Alameda Runners – Get After It!

I finally got around to posting the CIM 2010 training plan.  I have been remiss in my training as I have been injured for the last couple of months.  Hopefully, I will see you in Sacramento this December.

The daily distances on the training plan are recommendations.  You can move the training around to fit schedule.  I do it this way because I can do most of the daily runs during lunch and my work schedule suits the plan I wrote.  It is the weekly total and Saturday long runs that are important.   They must be met.  You also need a rest day.

Here is a daily breakdown of the plan:

Monday – That is your day to take off and see what you can do to your heart rate.

Tuesday – Shorter day where you should cruise through the run

Wednesday – A good day for a slight push but not too much

Thursday – A bit of a recovery day for the week

Friday – Swim or bike, save your body for Saturday, you can even have this day off if you are tired

Saturday – Long Slow Day!  These days are long and slow!  Take it easy.  Watch your heart rate do not let it go up on the long slow day.  My max HR is 170, I do the long slow day at a heart rate of 120-130.  Speed on the long day is an injury waiting to happen.

Sunday – Rest Day.  Take it easy.  Drink water and put your feet up.

Once I am healthy again, I will pick up the Saturday long runs in Alameda.  Maybe by mid-September I will be ready to run again.

Crossing the finish line

Since I have a minor injury that stops me from running completely, I decided to volunteer for the Summer Breeze half marathon in San Leandro.  My job was to go around and take pictures.  I would pick the biggest Brazen race of the year to be the photographer.  I am typing this as some of the pictures resize.  I am resizing them in groups of 400.  I took over 4,000 pictures.

Walking around as the photographer puts things a new perspective.  I slowly progressed in my half marathon life.  I am not at the point where a summer half marathon is a short training day.  I forgot what it was like at the beginning where it is a great accomplishment to finish a 13.1 mile run.  I could see the top 2 or 3 finishers were happy.  The next 100 finisher were mostly finishing like it was no big deal.  The rest were the new guys who were ecstatic to be crossing the line.  It was a lot of fun being around the people who were doing there first event and were so happy to just be out doing it.  I had people come up asking to have their picture taken because they did their first 10K together.

The Brazen events are always fun.  They are usually hilly and hard.  This one is sneaky hard.  It is always windy at the San Leandro waterfront.  Sam does not start you out heading into the wind.  He starts you with the wind in your back.  You have a nice PR going for the first half, then you turn around and you hit a wall of wind.  I would not be surprised if people were a minute per mile slower on the way back.

This time, I had my fun as a volunteer.  It was a very good day being out with all of the excitement.  I did not look at the age group times yet.  I am afraid that they may be slower then my fast times.

It has been six weeks since I injured my hip muscle. I had to skip my triathlon Sunday. I did get to watch from my hotel room and I did get to relax while I was at it. I think taking a week off to relax might be a good thing. I would just prefer to be healthy and out running.

I went out for an easy 4 mile jog today. I was not breathing too hard when I finished but the pain came back an after I finished running. Not a severe pain but enough to cause a limp. I am thinking about doing a slow half marathon this Saturday because the course is so close, I can ride my bike to the start line. If I feel better tomorrow, I will dust off my 2:15 pace sign from the Oakland half and carry it for the San Leandro half marathon known as the summer breeze half by Brazen Racing.

I finally got lucky with an injury.  I was bound to have an easy injury eventually.  I may be able to do the triathlon Sunday.  It will be slow and painful but I will be able to compete.  I am looking forward to see how much pain I can endure for an hour.  The swim and bike should be fine.  It is that 10K run at the end that will hurt.

I don’t like to say this but I know it is true, get your injuries checked by a medical professional.  I don’t think a doctor could have done much for my injury but he could have done a lot for my peace of mind.  I went from what I thought was a pulled groin to thinking it was a fracture to proving it was a hip flexor injury.  Actually it is a specific muscle in the hip flexor group but I don’t remember which one.  Had I gotten it checked early, I could have done a lot of exercises and I did not need to mope about because of an injury.

Cross training is good.  Do not let injuries get you down.  Get it checked out and find a new way to keep moving.  By all means, keep moving!

As previously mentioned, I suffered an injury that is similar to a groin pull.  Pulled groins are no big deal: a little rest, some training program changes, and you are good to go.  I took between 4-5 weeks off from running.

Three weeks of rest with some light spinning.  My groin felt good, I was ready to go out for a run in preparation for this weeks Olympic distance triathlon.  About 3 miles into the run and I was in pain.  Not groin pain but hip pain.

I am devastated.  I hope it is just fractured and I can do the triathlon if I can endure the pain.  It is rare that life throws an easy curve ball so I anticipate damage that is going to take months of rest.  At least it does not hurt when I walk, bike or run.

I am limping today.  I have an appointment with the sports chiropractor in a few days.  I hope he can find the injury without me having to go through insurance hell.

Injuries do strange things to us mentally.  Not only do I have an injury but I am very busy at work.  A combination of things just set me back.  I can do a lot of cross training that does not involve my hip but I seem to be letting it get the better of me.  I feel as if I am dying a slow death both physically and mentally.  When I stop exercising, I stop writing about exercising.  There is nothing wrong with my brain.  What stops me from writing?

I have a marathon training plan written up for CIM in December.  I need to get it posted.  It breaks my heart to post a training plan that I can’t participate in.

Let injuries heal… an experiment by Ted.

No matter how much you want to get out and do it, you must let your injuries heal.  About a month ago, while doing yoga, I felt my groin go “pop.”  My first thought was, “This is not good.”  My second thought was, “You over did it again.”

I get so many injuries from overdoing it but I just can’t seem to help it.  Summer injuries are the worst because I have so much going on.  I had to rest.  I still have to rest.  I am going nuts.  I will continue to go nuts.

The first week after the injury, pain, ice on the groin (not pleasant), rest and walked with a limp.

Week 2, slight pain, no ice and more rest with a slight limp.

Week 3, no pain, no limp… tried to jog 40 feet and gave up.

Week 4, no pain, ¼ mile jog, 30-mile bike.  Great restraint to not go further.

Week 5, no pain, ¾ mile swim.

I am getting better.  Groin injuries are bad and rest is the only answer.  It is so hard to sit still and rest.  I don’t do any writing for Alamedarunners.  I feel like I am getting fat and out of shape.  I went to the gym to lift weights one day and caused pain from carrying the weights to the bench.  I warmed up, the pain subsided, and then I was sore the following day.  I needed more rest.

Now that I am almost back to health, it is so hard to take it easy with small swims and small bike rides.  I have a triathlon in two weeks and a half marathon in three weeks.  I have to rest.  I want to go train.  The full marathon training plan for the California International Marathon kicks off in two weeks.  I am going to put my base training to the test.  I hope I can get by.  I know I can get through the triathlon and half marathon in the next couple of weeks.  The question is, how will I do?

I have been taking it very easy for the past month.  I am going to take it easy in my training for the rest of the month.  I am going to go hard in both events.  I will let you know what happens when you have a good base, get injured then rest for 6 weeks before one of your main events.

My two big events for the year are a triathlon and a marathon.  I already know that not resting after an injury stops athletic improvement and does not really heal until I rest.  Now I am going to find out how well rest works.

Swim company Finis not only aims at providing top quality gear for swimmers, but also hopes to help athletes refine their skills in the water.  To learn more about some basic swimming tips, Alameda Runners recently chatted with Mark Stephens, who is the Finis Product Manager and former Stanford Swim Team Captain.

Swimming has benefits for fitness and cross training that are often neglected by non-swimmers.  Many athletes use swimming as part of their training for running and cycling, because it’s a low-impact activity.

“Swimming will increase your flexibility, aerobic training, and work muscles you never thought you had. Swimming is very good as a recovery and non-impact exercise,” Alameda Runners learned.  “In the long-run, injuries are much less common for swimmers.”

Although injuries are less common, swimmers should always pay attention to their form as best they can.  For example shoulder-related issues remain a great concern for swimmers hoping to prevent injury and increase swim efficiency.

“Stretching is the best way to prevent shoulder inflammation and tendonitis.  Stretch before and after your workouts.  Shoulder stretches with the Fraid Nots ropes are great, but you should also include active stretches (such as arm swings).”

Stephens also mentioned it’s not uncommon for swimmers to suffer shoulder aches after long workouts and if a swimmer was pulling with paddles.

“Be sure to mix in pulling AND kicking. Pulling is a great way to build arm-strength, but can lead to injury if over done. Much the same way you don’t want to over-lift weights.”

New athletes normally have to find out what their body can handle before jumping into training too much.  It is recommended that new swimmers “take it one-step at a time” and learn to pace themselves as they become more comfortable in the water.

“If you are with an organized team, don’t over-exert yourself initially to try and make the intervals everyone else is doing. It’s okay to push yourself, but don’t push yourself to the extreme. Also don’t over use muscle-building equipment such as paddles. Too much repetition with paddles can cause shoulder injury.”

Part two of this interview will be posted in the next 24 hours.  It will include strengthening tips, muscle cramp prevention, the importance of good swim technique.