Crazy Day

What a day! I started out with a bike ride, giving the new William Cycling 30X wheels a more proper test than last time was the idea. I had 2.5 hours before Donna had to leave for a swim clinic, so I was on it! I stuck my head outside and it was very still. No Wind! Wha? Oh yeah!

Off to a good start (even though there really was wind of course) I looked down and kept seeing 18 and 19 mph on the GPS! Yes!

Then after about 15 mins and a few back-offs to keep the heart rate down... BAM! The back tire blew. Not just went flat but blew off the rim! I don't think I have ever had that happen! I had brand new Continental Grand Prix 4000S tires on the brand new wheels... and this time I went without the Mr Tuffy tire liners, maybe that was not such a good idea. I also went with some Continental Race Lite tubes... maybe not a good idea either?

Anyway, I pull over and notice my rim got a bit dinged around the edges from the tire coming off. Crap! And the tire was so hard to get on initially it took me a long time fiddling with it even.

I changed out the tube, struggled a little to get the new tire on, put on the CO2 cartridge to re-inflate and... BAM! Crap. Must have been pinched! I didn't have a second tube because my next to last time out I had a flat too, so I called the wife to come get me.

On the way home, someone rolls down his window next to us an yells that the wheel is about to fall off my bike. It was just hanging on the chain! Thank God for good samaritans!

Anyhow, home safe from all that drama I decided to go for a run instead. I only went 2 miles, and walked most of the second one because my leg tendon was acting up a bit. Hopefully I can re-strengthen that without injuring it again!

Darren

Commitment

Commitment: "

'Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can do, begin it. Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it. Begin it now.'

- William Hutchinson Murray (quoting Goethe)

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Running

I had a really good run today. It was hard, particularly getting started. It was foggy and a little chilly, even at 10:00. I left with the goal of running 2:30 and then walking 2:30, but I had to shorten the runs at first and as I got near the end. I also shortened the walk intervals too though. I wore the heart rate monitor strap on the Garmin Forerunner 305, I wanted to take a look at the data... yeah, that's the engineer in me! LOL

To make use of the data, I made program where the length of my intervals are controlled by my heart rate. Run until HR gets above 160, walk until it gets below 135. That should be some interesting torture for next time!

Anyway, the results! I ran 4:04 miles with an average pace of 13:34, records for me in both time and distance! :) I had a peak pace of 8:17, I am sure that was for a very short burst. I tried to kick it in hard up my street on the way home. :)

Darren

Will Running Ruin My Knees?

Will Running Ruin My Knees?: good article!

Muscle fascia

Everything You Know About Muscle is Wrong

I find this fascia-nating! I think there is a lot to be said for this kind of thing. My chiropractor (Dr. Thea Taylor at Taylor Sport Chiropractic) does a lot with A.R.T. and the Graston technique, which have done wonders for my problem areas. This article on muscle fasica helps explain how that stuff works in my mind. Check it out!

Darren

What are YOU training for

What are YOU training for: "

With the New Year right around the corner, the question begs to be asked:

What are YOU training for?

Are you in a fat loss mode?

Do you need some corrective exercise to help clean up your posture and movement?

Are you trying to get bigger or stronger?

Do you even know what you're currently training for?

I'm shocked at how many people contact me either via the Internet (or at IFAST), with a laundry list of assorted goals.

They want to fix injuries.

They want to lose body fat.

They want to lift like a powerlifter, but look like a bodybuilder.

Quite simply, they're all over the place with their goals, and it shows.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is - "What am I training for?" This simple, yet elusive, question can really make desiging your next training program infinitely easier.

And one more tip - try NOT to achieve everything at once. Prioritize your goals and program accordingly.

Good luck!

MR

(To read and post comments for this entry, visit robertsontrainingsystems.com)

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Reduce Stride Length to Prevent Tibial Stress Fractures

From Innersport Chiropractic blog...

Reduce Stride Length to Prevent Tibial Stress Fractures: "

A recent research article in the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, December 2009 studied the effects of increased stride length and the incidence of tibial stress fractures in runners. The authors of “Effects of Stride Length and Running Mileage on a Probabilistic Stress Fracture Model” found that by reducing stride length by 3%-6% decreased the probability of stress fracture. Increasing the running mileage increased the probability of stress fracture by 4%-6%. They also concluded that if a runner decreases their stride length by 10%, he or she can run an additional 2 miles/day and maintain the same probability of stress fracture.

It is very important to understand the difference between stride length and stride angle as we do not advise runners to reduce their stride angle.  Stride length is the distance from initial contact of one foot to the subsequent contact of the same foot.  There are stride calculators on the web to determine your stride length such as http://www.tech4o.com/stridecalc.html.

Stride angle measures the greatest angle your legs create during the running stride.

An example of stride angle

We would like to see the stride angle increase without the stride length increasing as we do not want the runner to land too far out in front of her body.

Heel strike far in front of body

To increase stride angle, we would do ART (Active Release Techniques) to the hip flexor group and hamstring group as well as other related structures inhibiting range of motion as well as prescribe various stretches and exercises.  To reduce over striding, we work on technique and running drills.  To receive a video analysis of your stride angle and running gait, please email drjess@innersport.com.

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