tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6949535957872142932024-03-05T08:05:49.675-08:00An Amalgamation of Minor Adjustments.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-70964019298948307152012-05-21T06:22:00.000-07:002012-05-21T06:25:44.054-07:00IM70.3 FloridaI think this race was a great learning experience for me. I think when I talked about it with my friends, they thought I was not feeling great about it because I may have seemed negative, but on the contrary, I realized some pretty serious things in the time I took to do this race.<br />
<br />
<b>Pre-race:</b>
I did the best I could to get ready for the day. I ate oatmeal and a snack bar in the hours before hand, I drank water. I took salt stick electrolytes the night before, the morning before, and as I was leaving transition. I think I stood too much the day before at the expo, and the morning of where we got to the site at 4:30, and my swim wave didn't start until 7:30. I should have found a place to sit on both days.
I got to watch the pro start at 6:30, and they were finished with the swim well in advance of my start time.<br />
<br />
This race seemed to be all about Lance Armstrong. He was not first out of the water, but 3rd or 4th. Once he ran up the chute, the masses huddling around the swim exit dispersed. Half of the group went up to see if they could catch him on the bike out, and the other half went over to the swim start to start their race. First pro woman came out of the water a few minutes later to about 1/3 of the crowd that was there for Lance.<br />
<br />
<b>Swim:</b>
The swim was interesting. I have not been swimming much in the past few weeks, so i struggled a bit. I am not a great swimmer yet, so my struggling was more struggling than it normally was. I also didn't strategically place myself in the start group, but just walked out there and stood where i was. I just so happened to start in the middle of the middle. Bad Idea.<br />
<br />
We swam in a Block U shape, so I got beat up the whole way out. Mostly just people pushing my feet down and punching me in the arms. I was concerned that I was going to lose my chip. At the turn there was a lot of grabbing and pushing, then more grabbing and pushing at the second turn to come back. Then, everyone was funneled into some goal posts and had to do about 50M across the bottom of the U before we were funneled through a goal post and headed out for the last leg. Again, there was pushing and shoving at the turn, and at about this point, the good swimmers from the group behind mine and the relay group started to overtake me.<br />
<br />
So, because I swam a really good line, about every minute or so, someone would try to swim over me, or I ran into a slower swimmer.<br />
<br />
The lake was muddy, the course had lots of turns and my swim fitness went to shit. Swim time :47:07 Roughly +10 minutes from goal pace of 35-40.<br />
<br />
<b>Bike:</b>
I decided in T1 to change completely, and put on my loose fitting UA long sleeves, and a loose bike jersey. It looked like it would be sunny, and 3rd degree sunburn would make what was then an ok day turn into a nightmare. t1 time was roughly 4 minutes, but that was not bad since I completely changed clothes. I clipped my shoes onto my bike prior to the race, so I barefoot ran my bike with shoes attached along the epic route to bike out. Once there, my plan was to slip my left foot into the shoe, then go, and slip my right foot in in the first part of the downhill coming out of t1. after fumbling a while trying to try to get my foot into the shoe, someone yelled "just take them off the pedals and put them on!". So I did, and that went very well.<br />
<br />
The first half of the bike was great. Cool, relaxing, and my time was excellent. Up to about mile 30, my average pace was about 18mph, which was faster than my plan of 'take it easy, 16-17mph is fine'. At mile 30 or so, the shit hit the fan, and my speed slowed. We started into a headwind for the second part of the bike, and that is also where the hills started, and the bad section of road. About 30 seconds before I got there, a lady in a car turned into oncoming bike traffic and hit someone. There was no turn there, and had she continued she would have turned into a ditch and a field. I am not sure where she was going, but she hit him good.<br />
<br />
The second half of the bike was slow. I tried to keep it easy, and keep the HR down, but it was tough. Hills are automatic HR increase since it takes serious effort to get my 245 lbs up any hill. This is the second lesson, ( the first being that I can't expect to be a better swimmer if I don't spend more time in the water) I need to lose some weight. I knew this going into the season, but have not put forth the effort to lose more than 5lbs.<br />
<br />
The bike was hot, hills, headwind, humid, and fubar'd my HR anyway, but it was on plan at 3:25. The plan was 3:15-3:30.<br />
<br />
<b>Run:</b>
in t2 I applied more sunscreen. head, neck, ears, hands, and legs. I also peed cause i have a problem peeing on the bike, and even in the water on the swim. call me a prude. Then I was out on the course.
The plan was to walk for between 2-5 minutes so that I can get my legs under me, and get into the non-bike frame of mind. Problem is that the first part was where all the people were, and I have a problem walking where there are crowds. They didn't come to see me walk, they came to see people running. I ran for about 3 minutes to get past the crowds, and then started my refresher walk. at 1.5 minutes into my initial 3 minute jog past the crowds, I realized that this was not going to be a plan run.<br />
<br />
I was hoping for 2:15-2:30, since i had saved myself for this leg by coasting by the whole rest of the day. This would put me in a 6:30 total time, which would be a PR for me. Unfortunately, I had been on the course doing moderate work for 4 hours at that point. It was at that point that I realized that I was in that unknown space where I had done 4 hour workouts, and I had done bricks, but what I have not done is a 4 hour workout often enough that I could do another 2.5 hours of moderate work.<br />
<br />
Lance had done workouts and could sustain a 4 hour workout, and I could sustain a 4 hour workout, but the difference is that Lance was done at 3:45. I still had 13 miles to run. My first 3 miles were my best 3 miles. I walked up the hills at the beginning of the loop, and I ran down. I ran most of the flats and only took 1 minute walks between 3 minute runs.<br />
<br />
Then I hit the wall, and the sufferfest began. I ran when there were crowds, and I walked most of the time. I kept an eye on my HR, but by this time, it rarely got below 140. Walking up hills was at 155. If I ran for 30 seconds to a minute, I would feel that chest thumping feeling, and I would stop, and look at the HR monitor which showed me 160+ bpm. At 160+ I am in danger of not finishing. I felt the fart cramping sensation, but i was nervous, since I didn't want to crap my pants, so i just held it until after, since it wasn't debilitating crampy fart where i had to stop at a portlet.
I started to see those people who red-lined. Throughout the run course, I saw 3 people who were with medical getting help because they didn't listen to their body, and they went through the wall without a care. I had bought a water bottle, and I had a shirt that I would have to throw out and never wear if I didn't make it to the end. I also had about 15 people there who expected me to finish. Little did I know that my wife had the tracker up at home and was wondering "what the HELL" because it didn't register my first loop, and so it looked to her like i fell off the world. That must have been a stressfull 2 HOURS for her.<br />
<br />
Anyway, sufferfest is a sufferfest. I walked and walked with 30 second run breaks. I averaged about 15 minute miles overall
The run was hot, hilly, humid, and I was pretty miserable. I missed goal by between 45 and 60 minutes. Run time 3:09:45<br />
<br />
<b>Nutrition:</b>
Apart from the pre-race mentioned stuff, I took 3-4 salt sticks every 40 minutes or so on the bike, and took 3 in t2, and took 5 on the run. That is a lot of salt. I paid for it some on the run, while walking, because my hands were sausages. It receded pretty quickly after the race.<br />
<br />
I started the bike with the aero bottle and another bottle of gatorade. I finished those, and picked up a water and 2 bottles of powerade on the bike. I took 2 hammer gels, and a gel that was handed to me on the bike. I left the bike with the aero bottle pretty full, and the bottle on the bike pretty empty, so i would say i drank half the water i picked up, and 1 of the bottles of powerade i grabbed.
At each station, i used priorities. 1. get electrolyte drink. 2. get cola if they have it. 3. water to drink or pour on my head.<br />
<br />
There you have it. Race Report. Total time, a whopping 7:33. a full hour over my plan. For future races, I want to be able to ride 56 miles like it was nothing, so that I can do the rest. I think that is important, since the race is 3 disciplines, and I really have only raced 2 up to this point. I figured it out, if i can lose 2 lbs a week between now and IMFL in November, I will go from 246 to sub 200lbs. I think that doing this would make the distance more manageable, so that is a priority goal. I know how to do it, and do it the right way, I just have to make it happen.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-61707852284019743812012-02-28T04:05:00.000-08:002012-02-28T04:05:06.016-08:00weekend workouts and extra credit.I am not going to go much into the weekend workouts.<br />
<br />
Saturday: 2000M = 2 crossings at lucky's lake swim. Then 75 minute run. I ran in the 140-155 range for HR, and finished 6.5 miles. exactly. - not bad for 75 minutes.<br />
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Sunday: supposed to be 50/2 brick. I was pretty tired from the (see above) and got started later in the day. It was raining, so I busted out the trainer and the Indian to Girdwood video. 1 hour 50 minutes later, I was done with that. I cut my workout a bit short, and headed out for 2 mile run. 2 miles in 25 minutes. easy pace. HR was high cause by that time, I was a bit dehydrated, hungry, and tired. I kept that in the 130-150 range.<br />
<br />
Monday: rest day. I went out for a 2 mile run with the kids. Addison is quite fast, and we lost sight of him almost right away. Sammy rode her bike with him, and Jeremiah and I ran. we did 4 sets of fartleks - starting slow, building up to a pretty fast run. i would say starting at 11 and working up to a 9 min mile. last one i sprinted for about 200 yards. For the most part, HR started in zone 1, and i got to low zone 4 by the end of each. The last one i got into zone 5 for a few seconds, but i didn't go long enough to have it in there for a very long time.<br />
<br />
At work they are signed up for virgin health miles. I have ordered my step counter, and yesterday i put in all my recent workouts from friday until now. I get 10 points for each manually entered workout, but if i purchase the $150 polar watch, I can upload the workouts i do. Entering them manually gets me 20 points. If I got the watch, i would get 200 points on most days. I can't tell what the points are good for, so i am going to hold off on the watch, but if I find that the points are good for something more than just "e-badges" then i am going to go ahead and get the watch. Might as well....Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-74890693450918214322012-02-25T12:42:00.001-08:002012-02-25T12:42:26.204-08:00good days and bad.today i swam 2000m in open water - specifically a lake. (http://luckyslakeswim.com) then i ran 10,480 meters in 1 hour 15 minutes. weird thing. 6.5 miles, and 1:15 happened all at once, like all the world was aligned or something.<br />
<br />
then, on the way home i stopped to try to get handlebar tape for my bike, and some bib shorts for riding, and the bike shop was closed, so i went to get gas, and it was only when there was 9 gallons in the tank, and it was up over $50 that i realized that what i THOUGHT was 3.79 per gallon (which is kinda expensive) was really $5.79 per gallon. I had stopped at the "we take advantage of people who need full tanks of gas before returning their rental car" place. STUPID ME!!! I am mental after 2+ hours of working out.<br />
<br />
so, good workout, bad trip home, good breakfast at lunch time, good COFFEE, bad experience with ATT (the link they gave me was broke, and there was no link anywhere in the site to do what i needed to doRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-79964948372015088882012-02-24T05:16:00.000-08:002012-02-24T05:16:21.024-08:00all joking aside - well, mostly...I like to kid, I like to joke, I like to have fun, I like to laugh. I will sometimes make fun of myself so that others will be happy, or crack a smile, or feel better about what they are doing because they see that I have a problem with something.<br />
<br />
I cracked a couple in class today, but mostly felt content to do the exercises. We did Triggerpoint rolling, and then an ab workout. I am pretty weak in the core, so the abs workouts are necessary.<br />
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I am also kinda tired. I haven't got the handle on being able to go to bed a little earlier in order to get good sleep when the wake up time is before 5am. especially when the good shows are on at 9pm.<br />
<br />
Can you believe there is an entry in Wikipedia for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safeword">"Safeword"</a>? Crazy, huh Snackie. (everyone else is like <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WTF">"WTF!"</a>)Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-4375489363204687712012-02-23T06:42:00.002-08:002012-02-23T06:42:39.234-08:00seizure swimmingThis morning's swim workout:<br />
100pull<br />
100kick<br />
100pull<br />
100kick<br />
100pull<br />
100 finger tip drag<br />
100 tennis ball in hands<br />
100 one arm<br />
100 one foot in the air<br />
100 someother drill<br />
100 some other other drill<br />
400 easy+<br />
4x100 descending to full speed<br />
4x50 on the minute<br />
4x25 on the 30<br />
200 back c/d<br />
2400 was the total workout. I musta blacked out somewhere in there, cause i cant do the math or remember in all those drills. all i remember is that somewhere in there i was holding a kickboard, and trying to keep one foot out of the water while the other one kicked... I wasn't really moving forward on that one, so i kept stopping cause the foot that was supposed to be kicking was down at the bottom of the pool. I finally figured it out, and think i likely looked like i was having some sort of seizure there at the end of that one. Sorry, this may not be great english, I am still recovering.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-3071541264670504892012-02-22T05:21:00.000-08:002012-02-22T05:21:13.613-08:00pushing it.60 mile bike on saturday, 9 mile run on monday, 2900 swim on tuesday, zombie tuesday night, missed alarm on wednesday morning. <br />
<br />
I have also gained 6 lbs of something. I am back close to 250, where i was at 243 about a week ago.<br />
<br />
I am pretty sure that i have about 5-6 lbs of water weight on me. I have not been running as regularly as I was when I was getting ready for the marathon, and this is where my weight loss happened. (zone 2 running) Second 30 of the bike was pretty balls out, and my run on Monday ended up being a BT LSD run, because i have lost some fitness there.<br />
<br />
Solution: Today - 50 minute bike spin (that i missed this AM from being zombified) 10 w/u, then 6x5min where 4 easy, 1 hard, then 10c/d - NOT A BT WORKOUT. Also, drinking at least a gallon of water. Funny, drinking water helps with gained water weight. You just have to wear loose pants, and be ready for hourly trips to the little boys room.<br />
<br />
Stretch goal: weight room today, weight room friday = activate internal HGH to lose a little weight, repair muscles, and be ready for 50/2 brick on saturday.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-1620566444351744802012-02-21T17:13:00.000-08:002012-02-21T17:13:07.773-08:00morning epic swim - tiresometoday's workout:<br />
<br />
50x10 warm-up 10sec RI<br />
500x2 easy+<br />
400x2 mod<br />
200x2 hard<br />
200 back <br />
total: 2900<br />
<br />
By the way, I came REALLY close to falling asleep at work today. I actually went out and gave myself 20 minutes nap in the car as a nap.<br />
<br />
Sleep is coming....Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-47861023407062297922012-02-19T19:06:00.001-08:002012-02-19T19:08:31.470-08:00Hoo Ha Ride Glide for my lady bits.I initially posted this on the trifuel.com forum, and thought I would repost here.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
SO, today I was completely out of chamois cream (I usually use some Chamois Butt'r) when i went to do my BreakThrough Bike ride of 60 miles. It is a breakthrough because I am training for an Ironman, and starting at 60 miles, every increase in distance is "the longest I have ever gone before."<br />
That being said, I have issues because I am still finding the 'sweet spot' as far as saddle placement and comfort/discomfort. I have recently posted a question about bike shorts to that end, but have not purchased my new training bibs yet.<br />
I asked a co-rider if she had any cream, and she said all she had was hoo ha ride glide - designed for women, to keep their lady bits from turning into hamburger. At this point I am pretty desperate, I try some. It tingled a bit at first, but then I proceeded to have the best ride I have had as far back as I can remember. I could feel the saddle, but the swelling, the rubbing, the pounding, was reduced to a little pressure.<br />
If you are struggling with taint pain, or if you are a lady, who has issues with lady bits and friction, try this stuff. It may not work for you, but then again, you may have the best ride as far back as you can remember. I hope that using this product that is specially formulated for a woman does not make me lose my man card. I am going to look for other products like this, but at the end of the day, I had a good ride.<br />
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Jesus, i sound like a friggin commercial.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-27765381545579703252012-01-11T04:58:00.000-08:002012-01-11T04:58:11.386-08:00Recovery/RR GoofyWell, I did the Goofy. Saturday, I woke up at 2:45 to get to Disney for the 5:30 race start. Run/Walked it. Finished under time.<br />
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Sunday, I woke up at 2:45, forgot my Garmin had to go back for it, took the wrong exit, had to drive the long way around to get to my 5:30 race start. Run/WALKED it. Finished right on time.<br />
<br />
Goals for the weekend: 1. Do not get injured. 2. Go so slow that I can finish both races. 3. Finish both races in under max allowable time. 4. Memorize the chorus of Party Rocking. <br />
I was 4/4.<br />
<br />
Prior to this, I had never done a half marathon by itself, only attached to the end of a HIM, and I had never done a marathon. My longest distance training run EVER was 13.2 miles, 2 weeks before the race, and it was only a little bit faster than my time for the half... I was also sick with a head cold for Wednesday and Thursday last week, but for some reason when I pay over $300 on something, I feel like it is silly to not attend.<br />
<br />
So, Sunday after the race, I immediately froze up all the muscles from about mid-calf down. The feet would not move any more, so I walked like a 120 year old man to find my car, which my son's girlfriend and her mom was nice enough to drive me part way to. Mine was the farthest car from the race... I practiced lying on my back and letting my legs drain into my body.<br />
Monday was my wife's birthday, so I had to do some moving around and I had to work, so with the frozen muscles, I think I aggrivated my ankles, so there was some swelling. <br />
Tuesday I took it easy, and in the evening I started using a tennis ball to attempt to trigger point some of the frozen muscles to relax. I got some of them to lighten up.<br />
Today is more of the same. I need to go to the office, so that should be interesting. Usually muscles freeze up in my car, so after a tough workout it will take a few hundred yards walking away from my car to get back to good.<br />
<br />
Things I learned this weekend:<br />
Walking is sometimes harder than running.<br />
7 hours on your feet is 7 hours on your feet. -Ouch.<br />
I need to increase my game between now and November if i am going to be able to do the whole marathon thing as a portion of a tri.<br />
I need to get on the weight loss. 250lbs is a lot to drag for long distances. JAN, FEB, MAR are great months to do this.<br />
<br />
Thank you for enduring my upchuck of thought.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-38207891291082013732012-01-02T16:35:00.000-08:002012-01-02T16:35:56.066-08:00IM FloridaCoach wants me to start this back up again. I have signed up for IM Florida, and this is sure to be an exciting year of IM Zone 2 training.<br />
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I have been working on my running, and have signed up for the "Goofy Challenge" this coming weekend, which consists of a half marathon Saturday, and a full marathon on Sunday. I so far have only run 13 miles at one time, ever. The race has forced me to focus on running, but I have only just in the past 10 days have gotten the discipline to run every day. Prior to that, my 13 mile runs would put me in recovery mode for at least a week, and any run would force a recovery day, so 3 weeks ago was my first week of over 20 miles running volume. That being said, this week I have finally gotten to the point where I can run consistently in Zone 2 without walking to bring my heart rate down. This could be because I am getting it, or could be because I am overtrained and about to hit a wall. I guess either way, I am going to hit a wall this weekend.<br />
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Part of the new year brings my IM training into focus. Consistency is required. I plan to attend as many group sessions as possible, and to volume up! I hope to keep the running that I have built up, and over the next 3-5 months to bring the bike up to par. <br />
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Typed too much. Got to save some for next post.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-60871698230675079282011-03-01T05:56:00.000-08:002011-03-01T05:56:04.156-08:00Sheri's earbud giveaway!<a href="http://sherirunningthroughlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/acoustibuds-review-and-giveaway.html">Here is sheri's giveaway.</a> I am hoping I win so that I can try them out. <br />
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<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="color: #222222; font-family: Unkempt; font-size: 16px; font: normal normal normal 30px/normal Unkempt; line-height: 22px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0.75em; position: relative;"><a href="http://sherirunningthroughlife.blogspot.com/2011/02/acoustibuds-review-and-giveaway.html">Acoustibuds Review and Giveaway</a></h3>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-59399338688414629352011-02-01T09:20:00.000-08:002011-02-01T09:20:33.286-08:00Marriage counselor to the rescue!I read this <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703439504576116083514534672.html">WSJ Endurance Widow</a>, and noticed there was no real solution presented for how to not have marital strife as a result of significant increase of exercise on the part of one partner.<br />
<br />
Here is my suggestion, and it is going to seem silly and stupid. Communicate. Talk about it. The first thing I did was copy this article and send it to my wife. I am aware that she gets frustrated when I am gone in the morning, or when I am gone in the evenings, or for 4 or 5 hours on the weekend days, or when I take a trip without her. She gets frustrated when I suggest races that I could do during our vacation, or even better yet, suggest scheduling our vacation around a certain race! She looks at me like I am insane when I suggest that I want to do a full Ironman distance race next year, or when I watch 2 hours of Ironman coverage on TV. The important thing is that I talk to her about it, and I know when I am going over that invisible line - because she talks back to me! "What do you think about going to Puerto Rico for vacation?" I say. She says, "Puerto Rico? Why there?" I reply and tell her, "Well, there is this race there, and I might get to meet Lance Armstrong!" The next part is the important part... It will either be met with a "Are you INSANE?", with a "Is there a better race, or one that is in ..." or "I guess we could do that." Listen, people. These responses are important. <br />
Also, listen for the key phrases like "I miss you." or "Honey, Can you go to the kid's function tomorrow night?" or "Let's have a date." That means you need to pay more attention.<br />
If he/she sends you a link to an article that suggests that playing age appropriate video games with the kids is a constructive way to build a relationship with them, then you need to think about that.<br />
<br />
Make a list of priorities, in order of importance and then follow it. This is a simple version of my list, and you can put your stuff in there if you want. <br />
1. Family<br />
2. Work<br />
3. Coaching<br />
4. My own workouts<br />
5. Other stuff.<br />
Obviously, it is more complex than that, but that is the idea. Now use your list. If you need to have a date night, then you need to figure it out. If rescheduling is necessary, work your way up from the bottom. I need a date night, so I am going to skip playing MMORPG, or something else. If i can't do that, then i am going to have to miss one of MY workouts to make time. This works. Especially since you dont have to have a conventional date. That is the thing. A good date time for me and my wife is on a weekend morning. That requires me to skip or move one of my workouts.<br />
You can also think of it as a challenge to overcome. Then when someone says "I am IRONMAN" you can counter with, "Oh, yeah? I am one better. I am an IRONMAN, and still married."<br />
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That is my goal. To stay best friends and married to my favorite person in the world, to be a good role model to my kids, and to be a successful coach and athlete.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-91003469476080185032011-01-28T03:51:00.000-08:002011-01-28T03:51:28.298-08:00myocardial?Funny, I initially wrote Myocardial instead of myofacial in my last post. Could you imagine me rolling out my heart muscle with a foam roller??!!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-34357438418432486942011-01-27T19:34:00.000-08:002011-01-28T03:09:43.422-08:00Foam RollersToday i used a foam roller i bought at the Sports Authority. I have been tender in my legs for a while, and I was told that it is a good way to release tension caused by repetitive motion like running. <br />
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Verbal instructions i received: Roll back and forth on this and if you feel a lump, stay on it for 30 seconds. Then roll some more and when you find more lumps, hold them, then roll some more. <br />
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Internet instructions: If you look up foam rollers you will mostly figure out how to curl your hair. Fortunately, you can wade through those and find some videos on how to use a foam roller. Luckily, I am a research maniac, and over the last year I have looked at things like Mayofacial release, Active Release Therapy, and so on and so forth. I am sure I have probably read most of the posts regarding foam rollers that were posted on Trifuel, SlowTwitch, Beginner Triathlete, About.com, and any other one you could possibly think of to look up. I didn't see that lady with the giant rack who does the burpees and the other Body Motion videos do a video on them yet, but I am sure she will soon. It seems inevitable.<br />
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Anyway, long story short, (yeah right), I started rolling my calves. Here is the deal, There are basically 3 muscles on the back of your leg. The two larger ones on each side, and one in the middle, kinda underneath everything. I am not going to feed you techspeak that I know all about what they are and such, cause I would have to look them up and post what I saw on the internet, you would think i am wicked smart, but I am not. When looking at MY calf, you see what looks like a tapered wine barrel stuck to a 4x4. No visible definition between the 3 muscles whatsoever.<br />
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This indicates to me that we may have some adhesion issues. Sure enough, about half way up, i feel a lump. When i say lump, I mean more like I have unintentionally adhesed, like, a baby's arm, or a 3 foot python or something in my leg. Rolling over it is painful, and feels like going over speed humps in your car (not a speed bump mind you, if i were actually in my car, my head would have hit the ceiling.). I have the same tenderness on my IT band, only it is less like a speed hump, and more like driving through a train yard. Kinda bumpy. Quads are the same way.<br />
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I feel much better after rolling them out. I think it is going to take some time to get the big ones dissolved... Also, I forgot to put my workout in here! I ran 7.5 miles. About 1.25 hours. Right on track. I did about .5 miles barefoot to work on getting the tender feet stronger.<br />
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Who knows, maybe by the end of the year I will be Barefoot Somebody or Other.<br />
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-Ryan<br />
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P.S. - If you have a baby who all of a sudden is missing an arm, please let me know, I will stop rolling, and try to pop it like a zit. (Mental note:I shouldn't write AFTER the glass of wine.)Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-60002172458761519212011-01-25T12:38:00.000-08:002011-01-25T12:38:06.137-08:00bikila?i am thinking of getting the blue bikila VFFs for running. I think my wife thinks this is weird.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-40393599654427833202011-01-24T14:15:00.000-08:002011-01-24T14:15:33.664-08:00why no pictures from the rear?Why do most swim coaches want to see video of someone from the front, from the top, and from the side, but nobody ever asks for video of someone from the rear? I would think that if the video was taken to one side, then the other, right in the swimmer's wake, you would be able to see some VERY important information. You could see the amount of the arm that is being used for the pull, you could see the upper body rotation, and the lower body rotation, and you would be able to easily see the depth of kick (as long as the person was not kicking washing machine style.)<br />
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Maybe that angle is hard to capture and see... I need to get me an underwater camera..Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-65234533797715731612011-01-13T18:48:00.000-08:002011-01-13T18:48:51.690-08:00up! and down, and up again!I started typing a book in my own stinking comments, so i thought i would repost here.<br />
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I ran what I thought was 6 (it was really 5.24 according to mapmyrun) on tuesday, and another 5.24 today. I am going to try to finish the week over 20 miles running. I think this would be a record for me, even when i was training for the two half iron man (men? halfs?) that i have done previously. I have to plan that last run, cause it would really suck to get done and then figure out i was .46 miles short of my 20. I would be running around the house. People would think i was nuts. <br />
I dont know if you knew this, (i posted on mamarunsbarefoot's blog), but i am gluten free. Been so for a couple months. Others in my family are also not eating wheat based products, and between the three of us who are not eating wheat, here are some results:<br />
I just feel better. I can't explain it exactly, healthier? I know i tried to eat wheat a couple times since I stopped and had some major GI diestress. Lower, ickey, nuff said. <br />
I found i am also lactose intolerant. Bowl of ice cream was like punches from Rocky (the old one, not the young Rocky) then the gas. Whooo!<br />
Others in my family have had issues with acne, constipation (turds the size of a friggin football, i swear!), and depression, all of which are drastically improved with the removal of wheat and gluten.<br />
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It is easy to cook, and easy to eat gluten free. There is special bread if you really have to have it, and you can find anything you need to as a replacement to things if you find you just can't live without it. It is a little more spendy, and hard to find, but you know what? if it makes you feel better, i am all for it.<br />
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so, 20+ miles this week, strength training, 40+ miles on the bike on saturday in the hills of clermont, and I think i am on my way to a successfull HIM in april (14 weeks, according to the countdown timer).<br />
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Thanks for the positive words of encouragement!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-18312490292152716612011-01-04T12:09:00.000-08:002011-01-04T12:09:40.911-08:00bad runI guess if i am allowed to have a great run, i can also have a bad one. My stomach was a little queasy even before I left. Plans were to do 45 minutes, but I changed that to 30 minutes right out of the gate. Started running and my mp3 player ran out of juice. Rather than run around with it flopping on my head, i really quick put it back in the house and started again.<br />
My feet feel like lead, and my legs are rusty slinkies. not wonderful toys. not fun for anyone, especially me. My mouth is parched, and has a bad taste, even though i brushed my teeth and have been drinking water.<br />
at 1 mile in i walk for the first time. at 1.5 miles i walk a little more. at 2.5 miles i walk because i feel like my tired muscles are just not liking this. THey feel a little like they did just before i was injured. I walk the rest of the way because i do not want to take 6weeks off for a torn soleus AGAIN. Maybe i will feel better tomorrow.<br />
Why do i feel this way? could be the hard ride i did on friday, followed by the really slow ride on sunday. i may not be recuperated. It could be the stupid dog waking me up last night to go out 3 times. The third time we went downstairs, i filled her water, then she started drinking. I thought i should sit down a minute while she drank, then i fell asleep. I awoke to pitter patter of feet upstairs. I found out this morning she relieved herself before escaping to the bedroom. Stupid dog.<br />
Could be stress from work, or that I hadn't had anything to eat since 7:30. I am not sure, but the run sucked. I hope to get all these out of the way before IMNO 70.3.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-3227593144365516802010-12-21T05:12:00.000-08:002010-12-21T05:12:46.952-08:00quick post.There is not much to say about my workouts lately other than they are getting a little better. Running was fun for the first time on Saturday. The plan was just to slog out 4 miles so the day wouldn't go by without working out. So, i started slow, and felt pretty good. I have been reading a lot of running books lately and was really focused on my form. I had some good music on, so I decided to speed up a little, just a little. After the warm-up I was going maybe 6mph. 10 minute miles. No problem. it was dark, it was cold, it was wet, and running was feeling pretty good. I sped up a little more. How are my arms swinging? is my head up? If i focus on something 50yards away, can I make it not bounce? Am i landing mid-fore footed and relaxing? Just cycling through the form questions. I sped up a little more. Quick feet, always behind, never in front.<div>I sped up a little more. At this point I am about 1.5 miles into my run, and I am going at a pretty good clip. I would say maybe 7.5 -8 minute miles. Breathing is not ragged, everything feels good. I speed up a little more. (I am thinking to myself - ARE YOU FRIGGIN NUTS? YOU SPED UP?) I see an oncoming runner. He gives me a look. You probably would too if you saw a 250lbs man flat out running in your direction. Yes that is right folks, I am FLAT OUT RUNNING. It feels good, and my breathing is about what it normally is for a 10 minute mile. I stop at the 2 mile mark, and take stock. First I check to make sure my body is still with me, not passed out 1.5 miles back in a ditch. I pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming. Nope. I really did that. 20 seconds and my breathing is back to normal. What the hell? Then, and here is the crazy thing, I do it again, back to the house. I see my wife driving out of the driveway as I run up, and i do a jumping kick just for fun. I probably looked like an idiot, but it felt great. Then when I get to the doors I jump around like Rocky did when he got to the top of the stairs. I feel really good.</div><div>The next day I need to focus on not going out and repeating the run, or doing something crazy like trying to run 10 miles or something. I am coming off of a soleus injury, and just now increasing my mileage, so it would be silly to overdo it now, but damn... Damn..</div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-50674309116011460962010-11-23T06:09:00.000-08:002010-11-23T06:09:21.987-08:00You kick funny when you breathe.Yep, last night I got a chance to get in the water and have someone watch. On a pull set with no buoy CB told me that my legs go wide when i breathe. Sure enough, after she pointed that out I noticed it, and now they do not spread wide when I breathe.<div><br />
<div>I had a chance to 1 on 1 work with someone last night, and got to try several things to help them keep their shoulders and head down in the water, and their legs up at the surface. This was a learning experience for me as well, because I was in the water and had to think about what the best way to do this would be. Ends up that kicking to make the most bubbles and splashes worked the absolute best of everything we tried, and we tried a ton of stuff. I could feel my pull get stronger and my head and shoulders move further down in the water as I kicked a continuous 3 foot splash. It was kinda fun. It also made me realize how out of shape I really was, since 25m kicking madly is a lot of work! </div><div><br />
</div><div>My time out of the water also gave me time to figure out that I forgot how to breathe totally. I kept holding my breath and then gasping for air. 75s kicking with no arms is quite scarey when you are holding your breath and telling yourself you have to breathe but not doing it. </div></div><div><br />
</div><div>So. Lesson learned. Back to training, back to the pool.</div><div><br />
</div><div>Adjustments made.</div>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-40618770936363204332010-08-08T17:53:00.000-07:002010-08-08T17:53:29.195-07:00I don't know japanese.Whoever keeps posting comments on my old blog posts in Japanese which links back to porn or hacking sites is persistant. I would ask them to stop, but I don't think they are reading my blog - mostly because I have been on break.<br />
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It was only a break. Sheesh.<br />
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I am picking up the training again. Since I posted last a few things have happened. 1. I strained my calf during a long run - which turned it into a short run. I was running along and then POP! It felt like someone snapped me in the calf with a rubber band. I was 2 miles into a 6+ mile run, and so I limped 2 more miles and decided to cut the day short. Later on I would Ice it, then notice bruising. I decided to take a week off. After the week it was not better, so i took another week off. Then I found I could run to the Y to a spin class, and that was OK, but 1/2 way home it would start to hurt again. Riding was ok, but running is a no-no.<br />
I rode 45 miles yesterday, not too hard, but when I tried to do the 6 mile run portion of the BR-ick...well, let's just say the ick started early. I began feeling strain in my calf, and then abnormal strain on my right quad - which means I was running lopsided without knowing it. I walked back. I am going to start this week to build my running up to snuff for my October race. I will start with small runs, followed closely by some wicked foam rolling to get the muscles back. I have lost a lot of my bike, and all of my run in the last 6 weeks, so this should be a heavy build up for Oct. 31 Miami HIM. <br />
Another issue that I have discovered in the last 6 weeks is that there is a really good chance that I am gluten intollerant. This means flour makes me feel yucky. REALLY yucky. I didn't know that until i stopped eating wheat based products. I started to feel a little better. My stomach is more sensitive to different foods now. Then I ate some fries at a shop which had some sort of batter on them. It was wheat, and boy did I know it.UGH!. So, I am going to keep on with the no-wheat thing for a while, see how I feel, and see if it makes any difference. Common thoughts on the subject is that for a gluten intollerant person, eating wheat based products causes mood swings and depression, bloating, GI issues, and the inability to properly digest food, so they feel hungry because they are missing nutrients. They tend to be overweight, and not able to lose the weight. This is me in an nutshell, so I am giving it a go. My family is behind me (which is ok now that I am not having such bad GI issues.). <br />
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I will post more later, since Tri season at the Y starts tomorrow, and I have a ton of people bugging me to start P90X. Later.Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-77702835719521671782010-07-02T04:36:00.000-07:002010-07-02T04:36:14.875-07:00Subway giveawayI eat at subway too much, but here is a giveaway to help not fix my habit. I will post meaningful stuff later. unless you think the other stuff is fluff...in which case, i am glad i was able to make your day and post something meaningful.<br />
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<a href="http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2010/07/silver-maple-winner-and-new-review.html">Subway Give Away (and a pretty cool blog)</a>Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-10001434210023264522010-06-11T13:41:00.000-07:002010-06-11T13:41:03.594-07:00Giveaway - this one is really cool.<a href="http://www.trimommylife.com/2010/06/trimommy-giveaway.html">Visor of the STARS!!</a> I am gonna win this visor.!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-12187107840336828282010-06-07T04:16:00.000-07:002010-06-07T04:16:26.772-07:00Where the heck is my fitness?Ran 4 miles this morning. I ran 6 miles 2 weeks ago and beat my feet up really bad, - bruising and pain, no reason why. Shoes were 6 weeks old and had been through a race, I should have been recovered. I figured they maybe were too tight. I could not figure anything else out. Then last week I ran 4 miles and just felt like dog shit. First mile was bouncy, second mile was uncomfortable, then 3 and 4 were both just like in the race - walking with little runs inbetween. I chalked that one up to the fact that it was 90+ degrees.<br />
Today I ran the whole thing, and only walked on the mile markers to get a swig of water. I finished the 4 miles, but they were not the most comfortable 4 miles ever. I wonder where my fitness has gone. I was doing 10 mile runs without stopping before the race. Now it has been a month, and I should be healed and raring to go!<br />
Bike rides have been better, so maybe tomorrow's ride will be good.<br />
On a positive note, I was up at 5 and running at 6 today! The move to consistent morning workouts has begun!Ryanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-694953595787214293.post-48680470249459466502010-05-20T15:23:00.000-07:002010-05-20T15:23:36.401-07:00CEP giveaway.Ok. Gonna have to try them now... If I don't win these, I am going to buy some.<br />
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<a href="http://barefoot-angieb.blogspot.com/2010/05/cep-compression-giveaway.html">Barefoot Angie B</a> and her Great Sock Giveaway.<br />
<br />
-ryanRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08382603289965284542noreply@blogger.com0