What did you do?

[joel_maxwell]

I got my Hoka's in yesterday in the correct size. I missed my swim on Tuesday morning and was very PO's about that. So I switched things up a bit.

After the kids went to bed last night, I went and did (my usual Wednesday morning) 5.5 mile @ a 8:30 pace at 8:30 at night and then swam this morning instead of running. 14 lengths this am. I wanted to do more, but my arms were jelly for some reason. I think it is because I have up'd my swimming to twice a week now with paddle trainers.

Hoka review. I paid a pretty penny to try these shoes out that a people swear by (including the machine). I was tired of my normal shoes beating me to death and leaving my legs tired and fatigued. It was worth the try. I ran about a minute faster than my norm in that temp and humidity last night. Not to mention, it was after a long day and dinner 3 hours earlier.

Mile 1 = Hmmm, these are using muscle my legs arent use to using 100% and others seem relaxed
Mile 2 = Ok, Im not sure these are for me, my arch wont adjust
Mile 3 = Im going to force myself to try these
Mile 4 = Wait a second, this is actually quite nice
Mile 5 = Ok, I think my legs have adjusted a little and Im in love, lets run an extra half mile

It will take some extra time for my legs to adjust and the muscles now being used a lot more to settle down quicker, but if that happened by mile 4, Im sure it wont take but a few more runs. I think the real review is 1 hour after my run. My legs felt so fresh. They almost felt more energized to run more. Usually, they would feel achy and fatigued (even after 5 miles). Im going to wait and get the full life of the shoe to determine if they are for me, but session 1... very nice.

 

[Donald Duck]

I got my Hoka's in yesterday in the correct size. I missed my swim on Tuesday morning and was very PO's about that. So I switched things up a bit.

After the kids went to bed last night, I went and did (my usual Wednesday morning) 5.5 mile @ a 8:30 pace at 8:30 at night and then swam this morning instead of running. 14 lengths this am. I wanted to do more, but my arms were jelly for some reason. I think it is because I have up'd my swimming to twice a week now with paddle trainers.

Hoka review. I paid a pretty penny to try these shoes out that a people swear by (including the machine). I was tired of my normal shoes beating me to death and leaving my legs tired and fatigued. It was worth the try. I ran about a minute faster than my norm in that temp and humidity last night. Not to mention, it was after a long day and dinner 3 hours earlier.

Mile 1 = Hmmm, these are using muscle my legs arent use to using 100% and others seem relaxed
Mile 2 = Ok, Im not sure these are for me, my arch wont adjust
Mile 3 = Im going to force myself to try these
Mile 4 = Wait a second, this is actually quite nice
Mile 5 = Ok, I think my legs have adjusted a little and Im in love, lets run an extra half mile

It will take some extra time for my legs to adjust and the muscles now being used a lot more to settle down quicker, but if that happened by mile 4, Im sure it wont take but a few more runs. I think the real review is 1 hour after my run. My legs felt so fresh. They almost felt more energized to run more. Usually, they would feel achy and fatigued (even after 5 miles). Im going to wait and get the full life of the shoe to determine if they are for me, but session 1... very nice.

Yeah man glad I could help. Welcome to ultradistance!! You either love em or hate em. There is so much argumentative discussions on the ultra forums. I worship my Mafates. My pacer loves his Bondi and Stinson EVO. Another buddy of mine got signed by Hoka and he's an EVO guy.
Just so people know what we are talking about:
Hoka, ultra-distance shoes:
Mafate- ultra trail for hardcore technical terrain
Bondi- road shoe
Stinson EVO- most popular, hybrid of the two
Anyway, I get made fun of because of their looks, especially when they first came out and no one knew what they were. But they're not running 500 miles

 

[joel_maxwell]

Yeah man glad I could help. Welcome to ultradistance!! You either love em or hate em. There is so much argumentative discussions on the ultra forums. I worship my Mafates. My pacer loves his Bondi and Stinson EVO. Another buddy of mine got signed by Hoka and he's an EVO guy.
Just so people know what we are talking about:
Hoka, ultra-distance shoes:
Mafate- ultra trail for hardcore technical terrain
Bondi- road shoe
Stinson EVO- most popular, hybrid of the two
Anyway, I get made fun of because of their looks, especially when they first came out and no one knew what they were. But they're not running 500 miles

You could run a 5K in these 3 times a week and it would still be a dream. I know the benefits are the soles and the beating your feet would take over an ultra, but like I said, I was tired of my Saucony's (which i still respect over traditional running shoe companies) wearing out my legs.

I got the loudest Bondi B they had. They are citrus green/yellow. I would like to know what the arguments are and why others are against them.

More detailed Nick, It felt like the rest of my leg was flexing to propel my forward, and then getting ready for the negative return of the impact, but never received it. The outside shin muscles were a little hot for Mile 1-3 I think due to the structure of the shoe and Im sure the pronation caused different muscles to work a little different. I can see where someone that likes barefoot running or minimal soles wouldnt like this padding. I had kind of gotten into that arena with a normal running shoe with stiff inserts that molded my foot. More impact. I hate fads. My personal opinion is the 5 finger shoe thing is a fad and not using the product properly, I would bet some people are going to have some serious joint/knee issues later. I think there is a small percentage of people that those are made for.

 

[Blueliner]

Last night was 7 miles squeezed in between work and my 5th grader's football game. As mentioned in previous posts, training has been a struggle for the past couple of months, particularly with lung capacity issues that I never have experienced before. I had a cough that lingered for about six weeks this summer and I just haven't had the lungs, even at a relatively easy pace. That seemed to have been causing me to go anaerobic when I should have been aerobic.

To try to adjust, I have switched to a bit of a run/walk, Galloway-style system over the past couple of weeks. For example, for the 6 miler last week and the 7 miler last night , it was: run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.9 to finish it off with an overall pace of just under 10 minutes per mile.

At any rate, I think the mystery is close to being solved. Like I said, I have been dealing with these respiratory issues over the past couple months, and my 4-year-old son has had allergy/asthma issues for over a year. My 14-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter have been getting bloody noses, and my 11-year-old son has had a good bit of lingering nasal congestion for the past year as well.

The breaktrhough came when our microwave (purchased in 2009) flat-out died last week, following a motherboard failure on our oven/range (also purchased in 2009) last year. Last week we inspected the copper tubing near our HVAC units (which have required coil replacement twice in the past 3 years) in the basement. We also looked at the copper wiring behind the light switches and electrical receptacles in our basement. All of the copper in the basement had a black residue buildup. Finally, we looked in the storage areas in the basement on the non-painted sheetrock surfaces, which had a stamp reading "MADE IN CHINA."

All that being said, we are having an inpector come to the house tomorrow morning to confirm our suspicion that some or all of the drywall in our basement is Chinese drywall. With Chinese drywall, high heat and humidity has been shown to emit toxic gases that corrode copper, wreak havoc with electrical fixtures, and create respiratory issues. At this point, we are nearly certain that all of the foregoing symptoms and signs are beyond coincidental. While we're not thrilled about the potential expense associated with tearing up the basement to eliminate the problem, I am hopeful that remediation will solve our medical issues.

So . . . that is my lengthy answer to "What did you do?"

 

[joel_maxwell]

Last night was 7 miles squeezed in between work and my 5th grader's football game. As mentioned in previous posts, training has been a struggle for the past couple of months, particularly with lung capacity issues that I never have experienced before. I had a cough that lingered for about six weeks this summer and I just haven't had the lungs, even at a relatively easy pace. That seemed to have been causing me to go anaerobic when I should have been aerobic.

To try to adjust, I have switched to a bit of a run/walk, Galloway-style system over the past couple of weeks. For example, for the 6 miler last week and the 7 miler last night , it was: run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.5/walk .2, run 1.9 to finish it off with an overall pace of just under 10 minutes per mile.

At any rate, I think the mystery is close to being solved. Like I said, I have been dealing with these respiratory issues over the past couple months, and my 4-year-old son has had allergy/asthma issues for over a year. My 14-year-old son and 6-year-old daughter have been getting bloody noses, and my 11-year-old son has had a good bit of lingering nasal congestion for the past year as well.

The breaktrhough came when our microwave (purchased in 2009) flat-out died last week, following a motherboard failure on our oven/range (also purchased in 2009) last year. Last week we inspected the copper tubing near our HVAC units (which have required coil replacement twice in the past 3 years) in the basement. We also looked at the copper wiring behind the light switches and electrical receptacles in our basement. All of the copper in the basement had a black residue buildup. Finally, we looked in the storage areas in the basement on the non-painted sheetrock surfaces, which had a stamp reading "MADE IN CHINA."

All that being said, we are having an inpector come to the house tomorrow morning to confirm our suspicion that some or all of the drywall in our basement is Chinese drywall. With Chinese drywall, high heat and humidity has been shown to emit toxic gases that corrode copper, wreak havoc with electrical fixtures, and create respiratory issues. At this point, we are nearly certain that all of the foregoing symptoms and signs are beyond coincidental. While we're not thrilled about the potential expense associated with tearing up the basement to eliminate the problem, I am hopeful that remediation will solve our medical issues.

So . . . that is my lengthy answer to "What did you do?"

Holy. Cow. Chris. You only hear of stories like this from a friend of a friend and don't really know if it is true. Wow, what a blessing in disguise. Im glad you caught it before something worse happened. We wont get into the "What company did the renovations" to the basement, but I hope that this process wont be too expensive to repair and a quick one. I hope your family recovers quickly.

On the ToT thread... i had a bad feeling from what you posted. Never would have guessed this.

I know this sounds ridiculous with the seriousness of the drywall, but way to fight through and stay active.

 

[Blueliner]

Holy. Cow. Chris. You only hear of stories like this from a friend of a friend and don't really know if it is true. Wow, what a blessing in disguise. Im glad you caught it before something worse happened. We wont get into the "What company did the renovations" to the basement, but I hope that this process wont be too expensive to repair and a quick one. I hope your family recovers quickly.

On the ToT thread... i had a bad feeling from what you posted. Never would have guessed this.

I know this sounds ridiculous with the seriousness of the drywall, but way to fight through and stay active.

There are several class action lawsuits pending, and we know who did the work finishing the basement. For now, however, I am going on the assumption that the repair costs will come out of pocket. I'm hopeful that the expense will not be too high.

I am relieved that we appear to have a proper diagnosis of the reasons for the electrical/health issues (we'll know more tomorrow). I kept wondering what in the world was wrong with me when easy runs were leaving me so winded, and we assumed our youngest simply had allergies/asthma.

From what I have read so far, the respiratory issues go away as soon as the underlying Chinese drywall problem is corrected. Fingers crossed.

 

[joel_maxwell]

There are several class action lawsuits pending, and we know who did the work finishing the basement. For now, however, I am going on the assumption that the repair costs will come out of pocket. I'm hopeful that the expense will not be too high.

I am relieved that we appear to have a proper diagnosis of the reasons for the electrical/health issues (we'll know more tomorrow). I kept wondering what in the world was wrong with me when easy runs were leaving me so winded, and we assumed our youngest simply had allergies/asthma.

From what I have read so far, the respiratory issues go away as soon as the underlying Chinese drywall problem is corrected. Fingers crossed.

Absolutely. You know, when you were first describing the story and named off all the kids and their ages... my initial response was "Well Chris, there is your reason. 4 kids and one being 14. Who wouldnt have shortness of breath, fatigue, anxiety etc". Then I saw, MADE IN CHINA.

Serious stuff. Looking forward to seeing you at the ToT.

 

[Donald Duck]

You could run a 5K in these 3 times a week and it would still be a dream. I know the benefits are the soles and the beating your feet would take over an ultra, but like I said, I was tired of my Saucony's (which i still respect over traditional running shoe companies) wearing out my legs.

I got the loudest Bondi B they had. They are citrus green/yellow. I would like to know what the arguments are and why others are against them.

More detailed Nick, It felt like the rest of my leg was flexing to propel my forward, and then getting ready for the negative return of the impact, but never received it. The outside shin muscles were a little hot for Mile 1-3 I think due to the structure of the shoe and Im sure the pronation caused different muscles to work a little different. I can see where someone that likes barefoot running or minimal soles wouldnt like this padding. I had kind of gotten into that arena with a normal running shoe with stiff inserts that molded my foot. More impact. I hate fads. My personal opinion is the 5 finger shoe thing is a fad and not using the product properly, I would bet some people are going to have some serious joint/knee issues later. I think there is a small percentage of people that those are made for.

Yeah the 5 finger thing is a super fad.

The Hoka soles absorb SO much shock it's ridiculous, but don't expect much on the energy return. They save the hips and the knees from the impact, but don't expect to gain speed, you'll need to take care of that on your own.
It's a double-edged sword when running 50-100 miles, especially 100 miles: it's great that my hips and knees are feeling less impact over that mileage, but, the quads and legs in general are slightly more fatigued due to the lack of energy return. I'm fine with that, because the fatigue doesn't bother me. Also, the platform is much wider than the typical running shoe (eapecially the Mafate), so it creates more of a "lever" point at the ankle, though the soft soles sort of make up for it.
I'll text you with info on how to get on the ultra forums. Coupled with the official ultra-mag, it's the be-all / end-all, no hiding, or fluffing. EVERY ultrarunner knows every other ultrarunner and their results. The small community.

 

[Kristia]

Yay me! 4 miles @ 10:15 pace with NS! My best mile was 9:50! I felt really good the first 3 miles and then felt like I started to struggle for the last mile. My husband was pulling away and I was trying like crazy to keep up. I couldn't tell if I was slowing down or he was speeding up. I thought back to the days when i was doing C25K. The first couple times we ran for 20 min, I thought I was going to die and didn't know how I was going to finish. I told myself if I could finish it back then, I could finish it now and I did with one of my best miles ever!​

 

[dreamfinder]

Do y'all mind if I take an informal poll on your ages? The last time I ran (last weekend), I felt like I was busting my butt.......at a 13:20 pace. I started wondering "Maybe I will never get faster. Maybe this is it for me." I see some of you posting 8:30...9:30....sub-10 minute paces -- and I just cannot wrap my mind around that. LOL

FWIW -- I'm a "new" runner, and I'm (almost) 42. Does it stand to reason that due to age, I may never get any faster?

Low 30s here. But age has nothing to do with it. Yes, most people do post their fastest times in their 20s-30s, but as you get older you tend to get endurance built up. That said, you can definitely do better. You just need to keep at it and keep it up. Once you have been running consistently, and for an extended period of time, then we can talk about you hitting your limit. But most people tend to pick up big improvements in speed over the first year, dropping minutes from their pace. After that it starts to get trickier, and people get excited about shaving a few seconds off their time. Busting your butt now seems like a walk in the park later on. I remember when I first started running, the 5k training was half walking/half running. Now I do halfs on the weekend for fun and don't really think twice about it. Keep it up, and you will notice improvements in your pace!

 

[bmarkelon]

So, I did not get to go out for any jogs during our trip last week...I was fighting off a pretty nasty head cold the whole trip! But I did run from Tomorrowland all the way to BLT at a much faster pace than my usual pushing a double jogging stroller in the pouring rain! I beat the rest of my party who waited for the monorail by at least 20 minutes! And I also ran from the HS front gate all the way in to the park to sign up my little guy for Jedi training. I never could have done this last year before I started running. That counts for something right? Hoping to get over this cold soon and get back on the road!

 

[joel_maxwell]

Yeah the 5 finger thing is a super fad.

The Hoka soles absorb SO much shock it's ridiculous, but don't expect much on the energy return. They save the hips and the knees from the impact, but don't expect to gain speed, you'll need to take care of that on your own.
It's a double-edged sword when running 50-100 miles, especially 100 miles: it's great that my hips and knees are feeling less impact over that mileage, but, the quads and legs in general are slightly more fatigued due to the lack of energy return. I'm fine with that, because the fatigue doesn't bother me. Also, the platform is much wider than the typical running shoe (eapecially the Mafate), so it creates more of a "lever" point at the ankle, though the soft soles sort of make up for it.
I'll text you with info on how to get on the ultra forums. Coupled with the official ultra-mag, it's the be-all / end-all, no hiding, or fluffing. EVERY ultrarunner knows every other ultrarunner and their results. The small community.

Proof in the Pudding. So, this morning I went out for a 4 mile run. Put on my Bondi Bi's and the tongue ripped out. Looks like a manufacturer defect in the stitching. No worries. Ill return them. So, I put the tongue back in and did 2 miles. Issac started dumping some rain, so i went back to the house and put on my old shoes since Ill be returning these (I thought that was a nice gesture since our construction neighborhood has red mud all in it, LOL) and i put my old Saucony's back on. All Ill say is this, It was the difference in running in heaven and running in dress shoes. The last 2 miles were painful, demeaning and just down right sucked. I dont really know how I have ever run in regular shoes like that for so long without crippling pain in my knees and hips.

So, 4 miles this morning. 2 of them nice with me still adjusting to the Hoka's and more of a calve workout, and 2 miles of suckage.

 

[Mr mom]

Proof in the Pudding. So, this morning I went out for a 4 mile run. Put on my Bondi Bi's and the tongue ripped out. Looks like a manufacturer defect in the stitching. No worries. Ill return them. So, I put the tongue back in and did 2 miles. Issac started dumping some rain, so i went back to the house and put on my old shoes since Ill be returning these (I thought that was a nice gesture since our construction neighborhood has red mud all in it, LOL) and i put my old Saucony's back on. All Ill say is this, It was the difference in running in heaven and running in dress shoes. The last 2 miles were painful, demeaning and just down right sucked. I dont really know how I have ever run in regular shoes like that for so long without crippling pain in my knees and hips.

So, 4 miles this morning. 2 of them nice with me still adjusting to the Hoka's and more of a calve workout, and 2 miles of suckage.

Ugh, that sucks Joel, gotta get better though. It has taken me two months to find replacements for the saucony's I was using for the past year. I had proglides with full pronation bar and adjustable arch strap. they were awesome from day one but I can't find anything close to them, I had two pairs and alternated. Now I have asics again which is what I had before the saucony's, still getting used to them, or I should say used to my foot being in proper aligment again, my saucony's were well past their prime but it took me so long to find what felt right so I kept using them even though I was starting to get joint pain. Oh well, another week or so and I should have the new ones broken in. Did my usual 6.25 but my speeds are still way down with the new shoes.

 

[Mr mom]

So, I did not get to go out for any jogs during our trip last week...I was fighting off a pretty nasty head cold the whole trip! But I did run from Tomorrowland all the way to BLT at a much faster pace than my usual pushing a double jogging stroller in the pouring rain! I beat the rest of my party who waited for the monorail by at least 20 minutes! And I also ran from the HS front gate all the way in to the park to sign up my little guy for Jedi training. I never could have done this last year before I started running. That counts for something right? Hoping to get over this cold soon and get back on the road!

Haha, sounds like my last trip, I was the runner for fast passes, it was all the running I did and like you it was in august, too much rain for me to go at that time again, my next trip is in may despite what is written below,lol. I am pumped, I already booked our hotel for our Orlando stint and my flight as well, have not booked disney yet, waiting to see if any decent deals pop up.

 

[JillC LI]

Hi everyone. Boy, lots of updates from everyone in the past day since I've been online. Tex, so sorry about that break-in - glad they got one of the guys - hope you get your stuff back. Kristi, that was one fast mile - congrats! Joel, glad you are enjoying those new hokas. Blueliner, freaky about the drywall - I hope that replacing it cures all your medical issues.

Regarding the runner's high, while I'm usually in great spirits after a long run, I can't say I've experienced what I call a true runner's high more than a handful of times ever. In those times, I found myself running and feeling light as air with absolute and complete ease and a total sense of joy. I often enjoy my runs, but that runner's high is a rare and blissful experience for me.

As for me, my quads were finally back to normal yesterday. I took it easy on my 3.5 mile run but still finished at 9:49 pace which is rather quick considering I was intentionally trying to take it easy.

This weekend is my DS's Bar Mitzvah so I will be out off-line until next Tuesday with all the family activities going on. I plan to squeeze in an 8 mile run tomorrow morning before things get started, and that'll be it until Labor Day. Happy trails everyone!

 

[fmingo36]

First run for me in almost a week. I DID NOT run or make it to the gym in DC over the weekend but I walked plenty (in heels) so I know I still got a good workout. Shins and calves were NOT happy with me at all after those three days
This monring was a nice 3.5 miles at a 9: 50 pace. Weather was lovely and it felt good putting my sneakers back on.
Looking forward to the Color Run this weekend with my hubby and daughters and some friends. Anyone in there NJ area that would like to run it , I have a teammate that can't make so I can transfer the registration. It is a SOLD OUT event. Also they are looking for volunteers so if you always wanted to throw day-glow colored powered cornstarch-like-stuff at someone--- now's you chance!

 

[fmingo36]

As for me, my quads were finally back to normal yesterday. I took it easy on my 3.5 mile run but still finished at 9:49 pace which is rather quick considering I was intentionally trying to take it easy.

This weekend is my DS's Bar Mitzvah so I will be out off-line until next Tuesday with all the family activities going on. I plan to squeeze in an 8 mile run tomorrow morning before things get started, and that'll be it until Labor Day. Happy trails everyone!

That was my exact run this morning!

Hope you have a wonderful weekend with family and friends. Mazel Tov!

 

[GoofyRacer11]

I have developed a new workout routine that I started on Monday and was sore the following morning. Yesterday I completed that same routine and did 30 minutes of speed roping. This morning before going to school, I was sore again so I decided to do Insanity Core Cardio Balance to help my muscles recover quicker. Tonight, I am running 5 miles and the weather should be perfect.

Later Days!

 

[Thomas Howard]

Welcome to our little section Thomas. Being your second post, I would say you are new around here. Post your workouts here and we will cheer you on and not let you quit... as long as you want to be the best runner you can be.

Have you done a Disney event? Do you desire too?

Again, Welcome.

No I've never done a Disney event. I've thought about it. Where can I get more information about it?

 

[fmingo36]

No I've never done a Disney event. I've thought about it. Where can I get more information about it?

www.rundisney.com