When I started running (and getting back to the gym on a regular basis) about two years ago, I made up my mind that I would do a 5K. I needed something to build up to, something concrete that I could put a framework around. I knew going in that there was no way I would win the 5K, heck I knew I’d be lucky to finish in the top ½ of the over 8000 runners participating in that run, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to keep moving and losing weight.
I finished that race somewhere near the middle of the pack and for me, that was a win…my Personal Best (PB) had been established…but, momentum is a funny thing…I kept running 3 times a week, an object in motion…later that summer I decided to try a second run…much smaller, only about 300 participants, I set a new PB by a couple of minutes.
I did another race on New Year’s Eve, no official time, just a fun race with my good friend Sharon who introduced me to Brenda and Steve two of her elite multi-sport athlete friends...at another race in mid-January I met Sharon’s coach (and elite multi-sport athlete in her own right) Jane…the thing Sharon, Brenda,Steve and Jane all have in common is that they always have such positive energy, offer lots of support and encouragement, and freely share their knowledge and experience and provide guidance to newbies like me who might otherwise not continue.
I ran a few 10K races with my step-daughter this year and I like to think I am closer to her now than I have ever been, sharing those experiences for me was priceless!
I competed in a Canoe-bike-run triathlon relay with my son and two High School buddies, Tim and Rod and we shared a fantastic day with our families.
I competed in a few Duathlons this past year and met some great athletes, volunteers, organizers and supporters.
In 2010, the relay triathlon is scheduled again (Go BERT42!), a late season family triathlon relay is also scheduled and a few more races will likely dot the calendar as the months unfold. I hope to see you out there in one capacity or another.
So why race if you KNOW you won’t win?
I haven’t won an event yet, but I’ve gained so much, as cliché as it sounds, racing has and continues to change my life for the better, not only by what I am doing for myself and my health, but by the people I meet or the people that I get to spend time with sharing in such positive experiences…to all of you, thank you for being a part of this journey, whether you knew it or not.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Forget the Caramilk Secret...tell me the energy bar secret
This past Sunday I was out on my long run (this week that meant run 50 min, walk 5 min, run 40 min, walk 5 min, run 20 min) and I mistakenly thought I had found the secret to keeping my energy bar in a chewable state...let me explain.
For my past three long runs, I have carried Gatorade and some sort of energy bar, I tried carrying the energy bar in the front pouch of my fuel belt, result...frozen bar. I tried carrying the energy bar in my jacket pocket, result...frozen bar. In both cases I was able to gnaw away at the bar, break a piece off and thaw it in my mouth until I could actually chew it.
This past weekend, I tried cutting the energy bar into little pieces with the idea that if the pieces froze, it would be easier to pop one in my mouth, thaw it and chew on....yeah, that was until all the pieces froze together...same problem as previous weeks, only this time it was one huge clump that I couldn't gnaw on. My workaround, hold the frozen clump, which at this point looked exactly like what many of the dogs have been depositing on sidewalks and which much to my chagrin their owners are not picking up, but I digress...I managed to thaw out the clumps and was able to keep my energy up so no bonking.
I should confess, I don't actually have any inner pockets on any of the layers of my winter running gear, a clear faux pas in hindsight. I'm thinking maybe I can MacGyver some sort of pouch on a string to wear around my neck on one of my inner layers and that should keep the energy bar in a chewable state...
Any thoughts from those of you with winter running (and feeding) experience?
For my past three long runs, I have carried Gatorade and some sort of energy bar, I tried carrying the energy bar in the front pouch of my fuel belt, result...frozen bar. I tried carrying the energy bar in my jacket pocket, result...frozen bar. In both cases I was able to gnaw away at the bar, break a piece off and thaw it in my mouth until I could actually chew it.
This past weekend, I tried cutting the energy bar into little pieces with the idea that if the pieces froze, it would be easier to pop one in my mouth, thaw it and chew on....yeah, that was until all the pieces froze together...same problem as previous weeks, only this time it was one huge clump that I couldn't gnaw on. My workaround, hold the frozen clump, which at this point looked exactly like what many of the dogs have been depositing on sidewalks and which much to my chagrin their owners are not picking up, but I digress...I managed to thaw out the clumps and was able to keep my energy up so no bonking.
I should confess, I don't actually have any inner pockets on any of the layers of my winter running gear, a clear faux pas in hindsight. I'm thinking maybe I can MacGyver some sort of pouch on a string to wear around my neck on one of my inner layers and that should keep the energy bar in a chewable state...
Any thoughts from those of you with winter running (and feeding) experience?
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Chill-out! Ice baths, they do a body good…right?
I can’t say I am a big fan of the ice bath, but I do understand the concept behind the therapy.
In a nutshell here’s what sportsmedicine.com has to say about ice Baths (if you know of other more recent articles, let me know and I’ll update the post)
If you want the full details on the contradictory studies, go here http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/Ice-Bath.htm
What I can tell you from a newbie’s experience with 2 weeks experimentation using cooler than normal baths is this:
In a nutshell here’s what sportsmedicine.com has to say about ice Baths (if you know of other more recent articles, let me know and I’ll update the post)
The ice bath is thought to:
- Constrict blood vessels and flush waste products, like lactic acid, out of the affected tissues
- Decrease metabolic activity and slow down physiological processes
- Reduce swelling and tissue breakdown
If you want the full details on the contradictory studies, go here http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/sampleworkouts/a/Ice-Bath.htm
What I can tell you from a newbie’s experience with 2 weeks experimentation using cooler than normal baths is this:
- The initial immersion is NOT pleasant, especially when you have just come in from a -20C run and your core temp is up (Maybe I’m not doing this right, but cool is cool to me)
- It doesn’t feel much better while you’re sitting in the bath continuing to cool down…flashes of Grease’s soundtrack come to mind…I’ve got chills….
- Draining the water and getting out of the tub feels GREAT!!
- Running a warm shower and warming up before a stretch session…equally pleasing.
While I offer no scientific or conclusive proof either way, nor am I qualified to…for me the experiment albeit somewhat unpleasant is having some positive effects on my recovery, the last couple of weeks my legs and hip flexors have felt better than they have in a long time.
I won’t be breaking any records anytime soon, so for me the objective while running increasingly longer distances, is to remain injury free. As of this posting, I see this as one way to help.
I’ll keep you posted on this self-induced cold front.
Happy trails and sunshine and warmth!
Friday, January 8, 2010
Just another brick in the plan
I know this is going to sound repetitive, but I really knew very little when I started running and DUing...so....around about this time last year, I had no idea what a brick was. Now I'm even doing them in the winter...go figure.
So what is a brick, or more appropriately a brick workout?
Here’s one definition from an article on BeginnerTriathlete.com:
Bricks are a very important part of triathlon (and duathlon) training and they are sometimes overlooked. Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between; just as you would do in a race (I am sure you knew this). Usually when people talk about bricks they refer to a bike/run workout, but bricks could also refer to a swim/bike workout or to a run/bike workout (if you are training for a duathlon). These last two are often overlooked but still important to fit here and there in your training plan.
So why would a multi-sport athlete do a brick?
Once again according to the same article from BeginnerTriathlete.com:
When you stop biking and start running the legs feel “strange” and heavy (this is why they call these workouts bricks!) and the heart rate goes up, as our body tries to switch the blood from flowing into the muscles used for biking to those used for running. This feeling is more pronounced at the start of the run and usually the legs get better as time passes - although probably never as fresh as those you have when you run without biking before it (I wonder why?! ). Brick workouts help shorten the time our legs take to start feeling more normal thus allowing us to run better and faster. It is not uncommon to experience cramps when starting to run after biking, especially if you are not used to it. As usual, listen to your body and slow down if you feel a cramp coming
I first experienced the effects of not training using brick workouts when I did a Winter Triathlon (Skate-XC Ski-Run) and let me tell you, transitioning to the run…was NOT pleasant. My legs and hips did not cooperate for the first km into the run, won’t be skipping that the next time.
If you want another take on it, just ask my buddy Tim who competed in a Canoe-Triathlon Relay with me and some friends, Tim was doing the bike portion, but what was not mentioned in the race information was that Tim would have to run about 200m to and from the mount/dismount line to the transition zone…running to the mount line no problem…running to the transition zone after dismounting from a 20K ride…”hey legs, what the heck are you doing?”
So what does a brick workout have to do with running and why is it on this newbie’s running blog…’cause it’s part of my training plan to make sure I keep some of the progress I made over the last summer and I plan to DU again later this summer, besides it’s my blog and I’ll mix it up with pretty much whatever crosses my mind on the day that I decide to post…lol
That’s all for today folks, but stay tuned for my BIG announcement in the very near future.
So what is a brick, or more appropriately a brick workout?
Here’s one definition from an article on BeginnerTriathlete.com:
Bricks are a very important part of triathlon (and duathlon) training and they are sometimes overlooked. Bricks refer to training on two disciplines during the same workout, one after the other with minimal or no interruption in between; just as you would do in a race (I am sure you knew this). Usually when people talk about bricks they refer to a bike/run workout, but bricks could also refer to a swim/bike workout or to a run/bike workout (if you are training for a duathlon). These last two are often overlooked but still important to fit here and there in your training plan.
So why would a multi-sport athlete do a brick?
Once again according to the same article from BeginnerTriathlete.com:
When you stop biking and start running the legs feel “strange” and heavy (this is why they call these workouts bricks!) and the heart rate goes up, as our body tries to switch the blood from flowing into the muscles used for biking to those used for running. This feeling is more pronounced at the start of the run and usually the legs get better as time passes - although probably never as fresh as those you have when you run without biking before it (I wonder why?! ). Brick workouts help shorten the time our legs take to start feeling more normal thus allowing us to run better and faster. It is not uncommon to experience cramps when starting to run after biking, especially if you are not used to it. As usual, listen to your body and slow down if you feel a cramp coming
I first experienced the effects of not training using brick workouts when I did a Winter Triathlon (Skate-XC Ski-Run) and let me tell you, transitioning to the run…was NOT pleasant. My legs and hips did not cooperate for the first km into the run, won’t be skipping that the next time.
If you want another take on it, just ask my buddy Tim who competed in a Canoe-Triathlon Relay with me and some friends, Tim was doing the bike portion, but what was not mentioned in the race information was that Tim would have to run about 200m to and from the mount/dismount line to the transition zone…running to the mount line no problem…running to the transition zone after dismounting from a 20K ride…”hey legs, what the heck are you doing?”
So what does a brick workout have to do with running and why is it on this newbie’s running blog…’cause it’s part of my training plan to make sure I keep some of the progress I made over the last summer and I plan to DU again later this summer, besides it’s my blog and I’ll mix it up with pretty much whatever crosses my mind on the day that I decide to post…lol
That’s all for today folks, but stay tuned for my BIG announcement in the very near future.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
The "Long" run
What exactly do people mean by the "long" run?
I heard other runners I know talk about it and always wondered, is there a specific threshold that makes it a "long" run, below X minutes equals a short run, above X minutes equals a long run?
So being a newb, I decided to ask a few of my running friends...the answer it seems is not so far from the infamous IT answer "it depends"...but as with the IT answer, that was qualified...this time with..."on what you're training for, what your plan calls for in terms of short and long runs and it is unique to you", so there is no definitive answer.
In my case this week, a "long" run consisted of 50 minutes of running, followed by 5 minutes of walking, followed by 40 minutes of running, according to the plan my coach (a.k.a my fantastic brother-in-law) has put together for me.
It was a good run, I chose a route that would have me running into the wind for the majority of the run, yes on purpose. I wanted to challenge myself physically and mentally today, the good news is, I made it through the run with energy to spare, and was able to visualize the wind at my back when it mattered the most. I also managed to include a hill in the route, the wind was not a factor on the hill, crosswind, so neither an advantage or a challenge.
Overall a great run and another week of sticking to the plan.
I heard other runners I know talk about it and always wondered, is there a specific threshold that makes it a "long" run, below X minutes equals a short run, above X minutes equals a long run?
So being a newb, I decided to ask a few of my running friends...the answer it seems is not so far from the infamous IT answer "it depends"...but as with the IT answer, that was qualified...this time with..."on what you're training for, what your plan calls for in terms of short and long runs and it is unique to you", so there is no definitive answer.
In my case this week, a "long" run consisted of 50 minutes of running, followed by 5 minutes of walking, followed by 40 minutes of running, according to the plan my coach (a.k.a my fantastic brother-in-law) has put together for me.
It was a good run, I chose a route that would have me running into the wind for the majority of the run, yes on purpose. I wanted to challenge myself physically and mentally today, the good news is, I made it through the run with energy to spare, and was able to visualize the wind at my back when it mattered the most. I also managed to include a hill in the route, the wind was not a factor on the hill, crosswind, so neither an advantage or a challenge.
Overall a great run and another week of sticking to the plan.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Happy New Year a.k.a the year's first run
Just a short quick run today...and an equally short post to go along with it.
-10 C, light snow and slightly overcast, makes for a perfect run in my books.
The year started out right with regards to traffic and other potential challenges of winter running, very courteous drivers at the intersections and a very patient neighbour who saw me headed his way and shut off the snow blower so I wouldn't have to contend with snow shrapnel...I think I took longer to get to him that he expected, but he still had a nod a great big smile, which were returned in kind with much gratitude!
Hope all of you had a positive start to the New Year as well.
-10 C, light snow and slightly overcast, makes for a perfect run in my books.
The year started out right with regards to traffic and other potential challenges of winter running, very courteous drivers at the intersections and a very patient neighbour who saw me headed his way and shut off the snow blower so I wouldn't have to contend with snow shrapnel...I think I took longer to get to him that he expected, but he still had a nod a great big smile, which were returned in kind with much gratitude!
Hope all of you had a positive start to the New Year as well.
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