[ksrunr]

<p>Well, the year is about over.  Hope that for the most part ya'll had a good year or running and life.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No run for me yesterday as I gave my hips and aches a day off.  Hopefully can get in a short run tonight.  Have a new training schedule for the next month so no more coasting after Saturday this week.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A bright shiny day here in S. TX.  It's 40 degrees and warming to 70 today with only slight winds.  Perfect!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>dw is off work from Christmas to New Years.  Our house is spotless!!</p>
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<p>What's going on today with ya'll?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Baba - you've been running well lately.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Liam - ??</p>
<p> </p>
<p>FO - sounds like you're on your way to recovery.</p>

 

[yar]

<p>Thought I'd start checking-in with this bunch again - feeling kind of "mastery", lately. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>2011 was a rough year - running-wise.  Lotsa leg problems.  High hopes for '12.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>A tad cooler here in N-TX. - should hit 60 today. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>yar</p>

 

[ripvanracer]

<p>Hi KS and Yar</p>
<p> </p>
<p>No aches this morning but my legs are just tired after 2 hours on the eliptical yesterday.</p>
<p>Those eliptical workouts always loosen up the muscles from running though.</p>
<p>I may eliptical a little this evening  and try to go easy.</p>

 

[tomwhite]

<p>...welcome back yar///</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>...........15min xbike and double weights session</p>

 

[Hemerocallus]

<p>Hi Yar!  Welcome back!</p>
<p>We're a small but consistent group these days.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>What's the next goal, KS?</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Hi Rip!  Hi TW!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>DH wanted to get out shopping late this morning after a sleep in, and it was around-11°C out, so figured I'd put off the run and go out after we came back.  Well, we wandered all over the place, from hockey stores to Sail (our version of Rei) to Bed Bath and Beyond and to the grocery store.  Finally got home at around 4 pm, so was guaranteed any run would end up in the dark.  Headed down the road decked out in a reflective vest, velcro'd refectors around the ankles and a headlamp.  Got a short off-road loop in through the park at dusk with a light snow falling..... glorious, but pretty cold.  5.2 miles total.</p>
<p> </p>

 

[evanflein]

<p>Hi Yar!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>ks, I've been off since Christmas too. Funny... my house is still a mess. I've been doing some organizing though. And going through a spot at a time, like my desk in the bedroom. I'm always impressed with how to clean one spot of the house, it seems you make a bigger mess everywhere else. The trick, I believe, is to tackle the residual mess before it becomes incorporated into other areas of the house. I'm still working on this...</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Nice run for you, Heme. I have to say, at this point if I got home late and it was dark and cold... I'd bail. I know, I'm so bad that way. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Interesting about the cushioning on the treadmill, Rip. Is this one at a gym that you use? Or your own? Mine used to be on a rubber mat on a carpet. Now it's on the concrete floor in the garage, the mat folded up on a nearby shelf. I think it would be better with the mat under it, but it's not in it's "permanent" location (after being where it is for over a year... things move slowly here), and I fold it up after every run. Still think I'll work a way to get the mat under it, then fold that up when done as well. I think the mat helps balance it out and cushions it a little, but nothing "springy" or "bouncy."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>2011 was an amazing year for me with all my marathons and the fun trips DH and I took. We had a hard time last year, and pretty much rediscovered how much we really love each other and love doing things together. I have no reason to think that's going to change, so looking forward to more fun in 2012. I probably won't repeat anything like the four marathons in a month thing I did this year, but we'll see. DH and I both travel for work, so when a trip comes up and we can both go, we check out any nearby marathons we might be interested in! It's fun, and a great way to share the marathon experience with a non-runner.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>For now though, I'm still clinging to the slacker-mode for December. Today's run was good though, 8.3 miles with 4 half-mile repeats @ 8:00 pace, then threw a few .15 mile "striders" at 7:30 into the last mile just to get the run over with. This run put me over 2,400 miles for the year, so now any additional miles through Saturday are just icing on the top. <img alt="biggrin.gif" id="user_yui_3_4_1_7_1325211685021_244" src="http://files.kickrunners.com/smilies/biggrin.gif">  We're getting some pretty cold temps though (-32°F right now in town, about -20°F here at the house) so I see more treadmill runs in my near future.</p>

 

[ksrunr]

<p>Hi all.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Yar - welcome back.  It's been a while since we've heard from you.  If you hang around; refresh our (My) memory about yourself.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I'm about 90% sure I've injured myself.  I have an appt Sat afternoon with a good sports massage therapist my running partner swears by.  Cut my 6 mile run to 1.5 miles tonight and walked back to my truck.  Felt like someone stabbing me where the hamstring and glute meet.  The pain only travels about 2 inches up and down from the initial pain point.  Have had some stiffness and achiness in my lower back and hips; plus my hamstring is really tight.  Enough so that I can't extend my leg to normal stride.  Hopefully (fingers crossed) it's not too serious.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>EvanF - yes you did have an outstanding year.   I think I'll just top 2700 miles this year.</p>

 

[HappyFeat]

<p>KS, I hope the massage therapist can work some magic for you. You've probably figured out that it will be short slow steps for now if you want to try continuing to run...and sit on an ice pack after every run. That can speed up your recovery. My own massage therapist cancelled on me for today - her dad is back in Critical Care - so no massage for me at least until sometime next week if not later.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I've had a variety of problems like you describe - lotsa fun to figure out what is source of the problem...NOT!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Once I had a tight hamstring that progressed to the point I couldn't run for two weeks and had a hard time just walking around at work. I simply couldn't extend my right leg out in front of me to take a normal step due to the extreme pain. I had tried all of the usual hamstring remedies and absolutely nothing helped. Finally got in with an amazing physical therapist who determined I had a muscle spasm in the quadratus lumborum (one of the muscles of your low back near the waist) which was a "trigger point" shooting a signal to the belly of my hamstring to cramp up and basically "not release." So we worked on my back as well as the hamstring, and I was back running in no time.</p>

 

[ripvanracer]

<p>Hi everybody</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Speaking of the quadratus lumborum, mine are fried right now as are my quads.  Did an easy hour on the eliptical this evening</p>
<p>and will be taking tomorrow off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I had my accident and couldn't run, I believe a nerve was impinged in my neck and it was causing my quadratus</p>
<p>lumborum to constantly spasm.  As soon as my therapist released the impingement, I was running the following week.</p>
<p>I have now been back running 3.5 years equaling the same time I wasn't able to run from the accident 7 years ago.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The psoas is another muscle that can go into spasm and cause pain in the lower back and hamstrings as well as the calf.</p>
<p>If its the psoas, a week of rest and some gentle stretching can do wonders. </p>
<p> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.julstro.com/what_happens_exactly.html" target="_blank">http://www.julstro.com/what_happens_exactly.html</a></p>
<p> </p>
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