The Fitness Thread

[mjk73]

It definitely breaks up my rhythm.  I may give it a try on Saturday, though.  A few people are doing a mock tri.  We are going to swim 1-2, bike 100, run 10+.  I actually ran 6.2 this morning and I left some Gatorade at my mailbox.  I stopped twice to get a quick drink and I made myself walk for 30-45 seconds each time.  On a shorter run like that I couldn't really tell if there was a benefit or not.  All I could think was: why am I walking??? I would think that this philosophy is more aimed at long runs.

When you put it that way, on my really long runs, I do that I guess. My route is a 2 mile loop that starts/end in my front yard so I have a pitcher of gatorade sitting on the porch to refill my running bottle.

[ALady]

Soooo, turns out I can't quit my gym until 2012.  Guess I'm just gonna become a fit muhfugger.   

[Jaimoe]

Soooo, turns out I can't quit my gym until 2012.  Guess I'm just gonna become a fit muhfugger.   

Make sure you can actually quit in 2012. Gyms are mostly all corrupt and cancelling memberships don't come easy.

[ALady]

Nah, my gym is pretty cool.  I just forgot I signed a 2-year contract with them.

[mjk73]

October get here now, October get here now. I'm draggin this year on the marathon training. The heat and humidity has been the biggest killer for me, however I busted my ass this winter on running working on my per mile pace and didn't really take a break. Paying for it now as my legs are just plain old tired and my foot isn't getting any better. Trying to schedule time to get a shot as I can't take it anymore. PF actually hurts worse then when I had my hernia surgery, my knee surgery, and the ball snipping. I should still be able to shave time off of last year, but I was hoping for a final time of 4:00 - 4:20 ish. I'm guessing it will be around 4:30 - 4:45 ish. Definitly taking an extended break after this one.

[jones]

Another question for the long distance yoggers:

I just started distance running as opposed to my usual 3-5 mile jaunts and got in 16 yesterday with my tri brick training. 10 run, 30 ride, 3 run, 20 ride, 3 run.  I have heard of runner's toenails turning black and/or falling off.  Mine are yellow today (all of them), so does this mean that I'm on my way?  Am I a real runner yet, or do I actually have to lose one?  Should I worry?

Thanks in advance.

[Jaimoe]

Another question for the long distance yoggers:

I just started distance running as opposed to my usual 3-5 mile jaunts and got in 16 yesterday with my tri brick training. 10 run, 30 ride, 3 run, 20 ride, 3 run.  I have heard of runner's toenails turning black and/or falling off.  Mine are yellow today (all of them), so does this mean that I'm on my way?  Am I a real runner yet, or do I actually have to lose one?  Should I worry?

Thanks in advance.

My friend is a distance runner (marathon, steeplechase) and his toenails, or lack thereof, were always falling off, or discoloured. He trains every day. My coworker is also a marathon runner and he said that I don't even want to look at his feet. His nails are gone or in the process of falling off. He said losing toenails is common.

[mjk73]

I lost 2 nails the first marathon I did. Last year they were fine and no issues this year. Proper fitting and breathable shoes is a must. However, I have callouses or something like them on the bottoms of my feet like a mofo right now. You'll notice your big toe and the one next to it the most since they are the ones that get jammed the most in your shoe. I always get a 1/2 size bigger. When it's hot your foot will expand slightly especially on those long runs.

[mjk73]

So I've been sick most of this week and had to slack off a little on the running which is awful timing considering I have 1 month until my race. I was able to get 10 miles in today and it felt really good. I have 20 miles next Saturday then I start tapering down which is not fun. Your immune system takes a hit; you are still eating like mad but not running much.  I'm 100% decided I'm not doing a race next year. I hope to do the Tough Mudder though as they are supposed to have a KC and an Omaha one. I'd totally do Otown since I haven't been home in quite some time. However, I may be getting a second "voluntary" job helping my wife with maintaining our town's cemetery. It's some nice pocket cash if I do. The only issue is it will seriously cut into my weekend training time which will make training for teh Mudder much harder.

[Jon T.]

Let's hear about the tri, Rowan!

[jones]

Introducing my longest post that is probably longer than the sum of all of my previous posts:

I just got back from Savannah after the Augusta 70.3, so I haven't been on here in a minute.

It was an amazing experience and I am hooked for sure.  I already have my sights on two 70.3 and one (maybe two) full Ironmans for 2012.  Looking back, this was a pretty big deal for me with several firsts: first triathlon ever, first competitive swim (remember, I just took my first lesson on July 11), first competitive road race, and.... my first half marathon.  What was I thinking?!?!

During the swim, I did panic a couple of times early on, but I just focused and got over it. It took me a good 10 minutes to settle in and find any sort of rhythm.  About halfway through the swim, I was ready to be out of the water and on to something more familiar.  It was odd, but I felt like I kept getting pulled toward the middle of the river despite my attempts to get closer to the shore.  Considering that it's a tidal river, I guess that there's no telling what kind of strange currents could be out there.  I felt like I had been in the water forever.  Finally, I spotted the red exit buoy.  1.2 miles later and I was out of the water in 32 minutes.  I'll take it!

The bike was uneventful and went well for me.  I was praying the whole time that I didn't have any mechanicals.  That was my main fear for the whole event.  I started out a little too aggressive, but I pulled it back a bit and settled into a better pace, as I knew that I needed to save myself for the run.  I was determined to finish the day strong and not bonk with just a few miles to go.  56 miles in 2 hours, 55 minutes.  I'm still feeling good at this point.

On to the run.  Nearly 3 hours of pedaling a bike at 80% or so sure does make your legs feel strange when you take off on the run.  I guess that it was adrenaline, but I looked at my GPS and I was carrying about an 8:30 min/mi pace for the first half mile or so: way too fast.  Also, my heart rate was through the roof, but I felt fine.  Again, just like the other two disciplines, I settled down and honed in on a more realistic pace.  It killed me to do it, but I took the advice of my mentor and I took walk breaks.  At or around every water station, I walked for 60 seconds.  Later in the day, I found myself looking forward to these breaks that I dreaded early on. 

The humidity was terrible and by the time I started the run and the temperature was in the low 90s.  Towards the end of the day I started feeling the effects of the heat.  Volunteers were handing out ice water soaked sponges and they did help, but the relief was short lived.  At about mile 8 I was struggling a bit, until I figured out what would make the rest of my day much more enjoyable: The volunteers were also handing out cups of ice and I finally took full advantage of the ice.  I was wearing a tri suit which is basically bike shorts with a top that is a one piece.  At every aid station from there on, I dumped a cup of ice in the front and back of my suit.  I am telling you right now that that is what saved my day.  Not that I wouldn't have finished anyway; it just made it much less painful.  I cannot stand heat at all.  Although my pace did slow a little, I did finish the run strong and I was even able to sprint the last half mile or so.  I completed the 13.1 mile run in 2 hours, 5 minutes.

Total time: 5 hours, 43 minutes, 19 seconds. 

I finished 139th out of 309 in my division and 981st out of 3100 overall.  I got out of the water in 2072nd place overall.  That means that after the bike and run, I advanced 1091 places during the day!  I'm pretty proud of that!

[jones]

I also learned a couple of things that I will change before the next event:

- I need tri goggles.  The goggles that I used work great when you are tracking a painted line in the bottom of a pool, but not in open water swimming.  Every time I tried to spot a buoy or sight a target I couldn't tell the difference between objects.  Is that a buoy?  Should I swim that way?  Oh, just kidding it's a large man in a small kayak...

- I need a time trial/tri bike.  I was one of the only people that I saw all day on a road bike and after doing a little research, I figured out why.  Tri bikes are 10-15% more efficient than road bikes because of aerodynamics and geometry.  15%?!  That's 26 minutes!!!  26 minutes of not only clock time, but effort that could have been applied to the run!!!  80-90% of a cyclist's effort is used to overcome drag.  26 minutes with the same effort!!!  The geometry also forces you to use your hamstrings more when pedaling and thus saves your quads for running (I think that's right).  By the way, I have a road bike for sale if anyone is interested...

[Jon T.]

That is impressive!  Good job, man.  That is quite the accomplishment.   

[mjk73]

OK fellow runners, anyone a fan of Brooks shoes? My pediotrist has officially banned me from Adidas and Avia shoes as I pronate like a mofo and my planters isn't getting any better and I care to not relive getting that needle shoved into my heel again. So, any fans of Brooks?

[Penny Lane]

OK fellow runners, anyone a fan of Brooks shoes? My pediotrist has officially banned me from Adidas and Avia shoes as I pronate like a mofo and my planters isn't getting any better and I care to not relive getting that needle shoved into my heel again. So, any fans of Brooks?

why were you running distance in Adidas or Avia anyway?!
Brooks, Aesics and Mizuno have the best distance running shoes.
Nike and Adidas are acceptable for cross trainers, not much else.

[mjk73]

OK fellow runners, anyone a fan of Brooks shoes? My pediotrist has officially banned me from Adidas and Avia shoes as I pronate like a mofo and my planters isn't getting any better and I care to not relive getting that needle shoved into my heel again. So, any fans of Brooks?

why were you running distance in Adidas or Avia anyway?!
Brooks, Aesics and Mizuno have the best distance running shoes.
Nike and Adidas are acceptable for cross trainers, not much else.

They were what was comfortable. The Adidas I had were designed for marathons just not for someone that pronates this bad. The 2 I did in Avia's didn't bother my feet.

[mjk73]

Plus Avia's fit my flat wide feet well.

[jones]

I have only worn Asics and I have been very happy with them.  Try using Runner's World's "shoe advisor":

http://www.runnersworld.com/shoeadvisor

Also, here are some reviews along with the "editor's choice" picks:

http://www.runnersworld.com/topic/0,7122,s6-240-400-0-0,00.html

[Penny Lane]

I just think Aesics have cornered the market on good running shoes. You don't want to play around with other brands, even if they seem to fit your feet. Brooks, too..Mizuno is pretty $ so once in a while I'll splurge for a pair and they're great.

[jones]

So, you really like the Mizunos?  I am due for a new pair and I used their shoe finder tool and it suggested the Nirvana 7, $130 on Zappos.  That is about what I would expect to pay for quality running shoes anyway.  Asics' top of the line Kayano sells for $140 on the same site.