July 2017 Running Challenge
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@MobyCarp Thank you soooo much for that great explanation! I LOVE this forum. I am a newer (ran a long time ago) runner and love how much advice you all give and experiences you share. You all are amazing!
@Orphia I am in LOVE with those leggings. I saw some the other day almost like those and sent the link to my hubby so he can get them for my birthday. I have always loved Wonder Woman since I was a kid.
@MNLittleFinn So far I like my Altras too. I hope to hear more about them from you since you put in more miles than I do.2 -
I have an appointment to see a PT doc today about my leg (old but nagging injury), so I didn't run last night. In fact, haven't ran at all since Friday. Decided to put some miles on the bike and it felt really good.0
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BAH!! They are calling for "Heavy Thunderstorms" for the night of the one mile race.
I had a slim (very) chance of placing in that race too. *sigh* 0 -
@garygse I was pretty scared. I just zoomed my camera in on him and waited til I got home to see if I got the shot or not.
@midwesterner85 You are really lucky that you didn't get bit! I have stepped over a couple of snakes while running, but they have always been small grass snakes. One was sort of big, but it was dead.
@seanevan10 I was definitely scared. The worst part was that I was only about .5 miles from home.1 -
So I have a problem.
When I was in the outpatient program three months ago, they switched my meds around. One of the new meds they put me on was Abilify. I'd been on Abilify before, and it caused pretty bad food cravings to the point where I gained a lot of weight. (This was before I started exercising regularly). I agreed to go back on Abilify because I felt I was in a much better place with diet and exercise, so I might be able to avoid the weight gain this time. Well, unfortunately I may have been wrong.
The cravings are REALLY bad. I just want to eat and eat and eat, I'm never satisfied anymore. I'm even waking up in the middle of the night to eat. I can't seem to control it.
I had been able to stave off any weight gain for the first three months, but now it seems to be getting out of hand. Even with all the running I do, I've put on four pounds. Yeah, it's not a lot, but it scares me because the scale is going up, and could continue to go up if I don't get a handle on the cravings.
I don't really want to go off the Abilify because it's what's keeping me stable right now. What I need to do is get a handle on the food cravings and get myself back to eating within my allotted calories. But this is going to be a huge task. Running will help, but ultimately it's up to me to limit my food intake.
This post is kind of a half-vent, half-seeking advice. Does anyone else get bad cravings? If so, what do you do to keep them at bay? I've started chewing gum a lot, which helps during the day, but my big problem is at night when it seems like all bets are off and my willpower just flies out the window. What to do then?
I can't afford to gain weight. I've come so far with my weight loss, and it would kill me to gain it back. Plus it would make running a lot harder to do.
I've made an appointment with my doctor to talk about this, but it's not for a couple weeks because he's on vacation right now. I'm seeing my therapist tonight to talk about it. I have plenty of treatment options, so I'm not alone, but I just thought I'd throw this our there and see if anyone has any advice.0 -
@seanevan10 I'll let you know how they go. I might wear them on my longish run on Saturday. That would be a good test, on the superior trail.1
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thoroughly down.
I don't seem able to yet shake this chest infection. I thought I was improving, and went for a very short walk around the park yesterday, but then felt awful all evening and all day today.
I've transferred my Half Marathon place to someone else as I don't feel I can even walk a mile let alone 13.
so that's it for me for the rest of the month. Good luck everyone on races, training etc. I'll see you in August.0 -
@RespectTheKitty one piece of advice would be to eat low calorie snacks when cravings start. Carrots, celery, fruits, etc. Take time to prepare the snack and be sure to drink water. If you can't resist the craving you'll minimize the weight gain. If the craving is real bad and you need a treat try using high quality and small quantity. A one scoop serving of premium ice cream is far better than a half gallon of the cheap stuff.3
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@Arctic_Chick WTG running on the treadmill. Never as much fun as a beautiful outdoor run, but you persevered!
@kgirlhart and @midwesterner85 So glad you both did not get bit.
@girlinahat Oh my. So sad to hear that your'e feeling so bad. Maybe you need an antibiotic and steroids? I also am prone to asthma, and taking my inhalers seem to work the best for me when I get asthmatic bronchitis. Still praying for a quick healing for you. Keep walking and cross training. See you in August!0 -
@Orphia, love those leggings!
@RespectTheKitty, no great advice here but I'm sorry you're having to go through that. I hope you get some helpful advice and are able to find a balance.
Not sure if I'll get in a run today or not. I'm going to try for 8+ miles again on Friday so if I do it'll be a short one. I'm thinking maybe a bike ride instead.0 -
@RespectTheKitty
I tell everyone I am a fat man leasing a thin man's body. If I am not constantly making payments on that lease I will be evicted from the thin man's body. This has happened three times now. I am REALLY trying to be done with that. Losing 50 pounds twice is enough (third time as only 15 pounds) in my book.
Some tricks I have learned:- I primarily drink 0 calorie drinks - often water. This means extra potty trips, but it keeps the mouth busy and puts mass in the stomach so that it feels fuller
- I eat a high fat/protein snack right before bed. It takes longer to digest and process so helps keep things stablier over night. I keep a water bottle on my night stand and drink if I wake up.
- I avoid any food that has High Fructose Corn Syrup, or Corn Syrup. Those foods typically increase cravings and suppress fullness feelings. It is not universal of course, but most of the foods that will eliminate are unhealthy regardless of what they are.
- I try to avoid the sugar substitutes as they tend to increase sugar cravings. This is hard when trying to stick to lower calories, but do what I can.
- I do all the typical activity things like never use the elevator, park far away from stores, and so one. These help increase your base metabolic rate so that you are burning more calories during non-exercise times.
- Smaller plates, smaller cups, and etc all make smaller servings seem larger and more filling.
- I eat many small meals through out the day, instead of three large meals. As long as the calorie intake is the same it works out and again you are keeping the mouth and stomach busy so they are not bored and asking for more.
Dunno if any of those are right, good, or what ever, but that is what I do. I have a problem where I absolutely never feel full. I live in a perpetual state of "yeah, I should really eat something now." I have literally eaten entire large pizzas and wondered if there was any ice cream to wash it down with.
Definitely talk with your doctor. They probably are much more knowledge them this random duck from the internet 6 -
cburke8909 wrote: »7 miles at a 9 minute pace. Stayed within the zone for all but the first ten minutes in which my heart rate soared to almost 200 bpm. Interesting that it also did a similar thing on Monday. Not sure what that means except maybe I need to start slower, my pace for the first mile should have been slow enough (10 minutes) but the heart rate is well into zone 5.
@cburke8909 - Did you feel like you were working exceptionally hard those first ten minutes? If not, there's a good chance it's a bogus high reading.
I saw that phenomenon for a couple years, till I got a newer, better HR monitor with the 630 that replaced my older 620. And instructions for care of said HR monitor. After seeing the same phenomenon with the 620 occasionally, I'm convinced it's a data glitch, caused by bad readings/weak connection of the HR monitor. My first hint was a Q&A session with a Garmin rep, where he casually mentioned something like that happening in the winter when it takes a long time to sweat enough to make a good connection.
Observations: It happens more with my old HR monitor (as when I had to use that until the replacement for the new one that died arrived). It happens more if I don't remember to rinse the monitor strap, or don't remember to use soap on in once a week (instructions say every 7 times you run, but I can remember "Saturday.") It happens more with races and group runs, where I put my HR monitor on at home, drive somewhere, and then run, i.e. the moisture I added to put on the HR monitor dries up and it takes a while to generate enough sweat to get a good connection. I tested once, and just looked at my HR after I took the monitor off; the readout gradually gave me higher and higher numbers till it maxed out somewhere around 245. Since I wasn't even wearing the monitor, those readings were obviously bogus.
I have no idea why the monitor generates bogus readings instead of something meaning, "Sorry, I can't hear the heart rate." But that appears to be what is going on.
FWIW, the old HR monitor got a bit better with this after I washed the strap and started applying the care instructions that came with the new HR monitor. But the new one is still just a better HR monitor; the bogus high reading is rare with the new one, even on group runs and races.0 -
@RespectTheKitty I have the bad sugar carvings at night. I have made my own protein (like @PastorVincent said, high fat and protein) cookies to keep in the freezer. This really helps! Just have to have one! And I put oats in them and they are chewy so it takes awhile to eat just one.
Taking an extra walk throughout the day. Not to "workout" but just get moving a little. This helps because if I sit, I will probably eat. This is also why I sew, knit and crochet. If my hands are busy making something, I don't think about the food. This was a big problem because my kids are young and go to bed early. We sit and watch TV a lot after they go to bed. I found I have to keep the hands busy. So maybe just learning how to crochet. I can even send you some extras that I have. I am sure that my hubby would be thrilled about that. :-)0 -
So I posted a question/poll on the main group about sports tracker/smart watches that everyone has. If you don't go to the main group page, I would love to hear/see your answer here. Which one do you have and why do you love it?0
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@kgirlhart no thanks on the snake!
@orphia love love love the tights
Rest day today since I had to take Allen to the airport at 0 dark 30.
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seanevan10 wrote: »So I posted a question/poll on the main group about sports tracker/smart watches that everyone has. If you don't go to the main group page, I would love to hear/see your answer here. Which one do you have and why do you love it?
I will check that out, but I use Apple Watch Series 2 - for a couple main reasons
PROS
1) it was cheaper than a lot of the competition ($300) which was surprising since it is Apple
2) Waterproof - not just resistant. Sweat proof/ water resistant/etc stuff breaks on me ALL THE TIME
3) When I am not running it functions as a second screen for my iPhone, nothing else can do that
4) It runs tons of apps, nothing else out there can compare
5) 2 day battery life for normal use
6) Apple Care+ Warranty. Fully covered no matter what happens.
7) Stand alone GPS, and onboard storage for mp3s - so can leave phone at home
CONS:
1) Battery life for full fitness tracking is 5 to 6 hours.
2) Locked into iPhone only
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@seanevan10
I have the under amour band and heart monitor
I do not live it but it's realitive inexpensive (less than $200 total) and it does the job.
I'm tempted to go either the route that says I'll be tech-free and train by pace and feel or higher tech and spend more money on a more expensive watch, running shoes that collect data and a high tech scale but I think the money would be better spent on good ice cream.4 -
@kgirlhart wow! Awesome critter! YIKES!!
@Orphia and @garygse="@Orphia Every female runner needs to get those leggings...they look awesome!
I suppose they'd be awesome with our embrace the suck shirts. I'm definitely not fast enough to buy them!1 -
cburke8909 wrote: »...but I think the money would be better spent on good ice cream.
This gets my vote
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@RespectTheKitty I do Halo Top mint chip ice cream. 1 pint is 240 calories, 20g protein. The doc is definitely the way to go, but till then try to stick to healthy foods. You can have all the veggies and lean meat you want and should stay on track.
Good luck. I know that can be very a frustrating situation. Maybe it's one of those side effects that gets better with time?
ETA have you experimented with flavored water? Like ice cold mint and cucumber? Berries? Or the like. I try to do a lot of soups when I get like that (pms, stress or sometimes steroids).0 -
Talking about watches.... I'm curious, does anyone just use MapMyRun?0
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JimCrackinDandy wrote: »Talking about watches.... I'm curious, does anyone just use MapMyRun?
I tried it but was disappointed with it and went back to RunKeeper. That was over a year ago now so only vaguely remember it.0 -
@JimCrackinDandy I use MapMyrun it's ok.1
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OMG! Over 500 posts behind!
As with all great plans, life got tin the way and I don't think I can hit my goal this month. 4.5 this morning.
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7.5 miles a day for the next 4 days, you can do it!OMG! Over 500 posts behind!
As with all great plans, life got tin the way and I don't think I can hit my goal this month. 4.5 this morning.
These monthly running topics always go fast, I went to bed early one night and woke up to 50 new posts, and I got up at 0400!
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@kgirlhart wow! Awesome critter! YIKES!!
@Orphia and @garygse="@Orphia Every female runner needs to get those leggings...they look awesome!
I suppose they'd be awesome with our embrace the suck shirts. I'm definitely not fast enough to buy them!
Ah, but you'd be fast enough when you're driving your invisible plane.
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Thanks everyone for the advice on cravings. A few things in there I will try.
I have had Halo Top, but unfortunately the sugar alcohols give me gastric distress. So that, and most sugar free stuff is out.
My new plan is to avoid sugar as much as possible, since that's a huge trigger. I'm also increasing veggies. That should help. I'll keep you all updated.1 -
@PastorVincent and @cburke8909 Thanks for the input. I've never tried RunKeeper. But I really like MapMyRun, especially since giving my Garmin watch to my son. He's running now with me! Loving it.
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JimCrackinDandy wrote: »Talking about watches.... I'm curious, does anyone just use MapMyRun?
As a new runner, I used a non-GPS Timex watch and mapped my routes after the fact on a web site. Later, I got a smart phone and running apps; of the free apps at that time, MapMyRun and RunKeeper were the most accurate. I went with RunKeeper because MapMyRun was a bigger battery hog at that time.
I had some minor annoyances with using a phone app, like muffing the start of the app at the start of a couple races; but it was interval work in my first HM training program that got me to buy my first GPS watch. That, and the iPhone battery dying in weather that's considered cold by Southern California standards (like, 40º F / +5º C) or dying 11 miles into a 13 mile run even when I tried to keep it warm and the air temperature was +10º F / -15º C.
I found the GPS watches had a little bit of a learning curve to learn to operate, but once learned they are easier to operate on the run than a phone app is. And the battery of whichever watch has been good enough to get me through a marathon, even the time my *legs* weren't good enough to get me all the way through the marathon.
Bottom line: A phone app is fine for recreational running in nice weather with no pressure to start the app at the starting gun, and no need to time intervals that are defined by distance. For races, and for serious interval speed work, a GPS watch works better.1 -
What a review @MobyCarp ! Well... I guess I will have to see how my phone holds up in the heat. I'm sorry to say that I've never paid attention to interval work. I followed Hal Higdon's marathon running plan in 2013 and he didn't require it. Funny thing, I just printed off another copy of it this morning for a Nov 5th marathon I'd like to run. Maybe interval training is something I should look into? But quite honestly if I am not trying to beat anyone, just finish strong, I wonder if I need to do interval training?0
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