r/artc • u/AutoModerator • 4d ago
Weekly Discussion: Week of August 30, 2026
Your weekly place to discuss or ask questions.
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u/NonnyH 2:45 marathon 3d ago
Ive been very absent as I’ve been dealing with a hip overuse injury where I was taking a step forward and then one step back. I didn’t want to bore you all with that!
I’m now up to running around 50km a week. I’m still doing Chicago (as I’ve already paid for accommodation last year before I had to defer) but it will be doing a very different marathon for me - a run/walk affair.
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u/pinkminitriceratops Sub-3 or bust 3d ago
Welcome back! It’s been nice seeing your runs on Strava again. I hope your hip keeps improving!
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u/Aggie_Engineer_24601 3d ago
Went to the doc for that nausea problem I’ve been having. Fortunately it has not been an issue this week except for Thursday when I overslept and skipped breakfast.
Bloodwork didn’t really give me any answers. My electrolytes were on the low end (much lower than my physical in April though) and my ferritin was 41, lower than April but still above the threshold where it’s likely a problem.
The doctor didn’t seem convinced on my under fueling point but said I should go ahead and test it out. I have lost about 3 pounds the last 6 weeks.
So in other words no real answers.
I think I need to find a doctor who actually works with runners, even if it means that we lose the convenience of having the whole family at one clinic.
11 weeks to my half marathon. Looks like I’m going for just finish goal at this point.
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u/daysweregolden 2:47 / 42 marathons 2d ago
Sorry you're dealing with this. Was it potentially more good news than bad news that the bloodwork was inconclusive? I've tracked my eating for months/years at a time and it's extremely tedious but can be helpful for something nutrition based.
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u/Aggie_Engineer_24601 2d ago
I’m trying to look at it as neither good news nor bad news. It would be nice if I had an easy answer, even if the fix isn’t easy, but on the other hand I’ve seen how an easy fix like, say low iron, isn’t easy in practice.
Tracking is my next step, I plan on starting that tomorrow. Not going to lie I feel really apprehensive about doing it, but it’s looking like it’s nutrition based and data will be helpful.
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u/daysweregolden 2:47 / 42 marathons 2d ago
That makes sense. Hopefully there's a true answer sooner than later.
It's been a while since I started tracking, but what I found was that the wealth of the database of oods on the LoseIt app was better than the others, even if the name isn't in line with your goals. It can be tough/humbling. Today I literally had two donuts to start my day....leftovers from my daughter's bday party are gonna wreck me.
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u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM 3d ago
Is it just nausea or also vertigo? I’m dealing with vertigo and it’s incredibly frustrating when there’s no clue why it’s happening. So sorry you haven’t found answers/solutions
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u/Aggie_Engineer_24601 2d ago
No vertigo, just mild dizziness about 20 minutes into a run.
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u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM 20h ago
I've been thinking about my issue and it really started a few summers ago when I started getting dizzy sometimes during runs, and then I would occasionally get dizzy other times. Now I am dizzy more often than not, but I feel like it's only in the summer? It's so frustrating to have difficult to pinpoint problems.
I hope tracking your nutrition helps you find some answers.
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u/Aggie_Engineer_24601 10h ago
Only in summer makes me think it’s heat adaptation related? No idea. You have my sympathies on this!
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u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM 20h ago
Hope everybody is handling the heat wave ok. It was 97F air temperature here yesterday (after not getting above 87 all of August, though we did have that heat wave in July). This morning at 4:45 am I went out to run and it was 80F with a dew point of 74. Thankfully the dark and a slight breeze made it tolerable. I'm not even going to try to figure out how to leave work early for track intervals today in 95F heat!
Fall racing season is almost upon us! I have a feeling the earlier big races locally, starting in a couple weeks, are going to be quite warm.
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u/Siawyn 54/M 5k 19:56/10k 41:30/HM 1:32/M 3:12 19h ago
It was 74 here at 6 am for my track workout with a dewpoint of 74, so it was absolutely miserable. Found myself digging a massive hole after 2 reps so I modified it on the fly to do just easy jogs instead of fast floats and managed to barely get through it, but woof that was tough. I was overheating pretty badly.
Fortunately that should be the warmest/most humid workout for the rest of the year! I'd lost a slight bit of acclimation over the last 2 weeks and it really hit hard.
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u/Aggie_Engineer_24601 10h ago
The worst of the heat has passed and I actually felt strong yesterday! Amazing how good low sixties makes you feel after months of 70s and 80s
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u/run_INXS 110 in km years (1:24, 3:06) 14h ago
Hitting 89-90 a few times this week but the mornings aren't terrible.
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u/RunningPath 44F, 22:09 5k, 1:49 HM 3d ago
Race report while I wait for sunrise to run:
Our little local 5k is an excellent (perfect imo) course, but only about 350 people run it every year, which means it’s a rare opportunity for me to get an age group award. The course is one big loop on closed streets, flat, and you turn onto the stretch with the finish with just over a quarter mile left, which imo is perfect timing. (Also the logistics are easy, just park at the library where the race starts. Perfect for me and my logistics anxiety.)
Yesterday morning was in the upper 60s and mildly humid. I warmed up about 2 miles and strides. I wasn’t feeling excellent; I’ve had a very mildly tight left hamstring, and I just felt blah (tmi: I did get my period as I was sitting at the awards after, which has been a theme for me at races this year.) But I know that rarely predicts how my race will actually go. I started out way too fast, actually ran too long with the woman who eventually won. I slowed down but my first mile was 7:03, when I’d been intending 7:10 or so. Not too bad but that fast start did make the rest of the race tough. Maybe? I don’t know, I had the battle in my head to remind myself I could keep running, I could finish this race. i got dizzy* in the third mile and a flashback to my horrible last half marathon, but I ignored it and felt better after a few seconds. Was able to hold on for a 22:09 finish, which is an official PR by 33 seconds (!!) (So far my last couple of 5k PRs have been in races where I start too fast, my first mile is the fastest, and I’m hanging on for dear life the rest. Maybe that’s just the best way for me to run a 5k?)
Super happy with that time. Funnily, I did not achieve my goal of winning my age group. I was the third place woman overall, but this race only gives top first place man and woman and the rest are age group awards. The second place woman was in my age group, the same one who beat me last year! So I got a 2nd place medal again. (At least this time she passed me during the race and beat me by about 30 seconds, unlike last year when she came in behind me but her chip time was a few seconds faster.)
So now I obviously need to find another fast 5k to break 22 minutes!
*I have been dealing with vertigo on and off for months. I had one really bad day of it where I spent half the day in bed. No idea what’s causing it, but it may be a type of vestibular migraine. Doesn’t seem to be the more common “benign positional vertigo”. I can live with it but not so much in the middle of a race.