the clock. The walk wasn't as enjoyable as usual. Something happened in the second 10 minute interval. I'd gotten into the groove, warmed up my muscles, and wanted to continue past the clock. Some day I will. Right now, I don't want to over extend (don't want to over train or be late for work). I made it!

 

Good news: no hip/knee/foot/calf/shin pain. No numb toes. No blister feeling and no headache. I'm going to attribute the headache to the cold as I tend to get headaches when I go outside when it's cold (Every year I forget!). Today was muggy and kinda warm.

 

Thanks for reading. Hope you are successful in your running journey!

[Anne Lang]

so glad you convinced yourself. good job B12 good move you will be feeling fine soon just a side question how are your iron levels

[Jeshi]

3-4 years ago my iron was fine (haven't measure since then). I do eat spinach about 5 days a week (except this week when I'm rotating my vegetables).

 

 

11/12/15 Thursday W6D3

 

Didn't get a chance yesterday to post about my run, so here's a quick update. I felt great doing W6D3 (22 minute interval). It was WAAAY easier than last week. Remember my post about numb left toes? When I reached the same area of road, my left toes went slightly numb again, but it was very slight this time. I think it's due to the road (see below).

 

 

11/13/15 Friday W7D2

 

I was originally planning on repeating W6D3 today and then start Week 7 next week. I have this fear of starting a long run on Mondays (being more or less rested on Monday is a hit or miss). I was even planning on running W6D2 on Monday and then Day 3 the next session and finally get into Week 7 later in the week.

 

For some reason, I just started Week 7 this morning. I looked at the session and thought 25 minutes? I can do it. It wasn't until I was in the warm up session that I remembered my plan. I did not want to redo the warm up so I just went with it. I started out really rested, energized and slightly springy. I checked in with myself periodically. With 7 minutes left, I had a major downer, but pushed through it. I was fine after that.

 

Unfortunately, in the last 4 minutes, the instep on my left foot really started hurting. It felt like a blister was developing; that the skin was rubbed raw. I really didn't want to stop, so I pushed through it. I tried to run gingerly to minimize the rubbing, but it continued. When I reached the infamous numb spot on the road, my left toes got a little numb. I was almost at a walking pace with running form as I passed that section of road. So, now I really think that section of the road is something to watch out for. The road is grooved vertically, banked to the outer side, and there are divots and such in the road. So numbness not much to worry about, I hope.

 

As far as the instep is concerned, I think these are the contributing factors: I wore my socks from yesterday to sleep because it was cold and ran in those. They were moist when I pulled them off my feet (wetness + friction = blister). I will change socks if I sleep in them next time. I felt the inside of my shoe where the instep hits and there is a ridge. I could be proton-ating at the end of the run due to compensating for the banked road and my instep hitting the side of the shoe causing an issue. I did jumping jacks on Tuesday and my arches hurt (the large forces in plyo tears up my feet). I stopped my jumping jacks pretty early, but I still tore up my arches. Lastly, my feet have been getting smaller with fat loss so my running shoes may not be too big. I tie the shoes as tight as I can and they support my arches from the tops of my feet, but sometimes I feel the bottoms of my feet sliding around my running shoes.

 

I know I should go to a specially running store and have them analyze my gait and size me properly, but I already have other expenses coming my way. All the shoes I rotate on a daily basis have holes and need replacing. One is 18 months old and the other one is over 3 years. The 18 month old shoe was soled with bullhide leather so no tread. The 3 year + shoe has had no tread for more than a year and the entire shape of the sole has been ground down at a diagonal line (a neutral stride would be supinating because of the angle of sole now). I really need new work/daily shoes. I'm also looking to purchase from a company that does leather/"barefoot" styles as my experience has shown it has the most improvement in my foot muscles, ground feel, proprioception, balance, and comfort. They are relatively pricey. /sigh

 

Does anyone know if MapMyRun/MapMyFitness measures accurately if you run a route halfway and then run backwards on it? I run halfway down a route and then run back to balance my leg muscles.

[Anne Lang]

not sure bout those 2 but every other traking app i have tried measures there and back differently it is one of my pet peves and even running 2 apps at same time it is different glad iron is good cause low iron = low energy start putting a little away at a time for shoes good luck

[Ruthie]

I think map my run is pretty accurate - I run on circular roads, and get the same distances per rounds all the time. (It deviates a bit according to how much time a spend on each side of the road - the outer or inner circle - but it's pretty accurate.

I also take a B12 supplement. I am vegetarian and don't eat eggs so I don't have much choice. When I am low on b12 I am both depressed and stupid :-)... forget what I was saying mid sentence, put stuff in the fridge which really doesn't belong in there... and so on.

 

You seem to be doing really well with the running...definitely get  new shoes though...

[Azatol]

If you want to check your GPS, use this site to map out your run and compare. The lines follow the road curves and make for very accurate routes(and will do an out and back). I use it to plan my runs. No promises it works outside of US roads. never tried.

 

http://onthegomap.com/#/create

[Anne Lang]

Azatol- you make my ocd so happy

[Azatol]

Azatol- you make my ocd so happy

ROFL

[Anne Lang]

my long walk that i have never been able to calculate miles for in any accurate way thanks to Azatol has been maped out on the site mentioned above and that is a 7.1 mile hike that takes me walking at a varied pace about 1hr 45 min. I do some slow walking some brisk walking some very brisk walking then i slow it down and go brisk to moderate to slow. I go early morning cause it is a bike trail that has a park on one side and a main highway on the other less cars better air quality the earlier i go I will do this walk on sunday as i ran today

[Jeshi]

Thanks for all the feedback, everyone! It seems like MapMy apps track accurately, even if you turn around on the same route. I noticed I was having a lot of spacing out/concentration/depression/anxiety issues and have been doing much better on the b12.

 

 

11/16/15 Monday W7D2

 

"I wish every running day felt like a Monday." As long as I'm consistent during the week (run Monday, Thursday, Friday and either Tuesday or Wednesday), the following Mondays are awesome. I slept soooo much yesterday and just felt like this 25 minute interval I did today was an easy effort and I went a little faster than usual. I hit the left toes numb thing with 4 minutes left. I'm going to attribute it to some medical conditions and not worry about it if it doesn't get worse since it pretty much stops after I end the run.

 

Non-running updates below:

 

I've been trying to maintain a calorie deficit. It seems that near the end of the week, I start getting very, very hungry. I let myself have more on Friday and Saturday (more, but a controlled amount, not a binge). I felt much better. I spent almost the entire day Sunday sleeping except for waking up to eat a little. I am going to allow myself more calories towards the end of the week for energy.

 

I've been reading a lot about fat loss. I'm seeing changes every few days in the mirror and am getting worried about having a lot of excess skin after I lose (I really don't want to consider surgery). I'm torn between the mindset of wanting to lose weight slowly or not at all and loosing as fast as I can safely. Here's why: a couple of friends and I had prepaid a boxing gym membership together. This gym is filled with heavy bags and the workouts are heavy bag work (boxing and kickboxing) and other exercises (jumping jacks, push ups, lunges, etc.). There's no sparring involved in my training. While I've been a member of this gym for over a year now, I never lost weight (in fact, it increased, in fat and muscle). I felt strong punching and great about it, but I had no stamina (cardio endurance). It wasn't until I started c25k that I learned to breathe while exercising (I used to hold my breath and would get dizzy and light-headed) and improve my heart and lung function.

 

Well, when you lose weight, about half is muscle, half is fat. Sure, you are loosing weight and getting smaller, but your body composition (muscle to fat ratio) likely stays the same. The only way to change that is to build muscle (mostly through strength and resistance training). I'm a beginner who had no stamina (no cardio capability). Even though I was heavy, I always felt strong, I could comfortably move 60 lb boxes, I could throw my weight and hit hard. During the week I had my monthly, I'd feel so weak. I'd struggle to lift the lightest 10 lb weights. I really hated the feeling of weakness that week. I'd just want that week to be over.

 

I've been loosing weight recently. When I went boxing on Saturday morning, I was so weak that the bag was swinging all over the place and it was really hard to pop the bag. I hate feeling weak, hungry, and spacey. Whenever I'm experiencing that feeling, I'm going to add more calories to the next day. I'm also going to try to add in more core/large muscle group strengthening to try to maintain my muscle while loosing fat. I'm okay with the scale staying if I don't have to suffer feeling weak.

 

Sorry for the rambling post today.