dorianaldyn Member

Enjoy your first half marathon! I think it's a great distance - reasonable to train for, reasonable to run and you pretty much carry on as normal afterwards.

While training for my first marathon, I ran half just under 1:53 (a PR for me). The full marathon (half of which was actually on the same course as that half marathon) took me just under 4:30. I was diligent about following the training plan and I never felt like I "hit the wall" - but it still took me significantly longer…

Yeah, I was going to ask if you have access to anyone that could look at your stride? I had to make some adjustments in my stride (my symptom was lower back soreness after long runs) and making a few minor changes made all the difference.

Looks like you made a decision, hopefully it works out for you. Last holiday season, Costco had the 410 on sale, so that's what I have. The 410 is fine, I have the occasional gripe, but it's nothing I can't live with. I do consider it a vital part of my run ~ I never leave home without it. As for swimming - do learn to…

Part of the problem is that I'll be vacationing where it is hot & humid, whereas all my training (and the marathon) will be in a cool, dry climate. And for me to get up early enough means I'll be running in the dark - and while I'm fine with that at home, I'm just not comfortable doing that in a place I'm not super…

Agreed! Most of my mid week training runs start at around 4:30 am and finish before it's light out. I don't know that there would be any weather that I'd get in the California Bay Area that would keep me indoors (we don't typically get snow, hail, hurricanes, tornadoes - the bad weather I'd have to combat would be…

I was able to recover from my 20 mile training run before my first marathon no problem, but I swear I could feel the fatigue in my muscles after the marathon for a month or so after. So, I know it just wouldn't be a wise decision for me. I just wish I was younger/stronger/better/etc., so that I could handle that running…

Hey - congrats on getting into that race! Enjoy your "medal" from Tiffany at the end :-). I have some friends doing that race, but I've already got plenty on my racing schedule at that time of year so I didn't enter the lottery.

Thanks for sharing - heat is my kryptonite. Living in CA,, I'm no stranger to warm weather so I may have to check this out!

Sounds like a great choice! The Napa area is a wonderful place to visit; not to mention SF as well. I live in the Bay Area, so feel free to ping me as you get closer if you want any sightseeing advice.

Feel free to add me too if you want. I ran my first marathon in May, have another at the end of September that I'm currently training for and then I've got Big Sur next April. If all goes well, perhaps I'll attempt a 50k next June - the jury is still out on that one, though! Oh, and I'm 39, started running when I was 37 -…

With both of my kids I lost all the weight just through eating sensibly (I wasn't counting calories) and breastfeeding. Where I ran into trouble was when I stopped breast feeding. I'd recommend focusing on the baby right now and worrying about the rest of it later. I so wish I had started tracking my calories as soon as I…

Ok, my RoadID has "No Known Drug Allergies" - quite boring compared to your ID!

Yeah, I generally don't post fitness questions on the general boards anymore because I'll get chastised for all of my steady state cardio. Having said that, I also know that I should probably incorporate more weight work into my routines, but honestly I'm a bit nervous to do so in the midst of training for this next…

I'm running my first trail half marathon two weekends from now. I run quite a bit on unpaved areas, however, most of that is flat so I know the trail will be quite different. I have done some legitimate hilly single-track running - and yes, you have to be more careful about things, but running is still running. Regarding…

I honestly don't do too much differently the week leading up to a half. Just the basics - I stay well hydrated, I eat sensibly, I avoid alcohol, I try to get lots of rest. Enjoy race day!!

I've never had that problem, but it sounds incredibly annoying! Hope you get a solution figured out soon.

Am I going to out myself as a big nerd? I tend to do out and back training runs and for me, mentally, it's all about making it to the turn around point. On my way out, I'm constantly doing math, counting down, in fractions and percentages how far I am to the turn around point. Things like "20% done, I only have to do that…

The more I learn about food, the more I'm convinced that a 100% plant-based diet is the right choice for me. Honestly, I think paleo is too restrictive for the average person - I don't know anyone "in real life" that has been able to stick with it for any length of time (though there seems to be plenty on here that love…

My first half marathon was chosen for me, as I joined a training team. That was for SF Wipro. I chose the half that was hilly but went along the Embarcadero and over the golden gate bridge. After that I went on a bit of a half marathon registering binge and immediately registered for one that was very local (RnR Half in…

First of all, babies are the BEST, so congratulations. I'm also 5'2" and my second baby was born via C-Section; he was 9 lbs, 1 oz. Are you breastfeeding? The reason I ask is because my big baby was also a voracious eater and I ended up loosing all my baby weight just by nursing him and eating sensibly. In fact, once he…

There are far more experienced runners than me who will hopefully chime in, but after reading your first sentence, I immediately thought that maybe your performance pace is actually faster than you realize. Personally, I'm not motivated by my pace - I run however fast I run - My motivation / goal is always just to finish…

Welcome! When I first transitioned from omnivore to 100% plant based (I gave up dairy & eggs too), I read a whole bunch of books and looked at a lot of blogs. I, too, worried "what will I eat?!" and it turns out there's this whole world of food that I never knew about. Foods like tempeh and seitan have been wonderful…

Red light? That means stop? I rarely stop at red lights - granted, most of my running is around ~5am and usually there are no cars around for miles. If, on a rare occasion a car is coming, I just turn and run down the road I can't cross until it's safe to run across it. If I'm running during the day and actually have to…

Alright - so I figured out that Doctor Radio (a channel on XM) had their orthopedics show yesterday so I called in with my knee issue and WebbyShoo nailed it. They said it sounded like pre-patellar bursitis. They did warn that the main complication was infection, but unless the skin was broken, that wasn't likely to…

Actually, I am. My next full marathon has a large section of it that is unpaved, so to help prep, I went and signed myself up for a trail half - I'm doing the Cinderella one in the Oakland hills :-). I think it's going to take me forever, but I'm OK with that.

Close - but that one is behind the knee, and mine is definitely right on top of my knee cap. I'm sure it is just general inflammation (ie bursitis); I guess I just expected it to be getting better by now. I was more curious about whether or not the fluid should be drained (??), if I should be taking some…

This is me. Scarring from a HRM is the new sexy, right? That's what I tell myself.

If I weren't vegan, I'd choose butter over margarine for many of the reasons listed above.

Pants/tights with some reflective striping is also a good idea, especially for winter when daylight is limited. Where I live (Bay Area, CA), I rarely see men in running tights. There's one guy that does laps around my neighborhood and I'll see him in tights sometimes, but most guys around here wear shorts year round. In…