Andrew Haberkorn's Group - FULL (Page 5)

I am so glad I am in. Thank you all. I just got through reading all the posts and looks like I missed some really good conversation. I am a newbie when it comes to this sport, and actually just about every sport. I have become completely obsessed with triathalons though. My first race is May 1st. I am running a marathon. As I mentioned before, I have an avulsion fracture and I can't run for at least 2.5 more weeks. Has anyone ran after an injury like this? I am going to feel very nervous when I am running for the first time after this injury. The first week back I am going to attempt to get to 4-5 miles per run and I plan on running 3-4 times. I know that everyone is going to say that it is too much, but what do you think?

Thats too much!

You have to start back slow. When is your marathon?

what kind of running base do you have?  Have you been running for a while?  seems very aggressive if you arent already a runner before the injury.  Is the May 1st race a marathon?  yikes if it is!  only 15 weeks of training, I'm sure it could be done, but following an injury... that's pretty freakin soon!  hate to say it, but coming off a foot injury and jumping right into 15-20 miles/week seems like a quick way to get re-injured. 

i know, probably exactly what you expect people to say, right?

Ok sounds like when Feb. Comes around and I can afford it I should by a bike that I will use to race. I guess my question is where can I get a bike suitable for a beginner that isn't going to be too expensive? I will need some other gear too it seems for the bike and the entire event. I want to make good buys and get the equip that will be best suited for a beginner. Any tips are welcomed. By the way had to work way late and had to eat cut my bike ride out tonight will let this one go since it's early, but will have to tweak my program as wed. I usually end up working later than usual.

Most bike shops carry a wide range of bikes in an equally wide range of prices.  I'd make a trip to a few shops in your area, talk to the peeps working there, let them know your price range and what you're looking to do and see what they recommend.  Test ride the bikes that jump out at you and see how they feel.  Grab the brochures or catalogs of the manufactures you're interested in so you have some light reading for when you're bored.  Hopefully you find a shop staffed with knowledgeable, friendly people that take the time to listen to you and find a bike that fits your needs.  You've got plenty of time so don't feel pressured to make a decision right away.

Another option is to buy a used bike.  If you have an idea of what you're looking for, you might be able to find a good deal on a bike from someone on Craigslist.  You could also let your friends know that you're looking for a bike and see if anyone knows of one that's for sale (or could be).  At least one bike shop in my area sells used as well as new bikes.  

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In unrelated news - I'm going to join my local YCMA tomorrow and try my hand at swimming!  This should be interesting to say the least.  I've never swam laps before.  I know how to swim in the sense that I can swim around someone's backyard pool and not drown but I've never swam for exercise.  Wish me luck.

Do you guys have any funny first time swimming stories or advice that you'd like to share? 

Wow, Andrew - thanks for the pat on the back - I don NOT do that enough.  Also, James - thank you for sharing your story.  I am motivated in other ways by the death of my sister-in-law 2 years ago - and I still wear her initials on my jersey when I race.  She was awesome and I try to live my life as colorfully as possible now.  At andreacoller.com you can find a link to her Glamour Magazine winning article.

I FINALLY set my bike up tonight on the trainer. After putting my little one to bed and going through an hour of finding bike shorts, shoes, using my very own bike pump for the first time (with the help of my poor, supportive husband!) and finding a DVD that would work in our ancient DVD set-up (A River Runs Through It was the movie..) I was ready to ride at 10:42PM.  My eye is twitching from exhaustion at this point but I think it was well worth it   I rode for 20 minutes. I still need a new back wheel computer to know my speed. Also, I did 25 Kettlebell swings. I usually do 100, but it was after 11 after all.

I am basking in the glow of having a "home gym" which I have craved for at least 5 years. We've cleared away a spot in the basement, and as I turned to leave my bike tonight I lovingly soaked in the beauty of it sitting next to a weight bench and the kettle bell.  I live in the hills - 25 minutes even from a grocery store. The nearest gym is 15 minutes away and I am thrilled for that, but I have much more hope now of completing workouts when there or blizzards or when I cannot bear to hand over the bedtime routine of my little one to my husband. This is a good day for this triathlete. Now...off to bed with me.

It seems as though everyone is progressing well already - so motivating to read about.

Ben - hope to see you soon at the Y for a swim!

Edited by gcoller 2011-01-05 10:45 PM

Beginning of 2010 I had a stress fracture in my leg.  It took from Feb until June to heal properly.  My physical Therapist only let me on the eliptical machine towards the end of may and that was for 10 minutes at a time.  I would definately not run 4-5 miles per run starting back.  One of the reasons mine took so long to heal is not listening to my body and the doctors.  I kept running on it in the beginning when the pain started and took too long to go to the dr.  And then even while doing PT I did a couple of races against Dr's orders.  It killed me not to be able to run. When the Pt finally released me, they gave me a 4 week scheduled of how to ramp up my running, and it had me running like 3 days a week, for only 2 miles at a time.  Anytime that I got any little pain in my leg, I had to take a day or two off, and then start over.  I would def. do things different this time around, like listen to the doctors so that I can heal faster and also not push it.  Bones are tricky little things to heal, and they do it on  their time schedules not our race ones. 

Now you have a sanctuary - a place to get away and just train - congrats on your home gym.



Wise words from experience. Slow and steady on this one. There will be plenty of time to build volume and add speed. I know some people that never get hurt and others that are always nursing something. The former are the ones that see improvement year after year after year.

..

I have begun the intensity portion of the training plan. Now, I really like the volume (I had several weeks of 70+ miles - this is HIGH VOLUME for me) but these hard workouts should provide the necessary speed to meet my marathon goals. With this increased intensity I am taking more time recover. I took an off day from running following the Steam Whistle 12K on Saturday – well actually two days off from running.

Tuesday brought back the trainer. I had been working on 2 x 20 minutes @ FTP but had failed recently. I dialed it back for some success – 3 x 10 @ FTP. This should allow for me to start building my cycling base again. FTP (functional threshold power) is a measure of power (intensity) on the bike. FTP is the hardest you can maintain for an hour. I have been doing repeats at 85% of my FTP to increase this value. This has been slow going since I have not been concentrating on the bike.

At lunch I attacked my intervals. After a two mile warm up I started the 4 x 800’s at 2:50. Damn, this was demanding. I was out on the trace and it is ‘pretty’ flat but there is a slight incline. So I ran back and forth and the times reflected the incline. The splits were as follows: 2:51 / 2:45 / 2:55 / 2:53 – average of 2:51. I was a little disappointed. These were hard. As I start to add two more repetitions each week it won’t be getting any easier. Time to suck it up.

So if you know everyone's going to say it, why are you asking?  You obviously know it's too much.  I agree with microspawn...start back easy, what's the rush?  You don't want to reinjure it and have to stop all together again.

Edited by RookieIM 2011-01-06 7:24 AM

I second this. I got a great used bike on ebay a few years ago and still ride it.  But get your advice from people here or people you know who race.  Don't go to a shop and get advice, and then buy online. They hate that.  Unless you plan on stocking up on gear from that shop, then they may not mind.

So... to the first question. Before my injury, I had been running on average 20-22 miles per week for the past 6-10 weeks. I was well on my way to being ready for the marathon. I am going back to the podiatrist next thursday the 13th. I hope he has good news for me.  An avulsion fracture is where a small chunk of bone is ripped from another bone. There is nothing that they can do about it, except immobilize it and let scar tissue build up around the piece of bone. This is where the 3-4 weeks come in. Since this is not a stress fracture, I think that I am going to be ok at least attempting to jog about 2 miles on the 23rd. Depending on how that goes, I will then try a longer and longer run that week. I posted a mileage goal in the link below. I know that it is aggressive, but I really really want to do this marathon. It is now a personal vendeta against this task. To get to my ultimate goal of an ironman in oct of 2012 will only be realized if I start training and pushing myself now. My initial goal is marathon on May 1, olympic distance triathalon on July 24. I just found a half ironman that is happening in September that I might attempt. We will see.



Attachments
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marathon train.xls (32KB - 10 downloads)

Also, I find you all to be incredibly inspiring and inspired. What's your motivation? Do you know?I am motivated by my own past. I mentioned that I had been off smokes for a year now, and it was two years on Jan. 2 that I have been entirely sober. I lived a very unhealthy life and now that I have made some drastic changes it made me look at how I want to live the rest of my life. I also had a death in the family, my step-dad the man who raised me died almost two years ago at 56 from a massive heart attack. I was only 3 months sober and it crushed me. There was so much that I didn't get to do with him and things I wanted to say. This led me to really focus on not just being sober but changing all of me, it took another 9 mo. To quit the smoking. I have completed a year of college, going with a full load of credits,still working and trying to be the best dad that I can. I definitely wasnt before and want to be an example to my son. This new life I have has shown me that I really can do anything if I persist and have consistency. This forum and having a place to talk and get tips, and not feeling awkward or dumb because of lack of knowledge just makes it that much more attainable. I am already competitive in almost everything I do so this gives me a great avenue to focus it! By the way has anyone else "raced" the guy on the treadmill next to you? Found myself doing it the other day and felt ridiculous afterward. So to make a long story short I'm ready to go out and set some PR's then break them and set new ones and maybe along the way even be able to finish somewhere not in the back of the pack! Now I'm off for my run! I love Thursday's either no work or only a couple hours!

Edited by bledsoepatriot 2011-01-06 9:24 AM

I went the Craigslist route, and bought a used road bike for $425.    Used was my only option, as there was no way my wife would sign-on to the investment required to purchase a new bike - her main fear being triathlons would end up being more of a hobby-of-the-month for me.  Three years later, she knows it's not something that is going away and has come around that I'll be upgrading in the near future - with the stipulation of no financing, cash only.  

Here is my bike:   http://www.bikepedia.com/QuickBike/BikeSpecs.aspx?Year=2003&Brand=Trek&Model=1200&Type=bike

I too went through craigslist for my first bike.  I think I paid 420 for it. A local guy built bikes up according to what your specs are and wants are. So I rode that for my first two years. Still have it.  It was towards the end of last season, that I was able to upgrade to a new competition raleigh bike. My hubby saw the gains I was making (actually placing in my age group) and that I was sticking with it, that he had no problems with me getting a new bike.

Edited by Dixbry 2011-01-06 9:46 AM

It is not easy but you should try to take the emotions out of the decision. Furthermore, who says you need a marathon prior to ironman - I didn't. Running a marathon and an ironman marathon - two totally different animals.



priority one - enough said.



Yes and yes. It is just like on the bike. It is not racing if the other guy doesn't know.

Why do you really want to do THIS marathon?  Any particular signifiance?



maybe so, but you could just as easily start with a massive push on swimming right now, then cycling when the doc clears you, both of which wouldn't run the risk of injuring your foot.  Then you could slowly add in running as your foot allows and be in a great position to set up your 2012 Ironman.  Trying to run a marathon so soon seems detrimental to your long term goal of being ready for an Ironman next year.  You have plenty of time, unless you stay hurt.

as a random aside, Mirinda Carfrae's very first marathon ever was during Kona 2009.  She finished in 2nd overall and set the course record for the marathon.  You don't have to run a marathon prior to an Ironman.

Edited by norcal_SAHD 2011-01-06 10:44 AM

I also think your plan is aggressive for the ramp-up. One thing I would suggest is trying a run-walk protocol. Try starting out at 5-1 ratio (minutes, not miles) and increase as you feel better (like one more minute of running/wk until you reach 10-1 or 15-1). It is much easier on your body and you can go longer at the same average speed. Don't worry about 'looking like a sissy' when you walk, just do it. You'll be amazed at how much easier it is on your body. Also, instead of longer runs try shorter, more frequent runs.

One thing you'll find is that the more aggressive you get, the longer it will take to reach your goal due to injuries. Your cardio ramps up faster than your muscles, ligaments and tendons so you feel like you can go faster but end up injuring yourself. On this board, you'll hear a lot about long, slow runs and rides. This is to help your body build up to handle the distances. Its great advice.

Finally, don't forget proper post-exercise nutrition. Get some carbs and protein into your system as soon as you're finished, then later in the day also. You don't have to go crazy, but it will help with your recovery.

Bert/David,

It sounds like both of you are in need of a bike (David - this is why I asked you how tall you were).  Please know that my intentions here are not to try to get something off my hands or make a buck, but to hopefully help one of you out.  

I have a 2007 Lemond Reno that is collecting dust in my garage.  I'm sure it needs some small work, but it is/was a great bike for me.  It is a 55 or 56 (ya, it's been that long I can't remember).  We would need to figure out if the size is right for you and it fits your parameters.  Price would be very low, but we can discuss that if/when we determine if this would even be a good fit for you.

Let me know if either of you have any interest.  If not, absolutely no worries. 

Drew 

That is good information.

I think that I am going to take all your advice and take it easy. I think that listening to my body is going to be key. I am going to buy actual running shoes, as just before I had to wear this medical shoe, I was fitted by an actual running shoe store. I was not wearing the proper shoe. Also the podiatrist is seeing if I could possibly have an orthodic custom made since I have an odd bone structure. The first week or 2 will be focused on just getting ready for the race (I can drop to a half marathon) which I know I cold do by then. I might take your advice and just focus on swimming or biking for now though. I have not done anything in 2 weeks and feel like i have to do something.

Are you guys sure you even need me for this group?  You all sound like the experts! haha  

Loper245 - please listen to everyone's advice here.  We ALL understand your urgency to get back and conquer this goal of yours.  I'd be willing to be 9/10 have dealt with something similar.  Please be patient and build SLOWLY.  I wouldn't run a step over 2 miles the first few times out if I were you.  If your ultimate goal is Ironman in 2012, you have a TON of time to get that run back up.  

I'm sorry if I missed it, but do you know the cause of your avulsion fracture?  Was it running?  You said you were running 20-22 miles per week before.  If that is the milage you were putting in and you still got injured, it tells me you are the PERFECT candidate for a slower build.  

I hope you know none of us are trying to rain on your parade.  We just want you to do what is best for YOU in the long run.  I will be very proud of you crossing the finish line of your IM in 2012.  I'll also be pretty bummed out if you can't do it because you tried to come back too fast for this marathon.  If the marathon is your ultimate goal and IM is secondary...let's talk as that might change the tone a little (although I still wouldn't say it's a good idea).

Drew 

I know... i just have gotten so excited about racing/ triathalons, running, etc.  that I really want to go out and do it tomorrow. I will hit up the bike/pool tomorrow. I promise to take it easy in 2.5 weeks.

I am pretty stoked! I started my intensity this week. Tempos are the toughest runs for me but I nailed it today!!!

I rode the trainer this morning and my legs just felt flat – not quite dead but I failed and gave up after the second repeat. I have been doing more strength training lately with the TRX – a lot of dynamic squats – tough on my legs. I am just a runner – I have weak legs but I am working on it.

Anyway at lunch I needed / wanted to run 6 miles @ 6:30 pace. And like I said, I was successful. It helped that a friend went out with me. He was running shorter but we timed it so that I would have a rabbit – someone to chase. My competitive nature pulled me through –
The miles were as follows (there is an incline in the middle of the out and back) - toal time was 39:07 (6:31 pace):

01. 6:30
02. 6:30
03. 6:36
04. 6:30
05. 6:30
06. 6:30

wow... that is a great pace... great job!

possibly interested, I'll PM you about it.

I believe I need a 56, i am 6 or as my girlfriend likes to say 5' 11 3/4" so either way I have 32 inseam and I would also be interested. I guess my only concern is if it will fit me. If it will I am looking so as soon as I can I can train on real bike