Asphalt Junkies Winter Edition - CLOSED (Page 10)

Here are my totals for last month.  I continue to be disappointed with my run volume but as I have been planning a solid recovery, I am not rushing it.  But comparing January of last year to this year, I averaged 23.6 MPW as compared to the whole month this year at 32.7.  I still have a goal of running 1200 miles over this year and with months like this past one it will be somewhat difficult.

I also missed several swims.  Some were because of work and others because of the school closings.  The pool I use is part of the Fort Wayne Community school district and when the school is closed so is the pool.......ALL DAY?!?!  However, I was still able to manage a somewhat decent volume and average 4200 a week while missing 2 weeks entirely.

But the bike is my standout.  When I was unable to swim, I was on the bike and many, if not most, runs were basically off the bike.  I'll take those miles/hours and feel more strong come September 7 and hopefully that will support my run too.

TERRY - 2 years into tri's and you've done all THAT?!!   Wow and this year's race schedule is sick!  How long have you been married for?  It looks like you were going to put in the number on your bio but it didn't come through.   Impressive to have the whole family involved in a healthy lifestyle.   What has your son selected to do for his Eagle project?  I think JAYNE and I are the only other ones in the group to do 50K's and they're hard enough.  But you're throwing in some 50 milers this year so I bet you'll be looking at a hundo next year, right?  I just took a peek in your training log and I'm wondering if God somehow gave you 30 hours in a day to get it all done?!       You must be an awesome time-manager and your determination is admirable. 

Another sick thing is DIRK's January numbers.  Impressive, my friend!  And JAYNE, I hear you on the slow, slow mile.  Slow is my new fast.

For those of you not on Facebook, it was JENN's birthday yesterday.  Happy Birthday, Jenn!    Hope tomorrow's marathon goes well for you.  Run Happy!!  

I love DC Rainmakers site, too, CHRIS.  Thanks for the heads up about the contest although I'm a wimp and don't have any cold events I've done this year.  Let us know how your swim went today with the coach.

I'm so impressed with you taking on TrainerRoad, JOANNE!   I looked into it but was too confused with all the data that I just dropped it.   Good gains you're making on the run!   I never think about going to a track but that would be a good way to do consistent intervals.   Keep up the good work, lady!

Thanks for the helpful hints on hill work, JEFF.  Congratulations on your 5K last weekend and kickin it up the hills yourself!

WARREN - all OK, buddy?   Haven't seen your face here in a while so just want to make sure you're doing well.

You made me laugh at your swim yardage, MATT.   I'll give you the gold star award for the lowest on that one.  No, maybe not, since Warren didn't post.  He usually doesn't get in the pool at all.

I can't imagine getting to mountain bike at all around here this winter, TONY.  It's just been a constant misery of frigid temps and precipitation.  I know how you love it so I hope you're able to get out this weekend.

VERO - how've you been doing off the Nyquil?   I see you and Terry have something in common with Kung Fu so that's cool.

Poor WILL - he just can't seem to figure out that "Captain Chris's" name is Chris.  Just razzing you, Will.   But I've done my part in helping you out by putting my name in my signature line..  

So here's my numbers for the month:   Swim - 12,525 yds  /  Bike - 467.96 miles  /  Run - 102.55 miles   I ramped it up knowing that January was the calm before the storm and that my training time until after April 15th will be dismal.  I felt good and am actually looking forward to tax season.  Go figure.   My time of posting in the forum will be harder and harder to do but I'll be keeping up with reading about you all.   Just keep up the good training!

I LOVE Super Bowl Sunday (love football in general) and our household will be cheering on Peyton and the Broncos.  I really like Russell Wilson, too, though, so I won't be terribly disappointed to see Seattle win.   Hoping to see a good game either way.    Any one else a football fan? 

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone!

With the cough holding me back in January I didn't get much tri specific training in.

Just Run: 3h 09m 19.44 mi and a couple of family rides on the bike for 1h and 7 miles

I'm looking forward to seeing S/B/R numbers increase a lot in Feb.

I did manage 14h 30m of Martial Arts training though so I didn't waste away the whole month.

On the football side we are pretty excited about the game. My wife is from the Seattle area so she's rooting for the Seahawks of course. I'm a Steelers fan, but I'm also a fan of football in general, so any outcome for the game is fine with me, just so long as it is an exciting game.  

I just finished another of the Frosty Fun Run/Race series this morning. A flat and fairly fast 3.6 mile route. I managed to finish at a 8:58 pace without any coughing fits. Yay!

Terry,  It looks like you're a part of the team that my team was worried about at the beginning of the Challenge.  During the swim month you guys seemed to be laying down some serious mileage on the bike and our team president was trying to get everyone involved at a very high level to try to get past you guys.  In the end it looks like my team put the hammer down and tore it up.  We had several guys ride 100+ mile rides multiple times and two of them rode over 2000 (2222 and 2014) miles for the month.  A couple of cycling animals!!

My team in Human Motor Works.  And unless something really bad happens we should take the overall victory for the challenge.  I won't be a major contributor for the run month with the injury time I have been coming back from.

I am not sure why your workouts aren't showing in the team log on TR.  This occurred at the beginning after Warren started the team.  It also appears he has given administrative rights to me so I'll see if I can figure out what might be happening.

As far as the Super Bowl, I am going to lean toward the Broncos and Manning for my fan support.  However, I wouldn't be disappointed if the Seahawks won.  I too am a fan of Russell Wilson and since the Seahawks have SUCKED for so many years I'd be happy to see a team other than the usual teams win one.  Of course if I had my way I'd be on the side of Vero and the Steelers would be there and would win.

Training Note:

Many of you have laid down some serious numbers for the month!  I'm very impressed with the commitment that many of you have to train so frequently over the winter months.  Sometimes the winter doldrums can drag everyone down and get into a funk.  That's one of the great things about a mentor group too, we can be a sort of accountability partner for each other.

Human Motor Works is also in it's first year but there was another team in 2012 that carried into this one.  HMW was formerly Redi-Bike but was almost exclusively for long course athletes.  I was trying to on Redi-Bike in 2012 but they had closed their team before I could get in.  It was only around for one year and the owner of the store (Redi-Bike) sold to another person and HMW was created from there.  

I was like many on your team over the holiday's too.  I did a lot of extra work over those few weeks because I had some extra vacation from work over that period.  I am not sure that a great number of people on our team took advantage of the holiday period that much when looking at the swim logs.  

I would love to hit 150 miles running in one month but it won't be happening in the next few months.  Once I feel confident that I am not going to have any injury relapses I'll begin to try to hammer out some more miles.  Until then I'll stay conservative and injury free.  

I'm glad to see you're enjoying the time with a swim coach.  I think many people could benefit from the instruction a coach can provide, especially in the early days of learning technique.  Follow through at the pool by yourself and tings will become much more crisp as the season approaches and then you can begin to worry about speed and performance.

Training through illness:  I nearly always train through illness.  The only time I don't spend some time training during an illness is when I am simply physically unable to.  Times like that have been limited over my involved with triathlon because I seem to stay in good health most of the time.  Normally, about once a year I'll get a bug that lays me out for a day or so but colds and other respiratory illness doesn't effect my training drastically.

The increase in HR can be an indicator that you are sick but don't consider that as a major concern.  A persons HR can be increased for any number of reasons besides illness.  It is a good idea to keep intensity lower while sick but I suggest that you not drop all workouts.  I am of the opinion that working through an illness can help your body work through it and get you back to 100% a little quicker.  I am not a physician or anywhere near it but my theory has been that elevating your temperature yourself assists your body in "burning out" the illness.  Consider that your body does this itself in the form of a fever, I simply elevate it further via exercise.

A word of caution.  If you're throwing up or feeling grossly fatigues, it's time to stay on the couch or in bed.  These times aren't for spending 30 minutes doing anything strenuous.  Rest and recovery are in order.  Most of the illnesses I would run through would be colds and upper respiratory issues. 

Race recap for the Tallahassee marathon -

http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/discussion/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=510335

Jeff made a comment a page ago about hearty meal versus carb loading. Well, I stuck with what worked on previous long runs - instead of pasta...  had turkey potato burritos with avocados and pinto beans homemade Mexican food without the spices).

My first marathon was awesome!! I raced conservatively and listened to my body. I did great until mile 17 when my right IT band flared up and I had to slow to a walk/run to finish. I did not wear my GPS watch as I would have seriously beat myself up at mile 23 when hobbled through a 14 minute mile. I did see people around me keep looking at their watches and shaking their heads in frustration. My phone was in my hydration belt and was tracking my pace via Runkeeper.

I developed one small blister on my left foot around mile 22, but was very small (more Body Glide next time).

Coming around to the finish I saw Pam (Pink Socks, Karl - kwdreamin's wife). She joined me and we chatted through the end of the race. My husband and dad had been watching people finish and they saw many people struggling and staggering to the finish. They said they could not believe I came around the corner trotting along and chatting with a friend, they did not believe I just ran a marathon. I finished smiling!

As we stood around and enjoyed a fruit bowl and Rebuild Endurance shake, I noticed several people around me were very sick, throwing up in trash cans, and just looking awful. That was a new experience for me. 

Day 1 recovery - mild muscle soreness in my mid-back (you'd think it was my first 2 mile run ever), and mild soreness in my legs. My right IT band feels pretty tight, but not crippling. I am already thinking about my next run and am hoping to get an easy swim in today.

(Marathon Finish (3).jpg)

LOVE the picture, JENN!  Your smile is priceless.   CONGRATULATIONS on your first marathon!!  I laughed to see you write that it was awesome, even with some struggles.  That-a-girl!!

Originally posted by JeffY

Originally posted by jfought

Hey everyone,
I spent last week in Florida and got to run outdoors 4 times (in shorts), and swim outdoors 3 times.    It was awesome and amazing.  Then, I had to come home.  I'm trying to take this polar vortex thing in stride, but I'm ready to be able to get out on the trails!  I've been able to maintain a bit of a base in swimming, and a solid base for my run, but my biking has been pretty non-existent.  No worries.....plenty of time!  I've been doing a lot of yoga this winter and enjoying it very much.  I will probably continue with it through February and then take a break to free up more time for my other training. 

I'm signed up for a very hilly trail half marathon at the beginning of April.  4,000 feet of elevation change.  Any suggestions on how to prepare for run hills when I don't have any hills to train on?  I'm thinking I should spend some time on the stair climber.  Thoughts?

Chris,  welcome to the group.  Congrats on your weight loss and your marathon.  Love your enthusiasm.

Hills! I always love the question about how to train for hills (cycling) when a person lives on the flat land. The real answer is to just train to be as fast a time trialist as you can. Your legs don't know the difference between pedaling hard up a hill and pedaling hard straight ahead! And roads are designed for cars so super short, punchy climbs don't really exist. But for running it might be a bit different. Certainly you can get by as a road runner without training hills specifically, but you will be at a small disadvantage on the up hills over people who have trained them....and I would speculate it's only a small amount and that it's only due to a lack of strength in the specific muscles used more on uphills. Does any extra strength in the glutes and calves give you an advantage in a hilly half marathon? (trick question....the answer is NO). The strength doesn't because, if you use that strength you are burning more oxygen/glycogen and that's no advantage. It's identical to just throwing in a surge in the middle of your HM, which is a pacing error. HOWEVER, the specific training of the glutes and calves CAN make them more EFFICIENT so that when you do come to an uphill, it takes a little less out of you than it otherwise would. Not much, just a little. BUT! When trail running it's an altogether different beast. If the trail run is in a mountainous region (and all the fun ones are!), then you will have short and steep and broken climbs to do in very large numbers throughout the run. And a lot of those up hills will be very, very similar to running up a staircase (one filled with rubble). And that is often in such frequency that specific hill training is valuable. So, I suggest developing the specific muscular strength you will need for hills. Here are some ideas to get you started. - Run stairs. Perhaps a high rise building? Office building? Stadium steps? - Stair climber machine in the gym, but make sure your machine's setting and duration make it a good workout (this doesn't work calves properly tho) - Vertical leaps. Lower down to a squat position, then leap high in the air. Continuously do this 15 seconds on, 30 seconds off. As you progress, increase the time on and/or decrease the time off. What I've written doesn't go in to any of the technique of running hills or the tactics of how to pace them. An anecdote...I have not been doing strength training for my legs over the last 2 years because the tri training has been too rigorous to handle it. But I began again in November. In a hilly 5k I raced last weekend I could feel a noticeable difference when the uphills came around. It was nice. I'm a bigger guy and just accept the fact that I will fall back on the up hills (I also don't increase my exertion on up hills like most others do). I just enjoy catching everyone on the down hills. But this time I didn't fall back relative to those running around me, in fact I even moved up against many. (these were those short punchy types of climbs I mentioned earlier). Hope this helps.

Jeff,

Thanks for the suggestions.  You're certainly right about trail hills being a completely different animal than road hills.  I like the description of a stairs covered in rubble.  That's a much closer description of what I'm going to be dealing with.  I've done races like this before, but I've always struggled on the ups.  I can fly on the downhills (as long as I'm careful with my knees). 

Stairs:  The closest high rise/stadium is an hour away, and there's no stair climber in my gym.  There are some cool elliptical machines that I might be able to set up to simulate hills.  I'm going to check in to it.

Working the calves:  I think I'm going to add some calf raises on stairs to my day.  I think these would really help strentghen my soleus (lower calf muscles). 

Vertical Leaps:  These are doable anywere anytime. 

When this weather breaks (not anytime soon) I will be able to get back on the trails and train in conditions a little more like reality.  Did I mention treadmills are the devil, and imho roads and sidewalks suck?

My January totals with no excuses.  It is what it is.