Birkierunner's group - ROUND 2 - CLOSED (Page 5)

I've never heard of any way to have shoes checked for condition.  I've seen it where some say that 300-400 miles is what a shoe can handle.  I'm not organized enough to keep track of how many miles I put on a particular pair. I just "know" when a pair has "gone flat".  You definitely don't want to run in them if you can see the black bottom wearing to the point where the underlying cushion layer is showing.  I have a zillion tons of running shoes sitting in our spare bedroom - which has turned into my training junk room.  Here's the hierarchy of how a shoe evolves in my lineup - new pair use for longer runs, next oldest for mid-range runs, next oldest for rain/mud conditions, pull one pair out of rotation to use for wearing to work if they're not too stinky,  next oldest for mowing the pasture, oldest for working in the garden.  I haven't thrown a pair out in many years  

You should get the seat dialed in as early in the season as possible so that you can get a bunch of centuries done on the one you'll use at Ironman. But you knew that already, eh?

Probably a little of both.  If your training plan had you running only 3x/week that doesn't allow your legs to get too resilient.  But, you're going to be sore for a few days regardless.  If you can, get out for some walks or gentle runs when you feel up to it.  Nothing that  you would call "training" though....just recovery.  Again, congrats on your race!

Hope everyone had a great weekend.  If you have any photos of yourself from past races, or even just photos in general, be sure to put them in your albums on your blog so that people can see you in action

Half marathon for me coming up on Saturday.  Probably going to be a little chilly, so no land speed records will be set.  Anyone else racing this coming weekend?

I can't resist starting out by telling about a reply I gave on BT to someone who asked what the difference was between running outside and running on a treadmill.  My smart @ss reply was that the difference is, when running outside you are continually saying to yourself, "man its such a nice day to be running outside", whereas when running on a treadmill you are continually saying to yourself "man if I had a gun right now I would shoot myself in the head". 

I've read a lot of coaches that advocate the use of treadmills.  If you use the same machine at the same settings you can replicate the same exact workouts over time to measure your progress.  Once you set the speed and grade there is no way you can cheat on a treadmill workout, whereas outside on a track you can ease up if you can't handle the intensity the workout calls for.  If you don't keep up on the treadmill you fall on your face.  Treadmill workouts are definitely a lot easier on the legs as well.   I have only done a handful of treadmill workouts for longer runs - usually when I'm travelling and stuck in a hotel somewhere where its not convenient to run.  But, last spring I did some pretty intense interval workouts on a treadmill.  My only problem was that the speed wouldn't go any faster than 6:00 min/mile.

Several years ago the winner of the women's U.S. Olympic marathon trials was from Alaska and did almost all of her training on a treadmill.  So, treadmills definitely have their place in some people's plans.

Bill, glad to have you join our group! 

Maybe you can give me some ultra tips, as I just did my first 50 miler last fall and hope to get into the WS 100 soon.  You've made a good decision by getting swim lessons early on.  What type of bike are you set up with right now?  Welcome to the group!

I hear so many conflicting schools of thought on multivitamins I don't know what to think about them.  My chiropractor (also an athlete) urges me to take an Omega-3 supplement, but I'm not good at taking them regularly.  I just try to make sure I eat fairly well and get plenty of fruit in my diet.

Ricky, great job on the weight loss!!! 

Zvika, welcome to the group!!  Israel makes 5 countries represented in the group (one way or another) - COOL!!  It sounds like you've got a pretty well-rounded sports background.  Join the club on having the swim as your weakest event - we can all relate.

Aiming for a half ironman early in the season is fairly aggressive.  Have you already signed up for it? It might be worth considering doing some Olympic distance events early on and then do the HIM later in the season.  But, the timing of your marathon attempt will also influence your schedule.  If you get a chance, add some photos in your album so we can see you in action   WELCOME!

There are free websites like this one where you can shrink digital photos or graphics files so that they will load into your album.  They have to be less than 200KB to fit into your BT albums.  Give it a try and see what happens.

Ricky, that's great news!  The swim leg will definitely punish those that don't have good technique.  My swim coach (48 minute IM swim split!) was never a runner and when he decided to start doing triathlons he said he had to learn proper running technique because his leg muscles weren't accustomed to the specific mechanics of running.  Since I was a runner for 30 years I simply couldn't comprehend how a good athlete wouldn't simply know how to run.  But, he had to work very hard at it.  The same goes for swimming.  He says my leg muscles are having a hard time relaxing in order to kick properly because it is counter to normal running mechanics and my ankles are extremely inflexible due to running.

Keep up the good work Rick!

Yeah, I've read just about everything on the WS100 website and was aware of the lottery stuff.  I did a 50 miler last fall and made sure it was within the qualifying period for the 2009 lottery (assuming they'll use the same time frame they used for the 2008 lottery).  If things work out, I'm planning to be a pacer for someone in the 2008 race so that I can at least get to see the last 36 miles of the race course. 

What shoes do you use for ultra trail races?  I've been looking at the Montrail Hardrocks and the Montrail Continental Divides.