(no subject)

[ewt]

I ran a little faster this evening, with the aim of getting my heart rate up and seeing what I could do comfortably. I ran for fifteen minutes and made a little over 2km, or that's my best guess from the map. It took a half hour to walk back but I did stop and look at pretty rocks at one point. When I finished running my heart rate was 159bpm. I'm 25, so that's around 80% of my "maximum heart rate" - which is what I was taught to aim for at school (the 80%, that is). Nowadays "you should still be able to hold a conversation" seems to be all the rage. Personally, I'd like to vary my runs, so sometimes I get a good all-out-of-breath cardiovascular workout and sometimes I take a more leisurely pace, but at the moment I'm still very much at the 'seeing what I can do' stage.

I probably could have run a bit longer, but my right ankle was starting to get a bit hurty again. Careful observation shows that I'm turning my right foot out slightly when I run and also when I walk, and this is okay-ish for walking but not great at all for running. On the way back, walking, I tried to keep my foot straight, and first it made my knee a bit uncomfortable and then made my hip and back very uncomfortable (but not actually painful). So, I think the hurty ankle is related to my back being weirdo. I shall have to remember to be careful with my carrying, and do my back exercises.

Also on the way home my chest was a bit tight and I was coughing a bit. A few weeks ago now I sprinted to catch a train and ended up coughing quite a bit afterward, not something I've really experienced before. This was a bit like that but not nearly so much. I'm not sure if it's because my lungs are full of gunk from the Tube or what, but I don't like it; it seems to be related to just how much I exert myself, though, so hopefully with more training it will go away.

Other than the slightly hurty right ankle, I found the longer stride I used this evening far more comfortable. It will be really nice to have the cardiovascular fitness to be able to run like this for longer and without getting quite so out of breath.

Friday will be a morning run, and I'm planning to be in Enfield then so I'll be running a different route than normal. Hopefully I'll be able to find something moderately flat, but being halfway up a hill doesn't suggest that this will be easy.

I'm already looking forward to it.

Do you think this is curable?

Comments

[fwuffydragon.livejournal.com]

You could ask your local (SPECIALIST!) sports shop for advice on in-soles for your running shoes to limit the problem. Or your pharmacist.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

At this point I'm going to wait and see. The back problems are due to horn playing, not running, and I need to be doing my back exercises anyway. If that makes the ankle problems clear up then yay. If not, I'll see about insoles and whatever else; I think if my back doesn't want to give and my foot is forced into the right position by an insole I could conceivably damage my knee a lot, and so far my knees are one of the bits of me that work really well, so I don't want to risk that.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

To cure your liking for running, I prescribe daily doses of sitting mindlessly in front of the TV, followed by large quantities of fried food.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

We don't have a TV. Or a deep-fat fryer for that matter.

I'm doomed!

[welikegoats.livejournal.com]

Don't buy insoles from anyone before consulting a podiatrist. You will waste your money and achieve nothing.

[jaime88.livejournal.com]

This is just the sort of thing that Chiropractors and Osteopaths correct. Though you may be able to correct the imbalances by doing your exercises. Hooray for you for getting into the running, BTW, it's one of the things that human beings are particularly good at doing. Have fun with it.

I've been reading up on a method called Interval Training, or High Intensity Interval Training. Basically, if running, one alternates between fast and slow. It results in much faster gains in endurance, and faster weight loss due to getting both aerobic and anaerobic metabolism going. I wouldn't be surprised if the increased aerobic fitness resulted in better horn playing, too. Enjoy!!

[jaime88.livejournal.com]

I second that one - generally I look at insoles as a sort of crutch - useful in the short term, but not something that you want to be stuck with forever. If you do see someone who prescribes 'foot orthotics' then make sure they show you exercises so that you strengthen yourself and eventually don't need the orthotics.

[ewtikins.livejournal.com]

I play the horn, and holding it up for long periods of time makes the muscles in my back unbalanced unless I specifically do exercises to counteract this.

I've been to chiropractors, and while some of them can help on a short-term basis, in the long-term they can't do anything about the muscle imbalance - I have to do my exercises. Or stop playing horn, but I'm not about to do that.

Yes, better aerobic fitness will result in better horn playing, This is one of the reasons I am running.

I know about interval training. For now, I'm not going to do that; I've never been a good sprinter and I really want to get my basic fitness up a bit more before I do interval training. I will probably do some in the future though. I'm also very much going for a meditative feeling when running, and I don't think interval training will give me that so much.

[mstevens.livejournal.com]

Sitting in front of the internets eating chocolate is a good substitute.

[jaime88.livejournal.com]

Yes, absolutely, I agree - You have to do your exercises. Counter the 'exercise' of horn playing with something entirely different. chiropractic care is generally best with exercise, for that matter.

The meditative thing with running is hugely beneficial. I remember hearing a lecture years ago - had left my clock radio on after finals week, woke on saturday morning at 6 a.m. to Herbert Bensen M.D. (wrote The Relaxation Response) talking about meditation. He had come across a type A personality, cardiologist or anaesthesiologist - who figured by jogging while repeating a prayer he could get religion, mantra meditation, and exercise covered all at the same time. :-)

And yes the interval stuff especially High Intensity Interval Training is for folks that are already fairly fit. However I think there is benefit to be had with gradual and relatively slight variation in exercise intensity, or running speed. Some of this occurs naturally as one encounters hills and valleys on the run.