Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 46)

Steve-you are such a wealth of knowledge. I love reading your posts to everyone because they make me think! 

Brenda-thanks for your generous offer. I think I'm going to see if some local shops have a 'try a saddle' deal and see if they have some of your models. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm riding a road bike so I'm not sure how much of a difference there is between road and tri saddles.

Gene-no help with the numb hand. It sounds like you have put in a lot of time throwing and that certainly might have something to do with it.

Kasia-it sounds like you are having a great start to the new year. Thanks for the saddle recommendation too. I'm keeping a list and I'm going to try some out.

Lori-I put the Terry Butterfly on my list too and will plan on finding a shop to demo some.

Daniel-it does help getting unemployment, takes a load off. Great job on your group ride. Is there a trail system nearby where you can keep off the streets for a while?

David-good luck on your test! Tomorrow morning, right?

Craig-you can totally bring your 5K down to 35 min. Go for it.

Yes, I live in a beautiful area. If I can ignore the densely populated sections, I'm good to go. Our county has a beautiful trail system and they have done a remarkable job acquiring land to keep as open preserves. Good for riding my horses and running/hiking. Now, if only the state could control our money situation
Johanne

Sarah,
You were a busy girl, well done! 

SARAH -

No rest for the wicked, eh? Well, you earned the rest after today's efforts, and I'm glad you're treating yourslef more benevolently tomorrow.

Yes, brace yourself for a wee bout of muscle soreness! Those first few days back in the gym every fall never fail to bring on the muscle aches, although each year I seem to get slightly beeter at keeping the first two or three lifting sessions short and light. This is one way I periodically test-drive my common sense, to see if I've really lost as much as I fear. In this case, anyhow, I'm still hanging in there -- uncharacteristically getting wiser as I get older!

Enjoy the run tomorrow! (And the extra sleep!!)

KASIA -

Fabulous work in the masters class! Are you really super-psyched for tomorrow? My guess is yes!

An hour is huge, 1750 is huge. And it sounds as if you pretty much did it with impunity. How much swimming ahve you done since, say, September? If your answer is along the lines of "not much", then what you accomplished yesterday is all the more impressive. No two ways about it --- I'm impressed!

As for butterfly -- mercy! I could never pull it off even at the best of times, but now my shoulders are such that were I to attempt it......I shudder at the thought! In used to be decent at backstroke, though, but since I impinged the left shoulder and separated the right shoulder, I no longer do it. I just don't trust the range-of-motion in my shoulders to accommodate either of those strokes. Sniff.

Boast away, Kasia -- you have every reason to do so!

Yo, sleepyheads?

DAVID -

One hour down, just two to go!

Remember -- keep adequately hydrated, and use a gel every 40-50 minutes. Pay attention to your pace, as you want to have enough left in the tank for a good, strong finish. Don't forget to thank a volunteer or three!


Seriously, I hope it's going well and that your stress level is quietly blipping along, well below the radar. And enjoy the gym afterwards -- you ROCK those weights!!

LORI -

Whilst running yesterday, it occurred to me that I hadn't mentioned something that I maybe should've, so here it is.

I told you that it took me quite a while to work my way up to being able to sustain high cadence on my runs, but what took even longer to adjust to was being up and out there on my midfoot and forefoot over increasing distances. Depending on how far back you really were with your footstrike, it might take a while until you can be safe and comfortable running midfoot. Just a small caution, is all!

When I began this journey myself, in late '07, i did it in concert with going to Newton running shoes. Newton was just starting then, and they were quite uncompromising in their recommendations. Everything was forefoot, and in their literature midfoot was scarcely mentioned. The result of this was lots of people coming up halt and lame due to calf problems, and in my case as I think I mentioned a couple of days ago, plantar fasciitits and Achilles issues followed.

Within a year, Newton had rewritten their recoms to incorporate midfoot-running as a valid goal, and moreover they "allowed" that it was okay for the back end of the shoe to make contact with the ground -- juts as along as it didn't land on the heel. In other words, one can expect to have some backwards levrr motion happening, so that even if you land on the midfoot area, the foot and shoe will rock back some and make contact with the ground.

I mention this just so you won't get all agitated if you see if your running footprints (say, on out-and-back run on snow) --- and your whole foot is on display there. That is perfectly normal, and can definitely be expected as fatigue sets in.

On final thing is to not be like me and go overboard! I may have said this to you before, but whaen I started my transition I was dopey enough to try to get waaaaay up on my toes --- figuring, I suppose, that if some forefoot is good, LOTS will be much better. Uh-oh! Yet another lesson, learned the hard way!

Finally-finally, based on your photo here I think your running form is quite good. I think I told you this way back when, but it bears mentioning again -- nice forward lean, and it sure looks midfoot to my eyes. If so, then you are a good deal of the way to where you want to be, and hopefully the light at the end of the tunnel will grow bigger and brighter quicker than you think!

BRENDA (and whomever is a gym rat or a wannabe gym rat!)-

I'm quick on the response this time! You asked what I do in the gym, and I'm now prepared to tell you most of it, with conventional names used. I am drawing these from "Strength Training Anatomy" by Frederic Delavier, published by Human Kinetics. It is now in its 3rd edition, with a newer separate volume now available for women. This was the first book to feature detailed anatomical drawings, which I always find fascinating. Heck, just about everything I know about the clavicular head or teres minor I learned from this book!

I will list these just as they appear in the book, so there will be a progression from arms to shoulders to chest to back. This first list is for my mostly-staple exercises when I do upper-body.
-- Concentration Curls
-- Hammer Curls (or Runner Curls)
-- Low-Pully Curls
-- Triceps Push-Downs
-- Seated Dumbbell Triceps Extensions
-- Triceps Kickbacks
-- Lateral dumbbell Raises
-- Alternate Front Arm Raises
-- Bench Press (but on the Smith machine, where the bar can only move staright up and straight down)
-- Dumbbell Flys
-- Dumbbell Pullovers
-- Incline Dumbell Press
-- Straight-Arm Lat Pull-Downs
-- One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
-- Dumbbell Shrugs

Others that are more sporadic:
-- Preacher Curls
-- Reverse Wrist Curls
-- Wrist Curls
-- Seated Dumbbell Press
-- Bent-Over Lateral raises
-- Side-Lying Lateral Raises
-- Barbell Front Raises
-- Upright Rows
-- Close-Grip Bench Press (Smith machine)
-- Incline Dumbbell Flys
-- Pec Deck Flys
-- Lat Pull-Downs
-- Back Extensions
-- Upright Rows

When I used to do legs.....
-- Angled Leg Press
-- Leg Extensions
-- Lying Leg Curls
-- Seated Leg Curls
-- Machine Adductions
-- Standing Calf raises
-- Seated Machine Hip Abductions

Core stuff is all over the place (with only about 1/2-2/3 of these in any 40-minute core session):
-- Superman Planks
-- ditto, but with feet on a 4kg medicine ball and pivoting back and forth (activates all areas of abs)
-- Russian Twists
-- Side Planks
-- Leg Extensions
-- Side Leg Extension
-- Incline Leg Raises
-- Seated Broomstick (or bar) Twists
-- Dumbbell Side Bends
-- Roman Chair Side Bends
-- various half-hearted Crunches and Sit-Ups


There are a few others that I can't name or describe, so I'll just let them go. I hope the above list helps some!

DAVID!

You're done! You did it! Congratulations!

Got your medal? Good! Now head over to the food tent, grab a bagel, a banana, a few orange slices......pizza if they have it.....yougurt......recovery drink. Don't hold back! Replenish!

Any post-test raffle? Good luck!




Hey! Hope the test went well for you!

George,
You crack me up. I can't get the mooing out of my head!
Johanne 

GEORGE -

Funny stories! I really don't think you need an ipod, as you obviously have a huge capacity for amusing yourself. Never a dull moment, eh?

You know, it almost sounds as if the paperman session was a variant of speedwork. Brilliant!

That's a very aggressive schedule you have going, and just make sure you get enough rest in there. The weakest part in my life, and especially how it affects training, is that I'm a chronically lousy sleeper; always have been, probably always will be. I just do so much stuff feeling kind fo tired, and while it all gets done, often I feel it could've been done better had I been better rested. The only upside to this is on race mornings when I have to wake up super-early, well, I just know that feeling and how cope with that level of fatigue when it hits me during the race.

But I digress! I only want to remind you to get enough rest so that your workouts can be as quality-laden as possible. There!

For several years I belonged to a really superb gym near where I used to work, and I even kept up with it for about two years after i retired. Then the drive got too much and the annual fee kept rising, and regrettably I gave it up. I searched around all of the gyms that are part of the City of Ottawa, and found this one that is part of a huge recreational complex (two hockey rinks, ice syurafces for curling, squash courts, basketball courts.......and the 50m pool! The gym part is quite small compared to the other place, but it has more than I can utilize in one <80-minute session. In fact, there's lots of machines there i never use, and haven't yet used the treadmills. I do, however, slay myself about once every 7-10 days on the Concept 2 rowing machine. Man, the pain feels so good when it stops!!

How are your legs feeling these days? It soumnds like you've ramped up your running a bit, so I guess you're hanging in there okay in terms of avoiding injuries and even serious aches. Keep on the safe and cautious side!

MOOOOOOOOO!

JOHANNE -

If George can get his MOOjo working so early in the morning, maybe we all can. No bull!

Moo!

George's Mojo vibes must of been with me this morning. I was up at 5:00, in the pool at 5:30 and on my run by 7:45. I am done for the day! Keep that Mojo coming  

JOHANNE -

If you and George are both benefitting from the same MOOjo, then on those morning runs you'll be hoofing it around the neighborhood!


Anyhow, well done on knocking off the swim and run so early. Righteous!

Hey Gang!!!
I'm back and boy does my head hurt! I could definatley feel all the groups Mojo in Charlotte, NC this morning and thank to that and a "Good Luck Silly Band" my daughter gave me this morning, I PASSED!!!!! Only 2 more tests to go, but I gained alot of confidence by passing this one on the first go round!

Steve...Unfortunatley no food tent at the end of the test, but I did do a little dance once I got out in the hallway. I didn't think the proctor would appreciate it in the middle of the testing center!

I can't wait to get to the gym tonight to get in a good swim and run to release all the tension! Thanks again everyone for the well wishes...I'll be counting on you in another 8 weeks or so!

Gene...I am studying for my CPSM (Certified Professional in Supply Management)...yeah...I almost fell asleep typing that!

David

Thanks Steve.  I think I do land further back as I fatigue during longer training runs and races.  I doubt I could ever be a forefoot runner, my calves and shins wouldn't be happy.  Hopefully each run continues to go just a little bit better.  My arms and shoulders are pretty much locked into the correct form.  I still have a little shoulder swing but far less than before. 

What should I concentrate on once I go back to running outside?  Hopefully that will be next week after it warms up into the 20s instead of single digits!

Two tough bike classes this week!  Awesome workouts for me!

Finally swimming tomorrow afternoon after we pick up our new SUV. 

Beautiful pictures!  I love trail running!

We run in a local state park and love it!

Just in case anyone is interested in a good, short core workout:

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-263--13030-1-1X2X3X4-5,00.html

This is the one I do most of the time with some other functional strength exercises added in.

Hey Steve, my legs are feeling better.  When I run on the treadmill vs on the road I feel that my legs are hitting the treamill harder where as when I run on the road I feel like its a softer landing.  I feel more comfortable running outside then I do on the treadmill.  As for sleep I get plenty.  When the kids go to bed at 8:30 then I also go.  I have never been one that stays up late, well I did when I was younger and I was chasing the ladies (yep I had to stay up late bcuz they kept running from me and it took forever to catch them) Ok I did not catch them, well I did catch one and man she has been a good catch.  But I guess since I'm older now and I have my catch, I see no reason to stay up late.  I'm also a morning person, before I started to workout I would wake up without an alarm around 5-5:30am almost every morning. 

Thanks
George

Yay to DAVID! Congrats on passing your test! Hope you're able to have a good workout tonight in celebration.

LORI's getting a new set of wheels! What SUV are you buying? Enjoy the new car smell while it lasts.

I thought I was a morning person, but GEORGE, at 3:50 A.M. going for a run is uber impressive. You get the gold star for earliest riser!

Hope you were able to sleep in and get all your errands run today, SARAH. You put me to shame on your workout yesterday.

OK, STEVE, not only are you a wealth of info, but you have an unbelievable memory. Or do you have a file on the history of all your events? I don't remember what happened yesterday, let alone in 2004! Thanks for sharing how your injury turned into your love of triathlons. Neat. Again I'll say that your finish times, regardless of the shorter course on the IM or the penalty are SO impressive. Thanks also for the info on your workouts and the book recommendation. I'm going to look it up as I can probably find it on ebay for cheap. It sounds like a good resource to have. You'd asked about my hypothermia and no,I didn't need to go to the hospital. The guy who came in before me did, though. I spent my time in the med tent with by body uncontrollably shaking and after about an hour and a half of warm blankets and heat lamps I was able to walk out (more like an old man shuffle) and drive myself home. It was an experience I never want to repeat. The thing was, it was a looped course and if I'd had the presence of mind I'm told that I could've exited the course into the transition area, gotten my coat and gloves (yes, I'd packed them) and returned onto the course as long as I entered where I'd exited (per USAT rules) But, I remember singing out loud during the third loop so I know I was “loosing my marbles”. I learned a lot that day and lived to tell about it.

It's supposed to be about 8 degrees here tomorrow so needless to say, I'll be doing my workout inside. I think I'll hit the spin class at the Y and do some strength training.

Happy Friday to everyone!

LORI -

A few quick thoughts first:
(1) You keep a terrific log here! I'm just happy to have finally got one going here, but I'm going to stop patting myself on the back until I start to make it soemthing more than one degree snazzier than bare bones.
(2) How do you keep consistent weight like that?
(3) How you manage to sleep consistently well? As I said to George earlier, I have always been a terrible sleeper, and quite literally -- if I sleep 7 hours more than four times a year, it is a miracle. Last night it was about 3h45m, and I was awake at 3:30.

Onwards!

I can see where you're at for your running now, and your distance and duration are both fine for this time of year. This week has seen you do a four- and a five-miler, and durtaion has topped at 52', so your base seems very sound. As for your question of what you might concentrate on when you get back running outside.......let me think about thta a bit more. I will now try to ferret my way deeper into your log, as in looking at previous weeks (I have a real hard time figuring out how to do this , but give me a few stabs at it and I think I can succeed!). I will try to do this sooner than later, but realistically --- you aren't looking at a serious warming trend anytime soon, are you?

Any further thoughts on whetehr the HIM will be Door or Racine or Chisago? The participant list has been activated for Racine, so if you're a skulker like I am and take pleasure in seeing who the worthy age group competition will be.....it's there for you to machinate over!

I'm certainly not advocating forefoot for you, but as for your concerns about calves and shins not being strong enough --- they certainly can be. Well, the calves certainly can be. The thing with shin splints isn't so much strength-related, or, better said, strength matters that can be easily addressed. That is, it's hard to strengthen those tendons and mini-muscles that attach to the periosteum that attaches to the shin bone, plus there can be a lot of external factors involved that make diagnosis and treatment a bit sketchy.

Are your shin splints anterior (outside) or medial? And what types of exercises are you doing for the condition. (By the way, there is a fancy term for shin splints now -- MTSS, or Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome.) I like that term, but in a kind of perverse sense, because in Dec. '99 into Jan. '00 it was shin splints that I didn't address at the time that morphed into a tibial stress fracture. So, seeing Tibial and Stress as part of the MTSS reminds me of what can be involved in this. It is great that you are working on your shin splints, just so you don't end up like i did in early '00*. Keep at 'em!

Very nice week of work, Lori, and have a good swim tomorrow!

A new car, too! Lynn got a new one a few months ago, and is still suitably smitten!


*As i wrote just recently to Brenda, it was the tibial stress fracture that got me into triathlon, so I think of it as My Best Bad Injury. (I made a silk purse from a sow's ear with that episode!)

BRENDA -

For most things I do have a good memory (although of late it seems to be showing signs of flaking and chipping.....), but the key to all of the numbers is my log books. I have been very dutiful with them over the years, so in most cases I just have to go back to the right book and there it all is. Also, on my wall down here in the computer grotto is a long running list, on vertically taped together sheets of 8.5x11 paper, of all the races I have done. Nowadays for the less important races I may have to look at that first to see whether such-and-such race was in '02 or '03, for example (and in the spirit of honesty.....also ones in '07 and '08!).

I go back into old logs many, many, many times a year, so I actually come by my reticence to use the BT log naturally, just because my pencil&paper ones have been so effective for me. I really am trying to be less of a Luddite and be diligent and comprehensive with the BT log, but it will be a long slog. I think my heart is in the right place, but as for my head?? Urp.

Thanks for the detailed accounting of the hypothermia episode; plenty of food for thought! As I think I said before, I have taken pretty big chances in many races, and have dodged that particular bullet. There have been races in which my feet have gotten so frigid on a rainy bike on a cold day that I have done the first couple of miles of the run feeling I was "running on stumps", but throughout these episodes my core has somehow maintained its heat. About the biggest concession I make on cold days is sliding my arm-warmers down onto the aerobars, and then slipping them on once I get moving. But at some point I might learn the hard way that valor is not the better part of discretion* ---- and if that happens I can't say you didn't warn me!

The eternal quest for those extra seconds can be a fast-track to disaster or calamity, and I can fully appreciate the fact that you didn't wnat to dismount and go back into transition to get gloves and a jacket. that would take how many seconds/minutes?!? That is my thinking about the arm-warmers --- why take the time in T1 to put them on, when I can multi-task at about mile 1 or 2 of the ride and not lose any time? I know full well, too, that my way of donning them is dangerous, trying to get them up and secure while moving at speed. That's another lesson I would hate to learn the hard way!

That's kinda sorta funny about you signing during the third loop, but it's encouraging that you remember that you even did it. And how much fighting did you have to do to leave the med tent and drive yourself home? I'll bet the staff was a bit nervous about that!

Cold enough and windy enough today that I bagged a run (ran yesterday, anyhow), although I skiied for 41'. The best part of today was an 80' trainer ride while watching a dumb movie. This is my first movie-enhanced ride of this off-season, and I'd forgotten how fast a trainer ride can go when there is a movie on that is fast-paced and (generally) poorly-acted. this was one I'd never heard for - "Altitude" - and if I'd paid $12 to see it in a theatre I would've hated myself for months. But for $5.40 and 80 minutes of riding -- Priceless!


*I am currently reading Shakespeare's "Henry IV Part I", and just learned that the line "The better part of valor is discretion...." is one of Falstaff's. Now, I probably knew that at some Mesozoic period of my earlier years, but if so I had clearly and completely forgotten it. (So much for my memory, eh?)

Lori thanks! I am going to use this tomorrow.Melinda