jhansen71

Thanks Danyell and Fiddleman. You all inspire me.glad to have the support. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I did it!!! Today I ran a 13.6 miles which is the distance of a 1/2 marathon. I can't believe it. When I stopped my legs felt like rubbery noodles and I had terrible leg cramps. Afterward, I sat in ice Water for 5 minutes, took 3 Aleve, put Biofreeze all over my legs, drank a huge electrolyte drink, ate a Protein bar and stretched, stretched, stretched. My legs feel great, but tired. In fact, I'm at Monster Jam with my husband and child. I'm finally excited about my 1/2 marathon on the 23rd of this month. I know now that I can do it. I came back from my injury and did it. Woo! Hoo! I'm on cloud nine!!!! Congrats to all of YOU who made some goals this week. All it takes is one foot in front of the other and we can achieve anything. Yay us!!!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Small world BTB. Thanks Renea! Sent from my iPhone using VST

I'm in!!! Are there any runs in Hawaii? Lol! Sent from my iPhone using VST

Thanks Danyell!!! Sent from my iPhone using VST

As promised I'm reporting back after my run with my new shoes. HUGE difference! I mean HUGE!!! Today is my first day back on road running as opposed to treadmill since my calf injury almost 2 months ago. I was worried I would even make the short run. I'm pleased to report that I made it, my calf was great and even better no hip pain. Feet felt good and I could have kept going, but trying to stick to this marathon training schedule and follow their guidelines. Only 3.25 today, but felt so wonderful!!! I can't wait for the next run on Monday. Sent from my iPhone using VST

So I went to a running shop today to finally get properly fitted for running shoes. The shop owner was a 60 something year old marathon runner and knew so much about running. She had me bring my current shoes in and she watched me walk barefoot first and then walk and run with my running shoes on. She determined that I'm a heel striker which basically means I lead with my heel hitting the ground first. She also said my shoes were too big and had too much flex. She said a lot of flex is great in small runs, but for marathon runs she suggested a stronger sole for better foot support. She also went on to explain that an improperly fitted shoe can cause injury because if your foot can move around in the shoe, your legs will overcompensate to avoid twisting an ankle. This can cause knee problems, hip problems and possibly torn muscles. I also have worn tread on my right shoe and I didn't tell her this, but my right hip has started bothering me lately. I thought it was arthritis. However, now I think it's my darn shoes. She said worn tread on the outside of your shoes can cause you to tweak your knee or hip. To which I responded about my hip. She felt confident that new shoes would help my hip. We shall see.... I run in the morning so I'll report back on the difference my shoes make. Sent from my iPhone using VST

Sorry for the delay. I'm not sure I can describe them very well. Feet together toe touches (hamstrings/calf) Feet spread -touch the ground and then each foot (hamstrings) Feet spread with toes pointing forward-lunge to the left (inner thigh) then the right. Standing straight, legs together, keep knees together-put hands behind you back and grab your foot (quad stretch) repeat other leg Feet together-lunge forward with one foot tors forward and then dip your back leg trying to keep your heel on the ground (calf stretch) You can also dip your heel off a step or curb for calf stretches, but my Dr just told me not to do this because it can pull too fast or hard and tear your muscle. Squat and put one foot on the other knee. If you push the knee to the ground you'll feel the stretch in your hip flexers Standing with feet shoulder width apart, side stretches. 1 hand on your hip the other toward the sky and lean (left hand in the air-lean right) repeat the other side (stretches back, sides) Arm stretches-move your right arm across your body to the left keeping it shoulder level. Us the other arm to keep it as close to the chest as possible and drop the shoulder of the crossed arm (this will stretch shoulders and part of the back) I hold each stretch for a count of 10 and I do these before and after my runs. I hope you can figure out what I wrote. Sent from my iPhone using VST

I'd like to join in. I've been training for a half marathon for months now and was doing great. Had gotten up to 8 mile runs. I'm training with a friend who is about 4 inches taller than me. I think I should mention also that she has long legs and a short torso and I have short legs and a long torso. We really are mismatched running partners, but the best of friends. Anyway, as you can imagine we have had to work on keeping up with each other on pace. She's had to slow down and I've had to speed up. We walk a very brisk 10 minutes and then stop and stretch really well. One day about 6 weeks ago we were running one of our short runs (3 miles) and I started to get what I thought was a cramp. I kept running. Stretched really well afterward as I always do and took a hot bath and applied ice. My cramp finally went away after a few days so I went out for another short run (4 miles)-no pain. The next day I woke up in a lot of pain. I limped around for a few days and then went to a sports medicine doctor who proceeded to tell me I tore my calf muscle. I've been benched for 6 weeks. ???? Here is what I have learned: Picking up your pace too fast can cause injury (as well as wrong shoes, uneven surfaces, falls, etc.). This is most likely how I tore my muscle according to the Dr. A torn muscle is no joke and can take a few months or longer to heal. You can mistake it for a leg cramp. If it doesn't go away after the first day treat it like a tear and take a few weeks off before trying anything to avoid further damage. Running outside is way more fun than a treadmill. When I started training it was on the treadmill, then I moved outside. The doctor has me back on the treadmill through the end of this week and most of next week except one run per week until 2nd week in February. Can't wait to be outside full time running. I have to slow down my pace and slowly work back up to my longer runs. This is hard. Before i was injured...I'd run 3-4 miles, have 1 day rest, 3-4 miles, have 2 days of rest and then longer run, then 2 more days of rest and repeat. Dr (who is also a marathon runner) said this was a great way to avoid injury. In fact dr said everything I was doing (stretching before and after, warm up, cool down, resting periods) was all good. The only thing he cautioned me on was picking up my pace too quickly on longer runs. If your body isn't ready for it, it can cause injury. Wish I had been told this. Anyhow, getting back into running after 5 weeks of rest has been very difficult, but I'm just thankful at this point to be recovering. Fingers crossed I make my 1/2 marathon on 2/23/13. Sorry so long. I hope my story helps others. Sent from my iPhone using VST

Surgery 3/13/12 I have lost 101lbs I'm 5'5" and met dr's goal of 150 and trying to get to 135. 7 lbs to go... Sent from my iPhone using VST