Guess what we did?

[stickyvicky]

We registered for the Dublin, Ireland 26 mile marathon in October 2007! Woo hoo! I got the bug now... I ran a tiny little 5K last weekend on some wicked hills, came in 3rd in my age group, got a little trophy, and now Rokkerr and I are hooked. We've got 5.5 months to train for this event! We went out for pizza tonight to celebrate, hahaha..... Mellow Mushroom is the best damn pizza in Atlanta! So tomorrow morning we start our training by running 3 miles 5 times this coming week. Each week we add one or two miles until we are up to the 26 miles! Crazy huh! And the great thing is it's for a great cause! Cancer research - give you all the details later!

[John_fromNY]

Hello Vicky - make sure you adequately stretch and warm up properly before doing any sort of running or exercise because shin splints can be very painful indeed!! Be careful when running on hilly landscape, both uphill or downhill, and be careful of holes in the ground and other loose terrain. Please stretch these various muscle groups: quadraceps, hamstrings, groin area, and calf muscles. Make sure you stay warm, and wear a sweatshirt and sweatpants when running at all times.

[rokkerr]

Hey, what about me!!!! I have never run more than 3 miles before..... this is going to be brutal even if it is for a good cause. :oops: :oops: :oops:

[Donor]

Rokkerr, take it from an old running, just listen to your body. I would get a complete physical with a stress test before you get much over three miles.
Watch your knees, other than the heart, they get the most workout. The knees are the weakest part of the body.

[stickyvicky]

We both have bad knees already, lol.. it can't get much worse, I'm in the middle of scheduling arthroscopic surgery on my left knee sometime in may or june depending on my mri next week .. it's gonna mess up my training for sure but hopefully I"ll recover quickly...

[John_fromNY]

Hey, what about me!!!! I have never run more than 3 miles before..... this is going to be brutal even if it is for a good cause. :oops: :oops: :oops:

Sorry Rokkerr - Since I saw that Vicky started it as "we" - same thing goes for you, especially stretching the groin area. If you think shin splints are painful, blowing your groin is even more grueling and worse.

Yes, Donor is quite right about your knees. They will take quite a pounding epecially on uneven terrain and in hilly areas!!

See if you can do a 10 minute mile to start out with and gradually try to lower the times as your training regimen increases. If at the time of the marathon, if you can do 5 to 6 minute miles, you'll probably do good - maybe complete it in 4.5 hours.

Take the training, slow and easy since you've never run too far.. for long periods of time.

...And Donor is correct, go see the doctor tell him what you are planning on doing and have him do a complete workup on you, a physical, blood work, stress test, etc. As he should make the determination if you are fit to perform this great feat...

If you smoke cigarettes that may be a hindrance as well. Cut down or stop completely as you'll need the best lung capacity to perform this test of endurance.

[John_fromNY]

We both have bad knees already, lol.. it can't get much worse, I'm in the middle of scheduling arthroscopic surgery on my left knee sometime in may or june depending on my mri next week .. it's gonna mess up my training for sure but hopefully I"ll recover quickly...

Arthroscopes aren't bad - the orthopedic surgeon scraps away the scar tissue in there and he's finished in about an hour. However, you'll need to rest for a day or so to fully recover. Then you can proceed with normal activities.

After a high school knee injury in 1980 - I was a sprinter in high school - my left knee would dislocate and swell up as a result. I needed to rest and stay off my feet for days. In 1982, they did the various "buckle" tests, and I had a arthrograph done where they inject a dye into the knee cap, to look for damage. It feels like fluid like water on the knee, and feels funny when you walk. Anyway over the years it would dislocate and I would rest. I was able to pop my knee back into place, after I fell on the ice, in January 1984, bringing in the garbage pails. Then in May 1984 after a night of dancing, my knee dislocated and the bouncer and my friend needed to get me first off the dance floor and my friend needed to get me home afterward. When I got in the shower, my knee locked up. Two months later, in July 1984, at age 21, I had to have the surgery. An ACL reconstruction since the ligament was now torn away completely. My medial and lateral cartilage was also fully eroded too. I therefore had no stability in the knee at all. The actual operation or ACL reconstruction required the surgeon to put my patella tendon into that area where my ligament was and it was a very long operation. The operation was over 6 hours long, and I have pins and wires in there still to prove it as well as a big scar on my knee. Anyway, the surgery was done by the head team doctor of the NFL's New York Giants football team. At the time, he was the chief of surgery at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Mahattan. And he is one of the best orthopedic surgeons in the country. After a month in a fiberglass cast, I started physical therapy. That first session was very painful as the physical therapist needs to break the scar tissue adhesions that built up in the knee during the month that the leg was in that full cast. He gets you on the table, with your stomach on the table and your legs extended over the side. And he grabs your leg and bends it. Ouch!! I saw stars, it was the worst pain I've ever experienced in my life... I was in physical therapy for about a year. My flexion was good, however my extension wasn't and I needed to go for in for an additional arthroscope, to scrap that scar tissue away. Then another 6 months of working out and more phyical therapy.

Years ago, I would feel those pins moving and shifting in there, as pain would come and go. And I felt it stiffen up on cold and rainy days, I probably will have arthritis in there eventually. Today, I can now run, and walk with no trouble with the knee at all. It also does stiffen up occasionally if I sit for extended periods of time too.

[Donor]

I hate to beat a dead horse but if you have bad knees now, yes my Dear Vicky, things can get worst. The next thing is knee replacement and believe me that will put a stop to an active life as you know it.

[Tony D.]

I've read a lot about runners and knee injuries and unfortunately Donor's right. I knew a guy who played a lot of B-Ball and ended up with both knees operated on. B-Ball puts the same type of up and down stress on the knees.

Just be careful with the training...

[WalterB]

Might I suggest gettng a professional trainer for running, Vicky?
I don't run, but I'm sure these guys are right. Not worth ruining your body. Hell, you'd have to lay in bed all day. And, not withstanding Rokkerr climbing all over you, you don't want that.

[stickyvicky]

Don't worry, I'll check with the docs about the running, I won't do anything stupid, lol... but did you know less than 1% of the population ever complete a marathon?