Tried Tabata intervals on my wife's old rickety stationary bike.
total time = 34 minutes
15 min. WU
8 x 20 sec. all out w/10 sec. rest
15 min. CD
Studies have shown this workout to dramatically increase VO2 max.
Kind of liked it. Short and intense. Covered 1.4 miles during my cumulative 2:40 blasts. I think that converts to around 31 mph. I'll incorporate these into my injury-based training program.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Fail
Except for feeling "fatigued" Friday evening, my calf has felt fine the past couple days. That convinced me that running today would be worth a try. I was scheduled to race a 10K. I knew it probably wouldn't be the best idea for my first run back to be a race but figured if I was feeling fine, a race would serve as a good benchmark.
After driving to Orchard, I picked up my packet and got ready in the car. I had given myself plenty of time. About 30 minutes before race time, I started on a super easy warm up. My plan was to gradually pick it up over about 2 miles. It was a beautiful morning and my calf felt fine. This was going to be a good day. My bliss was interrupted about 3/4 mile in. My calf was tightening ... in a hurry! The focal point is lower on my leg now; maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches above my ankle. I'm wondering if my Achilles tendon connects in there ??? So now it was decision time. I had driven 60 miles to run this morning. Should I just go out and take it really easy? I could at least turn my 10K into a 5K if it was getting too bad. No, it wouldn't serve any point. I eased it back to my car, thought briefly about hanging out for the race festivities, decided against it and headed for home about 5 minutes before the races started. It was the right decision.
After driving to Orchard, I picked up my packet and got ready in the car. I had given myself plenty of time. About 30 minutes before race time, I started on a super easy warm up. My plan was to gradually pick it up over about 2 miles. It was a beautiful morning and my calf felt fine. This was going to be a good day. My bliss was interrupted about 3/4 mile in. My calf was tightening ... in a hurry! The focal point is lower on my leg now; maybe 1 1/2 to 2 inches above my ankle. I'm wondering if my Achilles tendon connects in there ??? So now it was decision time. I had driven 60 miles to run this morning. Should I just go out and take it really easy? I could at least turn my 10K into a 5K if it was getting too bad. No, it wouldn't serve any point. I eased it back to my car, thought briefly about hanging out for the race festivities, decided against it and headed for home about 5 minutes before the races started. It was the right decision.
Friday, February 19, 2010
65 min. elliptical
10 min. WU
5 x (7 min. hard/3 min. easy)
5 min. CD
Kept my stride rate and my heart rate better than ever today. Calf felt good most of the day yesterday until the evening when it felt "fatigued". That being the case, I decided to get back on the elliptical again this morning. Hoping today goes the same as yesterday: calf feels fine most of the day. Wondering if bouncing off the bottom of the pool during water running stresses the calf injury ... ?
If I have to stay in this "fitness-preservation-while-injured" mode much longer, I plan to incorporate Tabata intervals (see also LINK)into the mix.
Worried about losing fitness and speed.
May try racing tomorrow. It's risky but if my calf feels fine all day. I'll drive to Orchard in the morning. If I have a problem warming up or on the course, I'll pull out.
10 min. WU
5 x (7 min. hard/3 min. easy)
5 min. CD
Kept my stride rate and my heart rate better than ever today. Calf felt good most of the day yesterday until the evening when it felt "fatigued". That being the case, I decided to get back on the elliptical again this morning. Hoping today goes the same as yesterday: calf feels fine most of the day. Wondering if bouncing off the bottom of the pool during water running stresses the calf injury ... ?
If I have to stay in this "fitness-preservation-while-injured" mode much longer, I plan to incorporate Tabata intervals (see also LINK)into the mix.
Worried about losing fitness and speed.
May try racing tomorrow. It's risky but if my calf feels fine all day. I'll drive to Orchard in the morning. If I have a problem warming up or on the course, I'll pull out.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
60 min. water running
ladder
10 min. WU
1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1 min. hard w/ 1 min. easy
10 min. CD
Counted strides during the whole ladder today. My stride rate isn't fast enough which is why water running has been feeling easy to me. By definition, this means my heart rate hasn't been high enough to get the cardio workout I need. None of this is good news. Even when I verified over and over again that I was around 135-140 strides per minute, I couldn't seem to do anything about getting it up to the 156-160 that I need it to be.
Similarly, I was around 150-160 strides per minute on the elliptical yesterday. This isn't bad but it's not the 170-180 that I need to be hitting.
ladder
10 min. WU
1-2-3-4-5-5-4-3-2-1 min. hard w/ 1 min. easy
10 min. CD
Counted strides during the whole ladder today. My stride rate isn't fast enough which is why water running has been feeling easy to me. By definition, this means my heart rate hasn't been high enough to get the cardio workout I need. None of this is good news. Even when I verified over and over again that I was around 135-140 strides per minute, I couldn't seem to do anything about getting it up to the 156-160 that I need it to be.
Similarly, I was around 150-160 strides per minute on the elliptical yesterday. This isn't bad but it's not the 170-180 that I need to be hitting.
Monday, February 15, 2010
65 min. elliptical
Focused on my stride rate today. Realized that I've probably been sandbagging all of my rehab workouts. Not good.
It's been two weeks now since my calf injury. I'm still not ready to run on roads. However, there is promise. For several hours over the weekend, there was no noticeable issue with my calf. It got me thinking about trying a road run again but with 63 days to Boston I can't make the mistake of making the attempt too early. Also, most of the day on Sunday, my calf was reminding me that everything isn't "all right".
There are many frustrating aspects to this situation. One is that without being able to strictly follow the training plan; I feel aimless. Sure I'm trying some haphazard substitute workouts but it's clear they aren't the same. For now my plan is to run again when I feel nothing in my calf. I have a secret hope that my first time back on the road is this coming Saturday for a scheduled 10K. It's a time trail and might give me some kind of gauge as to where I'm really at from a fitness standpoint. Between now and then, it's the elliptical and the pool.
Focused on my stride rate today. Realized that I've probably been sandbagging all of my rehab workouts. Not good.
It's been two weeks now since my calf injury. I'm still not ready to run on roads. However, there is promise. For several hours over the weekend, there was no noticeable issue with my calf. It got me thinking about trying a road run again but with 63 days to Boston I can't make the mistake of making the attempt too early. Also, most of the day on Sunday, my calf was reminding me that everything isn't "all right".
There are many frustrating aspects to this situation. One is that without being able to strictly follow the training plan; I feel aimless. Sure I'm trying some haphazard substitute workouts but it's clear they aren't the same. For now my plan is to run again when I feel nothing in my calf. I have a secret hope that my first time back on the road is this coming Saturday for a scheduled 10K. It's a time trail and might give me some kind of gauge as to where I'm really at from a fitness standpoint. Between now and then, it's the elliptical and the pool.
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