Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Fingers crossed, foam roller working?

Ran this evening after biking home from work. Is that a brick? I was worried about my right ITB, but it held up pretty good. I did get some pain, but ran anyway and clocked my PB for 5K. Finally made it under 30 minutes and felt like I could keep going. Had negative splits all the way and even ran sub 8 for the last 10th. But I had to get back home. Very happy with this run and with the foam roller.
I'll bike/commute again tomorrow, and hopefully get a run in with my wife and HJG in the BOB, and then its off to Colorado for T'giving. I hope to run while up there so I can log something different on the Garmin 305. We will be in Aurora. Have a wonderful and safe holiday with your families and run fast!

Sunday, November 22, 2009

ITBS of course!

Got the ole' ITBS blues. Right knee killing me on today's 5 miler. I'm doing almost everything wrong in training. 7 day stretch between runs. Trying for long and fast without building up, running through the pain, etc...


You'll recognize this as my urban cityboy Asics commercial route, but a minute faster than last time because I followed my trusty .9/.1 interval (thanks Lauren). Cardio is great --feel like I could run a lot faster and longer, but knee just wasn't in the mood. During the last mile it felt like I had a knife sticking in my knee. The internet gives advice for ITBS in two categories: relief and remedy, with lots of product thrown in. I will try ice and ibuprofen and slow build up. On to breakfast and building a train set for my two year old who will play Godzilla

and destroy the only supply route leading into his room --but what he doesn't know is that his rampage will awaken other normally dormant creatures resting in the center of the Earth which will lead to a full-scale battle. Here we go again...........

Just got back from Sports Authority with a foam roller. Pain that hurts so good and feels like fire and is the very thing I need to help my condition and I'm glad I'm doing it but it huuuurrrrttts!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Early taper week

I took my taper week this past week in prep for the 1/2 in Dec and again in Jan (--that is sarcasm). Didn't run or bike once. Working too hard at the factory. HJG's b-day was today --#2-- and so this day is out of the question for working out. Plan to run the Camelback 5 miler tomorrow again and get back into the groove this week. Dec. 6 is the Fiesta Bowl 1/2. I want to finish in under 2:30 and think I can if I get busy even though it's a 'training run'. Maybe I gathered some more readers this past week thanks to RunLaur, but nobody is an actual follower. Looking back on my posts I can see why. Must develop life!!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

First Tri bike

I have modified my Trek Navigator 300 to serve as my first Tri training bike. I raised the seat (geometry is our friend) and adjusted the child seat rack(reality is reality). Wanted to save weight by removing reflectors, but the scant few ounces probably won't make a difference at this point in training.
Shimano C101 and SRAM X-7 (big improvements over the X-6), Tektro stoppers, RST steel front forks (completely shot to shit), and Bontragger Hardcase fatties touching the revolving blue marble.
My plan is to commute to work (almost 2 miles each way) and get my bike muscles going, and also ride on weekends with HJG in tow. Got my Shimano clip pedals, and the tension is just right. Need to get a seat pack going with replacement tube. Will continue to run as planned today, 10 miles and I'll update the post later. Swim?? Too cold. It's a start.....
Any road bike sponsors out there???? Giant? Trek, Specialized, Cervelo? I'm ready to work something out.

Today's run. Happy I got ten miles in, but ITB is sore:

Saturday, November 14, 2009

The Power of Suggestion

I like to study and know about things before I risk the experience. I have been reading online about the NYC Marathon and now I have the bug. My wife and I watched Meb, and now I think I want to run this race. I have no aspiration for Boston, Chicago, and some of the other top races, but NYC has my attention. It's about $185 to register and all the cost of getting and staying there, but I have in-laws in New York and I can't get it out of my head. So, on to San Diego.


(Ooops, hit the quote button) This marathon is on June 6, 2010 which happens to be my 44th b-day (born on 6-6-66). I'd like that race to be my first full marathon and if I am successful in getting my weekly base up, I'll be able to do it. I just want to finish, but I would also like to finish in less than 5 hours and still feel alive at the finish line. I have two 1/2 M's coming up this winter and will try to keep up the weekly routine while slowly increasing the mileage.

I am also bike-commuting to work now and will keep that up as much as possible in hopes of being ready to start road biking next fall and eventually the Tri stuff...... right? Hmm.




Finally got a follower. Thanks Maria! (wife).

Will run long tomorrow --the plan is for ten miles at a 10:30 pace.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

ooooof!

Wanted to run today since it is a holiday and I'm posing as a runner. Went out at the hottest time of day and  picked the busiest Phoenix afternoon roads to run on. I wanted to run out in the open water so I chose the Camelback road from 20th street to 32nd street thing and make it a tempo run. Lot's of construction, lots of cars, lots of people offering to call the paramedics for me. But I got in 5 miles and at a decent pace. My HR went high right away which alarmed me so I tried to slow down then got messed up on pace. Never fell into a rhythm pace-wise but the Garmin results show a smoother workout than it felt. Here is the Trailrunner data:



I've been reading a lot of Tri blogs and wondering if I can ever get to that level. Just wondering......

Monday, November 9, 2009

Couch to Marathon 5 Day Plan

This plan will take you from your couch to running a full 26.2 mile marathon in only 5 days. Like most people, you have thought of running at some point in your life, but have procrastinated (like almost all people out there). Now you are a __ year old wreck with nothing left to show from your former high school wrestling physique. Are you ready for a change? Even if the answer is a resounding no, at least I made you think. And if you had a thought, it could grow to an small action, which, my friend, can lead you to finishing a marathon race in just 5 days from now. Nothing in life is easy, and this plan is no exception, but you will be pleased with the results and the sense of accomplishment at finishing a marathon! Follow the plan below and join the club:

Day one: go out in the morning at an easy pace walking then transition to a slow jog when you feel comfortable. Continue this for two hours. Return home and apply ice to your entire body below your waist for 3 to 4 hours. Eat 2 Advil every 2 hours and rest. Later that day, run an additional 5 miles to 'stay in the zone'. Do not eat. Instead, drink plenty of fluids and go to sleep.

Day Two: Continue as day one, but add 1/2 hour to your morning 'run'. Your running form may feel a bit unorthodox at this point, but don't worry, you will be striding like a champ in no time at all! Continue to apply ice (even during the run if needed) and continue the Advil regimen, increasing to 3 every 4 hours. Eat food today and drink plenty of fluids. Afternoon run should be about 8-10 miles two times. You may be feeling 'sore' by this time. Stretching and relaxing after your run will help. If you are experiencing cardiac discomfort or abdominal cramping, drink water and consult a physician as this is most likely a normal reaction for your body type. Take an evening light jog of 3 miles or so to cool down and prepare your body and mind for a restful sleep.

Day Three: This is a no food day, but you should drink plenty of fluids, especially before your morning run (22 miles) Take your morning run at a faster pace -you will probably be somewhere in the 8-9 min/mile pace by now and working though the cramps and other body ailments that are normal in such an abbreviated running plan. Are you icing?? Ice all the time now -your body needs it! Eat Advil at the same rate and frequency as Day Two. You want to prep yourself physically for the final push before your taper day. Afternoon run is an interval workout. This might sound tough, but you need this increase and variety in training. Keep thinking, "26.2!! 26.2!! 26.2!!" For the afternoon intervals: run 1 mile at race pace then 5 minutes at a much slower 9 minutes/mile resting pace, continue for 90 minutes. Cycle through three of these interval plans this afternoon. Need I say ice?? Also, I tricked you at the beginning of this day. Eat dinner. Eat a bean and cheese burrito and drink a Heineken. No, that was a dream you just had. This is not an 'eating day'. You'll eat plenty tomorrow during your taper. Take a light evening jog of 8 miles at a 9:30 pace. Ice, brothers and sisters, ice!!

Day Four: Taper day!! Eat breakfast, eat some Advil (all you want at this point) and ice your bad-ass self !! We want our bodies to recover for tomorrows big event, so we need to taper. You will have a short morning run of 12 miles at a moderate 8 min/mile pace. Follow this with some easy easy easy speedwork on a local track. Do 8 400 meter runs increasing each until you are at a full sprint for the final 400. You will need to ice a lot after this which is very normal. For the Advil, ask yourself if you are feeling any pain in the region of your liver. If yes, continue to consume in like dosages as yesterday. If not, increase dosage until you feel a slight to medium level of discomfort coming from your abdomen (also possibly blurry vision and other melodramatic symptoms) --that's the Advil working! Rest this afternoon and carb load. Eat about a pound of pasta with cheese and drink 3 Diet Vanilla Cherry Dr. Peppers. Tonight, watch a running video on You Tube. You are ready.

Day 5: Race Day. It's here! The day you have been waiting for. Do not go out too fast and spoil your later miles. Take in the scenery and stick to your plan; the idea is to be competitive while having fun. Life is short and you have trained hard for this. Be sure to forgo the goo, gel, and other sugary traps that newcomers to this sport fall into. You need water, and lots of it. And did you think you were done with the Advil? Brother, you're just starting! Eat 2 at each mile and you should be fine. Continue to ice your lower body and don't waste mental energy staring at someone else's butt. Keep your eyes on the road about thirty yards ahead of you and soon you will see the 'one more mile' marker. Since you have never felt the thrill of finishing one of these beauties, you are in for a treat. As you cross the finish line, grab onto the nearest person and give a big kissy right on the lips. All finishers are entitled to this ritual. Get away fast and make your way over to the food and freebie lines. Wear your medal and space blanket into the med tent and let them pamper you back into the land of upright walkers. Hope this plan helped you, and hope to see you out there on the road to 26.2!!

I'd love to hear how you are doing. Send me emails and/or comments on this blog.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Lazy= not so lazy

Didn't think much would happen today fitness-wise. Was rueing not signing up for the NewTimes 10K, but thought I'd get  run in anyway. Didn't know what would happen after having 4 days off and the last run was lame. Ended up going 8 and had  pretty good time. Legs and feet are sore in a good way, not an injured way. I wanted to post an example of the Trailrunner app so here it is:
Nice satellite maps, and you can choose your map source, including Google Earth.

Now compared to GTC for the same workout (don't be looking at my lame splits and 'call 911' heartrates!)....


Gives you an idea. Referring to the top TR photo, the blue route is the selected route from today. The white 'ghost' routes are prior runs. TR has a nifty download option that will import all your saved GTC workouts into TR. I also keep a log on Runners World. Garmin's Training Center would be ok if it included better maps and if it let us analyze data at selected points, and if it let us aggregate workouts together for analysis. If anyone has other feedback about Trailrunner, please let me know. Glad to be off the couch, though ironically that's just where I am right now.

Grasshopper Bridge

Here I am at the end of the Grasshopper Bridge 5K with Maria (wife) on my right and her running buddy Eve on my left, and, of course, Harrison on hip. This little dude sat up in his running stroller through the whole race. I kept waiting for him to settle but he was loving the scenery. Time for race was 30 minutes flat. The grass portion, along with the stroller, took me down.

I regress...

Not such a great week for running. I ran long on Sat last weekend with SRC then went until Tuesday afternoon when I ran a little over 4 miles on the Biltmore canal. But I had to walk a few times and was having a hard time keeping steady pace.  I wanted to run at about 10 and have 4 neg splits but was all over the place. I did satisfy my techie side by downloading Trailrunner for Mac. This is the Mac friendly Sportstracks. Until Sporttracks is available for Mac I will be using this 'free' software. They want $35 as a donation and if I end up loving it as much as I think I will., I will shell out. But come on Sporttracks!! You have a legion of Mac Garmin 305'ers who are waiting. Here is an ok Garmin 305 site for getting the most out of your Garmin, though I have gotten the most out of it by reading blogs.

I also need to send out  suggested Blog. DC Rainmaker is an ANIMAL!! Reading his blog makes me want to train 24 hours a day. He has great 'how to' guides, product reviews, and interesting insights into everything from turtles to traveling with your multi-gazillion dollar bike. Check out DC Rainmaker.

Also a nice local blog from someone who I have run with. runlaur is a cool blog for tracking a damn good runner who is getting better everyday. She has defected from SRC, but there is a chance that we will reconnect on future runs/races such as the Fiesta Bowl 1/2 in December (you have to eat a bag of Tostidos chips at mile 6).

I'll do anything to avoid the 'comeback' run. Have not run since Tuesday. I'll even post a blog. My wife is out running right now and I'll go later today and probably be reinspired, or maybe re-injure my left calf. I have a recurring left calf problem and I swear it's psychological! If I think about my calf during a run, it starts to act out. I'll post a follow up later today. Someone is allowing their dog to shit in my yard! Do they not see this big window??!?? Gotta go......