Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Ironman New Zealand Update: 4-6 Hour Trainer session of Death

Last year this was my training ground. Looks like it's going to look like this again this year too.


Well upon looking at the forecast and the smiles of glee as the meteorologists predict inches of the white stuff sub-zero wind chills and the possibility of a second ice age ( take that you global warming wack jobs!* ) it looks like my plans for a New Year's day long ride are thwarted and with the clock ticking down to just about 3 months until I need to get my rear in gear. So New Year's Day I plan on spinning, I plan on spinning until I can spin no more and then hopefully, Achilles Tendon willing tack on a 8-12 mile run. I need the miles. I agree with the Angry Runner that my lack of lifting heavy things maybe causing the Achilles pain, so I'm enlisting the assistance of my friend Alex ( whom is the new owner of my road bike) to assist me with my dead lift technique so I can build lower body strength. Although I think the fact that my run training is not as on par as last years' might also be affecting that, irregardless, I need to start stocking up on my gatorade, powerade and granola bars now because New Year's Day is going to be a long day of movies and and Spinnervals.
Here's my list:
Rudy :Warm up while spinning moderate cadence in the Big ring 15-11. ( about 2 hours)
Coach Troy's Aero Base Builder 5 to make me suffer for 2 hours.
Rocky IV to get me ready to play in the snow.Figure Warming down in the big ring 15. (1.5 hours)
Esentially this equals a 100 mile ride granted it's done indoors and will leave me coated in a slimy sweat, but it will at least build my legs up...and to quote from another of my trainer favorties: "The legs feed the wolf."
Tomorrow I plan on beating the snow by getting up @ 5:00am and heading to the Y to swim if it isn't snowing. If it is then I'll just spin easy for an hour in the AM and a harder session in the PM. Running I'm going to see how my Achilles feels before I do anything granted it doesn't hurt when I run it's only afterward I feel the pain. Alright I've got my game plan set up time to execute.
I only wonder if my Gramps and I can get cash from the electric company if I hook my trainer up to a turbine.....
R.D.
*note I don't believe that driving gas guzzling SUV's is doing anything to help the planet but I don't believe warming and cooling patterns are as affected by CO and CO2 emissions as heavily as guys like Al " I invented the internet" Gore and others believe. I blame this on El Nino and La Nina!

2 comments:

Paul W said...

Rob,

I have no idea about blog etiquette, but I just wanted to write. I just found your blog a few days ago and have been reading some of it. It sure sounds like you haven't changed your style much since I wad reading your required work.

Hope you get to travel in the Pro circuit. Love to follow your exploits.

Angry Runner said...

"I agree with the Angry Runner that my lack of lifting heavy things maybe causing the Achilles pain..."

Well...yes and no. Think of it this way:

Your achilles hurts (assuming only one side), which usually means there is an imbalance somewhere up the kinetic chain that is transferring unnecessary force down to your achilles. The reason I say HIPS is because a distressed/strained achilles is indicative of either 1. weakness in the hamstrings and glutes 2. tightness in the hamstrings and glutes, 3. chronically tight hip flexors which feeds #'s 1 and 2.

Keep in mind that ALL ATHLETIC FORCE is generated from the HIPS. Ignore that very simple truth at your own peril. This is not exactly something that is preached in the halls of Tri-Geekdom very often, but any coach worth their shit would have you training your HIPS frequently outside of sport specific training. Not many coaches are worth their shit, your shit, my shit, or even my dog's shit.

I will take on anyone who challenges this fact of life.

Presenting as a bilateral strain would tell me that you're compensating in one form or another through either your pedal stroke or running gait. Given your mileage volume, this is not uncommon. Also given that same volume running and cycling, you have chronically tight HIPS.

Mind you that I've been through this 3 times. Three. Twice on the right and once on the left. The way i finally got out of it was getting someone who knows HIPS and hammering out the weaknesses bit by bit.

Deadlifts fix anything, but you'd be better off on a regimen of single leg squats, single leg bridges or hip thrusts or whatever they're called, and whatever else you can do on one leg. If you squat and your knee(s) dive(s) in, you have weak HIPS and the body is compensating by placing the force on the quads. This is not correct. If you can't squat with your HIPS, you can't run or bike with them either.

Roll, stretch, and pop generous amounts of fish oil and omega-3's for inflammation.