Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 40)

Finally managed to get a decent swim workout in today.  Granted, it was super slow, but I got in 3000 meters- 2500 of which was non-stop.  Ate a package of peanut butter crackers right before... made a huge difference (I've been doing my swims after work, before dinner).  Just reminded me that I suck at nutrition. 

Swimming question for all of you:  Do you wear ear plugs?  If so, what kind?

Went running tonight with my friend Jamie (she did the HM with me 2 years ago). Can't wait until we're able to run together again. It motivates me to continue the C25K program so we can do longer runs by the spring. As I get older, I start to appreciate good friends & how they are hard to come by. So happy to be have my running partner back.

I've been a little quiet around here.  Sorry.

My foot is feeling better.  It still hurts.  I'm swimming and riding my bike and doing the elliptical.  I had the flu last week.  This week, I'm fighting a mild cold.  It never ends.

I'm missing my intense workouts but I know that mellow, zone 2 stuff is all I can handle.  My HR has been quite elevated recently.  I was talking to some local nurse friends of mine the other day.  They said that one of the lingering effects of the flu I had is an elevated HR and blood pressure for a couple weeks after the end of symptoms.  I'll just carry on with what I've been doing.  Glad to hear I'm totally normal, though. 

Jackie, congrats on getting a running partner.  However. be careful with it.  If she can not make it for a run, that is not your excuse to skip too..lol  just be sure to use it as a motivational tool and friend and not a crutch.

Tracy...will you get well!  Hope you get to feeling better soon.

Jeff, how is your cold/flu you had over the weekend?

Will, congrats on the swim.  I do not use earplugs but do use a swim cap to keep part of the water out.  I use swim ear after every swim.  I didn't know we were not supposed to.  Waiting to hear back from Dirk on that.

Dirk, I can't wait to see the pic but it is blocked here..they block some and not others, probably because it has a facebook thing???

Swim went good for me yesterday, I swam 300 yards non-stop, my longest in my entire life so far but very slow. hey I just glad not to drown.  Since I've never swam, I'm estatic over this and could have gone further but didn't want to risk hurting anything.  Then I started using the pull buoy, swimming w/ fist instead of hands, using the kickboard etc etc.

So Dirk, I was thinking of running 12 miles Sat.  Is that a bad idea?, I was thinking I needed to do that for confidence that I can finish but I don't want to make things worse??????

Oh yea, do ya'll take your rings off while swimming?  My hands shrink in the water and my ring almost fell of so I took it off, that was Friday.  I have not found it yet..yikes!  Sure glad my head is screwed on.  Wife has been real good about it...whew!

Nutrition?  What's that?  Sometimes I have to get s little bit of something in my stomach before some WO's.  I have found I will fade very quickly if I don't get something in me prior to running and riding, specifically.  An empty stomach has a psychological effect on me that I know has little or nothing to do with the reserves my body has within.

No ear plugs at all for me either.  Occasionally I get very itchy ears from swimming and I figure it's related to the chlorine that settles in my ears after a swim.  Using alcohol is a good way to keep swimmers ear at bay but I've heard not to use it all the time.  I can't remember the reason currently and I don't have time to check up on it right now.

Sometimes just watching people that are smooth and clean in the water can do wonders for you own swimming.  Next time ask him if you can simply watch his technique.  Make sure you let him know you're new to triathlon so he doesn't think you're a stalker.  He may even offer to help you some.

I would suggest that you look at your swimming for the full length of the interval rather than the 100 pace for an interval.  So, if you are doing 500's for the main set you would actually swim at 9:00.  Then you add your rest interval to the time of say 1 minute, for example, making it "500's on 10:00."  If you are swimming 200's and it takes you 4:00 for each rep and you want 30 seconds rest you would say 200's on 4:30 and so on.....

On to your specific question.

Per the example used for the 200's I would say you are pretty close to a good rest interval.  If you wanted to work a little harder I think you could go at 3:50 or 3:55.  I think you could/should cut the rest down since you are only doing 4 reps.  If you were doing longer sets I would suggest you stay at a 20 second rest.  I don't do 200's.  Once I get close to that distance I am at 250 yards and I do 6 reps anytime I do 250's.

The shorter your distance the shorter the rest should be too.  If you are doing 50's you could start slowly and then build to something like 5 seconds rest before leaving for the next rep.  I do a WO that I call the "Fast 50's that is done in a similar fashion.  It looks like this:

• 6x50 on :60 @ Landing at :37-:38
• 6x50 on :55 @ Landing at :39-:40
• 6x50 on :50 @ Landing at :39-:40
• 1 minute rest
• 6x50 on :45 @ Landing at :38-:42

This is a progressively harder WO as it goes along.  By the time I am done I am trashed.  You can see that by the last set I am only getting 3-5 seconds rest before leaving the wall again.

Now that I read your post again it looks like you are doing a ladder WO.  Is that the case?  If so you should start with the shortest distance, build to the longest distance and then reduce the distance in the same manner that you completed the build up.  Each of the reps should be done at a pace that leaves you equally tired as the last rep even though the distance is getting longer.  So, it progresses this way: fastest, faster, fast, moderate, fast, faster, fastest.

One last thing, are you sure you're logging meters or are you logging yards?  Because, if you are actually logging meters, I should be making comments about you being the fish in the water!

As I have reread my post I am feeling very confident I have not answered your question clearly.  If I can get a clearer head I'll come back and answer it again later.  Right now my post isn't even making sense to me.

Swim went good for me yesterday, I swam 300 yards non-stop, my longest in my entire life so far but very slow. hey I just glad not to drown.  Since I've never swam, I'm estatic over this and could have gone further but didn't want to risk hurting anything.  Then I started using the pull buoy, swimming w/ fist instead of hands, using the kickboard etc etc.

So Dirk, I was thinking of running 12 miles Sat.  Is that a bad idea?, I was thinking I needed to do that for confidence that I can finish but I don't want to make things worse??????

Oh yea, do ya'll take your rings off while swimming?  

Finally managed to get a decent swim workout in today.  Granted, it was super slow, but I got in 3000 meters- 2500 of which was non-stop.  Ate a package of peanut butter crackers right before... made a huge difference (I've been doing my swims after work, before dinner).  Just reminded me that I suck at nutrition. 

Swimming question for all of you:  Do you wear ear plugs?  If so, what kind?

Dirk and Warren, thanks.  I haven't taken a day off..well i don't remember when.  Ok I will cut back on the running day.  I was trying to do what I thought was right to run more often.  Who would have ever know tri would be so confusing...lol  I really do appreciate all of ya'lls feed back and sorry for being such a newbie.  Will it be OK to ride and swim instead of running?  P90(x)?

It is going to be tough to take a day off.  I will TRY.

I am (mostly) back from my bout with the bubonic plague.  Got in a trainer ride last night, and my HR was about 10-15 beats higher than normal for the power, so I'm not totally healthy yet.

I often use earplugs swimming, both for warmth (who knew?) and for water in the ear.  I use Mack's Aquablock earplugs.

Warren is right, but if you were running up against your metabolic recovery rate you'd be seeing a different set of symptoms.  Those would be lethargy, cranky, poor sleeping, lower immune system, generalized performance decrease...

You are experiencing leg pain, so you are specifically needing to back down the running, not everything.  So take a 'rest' day that isn't a sedentary day.  Just take your swim or bike or P90x at less intensity (but P90x is all about intensity, so how about you not do that?  I mean for 1 day, not altogether)

And if you have been gently running 1 mile per day for a while I would call that probably good as long as the legs are moving in the right direction.  If not, cut that out too.

Every day running is definitely a good thing, but not when trying to deal with certain running related injuries.  Even if what you feel now is just accumulated soreness I would still call it an injury, just a non-specific and short-lived one.

So taking a few days off running is fine but maximize your recovery when you do.  I am strongly convinced you heal faster if you work the area in a non-running way.  For instance, swimming is a great way to rehab running-fatigued legs...just don't swim without your kick like you might typically try to do.  Specifically work the kick for part of the swim workout.  And cycling is fine too just stay in the saddle and keep your cadence over 90rpm (which requires light load).

Consider going to a masseuse and getting a massage for your legs.  Find a hot tub/jacuzzi somewhere and spend 30 minutes in there.

good luck!

Warren is right, but if you were running up against your metabolic recovery rate you'd be seeing a different set of symptoms.  Those would be lethargy, cranky, poor sleeping, lower immune system, generalized performance decrease...

You are experiencing leg pain, so you are specifically needing to back down the running, not everything.  So take a 'rest' day that isn't a sedentary day.  Just take your swim or bike or P90x at less intensity (but P90x is all about intensity, so how about you not do that?  I mean for 1 day, not altogether)

And if you have been gently running 1 mile per day for a while I would call that probably good as long as the legs are moving in the right direction.  If not, cut that out too.

Every day running is definitely a good thing, but not when trying to deal with certain running related injuries.  Even if what you feel now is just accumulated soreness I would still call it an injury, just a non-specific and short-lived one.

So taking a few days off running is fine but maximize your recovery when you do.  I am strongly convinced you heal faster if you work the area in a non-running way.  For instance, swimming is a great way to rehab running-fatigued legs...just don't swim without your kick like you might typically try to do.  Specifically work the kick for part of the swim workout.  And cycling is fine too just stay in the saddle and keep your cadence over 90rpm (which requires light load).

Consider going to a masseuse and getting a massage for your legs.  Find a hot tub/jacuzzi somewhere and spend 30 minutes in there.

good luck!