Runners? Insight requested.

[Joe Bob]

Thanks....unfortunately my best times were non winning times. I got sucked along and then got lost in the afterburners of the elite guys.

I thought I was hot stuff in High School until I went to a good running college and found that I was run of the mill.....ended up fifth man in Cross Country on the Western State Conference Champ Team....and was the third leg on the 4x relays......I felt like a 912 or the third stringer on a SuperBowl team....along for the ride.

Lasted two years and I was toast...discovered beer, the beach and cars......One guy on my team was the AAU world champ in CrossCountry they ran it in Morrocco?....1974 or 75....Bobby Thomas, Dwight Stones the high jumper was also on our team....he was a nut job.

As to shoes....yes good shoes are important. I was given a free pair of Nikes when I was 14. Always wore them.

Then in College we had a shoe deal with Adidas. They never fit me right. Constant blisters. Then the knee problems and the first ACL went....rest is lost in a beer buzz.

[mjohnson]

Originally posted by mikez
.....ended up fifth man in Cross Country on the Western State Conference Champ Team....

If that was Western State in CO, that's still a pretty quick team. My wife ran distance track and CC at Colorado Mines -- the engineers never really had a chance against the Western and Adams State kids.

At least she got to say alot of "Hey, I've run behind her, too!" when they showed the last Olympic Trials on TV.

I run 4 miles/day, 3 days/week on the trails around Los Alamos. Been doing it for some time now, and still the best thing about running is _stopping_. Ugh!

mike
'78SC

[Evans, Marv]

Len,
As one of the older people on this board, I can look back on this with a little experience, I think. I was a sprinter, broad (long nowadays) jumper and hurdler in HS & played on the football and basketball teams. I always hated running and do to this day. I always looked at people who ran long distances as not being real athletes (no talent), but merely people who learned to put one foot ahead of another and keep doing it for a long time. I did do a lot of exercise though. While I worked at a job in the mountains (Sierras), I logged enough miles to go across the country and half way back (fighting fires, climbing, patroling, long trips with heave packs - about 3,900 miles) and it took its tole. Moses & Rick are right. Take care of your knees, hips, and everything else. I can tell you it's not fun when they are worn out when you get older. I still walk (4 to 6 miles) while exercising with hand weights, and I still take backpacking trips in the mountains. I would say walking (up hill if you have a place to) is the best. They say you can get 85% of the aerobic conditioning of a runner by brisque walking. Plus you still burn up essentially the same amount of calories walking as you do for the same distance running. Save those knees & everythinbg else for later on.

[Brother]

So if you are clomping like a clydesdale, should you not even bother? Can you learn to be more efficient?

[Evans, Marv]

Never clomped like a Clydesdale.

[hardflex]

MikeZ, where did you go to college? Was it Long Beach State?

[Brother]

Originally posted by Les Paul
Soemthing on Pelican I'm actually qualified to comment on. I logged over 60k miles as a runner and another 10k as a jogger. 30 years ago I never thought I'd be the big old boy I am today and made fun of all those guys. But at 51 my career is over. No major injuries, bad knees hips, ankles whatever. After pracitally accomplishing everything I set out to do in running I can make some basic blanket assumptions. I also coached some state champs in one of the larger classes in Texas.

It is all about efficiency. If you aren't biomechanically efficient you are going to have problems with more than your knees. Especially if you are even slightly overweight or training big miles. I could go on and on but to make it simple. Go out and run on a hard surface on a calm day. Somehing you can hear your footfall very easily on. Run at a comfortable pace where you would do the majority of your training. If you hear your feet clomping like a Clydsdale you have problems. If you are whishper quiet you are in luck. After coaching many many runners, knowing many many elite runners it all boils down to that.

As some of the posters above have stated it has a mucho to do about shoes. I won't go into the types of shoes but there is a shoe for all types of folks. And having 2 pairs of shoes and alternating them every other day is smart. Also not using the same brands but the same type will keep you from sinking into an overuse injury. But thes are only my simple opinions.

This is what I was refering to in my above post.

[aways]

Originally posted by mikez
Thanks....unfortunately my best times were non winning times. I got sucked along and then got lost in the afterburners of the elite guys.

I thought I was hot stuff in High School until I went to a good running college and found that I was run of the mill.....ended up fifth man in Cross Country on the Western State Conference Champ Team....and was the third leg on the 4x relays......I felt like a 912 or the third stringer on a SuperBowl team....along for the ride.

Lasted two years and I was toast...discovered beer, the beach and cars......One guy on my team was the AAU world champ in CrossCountry they ran it in Morrocco?....1974 or 75....Bobby Thomas, Dwight Stones the high jumper was also on our team....he was a nut job.

As to shoes....yes good shoes are important. I was given a free pair of Nikes when I was 14. Always wore them.

Then in College we had a shoe deal with Adidas. They never fit me right. Constant blisters. Then the knee problems and the first ACL went....rest is lost in a beer buzz.

I know the feeling. I went to UCI and ran into Steve Scott.
That's when I hung up my spikes.

[Les Paul]

mjohnson one of the girls I coached just used her eligibilty up at Adams. She was a 4 or 5 time all-american there. I think she'll be a great marathon runner someday. Her husband is the same. Beth and Josh Merrick ring a bell?

[lendaddy]

Thanks guys, sounds like running is not a good fit for me. I've already snapped one ACL earlier in life (did the hammy replacement)and the accompanying meniscus damage so I would be behind the eight-ball to start.

I'll think of something, thanks.

[Moses]

Originally posted by lendaddy
Thanks guys, sounds like running is not a good fit for me. I've already snapped one ACL earlier in life (did the hammy replacement)and the accompanying meniscus damage so I would be behind the eight-ball to start.

I'll think of something, thanks.

Len,

Orthopedic surgeons who do knee replacements love long distance runners.

Try biking, swimming, an elliptical machine of fast walking. They will all give you a great cardiovascular workout and your knees will thank you.