Active Community: Message List - ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

Anij34 — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:01:03 GMT

Stomach flu is going around, I've been dealing with this since Sat. Hope your better real soon!

Anij

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

mattmikesmom — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 11:57:45 GMT

W4D2 completed last night! I started feeling sick at my stomach after lunch. I decided to eat a small dinner, as I knew I wanted to run last night. I was sick afterward, and I layed around on the couch. I thought I will at least try. I made it through the run and felt fine for some odd reason. When I got home, I was sick feeling again. Irregardless, the run is finished. We leave for the beach on Saturday for a week. I'm not sure with the weather, i.e. temperature, if I will repeat this week or start W5.

Thank you so much for all of your responses to my last post! I was so appreciative of your support and inspiration! I have a question for the group. On the days that you are not running, what type of exercise are you doing? I've just been running, and now I'm thinking of adding bicycling or something on the off days?

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

Lanity — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 15:55:53 GMT

Awwwwww.... the joys of running on suburban asphalt. The sound of soccer mom-vans driving by - the chirping of swallows and other non-descript brownish fowl - the beauty of professionally landscaped lawns and cookie cutter homes. There truly is NO place like home. W4 D4 over and OUT!

I'm suppose to be posting at the new thread, but I just wanted to say "thanks" to coach RWW for that awesome explanation. I gather from what you've said that running midfoot/forefoot is truly better for my joints and the sore arches are just my feet getting use to the new way of doing this. Hey... can I jump on Blue's bandwagon and consider you my running mentor now? I'm thinking of changing my name to "Runs With Roadkill" whaddaya think?

I wish I could afford those weird glove-like shoe thingies that look like socks with toes and a rubber bottom.

mfssl -- I feel for you. There's nothing like having your plans/good intentions thwarted when you're trying desperately to do something for YOURSELF!!!

unfitbit -- GO ON WIT YOUR BAD SELF!!!!!! Hubby loves his Garmin. Everyone who has one seems to love it. I'm happy w/ a heartrate monitor/stopwatch, and a website that I can map my route on, but the Garmin seems to be one of those things that once you have it... you wonder how you ever lived without it.

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

littlebitfitbit — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:30:32 GMT

Just Checking IN...

GOOD MORNING FROM THE UK TEAM WTF....

firstly can i say thankyou to all who post here ,we really are a team and we are all amazing ...

not the greatest week for me I seem to have hit a wall ,As you may recall i,m a little ahead in the program and this was my 20 min run week now up to this point the Robert ulley podcasts have really been working for me , but as the program changes in week 5 the podcast remains the same so you have to hear when day 1 has finished 5 mins etc I found this really off putting so i uploaded my own music still really finding it hard to pace myself for the 20 mins.. I did manage the full 20 ,however on my off road route ( i take with me my ridgeback hound) I have gates to open and close and a dog to recall who is running like the wind after an abundance of rabbits( I am in awe) i,d take a guess that we have 5 gates so all in all i added 2 -3 mins to the run .but i cant claim to have done the full 20mins in one go !!!!

My confidence is building so maybe i will take to the roads this week Janna ( my hound.. Means heavenly in african) is good on the road but l,m always a little concerned..maybe i,ll seek out another off road with less gates xx

I want to do it and i will do it and if it takes a little longer than C25K say it will i,ll get there

I looked at a garmin on ebay can anyone tell anything about this product ?????

for added motivation i would love to know what distance i,m covering .. speed is not essential at the moment lol I read all the info i could find and decided the basic model 101-201 would be fine for me

sorry to waffle on ......

lovin the team

thankyou to coach RWW

sorry to hear about the skort scare Anij

Lanity i just love reading your posts LOL i too have ankles and shins covered in stings bites and un explained scratches i run in capris and over fields..you would have had such a chuckle at me today as the earth here is clay based and it has an amazing ability to stick so running becomes a whole new challenge and yet the brain is slow to evaluate the problem until you look down to see your carrying enough soil to start a veggie patch , so then its off the trail to the long grass damp and full of things that like to chew my shins to try and lighten the load

PS .. does anyone else talk to the podcast or is it really just me

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxunfitbit

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

RunsWithWhales — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:50:42 GMT

Lanity--- ROLFLOL! Okay, okay, I give. Tell you what, as soon as my back heals up and I get back to running, I'll take you up on that beach run. I'm over on the west coast, and one of my fav beaches to run is next to the Point Arena lighthouse (about 2-3 hours north of San Francisco). Imagine running for as far as you want and never seeing a single other person... just you, the sand, the waves, and inner peace.

Uhmm, the ice bath.... Hey, when you need one, you need one. I've actually sat there reading a book while my legs were recovering from a long trail run. I will agree, though, that first initial shock... Brrrr.

Okay, heel strike vs. fore/mid foot strike. First off, there are a lot of experts out there with impeccable running and academic credentials. I'm just a guy who likes to run, and has found what works for him. That said, I'll try to explain things as I see it, and explain "why" I see it that way.

A lot has to do with how fast you are going. Take walking, your heel hits the ground, then the rest of your foot. Pick up the pace, and your heel still hits the ground, but with more impact. That impact it transmitted directly up your leg to your knees. Most people are over-pronators, meaning the foot "rolls" to the inside as the foot completes it's full contact with the ground (watch the slow-motion film of a runner as seen from directly ahead). This is torque transmitted to the knee as well.

Now, take off your shoes and run in place. Does your heel hit the ground first, or the ball of your foot? Hurts if your heel hits first, right? Your foot and ankle is an amazingly complex piece of architecture designed to absorb the shock of ground contact while simultaneously conforming to changing ground conditions. This is where your toes, the arch of your foot, the tendons, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and everything else come into play to keep you from falling over as you walk, run, skip, whatever.

Now, if you've ever seen a barefoot runner filmed in slow motion, they don't land that way. The foot lands either fore or mid foot, letting the foot absorb the impact with the ground (I saw a film of a guy hunting a Kudu Antelope.. he ran the thing down until it was exhausted, and he did it barefoot. Absolutely amazing.) People are born to run, but modern life has taken us away from that, fashion has given us shoes that have squeezed our toes together, and generally left us in a lot worse shape than our ancestors. Modern running shoes give people a great big heel pad to land on, helping to absorb some of that shock, but it also lets the front of your foot slap into the ground instead of letting your foot do the absorbing of the impact for you as you run.

Problem is, most folks LIKE their nice, cushy shoes, and who's to blame them? But as the muscles along your shin fight to keep your fore-foot from slapping into the ground, the muscles and tendons can be pushed beyond their limit. Now, try landing with a midfoot or forefoot strike. Problem is, most folks are not used to this, and it can be VERY hard on the calf muscles, not to mention that your feet themselves are not used to doing their job in the manner to which they were designed. It takes some getting used to. But, with a heel strike, your foot actually has to "stop", and then go again, while a mid-foot strike lets your feet flow smoother through the motion of taking a stride. And if you look at a true sprinter, they are running on their fore-feet only. It actually increases the length of each stride.

A mid-foot/ball-of-your-foot strike is easier on the rest for your body, but your feet and legs have to get used to it all over again, just like when you were a child. For now, just try to think of it as running "smoothly". Imagine running with your head not bobbing up and down as each stiff-legged stride lets your heel smash into the ground, but rather a feeling of gliding over the ground, your feet almost silent as they absorb the contact of the ground before transmitting it up your legs to your hips. Yeah, easier said than done, but in it's simplest explanation, that's about it. When I find myself changing from a mid-foot to fore-foot strike during the course of a run, my pace actually quickens, my turnover rate picks up, and my heart rate slows down (more efficient stride). However, just jogging around, I tend to heel strike just like every body else. (a lifetime of shoes can be a hard habit to break). I still catch myself doing so, and mentally change from a heel strike to a mid-strike... my knees like it better. And the truth be told, I'm able to react much quicker to a sudden change in ground conditions (gopher hole, pine cone, hidden rock, you name it) when my feet are already striking the ground in the way they are supposed to do, instead of my heel landing first and having my foot and ankle twist as the weight of my body rolls my heel over the hidden obstruction.

And yes, I've done some barefoot training before. Once my feet toughened up, it was very liberating to run on not just sand, but asphalt, dirt, and grass with nothing but your skin feeling the earth. Some of my fastest sprints in my last ten years were done barefoot on pavement. But I'll tell you this much, I did NOT heel strike while running barefoot.

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

mfssl — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 05:00:52 GMT

Last week my son asked if he could try my new mp3 player and, unbeknownst to me, he changed the playback speed. I got out to start W2D3 and I heard the chipmunks giving me cues to walk, now run, now walk, now run, now walk ... I stopped and was thinking, "WTF is going on?" I remembered he had tried it and I was so (I hate to talk this way when speaking of a child but) p***** off, I went back in and yelled at him "What did you do to my mp3 player?" He tried to find the way to change it but couldn't. I grabbed it from him and, luckily stumbled across the screen to switch it back. I yelled some more, telling him to never touch my mp3 player again. When I calmed down, about 2 minutes into the warm up, I felt very ashamed for yelling at him. As soon as I got home, I apologized for my poor behavior. Thing is, I usually have a very short window to get this done in the mornings. It was just so hard to take that this one, very important thing that I have finally decided to do for myself was being unexpectedly held up. I don't want anything to stand in my way. I am in my 40's and 50-60 pounds overweight. I am sooooooo tired of being out of shape. I climbed 4 flights of stairs today and my heart was beating so fast I thought everyone around me could hear it. I want this bad. I need this.

Mattsmikesmom - I agree, your post was inspiring! I keep doing the same thing, underestimating my ability and thinking I should repeat each week. Week 1, then week 2. But, after reading your post, I now believe I should be able to handle week 3 just like most of the rest of you have. But, if I start tomorrow and can't finish it, SO WHAT! I will try again later or go back to W2 and try progressing another day, when I can. As RWW has said, the program is a guide. It will work well for most people as is, but for some, we may need to adjust the program - to suit us individually, based on our fitness levels and lifestyles, as well as to accommodate all of our WTF moments! We sure have had the WTF moments!

RWW - I agree with Lanity and I believe everybody else does too. You are not intruding in any way. You have experience in the sport and all of us appreciate that fact. Please continue to drop in and share your insights about running anytime. It really is a treat for all of us.

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

Lanity — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:32:45 GMT

WOW! You are all such amazing spirits. I wish I had time to name each and every one of you and share my thoughts. Basically... if you post on this thread. I am in awe of you and what you are accomplishing.

Special shout out to obxgirl -- so sorry to hear about the layoff. The "wardrobe malfunction" gave me a good chuckle though. Keep on keeping on. We're all rootin' for you.

Mattsmikesmom -- omgosh that was beautiful. Thank you. You've given me what I need to face tomorrow's run. I've been dreading W4 especially after that disasterous end to W3. You've inspired me though.

RWW -- WTF!?!?!??! Are you kidding me? If you appologize one more time.... I'm coming over there to make you run on a beach and then I'm dumping you in an ice bath. We all look forward to your posts and I for one feel honored and blessed that you'd take the time out for us like you do. I think Blue said it best when she used the word "coach" to describe you. I think you're part of the reason for the success and togetherness of this team. You should never feel like you're interrupting or intruding or interfering or whatever silly little "I" words you might have running through your brilliant head.

That being said... could you please post something about heel strikers vs. those who toe run? I'm a natural born heel striker, but hubby says it might be easier on my joints if I try to run on the balls of my feet more. I've been trying to do that, but I notice the arch in my right foot is quite sore as a result. My knees do feel better though. Thoughts?

Everyone else... I consider myself a "teammate" and for that... I feel most honored.

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

RunsWithWhales — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 03:24:53 GMT

mattmikesmom.... Dunno how it happened, but as I read your post, the theme song from "Rocky" started playing...

... just for you.

Never forget: today is the first run of the rest of your life.

Well done.

RWW

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

Tchrmomto2 — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:32:07 GMT

Mattmikesmom: I'm sitting here reading your post, and tears started rolling down my face! I am so proud of you! And, thank you for giving me the strength to run tomorrow, starting W4. You go girl!

Re: ~~~ CALLING ALL WITNESSES... Week 3: Jun 1 - 7

guybrush — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 02:28:55 GMT

@mattmikesmom: Way to go! That's how we roll! That's how this team rolls! We're going to keep running, and we're going to keep pushing. It's so good to see that running is bringing out the best in you! Keep that spirit up!