I haven’t gone running since last week. Not because I am lazy (okay, a little bit of the lazy), but mostly because I really don’t want to over do it. I am doing Crossfit workouts five days out of the week. That is every weekday, with “rest” days on Saturday and Sunday. I am trying to exploring the upper limits of my physical capacity, and keep the activity level dialed to a few notches under the upper limit.
Which means that I have been a little cautious. The strength conditioning workouts at the gym haven’t really taken much out of me, but the “metcon” (as in, metabolic conditioning) sections are. Since this is Crossfit, we are doing brief, intense exercises that place a considerably anaerobic demand on us. My recovery times have never been great – normally people that I have worked out with will recover about twice as fast as I do, and I have a feeling that is due to a blood sugar issue on my part. Last night was especially telling – we did an interval set on rowers. 5 rounds of 40 seconds, all out effort, for calories. We had 4 minutes of rest between each round, and then 10 minutes after the last round we did a 2 minute all out sprint on the rower. Counting the calories really showed me how quickly my performance degrades. The first round I burned 16 calories. The second round 17. The third, 15. The fourth, 14 and the fifth 12. After resting 10 minutes I managed to burn 34 calories in 2 minutes of rowing. The first two rounds I was able to keep my pace strong all the way to the last second, but the second through the fifth rounds my intensity levels dropped way, way down. Whole body fatigue – not to the point where I was unable to think or move, but I could definitely feel the draining sensation. Your limbs get tired, your core gets tired, your brain gets tired of telling your body to move.
Last night’s interval set on the rower gave me a good idea of what I should be shooting for in my CFE interval WODs, though. Which means more gear – a watch with a stopwatch, lap and countdown timer function. Probably a Timex Ironman. Hooray, a valid reason for more toys! I’ve been accumulating smaller bits of workout gear so that I can practice outside of the gym – jumprope, kettlebell, a 6’ section of PVC. A stopwatch is something that will help – I know that I can use my Iphone as a stopwatch and countdown timer, but it isn’t waterproof or very easy to access while moving fast.
I don’t want all of my workouts to end up feeling like that kind of grind. So I am trying to find the balance of my desire to see gains, and my desire to not go backwards. Which is why I haven’t been getting up at 6am to go running. I have been waking up at 6am and assessing if I should go running. And the answer, for the most part, has been “no.” Some of that comes from an honest desire to not over train, and some (probably most) comes from being cozy in bed, and it being pretty cold and rainy outside. Cold and damp I can deal with, cold and pounding rain I don’t think would be good for my health. At least I am not that tough yet.
I have signed up for a clinic in Pose running. The closest trainer is in Salem, which is an hour drive away. So starting the second week of April I will hopefully have some drills and skills to practice, as well as have trained feedback on what I can work on.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Thursday, March 25, 2010
My Running Journal, 032510
Today was a wash, as far as runs go. Woke up with the alarm and realized that I wanted more sleep.
So I did. Zero miles at a pace of Zero minutes per mile.
Since I am technically still recuperating from my “injury,” I get to rest. Which made me start thinking about the difference, if any, between “rest” and “recuperation.” Besides the semantics, is there a difference? Gotta think this one through.
I bought a 1 “Pood” kettlebell today. I find it kind of funny that kettlebells are basically measured using an archaic Russian system. One Pood equals 16 kilograms, which comes out to about 35lbs. Which is surprisingly heavy. I was eyeballing the 1.5 Pood Kettlebell, but I need to improve my form with all of the regular Kettlebell exercises. Heavier weights do not necessarily equal improved performance. I probably should get one that is ½ pood (8 kilos), as there are some movements that I tried today that I can’t safely do with the 1 pood bell, for a number of reasons – the primary one is that I’m not ready for that weight in those motions.
Thinking of running, and running performance. Yesterday I talked about running as fast as I could while still maintaining a good posture and pace. As I think about running as a skillset, and not just “Put one foot in front of the other, very fast,” I keep realizing how bad the coaching was that I have received throughout my life. I am sure all of the shortcomings are a combination of me being a bad/slow student, and my instructors and coaches not quite grasping a specific skill, or how to teach that skill.
I am adopting the train of thought that, when it comes to running, the answer to people’s problems doesn’t lie in a pair of shoes that correct for their gait. Or more specifically, the problem is exactly that. I am guilty of giving people bad advice like this, and buying into that thought process. It is interesting to think of how inculcated we are now to look at a physical problem like over pronation or supination and try and fix it with shoes that restrict motion. Up until these past two months, when I thought about running, I thought about pain in my ankles and feet, fatigue, and the shoes that I would wear. Big, padded, awesome shoes. I went to a store that specializes in running. I had my gait analyzed. Shoes were prescribed. Run in these, and your problems will be fixed.
But that is so much bullshit. As I read more, and experience more running in minimalist shoes, I can really see how corrective footwear is a crutch that does not help – and the harm that it can cause, through weakening of the foot, ankles, knees, etc., is tremendous. Now, I know plenty of people who run without discomfort or serious injury, and have all of their lives. It isn’t just the shoe. It is also the runner. I’m happy to see that more and more people have already realized it. That developing running as a skillset is important. Not just “here, try these on.”
I’ve worn a hole in my VFFs. It is really neat to see, since it shoes exactly where the contact is between my feet and the ground. So a new pair is in order soon.
So I did. Zero miles at a pace of Zero minutes per mile.
Since I am technically still recuperating from my “injury,” I get to rest. Which made me start thinking about the difference, if any, between “rest” and “recuperation.” Besides the semantics, is there a difference? Gotta think this one through.
I bought a 1 “Pood” kettlebell today. I find it kind of funny that kettlebells are basically measured using an archaic Russian system. One Pood equals 16 kilograms, which comes out to about 35lbs. Which is surprisingly heavy. I was eyeballing the 1.5 Pood Kettlebell, but I need to improve my form with all of the regular Kettlebell exercises. Heavier weights do not necessarily equal improved performance. I probably should get one that is ½ pood (8 kilos), as there are some movements that I tried today that I can’t safely do with the 1 pood bell, for a number of reasons – the primary one is that I’m not ready for that weight in those motions.
Thinking of running, and running performance. Yesterday I talked about running as fast as I could while still maintaining a good posture and pace. As I think about running as a skillset, and not just “Put one foot in front of the other, very fast,” I keep realizing how bad the coaching was that I have received throughout my life. I am sure all of the shortcomings are a combination of me being a bad/slow student, and my instructors and coaches not quite grasping a specific skill, or how to teach that skill.
I am adopting the train of thought that, when it comes to running, the answer to people’s problems doesn’t lie in a pair of shoes that correct for their gait. Or more specifically, the problem is exactly that. I am guilty of giving people bad advice like this, and buying into that thought process. It is interesting to think of how inculcated we are now to look at a physical problem like over pronation or supination and try and fix it with shoes that restrict motion. Up until these past two months, when I thought about running, I thought about pain in my ankles and feet, fatigue, and the shoes that I would wear. Big, padded, awesome shoes. I went to a store that specializes in running. I had my gait analyzed. Shoes were prescribed. Run in these, and your problems will be fixed.
But that is so much bullshit. As I read more, and experience more running in minimalist shoes, I can really see how corrective footwear is a crutch that does not help – and the harm that it can cause, through weakening of the foot, ankles, knees, etc., is tremendous. Now, I know plenty of people who run without discomfort or serious injury, and have all of their lives. It isn’t just the shoe. It is also the runner. I’m happy to see that more and more people have already realized it. That developing running as a skillset is important. Not just “here, try these on.”
I’ve worn a hole in my VFFs. It is really neat to see, since it shoes exactly where the contact is between my feet and the ground. So a new pair is in order soon.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
My Running Journal, 032410
Today was the first of my Crossfit Endurance workouts. Which factored in nicely with all of the short distance running that I have been doing. The workout that I am starting with is a time trial (TT) for a short course – which means run 5k as fast as you can.
So I ran 3.45 miles as “fast” as I could. Instead of going hell for leather, I ran as fast as I could while maintaining form. So I finished 3.45 miles in 34:18. Which seems like a long time to me, but I ran a new route, and from mile 1.5 to mile 2.5 was a continuous hill climb, covering about 200 vertical feet, most of which was right at the end of the hill. I’m also trying to figure out how I was averaging a pace of 10:30 in the first mile, but completed the first mile in 9:30, and how my second mile was at a pace of 9:35, but I completed it in 8:43? However that works, I ran a pretty decent pace given the hill involved and my trying to focus solely on maintaining my form.
Which, I discovered, is pretty poor. I really need to find a coach, or get on a treadmill and have someone film me run. On the final leg of the run, I was passing in front of shops with large windows. This allowed me to view my form while I was running. While it is hard to really focus on your reflection in a window next to you while you are running, I managed a few peeks. And I noticed several things. The most glaring issue is my hips and torso. I could really see that my chest was raised, my back was arched, and my butt was out. I had a really pronounced lumbar curve and my posture was very upright. Which isn’t what I want – I am aiming for a forward lean and a neutral torso.
Part of the problem, I think, is that I am running with my abdominal muscles relaxed. Which is allowing my spinal muscles to bear the load, and which is probably pulling my lumbar curve even further out. So I experimented a little bit with pulling my belly button towards my spine and tensioning my abs over all. I didn’t see much change as I was running past the various windows, but I could feel a slight difference. I need to find a treadmill and someone to video me while I run (or at least set up a tripod with my camera).
A good concept for me to keep in mind was first introduced to me while practicing Taijiquan a couple of years ago. Honestly, I wish it had been clearly explained and reinforced while I was a teenager, or before then. The concept is that all movement originates from the core and ends in the extremities. In the martial arts that I was practicing, the idea is that, ideally, you originate your power and movement from your lower dantian (your center of gravity). You then direct that through to your extremities. Something that is becoming quite clear to me, since injuring my abdominal oblique, is that I have failed to incorporate this idea. I thought that I had it – as I can hiptoss people, whip a punch out without utilizing too much of my shoulder to generate the movement, and am really aware of my center of gravity. But truly incorporating the idea of core to extremity really means engaging the core muscles. And it has become obvious to me, based on what I glimpsed in the windows, that I am depending almost exclusively on the muscles that are in my lumbar region for this. When I sprint, I really start to feel a funny, weak joint sensation in my lumbar region. And this also comes in when I would do work on any gymnastic apparatus where your lower body is a pendulum – high bar, rings, parallel bars. Core to extremities – I need to keep my abs tighter when I run or perform any exercise, in order to protect my low back. 20+ years of working out and learning about all of this, and now I am actively thinking about its integration.
I’ve hammered out my workout schedule – and barring further injury I believe that I can handle it. Regular Crossfit on the weekdays, with a CFE workout on Wednesday and Saturday.
I think I am going to sign up for the Race for Roses 5k, to see if my 5k time improves. It will have been about a month from the Shamrock run, and the Race for the Roses track has less of a hill climb in it than the Shamrock run does. We will see.
So I ran 3.45 miles as “fast” as I could. Instead of going hell for leather, I ran as fast as I could while maintaining form. So I finished 3.45 miles in 34:18. Which seems like a long time to me, but I ran a new route, and from mile 1.5 to mile 2.5 was a continuous hill climb, covering about 200 vertical feet, most of which was right at the end of the hill. I’m also trying to figure out how I was averaging a pace of 10:30 in the first mile, but completed the first mile in 9:30, and how my second mile was at a pace of 9:35, but I completed it in 8:43? However that works, I ran a pretty decent pace given the hill involved and my trying to focus solely on maintaining my form.
Which, I discovered, is pretty poor. I really need to find a coach, or get on a treadmill and have someone film me run. On the final leg of the run, I was passing in front of shops with large windows. This allowed me to view my form while I was running. While it is hard to really focus on your reflection in a window next to you while you are running, I managed a few peeks. And I noticed several things. The most glaring issue is my hips and torso. I could really see that my chest was raised, my back was arched, and my butt was out. I had a really pronounced lumbar curve and my posture was very upright. Which isn’t what I want – I am aiming for a forward lean and a neutral torso.
Part of the problem, I think, is that I am running with my abdominal muscles relaxed. Which is allowing my spinal muscles to bear the load, and which is probably pulling my lumbar curve even further out. So I experimented a little bit with pulling my belly button towards my spine and tensioning my abs over all. I didn’t see much change as I was running past the various windows, but I could feel a slight difference. I need to find a treadmill and someone to video me while I run (or at least set up a tripod with my camera).
A good concept for me to keep in mind was first introduced to me while practicing Taijiquan a couple of years ago. Honestly, I wish it had been clearly explained and reinforced while I was a teenager, or before then. The concept is that all movement originates from the core and ends in the extremities. In the martial arts that I was practicing, the idea is that, ideally, you originate your power and movement from your lower dantian (your center of gravity). You then direct that through to your extremities. Something that is becoming quite clear to me, since injuring my abdominal oblique, is that I have failed to incorporate this idea. I thought that I had it – as I can hiptoss people, whip a punch out without utilizing too much of my shoulder to generate the movement, and am really aware of my center of gravity. But truly incorporating the idea of core to extremity really means engaging the core muscles. And it has become obvious to me, based on what I glimpsed in the windows, that I am depending almost exclusively on the muscles that are in my lumbar region for this. When I sprint, I really start to feel a funny, weak joint sensation in my lumbar region. And this also comes in when I would do work on any gymnastic apparatus where your lower body is a pendulum – high bar, rings, parallel bars. Core to extremities – I need to keep my abs tighter when I run or perform any exercise, in order to protect my low back. 20+ years of working out and learning about all of this, and now I am actively thinking about its integration.
I’ve hammered out my workout schedule – and barring further injury I believe that I can handle it. Regular Crossfit on the weekdays, with a CFE workout on Wednesday and Saturday.
I think I am going to sign up for the Race for Roses 5k, to see if my 5k time improves. It will have been about a month from the Shamrock run, and the Race for the Roses track has less of a hill climb in it than the Shamrock run does. We will see.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
My Running Journal, 032310
Today I did a short run, 1.27 miles at a pace of around 8:50 min/mile. I had my metronome set to 90bpm, and it was work to keep up with it. I felt like I was putting out a lot of effort to keep up the pace, but overall I didn’t feel that I was putting out a lot of effort – if that makes sense. Most of the effort was in keeping my legs moving fast enough to keep time, and not a whole lot of effort beyond that.
Now, what does that mean? A 9 minute mile will mean my marathon time will be just a hair under 4 hours. I wasn’t exhausted by any stretch of the imagination at the end of today’s run, but I doubt that I could have kept my feet moving that fast for more than 30 or so minutes right now. I’m going to have to by October, and if not faster.
I’m working on transitioning into POSE technique running. I feel that I should find an instructor, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the Portland area who is an actual POSE instructor. Which is funny, given how many people in the Portland area are runners – you’d think someone would have learned this and want to teach it.
The oblique that I strained last week is healing nicely – the muscle itself seems to be fine, but there is still pain and restrictions to my range of movement. If feels as if it is coming from the rib tips themselves, which makes me believe even more that I pulled the ribs out of alignment, or possibly sublaxed the costal cartilage at the ends of the ribs. Whatever I did, I feel that I am able to put about 50% effort into things. I absolutely don’t want to re-injure the area – if I do, it will most likely be worse. So I have to take it easy. Which is causing some motivation problems. This morning I almost didn’t go running. And I definitely didn’t run the distance I was scheduled for. But, I must remind myself, recovery. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy(er), at least for the next week. And then…
Crossfit Endurance. I’ve decided that this break in my running schedule, again, is a good point to reset my training paradigm. The last break ended up with me switching from running shoes to VFFs, and this break will see me going from LSDs to CFE style workouts. 4-6 Crossfits anaerobic workouts per week, with 2 CFE endurance days. I’ll probably mix in some long distance trail runs, to keep things varied and to get used to running distance – to learn how to maintain form after a long period of sub-maximal output. Or, maximal paced output.
We’ll see. I want very much to be done recovering, an to be able to really, really push myself. I was right on the cusp, and now I have had to ease off a bit.
I have also started to put together a little micro-gym in my office. Right now, it is just a couple of pieces for joint mobility and PNF maintenance. What is PNF, you ask? “Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.” A video is an easy way of showing what it is. So here is a video (not of me)
That is the general gist of PNF. Bonus, because I still have a tight hamstring that is causing me some pain.
PNF “stretching,” isn’t. The concept behind it, and the physiology behind it, mean that the muscles being “stretched” aren’t in fact stretching – that would imply that the muscle fibers and connective tissues are under mechanical tension and are elongating based on elasticity. Which shouldn’t be the case with PNF – instead, what should theoretically be happening, is that the muscle in question is relaxing under load – and it is doing this to prevent mechanical tension on the tendons. PNF should, in theory, work to make the muscles better able to relax and not stretch. The problem is that “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation” is tough to say, while “stretching” isn’t. So we can abbreviate it to “PNF.”
Beside the massage table and stools in the office, I now have a 6’ section of 1” internal diameter PVC, otherwise known as the “Incredible Shoulder Mobility Device,” and a loop of climbing webbing to assist in some PNF work with my lower limbs.
Tomorrow, farther, and hopefully just as fast.
Now, what does that mean? A 9 minute mile will mean my marathon time will be just a hair under 4 hours. I wasn’t exhausted by any stretch of the imagination at the end of today’s run, but I doubt that I could have kept my feet moving that fast for more than 30 or so minutes right now. I’m going to have to by October, and if not faster.
I’m working on transitioning into POSE technique running. I feel that I should find an instructor, but there doesn’t seem to be anyone in the Portland area who is an actual POSE instructor. Which is funny, given how many people in the Portland area are runners – you’d think someone would have learned this and want to teach it.
The oblique that I strained last week is healing nicely – the muscle itself seems to be fine, but there is still pain and restrictions to my range of movement. If feels as if it is coming from the rib tips themselves, which makes me believe even more that I pulled the ribs out of alignment, or possibly sublaxed the costal cartilage at the ends of the ribs. Whatever I did, I feel that I am able to put about 50% effort into things. I absolutely don’t want to re-injure the area – if I do, it will most likely be worse. So I have to take it easy. Which is causing some motivation problems. This morning I almost didn’t go running. And I definitely didn’t run the distance I was scheduled for. But, I must remind myself, recovery. I have to keep reminding myself to take it easy(er), at least for the next week. And then…
Crossfit Endurance. I’ve decided that this break in my running schedule, again, is a good point to reset my training paradigm. The last break ended up with me switching from running shoes to VFFs, and this break will see me going from LSDs to CFE style workouts. 4-6 Crossfits anaerobic workouts per week, with 2 CFE endurance days. I’ll probably mix in some long distance trail runs, to keep things varied and to get used to running distance – to learn how to maintain form after a long period of sub-maximal output. Or, maximal paced output.
We’ll see. I want very much to be done recovering, an to be able to really, really push myself. I was right on the cusp, and now I have had to ease off a bit.
I have also started to put together a little micro-gym in my office. Right now, it is just a couple of pieces for joint mobility and PNF maintenance. What is PNF, you ask? “Proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation.” A video is an easy way of showing what it is. So here is a video (not of me)
That is the general gist of PNF. Bonus, because I still have a tight hamstring that is causing me some pain.
PNF “stretching,” isn’t. The concept behind it, and the physiology behind it, mean that the muscles being “stretched” aren’t in fact stretching – that would imply that the muscle fibers and connective tissues are under mechanical tension and are elongating based on elasticity. Which shouldn’t be the case with PNF – instead, what should theoretically be happening, is that the muscle in question is relaxing under load – and it is doing this to prevent mechanical tension on the tendons. PNF should, in theory, work to make the muscles better able to relax and not stretch. The problem is that “proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation” is tough to say, while “stretching” isn’t. So we can abbreviate it to “PNF.”
Beside the massage table and stools in the office, I now have a 6’ section of 1” internal diameter PVC, otherwise known as the “Incredible Shoulder Mobility Device,” and a loop of climbing webbing to assist in some PNF work with my lower limbs.
Tomorrow, farther, and hopefully just as fast.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
My Running Journal, 031810
So no running these past couple of days – my next run is slated to be on Sunday, and will be a 3 miler.
Monday morning during the warm-up in Crossfit we were doing walking handstand drills. Now, I have a background in gymnastics, and handstands are an old hat. But at some point during the drill, I started to feel a little twinge in my left side. By the end of class, the twinge was a dull ache, but my whole body was a little achey/feeling worn, so I chalked it up to the post exercise ache. By the end of the day I was acutely aware that I had probably strained an oblique.
By Tuesday evening the ache hadn’t lessened, but I decided that I would see what it felt like after warming up and getting it mobile – which makes since – one of the best ways of reducing pain in a muscle that is aching due to use is to keep using it – the blood flow helps clear the crap out. In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by a stagnation of blood and/or qi, and so movement is essential.
Instead of handstand drills, we did rope climbing drills. I know how to climb a rope from elementary school, gymnastics, and the USMC. The least fatiguing way to do it is wrap the rope partially around one leg, so that the rope lays over the top of the foot, and then step on the rope with the other foot. This locks the rope between the feet, and with the correct tension between your legs, you can basically climb the rope with almost no upper body strength. However, doing this in minimalist shoes like the Vibrams is a new experience, and since the top of my foot is not calloused, I wanted to not give it rope burn. And I wanted to show off a little bit.
Stoopid. So I tried to climb without my feet. I used to do it in gymnastics, and in the Marines. It isn’t very difficult with enough upper body strength and grip strength. But what I didn’t take into account was the use of your abdominal muscles to stabilize. And how much strain it puts on your obliques, evidently. So when I heard and felt and popping sensation in the bottom of my ribcage, followed immediately by a twisting, excruciating pain, I realized that I was an idiot. I dropped off of the rope, clutching my side. I pressed in to make sure that I hadn’t caused a hernia (nope), but the crackling and popping sound along with the feeling of something moving back into place was a little disconcerting. Since the pain had ceased to be excruciating, and I still had full range of motion, I was pretty sure that I hadn’t torn the muscle in half, or from any of its bony connections. That, at least, was comforting.
So yesterday was a rest and recovery day, as is today, and probably tomorrow and Saturday(although the ocean has calmed down enough that it is probably going to be a great day to go fishing and kayaking, which I haven’t done since October).
I’m trying to not let this get me down. I was in a motivated space where I could see the increase in overall tempo of my training. I was excited to do it, and I was reflecting on how much I actually enjoy running and being physically active. This injury sets me back a week or so training wise, but it is also a test of my ability to heal and recover. It also gives me more time to assess my goals and where I am in achieving them.
Next week, on Monday, I hope to be back in the gym. I have decided that I am also going to train for the marathon using the Crossfit Endurance training paradigm. I’m excited to try it.
Monday morning during the warm-up in Crossfit we were doing walking handstand drills. Now, I have a background in gymnastics, and handstands are an old hat. But at some point during the drill, I started to feel a little twinge in my left side. By the end of class, the twinge was a dull ache, but my whole body was a little achey/feeling worn, so I chalked it up to the post exercise ache. By the end of the day I was acutely aware that I had probably strained an oblique.
By Tuesday evening the ache hadn’t lessened, but I decided that I would see what it felt like after warming up and getting it mobile – which makes since – one of the best ways of reducing pain in a muscle that is aching due to use is to keep using it – the blood flow helps clear the crap out. In Chinese medicine, pain is caused by a stagnation of blood and/or qi, and so movement is essential.
Instead of handstand drills, we did rope climbing drills. I know how to climb a rope from elementary school, gymnastics, and the USMC. The least fatiguing way to do it is wrap the rope partially around one leg, so that the rope lays over the top of the foot, and then step on the rope with the other foot. This locks the rope between the feet, and with the correct tension between your legs, you can basically climb the rope with almost no upper body strength. However, doing this in minimalist shoes like the Vibrams is a new experience, and since the top of my foot is not calloused, I wanted to not give it rope burn. And I wanted to show off a little bit.
Stoopid. So I tried to climb without my feet. I used to do it in gymnastics, and in the Marines. It isn’t very difficult with enough upper body strength and grip strength. But what I didn’t take into account was the use of your abdominal muscles to stabilize. And how much strain it puts on your obliques, evidently. So when I heard and felt and popping sensation in the bottom of my ribcage, followed immediately by a twisting, excruciating pain, I realized that I was an idiot. I dropped off of the rope, clutching my side. I pressed in to make sure that I hadn’t caused a hernia (nope), but the crackling and popping sound along with the feeling of something moving back into place was a little disconcerting. Since the pain had ceased to be excruciating, and I still had full range of motion, I was pretty sure that I hadn’t torn the muscle in half, or from any of its bony connections. That, at least, was comforting.
So yesterday was a rest and recovery day, as is today, and probably tomorrow and Saturday(although the ocean has calmed down enough that it is probably going to be a great day to go fishing and kayaking, which I haven’t done since October).
I’m trying to not let this get me down. I was in a motivated space where I could see the increase in overall tempo of my training. I was excited to do it, and I was reflecting on how much I actually enjoy running and being physically active. This injury sets me back a week or so training wise, but it is also a test of my ability to heal and recover. It also gives me more time to assess my goals and where I am in achieving them.
Next week, on Monday, I hope to be back in the gym. I have decided that I am also going to train for the marathon using the Crossfit Endurance training paradigm. I’m excited to try it.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
My Running Journal, 031610
This morning I was supposed to run 2 miles, but I didn’t. Zero miles in zero minutes.
Instead, I sandbagged. Which is probably a good thing right now, given that, since last week, I have basically been working out everyday since Thursday, and right now five days of work outs in a row is right at the maximal level that I think I can sustain without hurting myself. So when my alarm went off at 0545 this morning, I woke up, hit snooze, and groggily decided to sandbag the run today. Give my calves a rest day.
Not that I am taking the day off, I just didn’t run this morning. No, I have a Crossfit class this evening. So I will get my workout in.
Which leads nicely into what I have been thinking about. I started Crossfit to increase my overall fitness. Part of this whole process has been researching various styles and philosophies of training. Most of the training advice regarding prepping for long distance work involves “LSDs,” otherwise known as “Long, Slow Distances.” The idea being that you train your body to run long distances, well, by running long distance. Which makes sense. As you become accustomed to running longer and longer distances, your brain begins to make the rest of your body more efficient at what it is doing. Your footfall, stride, pace, it all comes together over time. In addition to the basic mechanics of covering long distances, your body begins to change the way it handles food and energy storage. Improving your aerobic stamina generally only comes about by training your aerobic metabolism – and that means long, slow(ish) workouts. The training cycle that I have been following is designed to do that – once I start the actual marathon training cycle, I will begin to run farther and farther each week – increasing my regular runs and then doubling that distance once a week. Which seems to be the standard design of most of the training calendars that I have come across. 18 or so weeks of progressing towards 26 miles.
Now that I have started Crossfit, and have come across the idea of Crossfit Endurance, I am re-thinking that training schedule. I still have time left to reconsider it, as I still have about 12 weeks before I start the marathon training cycle in earnest. So I have a little while to make that decision.
The trick will be convincing myself that CE will work in place of LSDs. Because the last thing that I want to do is half-ass and try and do both. From all of the anecdotal evidence I have come across (i.e., forum posts and speaking with trainers), you can only really do one or the other in order to expect any results other than an injury. And really, half-assing anything is just asking for trouble. I’m still not entirely convinced about certain aspects of CE, but that may just be because I haven’t asked enough questions yet (or I haven’t taken a big enough swig of the CE Kool-aid).
My main question is one of pacing, and having a sufficiently developed aerobic metabolism. I was a gymnast in High School, and had pretty intense anaerobic training – short bursts of power and speed was what I was trained for. When I tried any sort of real aerobic workout, I basically broke down. I’ve been talking about this since I started – learning how to be efficient, how to pace. Metronome, cadence, stride length, etc. How can I develop my aerobic metabolism to the point where I can get to 26+ miles, without actually learning what it feels like to get to that point?
I don’t know. Some ideas are percolating, and I think I may start putting it to the test. There are several races between now and the start point of my marathon training calendar. My run distances right now don’t really come into the LSD category, since none of my training runs are going to be farther than six miles. So I may be able to test out the CE training process in the meantime.
We will see. I figure I’m running close to barefoot right now, what’s another little training modification?
Instead, I sandbagged. Which is probably a good thing right now, given that, since last week, I have basically been working out everyday since Thursday, and right now five days of work outs in a row is right at the maximal level that I think I can sustain without hurting myself. So when my alarm went off at 0545 this morning, I woke up, hit snooze, and groggily decided to sandbag the run today. Give my calves a rest day.
Not that I am taking the day off, I just didn’t run this morning. No, I have a Crossfit class this evening. So I will get my workout in.
Which leads nicely into what I have been thinking about. I started Crossfit to increase my overall fitness. Part of this whole process has been researching various styles and philosophies of training. Most of the training advice regarding prepping for long distance work involves “LSDs,” otherwise known as “Long, Slow Distances.” The idea being that you train your body to run long distances, well, by running long distance. Which makes sense. As you become accustomed to running longer and longer distances, your brain begins to make the rest of your body more efficient at what it is doing. Your footfall, stride, pace, it all comes together over time. In addition to the basic mechanics of covering long distances, your body begins to change the way it handles food and energy storage. Improving your aerobic stamina generally only comes about by training your aerobic metabolism – and that means long, slow(ish) workouts. The training cycle that I have been following is designed to do that – once I start the actual marathon training cycle, I will begin to run farther and farther each week – increasing my regular runs and then doubling that distance once a week. Which seems to be the standard design of most of the training calendars that I have come across. 18 or so weeks of progressing towards 26 miles.
Now that I have started Crossfit, and have come across the idea of Crossfit Endurance, I am re-thinking that training schedule. I still have time left to reconsider it, as I still have about 12 weeks before I start the marathon training cycle in earnest. So I have a little while to make that decision.
The trick will be convincing myself that CE will work in place of LSDs. Because the last thing that I want to do is half-ass and try and do both. From all of the anecdotal evidence I have come across (i.e., forum posts and speaking with trainers), you can only really do one or the other in order to expect any results other than an injury. And really, half-assing anything is just asking for trouble. I’m still not entirely convinced about certain aspects of CE, but that may just be because I haven’t asked enough questions yet (or I haven’t taken a big enough swig of the CE Kool-aid).
My main question is one of pacing, and having a sufficiently developed aerobic metabolism. I was a gymnast in High School, and had pretty intense anaerobic training – short bursts of power and speed was what I was trained for. When I tried any sort of real aerobic workout, I basically broke down. I’ve been talking about this since I started – learning how to be efficient, how to pace. Metronome, cadence, stride length, etc. How can I develop my aerobic metabolism to the point where I can get to 26+ miles, without actually learning what it feels like to get to that point?
I don’t know. Some ideas are percolating, and I think I may start putting it to the test. There are several races between now and the start point of my marathon training calendar. My run distances right now don’t really come into the LSD category, since none of my training runs are going to be farther than six miles. So I may be able to test out the CE training process in the meantime.
We will see. I figure I’m running close to barefoot right now, what’s another little training modification?
My Running Journal, 031510
Today was a “rest” day, so of course I scheduled myself for an early morning Crossfit class. So much for rest – and to top it off, I think I strained one of my abdominal obliques, doing, of all things, a handstand.
Yesterday was scheduled to be a 4.5 miler, but I ran the Shamrock 5k instead. I finished in 30:17, which works out to be about a 9:40 pace. Not fast at all, but faster than I have been running any of the 3 milers, and plenty fast for right now. I probably could have kept that pace up for five or so miles – and I may have run the first and last mile faster than the middle one, since the middle mile in this race goes up Broadway, from Burnside up to PSU. The hill isn’t spectacular, but I haven’t done much in the way of hill work, and so grinding up it was a chore. Coming down the other side was pretty spectacular and fun. At the point that the course turned downhill, I started turning up my speed (same cadence, basically, just much, much longer stride) – which is easy when you are running downhill. What made it hard was that there were approximately 1000 people all in the same spot, and I think there may have been ten of us really trying to fly down the hill. Made for some awesome zigging and zagging, as well as abruptly having to slow down. I managed to keep enough in the tank to be able to sprint across the finish, but again, I encountered the same issue as I really picked up my pace – people bunched up, or running five to six abreast, at a much slower pace than I was moving at. Now I understand why they sent us out in waves – I can only imagine how a sub six minute/mile runner would feel getting stuck behind a bunch of 10 minuters.
The race, overall, was pretty fun. I hope that as the distances get longer, the fun level stays the same.
Yesterday was scheduled to be a 4.5 miler, but I ran the Shamrock 5k instead. I finished in 30:17, which works out to be about a 9:40 pace. Not fast at all, but faster than I have been running any of the 3 milers, and plenty fast for right now. I probably could have kept that pace up for five or so miles – and I may have run the first and last mile faster than the middle one, since the middle mile in this race goes up Broadway, from Burnside up to PSU. The hill isn’t spectacular, but I haven’t done much in the way of hill work, and so grinding up it was a chore. Coming down the other side was pretty spectacular and fun. At the point that the course turned downhill, I started turning up my speed (same cadence, basically, just much, much longer stride) – which is easy when you are running downhill. What made it hard was that there were approximately 1000 people all in the same spot, and I think there may have been ten of us really trying to fly down the hill. Made for some awesome zigging and zagging, as well as abruptly having to slow down. I managed to keep enough in the tank to be able to sprint across the finish, but again, I encountered the same issue as I really picked up my pace – people bunched up, or running five to six abreast, at a much slower pace than I was moving at. Now I understand why they sent us out in waves – I can only imagine how a sub six minute/mile runner would feel getting stuck behind a bunch of 10 minuters.
The race, overall, was pretty fun. I hope that as the distances get longer, the fun level stays the same.
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