Ran a 10k in June (3 Viewers)

[gruecd]

This suggests that your task is by far the easiest. You need to pull a 1:20'ish to pull your weight on this one! Are you sure they other two want to carry you on their shoulders for this one (says the guy whose fastest half marathon is 1:39!).

Agreed that my job is the easiest, but about the bolded part!

 

[2Young2BBald]

I have less than two weeks until my first 1/2! Unfortunately, on Thursday I came down with a sore throat/stuffy nose...basically a drain on my system. So I rested all weekend...trying to get rid of this cold. I can't seem to shake it and it's still lingering today. The problem is that I wanted to do my last long run today...then begin my taper. I'm going to take the rest of the day off of work...and this afternoon attempt my run. Wish me luck!!!

I ALWAYS have #### like this happen before a big race. If I am not getting a cold, I'm throwing out my back or having something crazy happen at work that causes me to lose sleep the entire week before, etc, etc. Someway, somehow my body seems to rally to get it done. Don't push it. Sweat that funk out of your system and rehydrate a ton after and toss in some vitamin C. You'll be fine and won't even notice an impact of the cold.

 

[pigskinliquors]

This suggests that your task is by far the easiest. You need to pull a 1:20'ish to pull your weight on this one! Are you sure they other two want to carry you on their shoulders for this one (says the guy whose fastest half marathon is 1:39!).

Agreed that my job is the easiest, but about the bolded part!

Just yanking your chain GB!! The three of you sound like a pretty fierce team.

 

[gruecd]

This suggests that your task is by far the easiest. You need to pull a 1:20'ish to pull your weight on this one! Are you sure they other two want to carry you on their shoulders for this one (says the guy whose fastest half marathon is 1:39!).

Agreed that my job is the easiest, but about the bolded part!

Just yanking your chain GB!! The three of you sound like a pretty fierce team.

I know you were. I've never done something like this before, so it should be interesting.

 

[BassNBrew]

Swim Total 0.34

Bike Total 1475.85

Run Total 101.15

2009 Total 1577.34

April

Bike 368

Run 39.35

meh

 

[bentley]

I have less than two weeks until my first 1/2! Unfortunately, on Thursday I came down with a sore throat/stuffy nose...basically a drain on my system. So I rested all weekend...trying to get rid of this cold. I can't seem to shake it and it's still lingering today. The problem is that I wanted to do my last long run today...then begin my taper. I'm going to take the rest of the day off of work...and this afternoon attempt my run. Wish me luck!!!

I ALWAYS have #### like this happen before a big race. If I am not getting a cold, I'm throwing out my back or having something crazy happen at work that causes me to lose sleep the entire week before, etc, etc. Someway, somehow my body seems to rally to get it done. Don't push it. Sweat that funk out of your system and rehydrate a ton after and toss in some vitamin C. You'll be fine and won't even notice an impact of the cold.

Agree. I had that happen right before my half. I was coughing my lungs up right until that morning. I cut my last big run a little short and got one more five miler in the week of the race. Worked like a charm. Don't underestimate the effect of adrenaline on race morning.

 

[Rock Lonemilk]

I know he hasn't posted in a while, and I don't know if any of you check out his blog, but our own Colin Kromke (aka "Rock Lonemilk") completed the first annual LaCrosse Marathon yesterday in a personal-best time of 5:05.

Way to go, Colin!!!

... ...

I remember Rock's effort to achieve his first half-marathon two years ago. Now he's triathloning and marathoning ...what a great story! New runners, here's one of your inspirations.

Gotta tell you guys, this is VERY HUMBLING. I haven't posted here or visited here in months, and to see these posts blew me away. I'm hoping to write up a nice summary of my training, my race, etc in my blog soon, since I haven't posted there in 8 weeks either. I've turned into more of a Twitter and facebook guy I guess. To sum it up... It was an amazing day for a marathon. 47 degrees at the start. 63 at the finish. Sunny, light winds from the north (6-9 mph). Perfect. The course was very well planned. The organization was phenomenal. Yeah, this was my 2nd full marathon, and a personal best by 8 minutes, but I really wanted to be under 5 hours, and was shooting for 4:48. This was my home town, though, and I got to see things that brought back a lot of memories, and had family and friends all over on the route. I even hooked up with three guys (strangers) about 2 miles in who were running my race step for step, and ran the entire first half with them. The 2nd half was tougher for me. I lost about a minute/mile off my average from the first half, just like last summer. Still, I have nothing to complain about. It was the best run I've ever had and I finished another marathon.

Next up, the Madison half in 3 weeks. (Considering a switch to the full.) Then the 203 mile Ragnar Relay again in August. Then the Vegas Marathon on 12/6.

I'm officially addicted to long distance running.

You guys are awesome!

Oh, and there are 2 Ls in Collin!

 

[prosopis]

I know he hasn't posted in a while, and I don't know if any of you check out his blog, but our own Colin Kromke (aka "Rock Lonemilk") completed the first annual LaCrosse Marathon yesterday in a personal-best time of 5:05.

Way to go, Colin!!!

... ...

I remember Rock's effort to achieve his first half-marathon two years ago. Now he's triathloning and marathoning ...what a great story! New runners, here's one of your inspirations.

Gotta tell you guys, this is VERY HUMBLING. I haven't posted here or visited here in months, and to see these posts blew me away. I'm hoping to write up a nice summary of my training, my race, etc in my blog soon, since I haven't posted there in 8 weeks either. I've turned into more of a Twitter and facebook guy I guess. To sum it up... It was an amazing day for a marathon. 47 degrees at the start. 63 at the finish. Sunny, light winds from the north (6-9 mph). Perfect. The course was very well planned. The organization was phenomenal. Yeah, this was my 2nd full marathon, and a personal best by 8 minutes, but I really wanted to be under 5 hours, and was shooting for 4:48. This was my home town, though, and I got to see things that brought back a lot of memories, and had family and friends all over on the route. I even hooked up with three guys (strangers) about 2 miles in who were running my race step for step, and ran the entire first half with them. The 2nd half was tougher for me. I lost about a minute/mile off my average from the first half, just like last summer. Still, I have nothing to complain about. It was the best run I've ever had and I finished another marathon.

Next up, the Madison half in 3 weeks. (Considering a switch to the full.) Then the 203 mile Ragnar Relay again in August. Then the Vegas Marathon on 12/6.

I'm officially addicted to long distance running.

You guys are awesome!

Oh, and there are 2 Ls in Collin!

Awesome

 

[gruecd]

I'm officially addicted to long distance running.

 

[El Floppo]

This suggests that your task is by far the easiest. You need to pull a 1:20'ish to pull your weight on this one! Are you sure they other two want to carry you on their shoulders for this one (says the guy whose fastest half marathon is 1:39!).

Agreed that my job is the easiest, but about the bolded part!

Just yanking your chain GB!! The three of you sound like a pretty fierce team.

I know you were. I've never done something like this before, so it should be interesting.

You've done something like that LOTS of times...Does the relay team start with the general race? If so, you'll likely be one of the first people out T2 without many people to pick off. Are you used to running at race-pace by yourself?

As somebody who couldn't break 40:00 on the swim, 2:40 on the bike or 1:40 on the run (our shared PR was part of a bike/run/bike workout with a 1/2 marathon race sandwiched inbetween the bike) as part of a 1/2, those times of the winning team are pretty frigging impressive- especially the bike... even for a relay. I agree that the running bit is the least impressive though. That said- I've never been part of a race where somebody went sub 4:00- I think the fastest time was just under 4:10... never even knew people could do that. wow.

 

[El Floppo]

AprilBike 368Run 39.35meh

One man's "meh" is another man's "whoa".

 

[gruecd]

Does the relay team start with the general race? If so, you'll likely be one of the first people out T2 without many people to pick off. Are you used to running at race-pace by yourself?

Yeah, as far as I know, it starts at the same time. I do most of my training runs alone, so fortunately it's not really a big deal for me to run alone.Floppo, you live in NY, right? I just got an E-mail from my ING wholesaler telling me that they got me a guaranteed entry into the NY Marathon. I'm already running Chicago three weeks prior, so if I do NYC, it'll be just for fun. Any chance you'd have a place for me to crash??? Really don't want to spend a ton of money if I decide to do this!

 

[Keggers]

I have less than two weeks until my first 1/2! Unfortunately, on Thursday I came down with a sore throat/stuffy nose...basically a drain on my system. So I rested all weekend...trying to get rid of this cold. I can't seem to shake it and it's still lingering today. The problem is that I wanted to do my last long run today...then begin my taper. I'm going to take the rest of the day off of work...and this afternoon attempt my run. Wish me luck!!!

I ALWAYS have #### like this happen before a big race. If I am not getting a cold, I'm throwing out my back or having something crazy happen at work that causes me to lose sleep the entire week before, etc, etc. Someway, somehow my body seems to rally to get it done. Don't push it. Sweat that funk out of your system and rehydrate a ton after and toss in some vitamin C. You'll be fine and won't even notice an impact of the cold.

Agree. I had that happen right before my half. I was coughing my lungs up right until that morning. I cut my last big run a little short and got one more five miler in the week of the race. Worked like a charm. Don't underestimate the effect of adrenaline on race morning.

Thanks guys! I could only get in 3 miles....just no energy and sweating profusely. Hydration was definately an issue and I'll be more conscious of it today. I'm going to give it another shot tonight and see what happens. If I can't do a long run of 10 miles tonight then I'll plan on doing 4 runs of 5-6 miles in the next 10 days (Tues & Thurs this week....Mon & Thurs next week....race next Sun).

 

[gruecd]

Just finished a very encouraging 6.1 miles. Started into the wind, calves felt tight, etc., and averaged 7:51 for the first three miles. But then everything loosened up, I got the wind at my back, and I ran the last 5K in 21:35 (6:58 pace). Did 7:06, 7:07, and 6:43, respectively, for miles 4-6.

Kinda actually looking forward now to my 5K on Saturday. My PR (19:23) is almost two years old, but that was a lot easier course than this one, and with my (half) marathon looming next weekend, I'm not really sure it's the best idea to run full-bore anyway.

 

[SFBayDuck]

Some great reports in here over the last 5-6 days since I've been in. Especially Rock, nicely done!

Got in 10 miles on Friday morning, with about 4 of it on trail, so felt pretty good about that, my first double-digit mileage run since the 1/2 a couple weeks ago. With family in Sacramento for the weekend had to head up there and got nothing in, and was fighting off a little swine flu yesterday (or maybe it was the 8-9 microbrews on Saturday night still working their way out of my system) so didn't run again until today.

But today was my first ever real, honest-to-goodness speed work. I've done a few informal fartleks here and there, but today I ran 1.25 miles to the track, and then started in. One slow lap, then ran an 800 at a fast (for me) pace of 7:45. Decided 800s were a little aggressive for my first speed work, so after 400 at 9:30, ran four more repeat 400s at 7:41-7:55, with 400s at 9:30-9:45 in between. Felt hard, but great. Then ran back a different route back to where I began, for a total of 6 miles. Definitely feeling some soreness this evening, but I plan on working something like that in once/week from now on.

As for anagrams, a select few:

Avenger So (my Japanese superhero name)

Rage Ovens (college band)

Grave Ones (college emo band)

Ravens Ego (probably somebody at FBG with that username)

Vanes Ogre (anything with Ogre is cool)

Sea Govern (my personal favorite, as I grew up commercial fishing in Oregon and a little in Alaska)

A Ever Song (name of the Grave Ones' (see above) first single)

Age Revs On (not if I can help it)

Nag Ever So (I think I've called my wife this before)

Rag Even So (another for the old lady)

Gas Ever On (one my wife has probably called me)

 

[BassNBrew]

First 10 mile TT of the year last night.

22:40, 26.47 mph

3rd best time ever for me and 25 sec off my PR. Track was wet and wind was moderate. I don't think I was below 26 mph on the first 4 laps and died on laps 5 and 6 as my speed dropped to 24 mph into the wind. A hole in my training was exposed as I've have not been doing my 30-40 min hard tempo rides. I expected my endurance to be lacking as a result.

Next TT is June 3. On June 13 I'm part of a tri co-ed relay and will be doing the 18 mile bike. May work in a metric century and crit at the end of May. Blood, Sweat, and Gears century is the last weekend of June and I'm strongly considering riding the 575 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway / Skyline Drive beginning the next day.

 

[pigskinliquors]

I'm officially addicted to long distance running.

Awesome RL!

First 10 mile TT of the year last night.22:40, 26.47 mph3rd best time ever for me and 25 sec off my PR. Track was wet and wind was moderate. I don't think I was below 26 mph on the first 4 laps and died on laps 5 and 6 as my speed dropped to 24 mph into the wind. A hole in my training was exposed as I've have not been doing my 30-40 min hard tempo rides. I expected my endurance to be lacking as a result. Next TT is June 3. On June 13 I'm part of a tri co-ed relay and will be doing the 18 mile bike. May work in a metric century and crit at the end of May. Blood, Sweat, and Gears century is the last weekend of June and I'm strongly considering riding the 575 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway / Skyline Drive beginning the next day.

Great time BnB, especially this early in the year. __________________________I actually got a couple workouts in! Last night I did a chest/back workout with some ab work, and this morning I did bi/triceps; prior to a 15 mile morning ride (ending at work). I'll ride the same 15 miles back home later tonight. It's time to start getting this old body back into shape.

 

[El Floppo]

First 10 mile TT of the year last night.22:40, 26.47 mph3rd best time ever for me and 25 sec off my PR. Track was wet and wind was moderate. I don't think I was below 26 mph on the first 4 laps and died on laps 5 and 6 as my speed dropped to 24 mph into the wind. A hole in my training was exposed as I've have not been doing my 30-40 min hard tempo rides. I expected my endurance to be lacking as a result. Next TT is June 3. On June 13 I'm part of a tri co-ed relay and will be doing the 18 mile bike. May work in a metric century and crit at the end of May. Blood, Sweat, and Gears century is the last weekend of June and I'm strongly considering riding the 575 mile long Blue Ridge Parkway / Skyline Drive beginning the next day.

Damn... really nice work.

 

[2Young2BBald]

I have to get better on the bike, if for no other reason than bike gear is silly hot (on women)

Update, I really trashed my feet on the trail 1/2 and have tried to avoid running for a short while. For Monday's swim I was ###### off about a few things and kick my own butt. I did two sets of 1,000 yards and knocked them out in under 40 minutes total. With some time to burn, I set to seeing how fast I could knock out one more 500 yard set. I banged it out in 9:28. I was supposed to swim today, but after throwing almost 2 hours of little league BP, I felt like my right arm was going to fall off so I skipped the swim. I am trying to set up a team brick for this weekend with a few guys doing the sprint distance ride & run of 12.4 & 3.1 miles.

 

[bentley]

I have to get better on the bike, if for no other reason than bike gear is silly hot (on women)

That's someone dedicated to the bicycle lifestyle even though it doesn't appear that she's ever competed in a bike race. Great find!Improving slightly on the bike myself. I've knocked 4 minutes of my 13 mile loop pace over the last couple weeks though I still seem to be painfully slow.

 

[gruecd]

Didn't get home from an evening client appointment until almost 8 PM, so by the time I took care of some other stuff and hit the road for my easy 8-miler, it was 9 PM. Sprinkles in the beginning, then a pretty decent rain for the last 3-4 miles. Forunately, it's still almost 60 degrees outside, so the rain actually felt pretty good. Finished with a nice, easy 8:20 average pace after yesterday's hard effort. SRD tomorrow, an easy 4-miler on Friday, and then 5K on Saturday.

 

[tri-man 47]

I have to get better on the bike, if for no other reason than bike gear is silly hot (on women)

...and she needs an Athlink 'friend' or two ...----

Good start to the week for me. In addition to an hour of dumbells and 400 push-up/sit-up reps over the past three days -

Tuesday: 8 mile run with some push over the final two miles

Wednesday: 1 hour bike trainer with moderate resistance and high turnover (95-100 rpm)

Today: 6 miles of running, with speed work on the track.

Did 3 sets of (2 x 400 and 2 x 200) with a one minute rest between each leg and a five minute walk/jog lap between sets. The 400's ranged from 89-93 seconds, while the 200's ranged from 41-43 seconds. My best speed was on the last set.

 

[prosopis]

I am doing better on the treadmill at the gym

Some guy got on the treadmill next to me today and I thought he was gonna have a heart attack. He was not going very fast but the way he was groaning and grunting you would have thought he was not gonna make it. I realize that was me out on the streets not to long ago so I am not really making fun of him but ............

If you are gonna grunt and groan like that at 4.0 why not get on a treadmill a little further away from people? There were plenty of open ones. Maybe he wanted the tv that was on in front of it?

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

 

[gruecd]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

Not cool, dude. Not cool.

 

[tri-man 47]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

Or maybe he had the urge for a cross-over dribble and drive to the hoop.

 

[gruecd]

Or perhaps he just felt incredibly good-looking, witty, and talented. Who knows?

 

[Keggers]

Finally kicked my cold! Tuesday ran 8 miles at my 1/2 marathon pace (10:00). Thursday I did intervals.... 4 x 400 at a fast pace (7:03) with 400 inbetween each at a slower pace (9:05). Then 8 x 200 at those same paces. Ended with 4 x 100 at those same paces. Total of 4.5 miles in 36:20!!! I've done this interval run before and absolutely love it!

 

[gruecd]

Yesterday was my first rest day since last week, and it felt pretty good. It's supposed to be sunny and low 70s this afternoon, so I'm planning on heading out after work for an easy four miles ahead of tomorrow morning's 5K. I'm kinda going back and forth on how hard I wanna run it. I've got Green Bay next weekend, but I actually think it's a good thing to recruit some additional fast-twitch muscle fibers. I'm more concerned about the fact that it's really supposed to cool off overnight, with rain and wind chills in the mid-30s forecast for race time. I really don't wanna get sick, or worse yet, slip and hurt myself by going too hard on the wet pavement. Thoughts?

 

[BassNBrew]

Yesterday was my first rest day since last week, and it felt pretty good. It's supposed to be sunny and low 70s this afternoon, so I'm planning on heading out after work for an easy four miles ahead of tomorrow morning's 5K. I'm kinda going back and forth on how hard I wanna run it. I've got Green Bay next weekend, but I actually think it's a good thing to recruit some additional fast-twitch muscle fibers. I'm more concerned about the fact that it's really supposed to cool off overnight, with rain and wind chills in the mid-30s forecast for race time. I really don't wanna get sick, or worse yet, slip and hurt myself by going too hard on the wet pavement. Thoughts?

HTFU.

 

[meeka]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

You looked down on him for jogging?

 

[tri-man 47]

Finally kicked my cold! Tuesday ran 8 miles at my 1/2 marathon pace (10:00). Thursday I did intervals.... 4 x 400 at a fast pace (7:03) with 400 inbetween each at a slower pace (9:05). Then 8 x 200 at those same paces. Ended with 4 x 100 at those same paces. Total of 4.5 miles in 36:20!!! I've done this interval run before and absolutely love it!

Intervals are the bomb, dude.:randyjacksonvoice:gruecd - I know you're not a big fan of hard 5Ks, so it'd be better to plan on going hard ...if you take a moderate approach, I fear you'll easily talk yourself out of a strong effort. So .. what BNB said.

 

[mr. furley]

alright FBGdocs, i am on week 4 of the couch potato to 5K plan again.

i am really struggling. not with my wind but with the shin splints. they are murder. i don't remember them hurting this bad the last time around. it's borderline unbearable.

heavy heel striker, slow pace, appx 5'11" - 225. is it the weight? is it the stride? is it the shoes?

what can i do?? my legs were numb for a solid 5 minutes after i finished last night.

 

[gruecd]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

You looked down on him for jogging?

OK, the other stuff was funny, but I actually take offense to that. I don't look down on anyone who does any kind of physical activity. I definitely consider myself a runner and not a jogger, but that doesn't mean I think I'm better than someone who's not at my level of competitiveness.

 

[meeka]

Anyway having a guy like that next to me caused me to go from feeling like a loser to feeling like gruecd.

You had the urge to ask folks in this thread if you could crash on their couch?

You looked down on him for jogging?

OK, the other stuff was funny, but I actually take offense to that. I don't look down on anyone who does any kind of physical activity. I definitely consider myself a runner and not a jogger, but that doesn't mean I think I'm better than someone who's not at my level of competitiveness.

Just trying to be funny. I know that you really do not look down on people like that.

 

[Keggers]

Quick question to all: anyone else have problems with sweat on sunglasses? I have used headsweats and headbands, but still have a problem keeping sweat from getting on my sunglasses (= I don't race with them for that reason). Any suggestions?

I use a headband, and I don't have a problem.

There's a good chance I'm sweatier than most .

Does anyone else have comments about this? I'm debating on if I should go old school and wear a bandana. Not quite like this... Instead, I would fold it until it's about 2" wide then tie it. I remember my Dad doing this while mowing the lawn and doing other chores around the house. Thoughts?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

alright FBGdocs, i am on week 4 of the couch potato to 5K plan again.

i am really struggling. not with my wind but with the shin splints. they are murder. i don't remember them hurting this bad the last time around. it's borderline unbearable.

heavy heel striker, slow pace, appx 5'11" - 225. is it the weight? is it the stride? is it the shoes?

what can i do?? my legs were numb for a solid 5 minutes after i finished last night.

I almost always vote "shoes" in these polls. Are they old? Are they designed for your arches and weight?

 

[IvanKaramazov]

Anybody ever try running with a cast before?

I broke a bone in my hand while rough-housing with my kids 2 1/2 weeks ago. Yes, I am apparently as frail as an 80 year old woman. It's been in a fiberglass splint/cast ever since. I was training for a half that's coming up next weekend. My doctor's plan is to remove this cast on Monday (5 days before the race) and then replace it with another, less restrictive cas that I'll wear for another couple of weeks.

I did 13 miles the week before the break, and 14 miles two days before the break, but no long runs since because while the cast itself is waterproof, the lining isn't. I don't want to get salt under it or have it completely drenched in sweat. All I've done the last two weeks is three weekly runs of ~4.5 miles each. My tentative plan is to do 10+ this Sunday which will ruin this cast, but since it's being removed the next day, that's okay. If that goes well, I will do the half just to avoid being a scratch. I know that any time goals will have to go out the window and I may not even bother wearing a chip. Still, it would be nice to gut this race out because I hate dropping out of a race unless I absoltely have to. I know I don't need to explain that to you guys.

Thoughts? Any experience with anything like this?

 

[mr. furley]

alright FBGdocs, i am on week 4 of the couch potato to 5K plan again.

i am really struggling. not with my wind but with the shin splints. they are murder. i don't remember them hurting this bad the last time around. it's borderline unbearable.

heavy heel striker, slow pace, appx 5'11" - 225. is it the weight? is it the stride? is it the shoes?

what can i do?? my legs were numb for a solid 5 minutes after i finished last night.

I almost always vote "shoes" in these polls. Are they old? Are they designed for your arches and weight?

was thinking shoes too but these are the exact same model Brooks as i ran on before. i just went with the newer model after putting about 400 miles on the old pair. the reason i upgraded was because i was starting to get splints in the first place.

when i run i have noticed that my feet seem to be rolling outward (soles facing each other, if that makes sense). not sure what happened in the last year but something has definitely changed.

anyone run with a cushion for the heel??

 

[tri-man 47]

Quick question to all: anyone else have problems with sweat on sunglasses? I have used headsweats and headbands, but still have a problem keeping sweat from getting on my sunglasses (= I don't race with them for that reason). Any suggestions?

I use a headband, and I don't have a problem.

There's a good chance I'm sweatier than most .

Does anyone else have comments about this? I'm debating on if I should go old school and wear a bandana. Not quite like this... Instead, I would fold it until it's about 2" wide then tie it. I remember my Dad doing this while mowing the lawn and doing other chores around the house. Thoughts?

Like gruecd suggests, you could do a sweatband or your bandana. Or ...just wear a hat. You can get 'running' hats that are very lightweight (and easily to rinse out and dry after a run/race) - a running store should have some. But you could just wear a regular cap as well, with the risk of it being less comfortable, especially on the forehead.

 

[tri-man 47]

alright FBGdocs, i am on week 4 of the couch potato to 5K plan again.

i am really struggling. not with my wind but with the shin splints. they are murder. i don't remember them hurting this bad the last time around. it's borderline unbearable.

heavy heel striker, slow pace, appx 5'11" - 225. is it the weight? is it the stride? is it the shoes?

what can i do?? my legs were numb for a solid 5 minutes after i finished last night.

Is the pain on the inside (medial) or outside (anterior) of the leg? Pronation in your stride could certainly be the cause. The right shoes can help, but it's also a matter of working on the stride and being cautious. I'd suggest you need to get away from just going out and running some miles and instead do some different things to focus on your stride. Do you have a track nearby where you can run some straightaways? Maybe start from a walk and increase into a running pace and see if/where your stride changes. Or just practice some long strides, or knee lifts ..try running a very short stretch but consciously land mid-sole or on the toes (or for the latter, 'bounce' up an incline on your toes). Try running quiet, and what feels different about that? Again, a lot of that will be different than just slugging out a mile or two.It wouldn't hurt, either, to do appropriate stretches at home. Work on your balance by standing on one foot and spreading out ala Superman (I do this and hold it for 15-30 seconds, and I can feel the leg muscles working to keep me balanced). For something very different, you could even work on running/striding in a pool, like at your mom's school.

shin splint information

----

Ivan, I got nuttin on the cast issue, other than noting that maybe you took the "HTFU" concept a bit too literally with your arm! Don't worry about the extra 'rest.' Take that as a positive, and run a solid race.

 

[2Young2BBald]

alright FBGdocs, i am on week 4 of the couch potato to 5K plan again.

i am really struggling. not with my wind but with the shin splints. they are murder. i don't remember them hurting this bad the last time around. it's borderline unbearable.

heavy heel striker, slow pace, appx 5'11" - 225. is it the weight? is it the stride? is it the shoes?

what can i do?? my legs were numb for a solid 5 minutes after i finished last night.

OxySox Seriously, these things are amazing and I have seen awesome results in my legs. Get over the "I am going to look like a dork" and get a pair.

 

[2Young2BBald]

Quick question to all: anyone else have problems with sweat on sunglasses? I have used headsweats and headbands, but still have a problem keeping sweat from getting on my sunglasses (= I don't race with them for that reason). Any suggestions?

I use a headband, and I don't have a problem.

There's a good chance I'm sweatier than most .

Does anyone else have comments about this? I'm debating on if I should go old school and wear a bandana. Not quite like this... Instead, I would fold it until it's about 2" wide then tie it. I remember my Dad doing this while mowing the lawn and doing other chores around the house. Thoughts?

Like gruecd suggests, you could do a sweatband or your bandana. Or ...just wear a hat. You can get 'running' hats that are very lightweight (and easily to rinse out and dry after a run/race) - a running store should have some. But you could just wear a regular cap as well, with the risk of it being less comfortable, especially on the forehead.

I bought these for the same problem. Being bald, I got nothing to stop the sweat from streaming down. The offset lens and anti-fog venting has worked wonders. Plus, they are polarized so it doen't look like I am stepping off a cliff when I look down.

 

[2Young2BBald]

1st day of speed work in preparation for the 5K part of Sprint-Tris. I tried something different. I did (2) miles just about as fast I could run, then walked a 1/4 mile, ran a slow 1/2 miles, walked a 1/4 mile and did two more miles alternating between 1/4 mile sprints and walks for a total of 5 miles. My legs were tired, but my wind was great (thank you swimming ).

 

[gruecd]

Four miles this afternoon. First one nice and easy at 7:50, progressively faster til last one at 7:16 (which still felt pretty easy). Best case scenario for tomorrow is sub-19. Base case is new PR (sub-19:23). Worst case sub-20:00. Best time in six previous attempts on this course is 19:36 (2007).

 

[2Young2BBald]

MN Guys, just saw a coupon code for The Minneapolis Marathon & 1/2 Marathon use ATHLINKS

 

[gruecd]

5K this morning was just OK. First couple of miles were pretty good (6:13, 6:17), but the hill at the end kicked my butt, and I finished right around 20 minutes. Not sure of my exact time, 'cuz I forgot to stop my watch. Not horribly upset, cuz it's a tough course. Lots of turns at the beginning, and the big hill at the end. Ran 3.25 miles there and 3.25 miles home for a total of 9.6 miles for the day. Off now to meet my mom for a pre-Mothers Day lunch....

 

[El Floppo]

Quick question to all: anyone else have problems with sweat on sunglasses? I have used headsweats and headbands, but still have a problem keeping sweat from getting on my sunglasses (= I don't race with them for that reason). Any suggestions?

I use a headband, and I don't have a problem.

There's a good chance I'm sweatier than most .

Does anyone else have comments about this? I'm debating on if I should go old school and wear a bandana. Not quite like this... Instead, I would fold it until it's about 2" wide then tie it. I remember my Dad doing this while mowing the lawn and doing other chores around the house. Thoughts?

I used to use a bandana... but it's the whole cotton thing- once it's wet, it's wet. Why not a wicking head-band?I have a huge, cro-magnin head, longish hair and I sweat buckets, so I have to use something. I have a real problem with glasses fogging and getting dripped on- one of the main reasons I always run in a running cap (headsweats tm)... that and the long hair. Strange- I didn't have as much a problem on the bike with it.

 

[El Floppo]

I bought these for the same problem. Being bald, I got nothing to stop the sweat from streaming down. The offset lens and anti-fog venting has worked wonders. Plus, they are polarized so it doen't look like I am stepping off a cliff when I look down.

Those look pretty nice... I"ll have to look into this.

 

[Sand]

EF, I wouldn't say that my overall swim speed is dramatically improving, but my ability to maintain speed is better at the latter stages of a swim, which is what I need for my tri racing (to keep a better overall pace and not be so tired for the remaining legs). The more concentrated effort also has helped to make good technique more 'automatic' for me. Two things that are helping me set a decent pace and then maintain that pace are (a) a full, long arm entry and reach (reaching long, pressing the armpit down, and getting a good 'grab' of the water), and (b) a focused pull, particularly from my midsection down past my trunk as I really push the water past my hips. Along with this, I just try and keep a rhythmic rotation from side to side. It's not about the kick; it's not about a faster speed/cadence. I tend to find that when I increase cadence, I don't do (a) and (b) as well, I take more strokes, and don't go any faster (and probably slow a bit 'cause I end up just kind of slapping my way along). My 'regular' speed is about a minute per lap. With more pool time and focused training, I can now maintain this pace for 1,500-2,000 yards. I feel it has helped to do longer sets at pace (30-40 laps, or 10-lap repeats), and shorter sets at a quicker pace (stronger, not faster, pull). "IN" before liquors highlights the benefit of counting strokes. I have noticed that my stroke count remains very steady through about 2,000 yards, which is encouraging.

So what kind of stroke counts do you actually run? I was feeling reasonably good today in the pool and was trying to lengthen out and be efficient. I was running at 34 strokes per 50 yds or thereabouts. That ended up equating to a 1:25 / 100yd average. I just need to extend my endurance to more than the 400 yds I was able to keep up (woefully out of shape swimming). I have no idea what a "good" stroke count is or what kind of times to aim for.Did I mention my back, lats, and tris are about to revolt? Definitely need to work on muscular endurance - aerobically I was doing fairly decently. I'm gonna be walking like an old, old man tomorrow.