To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[DopeyBadger]

Wow! No wonder, you are so good at what you do with the training plans. I'm a research nerd but only on stuff I enjoy, was never that good at math or science or numbers. There is definitely a science to running and training. I've read up some about the Hanson method and others, (started out with Hal Hidgdon) but after a while I get overwhelmed. Looking forward to your help!

I love science. Learning the why about something is always so interesting to me. It's truly my passion along with mentoring my students on projects. Always been good with math, and over the years I've learned some cool Excel features without ever being classically trained. When running entered my life, it became a similar passion around learning the why, math, science. And now with writing the training plans for others I also am satisfying my desire to mentor others in this area. So it's easily a perfect fit for me.

You've got questions and I've got answers. The #1 thing I stress to my students when learning to become a researcher -

You need to be able to explain your ideas to others in a way they can understand. If you can't convey your concepts to all kinds of audiences, then you're doing a disservice to all of your hard work.

So my goal is always to make the harder areas of science easily digestible for people not in the field. I practice what I preach. You know who grades their final presentations and projects? My wife. She has no science background. So I take her to the students presentation and it's the student's responsibility to explain the difficult and complex projects to her. If they can have her understand the project and the results, then they'll get their passing grade.

 

[DopeyBadger]

FYI, if anyone wears Kinvara 8s running warehouse historically has it's lowest price in Mid-May to End-May. Based on the current inventory, they might not drop the prices again. I used code FB15D to drop another 15% off the price. I went ahead and made the leap (mostly because we'll be in Disney next week and I couldn't risk missing out on the already low price).

 

[SarahDisney]

Ah! I keep seeing the Kinvaras on sale and forgetting to tell you. Glad you found a good price!

 

[avondale]

The #1 thing I stress to my students when learning to become a researcher -

You need to be able to explain your ideas to others in a way they can understand. If you can't convey your concepts to all kinds of audiences, then you're doing a disservice to all of your hard work.

So my goal is always to make the harder areas of science easily digestible for people not in the field. I practice what I preach. You know who grades their final presentations and projects? My wife. She has no science background. So I take her to the students presentation and it's the student's responsibility to explain the difficult and complex projects to her. If they can have her understand the project and the results, then they'll get their passing grade.

Totally agree!

Too many students come into a science major thinking they don't have to be able to write. NOT! In my Astronomy program, we spend a lot of time emphasizing the importance of communication skills, especially writing. If nothing else, you want to get published, yes? And of course most Astronomy is publicly-funded through NASA or NSF, so speaking to the public about your work is a way of both giving back and nuturing future support. A subset of the students in my class this semester (this was a non-major class, actually) gave a talk on their semester projects at our observatory public open night - I fit this in whenever I can.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Ah! I keep seeing the Kinvaras on sale and forgetting to tell you. Glad you found a good price!

Thanks for thinking of me! I'll take the price. Not as low as I got them for last year, but I was ordering a heck of a lot of pairs because I love them and couldn't risk having them sell out. My wife says to me, "So are you getting rid of any of the other shoes anytime soon..." In due time... In due time... But these 7 new pairs should last me 1400-1750 miles or about 7-8 months when the time comes to use them. Wish I could find another mileage eater like the Zealot Isos or original Triumphs. I tried the Triumph 3 and my ankles don't like them (retired to daily shoes now). I recently got the Breakthru 3 for super cheap and I'm luke warm on them. Meant to be mileage eaters, so we'll see. But the Kinvara 8 feel perfect to me.

Totally agree!

Too many students come into a science major thinking they don't have to be able to write. NOT! In my Astronomy program, we spend a lot of time emphasizing the importance of communication skills, especially writing. If nothing else, you want to get published, yes? And of course most Astronomy is publicly-funded through NASA or NSF, so speaking to the public about your work is a way of both giving back and nuturing future support. A subset of the students in my class this semester (this was a non-major class, actually) gave a talk on their semester projects at our observatory public open night - I fit this in whenever I can.

Exactly!

 

[SarahDisney]

Thanks for thinking of me! I'll take the price. Not as low as I got them for last year, but I was ordering a heck of a lot of pairs because I love them and couldn't risk having them sell out. My wife says to me, "So are you getting rid of any of the other shoes anytime soon..." In due time... In due time... But these 7 new pairs should last me 1400-1750 miles or about 7-8 months when the time comes to use them. Wish I could find another mileage eater like the Zealot Isos or original Triumphs. I tried the Triumph 3 and my ankles don't like them (retired to daily shoes now). I recently got the Breakthru 3 for super cheap and I'm luke warm on them. Meant to be mileage eaters, so we'll see. But the Kinvara 8 feel perfect to me.

Have you tried anything other than Saucony? Personally, I've gotten more mileage out of New Balance than I have out of my Sauconys, but I also was probably wearing the wrong Saucony shoes (I was in stability shoes for while even though I probably didnt need them anymore).
From what I remember of the Kinvara (I've never tried them, but I've looked at them), my NB Zante might be fairly similar. I use them for short runs, but I know some people do use them for longer runs, and mine have been doing pretty well.

Just throwing that out there in case you want to try something other than Saucony. If you want to stick with the Kinvaras that you know work, that's definitely not a bad idea.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Have you tried anything other than Saucony? Personally, I've gotten more mileage out of New Balance than I have out of my Sauconys, but I also was probably wearing the wrong Saucony shoes (I was in stability shoes for while even though I probably didnt need them anymore).
From what I remember of the Kinvara (I've never tried them, but I've looked at them), my NB Zante might be fairly similar. I use them for short runs, but I know some people do use them for longer runs, and mine have been doing pretty well.

Just throwing that out there in case you want to try something other than Saucony. If you want to stick with the Kinvaras that you know work, that's definitely not a bad idea.

It might warrant another trip to the shoe store. I did go there about a year ago to get an update to see if it was time to change brands. But at that time I settled on the Saucony again. Kinvaras work well, but they're not quite what I would want on a long run or easy day.

 

[SarahDisney]

It might warrant another trip to the shoe store. I did go there about a year ago to get an update to see if it was time to change brands. But at that time I settled on the Saucony again. Kinvaras work well, but they're not quite what I would want on a long run or easy day.

Yeah, I get that. I have that with my Zantes too (the first few times I wore them I actually felt like I couldnt slow down, but I've since adjusted). Definitely sounds like a trip to the running store is in order. Good luck on the shoe hunt!

 

[Jules76126]

Totally agree!

Too many students come into a science major thinking they don't have to be able to write. NOT! In my Astronomy program, we spend a lot of time emphasizing the importance of communication skills, especially writing. If nothing else, you want to get published, yes? And of course most Astronomy is publicly-funded through NASA or NSF, so speaking to the public about your work is a way of both giving back and nuturing future support. A subset of the students in my class this semester (this was a non-major class, actually) gave a talk on their semester projects at our observatory public open night - I fit this in whenever I can.

I want to say thank you to those who teach science and encourage their students to be able to write and present. I work in admission at a health science school and applicants are amazed when we ask them to do a writing sample on their interview day. You can't just have great grades, you also need to be able to speak and write well to be successful.

 

[Sleepless Knight]

As an accountant, I often have to explain complex issues. It's important that I explain them clearly and in plain English. I frequently say that if my client didn't understand what I said, I want the client to stop me and make me go over it again until they do understand.

So I completely agree with you on the importance of clear communication. How does this pertain to running? Rather simple, really. The creator of a training plan understands how it should work and why it will work. But the runner has to put in the work. It's possible to succeed at a running goal when you blindly follow a plan hoping it will work. However, it's more likely to find success when the runner understands how the plan will arrive help them succeed.

I think too many people think that a certain distance is too far and they'll never be able to attain that distance. Right now, that particular distance may be too far. But that's right now. With effort and training, you learn how to work your way up to that distance.

 

[DopeyBadger]

As an accountant, I often have to explain complex issues. It's important that I explain them clearly and in plain English. I frequently say that if my client didn't understand what I said, I want the client to stop me and make me go over it again until they do understand.

So I completely agree with you on the importance of clear communication. How does this pertain to running? Rather simple, really. The creator of a training plan understands how it should work and why it will work. But the runner has to put in the work. It's possible to succeed at a running goal when you blindly follow a plan hoping it will work. However, it's more likely to find success when the runner understands how the plan will arrive help them succeed.

I think too many people think that a certain distance is too far and they'll never be able to attain that distance. Right now, that particular distance may be too far. But that's right now. With effort and training, you learn how to work your way up to that distance.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[canglim52]

It might warrant another trip to the shoe store. I did go there about a year ago to get an update to see if it was time to change brands. But at that time I settled on the Saucony again. Kinvaras work well, but they're not quite what I would want on a long run or easy day.

I used to be a 1 brand guy too, and I’m so happy I changed it up. Running Warehouse sends the packing label, so if I don’t like a shoe it’s really easy to send them back. I have a pair of Mizuno Hitogami 3’s that I absolutely love. They have 449 miles and they are still kicking.. plus they only cost me 49 bucks! The GoMeb speed 4’s are the best shoe I’ve ever run in, and they were only 44 bucks!! I bought 4 pair already lol. Zantes are a great mileage eater btw(I have the V3’s w/395 mi already). Running Warehouse has spoiled me... I refuse to pay more than 60 anymore lol!

 

[SarahDisney]

Zantes are a great mileage eater btw(I have the V3’s w/395 mi already).

This is good to hear - I have ~200 miles on my v3's, so they probably still have a lot left in them. Awesome.
(sorry for hijacking your thread with my NB talk, Coach)

 

[canglim52]

This is good to hear - I have ~200 miles on my v3's, so they probably still have a lot left in them. Awesome.
(sorry for hijacking your thread with my NB talk, Coach)

Oh yeah, the V3’s lasted way longer than the V2’s, but I miss the ride of V2’s a little lol. If you like the Zantes, see if the 1400 V5’s are still on sale. They were sub $ 60 as well. They took a good 20 miles to break in, but they are so comfy now. They make a perfect Tempo day shoe!

 

[DopeyBadger]

26 Days to Go (Can't get out of my own way.)

View attachment 323786

Date - Day - Scheduled Workouts (Intervals within desired pace)

5/14/18 - M - OFF
5/15/18 - T - 10 miles @ EA (8:14)
5/16/18 - W - 2 mile WU + 6 x 1 mile @ (6:40) w/ 1 min RI + 2 mile CD
5/17/18 - R - OFF
5/18/18 - F - 7 miles @ EA (8:14)
5/19/18 - Sat - 7 miles @ EB (7:42)
5/20/18 - Sun - 12 miles @ LR (7:25) ***Cut short to 7 miles

Running duration = 5:31 hours
Running mileage = 41.3 miles
Indoor Virtual Biking duration = n/a hours
Indoor Virtual Biking mileage = n/a miles
Total (training) duration = 5:31 hours
Total (training) mileage = 41.3 miles
Number of running SOS intervals within pace = (%)

Monday

Nothing comes to mind.

Tuesday

McMillan Core Routine Stage 2A.

Front Plank with leg movements - 10 reps per leg
Side Plank with leg movements - 10 reps per leg
Scissor Kick - 2 x 10 reps w/ 10 sec rest
Metronome - 15 reps
Back Extension - 2 x 10 reps
Modified Jane Fonda - 30 reps per leg
Good Mornings - 10 reps

Still not capable of a side plank leg movement.

Decided to switch to a 2-hard day per week model (like I'm doing for the Chicago marathon cycle). Mostly because my body has been sending me signals that it can't handle the training at this point. At first it was the right ankle, then the left ankle, then a wasp sting, then the left hamstring. A never ending stream of issues keeps cropping up. So I'm hoping if I back it off a bit things will settle down. Since I moved Tuesday from hard to easy, I decided to aim for a similar time duration of 1:20. That meant about 10 miles depending on how the pace evened out in the weather.

Things were feeling good. My HR has seemingly started to drop the last few weeks during the normal day. I felt relatively strong. The hamstring wasn't causing any issues. Then... my calf suddenly hurt. I mean really... It was like a cramping/tightening that came upon very suddenly. I was able to finish the run out, but things didn't feel great. HR was 140 and pace was 8:13. The HR was a tad high for an easy day, so I think in retrospect I should have slowed down further on an easy day.

Wednesday

Another hot speed workout. A T+D of 131, so I threw in an adjustment to a 6:47 min/mile for Daniels T pace. It just didn't work out for me. This was a tough tough tough run. Hit the pace near target for the first interval at 6:50, but things slowed from there. A 7:00, then a 7:04, then a 7:04, then a 7:11, than a 7:17. I even added in extra rest after the 3rd and 5th interval. Alas, I couldn't get back down. During the CD my calf started to hurt again. This time it felt worse.

Thursday

The calf felt pretty bad on Thursday. I hemmed and hawed throughout the day. I ended up deciding not to run. It just didn't feel like a good decision to run even though I really really wanted to.

We did have our inspection and things went really well. Outside of some unknown, it seems like everything is going to work out.

Friday

Can't say the calf felt much better. But I decided to go for it. It was really stiff and sore through the first mile and a half. But it did start to feel better after some time. Finished the run and was ok with it. 7 miles in a 8:29 min/mile.

Saturday

Another 7 miler. The temps are coming down. 7 miles at a 7:59 pace and HR of 134. That's a great HR for the pace and things seem to be starting to click. The calf still didn't feel great, but could tell things were possibly turning around.

For the first time ever, I did a back to back with run and core. So I ran into the house and started the core workout right away. McMillan Core Routine Stage 2A.

Front Plank with leg movements - 10 reps per leg
Side Plank with leg movements - 10 reps per leg
Scissor Kick - 2 x 10 reps w/ 10 sec rest
Metronome - 15 reps
Back Extension - 2 x 10 reps
Modified Jane Fonda - 30 reps per leg
Good Mornings - 10 reps

Still not capable of a side plank leg movement. Not much of a noticeable difference between morning/evening and consecutively. Maybe a touch more difficult. But manageable. Expect for those darn Side Plank leg lifts...

And then the words from G's mouth...

"Dad, it's not the real Mickey in Disney World. It's just some person in a suit. I can tell because of the voice and because in the Disneyland night show he's in two places at the same time."

Ummm... oh G.... Thankfully after a few hours she totally forgot the conversation. But between the Tinker Bell having her mind "all scrambled up" and now Mickey, I think the jig will be up soon.

Sunday

Finally the calf felt almost normal. Not sure what happened with the calf, but happy things were on the upswing. It was raining in the morning, so I decided to hold off until late in the day. Got a haircut to prepare for our Disney trip. I've had the hairstylist many times before. We talked about running. I explained to her I ran in 2017 the distance between LA and Orlando, and then she just looked at me with a blank stare. Like REALLY? And I was like, yep. AND, almost all of those 2600 miles were run in a 3 mile loop right over there in the neighborhood. We decided to have some fun with my beard and did some crazy designs in it (normally I shave before I get a haircut, but I didn't have the time). We wanted to see if Steph/G would notice (spoiler, they didn't. LOL!).

The run was at a T+D of 100 and things felt fabulous. I could tell I was getting close to my old self again. Pace was around a 7:23 and things were clicking well. Around mile 5.75 it felt like something was in my shoe. So I stopped quick, reached my finger in, and wasn't able to find anything. Kept pushing, but around mile 6.5 I was like man I really need to get this rock out. So I took my shoe off and shook it out. Nothing. Then I looked at my achilles and there was a nice size hole in my sock... GRRR... Nice skin burn was forming in that spot. I mean like really.... like really??? I tried to continue. I wanted those 12 miles. I'm already planning 3 days off mid-week next week because of Disney and not running while on vacation. So I was really looking forward to build up a little before a little break. I tried switching socks from one foot to the other, but alas I still was feeling it. So I decided to end the run early at 7 miles. Such a downer. On the positive side, the 7:23 pace was square on LR HR at 138. That puts it squarely in the "best ever HR to pace" values I've gotten. So under the right conditions (cloudy, almost no wind, and T+D of 100), the fitness still appears to be there. I was flying today and things felt near normal. So I can feel myself turning a corner, just got to get out of my own way with all these ancillary things cropping up.

 

[sylkai]

The run was at a T+D of 100 and things felt fabulous. I could tell I was getting close to my old self again. Pace was around a 7:23 and things were clicking well. Around mile 5.75 it felt like something was in my shoe. So I stopped quick, reached my finger in, and wasn't able to find anything. Kept pushing, but around mile 6.5 I was like man I really need to get this rock out. So I took my shoe off and shook it out. Nothing. Then I looked at my achilles and there was a nice size hole in my sock... GRRR... Nice skin burn was forming in that spot. I mean like really.... like really??? I tried to continue. I wanted those 12 miles. I'm already planning 3 days off mid-week next week because of Disney and not running while on vacation. So I was really looking forward to build up a little before a little break. I tried switching socks from one foot to the other, but alas I still was feeling it. So I decided to end the run early at 7 miles. Such a downer. On the positive side, the 7:23 pace was square on LR HR at 138. That puts it squarely in the "best ever HR to pace" values I've gotten. So under the right conditions (cloudy, almost no wind, and T+D of 100), the fitness still appears to be there. I was flying today and things felt near normal. So I can feel myself turning a corner, just got to get out of my own way with all these ancillary things cropping up.

Definite advantage to my shoes is that the rocks don't stay in.

Granted, they maybe get in a little more easily, but they also work their way out just as fast...

I hope the vacation break gives your body a chance to kind of reset to equilibrium so when you come back everything clicks and you can get back to flying.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Definite advantage to my shoes is that the rocks don't stay in.

Granted, they maybe get in a little more easily, but they also work their way out just as fast...

I hope the vacation break gives your body a chance to kind of reset to equilibrium so when you come back everything clicks and you can get back to flying.

Thanks! I was hoping to build up a bit more before the break, but I'm starting to find myself in a good place again. As with most, I think the weather will play a significant role in the results of my HM on June 18th.

 

[sylkai]

Thanks! I was hoping to build up a bit more before the break, but I'm starting to find myself in a good place again. As with most, I think the weather will play a significant role in the results of my HM on June 18th.

It is so very hard to throttle back. I am trying to convince myself that I will take this week as a lower mileage one (I know I should) and at the same time there is the voice in my head that is like "but you're leaving miles behind on the table." Ignoring that is tricky.

My current target race is August 4th, which ...on one hand, it's along the SF bay. On the other hand, it is still August. I will keep my fingers crossed for good weather for both of us.

 

[michigandergirl]

Still not capable of a side plank leg movement.

Just curious, are you doing these side planks on your elbow or on your hand (arm extended)? I'm wondering if maybe you need to strengthen your gluteus medius to get the leg lifts or maybe they will just come in time as you strengthen your core. You could always add a modified side plank with your knee on the ground and then do the leg lifts to build more hip strength.

Just my yoga instructor brain trying to help...

 

[DopeyBadger]

It is so very hard to throttle back. I am trying to convince myself that I will take this week as a lower mileage one (I know I should) and at the same time there is the voice in my head that is like "but you're leaving miles behind on the table." Ignoring that is tricky.

My current target race is August 4th, which ...on one hand, it's along the SF bay. On the other hand, it is still August. I will keep my fingers crossed for good weather for both of us.

Oh, I definitely think you should throttle back. You just ran a race this weekend even if it wasn't at 100% effort. Allow that body to recover and come back stronger.

Fingers crossed on the weather.

Just curious, are you doing these side planks on your elbow or on your hand (arm extended)? I'm wondering if maybe you need to strengthen your gluteus medius to get the leg lifts or maybe they will just come in time as you strengthen your core. You could always add a modified side plank with your knee on the ground and then do the leg lifts to build more hip strength.

Just my yoga instructor brain trying to help...

The side planks are while I am on my elbow. The issue for me seems to be that the legs are stacked in this maneuver. When I did the side plank in Stage 1 is with the feet both on the ground at all time and heel to toe. Now they are on top of one another and that seems to add a different level of difficulty. But even with all my might I can not get that leg to move off the other leg. For now, I've relegated to just continuing to do the side plank with the feet stacked for an extend period of time. Definitely working my side abs as they feel very tense during this exercise.