KVesey's Group - WORKING HARD (Page 4)

Wow! 50mph? I think that would blow me over!

Do some light stretching and, if you have a foam roller or something, give yourself a massage. Also, a good one that feels good...lie on the floor and scootch your butt up the wall. Put your legs up the wall so they are perpindicular to the floor. Lie there, arms at your side, palms up, for about 5 minutes. That will help a lot.

Then, soak in a bath as hot as you can stand it and add epsom/bath salts.

After that, you should feel great for tomorrow.

Maybe.

Not sure why I thought if I feel fine, everything will be fine. That 4-mile trail run was tough. I did alright the first 2 miles, and then I was done. I guess being sick for 2 weeks took a lot more out of me than I figured. Something I'm not really used to. Normally, if I have a cold, it's all snot and no bite, so I can continue working out pretty much as I would without the cold. This time, though, it totally put me down for the count. Swimming hasn't been an issue, but running and, to a lesser extent, riding have been tough. I just hope tomorrow's 10-mile run goes okay...not planning on doing it fast, so that should help.

I guess this just means I'm getting old(er).

Happy Monday, everyone!

Hope you had a good weekend, whether it included working out or catching up on other stuff.

I had a decent 10-mile run yesterday. It wasn't too hot in the morning, but yucky humid. I was sweaty and stinky when I finished.

I'm sore this morning. That's what taking a couple of weeks off will do...especially when you're in your 40s. I had originally thought I would hit this week hard, but since I am sore, and I do have that race on Sunday, I have backed off that plan.

Anyone else have anything coming up this week? I know Todd is racing in a sprint triathlon this weekend. (And, sorry, about not getting back to you on who might have been riding on Saturday afternoon. I was offline and didn't see your question until later. Maybe in a couple of weeks we can meet up for a ride?)

I have a half marathon on Sunday. And this week I start a speed program (running) that begins with a time trial on Tuesday. Yikes. Anything that sounds like a test makes me worry.

Marsha,

This particular speed program is set up and put on by the local running store. We're starting with a time trial tonight, and the coaches will use that information, plus our goals, to create workouts for us. The actual running will be once a week, and we'll be doing a mixture of distances, ranging from 200s to a mile. On Thursdays, we'll be doing functional strength training at a sports center.

When I put together my own speed training, I usually keep it to just once a week. I like to mix it up. So, one week, I may do repeats and the next week I may do some steady tempo runs. I also will include hill repeats to help build strength.

Distances really depend on the race you're training for. For a sprint, I would probably do intervals that range from 200s to 1200s. I would work my tempo runs up to at least 20 steady minutes (for example, the first time I do them, I might do 3 x 5 minutes tempo, 5 minutes easy; I would gradually increase the tempo time each session until I could hold 20 minutes).

As for pace, you can use the calculator on this site, http://www.mcmillanrunning.com/.Plug in a recent race time, and it will give you predicted race times as well as suggested training paces for different distances.

I would not do any speed work the same week as a race. Two weeks before, I would keep the speed session short, fast, and focused.

Hope that helps.

Awesome workouts over the weekend! You'll be great at Soak up the Sun.

After I bike for about 20 minutes, I'm getting numb / in a lot of pain.  Numb in the feet, pain in more sensitive areas.  Do I need a different saddle?  I'm wearing full padding bike shorts and I'm worried about what will happen when I wear tri shorts.

First get your bike fit checked. If you are having issues with both the tush and feet, I'm thinking it's not the saddle. Also, if it's only after 20 minutes of riding, seems to me something is definitely awry.  And when you check the fit, make sure to take a look at how your cleats are positioned on your shoes.

I have found that padding is not necessarily the answer when it comes to tush comfort. First, I think most of us have to resolve ourselves to the fact that perching our bony little arses on a bike is never going to be like sitting in our favorite chair, and there will always be some discomfort. However, it should be manageable. For me, and my bony butt, I am more comfortable with less padding (i.e., tri shorts) and a skinny saddle. The key is that you are correctly positioned on the bike/saddle and that comes with a good fit.

Best place to get a bike fit, of course, is at your LBS. It's worth the $.

Uhm...yeah.

It's been an interesting week in the Vesey household. A week ago today, hubby had a "fainting" spell. Which earned him not only a trip to the hospital, but also an overnight stay. With our weekend trip to Virginia coming up, it kind of put a hitch in the next 2 days. He's fine. Potassium levels appear to bottom out, so he needs to eat bananas.

I didn't pack my laptop for our weekend getaway...figured the brother-in-law would have a home computer. If he does, it's in the room with the locked door. If he uses his computer for work stuff primarily, then I understand the locked door. But, it kept me offline for the next 4 days.

That was only supposed to be 3 days, but our flight home on Sunday was canceled. We were rebooked for Monday, and finally got home shortly after 5 p.m. Didn't have time to get online that evening, but figured, as long as it was quiet at work, I would catch up when I got in on Tuesday.

However, my network connection was all wacky, going in and out all day, and really thwarting any attempt to either do real work or goof off on BT.

So, I am finally back online. The network issue seems to be resolved (I shouldn't hold my breath, though). I am totally behind.

Ran on my favorite trails in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, battlefield on Saturday morning. Took a quick trip to Richmond to have lunch with my brother and wife. Ran the Marine Corps Historic Half on Sunday morning in the cool rain. Monday was a bust. Did speed work last night (4x800s). I was supposed to swim this morning, but the pool was closed temporarily, and I didn't have the luxury of waiting for it to reopen, so just headed to work. I will do the Ride of Silence tonight with our cycle club. Tomorrow's a run and functional strength workout. Friday I think I will join a group ride from the LBS. Saturday, swim (finally!) and ride. Sunday, run.

Congrats on your race at SUTS, Todd! Sounds like it was a resounding success. You managed the challenges tossed your way, and pressed on for some good results. Next up: Heatwave!

Great job! Let us know how that triple brick goes today. I did those when training for my half and full ironman races. They sure help with the mental part (just because everything can seem easy).

I was going to do the club's ride this morning, but they have cancelled it. Not sure how my day will go now. I do need to swim. And it's been a while since I've had a good bike ride. But a lot of stuff at home is calling my name too. I think I need a 48-hour day.

So, just wanted to say, sorry for the long silence. Between the hospital trip for hubby, traveling, having network issues at work, and my computer in the shop, I was not finding myself at a keyboard to do my due diligence.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day as we honor those who served and died for the freedoms we enjoy.

I will be back later to talk about the functional performance training I've been doing the last couple of weeks. It's pretty cool and easily adaptable to everyday training (i.e., no need to go to a special place). 

Have a great day and happy training!