Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 28)

Warren, do you have the video's the guy you linked us to advertised.  It looks interesting and was wondering if you had seen them and if they are worth buying.  I tried some of the techniques and think I got it right for a step or 2 out of my whole run but gosh you need to be going fast, none of the 10 minute mile stuff.

Today is a taper day for the 15K tomorrow.  i just ran 1.75 miles.  We are having a warm front right now and today at 4:00am it was nice and warm, we live close to a pond and the frogs were singing very loud today. It was so peaceful and beautiful.  Those of you sleeping in, boy are ya'll missing a lot!

Also, I just got the book "IronWars" last night.  It has been back ordered for like 4 months.  Looking forward to reading it.

Tony, when do you get your puppy?  Have ya'll decided on a name?

Make sure you try to wet the strap and/or your chest before your next WO too.  Warren kind of hit on this point and it is an important one.  I simply run water over my strap before beginning a WO and I don't have problems anymore.  I also suggest wetting the HR strap for placement security as well.  I noticed a couple of years ago that when the weather begins to turn cold my strap will not stay in place well.  After I learned to wet it prior to a run WO (outside) I have drastically reduced the numbers of times I have had to adjust the strap on the run.

It sounds as if you're off to a great start Eric.

Being able to get some 50's in without much trouble is a good sign that you have a decent amount of fitness already.  This is likely to be because you have spent time running and riding, so your cardiovascular system is running fairly efficient.  Now it's time to get your body in shape for swimming.

If you are bilaterally breathing alright then don't worry about if you have to take breaths from one side or the other more often than a standard bilateral breathing pattern.  This really isn't that important.  What is important, and related to your need to breath every other stroke occasionally, is possibly your speed/pace.  You're likely to need to slow down a bit for the 100's rather than attempt to go the same speed, which is likely what you are doing.  Try to relax a little more and go more slowly for the 100's and see how that goes. 

I think a slow build to 1500 yards in okay to do in a single day.  But I think you can fill those yards by doing some of the drills you had mentioned.  Drilling will help you develop both the muscle memory and endurance you will need. 

So my suggestions:

• Work up to around 1200-1500 yards over 4 swims next week (Workouts of 600, 800, 1000, 1200 or more if you feel good).
• Incorporate all of the drills you mentioned to get your total yardage for a given WO.
• Do all work slow and un-timed.  Time the overall length of your WO for future progress insights but NOT any of your sets.
• Complete some 50's as described by your instructor (6-10 would be my suggestion).
• Complete 3-6 100's COMPLETELY un-timed and with as much rest as you like.  Don't try to hit and marks on the clock and rest until complete recovery

Jonathan with his "superior intelect" explains things so much better than I could ever hope too, so I'll leave it to his explanation.    This is a great way to get everyone involved without having to post their weight, if that would be a deterrent, while it also provides a measure of accountability within our group.  We did this last year too, and I liked it.

This is a very interesting video.  I had never paid attention to any stride mechanics at all for a sprinter and it appears there is so much different.

I am planning to get Lis out with my iPhone to provide some video of my sunning on the road soon (hopefully this weekend).  I am wanting to try to learn a little about my mechanics and make any corrections I need to make.  Once I get it completed I'll post a link on here so everyone else can laugh at me too.

Karl send some of that warm weather up north please. It's been warm for us too for this time of year but it'd be nicer if it were a little warmer here. On the puppy front we are going to pick her up tomorrow and bring her home. I hope we have done enough to puppy proof the house but I somehow doubt it. I think we have settled on the name Luna. My daughter likes that one and since we can't come to any agreement on other names that is probaly going to be her name. I only hope I am ready for this, I haven't had a dog in a long time. It will be learning expierence for sure.

I don't have any of his for pay videos.  In terms of the speed - yeah, the technique stuff is really just that - technique work, and not really something you do for an entire run.

He actually talks a LOT about easy training runs in other places, and in fact is a huge proponent of run/walk, even for VERY fast runners.  I'm not sure I agree with all of what he says, but he claims to have coached marathoners who run in the 2:45 range with run/walk race day execution.  I did some 15 milers last winter using run/walk, and I have to admit it's a lot easier on the body.

Show off.

Hey old man, leave the new guy alone.  Just because he doesn't require a walker or cane to run with doen't mean you have the right to judge him. 

Sounds like a great run to me David!  I love when runs seem to just come from within and all seems to be well with the world.  Runners High!!!  Speaking of that, I need a fix right now myself.

I just finished a 12+ mile run and I ran slower than I have in a long time!  That is my accomplishment for the day!  And by accomplishment I mean running that slow for that far.  I have been trying to slow it down for my runs and today provided some success on this front.

Glad to see all the love going on around here LOL! I agree nice run Dave it's nice to have runs where everything comes to together and I say it all the time I envy you guys running under 8 minutes.

Dirk nice run and glad to hear that you got in 12 miles and sounds like no issues which is great. Welcome to my world of slow running although I think your meaning of slow and my meaning of slow are probably two different things.

Keep us updated on the foot following that run.  Great job on keeping the pace down.  How was your HR?

Dave - that is a great run and even though the pace is quick keeping your HR in zone 2 says it was a easy-ish run for you.  It is great when everything comes together.  I hate to stop running on those days, cane and all.

Thanks, Dirk - that sounds like a plan I can follow!  Appreciate the feedback

Thanks for the encouragement guys, early this week my runs had been a big struggle so this one felt like a huge breakthrough/relief.

Dirk good job on the 12 miler, sometimes slowing it down is harder than speeding it up haha.

So, I have had a lot of distraction at work since I returned on Jan 2.  I had forgotten that the new year would bring some restructuring to my employer.  I found out last week that an entire repair facility would be shut down and the employees positions were eliminated entirely.  Some of them were near enough to retirement age that they will end up being bridged by the severance package and they'll be okay.  Others aren't going to be so lucky.

I found out yesterday that an exempt line crew supervisor's job in my area has been eliminated.  this was a stunning blow to my mindset yesterday!!  This man is solid, productive employee who's work has always been good.  All I could think about last night and much of today was his mental state now.  He will likely have a job with the company still but it will most likely be very different and possibly much less pay. 

Honestly, right now, I am spending time thinking about suggesting to my manager that I back down to a lineman again and allow him to take my job as  Line Crew Supervisor.  I don't know how this would work, if at all, or if Lis would support that.  I am still trying to figure out how to approach the concept.  I don't know if I should ask my manager, talk to the LCS about it or say anything to Lis first.  One thing I have to figure out is what kind of direct impact it would have on everyone first.

Needless to say, things are pretty heavy for me right now.  As I was running today I thought much about how to move ahead.  It's scary from either side right now.

Dirk I can relate a little bit as this has happened alot to me over the years and I hate seeing it happen. There is nothing more moral crushing then seeing your employer letting good workers who are also good people go. You heart is definitely in the right place and it says alot about your character to be thinking about this like you are. I hope whatever you decide to do works out for the best.

Back home!

I am finally back home and anxious to get back to a regular routine, including a regular training routine. I am grateful that I was able to visit family, but I forgot how mentally draining our extended families can be.

I was able to get back into the gym yesterday - I was hoping to do a short 3 mile run and then get in a long leg workout, but the run was a disaster. I warmed up slowly, but my right knee hurt from the get go. I am fairly sure that it is my IT band that is giving me grief, but I am self diagnosing and am not a doctor so I could be very wrong. Anyhow, I was only able to run about 1.5 miles before I threw in the towel and told myself not to hurt myself. I was able to get a good, solid leg and shoulders workout in and my knee did not hurt while doing squats or hamstring curls on the TRX bands. I am hoping that my knee was hurting from being constricted the day before due to sitting on planes all day.

Anyhow, I have been stretching my knee today and it doesn't hurt much - the leg workout has me so sore that I make sounds whenever I have to squat down on the toilet - my hubby is laughing at me. I was hoping t get a bike session in today, but soreness, grocery shopping + Costco trip, chores, Christmas clean up, and unpacking filled up my day way too quickly. I am planning on swimming in the morning.

Feeling fat, slow, and weak at the moment.

I finished up the last tough bike workout this evening of Jorge's training plan for week 6. I skipped my swim this morning though as I have been battling a cold all week and I was just too tired to go do it. I figured I'd save my energy for the bike workout this evening and I think that was a good move.

I will do the one hour easy bike ride the plan calls for tomorrow morning and that will probably be it for the training this weekend. Next week is a testing week for the bike program and I wanted to be rested especially being that I have not been feeling great to see if I have made any measurable gains after the first 6 weeks. Plus we are going to bring the puppy home tomorrow so I'm sure she'll keep us busy this weekend.

I am by no means great at swimming but I thought I would share what worked for me once I started swim training for tri's. I swam a bit in high school and have body surfed for a longtime, but that was over 10 years ago and with fins on. When I got back in the pool last summer I just focused on slowing down enough to the point when I could breathe... then, I slowed down some more so I could focus on form..... then, I slowed down even more so I could breathe.... did I mention that I slowed own so I could breathe? I did find myself breathing on one side a lot. I swam this way for about 3 months (3 or 4x a week) and was able to build distance slowly and consistently. I was slow, but I was. Once I got up to a certain distance (1,200 or 1,500 yards), I then started to focus on picking up the speed and breathing bilaterally.

The thing that helped me the most and has helped me build confidence was to slow down enough to where I felt good swimming.

Again - I still have lots of work to do.

Dirk-

Thank you for sharing the struggles that are weighing heavy on you at this time. I witnessed several similar things happen with my employer last year and it has left me very unsure at times as to how important it is to my employer to retain loyal employees for the long haul. After serving in the military and working for government, I am still not used to the private sector.

I am honored to be in a mentor group where we can share and discuss intimate challenges in our life outside of training. I often use training sessions to help me think about career/family/budget issues and am glad to have a healthy outlet to workout these thoughts. As you navigate through this time, I hope you find answers and the support you need.

Dirk, you and the employees are in my prayers.  I don't know what to say.

Jen, glad you are back and had a good trip.  Please remember to do those partial squats, 3 sets of 50, 3 X per day.  Remember feet 6 inches apart and 6 inches from the wall.

Eric, I went to swim lessons yestereday and she had me doing fist drills, swimming with a fist and not an open hand.  That does several things, lets you get the feel of the water on your arms, corrects arm form and gets you to balance in the water.   

I also asked her about endurance.  She said to improve, I needed to be in the pool at least 4 X per week, 5 would be better.  She said to extend your laps just a little every day but if you need to back off a day not to get discouraged.  The more time in the water, the better.  Also extend your lap, nonstop count every day even if it is just 1/2 lap.

Tony, I know you are looking forward to the dog, Luna?  Just keep her plenty of chew toys...lol  Is she potty trained?  Dogs are amazing and she will have you wrapped around her paws in no time.  Enjoy her!

Dirk, for the first time in 20 years of working, I have experienced quite a bit of job uncertainty / unfairness over the past year.  It is not as extreme as what's happening to you, but I can identify a little bit.  I sincerly hope it smooths out for you quickly. 

Jen and Karl, thanks for the swim advice.  I'll try slowing down more, as well as the fist drill, next time.

I did make it back to the pool yesterday, was able to stretch my workout to 900 yards (from 400).  I really began to feel more comfortable in the water.  I tried to slow down, and was initially not comfortable - until I focused on slowing my kick way down, and pushing my head lower in the water (looking almost behind me), which seems to pull up my legs more.  I also focused on keeping my arm outstretched for a longer glide with each stroke.  I am starting to feel like I know some elements that I have to change in my stroke, and I can change one at a time, but still haven't quite put it all together.

I am really enjoying the challenge!  Right now swimming is amlsot entirely a huge mental exercise, whereas running and biking are more about mental toughness.  And, I'm happily sore this morning, so I know I must have had a good workout. 

Thats great that you are feeling more comfortable in the water! I experience many of the same things you are describing when I was working on swimming a couple years ago.  Have you tried just looking straight down and relaxing your head/neck?  Looking backwards can put a strain on your neck/shoulders and can make breathing a bit more difficult.  Good luck and keep us updated!

Please advise...

I just finished the 15K which is my longest race to date.  I have run longer but just easy runs.  This was a VERY hilly course and the temp at the start was 58 and probably warmed up to 65 so it was PERFECT for running.

Got up at 4:00 and ate a bowl of yogurt mixed w/ oatmeal, protein powder, walnuts and milk.  Had a BIG cup of coffee.  Then I stretched and rested and iced my foot then stretched some more.  Right before we left I ate a few bbq chips for the salt and took 3 Aleve for my foot.

Race started and I was just coasting running for the first 2 miles seeing how my foot was going to react and it was very crowded.  At the turn around I ate a shot block and took 1 enduralyte and a sip of water.  I ran the 2nd half hard for me and the last 3/10 I wasn't sure I was going to finish.  When I crossed the finish line I was having to concentrate on not throwing up.  While I was running hard, I was not really sweating but I don't sweat a lot anyway.

Now that the race is over, my stomach is giving me fits.  We left as soon as my wife finished so I could get home.  My stomach has not quit cramping since I finished the race.  At the end of the race I did get a small cup of water, maybe 3 spoons of chili, 1/2 banana and a small oatmeal bar thing.

My question, am I just in terrible shape or is my nutrition off.  It has been several hours now and my stomach is still cramping.  If I drink when running, I know what happens and it isn't good.  I don't think 9.3 miles is a nutrition problem but would like ya'lls advice.