Kickin’ It Off Right

01 Feb 2012 4 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS, monthly miles Tags: , , , ,

Happy Ground Hogs Day!

January is officially in the books.

That means it’s that time again…

Time to look back on the work that’s been done and decide what, if anything, needs to be changed.

So here’s how the month played out:

Swimming: 10 miles/ 5hrs 50mins

Cycling: 299 miles/ 15hrs 04mins

Running: 83 miles/ 12hrs 35 mins

Strength/Core: 6hrs 40mins

TOTAL:  392 miles/ 46 hrs 34 mins

The very 1st thing I noticed, when I was working on these numbers, was the 299 cycling miles.

REALLY?

Apparently I don’t study this often enough, because I was on the bike yesterday and I would’ve CERTAINLY gone another 3 minutes or so to make that an even 300, but….whatever!

My time in the pool has stayed pretty level all year and that’s just how I wanted this winter to play out. There’s nothing too exciting to report other than it’s really nice to already have my swim fitness and not need to get out and work on it.

January was our first race of 2012 with The Louisiana Marathon. While I was thrilled with my results given the set-backs with my quad injury, the recovery was far longer than I anticipated. Truth be told, I’m just now getting back to my former running self. I read somewhere that you should give your body 1 day of recovery for every mile covered in your race. Well, I’m a believer.

There are 59 days until we climb in our wetsuits and walk to the water’s edge in Galveston to take on those 70.3 miles.

I’ve left the kind and cozy world known as base phase and I’m now deep into the 2nd week of the building part of the plan. Why is the 2nd week always the hardest??

The biggest part of February will be miles in the saddle. It’s my goal to build to 150 miles/week by the end of the month.

I’ve got to find my running mojo and so that is a big objective of this month. I’m running a shorter long run and more frequent medium distance runs (6-9 miles) to hopefully regain some happiness out there. I seem to be most comfortable and remain injury free when running between 90-100 miles/month. I’m tweaking my plan, each week, to fit these runs in where they work the best and where I can squeeze the most out of them while still trying to log as many cycling miles as possible.

A tedious task at times, but one that will pay off no doubt.

All in all, I was quite pleased with January. Despite the setbacks, I was still able to get in a lot of work and move on to the next training block. What more can a girl ask for really? ;)

How ’bout you?

Have you taken a few minutes to study the past month…see where you’ve been and made a plan for where you want to go?

Run Happy, My Friends!

Miles and More

10 Dec 2011 7 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS, monthly miles, Reports Tags: , , ,

I’m a few months behind tallying up my miles.

What can I say…Been kinnda busy ;)

Working backwards, this what keep my busy a good chunk of September-November.

November:

  • Swimming: 5 miles/ 2hrs and 49 minutes
  • Cycling: 273 miles/ 12hrs and 58 minutes/ avg pace 20 mph
  • Running: 83 miles/ 12hrs and 39 minutes/ avg pace 9:11
  • Total: 361 miles/28 hours and 27 minutes

October:

  • Swimming: 5 miles/ 3 hrs and 6 minutes
  • Cycling: 274 miles/ 13 hrs and 11 minutes/ avg pace 18 mph
  • Running: 77 miles/11 hours 47 minutes/ avg pace 8:36
  • Total: 356 miles/ 28 hours and 4 minutes

September:

  • Swimming: 8 miles/ 4 hrs and 23 minutes
  • Cycling: 283 miles/ 13 hours and 17 minutes/ avg pace 21 mph
  • Running: 63 miles/ 9 hours and 46 minutes/ avg pace 9:11
  • Total: 354 miles/27 hours and 26 minutes

All in all it appears to be a fairly strong base as I look to ramp things up in January. I should have a nice foundation to build on as I start the 10 week block focusing on 70.3 preparation.

I can definitely tell when the weather started to cool as my run paces improved and distances increased. Just the same, my bike paces decreased and the miles fell off slightly as I finished the season.

My goal was to maintain 4-6 miles/month in the pool during the “off season” and so far, so good. There is really nothing worse than re-developing the “gills” after months out of the water.

I’ve also been training for the Louisiana Marathon which will take place in Baton Rouge, La on 1/15/2012. I’m only running the half, but really needed to focus on working in some longer runs and I’ve been fairly successful at accomplishing that while continuing to average 60-80 miles/wk cycling. I really hope to break 2 hrs, at this distance, this year and so far the majority of my race pace runs have been on target. However, as my legs fatigue this gets more difficult to accomplish. I only hope proper preparation, adaptation, and a good taper/rest the week prior does me right in the long run (ha!).

In the end, it’s really all about 4/1/2012 ….the Half-Ironman.

I’ve grown accustomed to running on tired legs day in and day out. If I don’t break 2 hrs in January I know that I’ll live to fight another day….10 weeks later to be exact.

And that’s when the true pay-off will be felt. Or at least, that’s what I keep telling myself as I run in the cold windy weather, day after day, after spending hours on the bike and/or in the pool.

In addition to logging these miles, it’s been a busy time around here as well. From keeping up with all of you, to playing Santa, to making the really big decisions in my life…like, should I grow my hair out? maybe change the color? :)

AND since I’m still practicing my slide show skills….

Remember…I’m still learning, and I’m short on time, AND I have yet to sync my iPod so the music choices are very limited!

Y’all have a Great Weekend!

Breaking The Cycle

25 Oct 2011 2 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS Tags: , , ,

First a lil’ bit of  history…

My right foot is not currently co-operating with my desire to log a few dozen glorious fall weather miles.

The official diagnosis is Extensor Tendonitis.

The extensor tendons come from the small muscles in front of the leg. They cross the front of the ankle, pass over the top of the foot, attaching to the big and lesser toes. These tendons function to pull the foot upward as well as work with the Achilles tendon and calf muscles to pull the foot downward. When they are over stressed they become inflamed and painful. Extensor tendonitis is commonly caused by tightness of the calf muscle, over exertion, or falling of the foot arch. Treatment consists of stretching, orthotics, and oral anti-inflammatory medications. In more severe cases, a removable below the knee cast may be utilized until full healing can occur. 

 

As one would expect, I’ve been a bit obsessed focused on trying to determined HOW IN THE HELL this has happened.

As of this morning this is where I was:

  1. the issue is in my right leg which is no great surprise as it is my weaker side since tearing the hamstrings
  2. as a result of #1, the muscles in my right leg are always tight and need to be diligently stretched
  3. I have NOT been stretching as I’ve been incredibly busy….excuses, excuses I know!
  4. I have almost doubled my weekly running volume over-nite. So much for the 10% rule ! I have a HUGE issue practicing all that I preach!!!
  5. I’ve been cycling with my feet dorsi-flexed which could be placing undo strain on my calf, so it was recommended to try to pedal in a more plantar-flexed position

All this made perfect logical sense and so I changed my pedal position, stretched, reduced my running volume, and have generally felt some relief. But not enough to appease that nagging “why now” in my head.

This afternoon, I decided to pop by our local run (and tri) store to check out some new shoes and see if they had any ideas about my pesky foot.

This is when things got interesting.

This is the kind of place that likes to put you on the treadmill and video your gait cycle. Needless to say, I’ve got quite the file on the ole hard drive since I like to buy shoes at fairly frequent intervals. :)

I start walking, ouch…and then jogging. All of a sudden I’m up on my toes AND RUNNING!

What the hell? I’m on my toes??! What’s going on? I don’t run mid-foot, I run heel-toe. How did I get up on the balls of my feet like this and WHY??

Well friends, apparently my form HAS CHANGED!!!

 My legs remain under my hips, I’m up on the balls of my feet, I have a nice toe off, a decent stride, good cadence, AND I no longer BOUNCE!

I’m now officially considered an efficient runner!

An efficient runner in a bit of discomfort, but efficient is EFFICIENT and I’ll take it!

We compared my previous gait analysis to todays and realized that this form change in combination with the drastic bump in mileage was WHY my calf was so tight.

The calf tightens from running up on the mid foot (due to lack of strength and endurance) which causes the opposing group, the extensors, to tighten as well. Once the extensors tighten the discomfort on top of the foot becomes the predominant issue.

I’m so glad that I decided to stop by the store today. If I hadn’t analyzed my gait cycle, I wouldn’t have a grasp on my true problem and likely would’ve resumed a 9-10 mile run instead of cutting back. This would have resulted in the return of my symptoms and the process would continue over and over again.

Breaking the cycle is key and you can’t do it without ALL the answers!

For now, I’m water running, cycling and swimming until the pain is gone and then I’ll gradually ease back onto the streets. It could be 2 days, 2 weeks, or 2 months, but based on how I’m feeling now; I think in a week or so I should be able to resume some easy running.

In other related news, I’ve purchased my 1st  pair of neutral running shoes and in time, may actually be allowed into a pair of racing flats!! Whoo-Hoo!!

I can not tell you, how happy I am to run in something UNDER 120zs!!

It really is the little things!!

Swim Happy, My Friends!

August Data

13 Sep 2011 6 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS, monthly miles, Reports Tags: , , ,

Better late than never I suppose.

I have finally gotten  my August numbers ready to share and they explain so much!!!

August was my heaviest in volume thus far this year. When comparing it to July, it’s not hard to see why things went from good to bad as quickly as they did.

  • Swim: 11 miles (July 6 miles)
  • Bike: 339 miles (July 280 miles)
  • Run: 81 miles (July 53 miles)
  • Total Miles: 430 miles (July 338 miles)
  • Total Time: 37 hrs 20 mins (July 24 hrs 24 mins)

While this week my mental mojo has returned, the week prior was awful. I had lost my zest for training and quite frankly was wondering if I even wanted to race in October. I KNEW something was up.

My pulse was normal, I was sleeping fine, but I was having trouble hitting my numbers during workouts and I was becoming increasingly evil. Not to mention, my hormones were all jacked up.

A girl can tell these things you know. And so can her husband! ;)

So I cut back on the long sessions a bit, decreased the intensity a smidge, and went back to 1 full rest day a week.

Guess What?

I felt better almost immediately.

This sport requires so much tweaking and one of the biggest thing we all have to realize is that if it isn’t working, it needs to be fixed and needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. I was headed down a dark road. Luckily I’d been there before, recognized it and knew to correct it ASAP.

Now I’m back on track and feeling great!!

3 weeks till race day!!

Train Happy, My Friends!

It’s Actually Quite Simple Really…

22 Aug 2011 6 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in General BS Tags: , , , ,

Last weeks 5x 5 (5 days of running 5 miles+) is now in the books.

All in all I ended up covering about 28.5 miles, which is 3.5 miles more than I ran last winter when peaking for my 1/2 marathon.

It was one of the hardest weeks of training that I’ve completed in a long time, both physically and mentally. But sometimes a little shake up is just what the Dr. ordered.

I got a lot of questions about WHY I was doing this and WHAT was I suppose to be accomplishing. To be honest, I wasn’t really 100% sure until the week was over.

I knew I was focusing on my running and putting everything else on hold, but outside that it was a day by day lesson.

Now that it’s over, I’ve discovered that the true purpose of the exercise lies in what was learned…..sounds like a fortune cookie doesn’t it?

Translation: The goal was to learn about myself as a runner and to understand how I could grow and develop as a better one.

okaydokay….

I know y’all are itching to know what I learned out there on the roads the past 5 days, so here are a few of my finest revelations…

  1. Running is very simple and often we make it too hard. Follow the K.I.S.S philosphy and see how far you go…
  2. To be a better runner, run more. It’s that simple.
  3. Speed work isn’t going to help if you can’t cover the distance. In my case it’s not going to help if I can’t get the 13.1 miles done AFTER swimming 1.2 miles and cycling 55 miles.
  4. Running hurts and there is no way around it. You have to go through that hurt and get past it to move forward. Once you accept that fact, you’ll find that you discover a happy, more tolerable place to carry on the task at hand.
  5. Long runs are better if they do not precede or follow a long ride.
  6. Being a good, efficient runner is essential to a positive race day experience.
  7. The body needs fuel. Everyone is different and just because you’re not “suppose” to need nutrition on runs under an hour doesn’t mean you never will. Be prepared or be prepared to pay!
  8. There is no substitute for stretching after a run (or a ride or a swim for that matter).
  9. Treadmills may not be all that great for the ole’ body.
  10. Everyone reading this should have a pair of good compression PANTS…not just calf sleeves…full PANTS for recovery purposes!

So there you have it. My week in in list form!

Anybody else out there learn anything new lately?

Swim Happy, My Friends!

C Is For….

01 Apr 2011 3 Comments

by jnkmiles.org in Motivate Me Tags: , , ,

cockiness ahem… CONFIDENCE

At some point being confident has become a bad thing. If you work hard and are reasonably comfortable in your abilities then you are seen as self-absorbed, boastful and even downright vain.

Why is it “ok” for moms and dads, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, coaches and training partners to tell us we have worked hard and are more than ready to meet the challenge that lies before us, but it’s NOT “ok” for us to speak these words to ourselves?

Society has a certain fondness for dictating what we should and should not do or say, but more often than not, society doesn’t have a clue. 

Society isn’t swimming 7+ miles a week, cycling 70+ and running 30+, in addition to; maintaining a career (my swim cap goes off to all y’all out there), raising children to be productive members of society, and creating a sense of day-to-day normalcy around the house. Society isn’t slapping vaseline and teet balm on saddle sores so painful that merely sitting in a Lazy Boy should qualify as an endurance event, much less cranking out 45 miles with one. Society doesn’t do 800 meter repeats, at puke pace, in attempts to shave milliseconds off a 5k split. So you’ll have to excuse me, for again thinking, that society doesn’t know jack.

Numerous studies continue to prove that regardless of the athletic endeavour, out of all the coping skills possessed, confidence has the greatest impact on performance. Those who are confident have the ability to be positive, motivated, intense, focused, and emotionally in control when needed. Confident athletes are not negative and uncertain in difficult situations and they are not overconfident in easy ones either. It is this confidence that allows competitors to seek out difficult or challenging situations and choose those as the ones they wish to pursue. Hmmm, does this sound like you? It should !!

As race season gets into full swing (1 day and counting, thank you) and transition bags are being packed, lets not forget to bring some of that ever important confidence along with us. Leave self-doubt, pessimism and negativity behind.

After all the hard work, hours of being miserable training, IT IS 100% OK to walk around transition or the pre-race staging area and think to yourself, “I Sooo Got This.” As a matter a fact, I highly recommend it. Just try it and see if the end result isn’t far better than spending 2 hours doubting your abilities and questioning your preparation.

Now realize folks, ”I Got This” means different things to you, to me, to the guy doing wind sprints, and to the girl racing in the smallest tri suit bikini ever created. Perhaps its finishing the race and looking like a supermodel doing so, or establishing a new PR, or maybe a top 3 age group finish, or perhaps simply beating your spouse’s time in the run because he had knee surgery 2 weeks ago and this is a once in a lifetime shot :-o . Whatever it means to you, it’s yours and yours alone. Just know, “you’ve got it” and don’t be afraid to say it (preferably to yourself).

Ok, so does all this confidence guarantee success? Does it solidify meeting each and every hope, dream, goal of finishing with great hair, a new PR, a spot on the podium, or kicking some husband ass? Should all those trophies and plaques, from those future races, be engraved with your name right now? Hell no! It still has to be earned. Every single long, painful, glorious stroke, pedal and step. But just know, stranger things have happened to those who believed in themselves and were confident in their abilities! 

Just take a look…

 

 

Run Happy, My Friends!

Go Confidently In The Direction Of Your Dreams -Henry David Thoreau

 

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