Much Ado About Nothing

For the sake of arguing - because we all know your analogy is wholly based in semantics and should be taken 100% literally - consider that I've been using Kahlua/vodka instead of coolant/oil, and a whole load of crap instead of any type of performance fuel.  And I've been driving this car unduly fast and much more than it should be driven.  

If I was getting injuries completely randomly, I'd probably suspect something biomechanical.  But every time I get injured, it can be traced back to "too much, too soon," particularly on the side of speed.  I've come to accept that I'm just not a speed person.  I just need to remember not to get excited.

Mike MacLellan wrote:For the sake of arguing - because we all know your analogy is wholly based in semantics and should be taken 100% literally - consider that I've been using Kahlua/vodka instead of coolant/oil, and a whole load of crap instead of any type of performance fuel.  And I've been driving this car unduly fast and much more than it should be driven.  

If I was getting injuries completely randomly, I'd probably suspect something biomechanical.  But every time I get injured, it can be traced back to "too much, too soon," particularly on the side of speed.  I've come to accept that I'm just not a speed person.  I just need to remember not to get excited.

Ah, I see.  Now, I'm not a horse person, but I see horses that have blinders on or a mask that diffuses what the horse can see, so it doesn't get spooked.

But in car terms, you're driving too long and you're not shifting soon enough, to boot?  Yeah, that's mental.

Soon, we're going to be talking about a hybrid horse-car.

30min on the bike trainer this morning.  Just enough to loosen up the legs and sweat a bit.  Taking it day by day.

I'm glad we got out metaphors square.

Maybe you can get an extra overdrive gear in your transmission (same pace at less effort).

I'm glad you two have it figured out. Best I can tell, Mike is a horse running too hard on Red Bull and rotgut who ought to become a clean-living llama trotting along building up his base before he lights up the afterburners?

Oh damn. I just added another metaphor to the mix. Shotzbot!

I ran today.  And it wasn't awful.  And it was disciplined, too!

Went out for an hour long bike ride - again, disciplined - this morning.  Tons of runners on the American River Bike Trail, all gearing up for CIM.  I kept my HR around 125, max 130, which is still well within "recovery zone" boundaries.  It was windy as hell, which made some of the ride slow going, but I wasn't about to start digging.  At all.

I noticed about 45min through the ride that... wait, nothing hurt.  Not my knee, not my glute...  Hell, it's been sore just sitting, but during the ride, NOTHING.

So I decided to do a brick workout.  Got home, changed, felt a little soreness in the glute, but told myself I'd give it a mile, nice and slow, and do a maximum of 3mi.

Everything felt good enough for 3mi.  The front of my shins (tibialis anterior) were working hard for some reason, probably cycling related, since I try to keep my toes up and heels down while on the bike.  But overall, a decent run.  Averaged 8:45...  And I'm pretty much okay with that.

Gonna try for 3-4mi tomorrow morning.  25-30 this coming week.  All slow.  Here we go.

Oh, and Aileen is doing her first 20 today.  Aaaaand she just got home!

Mike MacLellan wrote:Haha, Oz, that was a beautiful analogy.  And taps into why this is so frustrating to me.  It seems like it's ALWAYS something.

But, with that said, I'm listening.  I don't really know how to go from here, other than to run easy and shut it down as soon as I feel any discomfort.  I'll look into cycling and the elliptical if I'm unable to run even a mile.  

Just sucks that I have to come to terms with the fact that I might not get that sub-3 before training has even really started.  Then again, as I'm learning time and time again, you can't push fitness. 

Thanks, folks.

Try doing this with an extra 10 years and 15-20 lbs on the body!  Just take your time, you've got plenty of it before the goal race.

Jim - No thanks!  I'm staying in my 20s forever... Right. 

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3mi recovery (just over 9:00 pace) this morning.  First few steps were kind of awkward feeling, and it took about 1.5mi to really loosen up, but hey, I realized at the 2.5mi mark that I was feeling no pain whatsoever.  Just a little dull soreness in the glute, but an honest 1/10 on the pain scale.  

I also noticed that doing leg raises (ab workout) with a little extra extension was stretching that glute... which made me think maybe it's tied into a tight back.  So I did a good long plow pose (well, as best as I can) and found that it seemed to help.

I'm revamping my plans, goals, and training schedule for this race.  In a good way, I think.  Probably going to unveil a new blog soon to commemorate the beginning of my "official" training for Modesto...  Which started Saturday with a missed run.  Hahaha

Mike MacLellan wrote:Jim - No thanks!  I'm staying in my 20s forever... Right. 

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3mi recovery (just over 9:00 pace) this morning.  First few steps were kind of awkward feeling, and it took about 1.5mi to really loosen up, but hey, I realized at the 2.5mi mark that I was feeling no pain whatsoever.  Just a little dull soreness in the glute, but an honest 1/10 on the pain scale.  

I also noticed that doing leg raises (ab workout) with a little extra extension was stretching that glute... which made me think maybe it's tied into a tight back.  So I did a good long plow pose (well, as best as I can) and found that it seemed to help.

I'm revamping my plans, goals, and training schedule for this race.  In a good way, I think.  Probably going to unveil a new blog soon to commemorate the beginning of my "official" training for Modesto...  Which started Saturday with a missed run.  Hahaha

Just remember, grasshopper, there's only one way to stay in your 20s forever...  

Keep working your way into this training. You'll get it. Just remember that it's easier to climb a mountain if you follow the steady slope upward, not smack head-on into a cliff.

How did Aileen's 20 go?  Ok, I hope.

Just take it easy and don't make the same mistakes that I did at your age.

I'm staying out of the metaphors / analogies here! 

Good long plow pose….can those words all be in the same sentence?  Not for me, at least.  I've definitely had some random back pains from tight hips / glutes as well, so stretching is a good thing.

Penelope wrote:I'm staying out of the metaphors / analogies here! 

Gosh, I don't have the foggiest idea on what she means.  I mean, she's acting like a fearful youngster with her toes hanging over the edge of the pool, with her mom in the water saying, "Jump, honey!"

What do you think about it, Mark?