Written 2/28 - Tuesday was Shockwave treatment so it seemed appropriate to start this post with that. The procedure went fine. I was put under completely for the 1500 shockwaves at 18 kilovolts. Did nothing until Saturday when I did some 'dryland swimming' with the Exergenie and did strength training. Linda took great care of me, making sure I stayed off my feet and was comfortable.
Went back to the doctor on Wednesday, 1 week post-op. The doc seemed somewhat disengaged with me. Fortunately his assistant was more helpful. We discussed what I could and couldn't do, timing, etc. He asked if I preferred that he be concrete with time frames or wanted flexibility. I said I was listening to my body and not rushing things. As a result I have nothing real concrete besides "Most people wear the boot for 2 to 3 weeks after the Shockwave. We don't want to inflame or cause pain to the plantar f. beyond what inflammation is there. You (meaning I) can test out going without the boot for short periods and see how it goes."
I'm in a wait-and-see mode. He gave me feedback on what I probably can and can't do so...I kept up with the weights, added some ez swimming on Friday and over the weekend, and did some easy water running too. I'll stay off the bike at least until the end of the week, and will not walk or run for longer than that.
Having not gotten up early to workout for more than a week, it felt good to get up Thursday and Friday to accomplish something before going off to work. I knew it felt that way but was surprised how my mood improved for the day when I did it.
Last week I went to a lecture on Ironman distance nutrition given by Jim Vance of Joe Friel's Training Bible group. He was not trying to sell any nutrition product. It was interesting in that they are advocating training yourself to raise the point at which your body switches from fat burning to glucose burning. This must be built on slowly, beginning in base training. If done properly, because you're burning stored fat for fuel, you are able to consume far fewer calories during the race which means less to carry, less to get distracted by, and less chance of stomach upset or bonking.
Joe Friel wrote a blog post on Easy Means Easy. (I posted the contents at the bottom of this entry in case the link doesn't work.) Going easy when I'm supposed to go easy, except when I taper or take my scheduled Mondays off, is definately difficult for me. It goes against my mindset and it's contrary to how I trained as an age group swimmer way back in the 1970's. I think I may be closer to "getting it" after reading this.
Donated blood Sunday - blood pressure 118/71, HR 63, cholesterol 134
2 Weeks Totals
Swim ~5600yd
Bike - Spin 0, Road 0 (0mi)
Run - water run 32 minutes
Strength Training - Upper 4 days, lower 4 days - 3x12-15, core 4 days
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Tue 2/16 - Shockwave treatment
Fri 2/19 Dryland swimming - Exergenie 30 min + ~8 min rest
Sat 2/20 Weightlifting
Mon 2/22 Weightlifting
Wed 2/24 Dryland swimming - Exergenie 30 min + ~6 min rest
Doctor appointment with orthopedist
Thu 2/25 am Weightlifting
Fri 2/26 am Swim 1000 yd, finish weights from Thursday
Sat 2/27 am Weightlifting - increased most weights so that I reach full fatigue after 10 to 12 reps on each set
pm Swim 1200 yd, Water Run 10 min, finish weights
Sun 2/28 am Swim 1400 yd, Water Run 22 min
pm donate blood - blood pressure 118/71, HR 63, cholesterol 134
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Easy Means Easy
by Joe Friel
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Sometimes the hardest part of training is going easy. I'm reminded of this from riding with two of my clients who were in town on Tuesday. Both they and I had recovery rides scheduled as we all had hard workouts planned for the following day. I could tell they were having a hard time 'going for a walk' on a bike. At one point I had to chase one of them down to get the effort low again. When we were done one of them told me he had never had such a low heart rate on a bike ride.
Since they are both now starting their Build period, their training must be either hard or easy - never in between. 'Hard,' of course, is related to the event for which one is training. It doesn't mean maximum effort all the time. 'Easy' means zone 1. If one makes the easy days easy, the hard days can be hard. And race fitness improves. If, on the other hand, easy becomes moderate then hard also becomes moderate. And there is little progress.
I learned this lesson from Gary Muhrcke, the winner of the first New York City Marathon in 1970. In 1982 Gary and I both owned running stores (I believe he stills owns his - Super Runner in NYC; I sold mine - Foot of the Rockies - in 1987). That year Tiger running shoes (now called ASICS) had a national sales promotion. The top-10, best-selling stores of their products would win a one-week, all-expenses-paid vacations for two to the Bahamas. Gary's and my store were winners. We met the first day and decided to run together every morning. The next day we met to run. After a few minutes we were running a much faster pace than I was ready for. I felt like I was in a race. I dreaded the next morning. But that day he took us out at such an easy pace that it was embarrassing. It must have been a 9-minute pace. Then the third morning it was a race again. And it went on like that the rest of the week. At the end of the week I was in much better shape, I could tell.
That's when I learned about hard-easy and I've been doing it ever since. It works. But most athletes don't give it a chance. When they feel their fitness is slipping the first decision they make is to increase the intensity of their easy days. It should be just the opposite - make the easy days easier. That will ensure you are ready to go for the next hard workout. Give it a try.
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