Asphalt Junkies Spring 2013 - Closed (Page 57)

Umm, nothing is wrong and 40's is not old. Those were their words. I wanted to show them the IM Kona stats and the ages of those amazing athletes. Honestly, I think these folks said this to me cause they think I am crazy for doing s/b/r all the time. It is as if they are giving me reasons why they could never attempt a triathlon when I haven't suggested they give it a tri.

This ever happened to you?>

No worries Jen, we're a thick skinned crowd!  And I'm 50 (only about a week from 51), so I agree, 40's is YOUNG!  But you are crazy for doing s/b/r all the time, if crazy means abnormal.  We are a different breed.  Not many 50 year olds I know do a 65 mile ride to start their weekend all summer.

And sure, when people hear I do triathlons, particularly those my age, many offer me their reasons why they could never do this.  And they are probably right, because the main thing you need to do this sport is just the decision that you are going to do it.

I hope the snow is lighter than planned.  Good luck to all of ya'll who may get the snow.

Jen, I'm 51 and just starting, I know I can't compete w/ the 30 or even 40 year old folks or  even some of the 60 and 70 year olds who have been doing this a long time.  I saw a 72 year old finish !MFL in I think a little over 9 hours, could have been 10 but I thought he was about 60 until I saw his leg marking.  Yea we have people tell us all the time I couldn't do that..and you know they are right, they can't with that attitude.  That is why they made golf...lol

This cold will not let go...ggrrrll  another day w/ no workout... 

I hope you understood that I was kidding.  Like Warren said, we are pretty thick skinned around here and many of us that have been together for a few years make common "junior high" gestures back and forth.  I certainly didn't take your comment personally at all.  I laughed and thought I would make a smart comment about old age.

I do get the "You're crazy for doing that" speech fairly routinely.  The church I used to go to provided a lot of personal humiliation for me on a regular basis.  Whenever I race and post results to FB, I would go to church the next time and get comments from the guy that did announcements about how crazy I am.  I took all of it in stride and we had a lot of fun with it. 

We even had a push up challenge that if the Steelers lost to the Packers I would have to do the point differential in push ups.........on stage........in front of the whole church if the Steelers lost.  It was ugly!!  I had to do something like 30+ push ups.  It was fun.  After I completed the push ups the primary antagonist was somewhat baffled by how quickly I was able to do them and firmly stated that he didn't think he could do that many in an hour.

I have a 16 mile run coming this morning and I am somewhat anxious to get it rolling.  I haven't done one of this length in a very long time and I wonder how my foot will respond.  I imagine it will get a little painful in the latter miles but it will be tolerable.  I am getting anxious and very enthusiastic about Boston as each day passes.

I am also beginning to feel like I could begin to place a 5th run in the week too.  I am going to let things settle a bit and determine exactly how my foot responds over the next couple of weeks before adding another run however.  I am not looking to do any more damage, or am I willing to slow the healing process down any more than I have been allowing to occur due to my marathon training. 

Just thinking about Boston stirs me up!

My knee is feeling much better. I did a short (2 mile) run on the treadmill yesterday and it held up well! The only time it bothered me much was when I played Duck, Duck, Goose with the kids in my Toddler Gym class. All of that hopping up from the floor and running around in a circle . I don't have to do any more hill runs at all for a while!

And I think I found the perfect excuse of why I can't clean the floors - it hurts my knees!

I am really disappointed about the race and the reunion . I never have anything going on so it just figures there are 2 fun things on the same day.

Thanks for sharing - go figure you 2 were such tiny babies! Warren that just got me all choked up.

You got that right! Holy Moly - 9lbs!

Thanks for this and I had just started leg extensions a couple of weeks ago. Just once a week but I was thinking maybe they contributed to my knee pain. I'll just lay it out there - I'm not very strong. 40 lbs on the machine working both legs at the same time and it feels like it strains my knees. So yes I'll take any advice you've got!

Dirk, good luck and be careful with your run and foot

Dina, hope your knee continues to get better. Also don't worry about the weight on the extensions, all machines I've found are different.  machines where weight are added are usyally harder than the one where you pull a pin out and just stick in in at another weight.  It also makes a huge difference in your leg placement.  Make sure your padded area is at your ankle and not on your toes and also use good form.  I still see guys every day saying they are benching X weight when they are barely getting the bar off the rack and going down 2 inches and the same for squats...so weight is all relative, use good form, make sure it fits and get plenty of reps to get the blood into the muscles so they can grow.

Here is an interesting article about colds... especially about putting peroxide in your ear...  now can I say I've seen it all?  lol

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/11/22/the-common-cold-simple-strategies-for-prevention-and-treatment.aspx

LOL. The first triathlon I did, I got behind a lady hauling booty on the bike - she was 56. She was killing it and I spent the whole time trying to catch her. The funniest part was when she passed those young fellas in their 20s and would slow down, smile at them like she was on Sunday ride and ask them how they were doing and remind them to drink water. Then, she would kick it up a notch and take off. It was awesome! I never did catch her on the bike and I averaged 18+ mph. I did pass her on the run. The oldest lady in my first tri was 72. I hope I am still doing this at 72!

It is a new experience for me when people hear that I am doing triathlons. I've definitely been given that look like I am crazy and then they start telling me how busy they are and why they don't have time or couldn't do one. Yes, they are giving me excuses and I haven't even told them that they should give it a tri. Then, there are folks that think it's pretty awesome and want to know all about it and tell me what scares them the most.  

Yes and no. I knew you were kidding, kind of. At least you didn't have to plank it through an entire sermon!

Hope your run goes well!

I'm getting ready for the storm, though it's barely flurries at this point.  I'll post some before and after pictures when it's over, probably on Sunday.  My plan is to run today at lunch and also tomorrow in the AM during the blizzard.  I'll sat out if it if the wind is dangerous, but it's looking like it will be doable.

Thanks for the leg extension discussion.  I often wonder if it's ok to work legs while still maintaining a pretty intense bike regiment.  My legs tend to blow up when I lift, so I don't really do any weight training for my legs, though I do some for buttocks/hip/core.  What think the weight lifters about not doing any leg workouts?

9 pounds!  I can't even fathom how that gets done.  Kathy worked for 20 hours before our first just wouldn't come out, so she finally had a c-section, much against her wishes.  For the record, I was 10 weeks early.  I sometimes wonder if my lung capacity would be higher had I stuck around - I know the lungs are the last to develop and the use of steroids to accelerate lung maturity wasn't used until the 70s I believe.

Dina, I'm glad you mentioned this.  If you put 40 lbs on and do a set, how many reps can you get?  If the number is well over 10 and if what stops you is a burning in the muscles (rather than just running out of strength) then it's probably a good weight for you. 

So rather than dealing with the knee strain by going lighter, I suggest you deal with it by changing the machine's range of motion.  Only the most antiquated machines lack the ability to change the range of motion.  Next time you do this, try starting the 'lift' with your knee at a 45 degree angle and lifting to straight.    That will do a lot to lessen the strain on the knee.

It IS true that sometimes when people are already suffering from runner's knee that the leg extension movement can be irritating if it's done with a full range of motion.  If 45 degrees seems to be a bother also, then go as short as you need to.  you may get to the point you are lifting weight for an inch before your leg is straight.  That makes it an isometric exercise and that's fine too....in this case you would lift and hold continuously for however many seconds.

I'll add a little to Karl's statement as well.

Make sure you isolate each leg.  Don't try to do leg extensions with both legs.  Your strongest leg will do most of the work and you'll get receive much less of a benefit than if you isolate each one.  The way to go about  this is by figuring out which leg is the weakest and beginning every session with that specific weak side (as with any exercise).  In so doing you will begin to develop the weak side more quickly and allow your stronger side to have a slower progression.  Over time your weaker side will catch up and your muscles will become relatively equal.

And definitely don't worry about the weight.  You're an endurance athlete not a body builder or power lifter.  I have seen many of these types of ladies and I doubt you're interested in looking like many if them do.

I would love to look like female power lifter.... you mean to tell me as an endurance athlete that is not consuming 5,000 calories of protein on daily basis is not going to get me there? Darn.

I try to do leg workouts once a week, but usually ends up being every other week. At 5'1" tall, I have very short legs and actually stay away from all leg machines in the gym. I stick to free weights, TRX bands, and Smith Machine for squats. I also use a 8" box/stair and do calf raises with just my weight. Years of skateboarding and snowboarding have left me with a verty strong side and a distinct weak side. I am regular foot (versus goofy) and while snowboarding my left leg never came out of the binding. My right leg clicked out and did all the pushing. I can't help but wonder if this is why my right IT band has issues. Regular/Goofy - I know I am gonna hear some jokes on this one.

No matter how much I run or try to think about it, I always step up curbs with the same foot while running, push off the same foot when picking up speed, and I can feel myself push with the stronger leg when I start bike/run intervals.    

My leg workouts usually consist of:

-One leg lunges w/free weights while keeping a leg elevated on bench

-Sumo squats

-Three way lunge with light weight

-TRX hamstring curls

-3 way calf raises (toes pointed together, away, and straight)

-single leg deadlifts w/kettle ball

Saw this Garmin 405CX on sale today only for $129... looks like it is refurbished but comes with a 1 yr warranty... not sure if this is a great deal or not... brand new one on amazon is $160 w/ free shipping and maybe no tax depending on where you live.

Garmin watch

Warren I'm a BAD person to ask about this but working legs especially in you are in an off season will be good and even in race season if you go light.  But tell me to go work legs would be like telling someone in AA to go buy a sixpack of beer and not drink it.  If i lifted i would do so much I couldn't walk for 4 days but if it is in moderation, it will be good.  you will have to be the judge of that, right now I'm in detox...lol

Really after the injuries I have had, I think it would be good to work minor muscles.  They have me doing leg raises to the side (I refuse to do them in the gym), things called peeing on the fire hydrant and kick back w/ my legs while I'm on my knees

The others on here can chastise me on that...

This is all very helpful. I have been doing both legs at the same time but wondering exactly what you just mentioned. I already know my weak side is my left. It is very obvious when I do my PT exercises. So now the weight will probably go down to 20 lbs but at least I am trying!