re: Official Running Log/Marathon Training Thread

I like the meathead title. I won't be getting swolt anytime soon.

Running Log:
dragged my arse out of bed at 5 and hit the road by 6 this am. I mostly beat the rain. Had a nice drizzle for a few miles. I'm shocked at how cool it is in Atlanta right now. Freaky.

I'm doing some experimenting with long slow runs and fasting. Ate good fatty dinner last night (salmon and some olive-oil soaked brussels with bacon and bleu cheese) around 7:30pm then had full-fat Fage w macadamia and dark chocolate. stopped eating around 8:30pm. Didn't eat again until a couple hours after my run.

I took a shot of MCT and a half scoop of BHB salts pre run. Didn't feel remotely fatigued until about mile 16. I'm trying to sort of set a baseline for running on ketones, so I can calibrate any targeted glucose intake for events and higher intensity (or any intensity, compared to this slow and steady tortoise run--kept HR in low zone at least):

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Sucks training in Vegas summers, lucky I travel alot and can get in outside runs in when I can.

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yeah, but you have redrock hills to run around. i'd kill for that. i had to walk/hike it with my wife and it killed me to not take off on some areas i knew were segments.

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starting to have some knee pain.

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Where is it? I'm not a doctor, but I somehow went from literally not being able to walk after 2015-16 ski season (and hadn't run since July before that), culminating in 2 years off running, to [not gonna jinx it...], so I may have some insight.

9 miles trails. Pace was ok but I fell in there and lost a few minutes for a few miles.

Longest I’ve gone since April.

Can’t say I haven’t lost a step sadly.

I used to have chronic IT band issues. After expensive custom orthotics, a lot of hip rolling and a knee band all failed to help much, I got zero-drop shoes and changed my strike. Gone.

More seriously though, I later developed the exact pain you have. I never got an MRI because my insurance at the time SUCKED. I went to PT, and he was 99% convinced it was a torn meniscus.

It all started after a half marathon for which I very poorly trained (i had just the "runner's knee" feeling in left patella), followed the next day or so by a strenuous long bike ride, and then an impact injury courtesy of my dogs and their dog-cousin, going apeshit chasing each other and THWACK, one ran right into my left knee while I was standing lock-kneed. No pop on impact, but def acute pain.

Fast forward a month to doing some all-day house projects, and water would form on the outside of my knee, but the inside is where it started hurting. Housemaid's knee is the common, useless term.

I had stopped running altogether after that half and tried to rest it for a few months. Nutted up and skied 24 days that season, culminating in Easter weekend, when my wife had to serve as a crutch to get me to the car. Men are dumb.

It hurt so bad I couldn't sleep for two nights.

I still had my "if you like your plan..." bargain-bin self-employed insurance, and so I decided to just go to PT instead of shelling out $20k for MRI + scope due to "coinsurance." Another idiotic term.

That PT dude was a miracle worker. He had me feeling better very quickly. I stuck to swimming and worked up to walking and lateral elliptical and strength training.

I've mentioned before I got really sick shortly thereafter so I won't go into all of that, but part of my treatment was a lot of steroids. Twice a month for six months. And I was unable to do anything but walk and eventually back to elliptical. Banned from pool, for over 6mos.

I tried to run once early during chemo and it hurt after a mile. So I decided to give up on that. Then just before my very last treatment, I ran a slow 4 miles with my bro and it held up. Then I worked up to a half marathon a month later. Now I can run 50+ miles a week without issue. And I got in 26 days last ski season without pain.

I'm pretty baffled. I think the steroids, rest, PT, working up to distance with short strides, lots of RICE, cutting alcohol, and my anti-inflammatory diet all combined to allow me to heal. I'm glad I didn't have surgery, even with my better insurance (which I got two months before my cancer diagnosis).

From what I've read about meniscus tears, most are too deep (and that doesn't take much depth) to heal without repair, due to lack of blood flow into meniscus.

But I've also read the surgery is iffy and can start an inflammation cycle. They actually did a placebo surgery on a group in some country that allows such things, and the placebo group had the same success rate as the real surgery group. Who knows. I doubt that was a well-designed study.

I have the popping every now and then, some water comes back at random times--usually when standing a lot (not running) and oddly sometimes when I stretch my calves. But no clicking or catching or much pain--just the normal old guy aches.

This was mostly useless Dear Diary rambling as I try to wake up. Sorry. But I quite literally feel your pain.

Got an "easy" 3 miles in today. I see the short runs on my training plan and think they'll be easy and quick. But following a 6 mile run with big hills made this morning feel like shite.

also I promise I'll edit the OP with everyone's races when I get a chance

just been super busy and haven't had time to sit down and add all the new people

A treadmill lol!

the levee?

several trail marathons if you don't want to run a road marathon

usually far less crowded

You make several good points. My initial plan was to run the St. Tammany Trace and have my wife meet me at the different trail heads to provide me with fluids and foods/gels. It crosses traffic at a couple of different places, but overall, offers a pretty safe path. I want to run the distance before the end of the year to get a good baseline. I haven't ran marathon distance in over 10 years. Then run another, official race next spring or fall to gauge my improvement.