"During the hard training phase never be afraid to take a day off. If your legs are feeling unduly stiff and sore, rest; if you are at all sluggish, rest; in fact, if in doubt, rest."
Bruce Fordyce
Ok, I took it easy this week. What with the Thanksgiving turkey and the family all gathered together, it was really hard to get out for much training at all.
The week started well enough. I was able to ride up to 15 miles a day on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. A flat rear tire cut short my Tuesday ride at about 10-12 miles. Wednesday evening we drove to Hocking Hills in Ohio and settled in to a cabin for the long weekend. My mom, aunt, sister, brother, sister-in-law, wife, and youngest daughter spent the whole time until Sunday morning in three cabins. As a special treat, our other 3 children with spouses, fiancee, and two grandchildren spent much of Friday and Saturday with us as well. These days, it's particularly special to actually have all 4 children in the same place at the same time - even if only for a short while.
I did bring my bicycle because my brother and I usually try to get in at least one ride over the holiday. This year we spent a little over 2 hours on Friday morning riding the hills in that part of the state. We visited Ash Cave and Conkle's Hollow riding a total of about 15 miles. I think that if I could spend a couple of weeks in Hocking Hills I could handle anything "Wildflower" might throw at me. We rode three of the most challenging hills I have faced on my bike. The middle one of which had my "quads" feeling like rock as I neared the top. I had to keep telling myself to "suck it up" and not jump off to walk the last rise.
It's been a good week. I'm looking forward to a week of running in Florida
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Thanksgiving in the woods
On wednesday my wife and I will be heading south to Hocking Hills for our annual "Thanksgiving" celebration with my family. We rent cabins in a state park from wednesday until sunday and cook turkey in the cabins. We spend time with my mom, my aunt, my brother and sister, and as many of the children and grandchildren who can show. I'll take my bike since my brother and I will probably go for a ride one of the days. This Thanksgiving is tinged with sadness since it is the first one for which my dad, who died in January, will not be joining us. We will celebrate to honor this gracious gentleman whom I am proud to call my dad. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Yoga for regular guys (and gals)
A few years back, I was watching a morning show, "Fox and Friends". They interviewed a "tough-looking" Big-Time Wrestling guy named Diamond Dallas Page. Rather incongruously, he was talking about doing Yoga. It immediately caught my attention. Sometime later, I got a gift card for a book store. I forget which one. I was intrigued enough by that interview to use my gift card to buy his book, "Yoga for regular guys".
Well, to make a long story short, after several weeks of rather slowly and painfully trying to follow the prescribed workout. A big part of the pain was laying the book out on the floor and having to look at it every few seconds to figure out what to do next; or, stopping because I lost my place when the pages started flipping on me. After persevering for some time, I developed some "muscle memory" for the workout and was able to actually follow it without having to use the book all the time.
Now, it is a joy to follow the workout. It is based on an Americanized (power yoga) version of something called Ashtanga Yoga. All I know is that it works for me. Strength, flexibility, balance, it's all there. I even got my youngest daughter doing it. I gave her my book and got another copy for myself.
Well, to make a long story short, after several weeks of rather slowly and painfully trying to follow the prescribed workout. A big part of the pain was laying the book out on the floor and having to look at it every few seconds to figure out what to do next; or, stopping because I lost my place when the pages started flipping on me. After persevering for some time, I developed some "muscle memory" for the workout and was able to actually follow it without having to use the book all the time.
Now, it is a joy to follow the workout. It is based on an Americanized (power yoga) version of something called Ashtanga Yoga. All I know is that it works for me. Strength, flexibility, balance, it's all there. I even got my youngest daughter doing it. I gave her my book and got another copy for myself.
Tight calf muscle - some advice.
My cousin's son is a triathlon trainer. He heard about my struggles and offered this advice:
"Hey Louis good to hear you're doing so well with the tri's. yeah I think you hit about everything on the cramping problems. Bananas, fluids, etc... The only other things to consider would be massage maybe 1 min on each calf once to twice a day. And then also drinking fluids with Electrolytes. By drinking water and only water you don't refuel the glycogen you burn when you exercise. By exercising without electrolytes like gatorade or some other form after 60-75 min your body (calfs) start to cramp. After it happens once it starts to happen a lot sooner. It then gets to a point where you feel it during the day as well. One thing you can do when you exercise is to put icy hot or some other warming substance on your calfs before you exercise. This will not help any heeling but it will warm up your calfs and allow you to exercise a little more without any futher damage."
Much appreciated!
I also received this from another cousin of mine:
Picture a rubber band with a small section that has lost its elasticity, and instead has become hardened and rather brittle. That's what a trigger point [TP] is like: the muscle is tighter, stiffer, will often be weaker and yet very tense at the same time. A TP will be sore when you push on it, and you may feel a thick band that you can flick over with your fingers.
Vast numbers of sport injuries have their origin in a TP in the muscle or fascia. This TP is very commonly the first sign of overload, and it leads to inflammation, then pain, then weakness, then joint and nerve dysfunction, and finally structural breakdown of tissues and a severe sports injury that can keep you out of action for weeks, months or even years, depending on how long you attempt to struggle on without treating the original TP.
A TP is thus an alarm bell - a first warning sign that things are not well within your biomechanical system. Often athletes, with their enhanced overall body sense, become aware of TPs before they are significant enough to cause actual pain, when the only complaint is 'tightness' or the joint or muscle doesn't 'feel right'.
Arguably, all sports people will develop TPs at some stage in their sporting career. TP’s can hamper performance and slow athletes down for a while, and they may blow out to cause a severe injury. They are a normal part of training and competing because bodies are biomechanically imperfect, and environments more random than we would like them to be.
To all intents and purposes, a TP is simply a thick knot in the muscle - a way the muscle reacts to being overloaded. In some ways a TP is the equivalent of a stress fracture in a bone. More specifically, a TP is a palpable, tender, nodal point of muscle or fascia. It may also be found in skin, where scar tissue is present, in old ligament injuries or, occasionally, in periosteum (the lining of bone). Under a microscope, TPs appear darker, straightened out and thicker, ranging in diameter from 1-4mm. If located in muscle, they cause it to form taut bands or become 'ropey'. A focal area of inflammation develops fairly early on and a collagen matrix forms; scar tissue is laid down to bridge the weak link, and can become quite thickened and tough, depending on how long it has been present.
The muscle in which a TP is found is weakened and shortened. The muscle - or the part containing the TP - is commonly in a state of involuntary tension, or increased 'tone'. The muscle is therefore unable to fully stretch OR contract, increasing its vulnerability to injury in face of further training overuse. In worst cases, a continuous muscle spasm will present around a very nasty and inflamed TP, resulting in severe cramping.
Painful cramping in the Gastrocnemius or Soleus muscles often has its origins in Trigger Points found either in these muscles or in: the Gluteus Minimus, Semitendinosus/Semimembranosus in the posterior thigh, or the Flexor Digitorum Longus, Tibialis Posterior, or Plantaris muscles in the lower leg. Runners commonly develop trigger points in these muscles, which, unrelieved, can then refer a wicked pain into muscles that are a long way from their actual origin.
Neuromuscular massage-therapists are trained to locate and treat such Trigger Points in their routine practice, restoring pain-free integrity and power to all affected muscles.
I appreciate all the words of advice and encouragement!
"Hey Louis good to hear you're doing so well with the tri's. yeah I think you hit about everything on the cramping problems. Bananas, fluids, etc... The only other things to consider would be massage maybe 1 min on each calf once to twice a day. And then also drinking fluids with Electrolytes. By drinking water and only water you don't refuel the glycogen you burn when you exercise. By exercising without electrolytes like gatorade or some other form after 60-75 min your body (calfs) start to cramp. After it happens once it starts to happen a lot sooner. It then gets to a point where you feel it during the day as well. One thing you can do when you exercise is to put icy hot or some other warming substance on your calfs before you exercise. This will not help any heeling but it will warm up your calfs and allow you to exercise a little more without any futher damage."
Much appreciated!
I also received this from another cousin of mine:
Picture a rubber band with a small section that has lost its elasticity, and instead has become hardened and rather brittle. That's what a trigger point [TP] is like: the muscle is tighter, stiffer, will often be weaker and yet very tense at the same time. A TP will be sore when you push on it, and you may feel a thick band that you can flick over with your fingers.
Vast numbers of sport injuries have their origin in a TP in the muscle or fascia. This TP is very commonly the first sign of overload, and it leads to inflammation, then pain, then weakness, then joint and nerve dysfunction, and finally structural breakdown of tissues and a severe sports injury that can keep you out of action for weeks, months or even years, depending on how long you attempt to struggle on without treating the original TP.
A TP is thus an alarm bell - a first warning sign that things are not well within your biomechanical system. Often athletes, with their enhanced overall body sense, become aware of TPs before they are significant enough to cause actual pain, when the only complaint is 'tightness' or the joint or muscle doesn't 'feel right'.
Arguably, all sports people will develop TPs at some stage in their sporting career. TP’s can hamper performance and slow athletes down for a while, and they may blow out to cause a severe injury. They are a normal part of training and competing because bodies are biomechanically imperfect, and environments more random than we would like them to be.
To all intents and purposes, a TP is simply a thick knot in the muscle - a way the muscle reacts to being overloaded. In some ways a TP is the equivalent of a stress fracture in a bone. More specifically, a TP is a palpable, tender, nodal point of muscle or fascia. It may also be found in skin, where scar tissue is present, in old ligament injuries or, occasionally, in periosteum (the lining of bone). Under a microscope, TPs appear darker, straightened out and thicker, ranging in diameter from 1-4mm. If located in muscle, they cause it to form taut bands or become 'ropey'. A focal area of inflammation develops fairly early on and a collagen matrix forms; scar tissue is laid down to bridge the weak link, and can become quite thickened and tough, depending on how long it has been present.
The muscle in which a TP is found is weakened and shortened. The muscle - or the part containing the TP - is commonly in a state of involuntary tension, or increased 'tone'. The muscle is therefore unable to fully stretch OR contract, increasing its vulnerability to injury in face of further training overuse. In worst cases, a continuous muscle spasm will present around a very nasty and inflamed TP, resulting in severe cramping.
Painful cramping in the Gastrocnemius or Soleus muscles often has its origins in Trigger Points found either in these muscles or in: the Gluteus Minimus, Semitendinosus/Semimembranosus in the posterior thigh, or the Flexor Digitorum Longus, Tibialis Posterior, or Plantaris muscles in the lower leg. Runners commonly develop trigger points in these muscles, which, unrelieved, can then refer a wicked pain into muscles that are a long way from their actual origin.
Neuromuscular massage-therapists are trained to locate and treat such Trigger Points in their routine practice, restoring pain-free integrity and power to all affected muscles.
I appreciate all the words of advice and encouragement!
Sunday, November 18, 2007
167 days and $2615 to go!
"True sport is always a duel, a duel with nature, with one's own fear, with one's own fatigue, a duel in which the body and the mind are strengthened."
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
I'm still trying to make sense of my tight calf muscle on what should be long easy runs these days. The week started with morning runs in Southern Florida where I spent monday through friday - at my company's home office. Interestingly enough, I found myself feeling a little cold starting out on at least two of those mornings. I never expect to feel cold in Florida. I always travel light on those weekly work jaunts and never plan on more than shorts and (maybe) a tee shirt - shoes, of course :-) - on those morning runs. My current (short) prescription for cramp-free running is: water, bananas, stretching, and a short walking warm-up before the run. It'll probably all change next week since I am still trying to figure this thing out.
I drove to Oberlin, Ohio this morning for the first of 8 monthly swimming clinics. It was a gorgeous 1 hour drive on an absolutely beautiful day. Someone said that Oberlin College is the oldest college in Ohio. Don't know if it's true or not, but Oberlin is a beautiful college town. As college towns, it ranks right up there with Oxford, Ohio in my book. So, I spent about an hour this morning doing mostly kicking exercises. I hate kicking exercises! Mostly because I have a lousy kick. Of course Rob, our instructor, is probably going to also show me what a lousy stroke I have as well. I can say that after a year of training, I do feel far more confident about the swimming than I did for my first triathlon in Philly. I am not concerned about finishing the 1.2 mile swim next May. So, I will spend some time learning to smooth my technique to make the swim portion more enjoyable. If Rob said it once he said it a hundred times today, "Swimming is technique". So, that is what we will be working on.
When I returned home, the sun was shining and the air was cool so I finished out my training day with an easy 15 miles on the bike.
Yevgeny Yevtushenko
I'm still trying to make sense of my tight calf muscle on what should be long easy runs these days. The week started with morning runs in Southern Florida where I spent monday through friday - at my company's home office. Interestingly enough, I found myself feeling a little cold starting out on at least two of those mornings. I never expect to feel cold in Florida. I always travel light on those weekly work jaunts and never plan on more than shorts and (maybe) a tee shirt - shoes, of course :-) - on those morning runs. My current (short) prescription for cramp-free running is: water, bananas, stretching, and a short walking warm-up before the run. It'll probably all change next week since I am still trying to figure this thing out.
I drove to Oberlin, Ohio this morning for the first of 8 monthly swimming clinics. It was a gorgeous 1 hour drive on an absolutely beautiful day. Someone said that Oberlin College is the oldest college in Ohio. Don't know if it's true or not, but Oberlin is a beautiful college town. As college towns, it ranks right up there with Oxford, Ohio in my book. So, I spent about an hour this morning doing mostly kicking exercises. I hate kicking exercises! Mostly because I have a lousy kick. Of course Rob, our instructor, is probably going to also show me what a lousy stroke I have as well. I can say that after a year of training, I do feel far more confident about the swimming than I did for my first triathlon in Philly. I am not concerned about finishing the 1.2 mile swim next May. So, I will spend some time learning to smooth my technique to make the swim portion more enjoyable. If Rob said it once he said it a hundred times today, "Swimming is technique". So, that is what we will be working on.
When I returned home, the sun was shining and the air was cool so I finished out my training day with an easy 15 miles on the bike.
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Tight calf muscle... Again!
I'm in Florida this week. So, that means daily morning runs. The weather is just about ideal so the running is enjoyable. Except for... my right calf. This is something I struggle with pretty consistently when running. It prevents me from increasing my distance the way I would like to be ready for the 13.1 mile running leg of next year's half ironman. These are the factors that I believe will help to prevent muscle cramps:
So, I'm drinking water before my run, eating bananas and drinking orange juice, doing regular yoga and concentrating as well on stretching both calves, and working on long slow distance runs. I think that what I need to do now is hold myself back a little before I start each run to make sure my calf muscles have warmed up and loosened. This is hard to do because when I walk out the door, I naturally break into a trot and gradually increase my speed.
On tuesday this week I ran about 5-6 miles finishing with a sore right calf. Bad start! Wednesday, I started with a quarter mile "brisk" walk so that I could feel my right calf stretching easily then finished with a slightly shorter 3-4 mile run. My right calf felt pretty good when I finished. A little sore, but not threatening to seize up on me. This morning again my run was preceeded by a quarter mile walking warm up and I completed 5-6 miles feeling very good, even had a little bit of a "kick" at the end. I'm not ready to claim victory over my muscle cramping problems but things are definitely looking up. And I will definitely be walking to begin my runs from now on. One way or another, I'll figure this out! :-)
- Adequate hydration.
- Trace minerals, particularly potassium, calcium, sodium, and magnesium.
- Regular stretching of the vulnerable muscles.
- Accomodation to longer runnning distances.
- Adequate warmup before the run.
So, I'm drinking water before my run, eating bananas and drinking orange juice, doing regular yoga and concentrating as well on stretching both calves, and working on long slow distance runs. I think that what I need to do now is hold myself back a little before I start each run to make sure my calf muscles have warmed up and loosened. This is hard to do because when I walk out the door, I naturally break into a trot and gradually increase my speed.
On tuesday this week I ran about 5-6 miles finishing with a sore right calf. Bad start! Wednesday, I started with a quarter mile "brisk" walk so that I could feel my right calf stretching easily then finished with a slightly shorter 3-4 mile run. My right calf felt pretty good when I finished. A little sore, but not threatening to seize up on me. This morning again my run was preceeded by a quarter mile walking warm up and I completed 5-6 miles feeling very good, even had a little bit of a "kick" at the end. I'm not ready to claim victory over my muscle cramping problems but things are definitely looking up. And I will definitely be walking to begin my runs from now on. One way or another, I'll figure this out! :-)
Sunday, November 11, 2007
175 days and $3695 to go!
Last year when I finished my first triathlon, my main concern during training was being able to finish the 0.9 mile swim. After all, the last time I had completed a "mile swim" was in boy scouts. I did it at Camp Friedlander outside Cincinnati, Ohio, in a 25 yard pool. About 70 lengths of the pool, all swum doing breast stroke which was my strongest stroke when I swam competitively. So, fast forward to last year, and here I am an "ageing fitness geek" wondering whether I can train to swim the faster "freestyle" for nearly a mile in open water with no walls to hang on to, if only for a moment, or push off of to give my muscles a short respite. Well, in the lead up to the triathlon in Philly I was able to get enough pool time, coaching, and encouragement to refine and smooth my freestyle stroke to be comfortable about finishing the swim portion of the event. In Philly I finished the swim in under a half hour. Yes, it was down stream but even though the current helped a little it wasn't very strong.
Next Sunday I will attend my first session of a swimming clinic which is geared
specifically to improving the swimming stroke of triathletes. Who knows, maybe I will even develop a decent kick. Although, I have heard that one strategy is to "save" your legs during the swim for the bicycle and run portions of the race. I'll be interested in hearing what our coach, who comes highly recommended, has to say.
What are my concerns for the wildflower triathlon? In a nutshell, leg cramps and hills. And I have 175 days to work that out. :-)
Next Sunday I will attend my first session of a swimming clinic which is geared
specifically to improving the swimming stroke of triathletes. Who knows, maybe I will even develop a decent kick. Although, I have heard that one strategy is to "save" your legs during the swim for the bicycle and run portions of the race. I'll be interested in hearing what our coach, who comes highly recommended, has to say.
What are my concerns for the wildflower triathlon? In a nutshell, leg cramps and hills. And I have 175 days to work that out. :-)
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Contrasts
Florida this time of year is ideal for morning runs. Temperature in the 60s with low humidity is perfect for a comfortable run. I was able to cover about 5 miles on 3 of the four mornings. I cut back to 3.5 on wednesday because my right calf tightened up on me again. Back to stretching to try to loosen up my calf muscles. Guess there's no silver bullet for these tight muscles. It will have to be a combination of hydration, nutrition (bananas, etc.), stretching, and conditioning to rid myself of this scourge.
Returned home to Mentor yesterday evening to find the temperature in the 40s. This morning I went for a ride in several pairs of shorts, long sweats, a turtle neck, and a tee shirt. Winter gloves kept my hands from freezing in the stiff wind during the ride. I can (and did) comfortably cover 30 miles in one continuous effort. I'm charging the hills to ready myself for the wildflower course next year. A little sore at the end but had enough energy left to cut the grass - mostly leaves this time of year.
Heading back to florida this coming week for more of those great morning runs!
Returned home to Mentor yesterday evening to find the temperature in the 40s. This morning I went for a ride in several pairs of shorts, long sweats, a turtle neck, and a tee shirt. Winter gloves kept my hands from freezing in the stiff wind during the ride. I can (and did) comfortably cover 30 miles in one continuous effort. I'm charging the hills to ready myself for the wildflower course next year. A little sore at the end but had enough energy left to cut the grass - mostly leaves this time of year.
Heading back to florida this coming week for more of those great morning runs!
Monday, November 5, 2007
On Training and Mental Toughness
I love training. I really do! This is actually a good thing and a bad thing. I have been told (and I firmly believe) that a large component of preparation for any endurance event is mental. Sure, the physical training must be there but finishing the race is as much a mental challenge as a physical challenge. The athlete, as part of the training, must develop a level of mental toughness to go past the physical discomfort of temperature, muscle fatigue, thirst, hunger. All of which are present in any endurance event.
This brings me back to my love of training. It's hard to love what you are doing when you are too cold or too hot or hungry or thirsty or sore or... You get the idea. I have a tendency to wait until the sun is out and the day is warm (but not too warm) so I can continue to enjoy my training. But, on race day, you can't wait until conditions are right. If it's too cold or hot or raining or whatever you can't wait, you have to just go. That's where the mental toughness you have trained for really makes the difference.
So, bicycling last saturday and sunday, I didn't bail when it started drizzling at 50 degrees. I stuck it out for about 30 miles on saturday and about 10 miles on sunday (only quitting on sunday when my rear tire went flat).
This brings me back to my love of training. It's hard to love what you are doing when you are too cold or too hot or hungry or thirsty or sore or... You get the idea. I have a tendency to wait until the sun is out and the day is warm (but not too warm) so I can continue to enjoy my training. But, on race day, you can't wait until conditions are right. If it's too cold or hot or raining or whatever you can't wait, you have to just go. That's where the mental toughness you have trained for really makes the difference.
So, bicycling last saturday and sunday, I didn't bail when it started drizzling at 50 degrees. I stuck it out for about 30 miles on saturday and about 10 miles on sunday (only quitting on sunday when my rear tire went flat).
Thursday, November 1, 2007
An amazing evening
Tuesday evening, "Team in Training" had a kickoff dinner and celebration for the spring season. Since I'm doing the Wildflower Triathlon with the "Team" I was invited. This is an amazing group of people. I saw two of my Philly Tri teammates at the event, one of whom is also planning to do Wildflower. I also sat with one of my Akron relay teammates who did the Chicago Triathlon with the "Team" this past summer and is planning to do the Cleveland Marathon this spring.
It is inspirational, to say the least, to get together with such a dedicated and wonderful group. Our team honoree for wildflower is a 7 year old cancer survivor who was diagnosed about 4 years ago with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). His cancer is currently in remission (thank God!) and his favorite TV personality is "SpongeBob SquarePants". Good choice! :-)
When I hear these stories, I always think of a slogan I saw on a t-shirt at the Philly Tri: "If you think training for a triathlon is tough, you should try chemotherapy."
Amen to that!
It is inspirational, to say the least, to get together with such a dedicated and wonderful group. Our team honoree for wildflower is a 7 year old cancer survivor who was diagnosed about 4 years ago with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). His cancer is currently in remission (thank God!) and his favorite TV personality is "SpongeBob SquarePants". Good choice! :-)
When I hear these stories, I always think of a slogan I saw on a t-shirt at the Philly Tri: "If you think training for a triathlon is tough, you should try chemotherapy."
Amen to that!
Of bicycle chains and other things... conclusion2
Well, it ain't over till it's over. I rode about 15 miles yesterday. Something wasn't right. The new chain was making a little too much noise. Kind of a low continuous clicking sound. I figured with the new equipment, the bike should be "whisper quiet". Well, I'm thinking maybe the derailleurs need adjusting. But, that really didn't make sense since the adjustment seemed fine before I replaced the chain and cassette. It was making more noise than before I replaced things. Could I have done that much damage with my "ham-handed" repair job? It's possible.
After the ride, I mounted the bike on my bike rack and gave the pedals a spin. Didn't seem to be the derailleurs, except the noise was coming from the vicinity of the rear wheel. I take a closer look and discover that I have mis-routed the chain through the rear derailleur and that instead of passing cleanly from one small sprocket to the next it is clanking across part of the housing.
Out comes the chain tool. Looking for the link with the pin I used to attach the chain in the first place. Found the link, wrestled with the chain and the chain tool a bit, disconnected, rerouted, and finally reconnected the chain. Voila! Now the bike is "whisper quiet". :-)
After the ride, I mounted the bike on my bike rack and gave the pedals a spin. Didn't seem to be the derailleurs, except the noise was coming from the vicinity of the rear wheel. I take a closer look and discover that I have mis-routed the chain through the rear derailleur and that instead of passing cleanly from one small sprocket to the next it is clanking across part of the housing.
Out comes the chain tool. Looking for the link with the pin I used to attach the chain in the first place. Found the link, wrestled with the chain and the chain tool a bit, disconnected, rerouted, and finally reconnected the chain. Voila! Now the bike is "whisper quiet". :-)
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