Health and Wellness

[Catscratch]

I take fish oil, turmeric and glucosamine. My knees are shot and I’m fighting heel pain. Trying to lube the joints. I’ve thrown in 2 days a week at the gym to try to strengthen my legs more. I have a 74 mile race in a month in a half and I’m dreading the pain already!

Good luck in your race! How's your training in the winter? Are you getting to run outside on a regular basis or are you on a treadmill quite a bit?

I'm having back troubles that have affected my hip. 2-3 miles at a time is about all it can take. Driving me nuts!

 

[Turkey Creek]

Man I have had some doozy leg cramps. I have battled them off and on for years. Nothing like waking up from a dead sleep thinking someone is trying to cut some part of your leg off with a knife! LOL What really sucks is when you can't find anyway to get yourself out of bed and upright to try and stretch it out. I started taking Magnesium and Zinc on the recommendation of my daughter's volleyball coach as he suffered the same thing. It seems to be working pretty well.

 

[PatinPA]

Haha the best and worst thing I've done recently is started playing pickleball. It's great to keep in shape but now everything hurts all the time. My last doctors checkup the nurse asked if I had anything I wanted to discuss with the doc. I said yes I have a list. LOL. Really I said just give me a referral to go straight to orthopedics. Pretty sure I have PF in my right foot, tennis elbow, and either rotator cuff or tendonitis in my shoulder. I'm leaning towards tendonitis.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Good luck in your race! How's your training in the winter? Are you getting to run outside on a regular basis or are you on a treadmill quite a bit?

I'm having back troubles that have affected my hip. 2-3 miles at a time is about all it can take. Driving me nuts!

Thanks! Last time I did this I started projectile vomiting about like 50 and couldn’t consume a single calorie for the next 24 miles in the cold middle of the night! Hoping I have tweaked my nutrition enough to avoid that.
We don’t lose much time for the winter. Maybe a week total. Plus I’d rather run when it’s 25 than 85!
I hear people say things like you better quit running or you’ll ruin your joints. I’m not saying they are wrong but the alternative that comes from stagnation is worse. I read an article about a 74 year old man in upstate Minnesota who was running a 130 mile snow race. He pulled out 6 miles from the finish but super impressive obviously. I’d rather be him than the diabetic couch potato.

 

[T-Max]

I take a multivitamin is all on that end. I don't really believe in new year's resolutions, I believe in trying to be better as soon as the opportunity arises. Last year sometime my wife and I made a point to buy as local as possible. I pick up milk directly from a dairy down the road, eggs from a local teenager and free range pork (there really is a difference) from a friend in western Kansas.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I take a multivitamin is all on that end. I don't really believe in new year's resolutions, I believe in trying to be better as soon as the opportunity arises. Last year sometime my wife and I made a point to buy as local as possible. I pick up milk directly from a dairy down the road, eggs from a local teenager and free range pork (there really is a difference) from a friend in western Kansas.

 

[Catscratch]

Thanks! Last time I did this I started projectile vomiting about like 50 and couldn’t consume a single calorie for the next 24 miles in the cold middle of the night! Hoping I have tweaked my nutrition enough to avoid that.
We don’t lose much time for the winter. Maybe a week total. Plus I’d rather run when it’s 25 than 85!
I hear people say things like you better quit running or you’ll ruin your joints. I’m not saying they are wrong but the alternative that comes from stagnation is worse. I read an article about a 74 year old man in upstate Minnesota who was running a 130 mile snow race. He pulled out 6 miles from the finish but super impressive obviously. I’d rather be him than the diabetic couch potato.

I've had some pretty in-depth discussions with physical therapists and orthopedic surgeon friends about this. I speculate that the body responds to stress loads through adaptations to normalize those stresses (structural adaptations take many month or even years to illicit change, chemical adaptations take 10-12 weeks). Our conclusions are that structural changes (consistent training) help joints due to higher bone density stronger tendons/ligaments. Baring form issue that can be harmful, training is good for joints.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I've had some pretty in-depth discussions with physical therapists and orthopedic surgeon friends about this. I speculate that the body responds to stress loads through adaptations to normalize those stresses (structural adaptations take many month or even years to illicit change, chemical adaptations take 10-12 weeks). Our conclusions are that structural changes (consistent training) help joints due to higher bone density stronger tendons/ligaments. Baring form issue that can be harmful, training is good for joints.

Agreed! Glad you said this. I’ve seen way too many older folks when I’ve done races that are in absolutely phenomenal shape to believe the bad outweighs the good

 

[Mortenson]

Right or wrong, over the years I've chosen to pound the elliptical machine rather than the pavement. Never liked how my knees felt. I know runners never think they can get a good workout on an elliptical. Since I was never a great runner, I didn't have that problem. I've been trying to get some "sprints" on the machine as well, more as I age. Always tempted to run on roads again, but just feel it'll result in pain. I'd want to run a 5k and feel I'd be let down if I couldn't get down around 20 min or so. Another new thing I've adopted is squatting. There was a thread here, maybe Tree Spud's retirement thread, where @g squared 23 suggested incorporating squats. I poo poohed it. Thought it was silly and dangerous for older guys like Spud and myself to mess around with those. Then one day an 8-minute click bait video showed up. So after watching that I became a believer. Even light weight or no weight can be beneficial.

 

[chucker66]

Anybody listen to Greg Brecka?

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

Right or wrong, over the years I've chosen to pound the elliptical machine rather than the pavement. Never liked how my knees felt. I know runners never think they can get a good workout on an elliptical. Since I was never a great runner, I didn't have that problem. I've been trying to get some "sprints" on the machine as well, more as I age. Always tempted to run on roads again, but just feel it'll result in pain. I'd want to run a 5k and feel I'd be let down if I couldn't get down around 20 min or so. Another new thing I've adopted is squatting. There was a thread here, maybe Tree Spud's retirement thread, where @g squared 23 suggested incorporating squats. I poo poohed it. Thought it was silly and dangerous for older guys like Spud and myself to mess around with those. Then one day an 8-minute click bait video showed up. So after watching that I became a believer. Even light weight or no weight can be beneficial.

Good man, elliptical is awesome. It can be super hard and there’s no shame in not running on a road to get cardio. One day I’ll switch to a bike more than running
As far as squats I think that’s great. I’ve been working out more too. I’ve had two different doctors unprompted tell me the number 1 predictor of longevity is muscle strength. They have different theories as to why but regardless they landed on the same conclusion

 

[Catscratch]

Agreed! Glad you said this. I’ve seen way too many older folks when I’ve done races that are in absolutely phenomenal shape to believe the bad outweighs the good

Right or wrong it's what I believe and I've had professionals agree with me. The big "IF" is form. If you run with good form it's good, if you're plodding along with major heal strikes and pour hip placement then you'll likely have overuse injuries.

 

[g squared 23]

Right or wrong, over the years I've chosen to pound the elliptical machine rather than the pavement. Never liked how my knees felt. I know runners never think they can get a good workout on an elliptical. Since I was never a great runner, I didn't have that problem. I've been trying to get some "sprints" on the machine as well, more as I age. Always tempted to run on roads again, but just feel it'll result in pain. I'd want to run a 5k and feel I'd be let down if I couldn't get down around 20 min or so. Another new thing I've adopted is squatting. There was a thread here, maybe Tree Spud's retirement thread, where @g squared 23 suggested incorporating squats. I poo poohed it. Thought it was silly and dangerous for older guys like Spud and myself to mess around with those. Then one day an 8-minute click bait video showed up. So after watching that I became a believer. Even light weight or no weight can be beneficial.

Start light, and then just add five pounds a workout. It’s only 5 pounds. Your bones will get denser. Your ligaments and tendons will get stronger. And yeah your muscles will get bigger. You will be stronger overall and harder to kill.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Baker]

I take fish oil, turmeric and glucosamine. My knees are shot and I’m fighting heel pain. Trying to lube the joints. I’ve thrown in 2 days a week at the gym to try to strengthen my legs more. I have a 74 mile race in a month in a half and I’m dreading the pain already!

I'm just looking at this thread for the first time . Will read every post but this one caught my eye. Outstanding!!!!And good luck. The discipline to train for and run a race like this is intense. Congrats and keep us posted. What I've learned from years of endurance sports is how valuable form and nutrition are. Especially running form. Keeps the body aligned and the joints healthy. I'm also a big fan of heart rate training teaching the body to burn fat for fuel. Critical for long distance vs sprint. Love to hear more about your experience.

 

[Mortenson]

Anybody listen to Greg Brecka?

Haven't heard of him. Checking out his website. Basic principles look on point. See he sells a lot of products.

 

[chucker66]

Haven't heard of him. Checking out his website. Basic principles look on point. See he sells a lot of products.

Heard him on the Sean Ryan podcast. Has an interesting story for sure. Talks a lot about stressing the body to make it strong and healthy. Prefers weight training to cardio which I try to do both.

 

[Howboutthemdawgs]

I'm just looking at this thread for the first time . Will read every post but this one caught my eye. Outstanding!!!!And good luck. The discipline to train for and run a race like this is intense. Congrats and keep us posted. What I've learned from years of endurance sports is how valuable form and nutrition are. Especially running form. Keeps the body aligned and the joints healthy. I'm also a big fan of heart rate training teaching the body to burn fat for fuel. Critical for long distance vs sprint. Love to hear more about your experience.

Thanks for the kind words. My endurance world began about 5-6 years ago. I’ve always been into fitness but it mostly revolved around weight training. Furthest I’ve ever run prior was 6 miles and even that was an outlier for 1-2 mile runs. I became interested in seeing these people do things I couldn’t fathom. The human body, and even more important, the mind is absolutely amazing. Seeing the discipline and resolve ultra endurance athletes possessed motivated me to try. With that said i try to do 2-3 a year. It’s a nice carrot for me to keep disciplined throughout the year. I love being out in nature and especially in the mountains, all my races have been in the mountains. I also like the challenge of elevation. I’m not a great runner per se so being able to break up runs with ascents and descents actually benefits me. Next race is 15000’ of gain and fall. Another thing I enjoy in a sick way is seeing how I will react to a dark moment. I’ve thrown up several races, I’ve chaffed so badly I could cry, ive had extreme kidney and back pain, I’ve been in severe storms with lighting and pouring rain and freezing cold and so hot and humid my clothes were hanging off me with sweat but I’ve never quit. That’s important to me. And after each race I swear I’m done…but within a couple hours I’m thinking about the next one! And with all that said, I’m a joke compared to most of these folks. It’s truly staggering what can be accomplished by the human body!
Oh as far as nutrition…specifically on race day. It’s the Mike Tyson theory, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. After 17 straight hours on the trail I’m just praying whatever I put in doesn’t come back up!
Last thing and then I’ll stop the oh look at me post! The biggest thing I’ve learned about all this is excuses are absolutely worthless. At the end of the day the trail doesn’t care if it was too hot to train outside or you were too busy or you’d rather be at the lake…it doesn’t matter. And when I see people say that can’t get healthy because of blah blah I tune them out. They have a weak mind. And before someone fixes that they won’t every get better.

 

[Baker]

Totally awesome post.Share all the stories you want. I have great respect for all the super psycho endurance athletes. Have studied them a lot. After running most of my life, marathon etc I got excited about triathlon Read the results and methodology Phil Maffetone had with Mark Allen turning him into the top IronMan athlete in the world and was hooked on the principles. Hired Mark Allen as my tri coach learning a lot. Races are fun. The commitment to training is what separates the men from the boys. I quit triathlon when I turned 60. Now I'm just a lazy gardener who tries to grow a big deer occasionally . Keep the details coming from all you do so I can live vicariously with you


Have you done the Leadville 100? Totally insane race . I want to help a friend get thru that race

 

[Maddog66]

I eat red meat almost every meal. I drink about 3 gallons of whole milk per week and about the same amount of coffee. Real butter, real cream, lots of eggs, very little alcohol.

I hope all of them come together in about 25 years and kill me painlessly in my sleep.

 

[Catscratch]

Lol, I once asked my dad after a race how he did. He replied that it was a great race... he ate a whole M&M at the 28 mile aid station and it didn't make him throw-up! I can attest that running 10+ miles while throwing-up over your shoulder is a great ab workout!

I'm curious how long your ultra career will last? I think I consistently did marathons and ultra's for 12-15yrs.

I agree with your point on tough conditions. I am exactly the same. The more extreme the conditions the more I excelled. We invented ways to make things tough. One of my favorite training runs was a night run. It was 38 miles and I stopped every mile to do 10 pushups. Lack of sleep, effort, darkness after the moon set, skunks, etc. made it a spectacular night.