My name is Jeff, and I'm addicted to running

[camper4lyfe]

Yeeeaaah, I swim 2+ miles every day and even the thought of 26 makes my back hurt (even worse), my lungs burn, and my arms feel like lead weights.

Good luck with your training. A year to go should give you plenty of prep time.

I've briefly seen actual marathon swims, and I can't even fathom the strength and endurance something like that takes. Even a 2 mile swim (ala Ironman) is mind boggling to me (though not something I've completely ruled out)

Half marathon #5 for the year is this weekend (#9 overall), so at least I know I'll be going into it with a solid base. The long training runs actually have me more uneasy than the thought of the actual race!

[masterswimmer]

Good luck this weekend. Where is this half?

[camper4lyfe]

Good luck this weekend. Where is this half?

Bethlehem, PA, as part of the Runner's World Half and Festival. I'm actually running 4 races in the 3 days (3.8 mile trail, 5k, 10k, and half). I have zero time goals, I'm just going to have fun with a bunch of friends that are running it.

[alistair]

Great race series that is well run. It's also "flat".

[camper4lyfe]

Yeah. "Pancake flat" with a few "blueberries". This will be my 3rd year running it. I really enjoy the area, especially this time of year.

[WARFAB]

So you're going to swim 26.2?

The current in the river gets pretty fast in some areas.

[camper4lyfe]

The current in the river gets pretty fast in some areas.

That can be beneficial if you're going in the right direction

[24Pink14Stink]

It can be, but that sudden elevation drop at the end is a killer.

[24Pink14Stink]

Well Peshitta. I'm pretsure I've gone off the deep end, but I just registered for my first full marathon, the Niagara Falls International Marathon next October.

That's a fun one. Peace Bridge is the highest elevation on the course. All downhill once you get off the bridge.

[camper4lyfe]

That's a fun one. Peace Bridge is the highest elevation on the course. All downhill once you get off the bridge.

I've looked at the elevation map and it definitely looked relatively flat. i more or less looked at it and thought that it'd be really cool to go international and make it a memorable first.

It's also cool that it's a Boston Qualifier. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to take advantage of it some day.

[24Pink14Stink]

I've looked at the elevation map and it definitely looked relatively flat. i more or less looked at it and thought that it'd be really cool to go international and make it a memorable first.

It's also cool that it's a Boston Qualifier. Who knows, maybe I'll be able to take advantage of it some day.

It's also a resurrected race. It was the US Olympic Qualifier in 1980 I think.

[WARFAB]

I did a quick run yesterday at a decent pace (for me) yesterday and noticed I'm feeling it in my lower back today. Think new shoes will help?

Backstory: I've been dealing with some lower back issues for a bit over a year now. I've slowly been figuring out different stretches that help. Using a lacrosse ball and rumble roller along with a few other stretches seems to help a lot. I've been laying off the squats and deadlifts at the gym for now and doing a lot of core exercises. I feel like I'm making progress and not dealing with nearly as much pain as I was. Since I'm not dealing with as much chronic pain lately, I'm able to get a better idea which activities irritate my back and which don't. The running definitely left me with some lower back soreness.

I decided to peruse the running shoes at a couple stores over lunch today. I'm not a high mileage runner, but my shoes are over 3 years old now. I run with a mid to forefoot strike, so my preferred shoes don't have a ton of padding as it is. I'm not sure if I should bite the bullet and buy new shoes or just continue with the core exercises and stretches and see that cures it. It would be annoying if I dropped the money on new shoes and discovered they don't make any difference.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

[alistair]

I did a quick run yesterday at a decent pace (for me) yesterday and noticed I'm feeling it in my lower back today. Think new shoes will help?

Backstory: I've been dealing with some lower back issues for a bit over a year now. I've slowly been figuring out different stretches that help. Using a lacrosse ball and rumble roller along with a few other stretches seems to help a lot. I've been laying off the squats and deadlifts at the gym for now and doing a lot of core exercises. I feel like I'm making progress and not dealing with nearly as much pain as I was. Since I'm not dealing with as much chronic pain lately, I'm able to get a better idea which activities irritate my back and which don't. The running definitely left me with some lower back soreness.

I decided to peruse the running shoes at a couple stores over lunch today. I'm not a high mileage runner, but my shoes are over 3 years old now. I run with a mid to forefoot strike, so my preferred shoes don't have a ton of padding as it is. I'm not sure if I should bite the bullet and buy new shoes or just continue with the core exercises and stretches and see that cures it. It would be annoying if I dropped the money on new shoes and discovered they don't make any difference.

Does anyone have any experience with this kind of thing?

I've ran 6 or 7 marathons and qualified for the Boston Marathon, so I know a bit about running ......
I used to have lower back pain, but then started to stretch my hip flexors - google and you will find different stretches than may help.

As for shoes - I replace my shoes every 400-500 miles (every 3 months) even if the rubber on the soles has not worn down, the foam deteriorates reducing cusioning which will in turn cause jolting of your spine.
When buying shoes you need to check your pronation ( or lack of) - https://www.runnersworld.com/gear/a2...ion-explained/ - If you go to a running store (Fleet Feet, RochesterRunningStore) they should be able to help you select shoes. Remember that all Nike/Adidas shoes are built the same - quality will cost you. Test the shoes at the store and then use this website to locate the shoes online at a lower price - https://shoekicker.com/

If you have any more questions do not hesitate to ask.

[alistair]

I am a 52 year old, male runner having completed 7 marathons, qualifying for last years Boston Marathon with a 3:27:32.

Last August while training for a fall race I broke down with Achilles tendonitis in both ankles. After almost 9 months of rest (achilles are still not 100%) I have just started training for the 2018 Mohawk-Hudson Marathon in October. My goals is to finish this race, run a respectable Spring 2019 marathon and then re-qualify for Boston at the 2019 Wineglass Marathon next fall.

Last week I ran 38 miles, this week I am schedules to run over 40.

[WARFAB]

I've ran 6 or 7 marathons and qualified for the Boston Marathon, so I know a bit about running ......

I'm aware. That's why I posted the question here.

If you go to a running store (Fleet Feet, RochesterRunningStore) they should be able to help you select shoes. Remember that all Nike/Adidas shoes are built the same - quality will cost you. Test the shoes at the store and then use this website to locate the shoes online at a lower price - https://shoekicker.com/

We went to a running store for my wife's shoes. They did the video analysis and showed us the before and after of how the shoes they set her up with changed her pronation. They were expensive and I'm sure we could have found the shoes they recommended elsewhere, but I figured since they did the analysis we'd give them the sale.

A little while later I figured I should get the analysis done and get some new shoes so we went to the same store. I explained my situation and figured they'd do the same analysis. The sales person just recommended a couple options and didn't do the video thing. I was a little confused about why my wife got the full treatment and I didn't, so I went to a different store and used some coupons to get new shoes. The shoes seemed to work fine for me. The back issues are a newer thing for me.

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

[WARFAB]

Last week I ran 38 miles, this week I am schedules to run over 40.

Dang dude. I'm not sure if I hit 40 miles in a year. So far this year I've run 18 miles. For as long as I've used Strava I've run 151 miles. No clue how many years I've had Strava, but it's been a while.

With the baby due in late July, my wife is slowing down on her gym routine. We usually alternate who hits the gym in the morning while the other watches the kids. Since she's not going to the gym as much, I'm hoping to do more running if I can get my back feeling better.

[thughes]

I was a little confused about why my wife got the full treatment and I didn't.....

Seriously?

[WARFAB]

Are you trying to suggest female shoe store employees wouldn't be interested in taking care of me?

[camper4lyfe]

Dang dude. I'm not sure if I hit 40 miles in a year. So far this year I've run 18 miles. For as long as I've used Strava I've run 151 miles. No clue how many years I've had Strava, but it's been a while.

With the baby due in late July, my wife is slowing down on her gym routine. We usually alternate who hits the gym in the morning while the other watches the kids. Since she's not going to the gym as much, I'm hoping to do more running if I can get my back feeling better.

I took May and half of June "off" in preparation for marathon training (half way through week 1 of my plan at this point). In my off time, I was between 10 and 15 per week (10 was due to a missed run because of life). My plan now has me at ~20 this week, going up from there. I believe my coach told me I'd be maxing around 30-35 per week. That's pretty low for marathon training, but when your only goal is to just finish, you can get away with 'lower' mileage.