swbkrun with us!!! - Closed (Page 107)

CyborgQueen - 2011-02-16 8:49 AM LEG WEAKNESS QUESTION!!

Yesterday I went for my run and I finished what I wanted to do (30 minute run). Then I started walking and stretching a little bit then all of sudden I got this huge cramp in my right calf. It feels like my muscles would not relax, and remained contracted. A bit of ice, then some rolling and heating pad (ice doesn't seem to help at all, but Heat did). It seems better.  It is NOT injured, just a cramp.

Then I looked at my logs, and saw that just a few days ago that I did the bike drills, and saw that I am weaker in my right leg than my left.  It felt harder to do in my right leg. Not much, but just enough that I noticed that. 

I'm curious if the two is correlated. Could I have gotten the cramp because of the weakenss? 
Is there something (isolating leg exercise)  that I can do to strengthen my right leg better? 

kkcbelle - 2011-02-16 10:42 AM


In Fatty's defense... I can see perfectly well why he is tired! As I was telling him, I've never seen him do such consistent training for so long, so that is going to add up. And sleep? Ha ha!! With three small kids? Heck, my two "older" kids still come and bug us in the middle of the night, so I can't imagine just how few uninterrupted nights of sleep John actually gets. (What say you, big guy?) Add to that the full-time job and it's no surprise to me that he's feeling run down.

So John... do think about recovery, which we talked about quite a bit a few pages back. And good nutrition does make a difference. I noticed last year if I didn't re-fuel well after a big effort, I would feel like crap the next day (usually I felt it in my morning swims). Was thinking this morning -- how are you about hydrating? I find it so very hard to drink the water I need in the winter. I get to the end of the day and realize I've not had much to drink but have sweat out quite a bit -- not good. I try to carry water bottles everywhere, and I drink herbal tea in the afternoons and evenings, but I always feel like I am playing catch-up. And if you do ever have time to grab a nap, go for it! Even 15 minutes can be huge.

Keep up the great work. I am really impressed by your training thus far and can't wait to watch you race!!! Yay!!!!!

fattyfatfat - 2011-02-16 10:27 AM in case anyone missed it.... new boston standards here.

i'd link the baa site,  but ya can't get to it right now.... i  wonder why?   ;-)

edit....  LOL,  now the boston globe link above is down too.

Terps421 - 2011-02-16 11:48 AM

Hopefully, this will improve the experience for all runners who go to Boston. Time will tell.

fattyfatfat - 2011-02-16 9:43 AM

wow.  i'm stirring the pot without even trying now!!!!!   thanks slacks!   i know suzy means well in her way, just as i do in mine.... but yeah to early to be tired, hmmmmm.  i was thinking about this on the way in this morning.  my reply to the minnow was off.  sure there's a ton of training going into this race, but depending on where one is coming from you can be just as tired at any distance not just ironman.  i'll use myself as an example,  training for my fist half three years ago tore me up physically AND mentally much more than this training for this race.  i know there are tons of factors that go into this.  but i shouldn't have said IM and kiddos together.  it can be any level of race coupled with where you are in life.  how we attack and overcome it is such an individual thing.  ironman gets all the glory because of the distance.  I don't think  a 2:59 marathon or an 18 minute 5k is that far off of completing an ironman. 

at this distance though, i've really fallen back on the things all of you guys that have gone before us have talked about.  fr example, a couple years ago when ramping up for florida linda (havin' fun) wrote something along the lines of when the kids ask to play catch you have to go and do it.  i knew there was a reason for her writing this but i never really understood it until recently.  and now, when i'm dog a$$ tired and jack asks to go shoot hoops in the driveway i smile and curse linda at the same time.  then i get off my butt and go.  and i curse her some more.  there's lots of examples like that running around in my dome.

we had a better understanding of what we were getting into when we pulled the trigger on ironman registration this time around.  we still have 13 weeks to go...10 UNTIL TAPER... but man if you keep whats important in front of you (family in my case) and keep everything else along side or just a step behind you,  this really isn't that difficult.

having said that, yesterday i got back from lunch and sat down in my office.  then, i woke up about an hour later.            its been  a crazy week with games and banquets and practice.  and so on.  busier than normal.  so this probably has something to do with being tired as well! 

and the kiddos are defintiley good for walking on the back.  i just need jacy to hurry up and get that whole balance on uneven surfaces down so she can have at it. 


nutrition and kiddos together though is one of my biggest challenges.  its not that i'm eating crap.  its that i come in from a long run and that fridge can be 20 feet away.  but it'll take an hour sometimes for me to get there.  its just a freak'in whirlwind.  lately i'll pour a bottle of choco milk outside or in the car.  that helps. 

breakfast is another area where i'm failing pretty bad.  three days a week i'm in the pool at 5 and home by 6:15 to get the kids up, dressed and fed.  but like the  fridge thing when running, i see them eating, i see jarrett or me making the damn food, but i just don't eat.  so i usually end up shoving a couple things of yogurt and a granola bar in my bag and eat them an hour later at the office.  well, now that i think about it, that's not really true either as i just ate the granola bar a few minutes ago. 

i'm doing a better job now than a month of even a few short weeks ago with the hydration.  but still  i'm a bit more yellow than i need to be.  water bottle is around most of the time.  it makes a huge difference to stay to stay on track and i can really feel it if i fall off.  an easy 6 mile run can suck in a hurry. 

man, by the time wisconsin, canada and florida get here.  especially florida with that flat easy course...  all you other ironman rookies are gonna breeze through training with all the wealth of knowledge up here.  ;-)   i can't wait to watch and cheer loudly.

edit... more than ya asked for, eh?  ha!

fattyfatfat - 2011-02-16 10:43 AM

wow.  i'm stirring the pot without even trying now!!!!!   thanks slacks!   i know suzy means well in her way, just as i do in mine.... but yeah to early to be tired, hmmmmm.  i was thinking about this on the way in this morning.  my reply to the minnow was off.  sure there's a ton of training going into this race, but depending on where one is coming from you can be just as tired at any distance not just ironman.  i'll use myself as an example,  training for my fist half three years ago tore me up physically AND mentally much more than this training for this race.  i know there are tons of factors that go into this.  but i shouldn't have said IM and kiddos together.  it can be any level of race coupled with where you are in life.  how we attack and overcome it is such an individual thing.  ironman gets all the glory because of the distance.  I don't think  a 2:59 marathon or an 18 minute 5k is that far off of completing an ironman. 

at this distance though, i've really fallen back on the things all of you guys that have gone before us have talked about.  fr example, a couple years ago when ramping up for florida linda (havin' fun) wrote something along the lines of when the kids ask to play catch you have to go and do it.  i knew there was a reason for her writing this but i never really understood it until recently.  and now, when i'm dog a$$ tired and jack asks to go shoot hoops in the driveway i smile and curse linda at the same time.  then i get off my butt and go.  and i curse her some more.  there's lots of examples like that running around in my dome.

we had a better understanding of what we were getting into when we pulled the trigger on ironman registration this time around.  we still have 13 weeks to go...10 UNTIL TAPER... but man if you keep whats important in front of you (family in my case) and keep everything else along side or just a step behind you,  this really isn't that difficult.

having said that, yesterday i got back from lunch and sat down in my office.  then, i woke up about an hour later.            its been  a crazy week with games and banquets and practice.  and so on.  busier than normal.  so this probably has something to do with being tired as well! 

and the kiddos are defintiley good for walking on the back.  i just need jacy to hurry up and get that whole balance on uneven surfaces down so she can have at it. 


nutrition and kiddos together though is one of my biggest challenges.  its not that i'm eating crap.  its that i come in from a long run and that fridge can be 20 feet away.  but it'll take an hour sometimes for me to get there.  its just a freak'in whirlwind.  lately i'll pour a bottle of choco milk outside or in the car.  that helps. 

breakfast is another area where i'm failing pretty bad.  three days a week i'm in the pool at 5 and home by 6:15 to get the kids up, dressed and fed.  but like the  fridge thing when running, i see them eating, i see jarrett or me making the damn food, but i just don't eat.  so i usually end up shoving a couple things of yogurt and a granola bar in my bag and eat them an hour later at the office.  well, now that i think about it, that's not really true either as i just ate the granola bar a few minutes ago. 

i'm doing a better job now than a month of even a few short weeks ago with the hydration.  but still  i'm a bit more yellow than i need to be.  water bottle is around most of the time.  it makes a huge difference to stay to stay on track and i can really feel it if i fall off.  an easy 6 mile run can suck in a hurry. 

man, by the time wisconsin, canada and florida get here.  especially florida with that flat easy course...  all you other ironman rookies are gonna breeze through training with all the wealth of knowledge up here.  ;-)   i can't wait to watch and cheer loudly.

edit... more than ya asked for, eh?  ha!

sdalessio - 2011-02-16 9:54 AMBTW - anyone know how BQ race age is determined?  I'm curious b/c if I run a marathon in Mar. 2012, I will be 39.  Race reg opens Sept 2012 for the 2013 race.  But I will be 40 for the April 2013 Boston Marathon.  So what time do I need?

kt65 - 2011-02-16 11:56 AM I am almost positive it would be the 40-44 standard, Sam. 3:45?

fattyfatfat - 2011-02-16 11:56 AM

yeah,  i see lots of people talking about the 5 minutes.  but it seems the biggest factor is going to be the rolling registration.  i'm collecting the past 5 years results to *see* what i'd need.  off the top of my head it looks to be  well below 3.  LOL!!!!!!

sdalessio - 2011-02-16 12:49 PM

Hang in there John.  I know exactly what you mean about coming home from a hard workout and not getting to the frig for an hour.  It's easy to say but hard to practice that I'll have something ready or make something to get me by until I can make a real meal.  I'm often greeted at the door by the kids with 20 questions and pulling my arm to go do something and a brief kiss no the cheek from Tony as he heads out to get in his workout.

Last year when I was getting ready for both of my HIMs there were times I burst into tears in the kitchen b/c of the stress of getting it all done - family, work, training.  I didn't want to give anything up and I enjoyed it all but sometimes I had 100 things to do and only time for 10.

It might be helpful to schedule a complete rest day a week for a mental break and some extra sleep.  Also for breakfast, try some quick easy to grab items - whole grain breads w/ pb, cheese sticks or hard boiled eggs.  Good luck!  And I second Kyla's remarks that this is your best and most consistent training.  I am impressed - keep rocking the workouts and we will be cheering for you in Texas.

BTW - sleep's not happening w/ everything on your plate.  Just try to be as organized as you can and get to bed as early as possible.  :-)

sdalessio - 2011-02-16 1:44 PM On a totally different subject I forgot to tell the group that my BRAND NEW bike is at the shop as I speak getting assembled.  It came in yesterday and they are putting it together.  

I am so excited to have a BRAND NEW SHINY bike - it's an extra small Specialized Transition.  I can't believe it.  :-)  I should be able to pick it up Thurs or Friday!!!!

Did I mention it was BRAND NEW!!!!!!

sdalessio - 2011-02-16 2:44 PM On a totally different subject I forgot to tell the group that my BRAND NEW bike is at the shop as I speak getting assembled.  It came in yesterday and they are putting it together.  

I am so excited to have a BRAND NEW SHINY bike - it's an extra small Specialized Transition.  I can't believe it.  :-)  I should be able to pick it up Thurs or Friday!!!!

Did I mention it was BRAND NEW!!!!!!

Techdiver - 2011-02-16 2:37 PM
And then I get on my road bike and ride it on the trainer and stare with lust in my eyes at my Tri Bike waiting for the snow to melt. Oh HAPPY DAY.

SSMinnow - 2011-02-16 4:55 PM Man oh man....leave for not even an entire day and there are pages to wade through and apparently I offended someone.....seriously Fatty, it wasn't to be taken as a cut at all.  I really wondered you if you were doing the best with you recovery given the demands of the distance.  I cannot imagine what it is like to be a parent that has to deal with all that you (and most of the others do) and still train for any race let alone an IM.

To be your best for each workout you need to find that refrigerator a little sooner or bring it with you so you can indulge on the way home in the car.....

I'm going to go tuck my tail between my legs and sulk for a while the way Cooper does when he knows hes been naughty

fattyfatfat - 2011-02-16 4:56 PM

ok.... now i'm calling your (cute) little @ss out....     when you called this morning did i say one word about being offended?  so why is it up here i'm all of the sudden offended?   i don't get it.   i know you're looking out and not taking shots!!!!!   THANK YOU SUZY!!!!!!

i hope copper takes a leak all over your side of the bed tonight right before you hop in to dream of me!!!!

velcromom - 2011-02-16 6:13 PM Just got back from a 24 hour mini-vaca to celebrate hubby's birthday.  Amazing dinner, he golfed & I had a spa visit.  Had a blast.

GREAT post about IM training and obstacles.  It's hard when you plan on a 5 hour ride, and then it takes 6 including set-up and break down, yadayada....and you need to fly right back into life.  I think that's been the toughest part for me.  and it happens so often!   My kids are older, I don't know how you are all doing it with young 'uns.  Hat's off.

Uh, John?!?  Did you forget IMAZ in your list?

SO PICKING FRUSTRATED WITH THE NEW BOSTON RULES!   My less-than-a-minute-to-spare 2012 cut's not looking so good right now.

BQ age is the date of the Boston you want to race in, NOT when you qualify or enter.  So it can only help!

SO jealous of the new bike....no word yet, here.  Is it a Pro, Expert or Comp??

sdalessio - 2011-02-16 2:44 PM On a totally different subject I forgot to tell the group that my BRAND NEW bike is at the shop as I speak getting assembled.  It came in yesterday and they are putting it together.  

I am so excited to have a BRAND NEW SHINY bike - it's an extra small Specialized Transition.  I can't believe it.  :-)  I should be able to pick it up Thurs or Friday!!!!

Did I mention it was BRAND NEW!!!!!!

velcromom - 2011-02-16 6:13 PM Just got back from a 24 hour mini-vaca to celebrate hubby's birthday.  Amazing dinner, he golfed & I had a spa visit.  Had a blast.

GREAT post about IM training and obstacles.  It's hard when you plan on a 5 hour ride, and then it takes 6 including set-up and break down, yadayada....and you need to fly right back into life.  I think that's been the toughest part for me.  and it happens so often!   My kids are older, I don't know how you are all doing it with young 'uns.  Hat's off.

Uh, John?!?  Did you forget IMAZ in your list?

SO PICKING FRUSTRATED WITH THE NEW BOSTON RULES!   My less-than-a-minute-to-spare 2012 cut's not looking so good right now.

BQ age is the date of the Boston you want to race in, NOT when you qualify or enter.  So it can only help!

SO jealous of the new bike....no word yet, here.  Is it a Pro, Expert or Comp??