Hi folks, Today my coach-scheduled workout was a four hours and thirty minute Z2 (heart rate around 112) bike ride, but the weather was too cold for this 'old fart,' so I decided to do it on my trainer. This is a long time to be on a trainer bike, and as I don't think that listening to music is a good idea because you generally aren't listening to your body when you do that, I had plenty of time to ... Read more
Use Cool Down Time In The Pool As Playtime And You May Learn Something Useful
Hi folks, Ironman training involves some pretty long swims sometimes, and often they are preceded by heavy weight room, bike or run workouts the previous day. You may hit the water sluggish and stiff, but after a few laps you'll loosen up, attacking each set with increasing enthusiasm. I find that around the two-mile mark (72 laps in a 25-yard pool) I start to tire significantly, and by the end of the ... Read more
Consistency Is Key When It Comes To Safe Exercise For Better Health
Hi folks, Last weekend I had a 4-hour bike ride scheduled by my coach, but I just didn't want to do it. Then I did it anyway, in spite of myself. For the first hour my legs complained, my brain complained, and in general I complained. The complaints didn't do any good because I was out there on my own. If I had said any of this stuff to a riding buddy (which I never would, as I learned that lesson ... Read more
Activating Your Core Prior To A Run As Part Of A Roller Routine
Hi folks, We sure have some lovely countryside here in North Carolina, including great running trails. I had two short runs to do today, and during the first of these I was gently cruising along and it occurred to me how much better I am at engaging my core and how this makes hill ascents more manageable. I was also playing with shifting the load from my quads and hip flexors back to the combination of ... Read more
Keep Track Of Laps In The Pool Whilst Boosting Your Mental Discipline
Hi folks, If you have a long swim, you'll have no trouble keeping track of laps completed with a complex group of short sets, such as that in the adjacent figure. You just have to count each set and mentally tick off your workout on the plan stuck on the wall at the end of the pool. However, if you have a small number of long sets, say 4 x 1200 yards, it is not so easy. I discovered the perfect way ... Read more
Lazy Unilateral Recovery Swim Stroke Revealed By Paddles
Hi folks, I was swimming with my nice new yellow paddles the other day and noticed that from time to time my left paddle would touch the water. The impact of this contact was considerable, almost tugging the paddle off of my hand, disrupting my stroke. Diagnosis - lazy left arm recovery causing my elbow to drop too low. This is a nice example of the value of paddles in the diagnosis of defects in your ... Read more
Learn To Stand Before You Walk Before You Run
Hi folks, I have a problem with chronically tight calf muscles, and I may have found the cause. The way that I stand. I was receiving further core instruction from my dance and Continuum teacher, Rebecca, who commented that I tend to lean forward when standing. I did a quick internal body scan and there it was, plus lots of other things. My Feldenkrais training from Karen emphasizes the importance of ... Read more
Different Ways To Set Your Effort Level On The Run
Hi folks, As a runner you can assess your effort level in a number of different ways, and some are safer than others. I have friends who head out on a run saying that they plan to hold such-and-such a pace for certain intervals or distances. These are the people who tend to be injured most frequently. Eight-minute pace can be easy one day, a struggle on another, and on occasions potentially ... Read more
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