Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I'll have to look into that lifting before it touches down flying thing.

Does toughening the feet, by walking or running barefoot, make a long, longer, or longest run easier to get through?  I know the last 10K of a marathon is when the feet really start to really gripe.  If that's true, then I'll work on some toughening on a track or something similar.  Might even work on the flying at the same time.

Thanks, Mark.

I'd say the answer to that is a definite YES. Tough it's less toughening than it is strengthening the muscles of the feet and lower leg and teaching your body how to not slam into the ground like a hyperactive defensive tackle taking out an unwary running back.

I always laugh when I hear someone running that sounds like a herd of elephants...that has to be hard on feet, knees, legs, hips...  Not sure flying is within my capabilities but it makes sense to work for a quick, light touch.

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I'll have to look into that lifting before it touches down flying thing.

Does toughening the feet, by walking or running barefoot, make a long, longer, or longest run easier to get through?  I know the last 10K of a marathon is when the feet really start to really gripe.  If that's true, then I'll work on some toughening on a track or something similar.  Might even work on the flying at the same time.

Thanks, Mark.

I'd say the answer to that is a definite YES. Tough it's less toughening than it is strengthening the muscles of the feet and lower leg and teaching your body how to not slam into the ground like a hyperactive defensive tackle taking out an unwary running back.

I always laugh when I hear someone running that sounds like a herd of elephants...that has to be hard on feet, knees, legs, hips...  Not sure flying is within my capabilities but it makes sense to work for a quick, light touch.

The whole "lift your foot before it lands" sounds funny, but it's a good visualization tool. Sort of like imagining you're going to be running on hot coals or pointy gravel. The last thing you want to be at that moment is a ground pounder. I used to scuff, scrape and pound while running, but I've gotten better at running quietly over the years, even in shoes. But I feel kind of bad about it when I startle some walker who didn't hear me coming up behind them. Oops! Sorry!

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I'll have to look into that lifting before it touches down flying thing.

Does toughening the feet, by walking or running barefoot, make a long, longer, or longest run easier to get through?  I know the last 10K of a marathon is when the feet really start to really gripe.  If that's true, then I'll work on some toughening on a track or something similar.  Might even work on the flying at the same time.

Thanks, Mark.

I'd say the answer to that is a definite YES. Tough it's less toughening than it is strengthening the muscles of the feet and lower leg and teaching your body how to not slam into the ground like a hyperactive defensive tackle taking out an unwary running back.

I always laugh when I hear someone running that sounds like a herd of elephants...that has to be hard on feet, knees, legs, hips...  Not sure flying is within my capabilities but it makes sense to work for a quick, light touch.

The whole "lift your foot before it lands" sounds funny, but it's a good visualization tool. Sort of like imagining you're going to be running on hot coals or pointy gravel. The last thing you want to be at that moment is a ground pounder. I used to scuff, scrape and pound while running, but I've gotten better at running quietly over the years, even in shoes. But I feel kind of bad about it when I startle some walker who didn't hear me coming up behind them. Oops! Sorry!

We should call Mark "Prius" for his quiet running at low speeds.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:I'll have to look into that lifting before it touches down flying thing.

Does toughening the feet, by walking or running barefoot, make a long, longer, or longest run easier to get through?  I know the last 10K of a marathon is when the feet really start to really gripe.  If that's true, then I'll work on some toughening on a track or something similar.  Might even work on the flying at the same time.

Thanks, Mark.

I'd say the answer to that is a definite YES. Tough it's less toughening than it is strengthening the muscles of the feet and lower leg and teaching your body how to not slam into the ground like a hyperactive defensive tackle taking out an unwary running back.

I always laugh when I hear someone running that sounds like a herd of elephants...that has to be hard on feet, knees, legs, hips...  Not sure flying is within my capabilities but it makes sense to work for a quick, light touch.

The whole "lift your foot before it lands" sounds funny, but it's a good visualization tool. Sort of like imagining you're going to be running on hot coals or pointy gravel. The last thing you want to be at that moment is a ground pounder. I used to scuff, scrape and pound while running, but I've gotten better at running quietly over the years, even in shoes. But I feel kind of bad about it when I startle some walker who didn't hear me coming up behind them. Oops! Sorry!

We should call Mark "Prius" for his quiet running at low speeds.

I was a little less quiet today on my run (more on that in a minute) as I tried to get my legs back going again in shoes. I think it got better after a couple of miles, but at first I was a little embarrassed for my bragging!

Run: 4.25 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild. 64° Gear: Topos, shorts T.

I haven't had any opportunities to get out since last week, so this was sort of a second "restart" run for me. I opted for shoes, to see how my ankle behaved in footwear. I decided to try for four miles.

The first mile was surprisingly good. My heart rate was lower than I thought it'd be for the first 2/3 of a mile, which was nice while it lasted. As soon as I hit a little incline, the HR went up and kept going up throughout the run. I stopped a couple of times to walk the HR down, but it just popped back up again. Not surprising. I gave in and just ran at whatever pace my legs wanted.

The ankle was 100% fine! Woot! My right knee barked at me going down a steep downhill stretch, but it went away when I remembered to land more forefoot. Definitely need to do that core work!

I accidentally paused the Garmin, so the data was a half mile short.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 135.

Mark B wrote:Run: 4.25 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild. 64° Gear: Topos, shorts T.

I haven't had any opportunities to get out since last week, so this was sort of a second "restart" run for me. I opted for shoes, to see how my ankle behaved in footwear. I decided to try for four miles.

The first mile was surprisingly good. My heart rate was lower than I thought it'd be for the first 2/3 of a mile, which was nice while it lasted. As soon as I hit a little incline, the HR went up and kept going up throughout the run. I stopped a couple of times to walk the HR down, but it just popped back up again. Not surprising. I gave in and just ran at whatever pace my legs wanted.

The ankle was 100% fine! Woot! My right knee barked at me going down a steep downhill stretch, but it went away when I remembered to land more forefoot. Definitely need to do that core work!

I accidentally paused the Garmin, so the data was a half mile short.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 135.

Well, I was going to say congratulations! and Good Job!, but since you paused the Garmin a HALF MILE SHORT, I say, Congratulations!  Good Job!

Ah, 64 degrees.  How thy has eluded me.

ounce wrote:Ah, 64 degrees.  How thy has eluded me.

I probably shouldn't say that it felt kinda warm out there, should I?  

And thanks! My HR was jacked, but it was nice to move again.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Ah, 64 degrees.  How thy has eluded me.

I probably shouldn't say that it felt kinda warm out there, should I?  

And thanks! My HR was jacked, but it was nice to move again.

Doesn't matter as our perceptions are a whole lot different.

Your HR was caught off guard because you hadn't worked in a while.  Did you send the required 48 hour notice to his union rep?

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Ah, 64 degrees.  How thy has eluded me.

I probably shouldn't say that it felt kinda warm out there, should I?  

And thanks! My HR was jacked, but it was nice to move again.

Doesn't matter as our perceptions are a whole lot different.

Your HR was caught off guard because you hadn't worked in a while.  Did you send the required 48 hour notice to his union rep?

No. That would explain it, wouldn't it?

Hey - I'd give for 64F here in western NY!  This morning it was at least 71F but with 94% humidity - just wants me to believe I'm back in GA already.

Glad to see you out there again.

Hey...good to hear you had a nice run and no ankle issues!!

I definitely think fall is in the air.  Much cooler mornings...we may get a frost tomorrow which means the end of the garden.

Looking forward to run reports now that you're back out there...

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Hey - I'd give for 64F here in western NY!  This morning it was at least 71F but with 94% humidity - just wants me to believe I'm back in GA already.

Glad to see you out there again.

Good to be out there again, Michele! You guys have had a pretty horrible summer this year. Hope autumn arrives for you soon.

nkrichards wrote:Hey...good to hear you had a nice run and no ankle issues!!

I definitely think fall is in the air.  Much cooler mornings...we may get a frost tomorrow which means the end of the garden.

Looking forward to run reports now that you're back out there...

We're getting the cooler mornings, too. I saw some ground fog over here driving Alec to school this morning. No frost yet, but well into the 40s.

As for running reports, stand by! That's next.

Run: 4.33 miles

Weather: Sunny, 73° Gear: Topos, shorts, T.

It was a fall-like 46° earlier this morning, but I had an appointment that kept me from getting out to run until much later. So I went from the chance of being slightly chilled to sweating it out in the noontime sun. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, any movement is good.

This was also NOT a low HR run. I hope to get things reined back in again soon, but I'm just trying to get my body used to the notion of running again. My legs, bless their hearts (?), wanted to go a lot faster than my cardio wanted, so I ended up running at a pace in the mid 10s and walking my HR down at the start of each subsequent mile. I finally got my legs to slow down some in the final mile, but not that much.

The weird thing was, the pace felt slow to me. Weird. Well, hopefully I can get the rest of the body on board soon!

My ankle was perfect, and I was able to prevent any knee whining by remembering my form.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 139

Mark B wrote:Run: 4.33 miles

Weather: Sunny, 73° Gear: Topos, shorts, T.

It was a fall-like 46° earlier this morning, but I had an appointment that kept me from getting out to run until much later. So I went from the chance of being slightly chilled to sweating it out in the noontime sun. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, any movement is good.

This was also NOT a low HR run. I hope to get things reined back in again soon, but I'm just trying to get my body used to the notion of running again. My legs, bless their hearts (?), wanted to go a lot faster than my cardio wanted, so I ended up running at a pace in the mid 10s and walking my HR down at the start of each subsequent mile. I finally got my legs to slow down some in the final mile, but not that much.

The weird thing was, the pace felt slow to me. Weird. Well, hopefully I can get the rest of the body on board soon!

My ankle was perfect, and I was able to prevent any knee whining by remembering my form.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 139

I'd probably have to run in a parka for 46 degrees!

LEGS trump the heart and gets their way!!!!

Glad you're completely off the IR.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Run: 4.33 miles

Weather: Sunny, 73° Gear: Topos, shorts, T.

It was a fall-like 46° earlier this morning, but I had an appointment that kept me from getting out to run until much later. So I went from the chance of being slightly chilled to sweating it out in the noontime sun. Not that I'm complaining, mind you, any movement is good.

This was also NOT a low HR run. I hope to get things reined back in again soon, but I'm just trying to get my body used to the notion of running again. My legs, bless their hearts (?), wanted to go a lot faster than my cardio wanted, so I ended up running at a pace in the mid 10s and walking my HR down at the start of each subsequent mile. I finally got my legs to slow down some in the final mile, but not that much.

The weird thing was, the pace felt slow to me. Weird. Well, hopefully I can get the rest of the body on board soon!

My ankle was perfect, and I was able to prevent any knee whining by remembering my form.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 139

I'd probably have to run in a parka for 46 degrees!

LEGS trump the heart and gets their way!!!!

Glad you're completely off the IR.

Yup. 46 in the morning and 80 in the afternoon is a wonderful thing! Of of the gifts of the West, I suppose.

Thanks about the IR. My right knee is still a little twitchy (lack of activity, I suppose), but it's a good motivation to get back to the cross training.


Speaking of which...

Core and Calf Work:

Sets of 3, 12-10-8 of:
-Modified side-leg lifts.
-Double-leg bridge "marching" while keeping pelvis steady.
-Bridge with single-leg extensions.
-Supine leg lift, keeping TA engaged and pelvis aligned
-Prone leg lift, same as above
-Half-squat using theraband around knees.
-Side-step using theraband around knees.
-Ankle flexion using theraband.
-Double-leg heel raises.
-Single-leg heel raises.

Standing Psoas stretches. (5-6 x 10 seconds left side, a few less on right side)

I could definitely feel the burn on some of these, and on one, I had total muscle confusion in my left glute. I had to slow down and concentrate to make sure it activated. Crazy.

Can't say I blame you for letting the legs take over and forget about the HR.  It sure feels good sometimes especially when you haven't been able to run for a while. 

And nice job on the core work...I may be feeling a bit guilty...

Mark B wrote:
I could definitely feel the burn on some of these, and on one, I had total muscle confusion in my left glute. I had to slow down and concentrate to make sure it activated. Crazy.

Yup, school is back in session.  Doesn't the wife usually use enough force to make sure your glutes are 'activated?'

nkrichards wrote:Can't say I blame you for letting the legs take over and forget about the HR.  It sure feels good sometimes especially when you haven't been able to run for a while. 

And nice job on the core work...I may be feeling a bit guilty...

If you're feeling guilty, I'm feeling a little desperate. I'm feeling the twinges behind my kneecap that sidelined me earlier this year until I got these exercises from a sports medicine doctor. So the good news is that I know what I have to do. The bad (?) is that I know I have no choice but to do them.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:
I could definitely feel the burn on some of these, and on one, I had total muscle confusion in my left glute. I had to slow down and concentrate to make sure it activated. Crazy.

Yup, school is back in session.  Doesn't the wife usually use enough force to make sure your glutes are 'activated?'

Uh, apparently not.

###

So I decided to try one of those grocery store body fat measuring do-dads today, since I've never had it done before. It weighed me fully dressed (the notion of stripping nekkid in the grocery store amazingly didn't occur to me until just now) and gave me an irritatingly high number (188). Oh well. Work to do. Anyway, the fat measuring part told me I'm at 23.72% body fat, 76.28% lean mass. That's considered "acceptable" by the machine, if not "healthy" - which is 18% or less.

That works out to 45 pounds of fat, 143 pounds of lean mass. That's a fascinating set of numbers. Does it mean that I'd be 0% body fat at 142 pounds? Probably not, but still. If I calculated it out and lean mass stayed constant, what'd losing 20 pounds do the picture? Hm. (Finds calculator...) That's 14.8%, I think. How about losing 30 pounds? That'd be 9.4%. Hm. Interesting. Quite the difference.

I really hope your knee cap twinges go away soon. I so hate knee injuries or twinges or niggles of any kind. 

I think you are dead at 0% body fat, pretty sure...

Julie wrote:I really hope your knee cap twinges go away soon. I so hate knee injuries or twinges or niggles of any kind. 

I think you are dead at 0% body fat, pretty sure...

Yeah, that'd be less than optimal. 

Walk: 2.6 miles

Walk: 2.6 miles

Weather: Sunny and warm.

I've filling in for my boss at work for the past week and a half (with another week to go), so I have significantly less time before work or during lunch to get anything accomplished. Today, at least, I got the chaos reined in enough to take a walk without too much guilt. Boy, did I need it.

Felt a little discombobulated starting off the walk, taking care not to do something that aggravated my knee. It took a while, but I warmed up and things got less weird feeling.

Mark B wrote:

nkrichards wrote:Can't say I blame you for letting the legs take over and forget about the HR.  It sure feels good sometimes especially when you haven't been able to run for a while. 

And nice job on the core work...I may be feeling a bit guilty...

If you're feeling guilty, I'm feeling a little desperate. I'm feeling the twinges behind my kneecap that sidelined me earlier this year until I got these exercises from a sports medicine doctor. So the good news is that I know what I have to do. The bad (?) is that I know I have no choice but to do them.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:
I could definitely feel the burn on some of these, and on one, I had total muscle confusion in my left glute. I had to slow down and concentrate to make sure it activated. Crazy.

Yup, school is back in session.  Doesn't the wife usually use enough force to make sure your glutes are 'activated?'

Uh, apparently not.

###

So I decided to try one of those grocery store body fat measuring do-dads today, since I've never had it done before. It weighed me fully dressed (the notion of stripping nekkid in the grocery store amazingly didn't occur to me until just now) and gave me an irritatingly high number (188). Oh well. Work to do. Anyway, the fat measuring part told me I'm at 23.72% body fat, 76.28% lean mass. That's considered "acceptable" by the machine, if not "healthy" - which is 18% or less.

That works out to 45 pounds of fat, 143 pounds of lean mass. That's a fascinating set of numbers. Does it mean that I'd be 0% body fat at 142 pounds? Probably not, but still. If I calculated it out and lean mass stayed constant, what'd losing 20 pounds do the picture? Hm. (Finds calculator...) That's 14.8%, I think. How about losing 30 pounds? That'd be 9.4%. Hm. Interesting. Quite the difference.

Look up Jonathan Bailor or Abel James.  Work on not counting calories, but having good calories (good being 'not processed').  Also, if you work on weights, then you'll gain muscle mass, while consuming good calories, so you'll lose fat and weight.  You should notice it in looser fitting britches.  A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat. 
I'm not suggesting going LC/HF, although that would work but may upset the space/time continuum in the house.

Mark B wrote:

Julie wrote:I really hope your knee cap twinges go away soon. I so hate knee injuries or twinges or niggles of any kind. 

I think you are dead at 0% body fat, pretty sure...

Yeah, that'd be less than optimal. 

But you'd be less concerned about your glutes being activated.

Mark B wrote:Walk: 2.6 miles

Walk: 2.6 miles

Weather: Sunny and warm.

I've filling in for my boss at work for the past week and a half (with another week to go), so I have significantly less time before work or during lunch to get anything accomplished. Today, at least, I got the chaos reined in enough to take a walk without too much guilt. Boy, did I need it.

Felt a little discombobulated starting off the walk, taking care not to do something that aggravated my knee. It took a while, but I warmed up and things got less weird feeling.

I've only seen large discombobulateds.  How little do they get and does their discombobulation effect go hand in hand with their size?

ounce wrote:Look up Jonathan Bailor or Abel James.  Work on not counting calories, but having good calories (good being 'not processed').  Also, if you work on weights, then you'll gain muscle mass, while consuming good calories, so you'll lose fat and weight.  You should notice it in looser fitting britches.  A pound of muscle takes up less room than a pound of fat. 
I'm not suggesting going LC/HF, although that would work but may upset the space/time continuum in the house.

Good points. We did South Beach Diet about 11 years ago to great effect (I lost 47 pounds) through a lower-carb, healthy fat and megga-veggie approach. Kind of trying for something similar now.

ounce wrote:But you'd be less concerned about your glutes being activated.

And it's AMAZING how low your body fat percentage gets in the weeks that follow!

ounce wrote:I've only seen large discombobulateds.  How little do they get and does their discombobulation effect go hand in hand with their size?

Little enough to not cause tripping, I suppose. Large would involve me slapping limbs against each other, passing cars, trees and whatnot. Not a pretty sight.

Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Sunny and cool. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

Out barefoot again to keep working on form -- and to have a little fun. I did laps around the block and made a point of steering toward rougher sections of asphalt. My HR took a while to come up, which had me excited there for a few minutes, but then my body apparently realized I was running and revved up the ol' tachometer.

I let my HR rise a little as I kept running, and I picked up the pace in the last lap to focus a little more, getting down to a 6:15/mi pace at the very end. It felt pretty good.

Average HR for entire run: 141. Max HR (after punching it a bit) 172

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 3.1 miles

Weather: Sunny and cool. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

Out barefoot again to keep working on form -- and to have a little fun. I did laps around the block and made a point of steering toward rougher sections of asphalt. My HR took a while to come up, which had me excited there for a few minutes, but then my body apparently realized I was running and revved up the ol' tachometer.

I let my HR rise a little as I kept running, and I picked up the pace in the last lap to focus a little more, getting down to a 6:15/mi pace at the very end. It felt pretty good.

Average HR for entire run: 141. Max HR (after punching it a bit) 172

Keep that HR up and Maffetone will take your MAF-fiend fan club card away.