I decided to challenge myself today and sign up for the ING Georgia Half Marathon, which runs simultaneously with the full marathon. The farthest I’ve ever ran non-stop is 7 miles. About 3 years ago, I started having issues with my sciatic nerve, so I had to stop doing so much exercise. Turns out that not exercising was making it worse. It didn’t help that I gained a lot of weight – about 20 pounds. So today, I signed up and decided to start training.
I have a little more than 2 months. I was surprised to find that I could do four miles when I ran this morning. Of course, it was “run a mile, walk for 5 minutes” etc. But still, a pretty good start. Tonight, I did the same thing. It was easier because I actually went out and spent a bit of money on proper shoes. You’re looking at a fairly frugal person here. I have never paid more than about $40 for a pair or running shoes before. I bought a pair of Asics GEL-Kayano 14’s on the recommendation of a friend who regularly runs marathons. Two reasons: First, to save my knees. Second, spending money on good shoes is motivation. (I’d be pissed at myself if I spent good money and didn’t reach my goal.) Like I said, I’m frugal. But wow! I can’t believe how well they fit, how comfortable they are, and how LIGHT they are! I will never go back, and that is only after one day.
Anyway, the point of the post: anyone in Atlanta want to sign up and join me? It’s $75 for a good cause – preventing childhood obesity. My only goal is to not come in last, so it’s not like you’d be running with a pro. In fact, if you know CPR, you’re especially welcome to run with me.
Jake
Great, I work with no less than three Marathon maniacs and now BJ is making me feel fat and lazy.
[Sigh] Guess I’ll waddle over to Code RedState.
Jen
Okay, I just went to Redstate. They are seriously beyond the pale over there. They have referred to Fred Thompson as a “warrior-chieftain”. What do you call that, that *thing* that they have, that would let them use such a turn of phrase in a completely unironic way? What is wrong with those guys? And will someone please save the participle that is dangling from this cliff, hanging on by its tiny unborn fingernails, in this sentence from today’s post, a tribute to our preznit, including quoting him at length ’cause he’s just that awesome of a speaker:
“…a man who genuinely believes in the inherent dignity of the unborn occupying the White House.”
Yes, the inherent dignity of the unborn who occupy the White House, holy crap are the Bush twins pregnant??????
clone12
Never underestimate the worth of good running shoes….
Anne Laurie
One low-cost fix you might try for your sciatica: If you sleep on your back, put a pillow under your knees. If you sleep on your side, stick a pillow between your knees. It will feel ‘unnatural’ at first, and you may have to try a couple different sizes and/or densities before you find the ‘perfect’ fit, but I am one of many people who swear by this method. Problem with that darn sciatic nerve is that, as with carpal tunnel, if it’s been “irritated” once it seems to want to remember the pain & swelling, and when you lie flat you can (unconsciously) pull the nerve across the bones in your hip or back. Even if you’re a skinny young male with a fairly narrow pelvic basin, using a pillow to prop the potentially offending joint can change the angulation *just enough* to prevent re-injury.
Of course I got this suggestion from a chiropractor, some 15 years ago, and I know many people consider chiropractors as one step short of witch doctors. But using a knee pillow doesn’t require a prescription, and the risk of side effects is vanishingly small, so if you don’t believe in
crystal bunny woo-wooalternative medicine you can always check with your physical therapist and get a more scientificy-sounding opinion.Darkness
Good on you getting out. Must be something in the air. I reinjured a knee before christmas and just went out and bought a bike to put off a sixth surgery because I can’t stand standing still and I can’t stand the thought of more surgery. With a bike I can pretend to be mobile.
They make great “memory foam” pillows for propping between the knees, under the knees etc. Pregger women swear by those things. And get a new office chair if you doubt the quality of the one you’ve got. And double check your work posture. Have someone nearby yell at you if they see you leaning forward over the keys.
But anyway. Good luck on the running.
dougie smooth
I got a pair of Kayanos this summer and you are right; they are the tits milk. Fully worth the sticker price.
bleh
ALWAYS spend the extra $50 on a GOOD pair of running shoes. (Imagine how much you’d spend to have injured knees fixed!) And be sure to warm up carefully.
As to training, the way I train up for a marathon is, do a regular run a few times a week, and a long run every other weekend, adding a couple of miles to the long run each time. (Each time I do that, I find that the only difficult part is the new part; the previous distance is straightforward.) Eventually the long run gets to the goal distance (e.g., 20, 24; different people have different theories), which should happen about 3-4 weeks before the event. Then drop the long run down sharply, and take it VERY easy the week before the event.
With 2 months, figure 7 weeks of training, i.e., four long runs. Starting at 4 and adding 2 miles each long run gets you to 12. If you wanna do the 13, add 2, 3, 2, and 3. That should be very do-able, especially if you keep up regular shorter runs (say, 3-4 miles a few times a week).
Good luck!
RSA
Hilarious. Fred would look great in a full headdress, though the side feathers might not hang down as far as his jowls. Though I’d have thought that having been a soldier would be one of the job requirements for warrior-chieftain. Fred? Deferment during Viet Nam.
ThymeZone
Warrior-Chieftan?
He looks like an aged Homer Simpson.
And why is his mug still appearing on PJM ads for his cratered candidacy?
Jake
This makes sense. If you took one of those wooden indians they used to put outside of cigar stores and left it in the elements for few decades, the result would not be too unlike Jowls Thompson.
What? You don’t think that’s what they meant?
Krista
I’ll have to try those. I’d been going through a really bad time with running shoes — no matter which ones I bought, after half a mile the sides of my feet were aching like they would when my mom would lace my ice skates too tight as a kid. A friend finally told me to try to lace my shoes as loose as I could get away with, without them falling off. No more aches. So now I’m eager to re-try the Asics shoe to see what all the fuss is about.
I’ll just be happy when it’s light and warm enough to run outdoors again. Treadmills suck, but winter running brings on the asthma, and living in the sticks, there’s really no safe place to run after dusk (sidewalks don’t exist here.)
And Michael, could you PLEASE fix the spelling of “weird” on your previous post? It’s driving me bonkers. Thanks.
Jen
You know, that RedState warrior-chieftain thing really deserves a link and I apologize for not including it before.
If you read the rest of the blogs on the subject, you will realize that the Republicans a) evidently lost their only real Christian in the race, and b) when the terrorists get to the afterlife, their virgins will have been despoiled by Fred Thompson.
(I find it interesting that terrorists and Fred Thompson sharing the afterlife has been stipulated to.)
aschupanitz
Preventing childhood obesity? Hell, just sign the kiddies up for the marathon.
In all seriousness, though, good luck.
Jen
Michael, let me say that I am proud of you for the half-marathon and I hope you do really well and lose weight and raise money. And I apologize for threadjacking. Again. But my yahoo mail brings up a yahoo news headline of “Study: False statements preceded war”. And I just wanted everyone to know that Yahoo is totally on top of 2003’s news. Thank you. Also, I think that you make up a really awesome RedState drinking game if you tried, and if BJ would like me to guest blog on this topic I would be honored.
Kynn
I love how Michael D. continues to treat this blog as if it were his own personal LiveJournal and no longer even tries to post anything remotely political or equal to the efforts of his other contributors.
After the FAIR TAX fiasco, everyone pretty much figured out the reason is that he knows jack shit about anything political — including, I guess, Michael D. himself. So he’s playing to his strengths? By posting inane drivel?
Last 8 posts:
* I’m running a marathon! :)
* Heath Ledger is DEAD! :(
* I lost money from my retirement account! :(
* Oliver Stone is making a movie! :/
* Ooh! SNOW! :o
* Mythbusters shoots pigs! :(
* MLK had a dream! :)
* Snow is coming! Privatize the airport! :)
Yeah. Okay. Whatever.
During the same time, John posted on Jose Padilla’s sentence, Thompson’s withdrawing from the race (woah, he was still IN it?), the White House erasing email archives, phony degree scandal at WVU, the NFL (okay, that one was weak), and the AP reporter who argued with Romney (three times).
Does John hog the good topics or something? What’s more, he doesn’t just throw out a one-liner here and there, with no research or analysis. John’s posts, agree or disagree with him, are well thought out and start discussion — and aren’t just random links to things he hadn’t read yet.
Why are Michael D’s posts so bad?
trishb
Darkness-
What? So you’re saying I shouldn’t be hunched over in my cubicle with a raging head/neck/back ache, while clenching my teeth to the breaking point. Um, I have to rethink my career. Oh wait, back to the laptop.
Carnacki
I cannot recommend enough going to a shoe store that examines your stride and selects the proper shoe for you. The one I go to is as competitively priced as any shoe store that doesn’t offer the service and the money saved in not having injuries would make it worth it even if it did cost more.
The Other Steve
I have a pair of Asics Gel-2100 shoes I bought for going to the healthclub. Of course I rarely go. I’ve been trying to go more often recently though, as it’s the only place I can watch Law & Order SVU reruns.
I agree, buy good shoes. I don’t even run, but those Asics are comfy when walking on the treadmill or elliptical.
Andrew
Running is for pretending to be fit.
Dreggas
I know this is O/T and good luck in the marathon Michael, I mean it.
But speaking of running go see Cloverfield :).
Anne Laurie
Krista, I don’t know from running, but I *do* know that American women habitually wear shoes that are too narrow. In the midrange European shoes I’ve tried, brands like Ecco and Dansko, their “normal” (B) width is American “wide” (C or D). Years of forcing our feet into too-narrow shoes, even if we don’t compound the insult with exaggerated heels and pointy toes, means that a lot of us have damaged various nerves & tendons so efficiently that we have only the vaguest idea of how well-fitted shoes *should* feel. (And, yeah, I know that heels & pointy shoes are part of the uniform for most working women, which is just more proof that sexism isn’t dead yet.) By all means, go to a dedicated walking or running store to get your tennie-runners. But while you’re being good to your body, go to a high-end shoe store, get your foot re-measured, and see how much gravity has affected your pedal extremities. Carrie Bradshaw was a fictional character; for genuine happiness, “splurge” on all-leather, solidly-constructed pumps that actually fit your feet, and watch how they improve your mood.
Chuck Butcher
The toughest running I’ve done was 10mi @ 6,000 ft on a mountain road in logging boots over varying grades. I was a tad younger and tougher than now, not quite 30 years ago. 20 man hotshot crew, a little additional physical training, about 3 times a week. I’ve run 20mi several times at much nearer sealevel in runing shoes for giggles. Not in the last 20yrs, though. I find that I get plenty of exercise in a work day. I ordinarily consume 3500-4000 calories daily, 5-10, 150lbs.
I started on the hotshot crew at 145#, finished at 180#, same waist size. I couldn’t afford to eat enough or work enough hours in a day to keep the weight, 6 months after I’d gone back to construction I was back to 150#.
Ian
Hey Michael, if you feel like giving self-massage a shot, try this book: “The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook” by Clair Davies. It involves figuring out what trigger points would be causing the pain you have and then treating them several times a day with brief massage, usually with a tennis ball (or super bounce ball, or lacrosse ball, or racquetball).
If Davies’ theory is right (and I think it is), you should rid yourself of trigger points in your hips and arse before trying to exercise or stretch the sciatica away.
Zuzu
Yet his posts get a number of comments comparable to John and Tim’s posts.
And the open threads seem to garner the highest numbers of comments, which of course cover the full range of personal trivia.
Just my observation, for what it’s worth.
Michael D.
Kynn: When you see my name on a post, SKIP IT.
Of course, that would mean that you wouldn’t be able to comment on it and, thus, whine and see yourself type. You’re probably the type of person who monopolizes a conversation simply because you enjoy the sound of your own voice.
Am I right?
Krista
Ah, the joys of working for a small non-profit. My typical work shoes are my black Chuck Taylors.
You’re right though — most women’s shoes are insanely narrow.
cleek
i recently (well, last spring) quit running because of what i assume are sciatic nerve problems. but, nearly a year on, now, that intense aching still shows up now and then. so i’ve been wondering lately if maybe i should just run through it, as my high school coach used to say.
and now… i’m inspired. tonight, i run.
caleb
Going to run 13 miles.
Haven’t run in years.
20 extra pounds to haul.
And you only have 2 months to train.
.
.
.
.
You are so screwed.
Michael D.
caleb: I am crossing that finish line if it kills me. Thank god for paramedics! Seriously though. I will lose the 20 pounds in the next two months.
Tim C
It’s balloon juice. It doesn’t have to be politically relevant. Michael, I used to be a CPR instructor (Annie! Annie! Are you all right?), but I’m afraid you’re on your own. You can do it, though. My older brother successfully completed the Marine Corps marathon a couple of years ago with ever having run in another race in his life. He did just what you’re doing: decided to do it, signed up for a training regimen and stuck to it. As for the sciatica, I heartily recommend finding a good chiropractor. I can recommmend one, but she’s clear out in Norcross.
Bombadil
Should be run. You’re grammar and spelling are wierd.
Bombadil
Not sure if they’ll be rerunning it (pun not intended), but Nova had an episode earlier in the season about a group of mostly non-athletes who trained for, and ran in, the Boston Marathon. If memory serves, all but two were able to finish.
Personally, I think marathoners have screw loose somewhere, but I admire the commitment and strength it takes to run one. Good luck, Michael.
Bombadil
Maybe there are a couple with Grandpa Fred, but the ad that I see is him pimping for PJM, not his candidacy. And that is somehow even funnier.
Blue Neponset
This. The right shoe for your buddy might be the wrong shoe for you. I had a lot of tendinitis in my ankles until I finally got the right shoes and started warming up a lot more than I used to.
Also, just a suggestion, but you might want to pace yourself a bit. Going on a training run everyday is a bad idea. Overuse injuries are common at the beginning of training. You may feel good after the runs but in three weeks all that wear and tear may catch up with you and you will have to take a week off to recover. Training wise, slow and steady is always better.
mk
Good on you, Michael D! I’ve no doubt you’ll do it. And, I’ve no doubt once done, you’ll keep on running. But, I offer a word of caution for the post race period …
Over a period of a couple of years I ramped myself up to about 10 miles a day – right into an overuse injury (grade 3 stress fracture of the femoral neck). Kept thinking if I could just put a great big C-clamp on my hip I’d be fine. After 16 weeks on crutches I had to rethink some options. I now spend a lot of time on a bike and an indoor rower. That Concept2 rower flat kicks the snot out of me, and I don’t lose a whit of conditioning in terms of pace. In fact I could be improving because of it.
Good running shoes are an absolute must! Even better, as others have said, that you get someone to analyze your running style and the shape of your feet. Asics Kayano didn’t work for me. Something in the design continually turned one little toenail black and it kept falling off. But the Asics GT series is my shoe for life.
Best of luck race day. And, Good Show! for setting a goal and aiming right at it.
Andrew
Why do you people insist upon doing something that causes so much pain and injury that there have to be dozens of posts about which shoes to wear to prevent said pain and injury? Jeez. Go play on a playground or something fun.
mk
Andrew, some of us pierce body parts and some of us run. The shoes only delay the inevitable. The game is to see how long you can hold the pain off. ;-)
Chris Dowd
I did the Boston Half Marathon last October. I hadn’t even run 7 miles before I started training for it in July. 5 miles was my longest run before I signed up to run the BAA half marathon.
Running has never been one of my things. In fact I hate it. I have been in pretty good shape most of my life- but I never did like running.
The sense of accomplishment I got from doing 13.1 miles has made me determined to do the full Boston Marathon- in 2009 (can’t this year- just too much on my plate.)
Good luck. That 10 seconds of crossing the finish line is worth all the time and effort.
Andrew
I’ll take the piercings for $100, Alex.
Kynn
It’s cute when you beg me to stop, Michael D. Is poor little me here commenting just too much for you? Awww, I’m sorry you feel all beat up and such. Have a hug … and then stop blogging here.
And no, you’re wrong, I don’t monopolize conversations. You’re projecting.