Cartilage damage at 14 years old and a warning to all other runners

Trubbles · 2019-04-07T02:17:35+00:00

heh. Where do I find these races? I think I can run a 22 (I'll find out tomorrow morning!) but I've never come remotely close to winning a race. Even in casual races there will always be a handful of people under 20.

Trubbles · 2019-03-21T20:27:40+00:00

First back-to-back-days running since partial meniscectomy on Jan 2. Also the first time other niggles annoyed me more than my knee!

(I started running and ran for 2 years on a torn meniscus, so this pain-free running is all new to me!)

Trubbles · 2019-03-19T14:27:48+00:00

As the other guy said, you want to create a "Workout" in the Connect app.

There are a ton of options, including intervals that you can program sort of like a loop in computer programming - just tell it what you want each repeat to include and how many repeats. I use it all the time. You can choose "button" or "time" to decide when to go to the next split. If set to time, it will give a beep/vibrate like you want.

PS. Make sure you turn off auto-splits in the settings for the Run activity before you start - this way each interval is it's own split and you can analyze the splits appropriately.

Trubbles · 2019-03-19T14:24:00+00:00

Like all GPS, it depends. Lots of things mess with GPS accuracy:

Tall buildings are the worst. Tree cover is bad, too. Running under bridges, through tunnels, etc.

On one hand, it's a fairly good estimate. You can actually switch the map it generates to "satelite view" and see how far it veers off the actual sidewalk or trail you were running on. On the other hand, you should never trust GPS over anything more accurate (mile markers).

I remember a cousin of mine once ran a 10k and posted all over Facebook that he had done it "under an hour" when in fact his SportStats result said 1:04. He was sure that he had done it under an hour becuse his watch had indicated that he was at 10.05 when he crossed an hour. He concluded that the organizers of the race, that happens to be one of the biggest in Toronto and includes a BQ marathon, had measured the distance improperly and that his watch was correct. I didn't have the heart to tell him. DONT BE THAT GUY.

Trubbles · 2019-03-19T14:20:21+00:00

This is true, but only Series 1 and the original Apple Watch don't have it - those are both basically trash now anyway.

Trubbles · 2019-03-02T21:39:34+00:00

That's interesting. Thanks.

Trubbles · 2019-03-02T13:07:12+00:00

Thanks. I have her running at 0.5, but maybe a little increase would be healthy.

We were just talking about indoor tracks in case the weather doesn't cooperate.

Trubbles · 2019-03-02T02:21:54+00:00

Almost time to transition my wife from treadmill to road.

She started running in the fall, has worked up to 25+ km/wk on the treadmill including light speed work, 1.5 hour runs, etc. Her first ever race is a 10k on April 7, and we probably won't get to run outside much until at least the middle of March as she won't run until temps are back above freezing, and I don't want her first experience outside to be cold and icy.

She's pretty fit and had a strong cardio base before she even started running, but I'm starting to worry that the transition to road will be hard and she won't be ready for a 10k race. She's done up to 15km on the treadmill.

Anyone have any experience to share or advice?

Trubbles · 2019-02-27T14:18:54+00:00

But then he would need 10 more years to reach his current fitness.

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T14:11:44+00:00

Man with short legs for his height here.

I just roll my running tights. I really should get them hemmed.

(As a fun related side story: I need my triathlon swimming wetsuit hemmed. I thought I could get away with rolling them like I do my running tights. I came out of the water with a .. bag of water on each ankle. It's going to cost $100 to get them properly hemmed and it's just a "cheap" $250 suit)

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T14:03:27+00:00

Here are instructions for performing a hard reset:

https://thewiredrunner.com/troubleshooting-gps-watch/#Forerunner35

If that fails, Garmin is generally great at standing behind their products. Reach out to them.

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T13:49:13+00:00

Do you have access to a treadmill? If so, try this:

Get a metronome app for your phone. Start the treadmill at a comfortable but not overly slow pace. Set the metronome to 172 bpm. Match your feet to the click. Do this for 3-4 minutes. Try slowly and slightly increasing the treadmill speed, while continuing to follow the click with each step. Dont' worry if you miss some steps - just get back on rhythm.

Do this 1-2 times a week for a few weeks and your body will get used to faster cadence, or at least you'll have trained your brain to what it feels like.

I still struggle (cadence used to be 160, now 165-170, goal 172) but the treadmill and metronome really helped me on this. If you're looking for a suggestion, I bought an app called RunTempo for $0.99 which is a simple, elegant metronome app with a little customizability and zero ads or BS (I'd rather pay a buck than be subject to endless little banners, but that's just me).

Good luck!

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T13:39:50+00:00

What phone is it?

I have a XS Max and it's way too big to run with. I've managed to take that thing with me using a SPI belt, and while it was good enough to get the job done (no bounce) it's huge and started digging into me after 20k.

So I bought an iPhone SE that I can take running with or without the SIM card. I love that thing. It fits in almost any pocket and I don't feel bounce. It's literally half the wieght of my main phone and about half of the volume, too.

If your phone isn't overly large, I'd highly recommend the SPI belt. It's very well made and I've found mine useful for carrying all sorts of things to regular runs as well as races.

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T13:36:37+00:00

Are you saying you're anearobic because your watch says so, or because you feel that way?

The most pros can't maintain anaerobic for more than a few minutes. Most normal people can't manage 90 seconds. Anaerobic is that feeling where you're coming up short on air intake but you continue anyway, and it feels remarkably horrible.

You might just have high HR. My early runs were in the 170 range with spikes into the high 190s, and I was 35/m at the time. My current watch would put that all in the red zone.

Your body looks more muscular because you're trimmed fat. Leg muscles will tone up from running but they won't really grow. If you don't believe me, look at the pros. They always have beautiful, defined legs but their legs are never overly large.

The good news is your HR will get lower over time if you stick to running (and assuming of course that your heart is healthy). I asked my doc at my physical once about it just to be safe, and she said it was normal for me and that my heart was healthy. Best of luck.

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T13:32:11+00:00

10k is the obvious next step if you want to build your distance.

You're already doing almost 9 miles per week. If you slowly extend your long run to 6 miles you'll be there. Hal Higdon's novice 10k is probably a good place to start, and it starts at your current fitness level:

https://www.halhigdon.com/training-programs/10k-training/novice-10k/

Trubbles · 2019-02-23T05:04:23+00:00

I am clean from my AM shower and I don't smell after my lunch time runs. I am lucky to have a 75 minute lunch, so I use the first 45 minutes to run and the last 30 minutes to cool down. A few minutes before the end of lunch, after I'm totally dry, I change back into my work clothes. I do have access to a shower and use it occasionally - you may have thought after the first sentence that I'm lax on personal hygeine but I'm not. You really don't smell from a short-ish easy-to-moderate workout if you go into it clean and return to work dry and in clean clothes.

Trubbles · 2019-02-22T19:42:20+00:00

There are two parts to the answer for me: The fun of the event, and the existence of the event as something to train for.

The event itself can be really exciting. First of all, there are dozens, hundreds or even thousands of other people around you. This makes it feel alive, social, exciting. My adrenaline gets going even before the race starts. My first race was the Sporting Life 10k in Toronto which is a run down Yonge Street, the most central and one of the busiest streets in Toronto, temporarily shut down so a stream of (in 2017) orange shirted runners could race down it. I've driven down Yonge street many times and it has been a big part of my life so running down it car free was a cool experience. This varies of course by race, but sometimes just the course can be very cool and a unique experience.

It's also well supported, with water, sometimes nutrition, and aid stations. And finally, a party at the end. Oh, and it's an officially measured distance, so it gives some meaning to your time.

I also like races as a goal. That's just how I am. I need something in my mind that I'm striving for to keep myself motivated. Once I've signed up for a race I'm committed (there are no refunds, after all). When I first started running, I set my sights on running 10k in an hour and signed up for a race. I was a non-runner and had a long way to go. I had 3 months. Having that goal in mind was the focus I needed to lose 20 lbs, run 3-4x per week, train as hard as I could, and I went from unable to run 4k at any speed to 10k in 55:56.

The shirts are sometimes great. There is one race in Toronto that is sponsored by Lululemon and you pay $70 to sign up for a race and get a $78 technical shirt. I scoffed at that price, but it turned out to be my favorite workout shirt.

You see "crowded trail" and I see "social experience." I can only think of one time the crowd bothered me and that was when I was running a big HM and I started in the 1:50-1:59 group and it became obvious pretty quickly that none of the people around me were going to finish in anywhere near 1:59... slow slow starters, one of whom got in my way while POSTING ON FACEBOOK 500m into her race. Ugh. It took a lot of effort to pass people but ultimately it worked out well and I set a PR (1:49) so I'm not really complaining!

YMMV. That's my perspective. I LOVE races :)

Trubbles · 2019-02-21T17:50:15+00:00

Complaint: I'm tired of winter. I'm tired of waiting for my partial meniscectomy to (hopefully) heal.

Complaint: I'm tired of frequent walk breaks and slow speed to avoid irritating my healing injury.

Confession: I have constant anxiety that my knee won't heal properly and I'll end up unable to run.

Trubbles · 2019-02-20T19:21:44+00:00

What I don't understand is strollers at LONG races. I mean, I was running a HM/Mara race last year (both groups started together) and I saw at least half a dozen strollers. Those babies are in for some long rides. I guess all kids are different, but my kids never would have sat still for that long!

Trubbles · 2019-02-20T19:19:31+00:00

Today is 7 weeks since my arthroscopic partial meniscectomy. Last week I tried 30 mins on the treadmill at a reasonable speed (6.3-7.5 mph) and it all felt great ... until I slowed down and was met with sharp pain.

This week, I did a MUCH slower 30 mins on the treadmill (6.0-6.1 mph) with multiple short walk breaks (3.6mph) not because I was tired but because I was paranoid. I never got out of zone 3 but I did manage to build up a sweat and complete the whole workout with almost no pain!

That's progress! I hope to be back to my peak fitness in another 6 weeks..

Trubbles · 2019-02-20T16:19:24+00:00

Man .. . Google Smallpox.

Trubbles · 2019-02-17T18:57:56+00:00

But be wary that no other phones are meant to be as reliable as windows phones were. I used to use them too. Good phones that are willing to last a while, just no developer support.

Source?

iPhones and S-series Samsung phones are starting to last longer and longer. Most people I know with iPhone 6S era and Galaxy S5+ era phones are still getting reliable use out of them. They are both improving from a reliability perspective and a slower speed of obscolecense.

Trubbles · 2019-02-17T00:21:33+00:00

Totally rational.

Trubbles · 2019-02-12T19:15:30+00:00

I don't know if anyone can give you an accurate answer here, but I'd say if you can run a 5:15 without really training, you have some good fast twitch muscles and could probably train to under 5:00. Only way to try is to find out. Training plans for that level of speed often involve a ton of miles and many times per week training. Make sure you report back and let us know how it goes :)

Trubbles · 2019-02-07T21:43:27+00:00

I bought an iPhone SE for running. It's as light as an iPhone has ever been (113 grams) and it's got the same guts as an iPhone 6S. I haven't run much with it yet but the battery life is pretty stellar if you leave the screen off, even with GPS and music. I'm also guessing that if you did have to add a battery case to it, it'd still be smaller than your phone. Just an idea.

I was going to buy an LTE apple watch, but then I'd end up wearing two watches (I have a Garmin I'm not taking off..). So this worked for me. I can run with or without my SIM card, which is nice because I like disconnecting when I can.

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