Ohio, sorry to hear about your back. In addition to your shoes as MOWC poses, are you able to watch yourself in a mirror when running on a treadmill to see whether there are any postural/alignment/form irregularities that could be creating additional stresses on your right side back? Are you doing appropriate strengthening and stretching exercises to enhance spinal stability and mobility. What are your training goals that have led you to increase volume? Can they be met without increasing duration but by changing the structure of the intensity during the run?
Only did 12 min on elliptical (while watching American Idol) yesterday, but it was exercising 3 days in a row (I have been doing every other day or so) and I am down 6 lbs in 4 weeks. I’ll take it. Not bad for doing it over the holidays.
Gait/running form is good. I’ve had video analysis. I spend a good proportion of my day on strength/core/flexibility so I think I’m ok there. I had an X-ray couple years back that showed an arthritic buildup on my right upper pelvis. That’s where the pain is. Plus supposedly I have spondylolisthesis (L5 moving forward on S1) so I guess running probably isn’t the best thing but they’ll have to take me out in the back yard and shoot me before I stop running.
I’ve increased volume and am training at aerobic level (70-75% of max hr). I’ve increased time on my feet 25% so I’m sure that has something to do with it. I’m trying to build a better base these next two months before I get back to tempo/interval running. I’m following the Jack Daniels plan of going slow to build mitochondria etc. The training plan is to make myself a better endurance runner (mileage) for my track racing. I’ve relied on speed (and emotion) too long. My goal is to be in top flight shape in summer 2017 for summer track season and senior Olympics.
While I love my shoes I’m thinking I might try out the Hokas since I’m spending so much more time on my feet. I’m not setting any speed records at this aerobic pace so I might as well. Might visit my chiro and acupuncturist for a tuneup this week.
Strength training 5:30-6:30 am in the books!
Treadmill this AM. This is becoming a good habit.
I seem to be less out of breath when I run now. Could it be the regular yoga practice? IDK, but it’s working.
I have no idea how this brand works, I have another pair of Bluetooth headphones that work great but these are a great buy.
http://www.freshetech.com/collections/all/products/freshebud-bluetooth-earbuds Promo code GMA2016. These come out to $28 with free shipping.
If anyone wanted to try Bluetooth headphones. They were featured on Good Morning America on their good buy segment. They will probably sell out quickly.
Pilates this morning for me - it never gets easier! That’s okay - I like a challenge.
FallGirl, I know that the working on breath that I do in Pilates really helped me when running. I think just being able to control your breathing has enormous benefits - nothing to back that up scientifically, just my gut telling me. You’re doing great!
Diet has been better this week after some bad holiday eating. I am taking a new “mystery” class tomorrow at 6 am - should be similar to the class I did last week. Today was great in that I could feel the difference with several exercises - short spine, rollover in particular.
I’ll have to read up on bluetooth headphones sometime…
Breathing while running took me quite a while to get comfortable with. I was always so anxious at the start that I struggled with breathing. I still get a little anxious but the breathing is second nature now.
PG, have you started your reduced hours yet - or are you fully done???
Swallowed my pride (hey! no calories there!) and with some friends, joined a 4-month class for post-menopausal women who want to increase muscle mass, but aren’t interested in cardio or aerobics. Strength training for women – one of my coworkers has been in the class for a while, and recommended trying it.
In the meantime, working through all the Zumba dvds I got for Christmas. I’m getting better, but I suspect I still look like I’m having a seizure, not dancing. It is lots of fun, though!
Good job Greenbutton! Gotta start somewhere!
Since D has been home on break we have been doing some exercise videos on Amazon Prime - yoga, pilates, core strengthening, etc. There is a good variety, is great for these long dark winter nights and you can do one for 30ish minutes or tack on a second for an hour workout - really, they are great!
PG – My resting heart rate is lower than yours, and my weight is fine. I run regularly, for 40-60 minutes, and my heart rate gets to 85-90% of maximum. But when I walk up a flight of stairs or a steep hill, my rate jumps to 110-120 and I get out of breath – I feel more winded than during a run. So, stairs get to me, too.
There’s an event in NYC where you climb the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building - a friend of mine does it. I think that would be really hard for me!
That’s interesting that some of us get so winded on stairs.
Good start, Greenbutton. That sounds like a good class.
3.1 miles this morning. Tough to get out the door, but I did.
Stairs = large muscle groups (quads, glutes and hamstrings) all working at once directly against the force of gravity propelling your full body weight. The load on those muscles is much different than running, cycling, eliptical, etc where much of your force has a horizontal component. My resting heart rate is 52-54 and my max is 185 and I find myself having “labored breathing” if I go up a flight of stairs. Part of it is the exertion and part of it is that the duration is too short to achieve steady state so that you are in a state of oxygen deficit the entire trip up the stairs which makes the exertion seem more taxing than it otherwise would be.
Michael- you and I have the same resting and max! That’s great to know so I can follow your zones! 
@Greenbutton, the class sounds like a winner to me. Enjoy! Very often folks begin to focus on cardio and forget about strength, and women especially begin to lose muscle weight rapidly after 35. My GYN gave me a set of free weights exercises a few years ago and explained why I needed to get a set of dumbbells - then I decided this doc was a keeper!
Trying to wake the kiddo up to go hiking… She apparently found some nightlife here!! 
My average resting heart rate is 54-56. How can I determine my max? I can see an average hr on recent runs from my Fitbit - should I be looking to see where I max out at any one point???
@abasket, I just want to salute you for your valiant efforts on the “other” thread. My hat’s off to you!
My RHR is like abasket’s - 54-56. I take my blood pressure every morning when I help H with his - mine’s usually 90/60 or thereabouts. I should probably worry more about my maximum HR but I recover really quickly from exertion. My challenge isn’t stairs, but the long uphill slope of the yard to our back door from the street - the dogs can race up it, but I sure can’t. And yes, I’m panting like a dog when I get to the top.
I want to get a short run in today after work. I actually feel like it, something I haven’t in a few days.
Strength training with my trainer today and then 35 minutes on the Cybex arc machine. Dont know why, but it is much harder than the other elliptical machines in my gym.
A friend of mine does a stair climb for MS–it is in the tallest building in Boston (Hancock–now called 200 Clarendon). It’s in March. How would you train for it? Anyone know? Might be a good event/goal for a non-runner.
I agree on the ArcTrainers - they are much harder. I don’t know how you do it for that long!
Max HR is literally the number at which you can’t go on. A max test is not fun! You can get a close approximation at the end of a 5K if you are really sprinting, or by doing some 800s on the track after a good warmup. The formulas are so inaccurate that I believe they are a complete waste of time. If you can force yourself to do something hard enough that you finally have to quit with heart pounding and lungs burning, you will be close.
abasket- I, too, applaud you for trying on the other thread. I tried, too. There’s a reason ours lives on…