I am destroyed today.......Ever had that?




Yup. Just about every time I finish a race!

Yep- unfortunately I get that after a 45 min easy run at AeT lately :-(

Time to accept the fact that it's training season again and get off my fat ass. I can only use the post-IM recovery excuse for so long...

I love it. In his first book, Lance talks about pain that is "cleansing", in that it is totally consuming. I love workouts like that partly because I love to narrow down my focus to as few things as possible, and maintaining a high HR, or keeping going for 6 hours requires real focus from me. Also, I love having FINISHED one of those workouts....should have that feeling Saturday after first IMFL.

It's funny, sometimes you can do a race and then you are just like, "Oh, now I have to cut the grass...." and everything is normal. Other times it is like having your spleen removed through your right eye without anesthetic.

Some races you kick butt, some races kick your butt.

But one thing for sure: The more you sweat in training the less you bleed on race day.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

A few years back did a workout w/ some local elite runners. 2.5 mile run to a 1 mile loop that included a very large hill. 8 x 1 mile on that loop w/ about 30-45 sec rest between(depending on how fast you ran each loop). 2.5 mile cooldown.

The workout was actually 10 x 1 mile, but I bagged it after 8. I might have attempted 10 if it had been on the track, but the hill was killer!

That's a good insight. Last night, after it had gotten dark (I started when it was light out) I was coming into the last three miles of the run and trying to pick up speed on already sore legs. It becomes a matter of damage control/management. I really focused on breathing- trying to visual my breath as a curtain movng gently back and forth in the wind. It as very dark where I was running- no street lights. It was amazing. I spent minutes with my body completely gone- I was just this levitating system of breath, hovering on the edge of not being able to turn the gases over fast enough in my lungs. As long as I could maintain that concentration-that utterly single minded, quiet, specific focus, I could accelerate and hold the speed without physical effort. Only mental concentration. But something always brings you back into paying attention to your body, and that is a horrible return. You realize your body is this frail, pale, weak thing on bruised legs and repaired joints trying its best to repsond to a mind that only wants more. Damn having a physical body. This thing is a piece of shit.

The blissful part of it is that, in a world of pain and disappointment, you can check out for a while. The bad part is, the shit is always still there when you get back.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Talk about wasted...My last two days I've been asked are you OK, by my workmates after watching me walk/limp around!! Getting ready for the Philly marathon and 3 hard consecutive days has left my quads so cooked to the point I haven't felt that way since the day after my last Ironman....Pass the Advil and turn on the Xbox, time to recover!!

I just rinsed yesterday's run out of my leg with a killer Computrainer ride.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Definitely!

A few weeks ago, after having taken my "off-season" a little early this year (got married, went on our honeymoon etc.) I decided to go for a ride with two friends, both of whom can really ride (and climb, not my forte). It was pitched to me as "just a nice two hour ride" so I figured it would be a good way to get back in the groove. We met at our usual spot, and headed out. About 5k into our usual route there is a turning point - you can go straight and have another 20k of flats and gentle rollers, or you can turn right and hit some serious climbs - Rider No. 1 (names will be witheld to protect my riding partners) says from the front "Shall we go straight or go up?". As soon as he asked the question I knew I was toast. We turned right and started the first climb. I held on for about 3/4 of the climb and then had to let them go. I figured I could catch them going over the top. I spent the next two hours yo-yoing off the back and time trialling off the top of every climb to catch my two tormentors (and sucking as much wheel as I possibly could).

Just when I thought it was over, Rider No. 2 decides that we are going to climb the nastiest hill around, known locally as Rattlesnake Point (the hill is so steep that the road has several switchbacks). My quads started to cramp about halfway up, and by the time I could see the summit I thought for sure that I was going to fall off of my bike at the top.

They definitely ripped me a new one. Of course, once I get my legs back I have promised to return the favour ...

mp

"Outside looking in" is what I can it in my own mind, That's a great feeling.

When I was a Company Commander I would take a few of my troops (3-5) and we'd do a STREND test (strend.com)

weight in to establish your weight as X

1. Bench press - X as many times as possible

2. wide grip pullups - as many as possible

3.Military press - 75% of X as many times as possible

4.Chin ups - as many as possible

5. Dips - as many as possible

AND THEN...

6. 3 mile run

your score was the total number of repitions for all strenght exercises divided by run time in seconds.

You got a score like 3.179 and THE WORST ALL-OVER-BENT-OVER-THE-BARRELL-I-CAN'T-WALK-BODY-SORENESS I have ever had. worst than any triathlon, marathon, or other race I have ever done since....

This thing was invented by a former Delta Force Sergeant Major, check out the website results, the top guys are in absolutely incredible shape and can freakin run!!!! especially after benching 150lbs like 50 times...

Jim

Funny you should start this thread just now. I'm sitting at the computer today only because it's too painful to get up and move. As for "every workout should have a purpose"...I'm on board with that one too, even when the purpose is to simply try something new, refresh the mind, etc.

We tried just that this past weekend; something new to top off a long season, and just a week after a final 1/2 iron. Some friends talked us into going to the Grand Canyon with them, and doing "just a little fun run"...Rim to Rim to Rim. A double crossing....South Rim to the North Rim and back! We did it, it was AWESOME!!, and now we're in pain like never before in my life. It was so worth it...I can't wait to go back and do it next year. I was alone for about 38 out of the 47 miles, and finished alone in the dark up the South Kaibab trail (7.3 miles and almost 5000 vertical feet.) I was so wasted at times near thre end that I was barely moving (that final ascent took me just under 4 hours), but it was almost surreal; maybe out of body at times.

I could have done the whole thing much faster than I did, but I had to stop and appreciated where I was from time to time...took along a camera, and took a fair few pix. I'd never been to the GC before, and wanted to take it in while in the process of running across it.

Rip a new one? I'll say...I had to walk down the stairs in my house backward this morning; and the idea of moving forward at anything more than a shuffle seems like a pipe dream. The pain, however, is a small price to pay for an experience I'll never forget.

See, you guys are cool. We're cool. This is the only place anyone understands me...... :(

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

I did the NY marathon yesterday. I was going to run 26.2 miles in ... well, I won't post my goal time because I came up embarassingly short. But I went into my first marathon confident. And I came out a complete and utter wreck.

I started out going at a slower pace than I wanted, but I felt like I was running harder than I wanted to. I'd look at my watch when we passed the markers and wonder how I could be running so slowly. I could feel myself starting to blow up at mile 15, when we started ascending the Queensboro bridge. By that time I had given up my goal time and set a goal to run the whole way. I managed to make it over the hump of the bridge, and hit the throngs of people on 1st ave still running. If you haven't done NY, you have to imagine this: you've just run up the entrance ramp of the bridge in an industrial part of Queens where there aren't a lot of people. You're running uphill on the lower level of the bridge, nobody's talking, just footsteps. Just after you cross the top of the bridge and start to descend you start to hear the crowd in Manhattan. When you get to the turn at the base of the bridge the roar is deafening. You round that bend and there's all 6 lanes of 1st ave wide open in front of you, with crowds 10 deep on either side, screaming and cheering. That kept me going for another mile and a half.

After that was misery. First I tried to run a mile, walk the aid stations. Then in Harlem, it was run 10 blocks, walk a block. Then down fifth ave near the park, it was run when I could. Once I got into central park, I tried to run the downhills but had to stop because of quad spasms -- I was able to run uphill though. I kept yo-yoing with someone else who was also run-walking. He passed me and said "come on Brooklyn", which got me going, because he was wearing his Prospect Park Track Club singlet. Then he stopped and I tapped him on the shoulder as I went by. Like that five or six times, and then we're down on 59th street. I lost him after that, because somehow I managed to shuffle from 7th ave to the end. Then they made us walk almost 3/4 mile to exit the park and get our stuff. I don't think I've ever been as close to collapsing as I was on that walk. But I did it, found my family, and sat on a dirty sidewalk for 1/2 hour until I could get up again. And would you believe what I had to do to get home? Walk down 3 flights of steps to get the subway!

Here's what's good about the experience. This afternoon, my brain was craving a nice jog in the park (even though my legs couldn't deliver and won't be able to for a few days). And I've got my inspiration to stay away from the ice cream and comfort food -- I'm going to lose those pounds in the preseason instead of gain them, and come back strong next year.

Lee

I hear ya, Tom. My fraternity brothers (many of whom are borderline alcoholics who couldn't run a mile) have actually recommended to me that I seek counseling, because my brand of stress-relief comes in the form of 3-4 hour hill rides and 1-2 hour runs - and they think that this is the same as cutting yourself or something else needlessly masochistic.

The way I see it, they don't know what they're missing... On the other hand, I have come to the conclusion that I am, without a doubt, an adrenaline junkie

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

Hey Lee,

Great job sticking it out. I share your joy on the First Ave. part and your pain on the subway stairs part!

I was also eager to run again today, but my legs reminded me of the insanity of that urge. Maybe tomorrow...

I can't imagine a more exciting marathon. I felt like the crowd carried me through the first 23.8 miles, until my legs reminded me they were actually doing the work and I melted down dramatically. There's no faking a marathon, and I paid for low mileage and not enough runs over two hours, but still got off pretty lightly and qualified for Boston. And I had a rollicking great time.

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The deeper you get the sweeter the pain. Don't give up the game until your heart stops beating.
--New Order

Every workout since injuring my tailbone has been like that...

Seriously, when I was really competitive, I had gotten into such good form that I would regularly test myself against the cars around the park where I used to live. I did a workout like this about four times per week:

warm up- 10:00, easy spin to the park, about three miles away.

warm up lap (1/2 mile)- five minutes @ 45% MHR

alternating with one lap @ 95% MHR, one lap resting (65% MHR)

I would do this for one hour, then do the sprints to stop signs for about 1/2 hr, then go home. I would also drag-race cars for fun after, often losing but having a good time.

Hip flexor injury in the first race that (then- future) mrs. bunnyman had watched forced me out of this work ethic, and in my first years of multisport, I spent so much time on the bike that my run SUCKED. I never got it back after I had recovered with new commitments and increased demand for my time with job and mrs. bunnyman.

My most @ss-kicking workout post car-accident (after Oct 2000) were my 13 mile long runs, then my first 1/2 marathon. But I count my DNF this year as @ss-kicking, just it was NOT my day.

Well, you are right, each training session should have a purpose. Also you have to match the "purpose" with the adequate "dose" to receive proper or desired training effect. In other words - your daily training "dose" should be close or equal to your individual "adaptation threshold" related to a specific function you are trying to improve (function can be also viewed as an Energy Production Zone or mechanizm).

One of the best known training methods allowing reaching constant increase in work capacity (speed at given distance) - is Parametric Training Method. So, the point is that beating yourself up is not necessarily a way to improve yourself. In fact, the idea of reaching a higher speed in each next training - will surely lead to stagnation in results.

On a practical side: 1). Identify your base distance and required speed at this distance 2) Depending on preparation phase - build your ability to increase training distance at given speed. You will start seeing improvement in your performance in about 3-5 weeks.

Coach Sergei

I agree with the ability of a marathon to totally wreck you. I ran Chicago one year, my only marathon actually. I "planned" to go out easy and run what I considered to be a conservative time of 2:40 or so as I was coming back from an injury.

I didn't stick to my plan, got caught up in the moment and remember going through the half right around 1:11. The wheels came off around 15 miles and it was a struggle beyond that. Walking, trying to run walking . . . Everytime someone would pass me I could look at their turnover and tell they weren't going that fast and try to go with them. I physically couldn't do it, the legs just wouldn't do it. I walked most of the way to the finish after mile 20 I think.

The next three days were some of the worse I've ever had in relation to "exercise" types of activity. I can't even describe it, totally wiped out physiologically and psychologically too I guess.

Workout wise, I have a few running workouts I remember even though they were a few years ago. In my buildup to a marathon (that I didn't end up running) I was running 10 mile "steady states," and remember doing an out and back 10 miler in 53:30. It was a pretty tough workout and while it felt fine at the time took a toll the next day. Not quite like the marathon post race blues though.

Damn but people run fast on this site! That does it, more running and less peanut M&Ms for me; or maybe just more running. I'm going back to the swimming thread...

NICE! I know about those kinds of "workouts". One of my favorites during my build last season was the 10 mile TT, 20 minute Run, 10 mile TT, 20 minute Run, 10 MIle TT, 20 Min run. Brutal! The first time I did it , I was reduced to walking the last 20 minute run. But man-o-man was the endorphine high flowing!

Tom, you have Yaqui Carbo, right? Can you give me a lo-down on this frame. I am convinced that this is my next frame. I most likely will by one from Ves after the new year.

Graz

I go through bikes faster than a 30+ single girl looking for husband candidates. My Yaqui Carbo is a very fond memory now. I sold it a while ago to try something else. I go through between 6-8 bikes a year in the process of doing reviews and trying new things. I loved that Carbo though. It fit me beautifully and the workmanship was very, very good. It was a no bullshit bike. Light, comfortable, responsive, mechanically simple and rode great. I loved that bike.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com