Bob Stocks' Group - CLOSED with some awesome peeps!!! (Page 28)

is that an offer...   I would love to go with ya...       

Dreadmill run tonight. I need a sprinkle of color in my graph this week!! I hope everyone is doing well!!

I'd love to go to Miami this week but I couldn't handle that much sunshine in a weekend!! I'll have to pass!  

Good morning all! Might be stuck on treadmill today.  Funny how that was only way I could run, but once you get outside experience, the treadmill blows!

T: I'm in for Miami!!  Can anyone help me tell wifey how I want to hang out on South Beach with hot tri chicks?

Send the kids to the grandparents and her to the spa and  you may have a chance.   Oh yeah, and you won the "spa weekend getaway" in a raffle

I did a [crazy short] treadmill run for the first time last night.  That gives a whole new meaning to the word athlete.  You have to be pretty dang quick on your feet to stay upright when your foot hits the side (the part that's not moving).  I think I'll stick to the road.  The treadmill is entirely too dangerous for me.

What does everyone have planned for the weekend???  My son's social calendar is full (and he's only 3), so I will be playing chauffer all weekend.

Hey David!

First of all, your training is looking great! Keep doing what you're doing! As far as the shin pain, this crops up with me every once in a while. It usually happens a few days after doing some downhill runs but not always. When it happens I try to relax my foot, slow my pace down a bit and hit the ground without flexing my toes. I hope that makes sense. I notice it when I warm up at a faster pace as well. Again, when I relax my foot and ease up the pace it goes away.

I hope Trixie and Luis chime in on this one. They will be more help I think.

Have a great weekend!! 

Shin splints Agg... I hate those indeed..  the pain is rooted in tight calf muscles and relative weakness in the front leg muscles. 

OK... first things first...

Are you running with the right shoes?  this is something you need to check right away, it is possible that you need shoes with a little more cushion or stability.  Try inserting heel lifts so that your calves don't have to stretch as far.  You can get these from a running store. 

How is your form?   If you slouch too much it is possible that your calf is being pulled thus the source of the pain is your running form.    Get a seassoned runner to watch you run and see what he has to say about your form. 

I had really bad shin splints a few years ago...   I changed my shoes and fixed my running form,  but in addition and what helped the most was a to see a massage therapist.   The massage was really painful but it works.   The massage therapy actually finds the knots in your leg and massages so hard to remove them and dissolve the possible calcium formations present.   That in combination with improving my running technique and getting the proper shoes helped a lot.  I have not had them ever since..    

Last but not least,  exercises...   Exercise your legs like this  

Good luck... 

I'm guessing your form could use some work.  There are a few things that can cause shin pains that can be remedied by changing your form a bit. Do you run on a treadmill right now? Does it hurt worse on the treadmill? 

So I haven't been here in a while, I have been training too much.  Anyway, I noticed that I am in the in the midst of greatness as Senor Bob Stocks is the Triathlete of the Month. You guys may have already discussed this but I now feel that I am in the glow of greatness!  I wonder if this means he will be only posting to the super secret "triathlete of the month" section...

As a side note, I updated my training from from logs on training peaks (trainer uses it).  I am not sure how to go back in time to update some dates I missed but I have updated as far back as I can.

Later peeps! 

Glad to see your training is going well John. I can assure you there is no "greatness" coming from this end. I was pretty shocked when I read that someone actually thought I deserved this.

 Keep up the great work, I'm just trying to get 75% of my coaches workouts in at this point. I need warm weather, the winter is getting very depressing!!

Shocked???  You sent me a check and requested that I post your name in that thread as a way to get chicks?  btw: Your check bounced.

In all honesty, I think you epitomize what BT is all about.  You clearly are a top tri performer with none of the arrogance that plaques many of the top triathletes on "other" sites. 

I have had this before.  I have found 2 solutiions that work.  (1) stretch the tibia muscles before hand (sitting on your heels, toes pointed backwards and lifting the knee gets a good stretch...a tip from marvarnett's wife) and (2) HTFU.

So are all of you Easter Bunnies ready and done shopping?

 I'm going to to bump my run up another mile today and go for 3...no laughing.  We'll see how it goes.  All of my sprints are about 3 miles, so I'd like to be able to knock it out without croking.

Hmmm...

I think one of the most important things in running form is the stride length.  Must be short, if you over stride, your foot goes in front of you, in front of your center of gravity, your knee extends too much and you put to much force on your knee.  Think of running and having your foot land directly underneath your body with your knee slightly bent to absorb the shock.

Next, although if you do ^^^ then it should fix this problem.  It is more efficient and safer to land with your midfoot, not your heel and not your toes.  mid foot...by shortening your stride, this should happen automatically. By landing midfoot you are not flexing your feet up and not stressing your tibialis anterior, your shin muscle. This should help to alleviate your problem.

Next, and again, if those ^^^ are done, this problem should be solved as well. Lean.  When you run it is best to have a small forward lean, not at the waist, at the ankles.

Stand upright, keep your body straight like a plank....lean forward and catch yourself by taking a step. Most likely you did the following....you leaned at the ankle, you stepped forward(while still in the forward lean) and you landed midfoot with a short stride.  TA-DA!!

This form is not overnight, as you get tired you will revert back to old tendencies.  As this form gets easier,  you will become more efficient and the "controlled falling" will increase your speed without increasing energy expenditure.  You will get faster without any added effort.

Hope this helps. 

Great advice Trixie!! That is exactly how I have been running since after my stress fracture. I could never have described it nearly as good as you have. Thanks Trix!!

It took me a little while to feel comfortable with the short stride length, it almost feels like shuffling at first. After doing it for a while, I feel absolutely no impact. Good luck!!!

I'm trying to try this new technique myself.. I know my heart rate and I can talk and run like this with ease. 

'Baby steps'

That's what they pay me the big bucks for

In other news. I'm not going to be training specifically for Western States. I've changed my focus... 

Are you now saying that WS is a B-level race?!   

BTW, yes, I'm still alive and training with irregular regularity.

Today is the inaugural Tampa BT Half-Marathon, courtesy of Betsy and 22legs.    We'll see how I run that.  I may even do a race report.