From alpha testing to the QUERCUS 200

I'll be gluten free tomorrow. I'm almost pop free, and I think I'm at a point where I could give it up entirely and not be all that upset about it. Having it in the fridge doesn't even really bother or tempt me anymore.

How's the hip doing?
 
Hi Jen! That's a bog deal that pop in the house doesn't bug you. I was tempted in the grocery store tonight. I suppose it's good that it's pop now instead of beer that tempts me.

The hip was terrible yesterday morning, but I did a LOT of stretching and stayed moving around all day afterwards and that made me feel good enough to run, but it really hurt afterwards. It's much better today, but it is still a problem. I ran already and I am going to do some more stretching tonight. Good luck on the gluten free. I haven't been 100% yet. It's either been remaining groceries or that I forgot to check. I've only had a little gluten and I've kept a good diet. No soda today at all, but I missed it.

3/9/2014
run
2.1 miles
145 bpm
30 min
Lots of hip, back, and knee pain. Mostly before and some after. Only a nagging hip pain during.

3/10/2014
run
2.2 miles
154 bpm
30 min
Warm and humid
Lots less pain before and after. Almost none during.
 
I hope the pain isn't proving to be a major liability. Since I have some issues with my back, I experience some discomfort (just discomfort, not actual pain) on my lower back from time to time, and it just makes moving around and (specially) exercising very unappealing. I imagine it must be a lot worse when experiencing serious pain.

I hope the stretching helps you Q. It generally helps a lot in my case.
 
Hey Athala! The stretching has done wonders. My back has been much less of a bother than my hip lately, but I think I have a better idea on when to take a break or take it easy than before.

So I was super busy down in south Texas this past week which is why I haven't posted since Monday.

3/11/14 Tuesday
Pretty easy day in the field with mild weather and a short (8hr) day.
2.2 miles
157 bpm avg hr
I seem to be working harder heart rate wise and getting the same distance.


3/12/2014 Wednesday
A long day of field work (12.5 hours)

Run
2.2 miles
153 bpm avg hr
30 min

I overdid things Wednesday and had stomach problems after my run. I ended up going to bed by 8:20. I also stayed up too late Tuesday night so I started the day off without enough sleep.

3/13/2014 Thursday

Glad I got plenty of sleep. I had a 16 hr day in the field. When you get that tired in the brush you get sloppy and end up getting into a lot more cactus and thorns than when you are fresh and alert. I'm scratched up and still pulling spines out of me. I hadn't brought enough food with me for that long of a day and hadn't eaten much the night before because of my stomach. We didn't get back to town until about 8:30 at night and we went straight to a steakhouse. I ditched the vegan diet for the day and ate a 14 oz ribeye and a baked potato with sourcream and butter. I guess my body was wanting that because I didn't feel bad at all and slept like a log.

3/14/14 Friday
We had to bring back a spare truck that Archaeology had due to cutting back temp staff on a nearby south Texas project. This meant that both my partner and myself had to drive the whole 460 miles back by ourselves. I had stomach woes again (too much coffee?) and felt rather run down by the time I got home so I went to bed early and didn't run again.

Today
I have a functioning GPS watch now and I am excited about that. I've had 2 days without a run, but neither were rest days. I haven't decided if I wil run today or not, but I probably will tonight.

I'm sore from work followed by being cooped up in the truck driving all day, but I have no hip or back pain. I have incorporated strecthing into each day now and that has helped. I'll likely forget to mention it ,but I highly encourage people to find targeted stretching for their pain issues. I am using a book called Prescriptive Stretching which seems technical and explanatory in an overview sort of way. I like it.
 
Thanks for the advice on the stretching. My left hip has been a little bothersome lately, so it would be nice if I could get it under control.
 
I hope it helps you Vee.

Run
30 mins
2.1 miles
150 bpm avg hr

The hip was a bit bothersome. First run with the new watch and I really like it.
 
Hip feels pretty goo dthis morning. I think I will try dynamic stretching before and then do a really easy run. Like around 70% max or high 120s or low 130s. This will be difficult in the sense that I feel like it's a waste of timne if it isn't difficult, but the intermittent pains tell me I am likely overdoing it. If I am going to run with frequency then I have to get serious about stretching and about doing recovery runs.

I am rather pleased to be able to do recovery runs. It was a very short time ago when I couldn't run at the 70% range. Any length of running got me into the high aerobic/low anaerobic state. I think my pain and overall lack of progress lately is attributed to keeping almost every run in that range. I can either run 3x a week and be okay with it or run low impact recovery days between harder runs.

I'm reinventing the wheel a bit here as I could follow a well worn training program and likely be okay. The problem is that I am not a typical runner. I'm reinventing the wheel because it's a custom wheel. A big wheel too. I want what works best for me in showing improvement in distance over 30 minutes and burning lots of calories. My goal is still a 30 minute 5K within the aerobic zone.

Yesterday put me over the 100 mile mark for the year. That took 2 months and 1 week from my very first 30 minute run. I'm hoping 3 months will see 150 miles. That would mean that I have to improve my speed to get that. I can run harder if I didn't hurt so often, but my heart rate says I'm working at least hard enough if not too hard. I'll try the interspersed easy runs and see what that gets me.
 
I also intend to start incorporating weigh lifting back into my routine. That will be good insentive to take it easy on the runs if I know I have more to do after. I will be lifting with protecting my back in mind. No squats or heavy lifting except for my upper body with my back braced and protected. My legs don't need anything at the moment. I'm trying to use lifting to give them a break. I don't want to do anything to risk my well being or stopping my running career just as it starts so don't expect big numbers or much lifting.
 
I ended up taking the day off from running all together yesterday. I went for a walk and did a LOT of stretching. My hip and knee where both bothersome last night. Sitting all day at the office aggravates things.

I'm going to have to be okay with running fewer days and more easy days I think. I need to allow enough rest and vary my workouts Instead of planning out runs and doing them no matter how I feel and trying to run every day. I feel confident that daily runs are in my future, but they need to happen when I'm ready and not be forced.

The stretching helped yesterday and I did a little this morning too. I will wait and see what I need for this evening, but I imagine it will be more intense than walking/stretching even if it isn't a run.

maybe a set of no duh rules:

If it hurts when I run take the next day off

If it hurts again after a day off take two (extend as needed)

If it hurts just a little make the next run an easy/recovery run

Alternate easy and hard runs as needed, but also as a matter of practice if running frequently (4-7 x week).

Stretch every day. Dynamic preworkout and static after.

Add weight lifting 3 x week with a focus on protecting the back and upper body development.

Substitute workouts with intense work around the house. Cutting firewood, push mowing, raking etc. Use HR monitor to track as any other workout.
 
Yeah the rest thing is very tricky particularly when you're motivated to make progress. Because I know how hard it will be to ditch the last of these pounds, the last thing I want to do is ever take a day off. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
 
I think a static minimum and maximum while allowing for response to how I'm feeling on any given day is the way to go for me. I need to investigate a few more health metrics (measure resting heart rate) and see what daily stretching as well as targeted pre and post workout nutrition does for me and I will be ready to set up some sort of framework that will just need periodic maintenance. At least that's the hope.

Really the major missing piece is my resting heart rate because it will effect my calculated max heart rate drastically. I also need to start keeping a closer eye on my calories to make sure I am not over or under eating. Maximizing fat loss will help every aspect of my health and my performance as a runner.
 
Quercus said:
This will be difficult in the sense that I feel like it's a waste of time if it isn't difficult, but the intermittent pains tell me I am likely overdoing it.
Click to expand...

If you're looking to burn fat by running it is best to to keep your heart rate around 65% of your HRmax. This might not be a "feeling the burn" kind of intensity, but it does work.
Listen to your body, running everyday is quite stressful for joints and muscles. give them time to relax now and again.

You're doing great by the way, love your vegan lifestyle specially making as much as you can yourself!
 
Thanks Guideon! I made tonight an easy run and I feel better than before I started. I need to mix it up with intensities.

Run
30 mins
1.9 miles
136 bpm avg hr

I did a set of 5 reps each arm with some 50lb dumbbells after my run. I did some stretching before and after the run as well.
 
You still kind of amaze me. I kind of...gave up the running. I feel bad, but I also know that if I push too hard that I'll give up completely. Did it take a lot of work for you to get into running so much? It feels almost impossible to me. Exercise has always been so daunting. At least I like to walk, haha!

I also need to stretch more...

I like the new avatar picture! How's the measurements going? Seeing a difference?
 
Loch, I've been feeling crappy because my hip keeps hurting me, but I think I am geting in figured out between alternating hard and easy runs and the new massage and stretxing routine. I went from having trouble finishing my grocery shopping to running non-stop for 30 minutes in roughly 6 months with a relapse in pain, the flu, and a few other minor setbacks including just not working out and the holidays. I prefer to look at it as I started walking/running regularly at the first of the year and was running 30 minutes by January 10th, but that was really just the big final push. You have to push through the part that sucks. That's the hardest part. Push through 3 weeks and then it starts to be good instead of a pain in the ass. 2 onths later and I'm still struggling in obe way or another, but I loath taking a day off from running and I never thought that would happen.

You can do it. Ease into it and expect the adjustment period to suck. If you quit start back up before it's square one and after a few restarts you'll be there.



As I was saying, I ran without hip pain for the first time in WAY too long! I used the limber 11 from DeFranco. Number 6 didn't feel good on my back and I modified the mountain climbers to where I didn't do the jump in between. The foam rolling and the lacrosse ball part did the most I think, but the hip flexor stretch was great too.



Run
30 minutes
2.21 miles
151 BPM Avg HR

I realized that I was getting hardly any push off my right leg with the hip flexor pain. The run felt pretty easy.
 
One of my advantages when I started this was that I have a naturally low resting heart rate. Even back in the 375 days it was a not terrible 63 or 64. Was looking at my monitor while driving on the way to hiking yesterday and it said 54. I think this is what allows me to play basketball for longer than I probably should at my age. I get winded and I get tired, but the recovery while taking a breather comes quickly.

Good job on the dropped half inch.
 
That's really good Vee. Strain in your heart is strain on your heart and lower resting BPM is healthier. That does seem abnormally low and maybe it played a role in your weight gain? Chronic low oxygen levels that can result fro mtings like brething and circulatory problems can result in pretty severe lethargy. Having low energy makes you do less activity that compounds the problem. That's one of the ways my asthma hinders me. When i weighed 400 pounds my lips and fingernails would turn pale and sometimes even blue. I had to take massive doses of steroids which made me gain more weight which made me exercise less and breath worse. I wasn't sure if icould get out of that cycle and it was hell to do so. All this running and the asthma is no big deal at all.


Run
30 mins
2.3 miles (first time since before the hip bothered me)
161 bpm avg HR
I just picked a set and number of laps between two points that I hadn't measured. I just took off and didn't look at the hr, distance, or time until I finished. The 5 laps between my mailbox and the closest neighbor's was just over 2.2 miles, but I kept running until I hit the 30 min mark.

I ran 2.3 miles twice before. Once was with an app that was a bit buggy and again with someone else watching their GPS. Regardless whether or not those were valid 2.3 mile half hours I can say that this is the hardest I've run for a half hour.

Yesterday wasn't a neccesary day off in terms of pain, fatigue, or injury. So I felt good today before stretching and even better after so I pushed myself a bit. It was sunny and the warmest day yet which made it harder. Adjusting to summer heat and staying hydrated are going to be real challenges.

Yesterday I wore a snug xl undershirt under a xxl button up and size 38 jeans. The 38 jeans were the snuggest I have put back in rotation and they were fine and that's the first time I've worn eiter of the shirts in recent hitory. Today I ran in a 3xl tshirt and it was so big and floppy that it bugged the crap out of me.
 
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