Wk of June 24--WISH Walking/Running Club

[rKyDeX]

This is my dumb question of the month...when y'all go out for a LR, do you try to run/walk at a particular pace?

Mel,

My LR's are based on heart rate. For me, it's 70% which is 152 bpm. Most of the time this feels like a very slow pace and I never have negative splits. Sometimes I think I could be walking faster near the end of a 10+ mile run.

Temperature, humidity and general health can have a significant effect on heart rate, but by monitoring the rate, I always know that I'm achieving 70%.

Short runs are done at 85% or 171 bpm. I start with a warm-up mile, running at pace for the middle miles and a cool-down mile to finish.

Targeted race paces are:
5k 90%/177 bpm
10K 85%/171 bpm
1/2 80%/165 bpm
Full 75%/159 bpm

Good luck with training,

Chester

 

[poppinspal]

Morning team! I know there were a lot of posts over the weekend I should respond to but I think it's easier to say hi to all of you and I hope you are all doing well.

After a downer of a week last week I decided to take the weekend off from running, I was really worried about being burnt out. I woke up late this morning and only got 1.5 miles in but I felt great. I did the first mile in my lowest time yet. I have to make sure to get my runs and workouts in early the next few days as it's supposed to get well into the 90s. If I have time later tonight I might go for another quick run just to get the rest of my distance in. But I'm feeling good.

My brother had the camera with him over the weekend so I didn't get to upload the bull riding pictures which I want to share. But I have to say that was a great workout for the shoulders.

 

[Optimator]

Angie - Keep up the good work. Things will keep improving as you go. Good blister news as well.

Leana - Glad to see you're enjoying the hill work.

Mel - You've gotten lots of good advice. Now let me give you some bad.

I run just about every run like a tempo run... as fast as I can and still breathe! Not talk, just breathe. Weather, fatigue, etc. may change that pace but I still try to run hard. That said, the most important part is not to hurt yourself. Slow down if it hurts. Don't go crazy if your injured. I've been pretty lucky so far (knock on my wooden head!) and avoided injury.

In my little pea-brain, I can't rationalize being able to run 13.1 or 26.2 at "race pace" if I've never gone more than a small fraction of that distance at that pace. I want to be able to tell myself "Self, you know you can run at least 16 or 18 or 20 miles at this pace because you did it when you were training."

This lousy advice comes from someone with all of 1 marathon under his belt. I may blow myself up tomorrow and have to change tactics but I had a rootin' tootin' fastest run ever today!

 

[TXBelle]

DH found a cool site that has race results from over 16,000 races, including Disney. Anyone else seen this? athlinks.com You can search by last name and find your chip times.

 

[plutosmyfav]

For those of you who like a soda or coffee before a run (not mentioning any names, hem hem!). I thought you might find this interesting!!

Caffeine.
There is now strong evidence that a cup of coffee an hour before a race will improve performance. This drug helps mobilize free fatty acids and triglycerides, making them available for energy utilization in the blood stream. It also helps you to wake up and get your sewage system cleaned out, avoiding the last minute lines at the “porto-johns.” Too much caffeine, however, can cause dehydration and may negatively influence your heart rhythm. Be careful and try it out on several trial runs before using it in races.

Not to brag or anything... but my dad did a lot of that research! He tells me up down and sideways there is nothing harmful about caffeine. Good thing because I now rely on it (after 6 years being de-caffed)!!!

Sunny

 

[MelRhoads]

Sorry I've been absent lately. It seems like the summer is just so busy. They boy has pretty much phased out of napping, so that cut into my dising time. The job is really fun still. I'm getting better at working on bikes. I was able to get a tri bike frame for phil and build it up. It was my first sucessful build w/o any outside help!!

I have been running some but it has been mixed w/ lots of mt. biking and road biking. I ran 10 miles sat, but it was REALLY slow!! at least i got it done. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep up this week.

 

[Honeibee]

Yes, here I am! Geez, I hate being away from the Boards for so long. I'm so out of touch. I've got most of LTO out of the way, just one more annoying newsletter and my desk is back to normal.

Charlie and I had a FABULOUS weekend with Cam and Howard!! They are such gracious hosts and have a lovely home and took us to some fabulous places to eat!

And amazingly enough - Cam and I did NOT get into any trouble at all at the Kenny concert! So we didn't need the WISH Bail Fund after all! We had a great time. Kenny was fabulous, so was Brooks and Dunn, and Sugarland.

OK if I keep chatting away do you think anyone will notice the lack of a L/R this weekend?

I did do 3 miles this morning. A-M-A-zing how out of shape you can get so quickly. I felt like a slug and really had to push myself. Oh I can hardly wait for the month of July when I won't be able to train at all!

Monica - Oh no! I hope your knee is OK. Let us know.

Sunny - Oh Sunny...

WWDave - Nasty!

 

[meghan74]

Meghan - Are you lurking out there? What about that race?!!!! Annie is at camp and missed it - can't decide whether to tell her about it or keep it a secret and let her watch it for herself!

I am here! That thing was a mess! My Dad and brother took my tickets because DH was out of town and my girls were both sick. Yuck. I thought of Annie at the end and figured she would be pretty happy. Hopefully Marco has broken out of his slump and will do better next week. Oh, and I say, keep it a secret as long as she has a chance to watch before this weekend.

While I'm here, I might as well report that I worked in my 6 mile long run at w3/r1. Finished in 1:18:23. Not too bad, but I was VERY tired at the end!

 

[nucpharm29]

Morning team. i was so tired this am, did not want to head to the gym. But since Iwas going to have to go out anyway to hit the grocery store, I figured I might as well run too. And amazingly, once I got on the TM I had a really great run. It's nice to have sub-9 miles feel easy now.

melr--great to hear from you--don't know if you saw my post last week or not, but I made it to Lewis and Clark a couple weeks ago--Wow, what a cool store--definitely made me want to buy a bike!

judy--glad to hear that you and cam had a great time. And also good to hear that the bail fund was not needed

WEll, time to go scrub the floors--some bad parent let the kids play in the mud and then track it in the house Have a great monday all!

 

[Pungodingy]

I have a question.

As it gets warmer, I'm finding that I'm getting what I call "heat headaches" when I'm out walking/running. Does this happen to anyone else, and is there anything I can do to prevent/get rid of them?

Thanks!

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Good morning TEAM!!!! Cedar Point was AWESOME!!! I'm telling you, if anyone loves roller coasters, they HAVE to go to Cedar Point. It is a coaster lovers dream--17 coasters and they have the world's & fastest coaster: Top Thrill Dragster at 400 feet tall and speeds of 120 mph. The new coaster, Maverick is cool too, but INTENSE with a 95 degree incline on the first hill--it feels weird to drop at a 95 degree angle, it takes your breath away! Stephen and I had a really good time, I hated to come home! The only down side to the weekend was I didn't get to do my lr along Lake Erie. I decided at the last minute to leave my running stuff at home and run when we got home. It was so pretty and cool both Saturday and Sunday morning, I was seriously regretting that decision! I did my lr--6 miles when we got home yesterday and it was bad, I ended up walking about a 1/2 mile in the middle because I was afraid I was going to throw up in someone's yard--lovely! Eating Mc Donald's as we were leaving Sandusky was NOT a good idea, especially since I never eat there (the last time was at least 6 months ago) and I'm not used to all the grease. I had french fries sitting in my throat for the last 3 miles. But I got my run in and the first week of marathon training is completed. With doing my lr yesterday, my week is going to get screwed up and I think I'm going to have to drop a run , today I am xt and then I have to refigure my mileage. I'm supposed to do 3, 3, 3, 7 for a total of 16 miles, I may do 3, 4, 7 so I can at least get in 14 miles. I hate doing lr's on Sunday's!

Sunny--I'm so glad to see you back posting, I have been worried about you. I'll keep you and your family in my prayers.

Mel--I basically have 1 speed. I can run a little faster for 5K's, but as far as tempo runs and long runs--one speed. I try to run a little faster or slower, but I just can't seem to do it, they all end up the same!

Monica-- for your knee!!

Leana--Awesome run!!! You are really turning hard core! I'd be interested to see your hip exercises too, I have IT band problems due to genetics and the way my hips are positioned. I have been lifting weights and so far it seems to be helping, but I'm always glad to hear more ideas.

Melissa--I've been thinking about you, I miss your posts!! How is the dog doing? Settling into your family?

Optimator Mike--And where have you been, mister??? I miss my morning laughs!! Good to see you back!

Orthodics Sufferers--Hang in there! It took me a while to get used to my OTC inserts. In fact, I took them out and ran without them for a while because running with them was so painful. But I gave them another try after the Flying Pig and now that I'm used to them, I don't notice them in my shoes at all. It will get better!! Trust me!

 

[wtpclc]

PungoAngie - Yay for no more blisters! As for heat headaches, I get them. One a few weeks ago turned into an all out migraine. Not fun. I hydrate and do everythign i can to kkep cool (take s sponge, water every 1/2 mile, go slowooow). Post run, I do a cold tub or shower and put a cold compress on my head, if needed. Also, Excedrin migraine seems to help. I've also found my breaking point and don't go if it's too hot.

Mel - I tend to have a goal pace. Sometimes, it's Not faster thanX or not slower than y (pretty slow). SOmetimes it's both. They tend to eb random feelings ofo the day or close or close to a goal race pace for me, but I know that's not supposed ot be what you do. Long runs are my best day of teh week, though.

Shan - When I'm off program, I run 30 to 40 min, low to middle fo MfM. Then I do LRs of 5 to 7 miles. If I were trainign fro a half, I'd probably go 3 to 5 miles. Just something that puts me above teh startingpoint fo my next training plan and does not let me lose too much.

Dave - So glad things are good at home. you had mentioned family issues so I just used my powers of deduction adn came up with teh wrong answer, as usual. Glad you had fun this weekend!

Linda - Way to go!!!!

Melissa - GOod to see you!

Judy & Cam - Glad you made it w/o the bail money!!!

Steve & Krista - I am so jealous!!! Glad tou had fun!!

Stephanie - COngrats on a good run!

Meghan - COngrats on the 6 miler!

Well, I got up just after 6 Saturday to neat the heat. It was actually chilly to start, but I oculd tell when the sun came out. I did ok, but it's hard to feel like you're starting over. WHile I should be glad that I finished 7 miles w/o issues, it was 30 s to a minute slower than I did the Minnie in and right around my marathon goal. Really seems liek I could do better for a 7 miler. However, I think my legs are gettng used to teh adjustments and my nerve pain has been gone fo rabout 2 weeks. I have nothing to complain about!

Question: Baby aspirin improves circulation. Anyone think that a baby asprin a day would help me with heat issues at all? Just a brain storm dh had. DOesn't seem like it;d hurt, but I thought I'd run it by teh experts.

 

[keenercam]

Hi, everyone! Just a quick drive-by to report that I've been a slug.

Sunny -- so glad to see you here, but I am really sorry you are going through all of this. Please know that you are in my prayers and thoughts all the time, whether you are posting or not.

Linda -- congratulations on your race! How awesome that you saw so much improvement!

Leana -- that boot camp sounds so worthwhile. Congratulations on your 9 mile LR and topping that hill so strong!

Christa -- How was your show?

Dave & Erica -- your new furbabies' personalities sound adorable. Oh what a cutie pie! Love the picture!

Stacey -- Thank you for sharing those inspirational thoughts. It is amazing to me how much our positive thinking can influence our determination and the spirit with which we keep going.

Dana -- There are several of us here who have believed in the power of caffeine for a long time! I personally show up at the beginning of every endurance event with a to-go cup of coffee. It is now on my to-do list and "take to the start of the race" list!

Heather -- thanks for that link. It is fun to see how many race results are posted!

Angie -- great job on the 4.84!!! So glad your blisters are gone!

Thanks for all the good WISHes on the concert, everyone! Howard and I had such a great time with Charlie and Judy this weekend. Of course, I ate too much and didn't train at all. Judy failed to mention that it took us until nearly 2 in the morning to get through traffic back to our house Saturday night (a 25 minute drive turned into 2 hours and 45 minutes! ) Needless to say, we did not drag ourselves out of bed yesterday for a LW. I think walking to and from and around the concert venue constituted a significant amount of walking. I did get in my 100 crunches and 100 pushups each day, too, but that was it. UGH!

Judy and I kept saying "isn't this amazing? we met on the DIS boards and are spending this time together. How fortunate we are!" And then I think of all the great times Howard and Andrew & I spent with WISH friends in California and our times with friends at Marathon weekend 2006 and 2007 and my exciting Minnie weekends 2006 and 2007. This is an amazing bunch!

 

[kareneast]

This weeks LR was supposed to be 7 miles. To give my hip more of a rest I figured I would do the LR in the pool, but since it was cool on Saturday & the water temps were a little chilly for me, I changed the plan. Ended up walking the 5 mile loop around the reservoir on Sunday morning. Did it at an easy walk pace that would not have beat the sweepers, but I figure at least I got some steps in. Hip started to get tight & sore at around mile 4, but after stretching it felt pretty good. This morning it was a little sore, but not too bad. I’m hoping to get back into at least a pace that will keep me ahead of the sweepers soon. On top of that my sinuses & chest have been really congested the last few days. Ugh! And, we seem to just be an injury family right now…John has officially joined the PF club. Saturday we went down to the running store for shoes the podiatrist recommended John get (Asics Kayano) & OTC Orthos for both his running shoes & his work shoes. He had just gotten new shoes 6-7 weeks ago, but thankfully the running store still took them back.

Stephanie – Your runs are always amazing. Hope you’ve recovered from your overindulgence.
Jen – Hope you had a fun camping trip & a great LR at the campground. Thanks for the info on the heat & ice.
Cam – You did amazing in that 5k under such horrible conditions. Great job sticking it out & getting it done. How was the concert? We’re going to see him in July.
Kim – Hope work eases up for you so you have more time to dis.
Howard – Hope you Charlie won lots in AC.
Christa – Would love to see some photos from your show. WTG getting in the bike ride with the busy show schedule you had this weekend.
Sunny – OMG….I am so sorry for everything you are going through. I wish I knew what to say to help in some way. Sending you lots & lots of prayers, , & . Glad to see you back posting. Please continue to check-in when you can. And….YES, you are a marathoner!!! I like your mom’s rule. Definitely, interesting & funny stories. I haven’t watched Pirate Master at all. I’ll have to look for that episode when it eventually makes it to reruns.
TnTsParty – How was your LR to your sisters house?
MSDave – Glad things are going well for you at home & glad you all had a good time at Darien Lake Theme Park. Very cool that your DD9 rode all the coasters. Looks like you got a little daredevil there. WTG on the LR. Take care of those shins. Don’t want any repeats of last year.
WWDave – Enjoy your taper.
Jackie – WTG on another 10 miler.
Dana – WTG on your LR & still having the energy to clean the garage. Take care of those shins. Hope they are feeling better.
Erica – Cool names for your new kitty’s. Hope everyone adjusts to each other quickly.
Leana – Great sounding massage. Really sounds like you got a lot of good info from your bikini boot camp instructor. Sounds like it will be a great class & you will get lots out of it. If you don’t mind, please share the hip strengthening/stability things you find out. Since I’ve been having the problems with my hip, I have trying to soak up every bit of info I can get on hip stretches/strengthening/stability. TIA Very cool getting to do some runs with a group that is doing the same race as you. WTG on your 9 mile run.
NEBill – Congratulations on the weight loss. WTG getting out there walking consistently.
Linda – Congratulations on your 5k. You did GREAT!
Mel – Great workouts! Especially in the high humidity. I’ll be interested to see the answers you get to your question. Like you, I have only been focusing on getting the miles in.
Krista – So did you get your walk/run or XT DVD in before the Baby Shower? Very cool going to see the GooGoo Dolls twice in one month. I’ll be seeing them next month too, but only once. Seeing them at the Arts Center here in NJ on July 20th.
Shan – After doing the WDW Half in January & having built up to that distance, my plan was to continue to do 5-8 miles LR every week. I have to admit that that didn’t happen (always one thing or another). I ended up doing 4-5 LR. My shorter runs when I’m not actually training for anything I do based on time instead of miles. I usually go for 40-45 mins with a minimum of 30 min maximum of 60. Hope the foot is doing better.
Monica – Sending you prayers, , & for your knee. Hope it is feeling better.
Lily – Hope the week is starting out well for you.
Stacey – Congratulations on the 20 mile week.
FLBill – Hope you were able to massage the knot out & your calf is feeling better.
Angie – Glad to hear the blisters are better. WTG on your run.
Megan – Good for you for still getting in a partial run after sleeping late. I probably would have just skipped the whole thing.
Heather – Cool site. Thanks
Melissa – Congratulations on the bike build without any help.
Judy – Glad you enjoyed the concert. Like I told Cam (above) we’re going to see Kenny Chesney in July. How has your hip been doing?
Meghan – WTG on the 6mile LR
Krista – Glad you & Steve had such a good time at Cedar Point. Sounds like some great coasters.
Carrie – Glad to hear your leg has gotten used to the adjustments & you haven’t had any pain.

 

[gatorphipps]

Mel - You've gotten lots of good advice. Now let me give you some bad.

I run just about every run like a tempo run... as fast as I can and still breathe! Not talk, just breathe. Weather, fatigue, etc. may change that pace but I still try to run hard. That said, the most important part is not to hurt yourself. Slow down if it hurts. Don't go crazy if your injured. I've been pretty lucky so far (knock on my wooden head!) and avoided injury.

In my little pea-brain, I can't rationalize being able to run 13.1 or 26.2 at "race pace" if I've never gone more than a small fraction of that distance at that pace. I want to be able to tell myself "Self, you know you can run at least 16 or 18 or 20 miles at this pace because you did it when you were training."

This lousy advice comes from someone with all of 1 marathon under his belt. I may blow myself up tomorrow and have to change tactics but I had a rootin' tootin' fastest run ever today!

Mike...I hate to say this, but that is what I do too. I have the same thoughts as you. Glad to know I am not alone.

 

[Calcio]

It is interesting and not a coincidence that 2 of our resident rabbits, Mike and Christa, go out either pretty hard or really hard every training run.

To paraphrase Yogi Berra, "to run faster you have to run faster." If your goal is to increase your pace on race day then you need to do it when training. Pushing the tempo in training, no matter what that pace is for you personally, allows you to do it on race day. You've trained your body to carry that pace over some distance, so on race day it delivers.

As the Sphinx tells us in Mystery Men, "he who asks questions in training trains himself only in asking questions."

Craig

 

[wtpclc]

A quick add on to Craig's post. WHile he is 100% right, you want to gradually increase to this and not injure yourself. For those of you training for your first event, it may not be the best idea to push to hard.

Sorry, I'm always the worrier.

 

[nucpharm29]

Craig--I am really in agreement with your post. I was mulling this over today, and realized that for my first race I was training to be able to finish the distance. I would do my LRs at a comfortable pace that I knew I could run to finish. Now, with that first race in the books, I now have a new goal set before me--while I would love to qualify for Boston (one of these days) I want to finish sub-4:00. So for me, I have to train now at a faster pace than before--Like Christa and Mike, If I don't run that hard in training, how will my body be able to run that hard on race day. Sorry for the rambling thoughts---now off to the dentist!

 

[lenshanem]

Well, took the three days off to give my foot a rest and went out this morning bright and early. It felt like it was feeling better.

First street it hurt. I thought about stopping and turning around, but kept on instead. (I know my bad, but I'm so freaked about gaining weight for my Vegas trip mid July with DH - one of the dresses I bought I CANNOT gain a SINGLE pound! )

My foot eased up and I ran 4.05 miles with a pace of 12:45. My pace has really slowed down. I thought I was going along great, too. I think maybe I need to go calibrate my Nike+ again??? Or maybe I've just fallen into too much of a comfortable stride?

Anyway, this was the longest I have ran with no walk breaks - a tad over 50 minutes and I did just fine! I almost think I do better without stopping and walking cause when I'm doing that I keep checking my stopwatch and don't really get into a groove if that makes any sense.

So I'm home and my foot feels sore, but I can't pinpoint the pain anymore - it is just a general soreness. I'll wait again until Wednesday and do a short run.

This is an easy week in the program, next week I was supposed to finally run a 10K distance, but I think since my foot has been giving me trouble combined with us being down at Vero Beach that I might just repeat the easy week and come back home for the final week of my program??? Thoughts?

After that I'll just skip the first week of the maintenance program so I stay on track for Race for the Taste.


Angie, my DH has been getting awful headaches, too when he goes out and runs. It is just too darn hot. I get up at 6 AM, but he goes out a tad later and yesterday he was on the verge of a migraine all day long.

 

[aladdinsgirl]

Shan--Congrats on the 4 miles!!! Do not worry about your pace at all, your main concern right is completing the mileage. Are you icing your foot? You should do that after every run. When I sprained my ankle last fall while training for the marathon, my doctor told me to stick my foot in a tub of cold water and ice after a run to promote healing. I think your plan sounds great to do easy weeks back to back, especially if you are battling an injury. Good luck!!!