Scott Adcox

Doing More With Less Since 1972

Tag: running (Page 3 of 9)

How To Set Yourself Up For a Bad Run – Really Bad

September 16, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I had a bad long run yesterday–one of those really bad ones that only seem to happen two or three times a year. If you’ve never had one, consider yourself lucky.

Bad runs are a lot like those really good runs you get every now and then, only different. The difference is that everything that makes your good run so great doesn’t happen in a bad run. You probably could have figured that out on your own, but I felt the need to drive the point home.

Because I spent much of the rest of the day trying to stay off my feet and doing nothing, I had time to reflect and figure out what happened. From what I can tell, these re the most important elements in creating a really bad run for yourself–useful if you want to be prepared for every situation on race day.

  • Eat like crap the night before. I’ve been eating so good for so long that my body is now sensitive to what used to be normal food for me. We went out on Saturday night and, being the hogs we are, encouraged each other to eat stuff we wouldn’t feed the kids since they weren’t there. “Don’t need dessert–I’ll fill up on bread, thanks. On second thought..bring the bread pudding.”
  • Don’t sleep enough. This one is tricky. Sometimes six hours is enough to squeak by on, but in this case it wasn’t. A key indicator is that I wanted to go to bed a couple of hours earlier than I did, but it wasn’t in the cards.
  • Start tired. Not sleepy tired, but tired-tired. I did a bike ride the day before…not a super tough ride, although there was a on-the-edge-of-LT 40k time trial in there. The problem is that I did it in the afternoon and not the morning, so I only had 12 hours to recover. This ride also contributed to the feeding choices at dinner, since we left right after the ride to eat.
  • Get smashed the night before. Didn’t do this one, but I thought I’d throw it in there because it’s a sure-fire way to mess up your run.
  • Leave the house 30 minutes late. Yeah, I felt like dookie for most of the run, but the heat wasn’t doing many any favors at all at the finish. Replacing those last 30 minutes with some relatively cool weather at the beginning of the run would have helped.

One of my neighbors was finishing up his bike ride as I was finishing and was nice enough to give me what was left in one of his water bottles. He made the comment, “You look like you’re cooked. It feels so hot out here, but it’s only 87.” Right. 87 isn’t nearly as bad with a 20 mph wind in your face and some sweat evaporation taking place. I’d have pushed him off that bike if he hadn’t just given me water.

Gaming Triathlon Training

September 11, 2013 / / 0 Comments

There’s nothing like having another competitive person push, pull, and drag you to the next level of performance.

I’m a big fan of playing games during training when I’m coaching sports like rugby and baseball. Games are a great way to avoid monotony during training sessions–drills are boring and standing in line to do drills is even more boring. Games also keep the intensity of a training session higher because, unlike a drill, you can actually compete and win. Games also help create an artificial pressure.

I’m not sure why I never even tried to come up with anything for Triathlon training. Maybe it’s because I only have myself to worry about, and the monotony doesn’t bother me very much…dunno. But it’s not quite as easy to dream up endurance training games as it is in ball-related sports.

But I came up with a couple anyway–both depend on a partner.

Swimming

Neighbor Ben and I were talking last week about how much benefit we’ve gotten from swimming open water only. It’s way more exciting that swimming in a pool, even if the danger is mostly perceived, and there’s so much more to deal with–sighting, chop, currents, no walls, etc. Then last week, he T-boned me during our swim and had a head-on collision with another lady. We were laughing about it the other night, but then realized we may be onto something.

What if we went out and played Open Water Tag? It would work something like this…

Both players swim out to the middle of a body of water as a warmup–say 500m or so. Player One then goes under water and holds his breath for 30 seconds. While this is happening, Player 2 swims away in any direction. At the end of the 30 seconds, Player 1 comes up and finds (sighting–key skill) Player 2 and sprints (key skill) towards him to “tag” him. Player 2 can swim anywhere he wants to avoid the tag, changing direction (key skill) at any time. However, Player 2 has to swim head-up (strength/sighting) the entire time he’s being chased.

Running

This is another tag-type game–Interval Tag. After warming up, both players do something somewhat strenuous to take a little mustard out of both–something like 20 burpees. Player 1 then runs away on a pre-determined course while Player 2 rests for 30-45 seconds. Of course, Player 1 will be going at a jog after the burpees.

After his rest, Player 2 chases down player 1 and tags him as soon as he can. Once the tag has been made Player 1 (the original chaser) continues along the course. Remember, he just did an interval, so this will most likely be a recovery jog. At the same time, he’s going to want to put as much distance as he can between himself and Player 2.

Meanwhile, Player 2 (who was just tagged) stops to do some type of exercise like pushups/squats/plank. He should be pretty well rested at this point, but he’ll also have some urgency to finish the assigned exercises and get on with the next chase.

Cycling

If you want to play a cycling game, that’s easy. Sign up for Trainerroad. It’s downright addictive in the way it gets into your head and drives you to match the prescribed power output.

One and Done with Galloway

August 26, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I met up with the MOL team yesterday for a long run. We ran Galloway-style with four minutes of running and one minute of walking, and it was great to get out with those fine people and enjoy a crisp cool Florida morning by the water. This was the first time I’d ever tried the run/walk method, and yesterday’s run was not about pace or distance. All I wanted out of it was time on the feet in Zone 2.

Like Johnny Paycheck said, “We was having us one of them real good times.”

But I did get to reflect a little on the experience after a nap, and here’s what I came away with:

Scheduled and timed walks remove the single thing I love most about running, and I will never ever (never say that) do it again on purpose.

Before I get started, I’m not going to bash the Galloway running method.

Well, actually I am, but not across the board. I think Jeff Galloway deserves a ton of credit for coming up with a manageable plan to complete distance events–one that has actually worked for countless people. What other method has empowered so many people who thought they’d never do a 13.1 or a 26.2 to go out and achieve it?

But, just like every other training method, this one isn’t for everyone. And I suppose I’m one of those people it doesn’t really work for. I’ll go a step further…if you told me that the only way I could train for and complete my next race was by the Galloway method, I think I’d choose watching TV and getting fat instead. Well, actually I’d just keep training and never do another race. I like to train more than race anyway.

Even if you could guarantee me a PR, I still wouldn’t opt for run/walk.

What’s to dislike? For me, it’s the seemingly constant interruption of what you’re doing to do something else. I could see where this is a plus if you don’t really like running. It’s a great mental trick to think, “I only have to run for 4 minutes, then I get to walk again.”

But I actually like running. I don’t want to stop. In fact, my favorite thing about running is running myself drunk. I like running far enough that my mind wanders onto all kinds of other things and it feels like my body is taking steps on auto-pilot–separated completely from what my mind is doing. There’s no way to achieve this kind of groove if you’re constantly having to stop because your watch says so.

Again–just my experience. Your mileage may vary.

And if this method works for you, by all means, keep it up!

 

Racing Is Just Like Getting Drunk

August 23, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I was talking to Neighbor Ben last night about racing. And racing. And racing. He’d just finished a run, and I’d just finished a bike ride, and there was only one beer each involved in this conversation. One of the themes that kept rising to the surface is that some people like to train more than they like to race, and other people like to race more than they like to train.

Neighbor Ben likes to race.

I know this because he said, “I like to race.”

I like to train.

I know this because I train a lot, and I hardly ever race.

I know there are lots of factors involved, even if I can’t exactly put my finger on all of them. I won’t lie–one big factor is that racing, especially triathlon racing,  is expensive. A local race we were talking about doing last night is $100. This is for a no-frills Olympic distance race. Hard to justify that when a new low-end pair of bike shoes cost the same amount, but I still haven’t forked over money for them, even though I probably should have done that a couple of years ago.

Racing is also more time consuming. As soon as your training day becomes a race day you are committed to showing up early to set up your transition area and sticking around for results. That means either dragging the family along or spending time away from them. And that’s just if you’re racing locally. Racing can also involve travel.

Yet another reason I try to avoid racing for the most part is a character flaw I have. I seem to always find a way to rationalize taking way too much time off after a race. That’s not good.

But mostly, I just enjoy the training more in general. Maybe it’s just my personality makeup. I’ve always liked practice. I was the same way with rugby. I don’t think I’d go so far as to say I liked practice more than games there, but I really did enjoy going to practice. With triathlon, I think I’m in it for the training and lifestyle more than the racing.

For me, racing is like getting drunk. It’s fun and all, but not something I want to do more than a few times a year (if that).

So in the case of our proposed Olympic distance race. It’s tempting, mostly because of the peer pressure being exerted by I-Love-To-Race-Neighbor-Ben, but it doesn’t sound nearly as interesting to me as swimming across the Indian River just for fun.

I know some people line things up as “A” races, “B” races, “C” races…whatever. That’s great if it works for them, but I don’t think it works for me. I may not enjoy racing as much as I enjoy training, but when I am racing, I’m racing. I can’t imagine a situation where I slap down money to enter a race and then “just train through it.”

Diff’rent strokes for diff’rent folks I guess. But it’s good for me to think long and hard about who I am before throwing down entry fees in $100 increments.

[image credit]

Now I’m Afraid of Trainerroad

August 1, 2013 / / 0 Comments

If you’ve been following along, and my sources indicate you probably haven’t been, I started the Trainerroad program a few weeks ago as a sign of my commitment to making big gains on the bike this year.

The first order of business on the Trainerroad program is to take an FTP test. I did that, and I scored 252 watts the first time around. That’s decent power, but for a guy my size, not all that impressive. I was coming into the program with a pretty dang good aerobic base, but I’d definitely let my cycling fall off.

I won’t lie–those few extra pounds I was carrying also hindered my bike speed a little. My FTP/kg was at about 2.8.

After following their six week base building program (with a little vacation built in), I took the test again on Tuesday, hoping my dedication to the schedule would give me an FTP of at least 270, maybe even 280.

Well, the number I actually rode missed that mark by quite a bit. I ended up with a new FTP of 305.

305

305!

Rides - TrainerRoad

That’s an increase of 21%. And with a concurrent drop in weight, that puts my FTP/kg at 3.5. That’s an increase of 25%!!!!

I’m not sure how that would factor in time wise, but I’m guessing that means a 40k time trial improvement of a few minutes. Minutes…not seconds. Minutes! I haven’t ridden on the road since starting the program, and honestly, I’m not too keen to get out there for a while because I’m getting unbelievable results on the trainer.

But I’m jumping right into the middle of a 40k time trial program as my cycling training for an Olympic distance race at the end of September. I’ll be flowing straight to a marathon training plan from there, so there’s going to be a focus on the run as well, at least in volume. I think after some big swims this summer I’m ok putting that on auto-pilot for a while. That doesn’t mean no swimming, but I’m not looking for gains.

But here’s the problem…

With that nice, shiny new (and big) FTP, these Trainerroad rides are going to be VERY challenging over the next few weeks. I’m pretty sure that means I’m going to be finishing a little earlier than usual on race day.

 

Never Again. After This Time.

July 25, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Looks like a ton of people took my advice and registered for the Space Coast Marathon/Half this year because both races are completely full–nice to get some affirmation that this blog has so much influence! 😉

I’m registered and running the full in support of Miles of Love, which is my favorite local charity. Seriously thinking of trying something new this year. Considering running with no watch and no HRM. I’ll just run on feel and I’ll get what I get time wise. The only thing giving me pause is a nutrition plan, but I can probably base that on mileage instead of time. There’s no way to avoid knowing how deep into the race you are on such a well-marked course.

Testing this out at Battle of the Bridges Triathlon in September. I should be able to manage 2.5 hours of racing without electronic feedback. I don’t ever know where I am time/HR wish in the swim anyway. And I’m doing a lot of biking in the 1-1.5 hour range, so I should be used to doing that on feel too. For the run, I’ll just have to let it all go when I feel like I can do so and still hang on.

This is all part of the giant scheme of “untraining” I”ve been experimenting with. I don’t do anything according to schedules other than following what Trainerroad says to do when I decide to bike.

I swim when I feel like I should. That means not much.

I run when I feel like I should, for as much as I feel like I should).

I bike when I feel like I should.

I do intervals when I feel like I should, probably not often enough.

Most importantly, I rest when I feel like I should.

Volume for everything is up in general. I think I’m a volume guy in general, and I think training plans hold me back. The important thing is that I’m having fun…my chances of setting world records are diminishing.

Of course, this will once again be my last marathon. Unless I have a horrible race and don’t PR…then I’ll consider it again.

Daily Reading List — July 24th

July 24, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Five Ways To A Faster Run Split – Got my best 70.3 run split doing a lot of this stuff. One of the things I changed was the way I do intervals–just go hard for as long as you can, as many times as you can. I've found I'll push myself much farther than if it was prescribed, and I'll do more reps too.

Will Fuelling Less Boost Your Fitness? – This is my "thing" this year. We'll see…

Man swims 5 hours to save his family – Studly.

People With a Lot of Self-Control Are Happier – Pretty intuitive to me. It's not about denying yourself, it's about avoiding the guilt and the regret that inevitably come from making impulse decisions.

Daily Reading List — July 12th

July 12, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Disney Princesses Turn Deadly In This Killer Interactive Street Art – It's been my experience that The Princesses mean no physical harm. They simply want your money. All of it.

What Gmail Knows About You – I'm guessing the answer is "more than I know about myself".

What’s Really ‘Immoral’ About Student Loans – It all comes down to skin in the game. The current system encourages schools to get as much of the students' skin into that game as possible.

The 25 Golden Rules of Running – How come it don't say nothin' about hydration?

Daily Reading List — April 23rd

April 23, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Do You Run Enough? – No. That was easy.

A Bomb Is the Opposite of a Marathon – "But when two blasts rung out around 2pm, running experienced violence. We were violated. Those two blasts introduced pain without effort. Suffering beyond endurance. A bomb is quick, thoughtless, grotesque, impatient, unfeeling. It's all externality, no internality. All destruction, no training. All noise, no silence. All damage, no strength. A bomb is the opposite of a marathon."

Read the whole thing a couple of times.

6 Coding Apps For Kids – Get them young'uns schooled up!

Pucs: rechargeable ice! – I looked at some re-usable stones as cubes a while back, but I like the look of these better. I may participate in this one when I get more allowance.

Daily Reading List — April 16th

April 16, 2013 / / 0 Comments

IMtx 70.3 (BETA) – If you're training for or considering a 70.3, this podcast has an unbelievable amount of good information and tips. If I could afford a coach, Coach Brett would be my guy.

A Sunny Outcome: Why Florida’s Startups Are Soaring High – The perfect place for tech startups I think. No state income tax and great weather. Plus, look at the soil around here Stuart–you can't build on it. You can't grow anything in it.

The day I aged up… what life has taught me. – I <3 runners. Swimmers are cool too.

50 Amazing jQuery Plugins That You Should Start Using Right Now – Sharepoint desperately needs the help of many of these.

A field guide to the Meeting Troll – "The meeting troll has a neverending list of reasonable objections. It's the length of the list that makes the objections unreasonable."

Hey! I know that dude!

Let’s Get Run Drunk!

April 4, 2013 / / 0 Comments

I love getting run-drunk. Also known as run-dumb.

Run-drunk is what happens when you’ve been running for so long and/or are so tired that you can’t do simple math. It’s that point where you run 3 or 4 miles without realizing it because you are trying to figure out simple pace calculations in your head.

Good times.

Here’s an example from just the other night. I left the house carrying a bicycle bottle full of water and dropped it off about a half mile from the house at a spot I’d planned to loop through a couple of times. When I threw it over into the grass I actually took note of how heavy it had been to carry and felt instant relief letting it go.

During the course of my run I decided to go a different route with a bigger loop that has water spots built in. No problem–I’d just pick up the bottle on the way back to the house. I was already pretty tired from my bike ride the night before; so tired that I got a little run-buzzed and missed a couple of turns in my newly planned route. Basically I was wandering around the neighborhood like an idiot. People probably would have been alarmed if it weren’t for the fact that I’m so slow. If I was up to no good, they’d have no trouble running me down.

Nine miles later,  I found my bearings and headed back home. I stopped to pick up my water bottle and thought I’d have one last little pit stop before the final .5 home. I probably drank 1/3 of the water from the bottle and was on my way.

Now, how far do you think I went before I realized I was carrying around a bottle full of water (weight) that I was going to take into the house and empty into the sink? I’m actually proud of myself for figuring it out before I got home, but embarrassed that I didn’t think of pouring it all out immediately.

I recommend getting run-drunk to everyone. Also, know that unlike drunk-drunk, it’s ok to get run-drunk alone.

But know going into it that run-drunk isn’t as fun as drunk-drunk. It just doesn’t hurt as badly the next day.

Cadence Change – KAPOW!!!!

March 28, 2013 / / 0 Comments

For me, the big takeaway from the New Balance running form clinic I attended earlier this week was that my cadence needed to be increased. Nothing else was too bad…slight heel strike on the right foot, but the instructor said an increased cadence would probably take care of that.

So yesterday I set out for an interval workout with a metronome beeping at 180 bpm. My pace was definitely faster for that course than what I usually put out there, even with walk breaks, but my heart rate was a lot higher too. And I felt like I was having a really hard time keeping up that cadence unless I was in the middle of an interval.

During my 1.5 mile cooldown I lowered the metronome to 170 bpm, and that was pretty comfortable to maintain. Also, my heart rate stayed in the low 140s. I need to gather more data, but I’m thinking 170 may be right for me. I was running at about 150 before, so 170 is definitely an improvement. What I’m looking for is the cadence that lets me stay in zone 2 and still get a good clip in.

I’m wondering if the 180 recommendation is just the one-size-fits-all starting point. Does weight and power output have any effect on this? I’ve noticed on the bike that 80-85 rpm in a higher gear means lower HR and higher velocity for me than 90 rpm in a lower gear.

March 20, 2013 / / 0 Comments

Ever notice how cyclists (pure cyclists) will sometimes acknowledge you if you’re on a bike, even if it’s a tri/timetrial bike, but will never acknowledge you if you’re running?

Runners always give a nod or slight wave to one another at a minimum. Unless you’re in California.

Thanks to @PacePerMile for the reminder.

 

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