On the road again...
Totals from last week:
I'm a day late getting this week's thread started. Sorry!! Had a blast meeting a good number of our group in China Grove last Friday night! Good times.
2 four mile runs for me so far this week.
I write. I read. I run. One time, I ran a lot on my 50th birthday.
Paul
Cliff/Clive,
what was the verdict fr the Doctor? Are you back on the IR or will be building back up?
Richard,
read your blog. I'm going the reverse of you! I was officially a Clydesdale as far as China Grove was concerned Friday (was right at 200#). So today I'm at 192# (last year I was in the low 190's and then pushed into the high 180's after Santa Scramble before injuring myself).
Rob
Rob, I tweaked it sprinting in cycling shoes a week or so ago (there was a crash, and desperate times demand desperate measures). I didn't feel anything POP, but it hurt a bit by that evening and continued to have low-grade soreness thereafter. "Mildly inflamed" was the diagnosis -- no running for a week, heel lifts in all my shoes, then no running more than one day in a row for another bit of time. Grrr. FWIW, I described what the injury was like back when it happened, and he said it was bad enough that he would have put me in a boot.
On a positive note, it's freeing up time for more cycling (which I really like) and the pool (which I suck at and could use the practice).
"I want you to pray as if everything depends on it, but I want you to prepare yourself as if everything depends on you."
-- Dick LeBeau
under a rock
Sorry to hear you've had a small set back, Clive. Are you planning on doing a tri or are you just cross training? I'm working on getting fit for an aquathlon in the fall, a 1500 meter swim followed by a 5k run. I'm enjoying the swimming. I wish I had some good help to get my form under control. I used to kick too much now I don't do it enough. It's tricky trying to find an efficient kick. I think I'm getting better but I just really don't know.
I see that our group membership has added a second page! Hopefully our new peeps will pop in soon and say hello. (Yes, I'm looking at you Josh!)
Ashley,
if you want to improve your kick (and stroke or form), you should buy and train with Zoomers (they are special swim fins where the fin has been cut back). You can go with the gold color, in addition they have blue if your a cross-over kick or the red if your a six-beat kicker (all people will naturally kick with either a cross-over or six beat kick). These fins are also for training (meaning you swim sets/intervals/etc. with the fins on -- you don't go into oxygen debt as you would with a regular "long" fin) and they are really great for stroke work (i.e, one-arm swimming, 100% catch-up, kicking w/out a board, etc.). You just can't swim breaststroke w/these on.
Cliff,
best of luck on recovering (again)! At least you have a diagnoses and plan. That can be extremely frustrating. So when he asks you put in heel lifts, it aligns w/what I was saying that you should try to run on as flat a course for the first three to four weeks you build up again, and try to avoid running in flats.
.. try to avoid running in flats.
Roger that.
Ashley, if you want to improve your kick (and stroke or form), you should buy and train with Zoomers (they are special swim fins where the fin has been cut back). You can go with the gold color, in addition they have blue if your a cross-over kick or the red if your a six-beat kicker (all people will naturally kick with either a cross-over or six beat kick). These fins are also for training (meaning you swim sets/intervals/etc. with the fins on -- you don't go into oxygen debt as you would with a regular "long" fin) and they are really great for stroke work (i.e, one-arm swimming, 100% catch-up, kicking w/out a board, etc.). You just can't swim breaststroke w/these on.
Thanks for the tips. I'll look into the zoomers. What is a six-beat kick and cross-over kick?
When swimming freestyle, a person either kicks cross-over (left-right, then the next kick the legs cross over, repeat) or a six-beat kicker (left-right-left-right-left-right, cross over, then repeat). Nobody knows for sure why some people kick cross-over or six beat (it was thought that sprinters are primarily six-beat kickers and distance swimmers cross-over, some believe it has to do w/the amt of fast twitch vs. slow twitch muscle fibers). Six beat kickers generally have stronger kicks (although swimming is a predominantly an upper-body sport, kicking too hard can be counter-productive and get the body out of a streamlined position). I'm a cross-over kicker. Have someone watch your kick while you swim freestyle and they can easily spot how you kick.
How did everyone do this weekend who raced? Anyone planning on racing next weekend?
Sorry to hear you've had a small set back, Clive. Are you planning on doing a tri or are you just cross training?
Hey, I got caught up in Rob's crossover-kick talk and forgot to respond! I'm just cross-training -- well, substitute-training would be more accurate. I do like the cycling, for both the aerobic aspect and the social element. I'm not a fan of swimming, though, mostly because I'm lousy at it. But I'm gonna take a lesson or two and try not to inhale so much H2O. If I can get even slightly comfortable with swimming, I may do a tri sometime in the late summer or early fall.
I ran the Summer Breeze 5k yesterday. It's always a fun race. I knocked 45 seconds off last week's 5k time after getting back on Weight Watchers this past Sunday and dropping about 3 pounds over the week! Was 2nd in the 55-59 age group at 20:59... nice to get under 21 minutes again for the first time in several races.
I'll race somewhere next weekend... not positive where yet. Thinking about Oakboro, which I ran last year and it's a nice small race, but I might switch gears and go somewhere else if something interesting show up.
Rob... have you got a race planned for next weekend (or does anybody else)?
Richard Hefner Past Race Results (Athlinks)
Great picture Clive. I laughed out loud. Good luck with the cross training, all of you. Speedy recovery.
I had a good week, and even got a run in with Rob on Wednesday. Well, Rob was a good bit in front but we started and ended at the same spot.
Congrats Richard. You are inspiring me to lose a few also! No races planned at the moment.
prospects for race this coming weekend don't look good. There is one at McAlpine & that soft surface is not conducive for me. Another up in Huntersville that is windy and hilly. May target something the following weekend that is actually nearby to me but I'm going to run the course first to test.
Unfortunately I can feel the heat and its not even July! I plan to run again with Lynwood's group on Wed & may also do the same tomorrow (Mon) -- I was going to run a workout tomorrow (Mon) but Tue's forecast is for 97 degrees (probably 100+ heat index) so it makes sense to take the workout indoors on Tue on the mill.