Katawa Shoujo Forums

SemisoftCheese wrote: Hey sleeve,

not sure if i'm a little late here...

Very much appreciate the advice, haven't really had anyone to advise me as none of my friends/family are runners. I've got until the 17th of april to prepare.
I switched up my routine last week to 40 mins and have have been covering a 7.5k route.
I'm pretty happy with that in terms of endurance for now (it wasn't really a struggle), so I think I'm fine with postponing long runs until after the race.

I've got a 4.5k route planned for tomorrow morning so I can see where I am now.
I haven't timed myself properly over that distance yet as I've included the warm up walk in the time/distance. I'll try and time it properly this time.

There are no tracks near me for mile splits. I wouldn't have access to them regardless as I run at 5 am.
I can do it without though, I've been relying on google maps for distances this whole time anyway. I should be able to split using landmarks or something.
Do you recommend I stick to my mon/wed/fri training schedule? I'm getting cardio each day due to cycling but I do honestly miss running on my off days.

My only concern at the moment is the stiff ankles I have for the first 5 mins of my run until they warm up. It's not painful it just makes is hard to run properly and could really hamper my time
I've been doing the ankle rotation stretch thing (I'm not an athlete ) from the Emi stretching guide and have looked up a couple more to try. Any suggestions?

Xanatos wrote:

box wrote:large headphones

Why are you using headphones anyway?

I can't get comfortable with earbuds. Really, I can't.

Sleeve wrote: Do you recommend I stick to my mon/wed/fri training schedule? I'm getting cardio each day due to cycling but I do honestly miss running on my off days.

Here's how I practice with my team:

When I'm in season I run 6/7 days of the week:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Mileage days
Tuesday, Thursday: Strength days
Saturday: Off
Sunday: LSD (explained later)

Mileage: You want to be running here around 60 percent of your full capacity. The goal here is to tone your muscles, so when you demand things of them, they don't give out. It also serves to ease the strain caused by strength days.

For your goal time, you should be able to do a 5-7 mile run in around 40-45 minutes, reasonably hilly. But you've got a few weeks--so you don't need to sprint to hit this time on the nose. The golden rule for mileage pacing: you should be able to hold a conversation while you run. If you can't, you're going too fast. The time here is a rough guideline--not an absolute standard you have to meet. This is, as the name describes, about putting miles on your legs, so the muscles get used to this kind of work.

Strength: Strength days include hill workouts, fartleks, and lengths:

Hill workouts: Find a nice, long hill (paved). It should be around two blocks long. Because you have sort of bum ankles, jog (or if it hurts, walk) slowly down to the bottom. Make sure as you go down the hill, your heel impacts first, then your toe. Otherwise you're going to kill your ankle. When you reach the bottom of the hill, sprint up as fast as you can. When you reach the top, jog slowly down, and when you reach the bottom, do it again. In the first hill workout, target 3-4. You should be up to 4-5 by your 3rd week.

Fartleks: Swedish for "speed-play," a fartlek is a timed interval run mimicking the format of a race. Find a reasonably flat loop you can run (a few blocks, a path, etc.) Set your watch for 24 minutes in total. Try a 2-2-3-3-2. What's that mean? 2 minutes fast, two minutes slow. Then another two minutes fast, two minutes slow. Then three minutes fast, three minutes slow. Then another three minutes fast, then three minutes slow. It'll add up to 24 minutes, which is longer than a race. During the fast segments you should be moving at around 130% of your comfortable pace. During the slow segments you're free to jog as slow as you like, but try and keep it to 50% of comfortable. Do not walk. Ever. Ever. It ruins the fartlek.

Lengths: These are also known as loops. Find a place with a known distance (.8 miles seems to work out best for your goal time). Run it as fast as you can. Rest for two minutes. Run it again. Rest, then again. The goal here is to try not to lose more than 15 seconds between each of your "loops"--it's a pacing and mental exercise, as you learn how to control the speed you run your first loop, then your second, then your third.

Saturdays: Off. If you are hurting, stretch+ice, but don't run. Let your body relax. Take a bath or long shower.

Sundays: LSD! Not the drug, silly (insert canned cross-country laughter.) What's LSD? Long, slow, distance. Run a long, gentle loop, taking it as slow as you like. Try not to walk, but you can really jog as slow as you like. This is meant to put more miles on your legs, and work in all the improvements you've made over the week. Teach your muscles that after healing yesterday, it's a) time to get back to work, and b)they're stronger than they were before. Nice, gentle, pacing. No sprints. None.

My only concern at the moment is the stiff ankles I have for the first 5 mins of my run until they warm up. It's not painful it just makes is hard to run properly and could really hamper my time
I've been doing the ankle rotation stretch thing (I'm not an athlete ) from the Emi stretching guide and have looked up a couple more to try. Any suggestions?

first things first about your ankles: treat them nicely. i've had all the ailments a runner could have (my other sport, tennis, ruins your body), and here's the short story on ankles.

sorry if i'm rambling (switch to lowercase indicates this,) but knowing the entire story will help you understand your ankles.

your ankles are suffering because you're running. simple. why? the root cause of this is impact. every time your foot strikes the ground, your entire body weight leverages on and off your ankle. if you do this every day, your ankle will start to complain. it's only natural.

there are two types of stiffness you can have:

1) leftover lactic acid stiffness. after a hard workout, you'll notice your muscles don't want to move. they're tense and all ripped up from you working out (i'll discuss work-out theory in another post). this can be taken care of with long, careful stretching routines, as well as nice long cool downs and warm-ups.
2) tight muscles: this is different. this is when your ankles clearly aren't being used to the way they're being treated (running), as other muscles have been handling the weight for the previous part of your life. as a result, they tighten up as an effort to tell you to use those other muscles.

okay, well which one is it?

if you feel a lancing, sort of searing pain while you warm up--that's not your muscle warming up. that's a tight muscle complaining. take it slow that day, and icyhot your muscle afterwards.

if it's just stiff, well, warmup+stretch.

now, on to helping your ankles:

god this is turning into a athletic ramble. okay: two types of stretches--static and dynamic.

static: you don't move.
dynamic: you do. buttkicks, high-knees, etc.

dynamic stretches, even though no-one does them, are better for warm-up because they actually engage the muscle the way it's going to be used. in all the elite camps (think bollitierri) , dynamic is preferred as a warmup, while static is good for cool-down.

this video is a pretty good guide: http://www.nyrrf.org/ycr/ars/activity/m ... un/m11.asp

BUT

do these lying on your back, feet straight in the air. don't do them standing up. the only thing people don't understand about stretching (sorry, ranting) is that if you put weight on what you just stretched, you're not helping anything. if you stand while you just stretched your ankle, you're putting your entire body weight on what you just stretched. which defeats the point of a slow stretch. which defeats stretching in general.

that should help a bit. onto the next part.

unfortunately, the best thing you can do for your ankles is a pretty rare skill.

medical taping. if you know how to tape ankles, this is the answer. looks like this

if you have access to a trainer or gym, they can do it for you. this forces the ankle to move correctly, and supports it better than anything. if not... it's not something you can really teach yourself.

i think you're in college (from your previous post), so stop by your trainer's office and ask him to teach you or him to tape you one afternoon. it should be included in your tuition, and this really, really, really, really, helps. it teaches you the perfect way to run while supporting your ankles.

if you don't have access to a trainer, you can try these at a wal-mart or something--buy the lace-ups.

i've used these, and they help--but you sort of get dependent on them because they add a spring to your step. i used them for a season and they slashed two minutes off my time in one race... but i stopped because when i forgot them, my ankles were screaming bloody murder. try tape, then stretching, and as a last resort, the muellers.

if you've got any more running/medical q's, i'm here. wrists, ankles, knees, back, rotator cuff... i've had them all.

best,

semisoftcheese

20:15 this morning! Pretty darn happy about that, although it wasn't exactly pretty.
My pacing was way off, lengths certainly sound like they could do me some good.
The one thing I found odd is that only my lungs hurt, my legs were fine and my heart wasn't going nuts.

Also no stiff ankles! I added a couple of extra stretches and did a weird bouncing stride in my warm up walk and it seemed to work.
They weren't ever painful before, just stiff due to not warming them up properly.

SemisoftCheese wrote: i think you're in college (from your previous post)..

Sorry, that was kind of a mistake. Here in jolly old England we have quite a different system to most places ('cause we're hipsters or something).
When an Englishmen refers to 'college' they are usually referring to sixth form college.
From what I gather this is essentially the last two years of high school, we call college university.
The main difference is we specialize more and get to a higher level in fewer subjects (3 or 4).
Basically I'm in the same year as Hisao .

The main thing to take from this is that I'm essentially on my own. Our sports teams are limited to some team sports.
This is a problem with many sixth forms but particularly mine. It's publicly funded and sports isn't deemed worth the investment as we are only there two fairly busy years.

Anyways, enough negativity. Thanks for big help, I'll be trying your schedule and reporting on the results here.

All the best everyone.

Hi all, small update on my stuff:

I ran another half marathon this evening. This was not my plan, it just sort of happened. It was my initial goal to run 10 km if my leg injuries didn't act up. My running progress has been held back recently due to various shin problems, and that's been all kinds of frustrating. I've seldom got past 5km recently due my shin muscles bunching up.

I reached 10 km, and my legs weren't bothering me too much, my lungs were barely straining, and I felt great. I just resolved to run until I couldn't anymore. If you're alive, you can keep moving.

My time was two hours and two minutes, 21.1 km. This is the second time I've hit this distance and I cut 15 minutes or so off my previous time. I'm really relieved I can still do this sort of thing if my legs cooperate.

Walrusfella wrote:Hi all, small update on my stuff:

I ran another half marathon this evening. This was not my plan, it just sort of happened. It was my initial goal to run 10 km if my leg injuries didn't act up. My running progress has been held back recently due to various shin problems, and that's been all kinds of frustrating. I've seldom got past 5km recently due my shin muscles bunching up.

I reached 10 km, and my legs weren't bothering me too much, my lungs were barely straining, and I felt great. I just resolved to run until I couldn't anymore. If you're alive, you can keep moving.

My time was two hours and two minutes, 21.1 km. This is the second time I've hit this distance and I cut 15 minutes or so off my previous time. I'm really relieved I can still do this sort of thing if my legs cooperate.

That is seriously impressive.

How do you get started motivating yourself for this? I used to be in great shape, but I really let myself go and taking lithium made it a lot worse. What did it take?

Yeah, pretty sure I have shin splint. Woopsies.

The timed run last Monday was fun but the day after I began getting an odd feeling in my left shin. Not painful, just a little odd.
With this in mind I decided against doing more runs per week but I still kept my normal schedule. In hindsight I probably should have just taken a break.

I went for my run yesterday, the feeling was less than it had been and the run had no problems.
Afterwards though I have started to feel occasional pain, I am also slightly limping. It made for some funny Emi comparisons with the girl I introduced to KS.

Yeah... I'm taking 2 weeks break till that gets in order, it's what the NHS recommends.
As long as it fixes up in that time I will have two weeks left to prepare for the run.
Considering my performance last Monday I feel this is adequate time to prepare, my concern is the possibility of another shin splint.

This is mostly targeted at you, semisoft (although all advice is obviously welcome!). Some advice on how to spend those two weeks would be much appreciated.
All I really need to work on is my pacing, I'm in good enough shape to make it.
This makes lengths sound like good idea but considering what that kind of pace did to me this time it seems too risky.

Most likely I will be able to cut off the 15 seconds on the day, as I will be more motivated and more hydrated. I just want to ensure the best chance possible.

muliebrity wrote:That is seriously impressive.

How do you get started motivating yourself for this? I used to be in great shape, but I really let myself go and taking lithium made it a lot worse. What did it take?

Thanks muliebrity! That's a nice thing to say.

I got started about a year ago when I played Emi's path. She and Hisao made running sound so appealing I decided that I'd try some. I had been gaining weight over the course of a decade or so and didn't feel very good in my own skin. I came across this thread and began to run this chart, found in the first post, week by week with the encouragement of the people here. When I began seeing good progress, the motivation sort of took care of itself - I wanted to run farther. It wasn't much fun for the first few weeks, however.

When I reached the end of that, I ran 5k three times a week for a few months and then began Bridge to 10k chart, also found in the first post. I made it to the end of that and just kept running longer distances. If you stick to it long enough I've found it to become a self sustaining habit, and you don't need to summon your willpower just to go run. Running is now a dependable source of joy for me, and I owe the impetus to start to KS. I wear the logo on my left sleeve of my riding jacket and Emi on the right in recognition of that.

That's the way it worked for me, but everyone's different. I think you should try to get in shape again, if your doctor think's its a good idea. It would probably be easier for you since you have done it before. Good luck!

Sleeve wrote:Yeah, pretty sure I have shin splint. Woopsies.

hrmmm. i had to deal with shin splints a year ago when i was running super-super serious. here's what i've got.

despite what the name "splint" suggests, as in "splinter" as in "your bone is splintering to a toothpick," shin splints are one (or more) of three things;

1) overuse and stress of small muscles in the tibia (shin) region due to impact
2) small hairline fractures in your bone (actual "splints") due to impact
3) overuse and stress of pronation based-muscles due to gait

okay. this is a little complicated, but follow me here.

the first two causes i've listed have to do with the direct impact of your foot on the ground. your foot strikes the ground, the shock hits your tibia, and it hurts it/the muscles around it.

the third cause i've listed around here (which is actually the most common) has to do with the way your foot impacts the ground. place one of your feet on the ground, resting on the heel with your toes pointed up. now rotate your ankle downward as you take a step; but try to use the outer edge of your foot to touch the ground. feel which bones in your ankle take the weight of your body.

now do it again, but try and use the arch (the inner part of your foot) to touch the ground. feel which parts in your ankle take the weight. different, right? the first method i've described is someone with high arches, while the second method is someone with flat feet.

hopefully you can see (or saw) that depending on the way your foot strikes the ground, your ankle (and thus your shin) take the weight in an entirely different way.

ideally, you want a 50/50 split in your feet--not leaning towards a flat-foot or a high arch. your ankles yearn for a perfect, even, weight distribution. but since you're not genetically perfect, runners have a tendency to have one or the other--which, combined with intensive training, causes shin splints.

understanding your problem lets you move on to fixing it, so here's semisoftcheese's tricks to solving shin splints. i spent like four months fixing these, so hopefully my tips have some merit.

the secret to solving shin splints? orthotics.

orthotics are inserts you place into your shoes by removing the original insole and replacing it with a molded one. old people (sorry) have hard, plastic inserts that they use to help them go to the store by offering support, or when they've fallen and they can't get up (couldn't resist, sorry). if you go to a podiatrist, they'll make you a custom pair of these, which shape to your gait and force you to run correctly. they look like this

these inserts are expensive and actually aren't good for running, because they don't cushion impact on your bone--they simply transfer the shock from the ground straight to your foot. if you didn't have shin splints already, custom orthotics will give you them. i learned this the hard way (sidelined for two important races).

the best kinds of orthotics provide a cushion to your feet while forcing them into the correct gait. the best ones for this are these

i know it seems silly to name a single product, but i went through a lot of different insoles before settling on these. like 12 different pairs. some of them cost more than my shoes. trust me. these are the best. other orthotics like these look a ton flashier, and way better, but they're not. they adjust your gait, but they don't cushion.

you can see that a pair of these solves all three causes of shin splints--it cushions while correcting your gait.

you can find these at your local drugstore. make sure they fit your shoes. make sure they're the polysorb cross-trainer. or else.

the second thing i would say is getting shoes. to be honest, i could write a full page about running shoes. if you've got some cash on hand, just tell me in a reply or pm and i'll write semisoftcheese's guide to buying running shoes that solve all your problems. shoes really help, but for now, orthotics will do.

now that i've rambled on how to fix your shin splints, here's what i have to say regarding your two weeks. i'm not really sure if you were asking what to do during your two weeks off or your two weeks before the race... but you shouldn't really spend two weeks just resting for shin splints. you really lose a ton of conditioning.

i don't really think two weeks is necessary if you get the insoles and whatever , but then again, i'm not the NHS. try running a short distance after one week of what i've written below. if it still hurts, do another week of what i've written below.

first things first: i wrote this post a little bit back describing what to do with your splints.

since you're gunning for a race, unfortunately you can't kick back and just let your leg heal. you want to keep your muscles toned and your cardiovascular health relatively in shape.

i don't know if you have access to a gym, but you want access to a stationary bike or an elliptical. these machines provide a relatively good workout while lowering the impact of your feet significantly.

i have personal beef with ellipticals because they still put a ton of stress on your ankles with they way they work, so if you can, use a stationary bike. it's easier to pace yourself and measure distances. converting between running time and biking time is a little finicky, but i think you want to be doing miles around 2:45 on a bike to make a 6:55 running mile pace.

if you don't have access to a gym... this is pretty tough. i would just suggest stretching every day. try workouts like these to keep in shape. avoid the jumping around exercises because they'll just injure your feet. if you have access to any cardiovascular equipment (like a rowing machine), use it, but avoid machines like a stairmaster (which just impact your feet). if you have access to a pool, go swimming. if you can't do a stationary bike, it's all about finding a way to get yourself breathing hard each day without impacting your feet.

two week's conditioning is a ton of time as an athlete. be sure to get some activity in during that time, or you'll get a shock when you start running again.

for the two weeks pre-race, if longer distances inflict pain, go shorter. instead of doing 3 .8 distance lengths, try 5 .3 distance lengths. same 30 seconds in between. lengths are really what you want to do--nothing else teaches you how to pace yourself. the trick is to reduce distance while increasing the amount of mental calculation you've got to do--you're hurting your body less, while still teaching your mind about how your body performs.

regarding ibuprofen: taking ibuprofen for recovery and as an athlete is two different things. try taking some (before you run) the first few days you get back on, but try weaning yourself off it. this stuff is really good... but like any drug, your body starts becoming accustomed to it. 200mg is a strong enough dosage. don't take more than 400 mg in four hours.

this is becoming such a ramble. one of these days i've got to sit down and make a master chart regarding all this stuff.

hopefully i answered your q, but if not, i'm here for more.

best,

semisoftcheese

Thanks again Semisoft, you're a saint.

There is a gym/pool just round the corner from me, but I'm a bit hesitant to spend money preparing for a charity race.
I am getting exercise daily cycling to/from college. It's around 20 minutes each way and I push myself enough to raise my heartbeat and breathing rate a fair bit.
Is there a disadvantage to just doing some regular cycling for maintenance? I find stationary bikes dreadfully dull .

Walrusfella, thank you for responding. Just hearing someone else get excited about it is having an effect on me, but for you to be so detailed in your response helps me a great deal. It's weird, I used to love running, but when I started university, I just stopped, and the old motivation is gone. I'm going to try the chart you linked to, I'll let you know how it goes.

Also, that jacket is sweet as hell.

I don't drop by this thread often, but just wanted to say "Well done!" to everybody! KUTGW!

I've got a question for some of you here. I know I've heard a few people here who had a LOT of weight to lose who were successful in that goal. Well, I've got a friend who is in the same situation, and I'm trying to help her with it. However, I'm less familiar with the situation she's in. So for those of you who couldn't just start running -- how did you take the initiative to start losing weight?

I'd super appreciate the help.

First of all, ask the question "Why do you want to lose weight?" If your reason is not strong enough, you'll find it easy to backtrack or give up when the going gets tough.

Next, be aware of what and when you eat. Cut back (NOT eliminate) on foods with high fat/sugar.

BionicKraken wrote:I've got a question for some of you here. I know I've heard a few people here who had a LOT of weight to lose who were successful in that goal. Well, I've got a friend who is in the same situation, and I'm trying to help her with it. However, I'm less familiar with the situation she's in. So for those of you who couldn't just start running -- how did you take the initiative to start losing weight?

I'd super appreciate the help.

Semisoftcheese would be the best person to ask about this, but I think I'll just give my opinion.

Making running a routine is definitely hard, especially if you've got a schedule of other plans to work around. Other than that, I've noticed a lot of people have trouble just starting the routing itself. Without proper motivation, it's easy to procrastinate to the point where you're avoiding any thought of the task whatsoever.

Once in the routine, it's easy to stop. I'm not sure what your friend's predicament is, but if she does start running, check up on her every once in a while. Go running with her, maybe. If her progress gets a little slow, nudge her forward. Just a nudge.

And what YZQ said is true, too. Cut back, but be sane about it. Motivation is also a big thing while working out. Also, try not to go crazy, as quick loss usually leads to quick gains. There are some facts behind this, but I'm too lazy to find them. Happy foruming.