A Game to Play While You're Running

Did Wed/Thu/Fri as planned.

I thought I'd throw up a picture that my friend Greg took of 2007 Hawaii Ironman morning. Very good memories of that race, and I look forward to returning to Hawaii this year to spend the entire day with a Mai Tai or Margarita in hand, cheering on my friends and (hopefully) this year, 4 of the athletes that I coach (you know who you are!).

I ended up sticking to my injury rehab plan this week, and must say I am happy to have gotten in a two hour aerobic ride on the bike trainer (with a 20 minute "Zone 4" fast finish) and just returned from a 15 mile jaunt around Moscow, Idaho, during which I played a little game...try it out sometime (it really only works best on less busy roads):

-Settle into an aerobic pace, which, if you do Zone training, would be about Zone 2-3. Otherwise, take your threshold heart rate and subtract about 20 beats.

-Every time a car passes you *from behind*, you must pick up the pace to a comfortable stride-out (about high Zone 3, or threshold heart rate - 10) for 100 steps.

-If a "string" of cars passes, then you begin your stride after the last car goes by.

-If a car passes you during those 100 steps, you pick up the pace to maximum for however many steps you have left.

-Once you're done with the 100 step stride, you can settle in until the next car approaches.

***Optional Add-On Again For Less Busy Roads and Running During the Day***

-Every time a car passes you *from the front*, you switch sides of the road, whether "mid-stride" or not.

This game is basically Fartlek training with an unpredictable twist, and is good when you don't have a group to run with to do the pace-changing. Have fun.

Oops. (AKA training through an injury).

Guess I got a little "hot under the collar" during a recent bike training session. We have an orphanage across the street from our house. It is a stately old brick mansion with an exactly 1/4 mile driveway leading up to it.

Last week, I did a series of very hard bike sprints in the standing position down this 1/4 mile driveway.

The orphans were cheering.

Anyways, I got going so hard, wanting to impress the orphans and all, that I slightly "tweaked" my right hamstring. Nothing bad, just a bit of a strain.

Despite some heavy icing protocols, it has stayed with me this past week, and in the meantime, as I "upped" the swim volume during my lay-off from biking, I have managed to over-use the right shoulder.

So here I sit with no right shoulder and no right hamstring. A southpaw, so to speak. Since New Orleans Half-Ironman Triathlon is in about 6 weeks, the pressure is on.

I've decided to completely lay off running and cycling for the next 3 days to really let this hamstring lay down some connective tissue groundwork. I'm also switching to "drills only" for swimming, primarily very light and easy formwork, with rotator cuff work thrown in as well. Here's how it will look:

---------------------------------

Wednesday: Foam roller in morning, 5 minutes. Aqua Jogging, 30 minutes, as 5 min warm-up, 10x30 second sprints, 5 minute tempo, 5 minute cool-down. Paired with fire hydrants, side leg raises and isometric squats for leg conditioning. 3x 10 minutes ice on hamstring/shoulder during day, 5 minutes home infrared with Kenkowave, topical oil of oregano application for analgesic.

Thursday: Foam roller in morning, 5 minutes. Aqua Jogging, 30 minutes, as 5 min warm-up, 2 minutes tempo, 1 minute easy, 4 minutes tempo 2 minutes easy 3x through, 5 min cool-down. Swim drill workout as side-swimming, 6-1 transition, 6-3 transition 10x through as a circuit of 50m repeats. *If* time permits, 15-20 minutes elliptical trainer *with* arms + light dumbbell rotator cuff circuit. 3x 10 minutes ice on hamstring/shoulder during day, 5 minutes home infrared with Kenkowave, topical oil of oregano application for analgesic.

Friday: Foam roller in morning, 5 minutes. Same as Wednesday, with a "Left Side Only" cable circuit for resistance training and a full rotator cuff internal/external rotation elastic band circuit. 3x 10 minutes ice on hamstring/shoulder during day, 5 minutes home infrared with Kenkowave, topical oil of oregano application for analgesic.

Saturday: Hopefully damage will have subsided and a return to training.

-----------------------------------

And that's how you train through an injury or two. Don't worry, little orphans, I'll be back soon.

Hot & Sweaty V-Day Action

Lucky Guitar

Boys Like Fire & Drugs

This Monday, River and Terran went to Grandma's. A firetruck rolled up to the building just across the street with lights blaring and sirens wailing. The boys' chair gave them a perfect vantage point...

...I am really hoping they were not witnessing a violent crime scene or murder...

...that's right, they've figured out waving.

...firetrucks are apparently way cool for 10 month old boys.

As for me, I've turned to drugs for entertainment...

Most of the testimonials that I've read about this stuff comes from 82 year old men who finally were able to get out of their diapers, excited about the potential of many consecutive years of making babies.

I'll definitely call my physician if the effect lasts for more than 3 hours.

Ben