Just For Kicks - You Decide

Discussion in 'Training Logs' started by Mitch, Sep 7, 2011.

  1. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    Ok, good point. But grappling gis are much thicker than karate ones, so you need to sweat a heck of a lot more to make them icky wet. :cool:
     
  2. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Oh, believe me, I've trained with people whose grappling gi are sodden - it's disgusting!
     
  3. Llamageddon

    Llamageddon MAP's weird cousin Supporter

    Well played, sir. Well played.
     
  4. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    OK, last week was a washout other than my normal training/teaching 4 nights a week. I'm stripping varnish from doors, sanding, priming and painting them which is a loooong job so took up a lot of time.

    The next few weeks should be fun though :)

    First off I got a smartphone and downloaded a GPS running app which will track distances and times. Having a new gadget to play with always makes exercise more fun :)

    Secondly I got hold of a fartlek training CD from my sensei (Osu!) which I've converted to MP3 format and loaded onto my phone. So, undaunted by the fact that it begins with "This tape is intended for athletes under 35." I'm going to have a go with it. :D

    It lasts 40 mins and takes you through 5 levels of intensity; standing, walking, jogging, 3/4 pace and maximum in short bursts of 10 or 20 seconds. So for example it starts with walking for 10 seconds, jog for 20, walk for 15, 3/4 pace 10 seconds, walk 15 etc etc

    The plan is to set a quick (for me) time as a baseline, then do fartlek runs for a fortnight and see if I can beat that time.

    Today was baseline day. Now, I haven't run for a week and the last few weekends have involved stag nights and weddings, so have not exactly been healthy except for the profits of various real ale breweries. Today also involved climbing two locked gates and dodging some cows! Despite this I tried to set a reasonable pace and got 4 miles in 35.56, so 9 minute miles. I could get below this by going flat out from the start, but it's a good baseline to work from. Max HR 177 (99%), Ave HR 165 (93%).

    I'll post up the results of the fartlek sessions over the next week or two, then do another baseline run and see if I've improved! It should make for an interesting experiment. :)

    Athletes! Under 35!. Oh boy...

    Mitch
     
  5. nekoashi

    nekoashi Valued Member

    You really like running, huh?

    Having lost a ton of fat and getting myself back into some reasonable level of fitness, I look around at so many under 35 and can't believe the poor health they have. Age means nothing really. Yeah, your body doesn't heal/recover quite as well and you need to watch your heart rate, but old folks like us can still beat the snot out of most people half our age these days (well at least round these parts).
     
  6. Osu Mitch,


    Fartlek is a very good vehicle to get you from where you are to where you want to be...
    Get some bananas & plenty of water though (for the cramps!) :D:D


    OSu!
     
  7. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Fartlek! Fun to say even more fun to do! :D

    Did my speedplay session today. I cheated slightly in that I walked the few intervals that you're meant to stand still for, but otherwise it was hard work but fun.

    I ended up covering about 3.5 miles in 39 minutes, so a slower pace than I normally run even when taking it nice and easy, ave HR 85% with a max of around 95% I reckon (my monitor played up and says 121% but I didn't get that high).

    It'll be interesting to see how this affects my times rather than steady speed running. The thing I found most difficult was forcing my 3/4 speed pace to remain at a genuine 3/4; as time went on it would slip to nearer 60% unless I concentrated on forcing it.

    It was a good fun session though, I'd recommend it to anyone interested.

    Mitch
     
  8. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    You are such a child! ;) :)

    Good session though! :)
     
  9. Osu,


    Good for you Mitch... there is plenty to learn during a fartlek session, you've just scratched the surface, but maintaining speed and effort is one.

    You'll always make better time with a constant and steady speed - the aim is not to beat the distance, but to force your pace into anaerobic, then be able to catch up the Os deficit during the slower tempo times ---- The end result is an increase of VO2max. (and a tougher/more aware ability to plow through the harder parts)


    Osu!
     
  10. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Another day, another fartlek :D

    I did the same 40 min session. Max HR 96%, Ave 85%. Interestingly I think I cover similar distance to when I run at a steady pace. The MP3 asks me to change direction whilst running, but I'll ignore this tomorrow and see how far I get.

    I'll probably continue walking rather than standing still for the few intervals it wants you too though. I'm getting enough funny looks walking past people, sprinting away for 10 seconds, turning round and walking back towards them again without appearing to stop and wait for them :D

    Come to think of it, I get some pretty funny looks whatever I do...

    The other thing I'm noticing about fartlek is that the aches and pains afterwards are at the top of my inner thighs (steady ladies), almost into the hips, presumably from lifting the legs powerfully to start the sprint intervals, rather than the lower knee action I tend to have running at a steady pace.

    I'll see if I'm able to do one two days running tomorrow, especially after one of Sensei Gary's karate classes tonight. :D

    Mitch
     
  11. Glutes, hammies & adductors will be activated more in a sprint than in a quiet jog.

    Good for you to do Fartlek with only one day rest... that speaks of your level of fitness Mitch. :)


    Osu!
     
  12. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    I get some quad DOMS after sprinting. Apparently it indicates that I am quad dominant, but sprinting is supposed to help balance that out because of the glute and ham muscle recruitment it encourages.
     
  13. Quad DOMS are quite normal Frodocious, it may indicate that your glutes & hammies are more used to generate strength at speed than your quads.

    Try to lessen your time on the ground at each step, that will force you to pull your weight (hammies & glutes) instead of pushing it (quads).
    It may also increase your speed.

    Careful not to tear a hammie though, warm up thoroughly. :)


    Osu!
     
  14. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    From what I've read quad DOMS are not normal for experienced sprinters, but as I said before can indicate that you are a newbie to sprinting and are relying more on your quads than your hammies and glutes. Once someone has been sprinting for a while (or isn't quad dominant) then they really shouldn't be getting quad DOMS after a sprint session. Quad DOMS can also indicate tight hip flexors

    No one should be doing a sprint session without a good warm up and newbies to sprinting would be better doing hills sprints that flat sprints as they reduce the chance of injury from poor technique/muscle imbalances.
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2011
  15. Hummmm...... I've done over 7 years of competitive track & field sprint (some 25 years ago)... I remember very, very well climbing the stairs with my arms (pulling on the railing) because of intolerable DOMS in my quads... (I was running 100-200, 110 hurdles, long jump, high jump ----- also shot put and decathlon when no-one else wanted to...)
    I guess everyone is not the same there...

    Hill sprints will tax the Achilles enormously... handle it with care!

    & BTW, I don't buy into this quad/glutes dominant nonsense, you need both and in good proportion to perform. If you are functionally or strength imbalanced, fix it with adequate training. (that may mean leaving the weight room to the track or the pool for some time.)


    Osu!
     
    Last edited: Oct 13, 2011
  16. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    That's the point of doing different types of training. It eliminates imbalances (which are often caused by every day life, e,g, too much time sitting at a computer, too much time spent squatting and not deadlifting etc). If your not doing a good mix of exercises you will get imbalances in your legs, the same way that if you only bench and never row, you'll get imbalances in your upper body.
     
  17. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    I'm not sure what's dominant but I know it all threatened to give out on me part way through class tonight :D

    Mitch
     
  18. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    First fartlek of the week today. 3.6 miles covered in 39mins 22secs ave HR 85% Max120% (I think that's a mistake).

    I can confirm that doing this into a strong headwind is double extra tough.

    I was working hard on really pushing my 3/4 pace sections today, which was tough but a good test of my determination.

    I also find that it's hard to hear the instructions for the interval after a sprint over the wind noise.

    I blame the vegetarian diet :D

    mitch
     
  19. Frodocious

    Frodocious She who MUST be obeyed! Moderator Supporter

    Not necessarily! Remember that the stats your computer uses to calculate percentages are based on averages, so getting above average is not really a mistake, more likely you just don't fit into the middle of the data set - YOU'RE SPECIAL! ;) I've had my heart rate monitor give me over 100% for intense interval sets.


    See, meat is your friend! ;) :)

    I have the same problem with my Gymboss when running. If it's windy I can struggle to hear the beeps. I've found if I clip it to my t-shirt neck at shoulder level it makes it much easier to hear.
     
  20. Mitch

    Mitch Lord Mitch of MAP Admin

    Second session of the week today and saints alive did it kick my ****. I don't know it it's because it's a lot colder or because I'm really trying to push the pace, but that was a tough session today.

    I've noticed that I seem to be covering a little more distance each time over the set duration of the session which suggests my focus on keeping a good pace in the jog and 3/4 intervals is working.

    Damnit though the sprints were tough towards the end today! Still, 3.65 miles in 39min 35 secs Ave HR 88%, Max 128%. That would mean my HR is peaking at 227bpm!

    Time for a cup of tea I think...

    Mitch
     

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