My motivation has been lacking for months. My stress reaction in my femur really killed my momentum and I got used to being lazy. So here are my questions:
Has anyone been fitted with $3K orthotics? I pronate (and wear a structured shoe) and my ortho thinks the quad and hamstring tightness that persists is gait related.
Would running a mile three days a week make a difference? I can knock out a quick mile before work but much more leads to instant shower needs, I get bored with it and quit - until I am more engaged, will it impact my fitness? I wonder as I ran for the first time this morning and clocked an 11:15 mile, which is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be!
I hate swimming but having said that - recs for fitness activities out of the water that will translate to hours of snorkeling? Snorkeling isn’t too taxing, but the ocean makes me motion sick so I move more than needed to stay as level as I can so I expend a lot of energy.
Favorite super light long sleeve shirt. Retail therapy always helps! This morning I ran in a performance T and running tights - it was 30 degrees when I ran and I wasn’t cold but my skin hurt from the cold.
Post by sweetptater on Jan 25, 2018 9:29:06 GMT -5
Are the orthotics for running? If so, I think I'd try getting fitted at a professional running store first. I have to wear the right shoes or else my knee dies. I don't have experience with custom orthodics.
Running 3 miles a week definitely won't hurt (it's better than nothing) but I think it depends on what your goals are. Have you tried running/walking intervals? I have been in a huge running funk lately. I typically run 50-80 miles a month, this month I've clocked 6 so far. So yesterday I did 2 minutes of running then 30 seconds of walking and it felt AMAZING. I went 5 miles, could have went double that, and didn't sweat a ton, my legs feel great today, and I'm excited to get back out there. I did it on my lunch break and we don't have showers. Can you wipe off with baby wipes if you're worried about sweating so that you don't have to shower?
No swimming recs.
I love my Icebreaker long sleeved shirts. I have two and they're not cheap, but I've been wearing 3-4 times a week for over 4 years now and they still look new.
2chatter, quad and hamstring tightness might be related to your gait, but I doubt it. Does your ortho specialize in athletes? If I remember correctly you were running and boxing?
My dad has chronic tight hamstrings and quads that then led hip issues. He runs almost daily. I will talk to him and ask again, but is issue was that he was over training in one direction and never training the supporting muscles correctly. I will get more details on this and get back to you, because I can't remember the counter workouts to do.
Also, 3K orthotics vs $100 orthotics won't show a difference. The important part is that you get the kind that you need. ( This told me by my own othro doctor after I got my stress fracture)
The crazy thing is I still have pain with no work outs. And I am pretty dang sedentary. So I wonder if there’s some truth in the gait thing, but I wear tennis shoes I was fitted for (for anything big like the women’s march).
I really just want to be fit. If I could run a 5K that would be great; my main goal is to be able to run a couple miles out and back on vacation to explore (or let’s be honest a few miles out, to a place for a snack, with an uber or a walk back). I already run intervals to keep me from being bored. 😂 ortho is for athletes and has done awesome with both DDs and DH - and they did say if I didn’t want to drop the $$ on custom inserts that they would fit me for the $100 ones. I didn’t want to cheap out of I shouldn’t...
Would love to hear what your Dad’s experience has been xctsclrx!
Post by justcheckingin73 on Jan 25, 2018 9:48:08 GMT -5
I know nothing about orthotics but I have had running shoes that caused Achilles and calf issues and it affected my motivation in a big way. I am also a firm believer that consistency is key but it also depends on your long term goals.
I’ll try to make this short...I turned 40 at my heaviest non-pg weight and was mildly depressed in general. I had not worked out in a while and I wanted to do something that I could sustain long-term. So I mentally went through all of my obstacles - if it required getting into a car and going somewhere, I probably wouldn’t keep it up. I wanted something I could do in 30 minutes, either in my house or outside. Walking is too slow for me and I wanted the biggest calorie bang for my buck so I landed on running and eventually built up to 3 miles each run. I’ve stuck with it for the last 4 1/2 years. Also, I don’t run for weight loss - it’s purely mental so if I’ve blown a day on unhealthy foods, I will still run. It’s a small tweak but it’s helped me maintain consistency.
2chatter, I have $100 orthotics and they made a world of difference when I did my marathon and half marathon walks. I got them through a running store that measured my gait, had me stand on some machines to test it out, etc... I don't see why you'd need to drop that much money on them, unless there's some major underlying issue that your doctor diagnosed or something. But, I'm admittedly not a runner.
Post by erinshelley21 on Jan 25, 2018 10:02:21 GMT -5
Personally, my entire body aches less when I'm active. Sure my muscles are sore but my back doesn't hurt and I don't notice random pains. So, if you're going to hurt while resting and if you aren't going to injure yourself anymore, go for it.
A mile 3 days a week sounds like a great place to start. That seems sustainable and easy to build off of.
I don't have any experience with orthotics though. Workout clothes, I've been moving old navy so they may have a good shirt option.
I need to get back to being active. I went from very active to very sedentary. Sloth-like, if you will.
Pre-kids, I used to run 100-125 miles a month. It lead to a lot of knee pain. I pronate somewhat and had always been professionally fitted for shoes, but moving to a minimalist shoe actually was the thing that cured the knee pain. I've always heard that the best thing for your gait and encouraging you to get away from a heel strike is to get away from a shoe that encourages it/makes it comfortable to do. I don't know if it's true or not, but it really worked for me.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Jan 25, 2018 11:29:25 GMT -5
I would go gradual, start with the $100 orthodics and see what happens. I don't use orthodics but I know people in my triathlon team that do, and some really swear by them.
Going to a running store and getting fitted really helped me and after watching me on the treadmill they said I didn't need inserts. They gave me several shoes to try and I picked one, but it sounds like you're already beyond that point so I'd give the cheaper orthodics a try.
Also, I had a plantar issue crop up briefly, and my coach told me to put the laces back in my shoes (I wear lock laces for triathlon races) and to use a different method of tying them: runrepeat.com/top-10-running-shoe-lacing-techniques
I use the "heel slipping one" pictured in the above link.
mustardseed2007 - that’s my lacing method, too! It cracks me up that there are so many tiny tweaks that make a difference.
I was easily running 3-4 miles a few days a week, but I was really bored with it. MRTT didn’t pan out for me - it seems to be hard to schedule. If they had group runs I would make that happen...but they don’t locally. I would love to do the local pub runs once a month, but showing up alone to those seems ... shady. I wouldn’t want DH to do it. I think I am still sad that my running buddy decided to become a non runner
Post by sweetptater on Jan 25, 2018 13:54:15 GMT -5
I don't know if these are considered "orthodics" or not, but I run in superfeet and I LOVE them. I should have added that to my original post. I have to have the right shoes and my blue superfeet.
sweetptater - their 3D printed? Wondering if something like this exists near me. Do they correct?
I have these ones www.superfeet.com/en-us/insoles-and-sandals/blue which are just off the shelf. I think I got them on Amazon or at a sporting goods store. I didn't even realize they had started doing 3D. There are a couple of places in my state that do this.
I'm not exactly sure if they correct or just add extra stability/padding. I thought there was a comparison tool on their website to help figure out which kind you need depending on your issue, but I can't seem to find it. I will say that I haven't had any knee, shin, or foot pain since I started using them. Now I just buy a new set each time I replace my running shoes.
Zero insurance coverage. It’s elective. The part that’s throwing me is this is pain right in the middle of my thigh - front back and bone. But my scans are clear. Ugh.
This might sound old-lady-ish, but could you just walk? I walk every day for 45-60 mins at a good clip (4.3mph on the treadmill). After a pelvic fracture that led to knee issues and what I now know was unnecessary and ineffective surgery (but protocol when I had it), my body could not take the pounding of running anymore. So now I walk. And I’m drenched with sweat and winded at the end, but not in pain.
mae0111 - it doesn’t sound like that at all! I just find it - less exciting. I really won’t do it if it’s walking. I don’t know why - and I have tried a couple circuits of 1-3-5 miles and none of them appealed. I hated it the whole time. I don’t love running any more (the last thing I need some days is MORE time in my head) but I prefer it because it’s a more succinct use of my time....
Post by librarychica on Jan 25, 2018 17:09:07 GMT -5
I don’t run so no advice there. The only thing that gets me out of my periodic exercise slumps are the crushing weight of obligation — aka I pre-purchase exercise classes that expire or a membership that I have to use X days a week if I want it to be “worth it.” I cannot waste money. Or an exercise buddy I feel like I can’t let down. For the past 6 months I’ve been on a barre kick, I started going because the schedule worked with my personal schedule and was close to my job but it has really grown on me, I love it, my tight hamstrings are much more flexible (I still don’t look like a ballet dancer but they’re better) and I’ve lost 15lbs.
As for swimming, any cardio I would think? I have some really good non-swim pool workouts I can look up that might also help if you don’t object to those. I have to ask, though, why are you going snorkeling if you get seasick and don’t like to swim?
librarychica - I love snorkeling, I just get motion sick. It’s 30 or below here in the mornings and I don’t like swimming when it’s cold. Swimming in the heat on vaca? Love it.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Jan 25, 2018 17:54:54 GMT -5
Don't be scared! Boxing sounds fun!
You could also look at joining a masters swim team. I have so much fun at our local masters group. I am not very fast so I swim with the old ladies, but they crack me up and it makes the time go by.
Also, you can get head phones that work underwater so you can listen to podcasts or music while you swim.
ETA: the outdoor pools at my gym are heated, but the air is...I THINK 40 or under everyone swims in the indoor pool. Otherwise even if the air is cold, the water is warm and it's actually really invigorating.
librarychica - I love snorkeling, I just get motion sick. It’s 30 or below here in the mornings and I don’t like swimming when it’s cold. Swimming in the heat on vaca? Love it.
Yes, that would be gross. Indoor pool maybe? When I was “serious” swimming I used to run to train. I loathed every minute of it, but it seemed to help my endurance. So I imagine your runs would cross over.
I don't know much about femur issues or boxing but I can share my experience with you!
Have you ever had a really good running gait analysis done? I feel like you might want to look into this before spending a ton of money on orthotics. If the gait is the issue, see what you can do to fix or improve the gait. Or improve strength in one area that like impacts the gait. Esp if you feel pain when you aren't running.
I'm not talking about the kind of gait analysis at the running store to see what kind of shoes to get, or a run of the mill PT assessment (definitely NOT knocking PT's here)
But I had a chronic issue and my ortho sent me to a special hospital department that specializes in athletic gait analysis. They treat the football team in my area. That department had two PT's who were extra special at working with runners.
She did an eval and recorded my run and looked at my lines, paused, drew stuff on it. It was pretty high tech. She saw a slight heel whip, hip imbalance, a problem with my strike and forward motion, weak hips and slow cadence.
She gave me several recommendations and then I had some PT sessions on an AntiGravity treadmill at my regular PT. Since he knew exactly what to look for (and I now run to a metronome or cadence alert on my watch) he gave me feedback. I stillwork on the particular hip and glute strength work she gave me.
It took me about 3 hard months (of focusing on changing it on my own, it was only a few sessions at PT.) but I absolutely changed my mechanics. It completely changed my ability to train.Her feedback was pretty focused. It's the best time/money I have ever spent when it comes to running.
I run a lot and tend to get really "meh" about it every few months. When that happens I sometimes break my runs up by stopping after a certain distance and doing a few body weight exercises like push ups or jump squats. It helps break things up and keeps me from getting really bored. If your femur is fully healed you could also do some HIT workouts. There are a million on YouTube. They are pretty fast paced and would help you maintain your fitness level.
campermom - do you know what the department was named? We have no shortage of options here but they all sound the same. That sounds like an awesome program!
kimberlybb - I need to get over myself. The people I see doing that along our trails are shirtless 22 year olds. I need to be ok doing it as a fully clad skinny fat forty year old woman!
campermom - do you know what the department was named? We have no shortage of options here but they all sound the same. That sounds like an awesome program!
Try Running Injury Clinic, or Dynamic Video Gait Analysis.
campermom - I’m on it! I’ve found a couple places within 15 minutes (of course neither of them are either of the PT places I have been that I like). This is a great tip!!
campermom - I’m on it! I’ve found a couple places within 15 minutes (of course neither of them are either of the PT places I have been that I like). This is a great tip!!
Ooh I'm excited to see this. I want to hear all about it!
ETA: talk to the runners in your area, and talk to your ortho (maybe just a phone call) to find out which one to go to.
Some people are trained, but some people are trained and REALLY good at this. Find the ones with the best rep in the area. I had to drive into the heart of the city and find childcare but I went to the best and it was totally worth the inconveniences.
Post by supertrooper1 on Jan 28, 2018 10:16:37 GMT -5
I'm late to the conversation. I have custom orthotics fit by a podiatrist. They were made by Northwest Podiatric Laboratory, which was where Superfeet started before they became their own company. I've had 3 pairs from them over the years and they usually run $200-$300. I wear them because of plantar fasciitis and Morton's neuroma in my feet, so I know I'll never be a runner. I bought a $300 spin bike and it gives me the cardio that I need. I just need to find the motivation to get back on my bike. www.nwpodiatric.com/