Beth and Yanti's New Manatees - FULL! :-) (Page 11)

That is so very beautiful and so very true, Miss Bunny ... just like you.

It states eloquently a slightly different take on my favorite simple quote: "The journey is the reward."

Sweet, sweet Joel. What you are being is poetic and full of hope, and we love those things here!

Your year sounds like mine. Thank you so much for sharing that. There were some really horrifying things going on last year and it was very dark at times. It means so much to me when others share their experience because then, as now, I know I am not alone and it's so true that hope springs eternal.

Where is everybody? I've never seen our pod this quiet! Hope everyone enjoyed the holiday break.  

I got a nice trainer ride in today, and last night I put together a training schedule for myself and 3 others who are doing the half mary together in April.

What's everyone else up to?  

Hey Amy....Hope you had wonderful holidays.  Congrats on the ride and putting together your plan.  What race are you doing?

I am in taper for the Disney Marathon (Sunday week).  I am doing it with Susan (sahooper).  It will be a first full Mary for both of us...I'm excited and hope the weather is good.  Don't mind the temperature so much as the rain.  I actually love to run in the rain...just not 26 miles of it 

After we recover from this at the end of Jan. we start training for an Oly that is in May and then start right in with HIM training for Augusta 70.3 in September (a first for us both as well).  We have  a sprint (or 2) and a Century Bike and some 10k races scattered throughout the summer.

This really is a great group and I know that 2009 will be a super year for all of the Manatees.

Steve

Sorry about the knee Erin.  I think you are right on the money about some time off....and yes...you will go crazy not running for a while.  Hope the rest works for you.

Steve

Poor Erin. Yeek indeed. A week off sounds good, I'd actually say two. Your goal is that when you do start back to running, no pain. After two weeks, a very easy half-mile run, maybe with little walk breaks thrown in. The moment there's even a twinge, back off.

If there's any pain after or the day after, then another week off. Yes, you'll lose some run fitness in the meanwhile, but you're laying the foundation in order to be able to build it back up, injury-free, pain-free, and better than ever.

REST AND RECOVERY

Here's a short blurb I wrote for the original group of Manatees--very important to keep in mind!

Trick question: when are you making your biggest fitness gains?
Answer: it’s not when you’re working out!

Training stresses your body—you are literally tearing apart muscle fibers and taxing your systems. REST/RECOVERY is when you are actually making the fitness gains, as your body repairs itself slightly stronger than before.

1.      Physical and mental recovery. We also need the mental break in order to “recover” focus and motivation and keep it going.
2.      Increases enjoyment. When we’re so focused on training / numbers / racing / improvement, we can forget that the journey is the reward. Taking a break allows us to fully enjoy the journey, including the hard training parts. Also, when shmyte happens, as it will, we’ve already practiced taking breaks (oh, and it makes taper more bearable!) If it turns out we have to miss or cancel a race, we’ve had a great ride anyway, and rest/recovery is integral to making that possible.
3.      Decreases stress and injuries. Self-explanatory! Also, if you do “active” recovery (like slow easy spins, paddling in the water, walking, yoga, etc.) it’s that type of workout that really relieves stress.
4.      Assists life balance. Taking time off training allows you to use that time for other important things.

The training plans on BT and all other good training plans have this in common: they include rest or active recovery days, and every 3rd or 4th week, a significant reduction in training volume (there are some variations, like working 10 days, taking 2 off, etc.). It's extremely important to take this time off your usual training in order to be able to benefit from it. Otherwise, you're just wearing yourself down and not giving your body time to assimilate the gains. 

As always, feel free to ask questions about how much/what type of rest/recovery you might need and how it fits into a training schedule or cycle.

Happy training and happy fitness gaining!

Hi Manatees!

I was without internet access for hours today - {GASP!!}

Erin - sorry to hear the knee is still bothering you , a week (or two) of resting it seems like a good plan - no matter how painful it might be

Steve - you are so ready for your Mary!  I can't wait for the RR!

Yanti - a most excellent post about rest and recovery! 

Amy - Nice job on the trainer ride!

Joel - thank you for your beautiful post - may 2009 be a much better year!

Melissa - awesome quote!

Thanks to all the Manatees for sharing your goals!  I'm still working on mine

Sadly most of us do, and that's why I thought I'd put in the reminder on rest and recovery, for myself as much as anyone else!

My mom is hanging in there. She will still have high fever and have the battle on for rehydration for a few days, but she's a toughie and the hope is that she makes it through unscathed.

Thanks...we are doing 8 today as our last intermediate run.  I truely believe we are ready adn i am just hoping for some decent weather and a safe trip.

Hope everyone has a great weekend and glad your Mom is on the rebound Yanti (it is no wonder where you get your fighting spirit from). 

Steve

Hi everyone!

I hope you are all having a marvelous Sunday!

Steve and Susan have a great run!

Melissa - I hope it goes well at your weigh in

Yanti - great news on your mom!

Amy - nice job in putting together a training plan!

I have a question for you runners out there

Can you fill me in on rollers, how to use them in stretching and so forth?

I'm experiencing a lot of tightness in my right hammie and hip and am looking for advice on how to stretch it out.

Rollers don't so much stretch as what they do is help give you something like a deep tissue massage or myofascial release on the tight muscles. It can hurt like hell but boy does it work.

This is a good series with pictures on how to do various roll-outs with the foam roller:

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/flexibilityandstretching/ss/FoamRoller.htm

By "hips," what do you mean? Can you explain exactly which part of the hip is tight?

Also, often when hammies are tight, it can be due to a quad/hammy imbalance, so it's wise to make sure your quads are well-stretched also.

Happy New Year everyone!! I can proudly say that I am now officially caught up on all of the reading on this great group! Woo hoo!!!  

 Beth, you were asking about the foam rollers, we have one and love it! Go to youtube and do a video search by simply typing in "foam roller" and it will give you some wonderful results. Some of the moves that you can do on the roller, you want to do in the privacy of your home, with no one watching. Once you see the videos, you'll understand! The roller has been a wonderful recovery tool for us. For hubby, it helped him overcome a deep calf/soleus strain. For me, it keeps my IT band and low back happy. We have the one that is 5' long. I believe that I did a search on amazon and I went with the less expensive option. Good luck!!

it starts right at the top of my right butt cheek and i can feel lit all the way down through the center of the cheek

does that make sense?