ultrahip_00's Mentor Group - CLOSED - Let's hit the road/water! (Page 8)

I was contemplating swimming this morning, but didn't want to get up. . then i figured I'd check the gym classes that started at 6 am. . and decided to go to Yoga.  It was my first time, and it was pretty tough!  relaxing, but difficult.  Has anyone here doing yoga much?

I try to do yoga at least every sunday...I get really tight from running and I find that yoga really helps to reset everything. I've been doing mostly bikram yoga lately, which is 90 minutes in a room that is 106 degrees. You sweat like crazy and sometimes you feel like you want to pass out, but a couple hours later you feel amazing.

I've only done the yoga from P90x.  Would like to take a class though.

I got an easy three mile run in today.  I didn't pace the run, just ran to a RPE of 2-3.  Legs felt fresh, no pain, but still developed slight left-sided, gluteal numbess.  A person here on BT recommended ART therapy.  I think I'm going to give it a shot.  There is a local chiropractor-sports medicine facility that provides the service.  Worth a shot.  If I don't get better soon, I might have to trash my marathon plans.

I do a yoga class every Wednesday, and it's absolutely wonderful.  It's a Vinyasa class, and a bit faster paced, but really helps out since I am always dealing with tight hamstrings.

Took a much needed rest day yesterday after a jam packed weekend.  Back to the gym tonight for some lifting before hitting the trainer and catching up on some tv.

Evan, I think you were asking about swim workouts. I have some ideas for you, I've just been too busy recently to type them up.  I'll get them to you soon.

I buy the exercise DVD's for the company, so I have tried a couple of the ones that are yoga progressions and have found some of the exercises/positions to be helpful in loosening up my hip flexors/lower back/groin, but I haven't gone through an entire class on it.

Happy Wednesday!  I got my trainer all setup last night, got my computer working, so now i can watch movies while on it   between riding the trainer (not used to my bike anymore), and that yoga, i am actually pretty sore today!

That's the only way to pass the time on the trainer is to have TV, movie or whatever in front of you to help.  I have a trainer on one side of the couch in our "man cave" in the basement and a treadmill on the other side, and the only way that I can do an hour or better on either one is to have ESPN or some sports kicking on the TV.  I might buy a couple of the spinerval DVD's this weekend and see if that works too. 

I'm going to try to run outside today (low 60's in Denver in January is too good to pass up), and then hit the trainer this evening for 60-90 minutes.

I got a 7 mile run in this morning.  I forced myself to run super slow while focusing on form, specifically shorter stride with a light, springy foot strike.  Gluts were a little tight, but no numbess today.  Plan is to remove intensity for the time being while I rebuild volume.  I'm even thinking about breaking up my long run with some walking breaks for this week.

I decided on trying A.R.T. therapy after receiving recommendations here on BT.  I was able to find a local sports medicine chiropractor that specializes in the treatment.  Unfortunately, due to scheduling, I can't get into the office until next Friday.  So, in the meantime, I'm going to keep things light and stay with the TP ball and stretching.

Oh I am so jealous.  Weather like that makes me miss Denver and it's random warm days in the winter.  Definitely take advatange of that.  I hear we have weather moving in tonight and tomorrow.

And this may be a very amateur question, but what is a spinerval DVD?

Edited by MechEChick 2010-01-14 7:01 AM

They are sort of like a spin class on a DVD - I believe.  I haven't seen one, but they basically give you a format to follow while on the trainer. 

Temp got up to 45F today so......I did a brick!! 24.5 miles on the bike and about 3 mile run after. felt goooood!!! tom. will be off day except work of course.

ZennJenn sorry bout your cold...welcome back though!

Brick sorry to hear bout your numbness issues??? Hope you get some relief from the chiropracter. Numbness stuff is a little worrisome...Keep us posted.

3000 yard swim this morning (still feeling a little worked, but been fighting a cold for a couple of days), and it's getting easier (not necessarily faster) each time I'm back in the water.  This evening I've got 90 minutes planned on the treadmill, so that will be fun.  Hopefully within the next couple of weeks I will cross the 3500 yard workout barrier, once I make that then I will know that I can finish the 4200 yard IM swim leg.  Then I can concentrate on lowering my time to do so.....

Eatmyfannypac,

Good job on the brick, with those distances you can easily finish Oly distance events, especially if it felt good doing it.....

Everyone sounds like their training is going really well. I've had a tiny bit of a cold this week. Just a bit of a sniffle so far. Did a 2 hour run today. Based on my average HR's it was pretty good, but I didn't feel all that good.
Got a long weekend (training wise) coming up - 90min swim saturday, 3.5 hour bike sunday.

Stuart, what distances are you training for again?  a 90 min swim has to be getting up there in the 3000-4000 yds range, and a 3.5 hr bike is pretty long too! 

I'm doing the 26 week 2 race Olympic plan. I think its a bit excessive.
Anyway, I'm missing the long swim today because I've had a cold the last couple of days, and I don't want to make it worse. I'll try and do a short session this arvo. Depending on how I am tomorrow morning I might just cut the ride time down.

Stuart - yes, i would say it is excessive for an OLY - but, if you can do the workouts, it always helps to be used to going longer then you have to during a race, that way you can go faster!  However, that sounds much more like a HIM plan to me.  I don't think i ever swam over 70 mins while i was HIM training (3500 yds), and I did one 75 mile bike ride, but a whole bunch of 50-65 milers. 

I think that the most that my training program called for last year for a HIM was 3000 yards, which is still about half a mile longer than needed.  You're right, always good to go longer than what you'll race.  The BT IM race program that I've started I think tops out at 5000 yards.

I'm fighting the cold that everyone seems to be getting/had, so I will probably miss my swim today but will try to do an easy ride.

Group mountain bike ride this morning.  It was a beautiful morning!  We were treated to wild turkies, deer, coyotes, and even a bobcat.  Group pace was a little slow, but still able to get anaerobic on the climbs.  These rides always seem to break me from my training duldrums and remind me what I'm passionate about!

Coming week is looking pretty bleak.  Forecast is for 5 days of heavy rain.

I have a question for everybody about running:
every now and then I may have to break from my half marathon training schedule. The week consists of strength training, hill training, interval training on a track, tempo run, long easy run, short standard run. My question is, if I had to choose between strength training in the gym, and hill training to skip, which one ought I skip, if my purpose is to increase my speed for a half marathon distance?

I guess the underlying question is which is most important, in your opinion, to increasing overall speed in running?

To get better at running, you need to run!
Hills are a much better way to develop functional running strength than doing gym work. Neither will really increase your ability to run fast (you need to train fast to run fast) but you will get stronger. If you feel like you need a break from running, by all means hit the gym, but functionally, running hills is better.

I'd skip the gym work and instead of perhaps a long run for the week off, do an extra session of intervals or a session of fartleks (I know, I have a hard time saying it with a straight face too, but we do them with my kids comp. soccer team and they are a great way of pushing the pace for short periods while pushing through fatigue.

By the way....colds suck.  I have missed a bike and a swim session this week, but I did manage to get a 2 hour session on the trainer this evening while watching football that wasn't too bad.

I just went to enter the Oly race I've been training for, but it's full! Now I'm in a really bad mood. I'm on the waiting list. I had sort of forgotten to check when the sign on was - it was nearly 2 months ago O well. Fingers crossed enough people drop out so I get in.