Experior and Slornow's Winter Mentor Group-CLOSED (Page 29)

Bennet -- I agree with Jason.  You will see some gains just from a tire+tube upgrade.  Do that first, when you can afford it, then worry about the wheels.  Late summer/fall is not a bad time to try to pick some stuff up on ebay.  Also, don't overlook wheel covers for the rear -- for about $100 you can get 99% of the benefit of a rear disc wheel.

Brian -- glad you are feeling better.  Yes, the trainer is a wonderful invention.  It probably allows me to get in 2 or more training sessions per week that I just would't manage if I only had the option to ride outdoors.

Oops.  I said 'Jason' in the earlier post (maybe he said it too?), but now I'm looking at Randy suggesting the tires and tubes.  I agree with Randy too!

Randy -- hope the cold clears up soon.  I have to agree about the cold.  I grew up in Wisconsin and thought nothing of playing outside in temps of -20 when I was a kid.  I've become a wimp about it, and frankly I'd rather run in 95 degrees than 15 degrees.  Part of it is the whole production of dressing up for the cold.  Part of it is just general dislike of the cold.

I think you could actually do a lot worse than drinking a beer after a long hard workout.  For example, if given the choice between chocolate milk (a bit of a pet peeve of mine...) and beer with some almonds, I'd go for the latter.  Both for enjoyment and for the quality of the recovery.

4200 yard swim -- you're a better person than I.  You are officially my hero now.

That race sounds fantastic.  And the picture is pretty incredible.  Congrats on the excellent result!

Dang that looks pretty steep and fun all at the same time!  I remember going to Talafofo Falls with my mom and sister when my brother's class went there for a fieldtrip.  We had a major storm that blew in and there was major flooding; trying to get up and down the trails was almost impossible; slipping and slidding all over.  It made for a dangerous journey.  They had to bring in helicopters to get everyone out.

Michael - That sounds like a horrific experience.  I hope the young man recovers well.

Bri - Glad you are out running again.  Nice job on losing 2.2lbs!  I too had a burger last night, but opted for some wine in place of the beer.  But, now that Michael is recommending beer and almonds over chocolate milk, I may re-think my post workout recoverite and take his advice.

Randy- Welcome home, and I hope your travel schedule settles down.

Blanda - It looks like you are doing some incredible races.  That is awesome stuff.  It is so cool to see someone taking advantages of their geographic location.  I bet you were glad to tend goal that night though!

I got all the run mileage in today.  After a quick ~1 mile warm up, I ran my buddies 10k.  It is the second year for this event, and I had ran it last year, right when I was starting to get back into training.  My plan was to go easy (~10min/mile) as I had to put in an extra six on top of the 10k.  I started off feeling good, and then after the first mile and the crowd thinned, I settled in to a 8:45 pace.  My HR was doing good at 153-155, and I just ran.  Wound up finishing in 54:37.  While I know this is not blazing fast, it is a little over 8 minutes faster than last year's time, and I did it on legs that rode 64 miles yesterday.  I was pretty stoked.  Came home, had a cup of coffee, and then went out and got in the rest of the mileage for the day.  Whew.  Now my legs are cooked, but my mind feels good.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Bennet

Brian: That's so scary! It's happened a few times a heli had to pull out people. I always catch my breath when I see one circling inland! GREAT run and awesome work on dropping the lbs. If you're feeling good, push the running during training! Find those limits.

Catwoman: Amazing swim! Winded just thinking about it.

Michael: Hope the nerves have settled from recent events.

Bennett: Guam's great year round weather leaves us no excuse for staying indoors. Sounds like your body had some great powering up time with that feel good run! Nice easy follow-up run and go at it again, I say.

As for recovery, I don't do much more than a recovery bevvie (Endurox) right after anything an hour or more in length and thorough stretching. If my knees are cranky, I RICE and take some Ibuprofen. My knees are sensitive after years of soccer. Nothing much I can do but be kind to them.

Rene - How often are you using the foam roller, and trigger point?  For anything longer than an hour I have two scoops of Hammer Recoverite immediatley following the workout, and then whatever regular meal follows.  Hope your run was good.

Bennet

Bennet - Tires made a huge difference.  Even on my long ride Saturday, I took it a bit easier than the week before, my wattage was about 10% lower, but my average speed was .25 mph faster.

Much anticipated recovery week for me.  Most times I plan recovery weeks, I usually don't follow them too well because I want to keep training hard.  This time around...I'm embracing the easy workouts.

As far as recovery tools.  I have a foam roller which I don't use as often as I should.  I also have a pair of recovery tights, but I usually only use them after a race or when on a plane.  Don't overthink it too much though.  A good meal post workout, simply walking around to keep blood flowing, and elevating your legs a bit while lying down goes a long way.

Hey folks-yesterday was an unplanned rest day.  Thought I would do my run before leaving Chattanooga but head cold made me feel just bad enough to skip it.  Thought I would get it in when I got home but still felt pretty crappy so ended up napping instead.  Did an easy swim today....felt like I needed to swim since it has been 10 days since my last swim workout.  Not too bad.  Hopefully, I will be approaching 100% tomorrow and can get back on schedule with the training.

Recovery/injury prevention- I find that I do alot of stretching/foam roller/trigger point work when I feel an injury coming on or when I am trying to get over an injury.  Obviously not the best plan.  I always stretch before and after runs mostly focusing on calves and hamstrings.  I need to be more consistent but get complacent when I feel good.

Randy

Recovery tools - this is something I need to get aquainted with.  Calves still aren't right, so I may go back for another massage.  But I wonder if I should be rolling them out everyday onthe roller or applying heat and/or ice.

I'm typically a go do it kind of guy, I don't really do well with planning, preparing, taking care of things afterwards.  Doesn't help me when I'm injured and need to focus on something other than SBR.

As well you should be!  8 minute PR on 10K is huge.

Recovery:  I have a foam roller, and probably should use it more.  I tend to wait until something feels wrong before I start doing something about it.  I know, I know...too late.

The main thing that I do -- started about a year ago -- is that I have an excellent massage therapist, and I see him regularly (once or twice a month).  He has worked for a pretty impressive array of professional athletes, and serves some members of the university track team here.  The sessions are extremely painful, and I was so skeptical after the first one that I vowed I wouldn't go back.  But 48 hours later I felt much better than I had in months.  Many of my little pains were gone.  Etc.

I don't stretch.  Maybe I should.

Michael...how do you plan these massages into your schedule.  I've recently had a "general" massage...but not anything sports focused that actually "hurts".  I've been meaning to try one, but I know that there is a short recovery to it.  Do you typically plan for light training the next day or two...or do you push on with normal training.  Being that most people do not recommend a massage the week before a major race...I'm assuming you want to get a massage at least a few days before the weekend (assuming you do you long runs and rides on the weekend).

Yes, it takes time to recover.  It used to take me 48 hours.  I've grown accustomed to it, and it takes 24 now.  I normally have them done on a Thursday morning, let the following Friday be a day of light training at lunchtime and/or in the afternoon, and by Saturday I'm good to go.

Bennet-great job on the PR!

Randy

Recovery discussion...  So yesterday I ran 10 miles and as in every long run my right knee feel pretty loose and a bit sore.  In a day it generally feels pretty good depending on how hard I go.  With a day off of running I am good to go.  I have a Trigger Point kit for lower leg and a message roller as well.  Have not used either of them much lately.

My wife made the best Low fat lasagna this evening and it was 7 points plus according to my Weight Watchers Calculator; that along with Green Beans (which I love) and a green salad, plus Regular Ranch dressing I am good to go.  I still have points left over for a snack later.