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stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL (Page 9)
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 2009-01-30 12:36 PM in reply to: #1937031 |
Regular  111 |  Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULLstevebradley - 2009-01-30 8:41 AM GRACE - Have a look back to the bottom of page 7, something I titled Missed Workouts and Guilt-Angst. .. (Even having written it, and of course having thought about in the process, i am still feeling a bit guilty...) STEVE Gosh you sure are hard on yourself hehe... Makes me feel like I should be harder on myself too haha. I can be a real slacker sometimes, and beating myself up over it got old after a while :p . However I am (secretly) quite competitive and I am (secretly) aiming to beat Spencer in a 5K this year. He does a park-n-run to work everyday and has these huge powerful legs from all that biking so he is pretty fit. However, I have a secret weapon (my training log), a Guru (you) and a bunch of Deputy Gurus (y'all!), whereas he hasn't any structured training program (yet). Ms. Secret
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| 2009-01-30 12:55 PM in reply to: #1896958 |
Extreme Veteran 314 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL 5k is not my race at all! But make the most of what you got right? As far as looking for a bike, try craigslist...like Sax did. You can usually get a great bike pretty cheap. Then you can take it to your bike shop to make sure it will work.
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| 2009-01-30 2:17 PM in reply to: #1933946 |
Member 51 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Neil- Sorry to hear about the mix-up. You have really good points about following the 9 minute group too. Definitely a learning experience, but sounds like you did get a good 20+ mile run out of the deal. -Eric |
| 2009-01-30 3:49 PM in reply to: #1937932 |
Champion 10618  | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ERIC - Glad you're back in the flow here. I get all anxious when you folks go missing for a while! (It's kind of like herding cats.)   |
| 2009-01-30 7:47 PM in reply to: #1938125 |
Member 51 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Sorry, my shin was really bothering me for about a week, I didn't have much to say! It's getting better now, feels like it's on the mend. I ran on a treadmill yesterday and did a little on the exercise bike. 2 weeks to the half-marathon, but I should be ok. I still have been checking in and reading the posts, plus keeping up with my training log online. I bought some new Sauconys, even though my others weren't that old, and put some off the shelf gel orthotics in them. It could just be in my head, but I think that's helping too. I haven't been able to swim much lately, the local swim teams seem to dominate the pool whenever I want to get there or have the time to go. I may have to try at 6am... but am not much of a morning exerciser. |
| 2009-01-30 8:55 PM in reply to: #1938405 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ERIC - Which do you think is helping you most - the new Sauconys, or the off-the-shelf gel orthotic? Is this your first time using the latter? And is it (are they?) one of the Superfeet models? (Thinking for a second here, Superfeet don't use gel. Is your model one of the ones with the blue "blob"-gel thing, to which I cannot presently attach a name.) Also, which Saucony model are you using? I would say it is NOT at all in your head; sometimes it is remarkable what a small change can do for a pre-existing problem. Even though your other Sauconys might not have been that old, they might've broken down just enough so that the orthotics are bringing them back to the level of either stability or cushioning that you require. If this all seems to be working, stick with it until the h-m in two weeks! At any rate, it is good to enter a race of that length with shoes that are somewhat broken in. After the race, if experimenting appeals to you, maybe try the orthotics in the other Sauconys and see if they help there as well. 6 a.m. workout-avoidance, eh? Well, I'm a notorious morning person, so if you want a wake-up call, I can provide that for a nominal charge!!  |
| 2009-01-31 4:37 AM in reply to: #1938471 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL SLEEP, REST, RECOVERY How is everybody sleeping these days......weeks....months.....years? Are you all well-rested, in general? Last night I wrote to Eric and referred to myself as a "notorious morning person", and as much as that's true (I do function well in the morning), part of the reason is that I'm first and foremost a notorious lousy sleeper. Right now is not all that unusual - I'm at the computer now because I awoke at 4:05 and couldn't get back to sleep. (The combination of being a light sleeper AND a vivid dreamer is not conducive to long, restful sleeps!) Later today I will probably nap, but that will not do much to contribute to the amount of actual sleep my body needs to recover fully and perform at its best. With the exception of Neil and Eric, both of whom are orbiting around significant running races, probably not too many of us are putting in long hours of workouts (I do this, but then again I don't have the stressors that come from working full-time) at this stage of the year. So, between now and when your triathlon schedule begins to ramp things up for you, take a look at how you're sleeping, and try to predict how your sleep patterns will be during the core of race season. I have read a figure that for people who train/workout 3-4 hours a day, 8-9 hours of sleep is appropriate. Well, I average 5 a night, and that has been my pattern for decades - literally. I have slept 8 hours a night possibly TWICE in oh, say, 30 years, and 7 hours a night is a rare and wondrous event. Six hours a night is quite uncommon -- but very sweet when it happens! And adding to all this is the fact that about 95% of my sleeps are interrupted to one degree or another, so...... I sure hope that all of you are relatively sound sleepers!!! There is a lot of literature out there about the importance of rest and sleep in their roles in recovery and performance, and when your schedule starts ramping things up in terms of distance and intensity, try to make sure that you get adequate sleep on both sides of these types of workouts. One thing a good schedule will do is provide a rest day or easy day or RECOVERY day after a key workout, and if at all possible you should try to complement that by adding a solid sleep yourself. But even when the schedule is light, try to maximize your sleep time as much as possible. Most of you will NOT be facing a schedule that calls for 3-4 hours a day of workouts, but still - your workouts and subsequent recovery will benefit most from regular sleep to the tune of 7-8 hours a night. How close are you to that figure? May you all be deep in sleep as I write this! Yawningly yours, Steve |
| 2009-01-31 5:58 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Extreme Veteran 314 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL I haven't been sleeping all that well, and I noticed it hurt my workouts last week. I am trying to get some extra workouts in to ramp up for the Spring, but I made the mistake of running outside a few times and now I can't even look at a treadmill without getting bored. I'm taking a day off (1 per week on average) today and got some extra sleep. I definitely train better when I am well rested. I'm a 7-8 hours of sleep guy. |
| 2009-01-31 7:18 AM in reply to: #1938471 |
Member 51 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Thanks Steve. The orthotic has a gel heel, but the rest is more like a thicker, regular insole. The arch is more supportive. The company's name is 5 cubed? I've never really had this problem before, I think the big issue was increasing my mileage too quickly after taking some time off for the holidays and a cough that lasted weeks. The Sauconys are Cohesion NX, I've had the best luck with this brand, they seem to fall apart the least. Morning exercising just is tough for me, I always feel like I have less oopmh in the morning, and don't get as much out of the workout. The best mile times I've ever run on a treadmill were in a Gold's Gym at 9pm, watching CNN. I will give a morning swim a try at least once this week, I promise. Edited by elindquist 2009-01-31 9:19 AM |
| 2009-01-31 9:21 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Veteran 481 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Steve, something you said in one of your early postings about breathing and swimming finally kicked in today. I had a great swim with easy breathing the entire 30 minutes and was not tired when I was done. Normally I am out of breath when I am done and I think now that was probably due to poor breathing during the swim more than anything else. Thanks! |
| 2009-01-31 11:45 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Master 1547 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL My mind used to race at night and I had trouble falling asleep. I took ambien a few times but really didn't like because when I took it I was sleeping 8 hours no matter what, regardless of any alarm clock...so that's not good.
My wife did some research and found a homeopathic remedy that I have been taking for a few months. I have to say it has cured my sleeplessness and I awaken refreshed. Attached is a link to the product...it really does work and it is non addictive. |
| 2009-01-31 4:00 PM in reply to: #1938622 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL NATHAN - I know what you're saying about treadmills! My most positive interactions with 'mills occur when (a) it's absolutely positively brutaaly cold outside, or (b) I'm hellbound and determined to do something very intense, and I need the control-factor that a 'mill provides. From what I know of your training regimen, taking a day off per week average sounds like a good idea - especially if you are actively noticing more effective training when rested. (Sometimes the effects of this are not immediately obvious, but rather show up as positive results when viewed comparatively in your log.) And if at all possible, keep being a 7-8 hour sleeper! |
| 2009-01-31 4:18 PM in reply to: #1938656 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ERIC - Okay then! The last part of the first sentence of your second paragraph is where the take-home wisdom rests: "....and don't get as much out of the workout." Given that all of you are time-strapped to one degree or another, it is critical that your workouts are as productive as possible, and doing them at less-than-maximal-time is not the most effective approach. So, if you can definitely feel "less oomph" in the morning, then that is not the time to aim for when trying to squeeze in a workout. (And I will retract my offer to give you 4:30 a.m. wake-ups calls!) Here's something to think about with shoes and your shins -- although as long as its improving, NOT until after the h-m. There are lots of possible causes of shin splints, but the two most commonly cited ones are (a) overtraining in the form of ramping up mileage too quickly, or even steadily, and (b) overpronation - when the arch collapses inward a bit too much, thus causing stress on the tissues that attach the muscle to the medial tibia (shin bone). Given that you are increrasing your mileage for the h-m, (a) is a good possibility to explain what is ailing you. A second thought, though, is your choice of shoe - the Cohesion NX is a shoe designed for a neutral runner, and IF (b) is the causative factor for shin pain, then you should maybe be in a shoe that provids some medial stability. Saucony has a few terific shoes in this category, including the Guide, Omni, and Hurricane, which is their "flagship" stability shoe. (Almost all Saucony shoe names are preceded by "Grid", which is their proprietary technology; so, officially, it would be Saucony Grid Guide, for example.) Have you ever had your foot type analyzed, starting most simply at your foot shape and arch type? This is not a perfect system, but it is a good start. Let me know, okay? (And in the meantime, I will have a googlelook at the arch suport you're using, as it's a name with which I'm not familiar.) |
| 2009-01-31 4:32 PM in reply to: #1938738 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL MINDY!!!!!!!!!! Holy Moly! A swim breakthrough! Aren't they the most wonderful things this side of sliced bread?!? Anyhow, HUGE congratulations of having what sounds like a breathrough swim! Is there any chance you can get to a pool again really soon and try to reinforce what went right with today's swim? It would be great if you can, but it is likely NOT a "deal-breaker" if you can't. (My swim breakthoughs are generally - tragically! - so few and far between that I feel compelled to get back to the pool asap in the hopes of establishing some sort of muscle-memory when they DO happen, but realistically I can't just get to the pool or open water at the drop of a hat.) But if you can swim again in the next day or two or three, that would be great. What exactly worked for you today? Was it simply breathing more regularly (every two or four, instead of six?), or were you enjoying success with bilateral breathing? I'm figuring the former, because I'm sure it was you who said that your rhythm falls WAY off when you try to breathe bilaterally. And thinking a bit more, I think it was you to whom I was mentioning trying to make your breathing a product of your natural rotation, as opposed to swinging your head too much in the process of grabbing some air, so maybe your success came from that approach? OR -- Is it none of the above, and possibly just hitting your stride all on your own, as a result of simply accumulated time in the water? Let me know what exactly you figure it was that worked for you, okay? |
| 2009-01-31 4:37 PM in reply to: #1938864 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL NEIL - Thank you! I will look into Sleep Fix. For a while I was using REM Caps, which are made by Hammer Nutrition, whom I use for a lot of tri-related nutrition needs, but I foresook them because of cost. In general, I try to avoid any sort of "medication", but am much more open to products that are homeopathic. Having written that stuff this morning, and being tired most of the day, and having knocked off a deep 45-minute nap a while ago, I'm again thinking that desperate times call for desperate measures, and that some sort of sleep aid might be called for. So, your mention of Sleep Fix is very timely. Thanks again! |
| 2009-01-31 6:12 PM in reply to: #1896958 |
Master 1547 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL While we are on it...for those of you who takes lots of Ibuprofin or even stronger...try Arnica Montana instead. It's also Homeopathic with no side effects that I can see. When I had my hamstring tear I was up to 10 Vicoden a day at one point. I went to a homeopathic doc and they suggested Arnica, it comes in creams or pills and I have tried both...within a couple days (maybe placebo maybe not) I was able to go down to 1 vicodin a day and finally off al together. Little pills that you chew...much better than the medicated feeling. Link to U of Maryland Medical Center
On another note...I get my bike fit tommorow! looking forward to riding. ANd Steve I am coming from Look but I think I am going to keep the speedplay's on for now and see how I like it...I can always change that one over later. |
| 2009-01-31 6:45 PM in reply to: #1939253 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL sax - Most excellent! You can be my Speedplay "canary"! I don't know if I said this earlier, but I'm STILL in the cleats I bought in early '01. They are comfortable enough.....but probably are higher than they should be on the Gnarly Scale. So, if I'm feeling flush in a month or three, and if you approve of your own switch from Look to Speedplay, I'll make those big old puppy-dog eyes at Lynn and hope that she will allow me to purchase some new bike feet, Speedplay-equipped! Ten Vicoden a day?? Mercy! (Now THAT must've been one heck of a "medicated feeling"!!) Years ago I tried Arnica cream for some forgotten ailment, although I have a vague recollection that it helped. I'll keep it a mind for the near-distant future. |
| 2009-01-31 7:23 PM in reply to: #1939126 |
Member 51 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL I have had my feet checked by a podiatrist recently. She recommended an orthotic that they would make for me, but I wasn't convinced enough at the time to buy her's. I could be wrong on the brand of the ones I bought, it has the number 5 on it, with the number 3 above it as in "cubed?" That's the only name I see. |
| 2009-01-31 7:58 PM in reply to: #1939143 |
Veteran 481 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Steve, I think it was definitely a swim breakthrough. I think two things worked. One was breathing more often as you suggested. Every 4 breaths seems to work well. Every 2 seems too many. I have not tried breathing bi-laterally again. Maybe later, but for now this is working. The other thing was fully exhaling underwater. I was exhaling before but still breathing out/in on my breaths. Last weekend I started trying to fully exhale underwater so I was only breathing in during my breaths. Today it finally felt easy and I was much more relaxed in the water. I am supposed to swim again tomorrow so I hope to have another good workout. At the end of today's swim I actually felt energized rather than tired. That was a first!! Thanks for all your good tips!
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| 2009-01-31 8:48 PM in reply to: #1939320 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL ERIC - My experience with podiatrists is mixed. When I suffered from a bad neuroma a few years ago, I went to one who was very quick to recommend a very expensive custom-made orthotic that would be suitable for a serious runner. Wanting a second opinion, I went to another podiatrist who was much more thorough before recommending both an orthotic and surgery. So, I went that route, and even though the surgery was successful (there's a weird story to that; maybe I'll tell it below), the orthotics were a disaster - simply ill-suited for running, even though the doctor is a world-class kayaker who seems to understand the needs of athletes. The orthotics are hard and not full-length, and just felt terrible; I have not worn them since receiving them in early '06. The final part of all of this involves two visits to the Ottawa Orthotic Lab, which of course specializes in orthotics. It should be their business to make 'em and sell 'em! But the guy gave me a detailed consultation, did a videotaped gait anaysis from all angles, had some long looks at my wear patterns on several running shoes......and came to the conclusion that I did NOT need orthotics! And for this he charged the pauper's sum of $75! When I went back to him two years later, he repeated the process and didn't charge me a thing - all because I was a "return customer". So, the moral of this story is that you did the right thing in taking a step back and trying off-the-shelf orthotics first. Just make sure that the ones you bought match (cushioning foremost? stability foremost?) the ones that your podiatrist would've custom-made for you. (Weird surgery story: I had the neuroma removed at something like 5 p.m., but her assistant had had to leave suddenly before I got there. So, the podiatrist had ME controlling the pressure on the tourniquet, and even though there was a screen between my foot and my eyes, it all just made me feel way too close to the action. I guess when I go through something like that, I want to surrender to the "professional" and not be brought into the arena myself. It was bad enough hearing the noises of ligaments being cut without having to focus on the tourniquet tightness and her somewhat curt commands. HOWEVER, she did a great job with it, so I just try to chalk it up as one of life's unique experiences!) |
| 2009-01-31 9:02 PM in reply to: #1939369 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL MINDY - Well, that all makes my day! No need at all to hurry with the bilateral breathing. You're on to something good now, and your time will be much better spent working at mastering that than working at something else (and a fairly difficult something else, at that). It's funny how that full exhalation thing works, when you think about it. It makes perfect sense, but for most of us I guess the need to air-breathe is so strong that we try to do it all with that quick turn of the head. I can't remember which of those swim websites, that I mentioned back towards the beginning of this group, is the one that begins one of their videos with the suggestion to make sure that the exhalation is as full as possible underwater. This is accompanied by the suggestion of standing in waist-deep water, bending forward, sticking your head underwater, exhaling out ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING, and then turning your head to breathe. Apparently, this is very easy to teach kids, because they respond to it as game of creating as much "bubbling" as possible, but for adults it never can seem like a whole lot of fun. (The refinement of exhaling underwater comes from exhaling heavily through the nose, so there are two narrow jets of air trailing backwards; this is not part of my skill-set.) PLEASE let me know if your encore performance tomorrow is as scintillating as the one today! |
| 2009-02-01 7:58 AM in reply to: #1939427 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Wakety-wakety! Rise and shine!! |
| 2009-02-01 10:10 AM in reply to: #1939661 |
Champion 10618 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL How do we line up today with the Super Bowl? As a kid, I liked the Chicago Cardinals much more than I liked the Bears, and I just kind of liked them a lot in general, so I'd like to see them beat the Steelers. Plus, the Steelers are the bitter rivals of my beloved Browns, so there's that factor to weigh as well. On the other hand, even though Kurt Warner wears my favorite number, I sometimes find his pontificating a bit tedious. Still.... GO CARDINALS!!! Still in Toronto, heading out soon for the 5.5 hour drive home. Yech. And, good grief, peoples --- wake up, already!! |
| 2009-02-01 11:15 AM in reply to: #1896958 |
Veteran 481 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Another good swim day! Although I could feel that my muscles were tired today, I still felt good in the water and good when I was done. Yay! I used to dread the thought of swimming and now can actually look forward to it! Probably will not get back in until next weekend so hopefully my muscles will remember like you said. As far as the Super Bowl, yes we are going to an obligatory party, but I really don't care one way or the other who wins. Who's playing again?! |
| 2009-02-01 1:43 PM in reply to: #1896958 |
Extreme Veteran 314 | Subject: RE: stevebradley's Mentor Group FULL Also rooting for the Cards. |
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