Got Your Mojo WORKIN'! group - CLOSED (Page 50)

Awesome... thats all I have to say!



STEVE: I may have been alittle unclear earlier... There were about 900 guys in the race, 400 in my age group.  Only about 90 females (all in one group) and around 70 relay teams (I think, there was something in Chinese after their name, but I didn't recognize the characters)  If you wanted to check the results yourself, they are linked below.  I'm listed under my Chinese name.

http://taoyuanduathlon.wcom.tw/tnf%20final%20result.pdf

546
0176
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01:05:24.906
01:36:25.608
02:41:50.514

JAC - Great job on your tri! Wow on being 34th on the bike! Way to get back into the tri scene after 5 years away. When's your next tri?

MELINDA - I love your determination to do whatever it takes to get in the St. George. Good job on your 5K time. Glad you got to be with family which made the drive bearable. You mentioned doing a second 5K and wanting to be under 30 min. How long do you have until that race and what do you think it'll take to get your goal?

GEORGE - I know nothing about whey protein so I'm glad John gave you some advice. Probably others will too.

JOHN - Sorry about your Bears but that wasn't a pretty game. Your picture of the snow covered running buddies made me laugh.

JOHANNA - Speaking of pictures, it looks like you attached 2 of them, but I couldn't open them this time. I don't know if it's me or not but they didn't show up at all. Good for you to take advantage of the nice weather.

STEVE - Never heard of anyone taking a waking heart rate. Interesting. What's the reason behind that? So do you wear a heart rate monitor to bed and look at it first thing?

SHANNON - Were alot of companies represented at the tri expo? Pick up any good deals? I've only been to one which was the day before a race. I was with my family who had no interest in looking at all the tri gear, much to my chagrine, we didn't stay long and I didn't buy a thing.

Chiming in on the treadmill issue. I have a different view in that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE mine. Long ago I worked for a company who gave me a very generous bonus after tax season so I bought a top of the line Precor treadmill. It has moved everywhere with me and I couldn't live without it. During the winter I use it a couple times a week to do one 12-14 miler on it (I pick a good movie and watch it while I'm running) and then one of my "Runervals" DVDs and do speed, hill or interval work. I will say that I've tried using the treadmills at our Y and feel beaten up when I get off. So maybe having the right treadmill is key. It is for me at least.

Have a great Monday everyone!

GEORGE -

After workouts is the time to take in protein, and it's best if it can be done within 60 minutes of finishing the workout.

The other time that is recommended for whey is just before you go to bed. Um, I should know the reason for this down to specifics, but it's escaped my mind for now. I could say there is maximum assimilation while the body's systems are resting, and that would be partially true, but I don't know if it's the whole story. Probably not.

A good resource for discussion on endurance nutrition is www.hammernutrition.com. Go to "knowledge" or "articles", or even connect to details through the products themselves. Hammer produces a pure whey, plus whey is in thier specialized recovery drink, which is Recoverite. They also produce soy which, while far more palatable for me, is less beneficial than whey.

BRENDA -

No, no heart rate monitor --- just a wrist-pulse count using my watch. I hold it in my left hand in the dark, pressing the "indiglo" button to get it to light up, and take the pulse on that wrist; all the right hand does is provide the pulse-monitoring fingers.

I usually do it about five or six times, making for a total of maybe ten minutes of lying there on my side, gradually coming to. That also gives me a few samples from which to draw either an average or a low value.

Even though I complained to Lori about not being consistent, I guess in fact I am quite consistent; that range is not big at all, given the vagaries of a heart and how it responds.

What I'm looking for, I suppose, is the true inconsistencies -- rates into the 50s that might tell me I'm getting sick, or am still sick! For me, a wking HR from 48-53 or so will indicate either a bug or coming out of a wild and wooly dream. That latter is fairly obvious, but the former, less so. It might be like a canary in a cage in a mine -- an early-warning system. But seeing as how I'm seldom sick, I guess i do it mostly out of habit. That, and the slight satisfaction that I continue to push my heart hard enough with workouts that when it is at rest, it rests very easily!

The downside to this low heart rate of mine is that I have lousy circulation to my extremities, and it's getting worse each year. I am tall and have never had great circulation to hands and feet, but it's pretty ridiculous nowadays. I suppose that makes sense, if my heart is just poking away, content in its own lethargy. Hmmmm. Don't like the way that sounds -- a "lethargic" heart? How about "ambivalent"? "Disinterested"? Nope, neither of those sound good. "Lazy"? "Slothful"? No! "Complacent"? That's better, perhaps. "Contented"? Better still!

For all of this focus on waking HR, I no longer bother with a heart rate monitor. I fully understand the benefits of them (for training, that is, but not for racing) and have used them successfully in the past (see my next post, about treadmills), but I stopped about three years ago. I keep telling myself that i should maybe start using one again, but I'm not moving too fast in that direction. All those terms up above that might be used for my old-rockin'-chair-of-a-heart probably apply really well towards my attitude towards HRMs!

Oh, Steve, you just make me laugh. CONTENTED heart....yep. I'm going to do the waking HR tomorrow morn, if I remember.

TREADMILL THOUGHTS

Seeing as how Alex's question from a day or two ago has morphed into a useful discussion of treadmills-at-large, I will enter the fray.

I never got on a 'mill until winter '05 when I finally joined a gym. My coach from early '03-'07 set treadmill workouts for me, but knew I was just substituting outside runs for them. But once I started using one, and following the workouts he set for me, I could see their huge benefits.

His workouts were killers -- very high-intensity sessions designed to make me work at the outer limits of my comfort zone; actually way beyond my comfort zone. I immediately learned that there is a huge difference between THINKING you are going full-out while running outside, and actually going full-out if you are allowing the treadmill to control the workout. Of course, it was actually me that was controlling all of the input, but as long as I followed what Erik had prescribed and what the 'mill was running at, well, it was thr treadmill's show. Those were some great workouts (the pain feels so good when it stops! ), and the times that using a heart rate monitor was indispensible. Absolutely indispensible! I found over the years that sas long as I was operating under Zone 4, I didn't need the HRM to control me; I was fine with RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion). But going where I seldom went on my own in training, the HRM not only kept me honest but also afforded new perspectives on what my body was capable of doing.

The other big benefit to treadmills is when returning from injury. I have used the 'mill a few times for that purpose -- after neuroma surgery, after the torn meniscus, after plantar fasciitis. But on any given day I prefer to run outside, and, in fact, since joining my current gym about 18 months ago, I haven't used the treadmills once. May those injuries continue to stay away!

For me, then, treadmills are best for:
(1) High-intensity workouts.
(2) Coming back from injuries.

ALEX -

John is right about layering, and I do do that -- just not to the extent of John's friends in the photo. (THEY are the wiser ones, however!)

As the years have progressed I have systematically reduced my winter running wear to:
-- lightwieght tech-fabric tuoque
-- balaclava (cold days it just sits around my neck; quite cold up to my chin; brutal cold over my nose)
-- Under Armor short-sleeve T (base layer 1)
-- DeSoto Skin Cooler long-sleeve (base layer2)
-- high-neck Under Armor insulated top (brutal days)
-- long-sleeve zip front running top (less brutal days) ----- this may even be my top layer, OR
-- a tech running jacket, quite light but fairly wind-resistant
-- a pair of thin running gloves under a pair of thin running mitts, but together work great for me
-- tri shorts
-- running tights
-- very light socks
-- running shoes!

In my "younger days" I wore more stuff on my body AND also frequently wore a second pair of running tights under my usual running tights, AND wore thick socks.....................but then realized I spent more time feeling hot and stuffy than being chilled to the bone, so I have just gradually shedded layers. EVOLUTION IN ACTION!!

I think for most people it takes a lot of experimentation to figure out what will work best; for me it was about ten years until I got to my current addled-pated way of doing things. And part of that is learning about how you work and how you generate heat. In my cuurent apparel I know thta i will be cool-to-cold for the first few minutes, but that after a km or two I'll be fine. So here was the trade-off I eventually figured out for a 45-minute run, say ---- be cold for 8 minutes and then fine for 37, or be fine for 5 minutes and then increasingly uncomfortable for the final 40. And I have opted for Door Number One! (Besides, who needs a warm-up when warming-up by running is the best way of warming-up?!)

Let the teeth-chattering begin -- clackclackclackclackclackclackclackclack!

BRENDA -


Ba-BUMP!

JOHN -

One of the talking heads before the game said something like "This is where Jay Cutler will define his legacy".

In hindsight, and given Jay's day, I sure hope for his sake that his legacy was NOT defined yesterday.

And on the topic of QBs, I may dislike the Jets intensely, but to my eyes Sanchez is a fairly classy guy. I don't think he ever even began to even think about slopping around in the trash-talking and general bad behaviors of his teammates, and he was pretty dutiful as the game was winding down about going around and consoling them. It just never seems to be all about him (he does roll his eys a bit too much, however).

DAVID - our big Steelers fan here - has been quiet. Still celebrating, perhaps?

JOHN again -

Oh, yeah -- I found that '07 log (um, right where I didn't think I put it.....).

Intriguing results, ones I didn't really analyze or think much about at the time.

10km run -- 44:36 (4:28/km, 7:11/mile) --- 63/215 overall
40km bike -- 1:11:39 (33.5kmh, 20.4mph) --- 33/215
5km run -- 23:59 (4:48/km, 7:44/mile) --- 66/215

Finished 45/215, so I needed the benefits of the strong bike!

Oopsie, maybe? Well, "oopsie" in the sense that I definietly flagged on the second run, and that really is a sizeable drop --- 20s/km and 33s/mile. Not good at all!

On the other hand, that inverted format really doesn't accommodate going out too conservatively on the 10km part, because then by the time the 5km rolls around, one might be good and buried -- too little ground on which to make up too much time?

To my original thought about "saving" biking legs by kicking minimally on the swim, well, i had a strong bike in the race above after running aggressively on the 10km......but were it an olympic tri that had the 10km run after a 40km bike, it would not work near so well. So, I will continue to kick minimally on my triathlon swims and save my legs for the bike and run (a no-brainer decision, given my lousy kick anyhow).

And, in hindsight, I did do that first run slightly conservatively, although I got too caught up in the "lemming" mentality of a duathlon. (Have you found that at every one of your duathlons, how many people go blowing past the starting line? It's almost worse than at staright raod races!) For the second run, though, 'conservative" was more out of necessity than a result of wise planning. Hence -- OOPSIE! Undesirable pace-drops like the one above are NOT part of the plan!

Steve,

I think a Du strategy all depends on your running style.  I don't like leading at the beginning of a race.  I like following closely behind and using my last mile or 400 or whatever to define the race.  I am a negative split guy and that includes half marathon races.  I love having my last mile the fastest one.  I want the guy up front to be thinking of me as much as possible where I can watch his form to determine when he is starting to struggle.  I have led from the front before and I  know it plays mind games with you. 

Do you go out strong and hope you don't struggle too much in the final stages and hope your lead is enough or do you stay conservative and you determine where to make your mark on the race by speeding up.  I guess I prefer the second option. 

Personally, I would take the shake after the weights workout.  If I were you I would towel off after the run then jump straight into the car to get to the gym.  I feel your heart rate will drop too low from the 25-30 min rest and then the drive to the gym.  You will have to re-raise your heart rate  once you hit the weights; assuming you are focusing on weight loss.  These are just my thoughts and I have so science to back it up.




While Steve's theory is correct there is one thing that is missing.  If you are going to take a protein shake before bed you should try to get a shake that is heavily weighted in, if not pure(100%), Casiean protein.  This type of protein take a lot longer to break down and thus fuels your body "all night long."  Whey protein is a fast absorbing protein to be taken after workouts.  IF you want a good protein check out the following links they have really good prices.
Whey: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/100-whey-gold-standard.html<... />Casein: http://www.muscleandstrength.com/store/100-casein-protein.html/>
Be careful with protein though, I cant remember where I read it but for some reason 60g of protein is about all the protein the body can absorb in one day.  Again, I cant remember where I read this so take it with a grain of salt.  if you over load the body with protein it will be stored on the body as fat!!

Love hearing about races starting up! The cold weather running picture is great too. One of my goals this year is to learn to tolerate running in the heat. I'd have to set a whole new goal if I lived where some of you do. I'm full of admiration!

So with my increase in running to get ready for my March race, I've been having some IT and other overuse issues with my right leg. I went to my chiro again this morning and he worked me over with some ART. He feels that we're just dealing with normal overuse aches and I need to strengthen my hips/butt so they fire up and not let my calves/knees do all the work. We decided to take biking out of my schedule for this week to lessen the overuse. I'm going to do daily active stretches and core/strength work and keep foam rolling my legs as well as swim/run but a couple of workouts less. I'll see him next Monday again and we'll evaluate the week.

I'm a little disappointed in having to change my routine but I really think in the long run this will have a greater benefit. My March marathon is just a distance I want to do for my own personal satisfaction and I think where my fitness level is today, I can probably get in just ahead of the pick up bus I'm really glad I'm addressing this now because after the run I want to be healthy and focus on tri training.

Johanne

 

Do you ever wish your local swimming hole had an underwater speaker or 2?  I find I get board while swimming laps at my local gym.  I think it would be nice if they had an underwater speaker, I think it would also help maintain a good swim cadence. any thoughts?

I've thought the same thing. They make a waterproof gadget that works with earbuds but I've never used one. Anyone else? 

I actually got the waterproof IPOD from H2OFriendly.  it was a bit on the step side in terms of price ($150) but works pretty well, The only issue I have is if my ears fill with water because one of the buds slid out a bit the music is muffled.  I have also seen some guys at the pool use a different device which uses your bone to transmit sound.  I would need to look up what that one is called. It looks interesting as well.

Alex 

DANIEL -

Oh, nonononononono! Never underwater speakers, PLEASE! One of my pools occasionally has music playing kind of loudly on the deck, which I find is great incentive to swim continuously with no surfacing.

Of course, I'm the guy who frequently asks the people at the frot desk of my gym to turn down the music, if not turn it off entirely.

And, I'm the guy who has never run with anything in his ears.


Basically, I like the sounds of nature and/or exercising. This is complex and multi-layered, taking different forms depending on what I'm doing.
--Running, it will be nature and approaching cars and the monitoring of my footfall and breathing.
--In the gym it will be the clanking of weights, the sounds of the cardio machines, people working together exhorting each other, and just whatever general yakking is taking place.
--And in the pool, it's the sound of my own breathing and how quietly I can swim, and just the lulling splish-splashing. Also, I do a heckuva lot of stroke-counting whenever I pool-swim, and I'm sure music would just throw me off.

Were a pool to install underwater speakers......I would find me another pool!

Where I stop being a tedious bore of a purist in these matters is when cycling indoors. I don't think I've ever done a soundless trainer or roller ride, and I'm pretty addicted to either sports or mindless action movies to get me through those. Other things work, such as dopey TV - "Judge Judy" is amusing, as are shows such as "Cops". "Survivor" sometimes. "Hell's Kitchen sometimes. Tonight's trainer ride will be while watching "The Disappearance of Alice Creed", a movie I know nothing about but snagged off the shelf just because the storyline may make a 75-90 minute ride almost tolerable. At least that's the plan!

DANIEL again -

Many thanks for clarifying my bedtime protein thougths. I knew I wasn't remembering the whole story, so your comments about casein, along with the links, fills in a few of my blanks. Merci!

Do you do bedtime protein? I did it a few times about 18 months ago, and then forgot all about it; guess I didn't do it near long enough for it to become a habit. Maybe I'll try again!

JOHANNE -

I'm sorry to hear you're having ITB problems. Ya gotta stay on top of that sucker, which it sounds like you're doing. A.R.T. often works really well for it, as does foam rollering it just above the knee. I'm assuming yours affects the otside of the knee, and when really vocal can almost be a "queasy" type of ache; yes?

The foam-rollering might well help with recovery, but will definitely help prevent future onsets -- if you can keep doing it in the absence of symptoms. (I, for one, have trouble doing maintanence work, opting instead for the feverish crisis-intervention approach. )

Are you an under-pronator ("supinator")? This foot type is more prone to ITB problems than people who are neutral or who over-pronate. What running shoes are you in? (I think you told me this a couple weeks ago, but if so I've forgotten.)

You p[robably know this already, but while the ITB is bugging you saty away from (a) hills, (b) speedwork, and (c) cambered roads where the outside knee of the affected leg is pointing "down". (That is, if it's your left knee and you're running facing traffic on a road that is sloping notidceably towards the shoulder --- uh-oh!)

For some people, cycling can exacerbate ITB problems, so as much as you don't want to skip the bike for a while, it is a good idea -- just in case!

Well done on being aggressive with this, Johanne, and I'm glad your chiro thinks it's just overuse and not anything chronic. (WHEW!)

ALEX -

Am I right in remembering that you live sort of around Newburgh, or am I just making that up? If you do in fact live there, soemthing you might want to consider is the West Point Duathlon on April 5. It'll be out of Camp Bruckner, and will consist of a 2-mile run, 14-mile bike, 3-mile run. Just a short hop over Storm King Mountain if you live in Newburgh!

I will almopst certainly be doing it. West Point Triathlon was one of my "A" races last year, and I had a good swim and went out on the bike jet-propelled....and then got a flat at about mile 2. It took me about 10 minutes to fix , and I spent the rest of the race going like a bat out of hell to make up all that lost time. So, I owe that course soemthing, and seeing as how I might not be able to do the tri again this season, I'll settle for the du. Maps aren't up yet, but I suspect it will be on the same course as the tri. If that's the case, the bike is especially fine -- ig wide shoulders which I thought were immaculate.....but I guess my rear tire managed to find the one piece of offending material.

Alexis Diner! Great place! (That'll mean nothing to you, however, if I'm all goofed up about your whereabouts.)

Finally, if you are in that general vicinity, you might want to trek over to New Paltz and shop at Catskill Mountain Multisport. It's in the firts of second little strip mall west of 87, about halfway between 87 and the actual village of New Paltz. CMM is on the south side of the road, and right below the offices of Total Immersion. It's not big, but has a decent selection of running shoes and wetsuits AND, more importantly, carries DeSoto clothing and gear! Woo-hoo!


If you live more than 30 miles from either Newburgh or New Paltz.....I apologize for taking up your time with a meaningless post!

JOHN -

I hear Carson Palmer wants out of Cincinnati*. Think he'd look good playing half his games at Soldiers Field?



* Who can blame him, having to work with and/or cajole Owens and Ochocinco? As my mother used to say about me, "Who needs the aggravation?!?"

I do not do bed time protein.  When I need something in my belly I usually resort to my good ole faithful smoothie regardless of the time of day.:
1/4 cup of instant oatmeal
2 large scoops on all natural peanut butter
1-1.5 cups of dark chocolate almond milk
usually 1 cup of frozen berry mix fruit or what ever fruit is in the fridge

My nutrition is poor and I surely need to work on it.  It is coming along but ever so slowly.

You are right on... I am about 25 miles from Newburgh and maybe 40 miles from New Paltz... I am doing a Du in New Paltz, but will look into the West Point one as well.

Thanks!
Alex 

Steve,
That's my plan, to stay on top of it Right now it's mostly painful after I've been sitting for a while and I get up to walk. Then it works itself out. It actually felt pretty good after my bike ride yesterday. Just to be conservative, we're taking the bike out this week and see if it makes any difference. Even though the bike doesn't give me the pounding the running does, it still used a lot of muscles.

Yes, I over pronate. I wear New Balance 850's. I had some problems with my toes last year and my podiatrist recommended these shoes. They've been comfortable so far. Now, I'm getting some different feedback from my chiro in that he feels wearing stability shoes doesn't allow my feet to do any of the work. I understand his point of view and I'd like to make some shoe changes to see if I notice a difference but I'll wait until after my race. 

Have you heard of a book called Pose Method of Triathlon Techniques? A friend of ours dropped it off for us to look through. His techniques are based on using gravity to effect your movement. It's supposed to really help reduce the impact on our knees. As I'm getting older that has greater appeal  

I'm with you on the foam roller. I'm much better about using it when my aches are messing up my plans! I'm going to really try to make it part of my routine in the future. I can feel a difference when I've used it. Maybe it's like flossing
Johanne 

ALEX -

A-ha! My old mind is still functional!

However, it wasn't so functional as to gett he date correct; it is April 3, not 5. (Petty details, petty details.....)

Is the one in New Paltz the one you have listed for April 30, Spring Dual Against CF? If it's USAT-sanctioned I might consider it!