The Official Exercise/Fitness Thread v. Run Forest, Run!

[wolfking]

Shin splits and/or plantar fasciitis?

More like a shin split pain, but I've never had it like this before.  My calf is tight as fuck so I'm working hard on it today.  Like really really tight!  Already it's eased a little just a little working on the calf so I'm hoping it's more over tightness like I initially thought last night.  Hoping I've overreacted.

it's my fault, after the miles on the weekend I didn't roll as much as I should have cause I was so exhausted from the running.  I think I'm pushing the volume a little too quick too over time.  You get some damn complacent so damn quick with the recovery though. 

[chknptpie]

Needing to do recovery time always just pisses me off. My brain is like "what the hell, body?!"

Lots of water, walking on toes, then walking on heels helps when my calves are too tight. Also using a rolling stick (not foam) and compression socks.

[wolfking]

Needing to do recovery time always just pisses me off. My brain is like "what the hell, body?!"

Lots of water, walking on toes, then walking on heels helps when my calves are too tight. Also using a rolling stick (not foam) and compression socks.

Wow, interesting, will try.

I've seen those rolling sticks, thought it was just the same thing though.  Truth be told though, when I need something harder, like this morning, I'm using a cricket ball.  That gets deep.

[Implode]

Accomplished a huge milestone in dance game stamina the other day (which I'll post about here because I feel it's much more relevant to fitness than video games, but correct me if I'm wrong).

I passed my first block level 19 song, which in this case is an hour and a half song with over 50,000 steps (average of over 9 steps per second). And not only was it the hardest thing I've done, but it didn't feel too painful to do. My HR was maxed out only in the 170s, which is a great sign of me keeping my form efficient and keeping breathing under control.

Been resting the past few days to avoid injury and tendonitis type things, but I'm excited to work to improve more soon.

[SchecterShredder]

Maxed out HR was "only in the 170s" lol. At my age,  that's about as high as i ever want my HR. My vision starts to go dark when i crest 180 bpm

[Implode]

 

The saying goes 220 – [your age] right? Just a couple years ago, I was hitting 200. But now 190's is when I'm really hitting the wall. I'm 31. Last year I did something where I was maintaining 180 for like an hour straight. Hopefully that's still safe.

[wolfking]

I don't think I've even seen my HR get into the 170's.  I don't think I'd want it that high either truthfully.  Or I'm not just working hard enough. 

[gmillerdrake]

Running a Half Marathon on Saturday....the annual Fall season half I do each year. Haven't really trained all that much for it but have been in a good habit of running for exercise the past few months. I've dropped 25lbs over that time so that'll be easier on the ol' knees/body for sure. Not looking to break any time records or anything like that.....these days when I do my spring/fall halves it's simply 'finish' 

[WilliamMunny]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I began having all sorts of health-related issues a few years ago—heart palpitations, constant colds and flus, etc.

Then a cardiologist diagnosed me with a heart block and some scarring on my heart ("very common" he said with distance runners my age)

Somebody mentioned 'overtraining' to me, and recommended the MAF (https://philmaffetone.com/method/) method. At my wit's end, I bought in completely.

The TL;DR version is this: Max Heartrate is, at best, an arbitrary number, and that many of us train way too hard for way too long, which leads to increased fat and other issues.

My MAF method to begin was 130—don't let your heart go above that number.

At first, even a brisk jog would have me in the 160's, which meant that I basically shuffeled for a few minutes and then had to walk.

A couple of years later, following this method religiously, I can run an 8-minute mile without my heartrate going over 130. My walking heartrate is 20bpm lower than it was at the beginning, and my HR recovery is at least triple what it was.

The best part? I run less, I walk more, and I am around 9or 10% bodyfat year round. I feel good, and haven't had a cold in two years. It's almost like I went back to my mid-20's.

I guess the takeaway here is don't work-out harder, work-out smarter.

Anyone struggling with constant plateaus, I'd recommend giving this method a try.

[gmillerdrake]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I began having all sorts of health-related issues a few years ago—heart palpitations, constant colds and flus, etc.

Then a cardiologist diagnosed me with a heart block and some scarring on my heart ("very common" he said with distance runners my age)

Somebody mentioned 'overtraining' to me, and recommended the MAF (https://philmaffetone.com/method/) method. At my wit's end, I bought in completely.

The TL;DR version is this: Max Heartrate is, at best, an arbitrary number, and that many of us train way too hard for way too long, which leads to increased fat and other issues.

My MAF method to begin was 130—don't let your heart go above that number.

At first, even a brisk jog would have me in the 160's, which meant that I basically shuffeled for a few minutes and then had to walk.

A couple of years later, following this method religiously, I can run an 8-minute mile without my heartrate going over 130. My walking heartrate is 20bpm lower than it was at the beginning, and my HR recovery is at least triple what it was.

The best part? I run less, I walk more, and I am around 9or 10% bodyfat year round. I feel good, and haven't had a cold in two years. It's almost like I went back to my mid-20's.

I guess the takeaway here is don't work-out harder, work-out smarter.

Anyone struggling with constant plateaus, I'd recommend giving this method a try.

That is interesting as heck. I'm going to look into this more......great advice, thanks. 

[SchecterShredder]

I often train to HR data, but i view HR as an individual metric. I know athletes who can easily hit 200 bpm, whereas that would almost certainly kill me given how my body reacts to a 180bpm clip. For me, it's more of a tool to use alongside perceived effort. It usually goes like this on the bike:

Check that cadence is in my sweet spot
Check my HR
Check my body

There are times where my HR suggests i could go faster,  but my legs say otherwise.  In the end,  the body gets last call. If you're training for a race or some goal that requires a high output for a long period, then you have to train at high intensity some of the time.  Otherwise,  i agree that you can get plenty fit and healthy with moderate efforts.

[SchecterShredder]

Just read that link,  and it basically says to train at exactly the HR i train at lol.

It's kinda funny that my friend's avg HR for the bike portion of a triathlon this summer was above the base starting point in the MAF calculation.  He hit 183bpm avg for almost 3hrs straight.

[WilliamMunny]

Just read that link,  and it basically says to train at exactly the HR i train at lol.

It's kinda funny that my friend's avg HR for the bike portion of a triathlon this summer was above the base starting point in the MAF calculation.  He hit 183bpm avg for almost 3hrs straight.

At the risk of being reductive, I think the point for most who opt in to MAF training is that they are over-trained and getting diminished returns (i.e., me).

If you are good with what you are doing, then there is no reason to mess with a winning formula.

I think guys my age ('40s) with a long-track record of sustained training tend to fall into overtraining at one point or another. At this stage in my life, I'm more interested in sustainable fitness—I have no interest in killing myself in the name of PB-chasing.

[gmillerdrake]

I think guys my age ('40s) with a long-track record of sustained training tend to fall into overtraining at one point or another. At this stage in my life, I'm more interested in sustainable fitness—I have no interest in killing myself in the name of PB-chasing.

This is me. I'm well past any PB aspirations (if I ever had them) I'm just about staying active with a good running and exercise regiment and I sign up for a spring and fall half in order to keep myself somewhat motivated. I know I can go power through 13 miles on minimum training because I've done it numerous times. Some years/races are better than others and it's usually tied to what type of weight I'm running at. This same race last fall I weighed 190lbs and I hardly trained or ran at all leading into it. I'm weighing in these days close to 170 (I had gotten up to 196) and have had a good running regiment going most of the summer so I'm not as apprehensive about running it this saturday. 

[chknptpie]

I did the MAF for 2 years to train for a half and full and never saw what I would consider major gains. I don't think the program works the same for women. Our heart rates are higher and I was always frustrated that I had to essentially walk in zone 2 or if I adjusted I had to fly in zone 3 to get my rate high enough.

[wolfking]

Not sure if I've mentioned this before, but I began having all sorts of health-related issues a few years ago—heart palpitations, constant colds and flus, etc.

Then a cardiologist diagnosed me with a heart block and some scarring on my heart ("very common" he said with distance runners my age)

Somebody mentioned 'overtraining' to me, and recommended the MAF (https://philmaffetone.com/method/) method. At my wit's end, I bought in completely.

The TL;DR version is this: Max Heartrate is, at best, an arbitrary number, and that many of us train way too hard for way too long, which leads to increased fat and other issues.

My MAF method to begin was 130—don't let your heart go above that number.

At first, even a brisk jog would have me in the 160's, which meant that I basically shuffeled for a few minutes and then had to walk.

A couple of years later, following this method religiously, I can run an 8-minute mile without my heartrate going over 130. My walking heartrate is 20bpm lower than it was at the beginning, and my HR recovery is at least triple what it was.

The best part? I run less, I walk more, and I am around 9or 10% bodyfat year round. I feel good, and haven't had a cold in two years. It's almost like I went back to my mid-20's.

I guess the takeaway here is don't work-out harder, work-out smarter.

Anyone struggling with constant plateaus, I'd recommend giving this method a try.

This is the method I've been using the last few months to improve my running and my overall speed.  Your results here mate are excellent and great to read.  I've been doing nightly treadmill runs at my designated heart rate which is around 140-145.  At first I was hitting that at 9kpm, but now can sit comfortably over 11kpm.  As I said, only a few months for me but it's improved my fitness and running speed a lot. 

The work out smarter not harder is legit.  Before I started all this, my running was improving but injuries got in the way.  The thing I took out of all this was that back then I was forcing the speed each run causing injuries instead of doing the ground work and letting the speed come naturally.

[wolfking]

I did the MAF for 2 years to train for a half and full and never saw what I would consider major gains. I don't think the program works the same for women. Our heart rates are higher and I was always frustrated that I had to essentially walk in zone 2 or if I adjusted I had to fly in zone 3 to get my rate high enough.

I think you're onto something here with this method and females truthfully.

[wolfking]

Just read that link,  and it basically says to train at exactly the HR i train at lol.

It's kinda funny that my friend's avg HR for the bike portion of a triathlon this summer was above the base starting point in the MAF calculation.  He hit 183bpm avg for almost 3hrs straight.

 

[wolfking]

I often train to HR data, but i view HR as an individual metric. I know athletes who can easily hit 200 bpm, whereas that would almost certainly kill me given how my body reacts to a 180bpm clip. For me, it's more of a tool to use alongside perceived effort. It usually goes like this on the bike:

Check that cadence is in my sweet spot
Check my HR
Check my body

There are times where my HR suggests i could go faster,  but my legs say otherwise.  In the end,  the body gets last call. If you're training for a race or some goal that requires a high output for a long period, then you have to train at high intensity some of the time.  Otherwise,  i agree that you can get plenty fit and healthy with moderate efforts.

Good post Rich.  This is where I'm at.  The MAF training I've been doing has made me quite efficient.  but times when I'm going pretty much near as fast as my legs can take me, my average is sitting around 150bom?  WTF?!  There is no way during these times my legs could push 20 more bpms.  No way.

[wolfking]

Just read that link,  and it basically says to train at exactly the HR i train at lol.

It's kinda funny that my friend's avg HR for the bike portion of a triathlon this summer was above the base starting point in the MAF calculation.  He hit 183bpm avg for almost 3hrs straight.

At the risk of being reductive, I think the point for most who opt in to MAF training is that they are over-trained and getting diminished returns (i.e., me).

If you are good with what you are doing, then there is no reason to mess with a winning formula.

I think guys my age ('40s) with a long-track record of sustained training tend to fall into overtraining at one point or another. At this stage in my life, I'm more interested in sustainable fitness—I have no interest in killing myself in the name of PB-chasing.

This is something that is very difficult for me to adopt but I know it's the smartest play.

[gmillerdrake]

Race morning started with a beautiful sunrise and it just kept on from there. Great day to run...was low 60's....full sun....felt great out.

I kept a pretty good pace (for me) considering all I've detailed that I don't really train much for these anymore and just kind of 'wing it'. Finished the Half in 2hrs 12min.....10:05 min pace. Not breaking any records by any means but the course is VERY hilly and I kept moving the whole time....no stopping or anything so I'll take it for an aging 46 year old 

I looked up my time from last year when I was 25lbs heavier and it was 2hrs 24min with a 11:01 min pace so I did improve a bit.


The Finisher Medals look pretty sweet also:



Sunrise:



Obligatory 'finish' pic:

[DragonAttack]

I walked between 5-7 miles in NYC four years ago. It’s been longer since I walked for nine holes golfing.

So…,kudos!👍

[wolfking]

Great stuff Gary.  Looks like the scenery alone was worth it.

[wolfking]

Still running a lot myself.  Still hammering away and the other day managed a 5km PB at 4:23 pace per km, so definitely improving which is nice.  Very happy with that PB, not sure what the next goal is yet.

[gmillerdrake]

Great stuff Gary.  Looks like the scenery alone was worth it.

Yeah....it was. 8 of the 13 miles was through the woods on trails, very peaceful and beautiful. The first two and last three were on pavement.....but it was GREAT running weather.

[Tomislav95]

Congrats

My running's been up and down lately. Wasn't sick for 2-3 years and now I got 2nd cold in 2 months. Still might join city league this weekend, there are 4.2 and 10 kms runs every weekend, it is something to make me work harder and look forward to something.
My long term goal for next year is 1:45 half-marathon (5:00 min/km pace). I'm nowhere near but I plan to implement more long runs into my training soon.

Also, great to have some of you on Strava, I really check your activities to get motivated

Did "urban trail" on Halloween (still in city but mostly through parks). Fun but really non competitive run, most of us got lost Great looking medal.

[WilliamMunny]

Great stuff Gary.  Looks like the scenery alone was worth it.

Yeah....it was. 8 of the 13 miles was through the woods on trails, very peaceful and beautiful. The first two and last three were on pavement.....but it was GREAT running weather.

Sounds like my kind of race...congrats, btw, on the finish!

[SchecterShredder]

Congrats

My running's been up and down lately. Wasn't sick for 2-3 years and now I got 2nd cold in 2 months. Still might join city league this weekend, there are 4.2 and 10 kms runs every weekend, it is something to make me work harder and look forward to something.
My long term goal for next year is 1:45 half-marathon (5:00 min/km pace). I'm nowhere near but I plan to implement more long runs into my training soon.

Also, great to have some of you on Strava, I really check your activities to get motivated

Did "urban trail" on Halloween (still in city but mostly through parks). Fun but really non competitive run, most of us got lost Great looking medal.

That is a fine looking medal!

The interesting design on finisher's medals is part of the fun of doing events. I've rarely actually 'raced' an event for a PB. I mostly do them for the experience, challenge (sometimes), and the swag. Did an urban fondo bike race this summer that was held on a fantastic course completely closed to traffic. Can't experience that without doing the event. And the swag bag included a can of local craft beer and a massive donut from a local shop called 'Donut Party'. Easily the best swag bag I've received after an event.

[gmillerdrake]

That is a fine looking medal!

The interesting design on finisher's medals is part of the fun of doing events. I've rarely actually 'raced' an event for a PB. I mostly do them for the experience, challenge (sometimes), and the swag. Did an urban fondo bike race this summer that was held on a fantastic course completely closed to traffic. Can't experience that without doing the event. And the swag bag included a can of local craft beer and a massive donut from a local shop called 'Donut Party'. Easily the best swag bag I've received after an event.

Yeah....cool looking medal and agree. At this point, I don't run for PB's or to 'win'.....I just love a nice, cool looking Finishers medal or swag. I usually order whatever hoodie or shirt as well.

[wolfking]

I dunno, as much as I'm enjoying my running, I'm just not interested at all in entering a race.

My long term goal for next year is 1:45 half-marathon (5:00 min/km pace).

I'm thinking this is my next goal too.

[gmillerdrake]

That is a fine looking medal!

The interesting design on finisher's medals is part of the fun of doing events. I've rarely actually 'raced' an event for a PB. I mostly do them for the experience, challenge (sometimes), and the swag. Did an urban fondo bike race this summer that was held on a fantastic course completely closed to traffic. Can't experience that without doing the event. And the swag bag included a can of local craft beer and a massive donut from a local shop called 'Donut Party'. Easily the best swag bag I've received after an event.

Yeah....cool looking medal and agree. At this point, I don't run for PB's or to 'win'.....I just love a nice, cool looking Finishers medal or swag. I usually order whatever hoodie or shirt as well.

I created a rudimentary wood medal display with some dowels, length of wood and some stain a while back on the back side of the soffit that separates my office from the entry foyer. The only one missing from here is the medal from my first full marathon which is in a shadow box I made to commemorate the experience.

[wolfking]

That's a lot of medals.

[gmillerdrake]

That's a lot of medals.

They add up for sure. Ive run at least one half a year since 2010, a lot of those years I did a spring and fall half……there were two fulls (2010/2016) but mostly just half’s.

[wolfking]

I should enter one........one day.

[chknptpie]

BUUUUMP

Hit my goal this year to average a 5k everyday! Next years goal is to lose 20lbs, 25lbs is the stretch goal. Those last 5 are always so hard. So I'm gonna start making my plan for cross training.
What are your favorite bodyweight and dumbbell moves?
What are your favorite meals that are under 400cal? I usually aim for low carb, focusing on meat and veg but salads and tilapia get old pretty quick.