Ran a 10k in June (4 Viewers)

[jonmhend]

RnR Az - Wish I could label this a "race report" but as you'll see, there wasn't much racing in it.

Some minor points - 40K people for a race is too many logistically. We started downtown and ended up at Sun Devil stadium so they had us park at the Stadium and take shuttles to the start line. Got there 2 hours early, parked and quickly went to find the shuttle. The shuttle line took 40 min. The shuttle ride took 40 min (15 min ride, 25 min with traffic downtown). So its about 10-15 min before race time and I had been up for 3 hours and needed to use the facility - 20 people deep. Finish up there, drop off my gear bag and hustle to the corral area 15 min late. Great start.

As for the race - even with 40K people, I thought it would spread out and there wouldn't be as much people dodging after a few miles. But it was pretty much constant the entire race.

You may remember I've been having trouble with my knee on my longer runs. Generally it hits somewhere in the 8-10 mile range. Yesterday it hit at mile 3. Mentally and physically that hurt. Sucked because I never got to test my fitness level. Never had the HR go above 163 and my muscles all feel completely fine (immediately after the race and today). Started running with a limp about mile 8 and tried walking a bit at the water stations to see if that would help. My goal pace was 9 min miles but I knew by mile 5 that wasn't happening.

On the one hand I was proud that I sucked it up and finished. On the other hand it was a very disappointing day. I'm really glad I ran the race in early Dec. If this had been my only 1/2 the last few months, it would have felt like I wasted the training effort.

Anyway, now I've got to deal with the knee. It pretty much locked up at the finish line. I couldn't bend the knee to walk at all. Took 30 min to waddle back to the car. So ice and stretching are in the cards for the next week or so then next week I'll get in some shorter runs and start to mix in some cross-training.

ETA - forgot to mention my time. Just under 2:08. Also sucks when you know there is no way you're going to hit your goal at mile 5.

 

[gruecd]

Also sucks when you know there is no way you're going to hit your goal at mile 5.

Happens to the best of us, GB. Get some rest this week, take care of that knee, and get 'em next time. Way to HTFU.

I ran a pretty hard 12 this afternoon to get a sense for where I am a couple of weeks in advance of the half. I was pleasantly surprised with a 7:17 pace...just checked and I had negative splits on each of the last 9 miles (last one at 6:48). I'm feeling it a little in the legs tonight; plan to ramp down the miles significantly in the next couple of weeks.

Nice work. I think you're sandbagging a little bit with that 1:40 goal time of yours. Judging from Saturday's run, I think you could easily go sub-1:35, especially with a proper taper.

 

[BassNBrew]

RnR Az - Wish I could label this a "race report" but as you'll see, there wasn't much racing in it.Some minor points - 40K people for a race is too many logistically. We started downtown and ended up at Sun Devil stadium so they had us park at the Stadium and take shuttles to the start line. Got there 2 hours early, parked and quickly went to find the shuttle. The shuttle line took 40 min. The shuttle ride took 40 min (15 min ride, 25 min with traffic downtown). So its about 10-15 min before race time and I had been up for 3 hours and needed to use the facility - 20 people deep. Finish up there, drop off my gear bag and hustle to the corral area 15 min late. Great start.As for the race - even with 40K people, I thought it would spread out and there wouldn't be as much people dodging after a few miles. But it was pretty much constant the entire race.You may remember I've been having trouble with my knee on my longer runs. Generally it hits somewhere in the 8-10 mile range. Yesterday it hit at mile 3. Mentally and physically that hurt. Sucked because I never got to test my fitness level. Never had the HR go above 163 and my muscles all feel completely fine (immediately after the race and today). Started running with a limp about mile 8 and tried walking a bit at the water stations to see if that would help. My goal pace was 9 min miles but I knew by mile 5 that wasn't happening.On the one hand I was proud that I sucked it up and finished. On the other hand it was a very disappointing day. I'm really glad I ran the race in early Dec. If this had been my only 1/2 the last few months, it would have felt like I wasted the training effort.Anyway, now I've got to deal with the knee. It pretty much locked up at the finish line. I couldn't bend the knee to walk at all. Took 30 min to waddle back to the car. So ice and stretching are in the cards for the next week or so then next week I'll get in some shorter runs and start to mix in some cross-training.ETA - forgot to mention my time. Just under 2:08. Also sucks when you know there is no way you're going to hit your goal at mile 5.

You're still faster one legged than many of us on our best day. Congrats on finishing.Wow that pre-race scene sounds crazy.

 

[tri-man 47]

Way to hang tough, jonmhend!!! I hope you heal up quickly.

 

[jonmhend]

Thanks guys.

Any way to know if the knee was the IT band issue without going to the doc?

Assuming that's what it is, is this just a matter of letting it heal and then doing a better job of stretching? Or is this something about the anatomy of my knee that will continue to be an issue? Is it possible I did any damage to the knee by continuing? Any suggestions/advice is appreciated.

 

[BassNBrew]

Thanks guys.Any way to know if the knee was the IT band issue without going to the doc?Assuming that's what it is, is this just a matter of letting it heal and then doing a better job of stretching? Or is this something about the anatomy of my knee that will continue to be an issue? Is it possible I did any damage to the knee by continuing? Any suggestions/advice is appreciated.

Try the stretches I suggested on the last page. If it's the IT band things will get better in a hurry.Do you have pain when you poke at it while you're sitting down?I highly doubt that you damaged anything in the knee by continuing.

 

[jonmhend]

Thanks guys.

Any way to know if the knee was the IT band issue without going to the doc?

Assuming that's what it is, is this just a matter of letting it heal and then doing a better job of stretching? Or is this something about the anatomy of my knee that will continue to be an issue? Is it possible I did any damage to the knee by continuing? Any suggestions/advice is appreciated.

Try the stretches I suggested on the last page. If it's the IT band things will get better in a hurry.Do you have pain when you poke at it while you're sitting down?

I highly doubt that you damaged anything in the knee by continuing.

Thanks - I'll look at those again.When I'm sitting and not moving/flexing the knee, there isn't any pain. If I rub/poke at it, its sore, but not like I experienced during/immediately after the run. Its on the outside of my knee. If you flex the knee more than 90 degrees then follow the crease made by the flex towards the kneecap, the pain is just to the north of that crease line. So it seems to be pretty close to where the thigh muscle attaches to the joint.

ETA - just found this link on the ITB. Looks like the pain is exactly where the band attaches to the knee joint.

 

[Sand]

After two days off I went out for my long run today - oof. Wanted 10-11 miles and quit after eight. Legs were burning after two. Called it after 8 - surprised I held an 8:45 pace (what is typically my long slow distance pace). Legs are a ball of soreness now. I had been a tad bit under the weather this weekend, but never thought it was this bad.

So only 16 miles last week and this week's start is for suck. I need to HTFU and get some running done - the half getting pretty darn close.

 

[BassNBrew]

Thanks guys.

Any way to know if the knee was the IT band issue without going to the doc?

Assuming that's what it is, is this just a matter of letting it heal and then doing a better job of stretching? Or is this something about the anatomy of my knee that will continue to be an issue? Is it possible I did any damage to the knee by continuing? Any suggestions/advice is appreciated.

Try the stretches I suggested on the last page. If it's the IT band things will get better in a hurry.Do you have pain when you poke at it while you're sitting down?

I highly doubt that you damaged anything in the knee by continuing.

Thanks - I'll look at those again.When I'm sitting and not moving/flexing the knee, there isn't any pain. If I rub/poke at it, its sore, but not like I experienced during/immediately after the run. Its on the outside of my knee. If you flex the knee more than 90 degrees then follow the crease made by the flex towards the kneecap, the pain is just to the north of that crease line. So it seems to be pretty close to where the thigh muscle attaches to the joint.

ETA - just found this link on the ITB. Looks like the pain is exactly where the band attaches to the knee joint.

My IT issue got so bad I had to lift my left leg in and out of the car and was limping everywhere. I wasn't running and it continue to get worse. Knowing nithing about IT bands, I though I had messed up my knee. Went to the doc and that sob poked and prodded with know mercy. They took and x-ray and then decided to sent me to a PT. They showed me some stretches and in three weeks it was good as new. On occasion I'll feel the twinge and one day of strecthing remedies the issue.

 

[Juxtatarot]

I haven't posted in a while but wanted to give a brief report on my Arizona Rock 'n Roll Marathon yesterday.

I didn't experience any of the logistical issues Jonmhend did. The hotel provided a van to the start line that went smoothly. There were many less full marathoners than halfers so congestion wasn't a problem at all during the race.

I had an "official" goal of 3:30 but told myself ahead of time that I should be happy with 3:40. My PR is 3:26 in Chicago last year. However, I hadn't prepared well enough to beat it. Winter training in Illinois isn't too fun. I also took a bit too much time off during the holidays and had been resting a hip injury that probably came from stretching out the mileage too quickly.

I was pleased with the start. Nice and cool. Tried to keep myself at my 8 minute-mile pace but found myself running 7:45s or so. I finished the half at 1:40 and I was feeling great. There was some pain in my hip but it was tolerable and didn't seem to be getting worse.

Started tiring quickly at mile 18 or so but managed to stay on pace though 20. My 20 mile split was 2:35 (7:45 pace).

Then things feel apart. Completely exhausted and struggled with my pace. I averaged over 9 minute-miles after mile 22.

Finished at 3:32 (8:06ish pace). It was a little disappointing since I felt so good the first half but it wasn't realistic to do much better since I didn't train as hard as a should have.

I won't run another marathon until Chicago (October 2010). My goal will be to qualify for Boston. I turn 40 in September so I get a little extra time than the youngsters -- 3:20, I believe. That would be 6 minutes better than my PR and 12 minutes better than yesterday, but I think I can do it if I put in the time and sweat and, of course, stay healthy.

 

[BassNBrew]

I haven't posted in a while but wanted to give a brief report on my Arizona Rock 'n Roll Marathon yesterday.I didn't experience any of the logistical issues Jonmhend did. The hotel provided a van to the start line that went smoothly. There were many less full marathoners than halfers so congestion wasn't a problem at all during the race. I had an "official" goal of 3:30 but told myself ahead of time that I should be happy with 3:40. My PR is 3:26 in Chicago last year. However, I hadn't prepared well enough to beat it. Winter training in Illinois isn't too fun. I also took a bit too much time off during the holidays and had been resting a hip injury that probably came from stretching out the mileage too quickly.I was pleased with the start. Nice and cool. Tried to keep myself at my 8 minute-mile pace but found myself running 7:45s or so. I finished the half at 1:40 and I was feeling great. There was some pain in my hip but it was tolerable and didn't seem to be getting worse. Started tiring quickly at mile 18 or so but managed to stay on pace though 20. My 20 mile split was 2:35 (7:45 pace). Then things feel apart. Completely exhausted and struggled with my pace. I averaged over 9 minute-miles after mile 22. Finished at 3:32 (8:06ish pace). It was a little disappointing since I felt so good the first half but it wasn't realistic to do much better since I didn't train as hard as a should have.I won't run another marathon until Chicago (October 2010). My goal will be to qualify for Boston. I turn 40 in September so I get a little extra time than the youngsters -- 3:20, I believe. That would be 6 minutes better than my PR and 12 minutes better than yesterday, but I think I can do it if I put in the time and sweat and, of course, stay healthy.

Congrats and well done. The way i look at it, you were 3/4's of the way to Boston without doing the training you would have liked to have.

 

[Sand]

I won't run another marathon until Chicago (October 2010). My goal will be to qualify for Boston. I turn 40 in September so I get a little extra time than the youngsters -- 3:20, I believe. That would be 6 minutes better than my PR and 12 minutes better than yesterday, but I think I can do it if I put in the time and sweat and, of course, stay healthy.

Killer race (seriously - that is a superb time).BTW, at 40 you get 3:20:59 to get your BQ.

 

[Juxtatarot]

BTW, at 40 you get 3:20:59 to get your BQ.

That's right! I had forgotten about the 59 second thing. That might come in handy.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Johnmed, Juxt - great races. You still got out there, ran and finished. That is a good thing.

As for me I have been pluggin the miles away and came up with some good things since last Thursday.

1/14 - Ran half mile intervals for the first time. Did them between 6:30 and 6:50 pace. This was much quicker than I anticipated. Any thoughts on this. My thought is that the quicker I can do these the better. Is this an acurate thought if my marathon pace is 7:30 or 7:15? My workout said that I should be doing them at 5K pace which I guess is just about right.

1/15 - Off Day

1/16 - 6 miles at marathon pace. did them in about 7:26. I was estatic for this. I had thought that I had totally lost my speed with all the snow and everything. Saturday was great and almost 50. I was able to run in shorts and was a great run.

1/17 - 8 miles at an easy pace for my long run of the week.

1/18 - 4 mile recovery run. Nothing to note for this one.

Overall, I am really happy. I seem to be slowed down by the clothing for cold weather. I think I just need to push myself a bit more when wearing it to get better overall. Not really worried though unless I start seeing bad results when I am not wearing all the layers.

-----------------------

Update on Sam: Finally we are done going to the doctors. We met yesterday and they are satisfied with the testing they have done that the hearing loss just is and they will monitor it and stay on top of it to see if it gets worse. They are not thinking it will get worse, but if it does they think they can handle anything that comes up. We are satisfied with this as these are some of the best doctors in the country so they know their stuff. We are just happy to get some positives and he will receive his hearing aid in a couple of weeks. It will really help him catch up with where he should be on speech (as long as he does not flush it down the toilet or sits on it).

Thanks again for all the thoughts and well wishes through out the whole thing. The support has been great.

 

[DolphinsPhan]

Been away from posting for awhile. had my first training run for my spring 1/2 marathon this morning. Not too bad getting up at 4:30 and running in 25 degree weather. Early morning running is way better than end of day running.

Can someone please recommend a good pair of gloves? My Nike ones are crap and my fingertips freeze. Thx.

 

[DolphinsPhan]

Johnmed, Juxt - great races. You still got out there, ran and finished. That is a good thing.

As for me I have been pluggin the miles away and came up with some good things since last Thursday.

1/14 - Ran half mile intervals for the first time. Did them between 6:30 and 6:50 pace. This was much quicker than I anticipated. Any thoughts on this. My thought is that the quicker I can do these the better. Is this an acurate thought if my marathon pace is 7:30 or 7:15? My workout said that I should be doing them at 5K pace which I guess is just about right.

1/15 - Off Day

1/16 - 6 miles at marathon pace. did them in about 7:26. I was estatic for this. I had thought that I had totally lost my speed with all the snow and everything. Saturday was great and almost 50. I was able to run in shorts and was a great run.

1/17 - 8 miles at an easy pace for my long run of the week.

1/18 - 4 mile recovery run. Nothing to note for this one.

Overall, I am really happy. I seem to be slowed down by the clothing for cold weather. I think I just need to push myself a bit more when wearing it to get better overall. Not really worried though unless I start seeing bad results when I am not wearing all the layers.

-----------------------

Update on Sam: Finally we are done going to the doctors. We met yesterday and they are satisfied with the testing they have done that the hearing loss just is and they will monitor it and stay on top of it to see if it gets worse. They are not thinking it will get worse, but if it does they think they can handle anything that comes up. We are satisfied with this as these are some of the best doctors in the country so they know their stuff. We are just happy to get some positives and he will receive his hearing aid in a couple of weeks. It will really help him catch up with where he should be on speech (as long as he does not flush it down the toilet or sits on it).

Thanks again for all the thoughts and well wishes through out the whole thing. The support has been great.

That's good news. Happy for your family.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Pm: Great news about Sam!

2Young: keep us posted on your new toy, as I love my 305; but could be convinced to upgrade.

Juxt and Johnm GREAT races! John; get your stretches in. I have a couple friends who struggle with the same issues, but stretching is helping them immensely.

TriMan: great to see that you are still plugging away. I don't like reverse bricks, which probably means I need to do them more often. I seem to be able to run much faster after getting off a bike, but bike much slower after finishing a run.

_____________________

My Update:

I'm slowly/tentatively getting back at it. On Saturday I got a slow and comfortable 4 mile run in. My calves ached a bit, but no pain after. Sunday, I completed 85 minutes (of the 120) of the No Mercy Spinervals dvd on Saturday, and it was easily the most rewarding indoor ride I've ever had. I really felt pushed/challenged, but was able to find extra energy when asked. I followed that with a really good arm and core workout. Yesterday, I had planned on getting a run in, in the afternoon, but our 4 year old wanted her training wheels off, and miraculously, she took off riding immediately = ZERO falls, zero assistance, just immediate bike riding. I rode with her literally the rest of the afternoon, just doing loops in our neighborhood. She had pure joy, which means I experienced pure joy. This morning I made up for the run, by getting up at 4:50am to get a 5 miler in. I'm still running slow, but not having pain beats speed (at least for now).

 

[tri-man 47]

Can someone please recommend a good pair of gloves? My Nike ones are crap and my fingertips freeze. Thx.

Don't want to sound like Captain Obvious, but have you tried just pulling your fingers back into a fist, letting the finger parts of the gloves hang loose? That should help a lot. I have a long-sleeved, heavier running shirt that is designed long enough to have a thumb slot ...hook the thumb through, and it keeps the sleeve over the top of my hand (where I often get cold). That, and the fisted hands within my gloves, keeps me comfortable.Juxt - way to hang tough and nail a strong marathon time! Hanging on isn't the fun way to do it, but that's the challenge of that distance. Congrats, you soon-to-be Masters runner!!!!

pmb - thanks for the update on Sam I Am.

Update on my new Iron Gym gadget (essentially a pull-up bar for use on a door frame): The first couple of attempts were comically bad. My daughter laughed when I told her that on my first attempt, I did 2. She laughed more when I admitted it was actually two sets of 1. But after a couple other tries, I've quickly adapted and did 10 reps last night (3, 3, 2, 2). But that's the point - I knew I needed this to address things I can't do with push-ups and dumbells, or without going to a gym.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Can someone please recommend a good pair of gloves? My Nike ones are crap and my fingertips freeze. Thx.

Just use a pair of running socks = will keep your fingers warm, without making them "hot." Can also be easily removed and stored w/o fear of losing them. Tri-Man: we just purchased one as well, as Mrs. Liquors has to do pull-ups for her po-po training. I can currently only do 6, but will be working to improve as well.

 

[BassNBrew]

Can someone please recommend a good pair of gloves? My Nike ones are crap and my fingertips freeze. Thx.

Just use a pair of running socks = will keep your fingers warm, without making them "hot." Can also be easily removed and stored w/o fear of losing them. Tri-Man: we just purchased one as well, as Mrs. Liquors has to do pull-ups for her po-po training. I can currently only do 6, but will be working to improve as well.

Gloves - Something in a loose fit that wicks sweat.

 

[prosopis]

Johnmed, Juxt - great races. You still got out there, ran and finished. That is a good thing.As for me I have been pluggin the miles away and came up with some good things since last Thursday.1/14 - Ran half mile intervals for the first time. Did them between 6:30 and 6:50 pace. This was much quicker than I anticipated. Any thoughts on this. My thought is that the quicker I can do these the better. Is this an acurate thought if my marathon pace is 7:30 or 7:15? My workout said that I should be doing them at 5K pace which I guess is just about right.1/15 - Off Day1/16 - 6 miles at marathon pace. did them in about 7:26. I was estatic for this. I had thought that I had totally lost my speed with all the snow and everything. Saturday was great and almost 50. I was able to run in shorts and was a great run.1/17 - 8 miles at an easy pace for my long run of the week.1/18 - 4 mile recovery run. Nothing to note for this one.Overall, I am really happy. I seem to be slowed down by the clothing for cold weather. I think I just need to push myself a bit more when wearing it to get better overall. Not really worried though unless I start seeing bad results when I am not wearing all the layers.-----------------------Update on Sam: Finally we are done going to the doctors. We met yesterday and they are satisfied with the testing they have done that the hearing loss just is and they will monitor it and stay on top of it to see if it gets worse. They are not thinking it will get worse, but if it does they think they can handle anything that comes up. We are satisfied with this as these are some of the best doctors in the country so they know their stuff. We are just happy to get some positives and he will receive his hearing aid in a couple of weeks. It will really help him catch up with where he should be on speech (as long as he does not flush it down the toilet or sits on it).Thanks again for all the thoughts and well wishes through out the whole thing. The support has been great.

Excellent news about Sam.

 

[gruecd]

Hey, guys. Was planning on taking today off to rest my knee, but I had an all-around crappy day, so I needed to run, and I needed to run fast. So I basically said "eff you" to my knee and headed out. Did a hard fartlek workout, finishing with 7 miles in 52:14 (7:28 average) and including one fast mile in the middle at 6:44. Knee hurt a little bit the first 2-3 miles, but then it pretty much went away. All I know is that I've definitely got some work to do if I wanna average 6:52 pace at Chicago this fall....

PMB - Glad to hear the good news about your boy.

 

[DolphinsPhan]

Thanks for all of the glove advice. I have done the pulling back the fingers thing. The problem for me is that I like to carry my iPod in my hand (and yes I have an arm band holder but don't like to use it), so I need to keep my fingers extended. I know it's my own fault...

Did some speedwork this morning. Haven't done real speedwork in ages. Did 5x400s...4 miles in total. Felt pretty good even though it was 4:30 in the morning and 27 degrees out!

 

[Sand]

Thanks for all of the glove advice. I have done the pulling back the fingers thing. The problem for me is that I like to carry my iPod in my hand (and yes I have an arm band holder but don't like to use it), so I need to keep my fingers extended. I know it's my own fault...

Did some speedwork this morning. Haven't done real speedwork in ages. Did 5x400s...4 miles in total. Felt pretty good even though it was 4:30 in the morning and 27 degrees out!

I clip my MP3 player to the band on the back of my cap. Out of the way and the extraneous wires can get tucked away inside the cap. Maybe that will work for you?

 

[gruecd]

Saw my PT this morning about my sore knee. Apparently my illium (illia?) was rotated, which created an imbalance causing tightness in my hip flexor and rectus femoris, which in turn caused the knee inflammation/pain. Does that make sense? In any case, he adjusted the rotation and told me that I could keep running, and to just use anti-inflammatories and ice on the knee.

P.S. While I was busy trying to figure out what all that meant, I found this article online about dealing with different kinds of knee pain. Seems like a good one to print and sock away for a rainy day.

DolphinsPhan - Seriously? At 27 degrees you should barely need gloves. Sheesh.

Later dudes!

 

[Dexter]

Hey everyone Sorry I haven't been posting anything in a while. Just an FYI my wife had our baby last week. I took a good 3-4 weeks off.

Yesterday - 1.5 miles

Today - 3 miles SLOW and I mean SLOOOOOOOOOOW 10+ minute miles

 

[prosopis]

Hey everyone Sorry I haven't been posting anything in a while. Just an FYI my wife had our baby last week. I took a good 3-4 weeks off.Yesterday - 1.5 milesToday - 3 miles SLOW and I mean SLOOOOOOOOOOW 10+ minute miles

Congratulations!!!!!!!You need one of those papoos things to run with the baby now.

 

[Sand]

Saw my PT this morning about my sore knee. Apparently my illium (illia?) was rotated, which created an imbalance causing tightness in my hip flexor and rectus femoris, which in turn caused the knee inflammation/pain. Does that make sense?

No freakin' clue - but I'm glad a doctor did!On my end I finally got a good run in today. I wanted to do a typical Wednesday run -a few miles at moderate pace and then a few miles at tempo pace. When I got there it was looking mighty rainy/gloomy, so I basically said f### it and just took off and did as strong a run as I could to beat the rain (considering I did some decent leg weight work at lunch). I ended up at:Mile 1 7:26Mile 2 7:29Mile 3 7:51Mile 4 7:35Mile 5 7:41Not bad. Mile 3 was hilly (well, kinda). Overall a decent clip for where I am at. I am hoping to get healthy, rested, and dialed in for my half in February.

 

[tri-man 47]

Dexter - congrats!!! As I've said before, an early goal of mine when my two kids were little was to be running/competing strong when they were old enough to appreciate it. My 21 y.o. daughter now loves to come to races with me and cheer me on. Very cool. So get back at it ...but keep the long view in mind, too! Congrats again!

 

[Sand]

Hey everyone Sorry I haven't been posting anything in a while. Just an FYI my wife had our baby last week. I took a good 3-4 weeks off.

Awesome - congrats! Watching the wife in labor hard work. You needed that 3 weeks off!

 

[gruecd]

Congrats, Dexter. Time to go buy one of those fancy "Baby Jogger" thingeys, if you don't have one already.

No running for me yesterday, but I did do some more stretching and icing and NSAID-ing, and the knee is feeling pretty good today. Gonna do more of the same today, and I see my PT again at 3:15 for some more stretching and stuff. As long as I'm not too sore afterwards, I'm hoping to get out for at least 8 miles or so afterwards. It just sucks because I'm totally ready mentally to get back into my training routine.

 

[pigskinliquors]

Dexter: Congratulations!!!!! Nothing cooler, or scarier than having a newborn!

Gruecd: Great that you now know the problem, and it's not serious.

Tri-Man: I can't wait until my girls (4 and 8) can start coming with me to races without having to have another parent there to watch them! From the first time you told me/us that about your daughter, I've envisioned mine doing the same.

_____________________________

My update:

Yesterday I did just 72 minutes of Spinervals, as I was really pressed for time, and this morning I had a nice 5 mile run. I'm still going extremely slow to be cautious, but my legs felt better today than they have. I'll shoot for a 7-8 miler this weekend, and if all is well, start a bit of speed work next week.

I also might have a much better chance at losing weight over the next 3-6 months than I anticipated. Two of my best friends, who I drink w/ approx. 4 nights a week (Thurs = poker and/or football night, Friday and Saturday our families get together and then usually one random day/night), are having liver issues and need to go on the same medication which doesn't allow them to drink alcohol. They need to take it for 3 months, get re-tested, and if the results haven't changed much, go for another 3 months. I should be worried about my liver as well, but for one of them it is due to being quite a bit overweight and high cholesterol, and for the other it is genetic. I will have a full physical in the Spring though just to check.

 

[pmbrown_22]

Congratulations Dexter. One of the few things that brings more joy to me than getting out and pounding a few miles is spending time with my boys. Remeber that you will hopefully always be able to run, but you can't get back the time you spend with your kids.

---------------------

As for me, I did a 6 miler on Tuesday and yesterday I did 4 miles on the Dreadmill. Nothing special. Tonight I have to do some hills. I have not done hill repeats in quite some time so it should be interesting. I am enjoying the variety in my workout though. It really does give me something to look forward to or dread in some cases.

 

[Keggers]

Congrats Dexter!!!

I just got done with a 4 mile tempo run (7:30)....with a mile warm up and a mile cool down for 6 total. Also, here's the first thing the girlfriend said when she got home, "I'm going for a run, then we're going out for a few drinks." Plus, when we get back we're making shrimp scampi. Hooray for me!

 

[2Young2BBald]

Busy & CRAPPY week at work and trying to catch up here.

Congratulations on the kiddo Dexter. Folks here a right, there is no greater lift than the motivation that comes from our kids. Right around the time my daughter was born was when I really started focusing on my health and began running. While I did it for my health alone, it has grown to be something I share with my wife and now with the kids.

Gruecd, bummer about the bum wheel.

PMB, great update on your son!!

DolphinsPhan, as the gear ho I am, I have a glove recommendation. I typically just use the cheap meat packer gloves, but when it is really cold and I need to be able to push buttons on the Garmin or iPod, I have a pair of Spyders that I'll wear. They are fabric for nose wiping, but have some grippy stuff on them to get a handle on things.

__________________________________

My update, I am on track to have my biggest swim and bike months ever. I am already above 9 miles swam this month (with 2 more sessions to go) and have a couple of long rides planned to get the ride miles in. Running-wise, I am having a small calf problem that I think is related to running in the YakTrax. Ever since my snow run, they have been achy, but only when I run and have no impact when I ride or swim. I am going to try and get in a longer run Saturday to see where they are at. I am loving the new Garmin. I bought the speed & cadence monitor that pairs with the device, so I now have information overload.

PSL, Wraith & BNB, do you have links to, or a simple way to explain HRM information. I think I have the hang of it, but want to see if I can begin to analyze things a bit more on the bike and the run. I have much lower resting heart rate than I expected. I'll hove at the low 60s and even drop in to the high 50s (and have read as low as 53). I set my resting heart rate at 65 and my high end using the 220 - my age to establish the 5 ranges. WHat is strange is that I did as hard a 30 minutes as I could ride on the trainer and never got above 150, but did a tired 3 miles on the treadmill last night and was constantly in the low 150s and peaked at 172 during a 1/4 mile sprint at the finish. So, obviously I have a lot to learn.

Swim question for Sand, Floppo, PSL & Tri-Man. They have packed my evening swims to the point where there are now 2 and 3 people in a lane every swim. In the same pool, they have a large diving well that is probably 20 yards by 15 yards. I was thinking I could swim the well to simulate open water swimming by circling and crossing the well without touching the walls. I figure it would be good to practice spotting and getting a feeling for constant swimming instead of touching the wall every 25 yards. PLus, it'll give me some free space. Thoughts?

 

[El Floppo]

Swim question for Sand, Floppo, PSL & Tri-Man. They have packed my evening swims to the point where there are now 2 and 3 people in a lane every swim. In the same pool, they have a large diving well that is probably 20 yards by 15 yards. I was thinking I could swim the well to simulate open water swimming by circling and crossing the well without touching the walls. I figure it would be good to practice spotting and getting a feeling for constant swimming instead of touching the wall every 25 yards. PLus, it'll give me some free space. Thoughts?

making 90 deg turns that often doesn't sound like a good plan to me. you want to be focusing on your stroke as much as possible and I don't see that swimming in the bell is going to help.either go straight and back over the 20 yards in the bell to get some free space or stick with the normal pool. I hear your pain, but you could argue that crowded = race conditions.for spotting, I used to do a spotting workout once in a while- every 10-12 strokes, push down with your lead hand as it's coming back and push yourself up enough to get a look... hopefully doesn't screw up your stroke too much. my old coaches used to preach frequent spotting, especially for us slower swimmers- but I'd always end up getting lazy about it.

 

[BassNBrew]

PSL, Wraith & BNB, do you have links to, or a simple way to explain HRM information. I think I have the hang of it, but want to see if I can begin to analyze things a bit more on the bike and the run. I have much lower resting heart rate than I expected. I'll hove at the low 60s and even drop in to the high 50s (and have read as low as 53). I set my resting heart rate at 65 and my high end using the 220 - my age to establish the 5 ranges. WHat is strange is that I did as hard a 30 minutes as I could ride on the trainer and never got above 150, but did a tired 3 miles on the treadmill last night and was constantly in the low 150s and peaked at 172 during a 1/4 mile sprint at the finish. So, obviously I have a lot to learn.

First of all, toss the age thing and resting heart rate info out. Best thing to do would be a VO2 / lacate threshold lab test. This would nail down your various zones. In lieu of that, the best way I find to get your max heart is would be via running. I would suggest outside because you need to go to the point that probably isn't safe or comfortable on the treadmill. Run your 5k race pace and then sprint 400 yards at the end until you are ready to puke and collapse. That said, your max heart rate isn't much value to you. More important is your lactate threashold HR. I'm not sure how to find this running, but on a bike you want to warm up and then do a 20 minute TT as hard as you can, but consisted in effort. You'll want to warm up for 20-30 minutes beforehand including some hard 1-2 minute efforts. Record your average HR over the last 10 minutes and that will be a good indicator of the HR when you cross over from arobic to anerobic. Personally I think this is very hard to do on a trainer because it difficult for me to know what hard is w/o real world feedback...pace/speed/watts. When I do a spin class I feel like I'm going hard at 150 bpm when I know 167 is hard. The other problem with stationary riding or treadmill is that you're losing the cooling effect so percieved hard as well as real hard come earlier.For me, my max HR is in the low 180s, resting HR in the upper 40s. The age thing would put it lower. Threshold is at 167-168 and numerous TT efforts confirm this. 168+ and where intervals are done in season after base is built. 157-167 is race pace for events around an hour and where I do hard tempo work. 147-157 where I do longer tempo work (usually to the upper end). 137-147 would be my zone for base building. 127 is my arobic base where I'm most efficient buring fat.

 

[gruecd]

Gruecd, bummer about the bum wheel.

No worries. My PT says it's OK to run through it, and although it's kinda sore the first couple of miles, it feels fine once everything loosens up. Did an easy five miles tonight after work, and I'm getting up early to do 15 miles before work tomorrow since I'm heading out of town this weekend.

 

[Juxtatarot]

My PT says it's OK to run through it,

Just curious, what does PT stand for?

 

[Juxtatarot]

My PT says it's OK to run through it,

Just curious, what does PT stand for?

Never mind, figured it out...physical therapist. My mind keep thinking personal trainer but I knew that couldn't be right!

 

[prosopis]

My PT says it's OK to run through it,

Just curious, what does PT stand for?

Never mind, figured it out...physical therapist. My mind keep thinking personal trainer but I knew that couldn't be right!

You may be surprised.

 

[Sand]

Swim question for Sand, Floppo, PSL & Tri-Man. They have packed my evening swims to the point where there are now 2 and 3 people in a lane every swim. In the same pool, they have a large diving well that is probably 20 yards by 15 yards. I was thinking I could swim the well to simulate open water swimming by circling and crossing the well without touching the walls. I figure it would be good to practice spotting and getting a feeling for constant swimming instead of touching the wall every 25 yards. PLus, it'll give me some free space. Thoughts?

making 90 deg turns that often doesn't sound like a good plan to me. you want to be focusing on your stroke as much as possible and I don't see that swimming in the bell is going to help.

Honestly I wouldn't do this. I'd rather share lanes - 3 people to a lane isn't that bad. The resolution folks packing the pool will be gone in a few weeks, anyway.---On my end I did my longest swim session ever - 3600 yds. I ran a hard run yesterday and got some wicked calf cramps tonight at the end of my swim. Other than than it was a good workout. Definitely lets you forget the pressures of the day.

 

[BassNBrew]

Swim question for Sand, Floppo, PSL & Tri-Man. They have packed my evening swims to the point where there are now 2 and 3 people in a lane every swim. In the same pool, they have a large diving well that is probably 20 yards by 15 yards. I was thinking I could swim the well to simulate open water swimming by circling and crossing the well without touching the walls. I figure it would be good to practice spotting and getting a feeling for constant swimming instead of touching the wall every 25 yards. PLus, it'll give me some free space. Thoughts?

making 90 deg turns that often doesn't sound like a good plan to me. you want to be focusing on your stroke as much as possible and I don't see that swimming in the bell is going to help.

Honestly I wouldn't do this. I'd rather share lanes - 3 people to a lane isn't that bad. The resolution folks packing the pool will be gone in a few weeks, anyway.---On my end I did my longest swim session ever - 3600 yds. I ran a hard run yesterday and got some wicked calf cramps tonight at the end of my swim. Other than than it was a good workout. Definitely lets you forget the pressures of the day.

Makes my 750 yards this morning look like...well...not much.

 

[BassNBrew]

Freaking rain has been the suck this year. Can't wait to get in a long outdoor ride in the mountains.

 

[BassNBrew]

300 pages and counting.

 

[gruecd]

Heading out of town this weekend, and I wanted to get my long run done and over with, so I dragged my butt out of bed this morning at 4 AM for a pre-work 15-miler. Averaged 8:03 pace with a nice negative split.

Time to shower and get to work. Have a great weekend, guys!!

 

[pmbrown_22]

Did my hill repeats yesterday in the rain. Still had a great run as I did a mile warm up 4 quarter mile hill repeats and a two mile cool down. I looked as if I had been swimming when I got back.

Question for those that do hill repeats a lot. What pace should I be doing these in? I did them as fast as I could...My pace was somewhere in the 6:40 range by my garmin so I am not sure if this is good or not. I did not really feel all that tired, and felt as though I completed them easily enough. My plan does not give me a pacing requirement for this so I am at a loss.

 

[Third]

Did my mid-week tempo run last night (after spending all day flying back home from S. Carolina). Did 6 miles at a 7:54 pace. By far my best pace at that distance.

 

[tri-man 47]

Swim question for Sand, Floppo, PSL & Tri-Man. They have packed my evening swims to the point where there are now 2 and 3 people in a lane every swim. In the same pool, they have a large diving well that is probably 20 yards by 15 yards. I was thinking I could swim the well to simulate open water swimming by circling and crossing the well without touching the walls. I figure it would be good to practice spotting and getting a feeling for constant swimming instead of touching the wall every 25 yards. PLus, it'll give me some free space. Thoughts?

making 90 deg turns that often doesn't sound like a good plan to me. you want to be focusing on your stroke as much as possible and I don't see that swimming in the bell is going to help.

Honestly I wouldn't do this. I'd rather share lanes - 3 people to a lane isn't that bad. The resolution folks packing the pool will be gone in a few weeks, anyway.---

On my end I did my longest swim session ever - 3600 yds. I ran a hard run yesterday and got some wicked calf cramps tonight at the end of my swim. Other than than it was a good workout. Definitely lets you forget the pressures of the day.

Makes my 750 yards this morning look like...well...not much.

I haven't been in the pool since the first week of December! I agree with the others, 2Young, and vote against the wall-less loops ...too much effort to turn with no race-specific benefit from that. You could use the 20 yard length for some serious kick work or quick sprints - sprint hard down, and lollygag back; repeat a lot. You could also work on alt breathing or extending breathing (do the length with just one, or no, breaths). Or some one arm swimming - swim with just the right arm out and the left arm back. Or push off and do dolphin kicks out, then swim easy back. The shorter 20 yard length is great for a lot of these drills.

 

[Tecumseh]

Did a good, hard (for me) 3.5 this morning. Scheduled for a 5 miler on Sunday. That will be my longest ever. Should be a hoot.