More local triathlon cancellation news

[PotomacCyclist]

The Savageman website says that the max grade is 31% on the Westernport Wall, with an average of 25%. I think that’s similar to the Harrison St. climb off of Four Mile Run Trail in Glencarlyn Park, although that hill is not as long. The first time I tried the Glencarlyn hill, I thought my bike would completely flip backward. But after a couple more times, I gained more confidence. So I figure that if I can handle that hill, then I should have a decent shot at making it up Westernport Wall. Although it’s different when the steep climb is in the middle of a long race and there are other tough climbs. Some people have said that the other climbs are harder because they are much longer.

I haven’t been through Glencarlyn this year. I’ll have to head over there again this summer. Walter Reed Drive is good for some tough hill repeats too.

***
Re the marathon, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t one of those newbies who try to go from couch to marathon in one year. (Actually, I had considered that when I started running as an adult, back in 2008. But those plans quickly came to an end. I had good aerobic endurance from swimming so I could do some extended runs right away. But my legs weren’t nearly ready for that much running. I had some muscle imbalance issues, especially with the VMO or medial quad. Within 3 weeks, I developed a very bad case of runner’s knee. My kneecap was not tracking properly and started clicking loudly with every step. By the end of that first month, I could no longer bend my knee at all because of the pain. I took 8 weeks off from running to let it heal up, while I got back to strength training to improve my muscle balance. I also did some elliptical workouts and swim sessions. I fixed the problem as I’ve never had another problem with runner’s knee since.)

I was already comfortable with doing some 3-hr. long runs last year. I’ve built back up to some 3-hr. runs this year. But I kind of lost some motivation over the past month because of all these race cancellations. I’ve slacked off a bit. I’m still doing a weekly long run, but my midweek training has been very sporadic. I’m taking a cutback week this week. Then next week, I’ll spend 3 weeks focusing on run speed in the form of 5K training. I’ve run many 5Ks but I’ve never peaked specifically for a 5K race before. Since I don’t have any triathlons this summer, I decided to build up to a 5K and see if I can find some run speed again. I’m not particularly fast but I’m not a penguin either. A little bit better than the middle of the pack but nowhere near the front, at least in this area.

After the 5K focus for a month, I’ll top off my aerobic endurance again in June. Then I’ll do some triathlon speedwork in July and August, in preparation for the Nation’s Tri, while putting more emphasis on the run than usual. In Sept., I’ll do some more endurance work and mix up final marathon preparation for a month or so. Then I’ll peak for a week (reduced volume) and then cut back even further during the week of the race. Then we’ll see what happens on race day. I know I can finish the race but I want to do a bit more than that. I don’t think I can run a 3:30 marathon at this point. I would be a little disappointed if I go over 4 hours. 3:45 might be a reasonable goal for me, but I’ll have to see how my marathon-pace work goes over the summer and fall. I’m not doing any marathon-specific workouts right now. Mostly endurance, strides and hills. Then the faster stuff starting next week in my 5K phase.

I haven’t decided on the Crystal Ride event on Air Force Cycling Classic weekend. It would be fun to do. But if I signed up, I would want to go for a gold medal (6 laps in 3 hours, or something like 56 miles). That’s going to be on the day after my goal 5K, so we’ll see if I’m feeling good in the weeks leading up to the ride. 5Ks aren’t long, but if I run one hard, I still feel a bit off for a few days afterward. Not completely wiped out, but not at 100% either.

[DaveK]

@PotomacCyclist 19412 wrote:

I haven’t decided on the Crystal Ride event on Air Force Cycling Classic weekend. It would be fun to do. But if I signed up, I would want to go for a gold medal (6 laps in 3 hours, or something like 56 miles). That’s going to be on the day after my goal 5K, so we’ll see if I’m feeling good in the weeks leading up to the ride. 5Ks aren’t long, but if I run one hard, I still feel a bit off for a few days afterward. Not completely wiped out, but not at 100% either.

The Crystal Ride course is super-fast, you won’t have a problem making 6 laps if you can run a 3:45 marathon.

[Tim Kelley]

Yeah, it shouldn’t be a problem for a hardcore triathlete like yourself. Just think of it as a reverse brick!

[SteveTheTech]

@americancyclo 19411 wrote:

That hill should make for some fun action on the way down. I predict some spectacular crashes.

I shudder at the idea of people out for fun getting mind and matter splattered on the sidwalk in pursuit of a PR. I think it follows no draft rules so hopefully people are able to have some space to react and alter course. But I am sure there will be a few trips to the ER from there. It seems like they are giving fair warning. Some of us can handle 45 mph downhill its the guy in front of you that we are unsure of.

@PotomacCyclist 19412 wrote:

The Savageman website says that the max grade is 31% on the Westernport Wall, with an average of 25%. I think that’s similar to the Harrison St. climb off of Four Mile Run Trail in Glencarlyn Park….

.

***
Re the marathon, I wanted to make sure that I wasn’t one of those newbies who try to go from couch to marathon in one year. (Actually, I had considered that when I started running as an adult, back in 2008. But those plans quickly came to an end. I had good aerobic endurance from swimming so I could do some extended runs right away. But my legs weren’t nearly ready for that much running. I had some muscle imbalance issues, especially with the VMO or medial quad. Within 3 weeks, I developed a very bad case of runner’s knee. My kneecap was not tracking properly and started clicking loudly with every step. By the end of that first month, I could no longer bend my knee at all because of the pain. I took 8 weeks off from running to let it heal up, while I got back to strength training to improve my muscle balance. I also did some elliptical workouts and swim sessions. I fixed the problem as I’ve never had another problem with runner’s knee since.)
….

I haven’t decided on the Crystal Ride event on Air Force Cycling Classic weekend. It would be fun to do. But if I signed up, I would want to go for a gold medal (6 laps in 3 hours, or something like 56 miles). That’s going to be on the day after my goal 5K, so we’ll see if I’m feeling good in the weeks leading up to the ride. 5Ks aren’t long, but if I run one hard, I still feel a bit off for a few days afterward. Not completely wiped out, but not at 100% either.

Conquering the Wall would be a high point of cycling for just about any of us. I know I’d love to see my name on a brick. Being taken out by a pack of rookies seems like the worst ending possible, which means you have to breakaway well before that.

How did you start running?
Did you start with shorter interval sets to train the muscles or shorter low impact runs? I’ve studied the couch to whatever plans and a few other get up and run training guides and most of them have 10:20 plans at their core. I’m quite curious because I am in about the same boat you were a few years back, you seemed to have some really bad luck with injuries though.

The Air Force Classic looks like an awesome ride, I am right with you though…I get oddly competitive in anything remotely resembling a contest. I was psyched when I saw that….until I realized it was the same day as the big charity century I do. ahh first world problem.

[PotomacCyclist]

I started up with endurance sports in 2004, but only with casual swimming during the summers. I had also done some strength training, on and off, for a few years before then. Nothing hardcore. Just enough to build some basic strength. (I’ve never bulked up like bodybuilders do.)

When I decided to get into triathlons in 2008 (notice that both of those years are Olympic years — and yes, it was the Summer Olympics on TV that inspired me to start swimming and then to start triathlons), I could do 2-hr. breaststroke swim workouts. (Mostly steady pace sets, no speedwork.) So when I started running (on the treadmill), I didn’t get tired. I just cranked it up and started running. A walk/run program probably would have been better. Actually, I should have done some strength training first. (Strength training for endurance athletes is quite a bit different from bodybuilding routines.) That would have balanced out the quad muscles and possibly prevented me from developing runner’s knee in 2008.

Even though I took 8 weeks off from running that winter and came back with slow, short runs, I think I kept coming back too soon before I was fully recovered. I was also figuring out the right type of running shoes to wear. I did keep getting injured that first year, from fall 2008 to late summer/fall 2009, always from running. I never took the time off that I needed because I was focused on the 2009 Nation’s Triathlon. I was also training haphazardly, with no structure to the training at all. That led to two results, both bad. I ended up being badly undertrained for the triathlon, though I finished. And I had all of those injuries in 2008-2009.

I took an extended off-season break after the tri and a short bike race (5-mile time trial in downtown D.C.). That break finally allowed me to heal up from all of the nagging issues from running. Though I experienced some shin tightness in winter 2009-2010, that went away permanently after I got back to strength training again. The strength training and smarter training (slow and easy base building at the start of each season, slow progression in training volume, adequate rest and recovery every week and month) finally got me past the injury problems. The last time I got injured from running was late summer 2009 (not counting the shin tightness issue that following winter). Since that point, I’ve never had another running injury. I ran quite a bit in 2010, and last year I was doing fairly long runs too. No injuries at all.

That’s not to say that on a few occasions, I had minor tweaks from pushing it very hard. But with an annual training plan and a better overall approach, I always knew when I should ease up a bit. If I need an unscheduled rest day, I take it. If that means that I have to move a key workout back a day, that’s what I do. If I missed a minor workout, then I just skip it and forget about it, and move on.

***
I don’t think luck has that much to do with running injuries. Maybe in a few cases. But from participating on running forums for a few years, I see that the majority of new (and even experienced) runners make a lot of dumb training errors, errors that can easily be avoided with some thought and planning. I think it’s very important to do core training. That includes a balanced program, not just exercises for the abs. Cover the obliques, the lower back, the spinal erectors, the glutes, gluteus medius, hip flexors and thighs too. Focus on compound movements, not machines. Include some bodyweight exercises too (planks, side planks, back bridges, etc.). Build your way up to doing some single-leg exercises. Pistol squats are an advanced exercise but you can modify them to do an easier version. That helps with balanced thigh and hip development, and overall stability. Balance any quad and glute exercises with hamstring/lower back exercises.

I read over and over that about two-thirds of runners only run. They don’t do any other type of exercise, whether that’s strength training, cycling or something else. And then I see in survey after survey that anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of runners get injured every year. While that doesn’t mean they were all serious injuries, it does mean that the respondents thought the problem was bad enough to categorize as an injury. I think the lack of strength training is related to the high injury rate. Specific muscle weaknesses are associated with common problems like ITB syndrome and runner’s knee. Endurance athletes don’t have to be super strong. They just need a decent base level of strength and stability. Anyone can develop that moderate amount of strength and muscle balance with only a modest time commitment.

In my 1st year of running, it was injury after injury for me. I thought that I was injury-prone or that I had waited too long before taking up athletic activity again. But that wasn’t the case at all. After I healed up properly and started training smarter (strength training, early-season low-intensity base training, only gradual increases in training volume or intensity and not every week), the injury problems disappeared completely. It’s been almost 3 years now since the last running injury for me.

So I’ll just say that it’s important to start out slow when you take up running. Your legs will probably take longer to develop than your cardiovascular system will, especially since you are also a cyclist. The mismatch between your cardio and your legs can be frustrating. But going slow, and doing some core/strength work, will greatly reduce your risk of injury.

Technique work is important too, even though running isn’t usually considered a technical sport. Good technique will help lower the risk of injury. You may not want to focus on this too much while you are still doing a walk/run program. But eventually, you should start to incorporate some running drills and stride sets in most weeks. Those are low-intensity and pretty safe for the legs. You might hear some people talk about changing their foot strike from heel to midfoot. I wouldn’t worry about any of that. What’s important is having a good technique for you. You can slowly improve that technique with the drills and strides. You train muscle memory and coordinated movement. When you do that often enough over a few months, your body eventually learns how to run more smoothly. That results in less pounding on your legs, and thus, lower injury risk. I do running drills and/or stride sets most weeks of the year, even when I’m not doing formal speedwork. (I only do speedwork in limited amounts, in the build-up to goal races.)

Even after you get past the beginner stage, be careful of doing junk miles on runs. While you do need to do long runs if you want to improve for endurance races, a lot of people pile on way too many miles. The problem is that most people seem to have a limit on weekly run hours/mileage. It varies for each person, and it changes as you get more experience. But almost every runner will get injured if they run far too much, too often, or ramp up the miles/hours too quickly. Most get injured when ramping up mileage. It’s better to take your time and develop your endurance gradually, over a multiyear period. Aerobic endurance doesn’t develop quickly so there’s really no point in rushing through the process. All that does is get you injured.

For a beginner, I’d recommend that you only walk/run 3x a week, on nonconsecutive days. Don’t run on consecutive days until much later on, maybe after you’ve been running consistently for 6-12 months. The walk/run programs are probably good. (I never used them, but that’s probably why I got injured so much back then.) They keep you from trying to do too much, too soon.

And keep all of your run segments at an easy effort for now. Many newbies try to sprint on every run. That’s a huge mistake.

The impact of running forces you to take it easier in your first months than with cycling. Respect the challenges of the sport and you’ll have a better experience than I did my 1st year. But at least now, I’ve gotten past the injury problems.

[SteveTheTech]

^ That is an epic post right there. Sharing this type of information is (ideally) what this type of forum is for. +100 internets to you

I’ve personally been cycling for a relatively short period of time now and have the cardio to take several mile pulls in a fast moving group ride on long weekend rides. I enjoy pushing the limits of cardio endurance, I am not a fan of the muscular wall being much harder to overcome. The feeling of burning lungs is addictive, however shin splints can go take a long walk off a short pier. Of the multisport events it seems like it should be the easiest to deal with, but the most costly when it comes to overall performance times. I was going through the results of this weekends Kinetic and there were several people who killed the swim, T1, and bike, but lost it on the run.

Once I’m past the 1.5 century charity century I’m doing next month I’m planning on scaling back my weekday cycling to one computrainer class and maybe one group ride and capping the week with running while focusing on desperately needed swim practice.

It drives me nuts to only be able to put in a short amount of time running although it physically feels like much more than actual time on a bike. Although I haven’t been able to properly develop a cadence for running like I have for cycling and almost swimming so I am still getting a little twinge in the sides after the first .75 mi especially in a brick. But I feel like patience is the key to overcoming these issues. Luckily I picked a late season sprint as my first tri so I have plenty of time to practice.

Next on the docket is transition training and OWS practice.

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