[briguy]

briguy on August 16, 2019 at 3:50 pm · in reply to: Patellofemoral Pain #26867

Pete – Circling back on this. I just went through a round of NSAIDs for that anterior ankle issue I asked you about in another thread. My ortho suggested 2 weeks of NSAIDs to see if it would clear up the inflammation.

Well, the side effect was that it also cleared up my knee pain! I felt better there than I have in years. I was doing my weighted step ups, going up/down stairs etc with zero pain whatsoever.

Alas, when the two weeks were over, you guessed it, the pain has come back.

I really want to get rid of this. I’m doing the stretches and foam rolling you suggested, are there any “go to” strength workouts you suggest for this? As mentioned the step ups produce some pain (it’s tolerable) as do lunges, single leg squats, jumps, etc. They’re all tolerable so I can continue to do them if there is light at the end of the tunnel.

A buddy of mine resolved his knee problems recently (his was different-mild meniscus tear) and in talking with him I am newly inspired to resolve mine too. I’ve spent a fair amount of time with my local PT and orthos on this and it continues to nag so any wisdom would be greatly appreciated.

[briguy]

briguy on August 16, 2019 at 3:42 pm · in reply to: Difficulty staying under AeT #26866

Scott should definitely confirm but my understanding is that when training ADS you should keep HR under your prescribed threshold, no matter the conditions.

One other effect you’ll notice is you’ll begin to acclimatize to the heat/humidity as well but even at 100% acclimatization it will have an adverse effect on HR bpm.

[briguy]

briguy on August 15, 2019 at 12:10 pm · in reply to: Difficulty staying under AeT #26826

It’s not unusual for those just getting introduced to this type of training (be it Maffetone or that proposed in the Uphill Athlete books) to be somewhat shocked at just “how slow” you have to go to keep the HR under threshold.

Fortunately it seems to respond fairly quickly and you’ll notice your paces at those low HRs drop fairly quickly too. Below is an example of mine when I was recently returning to running from injury. All paces at below my “MAF” heartrate which is kinda/sorta similar to Z1/Z2 work espoused in TFTUA book. Each reading was about 1 month apart:

10:24
9:45
9:18

Considering I am an older athlete, I was pretty happy with this progress!

Compounding your situation though is that you’re trying to do your work outside in extreme heat/humidity. Maybe try a treadmill just to rule out the environmental factors.

[briguy]

briguy on August 15, 2019 at 9:24 am · in reply to: Difficulty staying under AeT #26822

I’ll let the experts chime in, but I think your post said it – you live in New Orleans. Hot/humid conditions are well known for driving up HR in significantly different rates compared to pace/Level-of-effort/etc.

[briguy]

briguy on August 15, 2019 at 9:22 am · in reply to: Shoe Recommendations #26821

Sounds like lots of LaSportiva fans here at Uphill Athlete. One of the things I liked about the Masochist is that it felt like a good “climbing” shoe. Not real climbing of course, but serious inclines on trails it would dig in since it wasn’t low/zero drop it didn’t stress the calf/achilles at all.

[briguy]

briguy on August 15, 2019 at 7:39 am · in reply to: Is this Feasible (100K Race) #26818

Thank you Scott, that is very measured and usable advice.

In planning it out and looking ahead, I was going to have to really ramp up the mileage after PPA in order to make a go of it.

[briguy]

briguy on August 14, 2019 at 9:36 am · in reply to: Shoe Recommendations #26784

Thanks guys. I definitely like Hokas for the road but I find them too unstable on trails. It feels like the high stack height makes it too easy to roll the ankles.

I’ll add the La Sportiva to the list. In looking at the brand, it appears they have other models that might be similar to the Masochist too, like the Bushido for example.

[briguy]

briguy on August 1, 2019 at 7:14 am · in reply to: High elevation gain races #25834

I’m watching this thread keenly as well. I’ve done Pike’s Peak (ascent and marathon) several times, but I’m not familiar with those others.

[briguy]

briguy on July 23, 2019 at 8:12 am · in reply to: Anterior Ankle Tendonitis/Impingement #25390

Thanks, Pete. Some regular icing (soaking the foot in an ice bucket!) and NSAIDs have it already much better. I suspect in another week I’ll be close enough to normal to start up the uphill treadmill stuff again. You’re right, I think it was the tight laces that flared this up.

[briguy]

briguy on July 11, 2019 at 8:38 am · in reply to: High than expected sustained HR #24898

I had an episode of Tachycardia during the 2017 Boston Marathon. My usual BPM at Marathon pace would be 155-165, but I was 175-185 during this stage and I had shortness of breath and some other issues that didn’t resolve until I stopped and walked for a bit. I got checked out by a cardiologist in the months that followed but they couldn’t determine a cause and thought it was a one-off aberration.

But I second the questioning of the HRM devices. The wrist based ones that are included in watches now are susceptible to picking up cadence instead of HR (thus the 180ish number when running) and the chest straps have always had issues with static in cold/dry weather.

[briguy]

briguy on July 11, 2019 at 6:05 am · in reply to: Patellofemoral Pain #24894

Okay thanks. Apologies for all the questions but I’m confused as to the location. Just superior to the medial condyle made me think basically “between the knees” in other words so if I put my knees together it’s roughly where they’d touch. This is roughly where the VMO ends (the bottom of the “tear drop”). But medial quad is somewhere else instead? Does that mean more to the inside of the knee?

I’ll do some tissue work on the hip area (assuming that means the various glutes) and I have some KT Tape around here somewhere that is worth a try as well.

Incidentally I had found a very tender spot between where the VMO, kneecap, and medial condyle all meet, and I’ve been working that fairly regularly and seeing some relief! That’s why I was a little surprised when you said to look in a different spot instead. Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

[briguy]

briguy on July 10, 2019 at 9:57 am · in reply to: Strengthen joints for running #24808

Scott – I doesn’t look like the article you mention in “read this article” is showing up. Can you clarify the link for that?

[briguy]

briguy on July 5, 2019 at 8:21 am · in reply to: Patellofemoral Pain #24505

Thanks Pete. I was only using the step ups (6 sets of 10 reps) as an example since it’s one of the go-to strength workouts in the Uphill Athlete book. I can also do single leg deadlifts with 100lb in dumbells, single legs squats, single leg wall sits etc to a decent level of strength. This has been my method of attempting to counteract this issue over the last couple of years. I am lucky that I gain strength quickly (fast twitch, high ratio of muscle mass etc) so that’s why I feel like I need to go in a different directly with this rehab. I’m happy to try any other strength exercises you recommend of course.

So superior to the medial condyle but below the VMO. Is that basically where the VMO terminates at the knee? I am poking around in there with some therapy tools and just want to make sure I have the right spot. Thanks again.

[briguy]

briguy on July 2, 2019 at 1:22 pm · in reply to: Mt Hood Trail Suggestions #24368

So I had a great long weekend in the Portland and Mount Hood area. Here’s what I ended up doing:

Friday early AM – I took Hiddenlake from the trail head up to the Pacific Coast Trail and then went east to Timberline lodge. There I found a trail that took me up to the 2nd to highest chair lift station at roughly 7000′. 13+ miles roundtrip with 4000′ of total gain (all in the first half). This was an epically beautiful run. Wilderness singletrack, snow patches starting at 5000′, running across the bottom portion of glaciers and culminating with Timberline lodge where they shot The Shining. They’re still skiing there too (said they do all the way through August). One of the best parts is I didn’t see a soul until I was about 2m from Timberline Lodge. Not much “running” as I did a lot of powerhiking but that’s good training too.

Saturday – My wife was in the marathon so I had to get to her finish so I again woke early and squeezed in an early AM 6m run over at Forest Park downtown. Beautiful park and hard to believe it’s sitting in the middle of the city.

Sunday – This was Paradise Park trail to its peak, then over to Timberline Lodge. Instead of an out/back I did a point-to-point since my wife could meet me at the finish this time. Paradise Park trail is pretty close to Hiddenlake and they run parallel up the mountain, but it also continues up a bit higher as well. This run was more eventful in that I ran into a significant amount of deadfall, and lost the trail for a good 10-15 minutes as I navigated all the huge fallen trees in my way. At some point I found where someone had blazed a bushwhack with pink ribbons which I followed until I was back on trail again. Be aware of this if you happen to run/hike this trail relatively soon after this post. After this, things went smoothly. When I passed the PCT/timberline and continued up, the trail was just stunning with the green meadow in the foreground framed with snowy Mount Hood in the background. Like the swiss alps I’ve seen in the movies. Descended back to the PCT/Timberline and headed over to meet my wife at Timberline Lodge for a well-earned beer on their patio with the big mountain overlooking us. 12+ miles with 4400′ of gain, but only 1600′ loss so it was a slow grind.

Wonderful weekend of adventures. Thanks to everyone who provided tips and advice!

[briguy]

briguy on July 2, 2019 at 12:44 pm · in reply to: Patellofemoral Pain #24366

Pete:

Thanks very much for the reply.

I have tried a number of remedies now (the mentioned ankle mobility, a bunch of quad strength work, also hamstring stretches, ice on the knee cap, some topical NSAIDs i. .e voltaren, and some foam rolling and tissue work). I have gotten relief on a rare occasion…one of those situations where I take that initial step up/down and I’m surprised that there is no pain there. But then it comes back and I’m left wondering what gave me the temporary relief.

I actually think I am plenty strong (I can do the 6×10 sets of step ups with a 20lb vest no problem) so more strength work probably isn’t going to solve it.

I’ll go back to the foam rolling and tissue work (I use a softball and a lacrosse ball too) and see if that gives me the relief I am seeking. Just to clarify, the medial-quad is about where the VMO is located?

It’s been frustrating as I had hip labral tear surgery a year ago and that hip is rocking and rolling now, I’m just limited by the opposite knee.

Thanks again for the information.