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Beware Austin's Town Lake Trail -- it's entirely concrete

guest — Sat, 09 May 2009 03:11:39 GMT

About a month ago, I had to be in Austin for business the weekend I'd planned a 15-mile run. Needless to say, I wasn't looking forward to hitting the hotel treadmill, so I was excited to try out the Town Lake Trail a friend had recommended. It's a very picturesque 10-mile or so trail on both sides of the river (connected by bridges at several points) that is quite close to the downtown hotels and popular with locals. Perfect. Or so I thought, until it started raining. The rain washed away the soil, at which point I realized the trail was constructed out of concrete (on top of which they'd placed about a millimeter of soil). It probably doesn't make much of a difference for the dog walkers and casual joggers, but 13 miles on concrete left me with a raging case of plantar fasciitis in both feet. A month later, I can barely walk. (I'm pretty careful about my running -- form, shoes, varying workouts, etc. -- so even though I typically run 20-25 miles / week when not training, the last time I had to take off more than a couple days because of an injury was more than two years ago.)

Long story short, stay away from the Town Lake Trail for serious runs!

Re: I gained 10 pounds in four months ... while running 20-30 miles a week. What's going on?

guest — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 04:25:09 GMT

I haven't been counting calories, but generally speaking, I'd say I've been eating about the same amount.

It's certainly possible I've put on some muscle, but not entirely -- a couple pairs of pants are starting to feel a bit snug around the waist and thighs! (Although not dramatically.)

I gained 10 pounds in four months ... while running 20-30 miles a week. What's going on?

guest — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 02:21:07 GMT

Last September I weighed 119 pounds, which is a healthy weight for a female of my height (5' 3"). When I put on two pounds over Labor Day Weekend, I didn't think anything of it since I'm active and eat relatively healthy foods (although it was a little odd given that I ran a PR in a 20K race that Monday). Problem is, I kept gaining weight. I ran (and somewhat undertrained for) the NYC marathon in early November, so I was running 30-35 miles in the weeks prior (during which point I ran a half marathon PR in Philly -- 1:47. Not superfast, but I can hustle.) After the marathon, I scaled back a little to 20-25 miles a week. Runs consisted of sprint workouts, tempo runs and 10-12 mile runs on weekends. I averaged about 75 percent of my maximum heart rate on longer runs, 80-85 percent on other runs. Strength training was sit ups, crunches and push ups. You can imagine my chagrin when the scale topped 130 pounds by the end of the year. (I realize 130 pounds is still a healthy -- even enviable for some -- weight, but before you launch into "Oh, please, cry me a river," note that 10 pounds represents nearly 10 percent of my body weight.)

As far as I can recall, my eating habits have not changed over these past few months. I went to the doctor -- the blood tests and sonogram came back normal. While I realize these tests are not infallible, I do feel fine. (Knock on wood!) I'm not experiencing fatigure or any unexplained -- or even explained -- pains so instinct (and the tests) tell me I'm not suffering from any serious medical condition.

The best possible explanation I've gotten comes courtesy of a couple spinning teachers, who suggested that all my running (six days a week with little or no cross training) might have made my "running muscles" so efficient that my body just wasn't getting the workout that my head thought I was. (It occurred to me this might be the case when I found myself running 10-12 miles on consecutive days because I thought it was too much trouble to take the subway.) So I've started cross training more (spinning, weight lifting) which are activities I did on a regular basis until about last April and I've also taken up boxing. So far I haven't put on any more weight -- maybe I've hit on the problem -- but I was wondering if anyone else has experienced / heard of anything like this before?

Re: Looking for shirt that says, "Are you going to pass or just stare at my a--"

guest — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:45:14 GMT

Thanks! I actually found it at gymskinz.com. I had a vague recollection that I'd seen an ad in Triathlete, so I eventually looked up "triathlon T-shirt." Thank goodness for Google.

Re: What do you think about when your running?

guest — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:57:56 GMT

What I'm going to eat when I'm done. I run through entire menus in my head! When I was running with my group this past Tuesday, I figured out what my post-marathon meal will be: a double hamburger, fries and a chocolate shake from the Shake Shack. I'm afraid there will be a long line (as there usually is) so I'm going to bring a quarter with me during the race. (Do calls still cost a quarter?) As soon as I cross that finish line, I'll hightail it to the nearest pay phone to call my friends to let them know I'm done and get them to start lining up.

Looking for shirt that says, "Are you going to pass or just stare at my a--"

guest — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:33:13 GMT

A while ago, I found a site online that sells shirts with, well, rather saucy slogans, including the one in the subject line. I decided, somewhat late in the game, that I want to run the NYC marathon in this shirt, except I can't remember the name of the online vendor and when I Google the phrase, nothing (related) comes up. Has anyone seen this shirt or know where I might find it online? I'm in a bit of a rush since the marathon is a week away, so any leads are greatly appreciated!

Re: What's the best way to attach your race number?

guest — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:24:32 GMT

I'm also 5' 3" and have raced (including a marathon) with a race belt. For me, at least, the number was not obscured and it did not flap around. (The number hits your upper thigh.) There are a few considerations, though:

1. Some bibs are smaller / larger than others and if you are wearing a T-shirt or other large shirt, the shirt may hang over your bib. (I usually race in pretty close-fitting clothes so that wasn't an issue.)

2. The race belt tends to turn around as you run, no matter how well you adjust it at the start of the race, so you inevitably end up with the bib on your side / back. (You'd think that maybe it would rotate around completely? But no.) I've found that the only thing that keeps it in place is turning down the waistband of my shorts / tights over the race belt.

Also, why do you want to wear a race belt? Are you planning to toss a shirt along the way? Generally, unless you're planning a major outfit change (like in a triathlon or you think you'll have to shed a lot of layers) or unless you don't have enough clothing to attach a bib (like in hot weather when you may only have a sports bra and shorts) you probably don't need the belt ...

Re: National Marathon

guest — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 21:42:56 GMT

I quite liked the temps -- started with a long-sleeved shirt, but chucked it after a mile and ran the rest of the way in shorts and a tank top.

Thanks to you and your wife for coming out and supporting all the runners! (And thanks to DC for opening the Metro early -- what a nightmare that would have been if we'd all had to take cabs / drive to the start.)

Re: National Marathon

guest — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 15:26:04 GMT

I haven't run a lot of races with pacers (this being my first marathon) but a couple of the bigger halfs I've done had pacers, both times carrying those little flags. This time the pacers were in orange shirts, but they'd only handwritten their pace times on their back bibs so they weren't really obvious (and needless to say, plenty of runners were wearing orange shirts too).

Overall, it was great experience although I did hit the Wall at mile 19 -- just before that hardcore cyclist guy "biking" with a wheel clamp at the turnaround -- and had a hard time slogging through the next few miles until I got my second wind at 24. Although I paced myself well at the beginning, running much slower than my half pace, I'm told I shouldn't have sped up at mile 13 (something I imagine I would have known had I opened my training book before losing it)! I'm planning to do another this fall, either NY (where I'm from) or possibly Chicago (hoping the weather won't repeat itself).

Re: National Marathon

guest — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:48:46 GMT

Way to go Run4Cookies! Did you by any chance notice that the mile 26 marker came very early? When I hit 25 I started counting lamp posts and I was up to 17, I think, (about 3/4 of a mile) when I saw the mile 26 marker. I thought maybe my count was off, so I started sprinting, but ... no finish line. A little rough, that. That part by the water was pretty desolate so the handful of spectators who made it out there were very much appreciated! Water stations were wonderfully manned. The pacers were hard to find, though and when I did accidentally find them, they didn't have many runners with them, so obviously I wasn't the only one having a tough time tracking them down. This was my first marathon -- my "test" marathon as I'm calling it -- so I'm hoping to shave off some time from my next one too!