Make No Little Plans

Did you acquire the necessary construction permits to put that together Chris? It almost sounds like it was designed by an architect. Thanks for posting the picture as when you explained it I couldn't completely imagine what it looked like. Wow, that looks hard to build. Make sure it meets local codes too. Good luck with the 10K this weekend and I hope the temps and humidity aren't too bad.

So far this week I've done:

Monday - 10 done as recovery double

Tuesday - 10 trail with Kevin/Jim

Wednesday - 12 with (4 at 6:44; 4 at 6:31)



I've got a 10K on Saturday evening and it will be HOT for the 6:30pm start. Ugh. That's going to be unpleasent. Main focus, though, has to be Chicago training as this is not a key race. So I'm going to keep on with the miles....I'm aiming for mid 80s mileage this week and I'd like to get in 12-14 today. I have a work dinner tonight that starts near my house at 6:30pm and I'm pretty much free from other work stuff starting soon. I want to run pre-dinner and not leave this run until late night. So I'm doing the math that all runners do.....ok, in my car by ___, home and change to run by ___, run for XYZ minutes, back to house by ___, clean up for at dinner by 6:30pm. Now solve for XYZ and how many minutes of running do I get? I'll just start running as soon as I can and do an out and back by time to make sure I'm done on schedule and then see afterwards how many miles that gets me.

Chris M wrote:So I'm doing the math that all runners do.....ok, in my car by ___, home and change to run by ___, run for XYZ minutes, back to house by ___, clean up for at dinner by 6:30pm. Now solve for XYZ and how many minutes of running do I get?

That is hilarious! I don't know how many times I've done that drill. It sometimes includes when does it get dark in there as well. Good work with the running - and good luck with the building!

Hopefully you're better than me at solving for XYZ. I tend to forget that I walk ~5 minutes and don't include that in my run time. Then I run longer than I thought I would, because that streetlamp waaaaay up there looked like a good turnaround point.

John Kilpatrick wrote:

Chris M wrote:So I'm doing the math that all runners do.....ok, in my car by ___, home and change to run by ___, run for XYZ minutes, back to house by ___, clean up for at dinner by 6:30pm. Now solve for XYZ and how many minutes of running do I get?

That is hilarious! I don't know how many times I've done that drill. It sometimes includes when does it get dark in there as well. Good work with the running - and good luck with the building!

Ha! I do this all the time...and usually am off significantly.

Dave-O wrote:

John Kilpatrick wrote:

Chris M wrote:So I'm doing the math that all runners do.....ok, in my car by ___, home and change to run by ___, run for XYZ minutes, back to house by ___, clean up for at dinner by 6:30pm. Now solve for XYZ and how many minutes of running do I get?

That is hilarious! I don't know how many times I've done that drill. It sometimes includes when does it get dark in there as well. Good work with the running - and good luck with the building!

Ha! I do this all the time...and usually am off significantly.

Yep me to that is why I stopped trying to do XYZ and how may minutes of running do I get!

Schuey wrote:

Dave-O wrote:

John Kilpatrick wrote:

Chris M wrote:So I'm doing the math that all runners do.....ok, in my car by ___, home and change to run by ___, run for XYZ minutes, back to house by ___, clean up for at dinner by 6:30pm. Now solve for XYZ and how many minutes of running do I get?

That is hilarious! I don't know how many times I've done that drill. It sometimes includes when does it get dark in there as well. Good work with the running - and good luck with the building!

Ha! I do this all the time...and usually am off significantly.

Yep me to that is why I stopped trying to do XYZ and how may minutes of running do I get!

Hope all is well, Chris! We'll be seeing you in a couple of months; can't wait!

Is it fully assembled, Chris?

Jim Lentz wrote:Is it fully assembled, Chris?

Yes! The monstrosity that is the Playmobil school was fully assembled on Wednesday night. There are still dozens of little stickers to attach to it (ie there's things hanging as posters in the various classrooms) but Cassidy is doing that. My construction of the structure itself was completed and by the end I was getting pretty good at dropping those little tiny tiny joiners into the beams and snapping everything together.



Here's today's question.....so I had another session (I've been going 2X week) with the personal trainer today and he made a big deal of stretching at the end and used the foam roller (OUCH!) on me, particularly along my IT Band. He was a bit taken aback at how tight it is and was surprised I'm able to run pain free. That happened once before....i got a massage before a marathon and the thearpist got to the IT Band and asked "how are you able to run with this?"



So my question is....so what? What exactly am I gaining by doing a ton of rolling and stretching for my legs? I definitely don't do static stretching before running and have seen and believe reports that it is harmful for running. But this is general flexiblity stuff and foam rolling out knots and tightness. But is that helping me as a runner? Simply put:



If a runner is not injured or having any leg problems, does stretching/rolling leg muscles help that runner? Will the runner be faster with rolled/stretched out muscles and IT band?



My gut is telling me "no" and that stretching/rolling doesn't do anything for a healthy runner but that seems like it can't be the answer. So many runners do it but i guess I'm asking why if its not to address injuries or pain (which I don't have).

You may or may not be faster, but you will be less prone to injuries. The tight IT bands can throw off hip alignment and cause all kinds of other injuries.



Good to hear that you got all the construction behind you. I am amazed how detailed that was, give me Lincoln Logs.

That doesn't surprise me at all about the tightness Chris. I've had the same reaction from both a PT and massage therapist. I think it's just the nature of the beast when you're running as much as most of us do. I honestly wouldn't worry about it much unless it starts bothering you in some way. Tight IT bands are pretty easy to deal with unless they get completely out of control anyway, albeit slightly painful with the foam roller.

Chris, here's the link for the Bucks County Marathon on Nov. 20th. The site is under construction, so there's not much there.
I also gave a link for their Facebook page, which they update regularly.
I haven't registered for it yet. I'm waiting for the course to officially certified, which they say should be very soon.

http://www.runbucks.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/171370586244203/?ap=1

Not sure what to say about the ITB tightness, but I had the same issue for years - a very tight ITB but really no soreness or affect on my running. It has caught up with me however and now I am a believer in using the foam roller pretty consistently. I find that I can tell when I've slacked off. I'm thinking it's because I'm older, but also because of all the miles over the years that I've put in.

So in a nutshell, is it a problem - it might be down the road. Does using the foam roller cause any issues?

I wouldn't take advice from a Personal Trainer when it comes to marathon running. They aren't trying to maximize your running ability, they are trying for total body fitness, and the two don't necessarily jive all the time. Do you think <insert some nascar racer's name here> goes to someone who works on the assembly line at GM for advice on how to best build his car?

I will say you will probably get more benefit out of the foam roller than stretching as it could potentially break up some scar tissue and help with muscle recovery, and .neither one is going to negatively effect your running.

82 mile week for me. On Saturday night, I was going to go hunting for a 10k PR but it was so damn hot that, I decided to run the first half hard then I stopped to hang for a bit and then ran in easy with Kevin. I went 5:57 (downhill)/6:09/6:09 in the part where I ran for 3.1 and that's in the low 38 range that would be a good PR for me. So a little bit of me is wishing I decided to race it out but I wasn't going to keep hitting 6:10s on the way back in Saturday in those temps. I'm OK with the decision. It sure made today's 20.5 a lot easier. Very relaxed 20 despite temps again being over 90 for it. This cycle I'm handling the long stuff better than I ever have. No real good races but I guess those can wait for September (half) and October (full).

Screw racing in that weather. Not gonna happen, especially mid-cycle. I'm more pleased with the 20 the following day.

Screw racing in that weather. Not gonna happen, especially mid-cycle. I'm more pleased with the 20 the following day.

GregC wrote: Do you think <insert some nascar racer's name here> goes to someone who works on the assembly line at GM for advice on how to best build his car?

Ha. That is what I call stellar analogizing.

Dave-O wrote:Screw racing in that weather. Not gonna happen, especially mid-cycle. I'm more pleased with the 20 the following day.

GregC wrote: Do you think goes to someone who works on the assembly line at GM for advice on how to best build his car?

Ha. That is what I call stellar analogizing.

Actually, the Busch brothers and Carl Edwards would do just that.

They just said on the news that we've had 16 straight days where it hit at least 93. Ugh. After we had a couple of days where it was 102-103 it has started to seem almost bearable out there but its still pretty crud weather for running. Still, I prefer the long days of sunlight and training in the Summer to the gets-dark-at-4:30pm Winter running. If nothing else, training in these conditions should help for when the weather turns cool (c'mon, October 9!). I'm trying for a big number of miles this week. August is the month of mega miles for me.

Chris M wrote:They just said on the news that we've had 16 straight days where it hit at least 93. Ugh. After we had a couple of days where it was 102-103 it has started to seem almost bearable out there but its still pretty crud weather for running. Still, I prefer the long days of sunlight and training in the Summer to the gets-dark-at-4:30pm Winter running. If nothing else, training in these conditions should help for when the weather turns cool (c'mon, October 9!). I'm trying for a big number of miles this week. August is the month of mega miles for me.

Chris I hear you on the weather and what you just said above. As much as I love summer and prefer it over the winter months, I have to be honest I have been worn done by the weather! We were over 100 again today but the good news is it looks like it is going to be in the 80's the rest of the week for us and through next week! So hang in there, the cool temps should me moving your way next!

Good luck with the high miles this week, Chris. I still have DC weather on my phone and it looks like you will get a small cool down tomorrow along with storms. We are going to get more relief, as Schuey mentioned.

Did you just whine about it being above 93?



Next 7 days for us, 101/101/100/98/98/98/99...oh and I don't think we have seen 93 since May!

Joel H wrote:Did you just whine about it being above 93?



Next 7 days for us, 101/101/100/98/98/98/99...oh and I don't think we have seen 93 since May!

What are you...Michael Mitchell reporting on weather you never actually run in? Besides, haven't seen 93 degrees there since May? Say what? It is 76 degrees in Katy, Texas TONIGHT. In July 2011, it got to the mid to low 70s every single day in Katy. I run in hotter temps than any of you Texas folks. Seeing you guys report on the weather from the comfort of A/C when you ran when it was 80 degrees out doesn't impress me. Ooooh its hot outside.....of my office window. Let's talk about runs done in weather....Texas runners have a chance to post about some epic numbers on the weather side of things but never seem to rise to the task. Instead, its always "I woke up at 4am and ran in the dark because I am scared to death of the sun". Kevin and I have been doing races in 90+ degree temps with high humidity and all of my daily training is in the 90+ degree heat with the sun fully up. You Texas people fear your own weather so much that you won't actually run in the worst of it. Sure it hits 100 degrees there more often than here....but you never run in weather like that.....here in DC, we do.

Chris M wrote:
What are you...Michael Mitchell reporting on weather you never actually run in? Besides, haven't seen 93 degrees there since May? Say what? It is 76 degrees in Katy, Texas TONIGHT. In July 2011, it got to the mid to low 70s every single day in Katy. I run in hotter temps than any of you Texas folks. Seeing you guys report on the weather from the comfort of A/C when you ran when it was 80 degrees out doesn't impress me. Ooooh its hot outside.....of my office window. Let's talk about runs done in weather....Texas runners have a chance to post about some epic numbers on the weather side of things but never seem to rise to the task. Instead, its always "I woke up at 4am and ran in the dark because I am scared to death of the sun". Kevin and I have been doing races in 90+ degree temps with high humidity and all of my daily training is in the 90+ degree heat with the sun fully up. You Texas people fear your own weather so much that you won't actually run in the worst of it. Sure it hits 100 degrees there more often than here....but you never run in weather like that.....here in DC, we do.

Don't mess with my boy during high mileage weeks.

Heehee, bashing Texans. I did 8 miles this morning.

A HS coach died of heat stroke yesterday here. His son is in his team. Tragedy.

My wife was like: can you cancel your run tomorrow?

But I don't really understand why people are so serious on HS football training, some twice a day with one at 2:00pm.