Hi folks, I was looking out of the kitchen window early this morning, and there, just a few feet away, was a female white tailed deer with two fawns still covered in spots. Pity I didn't have my camera ready! They looked just like the picture on the left. Whilst admiring these beautiful animals, my mind drifted to thoughts of how well they run, the fact that they look beautiful to me right now, ... Read more
Don’t Let Your Mind Psych You Out During A Race
Hi folks, Exercise has a significant mental component, which is considerable for endurance training. As my Ironman (IM) race appointments approach, my mind starts to go over mistakes and lessons of the past. It is easy to forget those lessons and repeat the mistakes. During one race several years ago it was clear that my mind lost confidence. I was riding the last 20 miles of the bike course, ... Read more
Monday Anchor Post: Be Aware Of Your Shoulders And Arms During Triathlon Training
Hi folks, I recently read an article on the Inkling Media blogsite, which proposed that when blogging one should consider including a regular 'anchor post,' just to keep the blogging on track and the readership happy. I thought, "why not give it a try?" so here we are. My anchor is training, stented or not. Today I want to talk briefly about the importance of arm and shoulder position in swimming, biking and ... Read more
Zen and the Art of Body Maintenance Revisited
Hi folks, Training Tip: How to address an injury close to a planned race. In a previous post, I referred to that important book, 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' by Robert Pirsig, which addresses the issue of quality, using motorcycle maintenance as a metaphor. This is how I remember his story, which I read about 30 years ago. Robert Pirsig presents the relationship between two couples, who ... Read more
Is It Tendonitis Or Referred Pain, And Either Way What Can You Do About It?
Hi folks! Matthew, a friend and relative, asked me on Facebook about his running injury, as follows [with minor edits]: "after agreeing with your sentiments about barefoot running, I promptly picked up a foot tendon injury and haven't been able to run since. [ ] I can't for the life of me recall which tendon is damaged [ ] its outside the arch...possibly one of the peroneus tendons in this ... Read more
Four Minutes Of Nostalgia – Watching That Four Minute Mile
Hi folks! I find that watching video clips really helps me to work on certain aspect of my technique, so here is a good one I have seen a number of times. The 'official' breaking of the four-minute mile by Roger Bannister. I was a water polo player in Bristol, England, when this occurred so I had no idea of its significance for runners. Guess I do now! Here is the pool that was so important to me at that ... Read more
AAA And Blood Pressure, The Plot Thickens, And Don’t Forget To Use Your Butt
Hi! Folks, My son Nick just sent me a link to an excellent article by Susan McClure concerning abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and hypertension, published at the LiveStrong.com blog site. This report, which is very well written, interested me a great deal as I have dangerously high post-stent hypertension. I showed no signs of high blood pressure before I received my life-saving Cook, Zenith stent. There is good ... Read more
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