Competitive Jerks Racing and Training - 2023 (Read 574 times)

 

I knew the impact of the heat would slow him down (76F with dewpoint of 75) and using the below chart, you can see why I tried to scale back the pace to 8:00. So does the below chart work in the inverse to estimate what his pace would have been if we had raced this in November with 50F temps? Seeing how many of the normally fast youth runners struggled in the heat, it just makes me wonder how fast his level of fitness has become. I was squirting him with cold water while we were running so I would put the temp + dewpoint in the 150-160 tier to be fair. That improvement of 5% would give him a time about a full minute faster in cool weather.

 

Kiwi Point (temp + dew point) pace adjustment:

 

141 to 150:   3.0% to 4.5% pace adjustment

151 to 160:   4.5% to 6.0% pace adjustment

161 to 170:   6.0% to 8.0% pace adjustment

I'll start off with the usual caveat that YMMV.

I'll also say that I view this chart as a guideline: it doesn't take into account a 15mph side wind cooling you down, or a 1:00 PM sun bearing down on you. I have found for me though it is a very good predictor for calm wind, low sun conditions. And yes - the inverse generally holds true. Having said that though - young people generally do better in the heat than older. Additionally - it matters on distance. A marathon at 150 TDP is almost impossible to run in unless you are super heat acclimated, whereas a 5K is certainly doable at slower speed.

I got a few runs in this past week for the first time in months. I just realized that was my longest time off since 2014, i.e. when I first started running again post college. I really loved not running for those first few months, and the removal of the stress that can come with squeezing in runs. Over the past month or so though, I noticed being in much worse moods than usual. I didn't attribute it to the running, because I wasn't itching to get back out there. However, having now run 3 times, I am back to my normal self. It's not surprising given almost everything out there says that the best way to deal with stress is exercise.

I can detail all the PT and shockwave stuff at another time (what a cool treatment, but wow does it hurt like hell). I am cautiously optimistic. Unfortunately, I think all marathon talk is off the table at the moment (sorry Mikkey). I just want to get back to running just easy runs, because it's clear even 30 minute runs a few times a week will improve both my mental and physical health. I am not sure I am ready both mentally and physically to get back into real training anytime soon.

 

I Over the past month or so though, I noticed being in much worse moods than usual. I didn't attribute it to the running, because I wasn't itching to get back out there. However, having now run 3 times, I am back to my normal self. It's not surprising given almost everything out there says that the best way to deal with stress is exercise.

 

a.) Things I learned during my 1 year run streak. Probably the oddest thing I learned was how going for a 10 minute jog (don't bail on a run until you're 1 mile in) changes the pissed off feeling I have and I come back with a different mindset. Too bad I can't do it in the office like I could at home.

1. Glad you're back.

Went for a run before work, had a shower and got to my desk this morning just in time to see half of the city's police converging on an area two blocks away, and heard the gunshots around 30 minutes later.

If I'd gone west at the start and done hill repeats up Curran St, rather than east and up Grafton Gully, reasonable chance I would've been running past just as it was unfolding.  The only reason for that was I needed a longer hill for longer repeats, rather than a shorter steeper one.

Not the average morning here in Auckland for sure.

 

Great to hear from you again and I hope the shockwave helps!  I didn’t think it was that painful…going directly into the heel spur spot was uncomfortable but for the PF there was no pain at all.

 

Anyway, keep us updated and best of luck with the recovery. 👍

It's been interesting. When she worked on my PTT, I'd say it was only a 3 out of 10 pain on certain spots. But the insertional achilles stuff? It hit 7 out of 10 pain when she got right to the bone. It makes sense though as that's how I would say the pain felt for each of those spots if I pushed down hard with my thumb. So it probably aligns with what you're saying: fat tissue like the PF would be okay, boney stuff hurts.

Steve - aligns more closely with the heart damage studies I've sent out showing people who participate in extreme exercise have clear signs of heart damage. It's one thing that makes me hesitant to ever get back into this stuff, but then again, life is short and training hard for marathons gave me a lot of joy (to my point around mental health).

Looking forward to all of you with your fall races. This is always the dead months where it's just a slog to get anything done. Good luck folks, I'll keep lurking.

 

 A guy on the Inside Running podcast, Brad Croker, who is probably a sub elite runner (has won the ChCh half marathon and I think has several sub 2:20 marathons) has just had to quit running indefinitely because of heart issues.  He's looking at 18 months before an operation which may allow him to run again but very unlikely he'll be back to being able to do 100 mile weeks.  I'm getting a few reminders to be grateful at the moment!  I'm sure Mikkey has a theory on why an athlete like that suddenly is in a situation where it's too dangerous to exercise...(yes I poked the bear).

😎😎😎

Keen - Oh, Fight Club, an all time classic!
My wife is a pharmacist, I keep telling her to buy fat from liposuction clinics and make soap from it, to sell to rich women.

She's not too keen on the idea 🤷‍♂️

Jmac - It's nice to see you around. I hope you kept your açaí 🍚 addiction!

Mark - I remember reading about crime in Auckland a few months back and I was shocked to learn it was way more than I had thought.

It's always unnerving hearing gun shots.

Has anyone been keeping up with Tour De France this year? I could care less about cycling the rest of the year but I always get hooked on watching every stage of TDF. The competitors the past 5 years have made it really exciting to follow. My sister in law was visiting this past weekend and commented "jeeze TDF again??" which I responded "I could make the same comment about Ashley and you watching season 96 of the Bachelor".