Cyclists with a "Running" Problem

[candz1]

I would love to hear your feedback on this race...a friend of mine said its awesome!

 

 

 

 

 

I am currently blessed with a lovely thick head. Head cold/sinus/allergy/whatever... And sore-ish throat to go. Early morning runs doesn't help much, but... pffff... 

 

Running a 30 with a buddy on Sunday, first long run I can remember since Oceans!   He dragged me into it - Somewhere in Simons Town, incl Red hill. Will be a first for me, so looking forward to it. Except for the early rise to get there from Paarl!

[Raab]

After a week off following Magaliesberg 36km (each year I forget how brutal this race is) I am now on the hunt for an Oceans qualifier. 

 

Any feedback on the Jacaranda Marathon taking place in October? TIA

[Mr Winter]

Hey guys 

 

Hope everyone is keeping well and running strong,

 

Does anyone have or know of someone that has a Wanderers 10km entry they are looking at selling?

[shaper]

Oh, if we highlighting till the end of the year as only went to end of Sept with IM Worlds and CT Marathon, also doing Rockies 21, Rainbow 21, Satellite cycle, Carnival City cycle, Kaapsehoop 42, 94.7 cycle and to finish off the year the Tough One... should keep me out of mischief

[Jensie]

So I did my first 4km run after starting to run on and off in July.
It is hard to start and the knees is only now starting to get used to running.
My legs is dead, did 50km ride in the morning with 4km run @5 then again almost 50km on the bike the next morning. tomorrow we plan on doing +100km on the bike. Will see how it goes with this crazy wind. 

[Lexx]

Man oh Man, these last 2 months have been the worst ever. Coming down with Streptococcus on Monday, and constantly sick. And still don't know when our work hours are going to change. Because of all those factors, my running have been almost non-existent.

[Stretch]

Man oh Man, these last 2 months have been the worst ever. Coming down with Streptococcus on Monday, and constantly sick. And still don't know when our work hours are going to change. Because of all those factors, my running have been almost non-existent.

 

I did notice that......

 

 

and you have bought a new bike GPS.......

 

sterkte boet..it shall pass and you will be flying again

[Frosty]

Oh, if we highlighting till the end of the year as only went to end of Sept with IM Worlds and CT Marathon, also doing Rockies 21, Rainbow 21, Satellite cycle, Carnival City cycle, Kaapsehoop 42, 94.7 cycle and to finish off the year the Tough One... should keep me out of mischief

Only listed my two runningi races I have planned to the end of the year, and everything inbetween     

[b-rad]

Anybody running Berlin Marathon next month?

[ycowley]

Definitely plantar. How old are your shoes?

 

Google remedies for plantar ... Rolling your arch over an ice bottle.... Stretching your arch first thing in the morning etc

Yip, you are right. Confirmed by doctor this afternoon.

 

He has said no need to rest as it does not help. Must go for physio and can take up to 6 months to go away.

 

My shoes only have about 500km on them but maybe time to look at new ones. Currently running in Brooks Ghost 10.

[Jaws677]

Man oh Man, these last 2 months have been the worst ever. Coming down with Streptococcus on Monday, and constantly sick. And still don't know when our work hours are going to change. Because of all those factors, my running have been almost non-existent.

I’m sitting in exactly the same boat.

No running at all.

 

I was in Moma Mozambique this week for work , I packed my running gear and promised myself to get back into it. But no just turned my alarm off and went back to sleep every morning

[Stretch]

Yip, you are right. Confirmed by doctor this afternoon.

 

He has said no need to rest as it does not help. Must go for physio and can take up to 6 months to go away.

 

My shoes only have about 500km on them but maybe time to look at new ones. Currently running in Brooks Ghost 10.

500 is fine.. My Brookes ghost are on 1200 and in retiring them now. I had this weird plantar like lump on my arch beginning of last year... Rested for 2 weeks and physio... Get 4 physio sessions over 2 weeks and stretch your arch before you get up every morning. Lie on your back with your leg straight up. Grab a rugby sock and put it over your toes and pull down so your arch is stretched

[Frosty]

Picked this up in a email subscription from TP:

 

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/is-your-fitness-improving-let-these-fitness-tests-be-your-barometer/?utm_source=tpnu&utm_medium=email&utm_content=nonuser&utm_campaign=20180818_weekly_news_nonuser

 

Is Your Fitness Improving? Let These Fitness Tests Be Your Barometer

AUGUST 10, 2018  BY DR. RICK KATTOUF

 

When it comes to “fitness tests” for athletes, I like to first change the way I talk about them. Athletes tend to perform better during an “assessment” rather than a “test.” Sure, it’s just semantics, but when an athlete has a test to perform there is the potential of “failing,” which can cause undue anxiety. In reality, there is no way to fail a fitness test, since we are just gathering, assessing and comparing data. And that is why “Fitness Assessments” have become my choice of words for gauging an athlete’s fitness improvements over time.

When it comes to running assessments, it’s common for athletes and coaches to think that each assessment has to be built around a maximal effort. And while these efforts do have great value, we still want to assess an athlete across the entire spectrum; measuring an athlete’s aerobic energy system/sub-maximal can also provide incredible data. Let’s take a look at a number of assessments that athletes can do at home in order to keep track of your (or you athlete’s) progress. (See Alternate Testing Methods for Cyclists if you’re not a runner!)

 

Aerobic Run Assessment (Zone 1)

This is an ideal workout for the treadmill. Be sure you are well fueled with carbohydrates, such as an energy bar (plus 20-30oz water), prior to starting this workout. Keep the treadmill flat (0% incline) and run 5 miles.

 

The key to this workout is to stay in HRZ1 (heart rate zone 1). No matter how slow the pace may be, do whatever it takes to stay in Z1. And if in fact the pace is painfully slow, this tells us a lot. In short, that the heart is having to work hard to move the body, even at a slow pace. And that’s ok! It’s exactly why we are performing this assessment.

 

Now, always keep in mind the effect of cardiac drift. This means that your HR will increase over time even if the effort/pace stays the same. For example, let’s say your heart rate zone 1 is 131-140 bpm. You do not want to spike the HR up to 140 at the start, why? Because of cardiac drift; remember, your HR will increase over time. If you are already at the top of Z1 at the start of the assessment, there is a very good chance you will have to significantly slow your pace, maybe even to a walk, to be able to maintain Z1. Instead, gradually build into Z1 and stay in the low end/middle of the zone for as long as you can.

 

Once the assessment is over, upload your data; now the fun begins. Let’s say your average pace was 10:00/mile and your average HR was 135bpm. Ok great, now you have a Zone 1 baseline. This is important when it comes to improving running efficiency and becoming faster, because in the end it’s all a numbers game. If our Zone 1 pace is 10:00/mile, our Zone 4 pace can only be so fast, right? It’s going to be difficult verging on impossible to run a 4:30 mile in Zone 4 if our Zone 1 is a 10:00/mile.

 

What to Look For in a Fitness Assessment

Now here is where it starts to get crazy. As you eat right, work out smart, and continue to perform the aerobic run assessment over time, you will see this Zone 1 pace become a 9:30/mile; then a 9:00/mile; then an 8:45/mile, and so on. Whoa! Do you see what is happening here? Your aerobic efficiency improvements are unreal. You are now running 1:15/mile faster in the same HR zone (Zone 1). Just imagine how much faster Zone 4 can be! Make sense?  Your heart is beating fewer times for the same output, which means you can essentially run longer, harder and faster than a less-efficient runner (or your less-efficient past self).

 

Measuring your aerobic efficiency over time can not only map your progress, but help you set realistic goals. You can also measure you endurance (Zone 2) and tempo (Zone 3) efficiency using the same method.  As you start to see your pace/mile get faster in all three zone assessments, watch out! Because your fitness level just increased big time.

 

No Heart Rate Zones? No Problem

Can you still do these assessments if you do not know your exact HR zones? Absolutely. Let’s say that your run threshold pace is 8:00/mile. For the Zone 1 assessment, run this 2:00/mile slower than your run threshold pace (10:00/mile). Then upload your data and record your average HR. In time, you will find that your average HR will decrease. Let’s say your first assessment produced an average HR of 150bpm. And over time, let’s say this average HR becomes 140bpm. Wow! That’s the increase in efficiency we are looking for. Just imagine, you are running the same pace for 5-miles (10:00/mile), but your heart is beating 10bpm less on average.

 

For a Zone 2 assessment run 1:30/mile slower than your run threshold pace (9:30/mile). And for the Zone 3 assessment, run 1:00/mile slower than your run threshold pace (9:00/mile). (Check out our Quick Guide to Setting Zones if you just want to figure them out once and for all.)

Edited August 19, 2018 by Frosty

[SeaBee]

I would love to hear your feedback on this race...a friend of mine said its awesome!

Candz, it was a very lekker run! 

 

Well organized, except I do not think they expected the numbers - not enough portapotties by far! We were early, so no issues. But the people were still in a looong queue (decision time!) when the race was about to start. 

 

Only other mild issue was parking - having to cross the route right before the finish to get out. 

 

Run itself was great! Beautiful for a road run! Quite chilly but we expected to warm up quickly - and Red Hill provided this. Going up was fun and chatting pace - but my buddy is an out and out road runner. The moment it flattened out and/or we got the downhill, he was klapping it. 

 

So much fun to run with somebody for a change. We went through dips at different times - and then the other one was feeling strong and it was just gritting it and keeping up. So despite the discussion in the car being "just cruising for a sub-3", I told him at that uphill drag (the one you come flying down in Argus time in reverse direction, between the trees) that if this was his idea of cruising I picked the wrong day for a cruise. 

 

Big fun, first long run after Oceans, done. Feeling the legs a little this morning. 

[DJuice]

Looking to replace my Hoka One One Clifton`s.

The toe box is a bit tight for my liking and have a niggle/twinge behind my second last toe.

 

What do you guys think about the Altra Duo?

 

Other suggestions?

 

What socks are being worn? I only use Falke...looking for reasons for the toe.

 

Being in Upington, I will have to pull the trigger on an online purchase and hope for the best.

[Chris_]

I got told a while ago - from one of those 'old wise men' types in a running store, that the suppliers of Altra into SA were very unreliable. Not sure if that remains the case. I was also keen to try them out.