Asphalt Junkies CLOSED AND GETTING OUR FIX (Page 159)

Dirk and Tracy good luck with your applying to the Wattie team. I hope you guys get in.

Samantha that would be very cool to do an Xterra. After hearing Jeff's exploits into Xterra I would really like to do one in the future probably the distant future. I think my wife would kill me if I suggested getting a new mountain bike so it will have to have wait. Let's us know if you decide to do it.

Xterra races look awesome.

I got the ok to get a TT bike!  After the fitting, I couldn’t get the ok to go with the high end Serotta, but the other choice which is a great fit for me is the Cervelo P2 with ultegra components.  I will probably not get wheels for now, but may be able to borrow some races wheels for my A races from the friend who did the fitting and lent me his bike this summer.

Dirk, sounds like an awesome place to run, especially for longer runs.  Built in shock absorption should be great for the legs.  Also very glad it helped your feet.

And a walk after a run is a great way to rehab the legs.  

Have you had a chance to pick up a pair of those superfeet insoles yet?  

Hint for your wife...since the course is hilly and her desired 15:00 pace will be a challenge, She should walk up all hills, briskly...even if not tired.  And then run down all hills, relaxing and letting gravity carry her fast.

You're probably on top of that, and I'm patronizing.  But for all the other folks in the group I'll explain why that's good.  First off, a slow jog becomes so slow up a hill that it's no faster than a brisk walk and yet harder.  So walk it.  Then you aren't dying at the top.  Why run down hill?  The gravity helps you and by relaxing and running at a good clip you can be using less energy at a 7:00 pace than on the flat at a 14:00 pace...sometimes less energy than walking down the hill where with each step you have to use muscle to hold yourself back.

On the flats she's fully equipped to walk/jog as she had been practicing.

I'm going to put this out here so that I'm held accountable.  In the next couple of days I'm going to post a little baby article about lower leg health.  I hope to include some short videos to demonstrate the things I describe too.  Afterwards I'd like input about the content, especially whether the advice in it helps or doesn't (for those of you inclined to try it).

Warren, that's a solid bike!  Happy Day!!

Warren, nice bike!

Jeff, looking forwared to the article, especially since this is the time of year I have (get) to run more because it is to cold or swim or bike...lol

I think that as Dirk said it's got to do with pointing the toes with extreme force.  Here's the thing I found as I have studied the technique of kicking, and had miles of kicking to ponder last year after my shoulder surgery.  The calf muscle doesn't need to be involved in kicking.  It shouldn't be.  The ankle should be loosey goosey.  The water pressure on your foot will push it back as far as it can go and the calf doesn't need to force it there.  

You may also be trying to keep the toes pointed straight out on the 'upstroke' of the kick thinking that the bottom of the foot will give you propulsion in that direction too.  I have found through experimentation that this isn't the case.  Keep the ankle loosey goosey and let the ankle flex on the upstroke, it will get there faster for the next downstroke (for that matter relax the hamstring and let the let be pushed straight by the water).  

And again, just as Dirk said, once you have pushed off the wall nice and hard don't 'follow through' with your calves, just stop the contraction at that point like you do when simply jumping off the ground.

Kurt Kinetics are very popular.  All good reviews from owners.  The heavier flywheel option will make it feel more like actual road riding.  It will be more realistic when you are pedaling along at any cadence and if you coast, it should coast down more slowly like on a real bike ride.  It's not necessary to get the great workout you want, but will feel more satisfying.  

Wheels....You know, the 'vibration' you felt was simply balance.  The rims are heavier near the weld and the tube introduces a heavy spot at the valve stem.  I do not feel this when riding the wheels because the weight of yours truly on the bicycle is high enough that a couple of ounces of imbalance in the wheels isn't felt...I have felt extreme cases of this on wal-mart quality bikes in years past at high speeds but don't consider it a concern generally.

As for how long it spun that's just a factor of grease in the bearings.  If a wheel has thousands of miles on it the grease has been 'broken in'...or if the grease is removed then it can spin forever.  But the grease protects the bearings from water and dirt! and it's not been proven that the grease offers measurable resistance to a 200lb bike/rider.  

It does NOT indicate anything about the quality of the bearings or how fast the wheel will ultimately ride in the real world.

I have a $200 pair of wheels I train on and I can't tell you if they are slower then my $1000 pair of road race wheels.

Also, a trick to help with the balance if you care....put the magnet for your computer on your wheel opposite the heavy spot to help offset some of the imbalance.

Hi there!  Question for you...the term 'adrenal fatigue' isn't really a medical term or medical condition.  It may have been used by a Dr. as a colloquial term but it raises a yellow light to me because it's often used by holistic medicine as a diagnosis of a condition that the medical community doesn't.  And they treat it with a variety of unproven 'stuff'.

But if your Dr. tested your blood for  cortisol, ACTH, aldosterone, renin, potassium and sodium and found that your adrenal glands are not producing enough cortisol then you will have been diagnosed with 'adrenal insufficiency' which should trigger more tests and tumors of a variety of glands should be further checked for.

When I first went to my physician with a variety of complaints that all seemed to line up with overtraining syndrome, he took one look at my training volume and was SURE he was going to find the metabolic proof of that in my test results...but he tested nonetheless and sure enough, no issues.  In fact my cortisol was super high, which had him testing further for things like Addisons disease and hormone secreting tumors...but I did a retest that WASN'T an hour after a killer 3 hour training session and everything tested fine.

The point being that looking at how much an athlete's been training will often lead a physician to decide that the problem is overtraining and that's not necessarily the case.  So I am just digging deeper here to ensure that keep an open mind as to the correctness of your diagnosis.

The main thing to watch for is improvement of your symptoms now that you are resting.  If you don't feel a serious improvement in whatever your symptoms were after 1 week of 'resting' (can be decreased training, doesn't have to be NO training) then you really need to keep looking past that first diagnosis.

michgirlsk - 2012-11-18 6:42 PM So I am looking at possibly doing an xterra race!   Okay, I have no commitment to this idea right now, but it's something that I came across today which got me thinking!  I was looking for a June race to do, as none of the ones I have found so far have really appealed to me.  Then, I saw there is an xterra race nearby which might turn out to be on a perfect date for me!  I think it could give me a bit of variety at the right time.  I would be taking my time during that trail biking section!  (I hesitate to call it "mountain" biking in our area, especially knowing Jeff and Jonathan are probably doing real mountain biking... )

This would be so cool!  Definitely do it!  Xterra is friendly to slow mtn bikers, don't worry about being embarrassed because I sincerely don't believe you would be.

But there is one important thing you must do.  That is to go out to that exact race course if at all possible and ride that trail a number of times before the Xterra.  That really is critical.  If not, it's actually not much of a reach to say that it would be like a non-swimmer showing up to do a triathlon.

Hey Jeff,thanks for the input on the wheels. that saved me quite a bit of money! 

Now, no picking on non-swimmers showing up for a triathlon...lol

So you think I should go ahead and get the heavier weight on the trainer?

Warren congrats on the new bike and great choice. I have a P2 and I love my bike. Hope you enjoy the new ride.

I finally got back to the pool today to try these things. I must say another good session for me it is the first time that I can remember going to the pool and not feeling nervous. I was able to swim pretty relaxed for nearly the entire session which is a big break through for me. I think I'm starting to overcome some the anxiety I have when swimming.

So Jonathan I was able to try those two things that you suggested and I think they helped. For item #1 keeping my head down I think that is a nice little simple trick to keep you focused on keeping your head down and not lifting it. I did much better today when breathing to both sides by having the path to follow especially on the left side where I have the most trouble.

For item# 2 the bouncing you are right. I really tried to zone in what I do when I breathe to the right which I am far more balanced and really don't bounce. I can keep my arm extended longer and when I pull my left arm when I am breathing to the right I do have my wrist loose and my elbow is not locked and it does bend when I pull just like you described in the mirror exercise.

Now it is a much different story when I breathe to the left. I can't keep my right arm extended as long as my balance is not as good but I did notice when I pull on that side I am not keeping my wrist loose and my arm is locked at the elbow and I am pulling more straight down. So that along with bringing my head up when breathing to the left is probably contributing to the lack of balance and the bouncing.

This was another good discovery I had no idea I was doing that. I went to work on trying to correct that today. I think now I know what I should be doing it is a matter of just being more focused on those things and working on them. I will be back at the pool tomorrow working on this stuff.

JeffY - 2012-11-19 12:47 PM

michgirlsk - 2012-11-18 6:42 PM So I am looking at possibly doing an xterra race!   Okay, I have no commitment to this idea right now, but it's something that I came across today which got me thinking!  I was looking for a June race to do, as none of the ones I have found so far have really appealed to me.  Then, I saw there is an xterra race nearby which might turn out to be on a perfect date for me!  I think it could give me a bit of variety at the right time.  I would be taking my time during that trail biking section!  (I hesitate to call it "mountain" biking in our area, especially knowing Jeff and Jonathan are probably doing real mountain biking... )

This would be so cool!  Definitely do it!  Xterra is friendly to slow mtn bikers, don't worry about being embarrassed because I sincerely don't believe you would be.

But there is one important thing you must do.  That is to go out to that exact race course if at all possible and ride that trail a number of times before the Xterra.  That really is critical.  If not, it's actually not much of a reach to say that it would be like a non-swimmer showing up to do a triathlon.

Yeah definitely I would like to ride the course first.  My initial thought was- the race is in June, so maybe in the weeks leading up to it in May and June (whenever I can bare outdoor riding), maybe every weekend (or perhaps every other weekend is more realistic) get out to ride trails.  Actually I was thinking about a different state park than the one the race is at since I've been out on those trails (back in high school)... but I would definitely want to do the actual course too.  It would be nice to also go running on the course too.  I think this could also add variety to training and it's seeming even more appealing at this point... but I've got a few months to decide before I go through with this

SSAAWWEEEETT!!!!!!  Now I need to begin to worry about you on the bike too!  Maybe I need the carbon upgrade already!

Now the question is: Are you going to be able to wait until the spring to get it out and ride on it?

Not so fast about how my foot feels.  I seem to be suffering from a set back right now.  I ran 5 mile yesterday morning and then spent more time on my feet shopping with Lis after church and it did me no favors.  I was hurting when I went to bed last night and is still hurting today.

There is a change in the pain.  Maybe you can help me with this a little?  The pain begins on the heel of my foot (similar to where it had been) but more toward the lateral side rather than the middle of my heel and it is pretty minor here.  But it also now radiates to and through my arch to the ball of my foot where the metatarsals and phalanges meet.  The pain goes from one side of my arch to the other and this is the most painful location.

My personal diagnosis is the tendons are inflamed in a different area than they had been to begin with.  

What are your thoughts on arch support here.  A possible cause for the injury/pain?

As far as Lis and her race, she and I have already discussed her doing exactly what you are suggesting.  However, I don't try to promt her to do any of these things because she believes I am trying to push her to racing.  I am not doing that but it's her perception that counts.  She is planning on doing some jogging/walking for the race to be able to keep up with her friend.

I will help hold you accountable for the article.  I will be looking forward to seeing and reading it.  Will this post be as an atricle in the BT articles section or just within the group?

I know how you swam it so fast...........You couldn't wait to end the misery so you just drove yourself into the ground to get it over with.

That's a solid 100!!!!!!!!!!

mambos - 2012-11-19 6:35 PM Great work everyone, new bikes, drafting runs, crazy swim workouts all of you are inspiring! for me it's just another day of scraping dirt off the bottom of the pool! Last week was frustrating in the pool, no rythm, couldn't breath, barely moved everything out of sync, if it was negative I did it! Sometimes I feel the drills are overrated and just want tO doggy paddle down the pool ! main concentration has been on balance and bilateral breathing, like Tony, I have used the suggestions jonathan gave and can almost feel the correct method, almost. I think concentrating on staring at the floor to the side wall may help, only time will tell! at least I can still run!

Are you saying you did some awesome negative splits in the pool?  Great job!

mambos - 2012-11-19 6:35 PM Great work everyone, new bikes, drafting runs, crazy swim workouts all of you are inspiring! for me it's just another day of scraping dirt off the bottom of the pool! Last week was frustrating in the pool, no rythm, couldn't breath, barely moved everything out of sync, if it was negative I did it! Sometimes I feel the drills are overrated and just want tO doggy paddle down the pool ! main concentration has been on balance and bilateral breathing, like Tony, I have used the suggestions jonathan gave and can almost feel the correct method, almost. I think concentrating on staring at the floor to the side wall may help, only time will tell! at least I can still run!

Hey Matt, just want to say you are inspiring too!  I had read about your 7 mile run on the treadmill followed by the swim.  Well it was a couple days ago I was on the treadmill and I really didn't feel like doing much AT ALL.  But then I thought about how you did SEVEN miles on the treadmill and I was like well I can keep going!!!  I ended up making it through 50 minutes, which is good for where I'm at now!!!  I also did make it to the pool afterwards as that was planned, which was a feat as well.  I really was ready to go home, especially because this was at midnight.  It is days like these that I need to remember months from now and the times that I got my butt running or in the pool, despite severe lack of motivation!!!!