you get out of it what you put into it

I did Yoga once about 3 months ago and it was really a killer. I would die running in 80 degree weather with any humidity.

Yoga is always more of a workout then I expect it to be. 2 miles at 8:37 is a great pace! I hope it cools down a bit for you.

I'm impressed that you're able to run in that heat and humidity. When I've been in conditions like that, I could barely walk.

It's always fun to meet other bloggers. I believe you without the photographic evidence.

If Burt had photographic evidence who knows what he'd do with that. . . . :)

My feet fall asleep, too!! When you figure it out, let me know!

Nice workouts today, way to push your little group through it. You are a motivator.

Who says I don't have photographic evidence? Bwahahahaha!

not that i'm qualified to give advice, but i've had the foot numbness occur to me as well, and it is typically the first (and gentlest) indicator of overuse (i.e., that i'm bumping up my training too much too fast). whenever it happens, i try to back off a little to let the training take effect, which means resting a little more than i would typically like.

i don't know if it's relevant, but i had a friend who ran into this very problem as a symptom of what the doctors called "compartment syndrome," which, as it was explained to me, is where your calf muscles are growing more quickly than your legs can expand to accommodate them, thus reducing bloodflow, cutting of nerves, etc etc.

or maybe it's just the heat...

Nice job KP! Such a little motivator you are. I used to love running in the heat. I lived in Mexico for 2 years & had no choice. It took awhile for me to be able to run in the cold again. I tried running in the heat last summer & ended up jumping in the lake at the end, I thought I was going to fall over & die. Heat = no bueno!

Hmmmm....I hope that is not the case! My feet go numb when I run a lot of downhill, when I get new shoes, when I tie my shoes too tight, and then sometimes just randomly for no reason. Interesting.....

What a great run! Nice paces on the miles yourself, and then takin' to the group and pushing them as well!!

I LOVE meeting fellow bloggers - always a good time, small world that you work for the same company!

I was going to suggest talking to Kelli about the foot thing, but she beat me to it :) I'm VERY lucky (knock on wood) that I don't get foot problems. Now if you have ITB issues I feel like the resident expert!!

kelli: (purely conjecture here), but i think that there might be a correlation between numb feet when overtraining and when running downhill. both are subjecting your feet to a level of pounding that they aren't quite adapted to or comfortable with yet.

from what i can see, both you and kp have been significantly increasing the volume of your training over the last couple of months, percentage-wise, which is great, but it might be worth it to closely examine your routine to ensure that you're getting enough rest and recovery. often the hardest part of intense training is having the discipline to allow yourself to recover from (read: adapt to) the training load.

Now that Nevels has caused a severe case of depression to set in, I did a little research. I found this article on active.com.

http://www.active.com/running/Articles/What_causes_foot_numbness_in_runners_.htm

My numbness is the whole bottom of my foot which it addresses about halfway through the article. It says I likely have compressed nerve in my ankle area. Super! That is JUST what I wanted to hear (errr... read).

That was an interesting article indeed. It does make it sound quite worrisome. I have been t the doctor and he believes that I have very sensitive nerves in my feet that will get bugged and fall asleep easily if "provoked" (that was how he put it). The problem is that strange things provoke it. I know downhill does it for a fact, I know that tying my shoe too tight does it, and I also think that the inserts in my shoes might sometimes bug me. Who knows.

Now, Nevels, you know I am going to do everything in my power to say I am NOT doing too much!!!! That is just the stupid runner in me. BUT I do have to say that I have had this issue for a very long time, even when I only ran 10-15 miles a week. SO, I am hoping I am not doing too much. I do have an appt to go back to the doc in three weeks to check on stuff, so we will see what he says.

I haven't been to the doc as I avoid them like the plague. I've thought for a while that my shoes might be causing my problem, but I haven't broke down and bought any new ones yet. (I'm a poor college student!) I've been running 15ish miles per week since the New Year. I do plan on upping that this summer. So, Dr. Nevels better hope that it isn't an overuse issue and just a kp-has-weird-feet-issue. I wish it would go away though.

That is kind of scary about your feet. Fingers crossed for you. Nice miles.

Rad- What can you tell me about ITB issues? I have them and I can't seem to get over the problem. I stretch and roll, but it doesn't help much. Rest is not an option. :)

Scott doesn't know the meaning of the word rest.

Scott----YOGA hip openers every time you sit down to watch TV (and if that is not enough time, do them while you eat and read and SLEEP), avoid downhill, run slower for a while.

That is all I know, but it worked for me.

I'm a professional rester. I can give you lots of pointers, Scott!

I also had an ITB twinge earlier in the year. For that injury, Dr. Nevels prescribed RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I took one week off and iced it a time or two. I bought a foam roller and did it diligently for a few weeks. It caused me to cry the first few times the pain was so bad. Now, I do it about every other day and it doesn't really bother me at all. Thankfully. It isn't a fun injury! It seems to be a common one among runners though.

KP - jumping to a marathon this year in the fall seems doable if you can build up slowly and stay injury free. I would suggest some good uphill biking to augment your running during the buildup and buildup your quads. running puts a beating on the quads, really need those strong to handle the stress of a marathon.

Be Kool, B of BS RooOls out

The numbness in your foot could be a nerve. You mentioned that you are tight in the hammies. The nerve that runs all the way down your leg (through ham and calf muscle), could cause foot numbness. If you are tight, the nerve may be compressed. STRETCHING! So your instinct to stop and stretch was good.

Scott, I wish I had a good 'it will never come back' answer for you, but I don't! Mine seems to plague me every marathon. I can run 1/2's and training runs of 22 with no problem, but you get me in a marathon and I can't get past 16 miles w/out ITB pain. I've been to MANY PT's, doc's and websites about it. The best thing that helps me when it's inflamed is stretching and rolling. Like Kelli said - the hip openers while you sit and watch TV or whatever, and roll, roll and get a monthly massage to work on the area to smooth out the scar tissue. I don't see as much of a result with icing as many suggest - but that may just be me. One doc had me do 2 sets of cortizone shots and I honestly think it made it SO much worse for about 3-4 months. Also, do strengthening for your inner thigh muscles and hip stabilizers. A band around your feet and walking side to side is the best thing! Plus doing balancing exercises on a bosu ball (like one legged squats) and oblique work. It all comes from hip stability, too much side to side motion. I've actually noticed that spinning has increased my inner thigh strength and subsequently stability as well. Being prego I haven't done a ton of miles, but haven't had any ITB issues to speak of for a while.

So, a long story longer...stretch, stretch, stretch, roll, and strengthen the supporting muscles. Check back with me in September/October when I'm back to marathon miles and maybe I'll have some more tips :)

I agree with RAD on the strengthening your inner thigh muscles. I went to a PT about my ITB once and she told me that I needed to work on that. Apparently my inner thigh muscles are very week (it's allllllll fat in that area).

Thanks for all of the ITB tips everyone. For me going downhill seems to aggravate it more than anything. After I did a marathon last year it was my left knee and now it is my right. Frustrating. I guess I will just keep stretching and rolling and I'll probably have to add strengthening as well.

KP! My fellow buddy from the South! Nice runs! I feel you on the humidity thing. It's not too bad here right now since I'm by the beach but already reaching temps in the high 80's. I haven't even been to the beach this year yet...

OKAY, how are you feeling 3 days post Yoga?

My muscles are still tight... Not sure why. That reminds me, I need to stretch. No running because I am SUPER busy. Finals will be over this week. Hallelujah! Then I'll have a 20 day break until summer semester starts. Ugh.

Good luck on your finals and getting un-sore from yoga.

Your humidity %-age was funny. I can relate.

Your friends at fleet-feet might have some suggestions for ways to help with the numb feet problems. They're masters of fixing feet problems.

What will you do for those 20 days with so much spare time?

I'd first check the shoes. Almost every time I get new shoes My feet go numb in places (especially on the bottom). Also when I tie them too tight. Whenever I tie my shoes I curl my toes and arch my foot a little while I'm cranking down on the laces and they come out just perfect. If it's not that, I don't know what to tell you. I've never had a foot go numb prior to injury, but that's probably one of those things that depends on the person.