Workout Update Monday Sept 6

Labor Day! Still feeling not up to par, I ran the on-base 5K anyway, thinking I could snap out of it. The course, as usual, was way off the mark- something like 3.4 miles, and I ran 20:51, so over 6 min per mile. Not a good day. Followed up with an easy 1000 meter swim.

pm: 7 miles bike (estimated because I used the rollers).

Sunday Sept 5- SICK

Felt lousy all day running a slight fever. I think it was bad food rather than a virus.

Summary for the Week Aug 29-Sept 4

Run- 54 miles
Bike- 36 miles
Swim- 3,000 meters

Highest run total in a long time. Finally broke 50 miles!

Workout Update Sat Sept 4

am: 2 mile bike, 13 mile run. The good news is I felt pretty good, the bad news is the heel was hurting the last 4. While it's usually sore in the morning, this is the first time I've felt it giving me trouble on a run.

pm: swim 10 x 100 meters

Workout Update Fri Aug 3

am: mile jog with Sumo, then 5 easy. 4 mile bike to work.
pm: nothing

Had to work late and just blew off swimming this afternoon. It happens.

Workout Update Thurs Sept 2

am: Took advantage of a cool typhoon day and got in 9 miles easy this morning

pm: 4 mile bike, swim 20 x 50 meters, 4 mile bike

The swim was tough- too long between pool visits.

Since the 10K I am shaking things up a bit and putting effort into getting in some miles. They are slow but I could care less. I'll get back to the intervals and time trials soon enough.

R.I.P. Jim MacLaren

Jim MacLaren dies at 47

Mike Buss- 78 Consecutive Marathons and Counting

Follow Mike Buss on Facebook as he continues to run 26.2 miles every day on a treadmill. He's going for 100, and it's for a good cause. Buss is raising funds for wounded British soldiers (JustGiving)

World Record! 9:22 mile in a 80 Pound Bomb Suit

Blueberries and Muscle Damage

Damage to muscle cells exposed to oxidative stress was significantly reduced when also exposed to doses of blueberry fruit extracts, according to findings published in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research. -Blueberries may protect muscles from exercise damage

MY COMMENT: First cherry juice and now blueberries?

Cherry Juice May Enhance Marathon Recovery

The findings indicated that the group who drank the cherry juice recovered their strength more rapidly than the control group over the 48-hour period following the marathon. Inflammation was also reduced in the cherry juice group, as was oxidative stress, a potentially damaging response that can be caused by strenuous physical activity, particularly long distance endurance exercise. -Marathon Runners Should Pick Cherries for Speedy Recovery

MY COMMENT: Interesting finding- perhaps not, but it seems to me any deep colored fruit juice would help. I'll stick with beer! Anti-inflammatory Effect Of Beer, Blocks Interferon-gamma-induced Chemical Processes

Workout Update Wed Sept 1!

am: very easy stop and go 1 mile with Sumo (now about 13!), then 4 plus at an easy pace. 4 mile bike to work

pm: 4 mile bike home, then 4 plus mile jog into base and back - I need some cash in case this typhoon actually shuts us down for a while!

Didn't plan on running twice, however I wanted the extra miles just in case we do get slammed tomorrow (although I have been known to run during typhoons in Okinawa). A little wind and rain is not a big deal.

Typhoon Kompasu Weakens on Path Toward Seoul; Warnings Issued

Workout Update Tues Aug 31

am: 6 miles easy, with 1.5 miles barefoot on the artificial grass.

pm: 1 mile running with kids, 4 mile bike home.

Later, heel is sore, probably from that barefoot running.

Workout Update Monday Aug 30

am: easy 4 miles. A little sore but not bad.
pm: swim 5 x 200 meters

Aug 29- DMZ 10K

This was my first semi-serious race in a long long time. I wanted to do well here and training has been consistent, and slowly but surely progressing. I expected to run well.

Weather was cloudy, with some off and on light rain, and very humid. The goal was simple- don't go out too fast and try to run even splits-or close.

I don't have the exact splits, but I was something like 6:13 at the mile feeling easy. I kept glancing at the GPS keeping an eye on the ave pace, that gradually slowed throughout the last half of the race. At 3 miles I began to notice breathing was becoming labored, forcing me to slow it up just slightly.

To make a long story short, I ended up with 6:20 as my ave per mile, with an official chip time at 39:13. (results here)

What did I learn? 6:15 pace is easy, so I probably don't need too much stuff quicker than 6:00 miles in workouts, but I am lacking the strength to maintain it. I need to get my weekly miles up to 50, and I need more long runs (once it cools down here!). Finally, I need more of those 800 interval workouts at a pace that I can handle- either more recovery or slightly slower.

What's up next? I've got a short triathlon here in the middle of Sept just for fun, then I'll run another 10K near the end of Sept in Seoul. After that I am already registered for a half marathon Oct 10. Room for improvement, and still time to get there.

Summary for Week of Aug 22-28

39 miles run with some good quality
52 miles bike- nothing far but plenty of short rides to and from work
3K swim

Total run miles slipped this week but back to back 10 milers on Sat & Sun were good.

Workout Update Sat Aug 28

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo, then back down and ran one x 800 in 2:48 against a slight wind. jog for a total of 3 miles. 4 mile easy bike. Heading to Seoul today, then on to the DMZ in the morning for a 10K on my birthday! DMZ race I thought about a swim today but during that 800 I could feel my arms getting tight. Better to rest.

Brooks Mach 9

I just did a short run and one 800 meter hard in these Brooks Mach 9 Spikeless Running Shoe. They offer great forefoot support and practically nothing for the heel, making this a pretty good option if you are looking to convert to a forefoot striker. They almost force you to do that.

For $30, this is not a bad option for 5K racing. I was surprised at the reviews- and check out what the women have to say about their version- "since they are cute I get to wear them out w/jeans as well.


Women's Brooks Mach 9

Workout Update Friday Aug 27

am: 1 mile jog, then back to run 2 quick 800s with 3 min recovery. 2:49, 2:48.
more jogging to total 4 miles. It was nice to finally run something under 5:40 pace. Thinking about doing 4x800 at this pace in the near future, a workout that used to be a staple of mine years ago in Florida. If I recall correctly, I was ready to break 16 minutes when I could do 4x800 under 2:30.

4 mile bike to work

pm: swim 4 x 250 meters
4 mile bike home, then 2 more bike miles to dinner and back.

Total: running 4 miles, bike 12 miles, swim 1000 meters.

A Short, Quicker Stride May Decrease Injury Risk

As stride length decreased, the runners bounced less, landed closer to their center of mass, and produced lower braking forces against the ground.

A shorter stride allowed the knee to do less work absorbing energy. A 10 percent higher-cadence stride allowed the hips also to do less work.

A shorter stride allowed the knee to bend less during stance, and decreased many hip motions. -peakperformance.runnersworld.com

Primary investigator for this study was Bryan Heidersheit, PT, Ph.D. of the University of Wisconsin's Department of Orthopedics & Rehabilitation and Biomedical Engineering. Effects of Step Rate Manipulation on Joint Mechanics during Running

According to Heidersheit, "If they increase their step rate quite subtly–by about 5 to 10 percent, which reduces their stride length by the same–then they can substantially reduce the forces to their knees. That happens primarily because they're lowering the vertical displacement of their center of gravity [their "bounce"], and hence coming down more gently. They also reduce the distance between their foot landing and their center of gravity. This reduces braking forces. The forces absorbed at the hips are also lower with shorter strides.

Workout Update Thursday, Aug 26

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo, then 6 mile comfortable run. Felt ok.
4 mile bike to work

pm: 4 mile bike home, 2 mile bike to kids running practice, 2 mile jog with kids, 2 mile bike home.

total for the day= 9 miles run, 12 miles bike

I really enjoy the short bikes- do they help? I think so, as long as I stay consistent. I must hit the pool tomorrow- I seem to lose it very quickly there if I miss more than 2 consecutive days.

Workout Update Wed Aug 26

am: easy running with Sumo, then 2-mile time trial in 11:53. No run yesterday, so I was feeling OK and hoping to run 11:40s. 5:55 mile split still felt hard but only a 3 second slowdown is a sign that my strength is coming along.
A total 5 miles running, then 4 mile bike to work.

pm: 4 mile bike home from work.

Note: According to the WAVA Age Graded Caclulator, my time compares to a 25 year old running 9:58. More work to do.

Workout Update Tues Aug 24

am: swim 10 x 50 meters, 5 x 100 meters.
pm: 8 miles of biking total

No time to run today, just like I thought. Hope to get in something hard tomorrow and take advantage.

Workout Update- Monday Aug 23

am: 1 mile jog with Sumo

pm: 6 miles easy. Normally I would have taken off, but Tues is a long work day so rather than 2 days in a row of little or no running I sucked it up and got in 9 min of classic junk miles.

seoul marathon

am: 4 mile bike to pool, swim 500 meters, then 5 x 100, 4 mile bike home

pm: 10 mile run- waited until 5:30 pm but still hot- fell off sub
7:40 pace after 7 miles. I stopped for a minute 3 or 4 times- heart rate was
mid 150s, meaning I was working hard to maintain a pretty slow pace. Weighed 124.4 lbs post run. Dehydrated! Perhaps the morning workout also had an effect- I biked hard for short periods and the last 3 100s in the pool were all out.

This is the first time in ages that I've run back-to-back 10 miles on consecutive days. Saturday was a morning run, and today was in the evening. The extra 8 hours recovery make a big difference.