Thursday, February 5, 2009

I need some sage advice

Alright, I've got a few kinks that need to be worked out before I'm doing this thing long term. I could use some advice:

1) Headphones: I am having a terrible time finding headphones. I have now gone through three pairs. The problem is my ears are quite small. The tiniest of ear buds won't stay in my ears. I tried a Nike over the head design that kind of sat in your ears and those kept falling back and hurt my ears. So, I want to know...what kind of headset can I use that won't fall off/out and won't hurt my tiny ears while I plod to my podcast?

2) Feet trouble: I mentioned I thought the shoes wouldn't work because they kind of rubbed my arches. After my workout today I had a small blister forming. When I went to inspect it I noticed that entire part of my foot had noticeable swelling that looked like a large hump. Anyone ever dealt with this before? Is this because of my shoes? Is this because I'm a gazillion pounds overweight and exceeded the maximum weight limit on my poor shock absorbing feet? Is this because I've sat on my butt for the last year and all the sudden decided to workout? Or is there something more sinister at work here? When can I run again?

3) Ok, I had one more issue and I forgot what it was. I'm getting senile. Post your own advice to whatever problem you wish for number three.

6 comments:

  1. Not a clue with the headphones, but at least with the shoes, it is just possible they need to be broken in. When I first started running at the end of last year, I had yucky blisters on the ARCHES of my foot from the new shoes, and my ankles hurt like heck from the running. My suggestion would be to WALK it out for a few days (go as far as you can--you'll get to the point sooner than you realize where you will be able to run what you can walk) . . . break in the shoes and give your body a chance to recover. You are doing great, don't give up!!

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  2. (1) Headphones: the only ones that work for me are the SONY MDR-AS20J, here's a link to a review: http://reviews.cnet.com/headphones/sony-mdr-as20j-active/4505-7877_7-32909086.html

    (2) Shoes: since you reported that you over pronate (feet turn inwards when you run) they probably put you in stability shoes. These are heavy and rigid and can cause the problems you're mentioning. Did they talk to you about gel inserts and socks? Both of these things should help. Also, how you thread your laces at the top of your shoe can make a big difference. Your socks should be thin, made of a wicking fabric (like SmartWool), have no seams, and some added arch support.

    (3) In case they didn't touch on this with you at the running store...make sure you have a good sports bra! And if/when you wear shorts to run in, get some body glide. You don't have to run a marathon to chafe, and it isn't pretty.

    HTH!
    Monika

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  3. I second the socks. Cotton Kills feet! Get some good running socks and experiment with thicknesses. I used to like super thick, but I like thinner now. You may just be in the wrong socks. Keep trying, you will figure out the right combo for you. oh, and running socks are generally not cheap, so buy one pair of a few types until you find the one you like best.

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  4. So not only do we have the same ankles, same feet (and sometimes I think the same lungs and same ovaries maybe) we also must have the same ears. I have NEVER found earbuds that stay in....ever. I was just complaining about this to David on our last flight when he asked me for the hundreth time why I never want to listen to his damn ipod on the plane or watch a movie.

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  5. WindyCityVegan nailed it on the socks/shoes. Socks are just as critical as shoes. I would suggest taking the shoes back to the running store and having them diagnose it for you.

    I LOVE the Frog Bra and Last Resort Bra from Title 9 Sports. You NEVER bounce.

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  6. My husband got skull candy ear buds and they fit so snugly in my ears, they don't fall out, and they have great sound! I love, love, love them (and have taken them over). I highly recommend them, the other earbuds/phones all hurt my ears or fell off. Good luck with the Couch25k program, I did it after I had Jaci. It's not easy!

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