tips – The Indefatigable Iron Rogue

March 13, 2015November 27, 2016

Friday Five: 5 Things I Learned About Foam Rolling

On March 4th, I got to attend a Foam Rolling Workshop instructed by Caron Shepley of Personal Best. Caron gave us the basics of why Foam Rolling is a good tool for recovery, and after leading us through some Yoga Sun Salutations to get our muscles warmed up, she walked us through some best practices for muscles that typically need it the most, and of course, benefit the most from foam rolling (or using a lacrosse/therapy ball).

Foam rolling (and lacrosse/therapy ball or other myofascial releases) work by hitting trigger points. I pretty much knew this, but what I didn’t know was there was another way foam rolling works to aid recovery, namely…
Foam rolling lengthens the muscle beyond what you can accomplish by stretching. For each technique she showed us for a particular muscle, Caron first had us stretch it with a conventional stretch, that way we could feel the difference the foam roller made. Apparently this is the recommended method even when you’re doing it at home.
The glute muscle benefits more from side-to-side rolling. For most people the larger glute muscles are long enough, but the piriformis muscle, not so much. Addressing this muscle requires a side-to-side motion.
Hamstring tightness is better addressed by lacrosse/therapy ball than a foam roller. I found this one to feel really weird (I wanted to complain to a grown-up about a ‘bad touch’ but the only one to accuse was myself). The ball has to sit just under the crease of your buttock and the top of the hamstring should feel like a thick rope that you roll over.
While I always thought of the lacrosse/therapy ball as a way to treat tricky injury spots, it can also simply be rolled under the foot to prevent plantar fasciitis, one of the most common running injuries.

Do you foam roll? Use a hard ball? Any extra tips?

June 12, 2012November 27, 2016

Getting Back Into Good Habits

It’s been so long… I really shouldn’t have let it get this far… I don’t know if there’s even a point anymore… I don’t even know how I’m going to get started again…

These are the kind of thoughts that run through your head when you’ve been absent from something you’ve been meaning to do regularly, and it’s the same whether we’re talking about exercise or writing a blog. It’s almost worse in this case, since the blog is mostly about exercise and training.

I’ve had a long hiatus from both, and I don’t feel good about it. I’m not going to dwell on why it happened, it’s in the past. I was able to get back into exercising easier than back into blogging, but I think the key is the same in both cases, like Nike tells us: Just Do It. Don’t overanalyze how to make your grand return, just start with something.

Without further ado, let me tell you about my weekend workout. A group of people from Jiu-Jitsu have commited to doing the Spartan Sprint and I’m one of them. Having a group training day seemed appealing so it was scheduled for this past Sunday at High Park in Toronto. The way we structured our workout was to do sets of 5 minute runs (each led by a different individual). After the run, we did a Pyramid of Squats, Lunges and Pushups:

For my run, we did Burbathlon jumping over and on picnic tables and benches and ducking under railings and signs. We also did some hill work and sprints. Overall, we got very tired, very hot and very proud of ourselves.

I brought the whole family along to High Park; Shark Boy played on the playground and the Lightning Kid had a nap. On my last run I tried carrying Shark Boy along – he was game but once I wasn’t able to keep up with the group, I seemed to run out of steam. We finished off the workout with some ab work (just because) and it turned into a lovely day… especially for ice cream.

Now that I’ve broken the seal on blog posts, hopefully I can get back into the full swing of things.

April 24, 2012

Last Week’s Links

Just checking in to share some of the better links I came across last week.

A Brick workout without a bike, courtesy of Trifreaks: http://trifreaks.wordpress.com/2012/04/18/brick-workout-to-consider-without-biking/
Healthy Tipping Point takes a good look at Obstacle Races (please don’t call them Adventure Races, that’s something else). Very thoughtful analysis, as usual.
Better with Veggies put up a great post about breaking into triathlon from starting as a runner. It’s how I got involved; I was already using swim and bike as cross-training, I loved pushing the envelope endurance-wise, but it was just too much running all the time, until I found a way to make it all work for me.
Speaking of breaking into triathlon, I was thumbing through my wife’s Chatelaine magazine when I saw this article. Yay for triathlon in the mainstream!

Have a great day!

EDIT: Fixed the link to Healthy Tipping Point.

April 9, 2012

When Your Partner Wants to Train

I hope everyone had a good Easter weekend! I was lucky to run into this blog post from Outside magazine, about how parents can train. Having a family makes training for running races or triathlons hard, but when your partner or spouse has their own goals, it can add yet another wrinkle.

My wife is training for her first race since the birth if the Lightning Kid, the Yonge Street 10k in April (maybe I can get her to guest write a race recap) followed by the Sporting Life 10k in May. Meanwhile, looking at the Race Calendar, I’ve got the 5 Peaks Rattlesnake Point trail run on the 28th.

Even though it’s my first trail run, this race doesn’t present an enormous challenge for me in terms of distance, while for her it’s really pushing the envelope for her current running ability. Due to my longer legs I am the faster runner of the two of us, but in the years since we had kids, the difference in our running fitness has grown. While parenting is tiring for dads, there’s no denying there’s a more direct physical toll on the moms. So when we finally got a chance to run together like we used to, how did we handle it?

We did this run together; it is only a little over 4k – so it doesn’t represent a long run for her, nor me, really. Our paces would be much different considering distance alone. What we ended up doing is she kept up a pace suitable for a recovery run (or even over-distance/endurance pace) while I did a mixture of extras to spike my heart rate from time to time. One trick was to stop for squats, push-ups or whatever Burbathlon-style. The problem became that my wife wasn’t quite slow enough for me to do too many reps without her catching up to me even when I had sprinted ahead. Which brings me to the other trick I used: Fartlek sprints, combined with either jogging back again or even backwards running, which uses opposing muscle groups to your run, and can be a way to cross-train and injury-proof your muscles. So to sum up, sprint ahead, stop for strength exercises till she catches up.

To me, this run together was some of the most fun I’ve had on a run in a long time; I missed my running buddy, and I kept myself highly amused with the extra exercises. To her, I bet it was a lot like taking a dog for a run… SQUIRREL!

January 12, 2012November 27, 2016

Gear Corner: Shoes

I’m going to take a minute to talk about the shoes I run in. I enjoy running on non-paved surfaces because they seem to be gentler on my Achilles tendons (I generally wear cushioning shoes; I seem to have high arch and supinate while running -cushioning has kept most problems at bay). I noticed a friend wore Salomon shoes that seemed ideally suited to both the road and the trail (indeed the Salomon XA PRO 3D Ultra are marketed this way). I’m on my third pair from this series, and I’m very happy; I do 90-95% of my running in these.

For races, I have switched in the last few years to something approaching the idea of a ‘racing flat’ the Zoot Ultraspeed. Being lighter, it’s a little less weight to drag around, and they’re designed for fast transitions at T2, so they just slip on. Without much cushioning though, I tend not to use them on longer distances, depending on how I think my feet and legs will hold up against the course.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’re probably seeing that Barefoot running is growing in popularity. This guy makes plenty of arguments that I think hold some water, but I am in favour of cross-training in ways that strengthen my foot and any other supporting players in the run. So I got a pair of barefoot/minimalist shoes: the Merrell True Glove.

I bought the Merrell’s because they sponsor the Multisport Canada Triathlon Series, they were on sale, and I had concerns about those shoes that look like feet. What if one of my toes (or other featurs of my foot) is outside the norm? How would they fit? I should have been more concerned about the Merrell’s.

I wore them for the first time on a trail near my cottage. I tried to land mid-foot as is recommended by all the paleo/chi running experts, and have a forward body lean as I ran. Some problems: people with long legs have a reason to over-stride and heel-strike: it’s the best way to run faster and use your advantage. Taking shorter strides and having faster leg turnover is hard when your legs are longer, and the second my concentration slipped, I was heel striking again. I also seemed to be unable to find my mid-foot, when I wasn’t heel striking, I was landing on the balls of my feet as if I was trying to do some kind of ninja-sneak run, and it was murder on my Achilles tendons (especially with all the hills in the area). Finally, I ended up with blisters on the backs of my heels (I should have taken pictures).

I’m not willing to give up on the barefoot running (as cross-training) yet, and I’ve worn the shoes a couple of times since then. Once was taking my son to the playground which didn’t involve much running, except when I chased him or carried him for a quick jog from here to there, and the other time was on a treadmill.

I think the treadmill is ideal for playing with the technique. Right now it’s a little too cold for running with less/no socks and very little insulation/protection on my feet. Furthermore, the treadmill stays at a constant incline and speed, with no bumps, twists or turns so I can focus on my technique. Lastly, I find it so boring that I’m guaranteed not to overdo it, and build my barefoot strength slowly.

January 7, 2012

LinkoRama

Just checking in with a few interesting links I found over the week.

Caitlin over at Healthy Tipping Point is doing a series for people looking into triathlon. Where I did a single post in a similar vein, a whole series is that more comprehensive and awesome. No wonder that blog is so popular.

Meanwhile, Meghann at Meals and Miles drew my attention to an awesome relay that goes from Miami to Key West; a beautiful and fun part of the world to understate things. It looks logistically difficult to put together, and that’s before you consider the mayhem and TSA blues it would take to get me and my family to Florida. Still, maybe it’s one for the the Race Bucket List.

Finally, this guy had to go and ruin everything I thought I was doing right in my swim training. I’ll probably mix in his advice with what I was already doing for some Frankenstein hybrid; that’s how I roll.

December 30, 2011November 27, 2016

Winter Running Tips and Reality Checks

If you’re near the 49th parallel or North of there, you probably have a better idea of what real cold is, and all the extra challenges that come from it.

With the holidays I had a chance to take my eldest son (2 years old, and will be known from here on out as ‘Shark Boy’) out in the Chariot on a run. It was pretty cold, so precautions needed to be taken. Around this time of year there are plenty of articles about how to accommodate the colder temperatures, and most of them repeat a lot of the same good advice. I’ll take this one from Active.com and look at some of the tips while adding what they really entail:

Gear Up: Wear trail shoes or a traction device like Yak Trax. They will give you better traction and stability in the snow. The problem with this advice is that traction devices work best when there is ice and snow, but that isn’t the case for 100% of your run. Sometimes the sidewalks are clear due to diligent neighbours, so wearing your traction devices on concrete is uncomfortable and you’re better off without them… until you hit that patch of snow/ice than hasn’t been cleared. The best option I’ve found is to be able to take them off or put them on as needed. When you’re not using them, you have to be able to carry them: run a belt through them or stick them in a pack you’re carrying.
Take Extra Time To Warm Up: Your body will warm up more slowly in cold weather, especially if you run in the morning. Take at least five minutes to walk briskly before you start to run. It’s especially true if it’s been a while since you ran and you need to get used to extra pounds you’ve put on from the holidays, or simply the different equipment you might be wearing/carrying due to the season. Don’t rush, take your time (this will come up again).
Accessorize: Having the right apparel makes all the difference in the world. Layering is the key to avoiding over- or under-dressing. Putting on all that extra gear takes extra time; you’ve got to integrate it with your iPod/phone/whatever and any other running accessories. Same thing when you’re done, it takes that much longer to strip and hit the shower so budget for that extra time. It will probably come out of your time to actually run, when you take real life into account.
Run During Light and Warmer Times of Day: If possible, run during daylight hours so you can absorb that needed sunshine we rarely get in the winter. Sure, this works great if you have the day off like I did on the 27th. Otherwise, that might mean running at lunch, where time is already way too limited. You will probably run in the dark.
Hydrate: It is just as important to drink fluids in your winter runs as it is in the summer. Bring a bottle of water along with you, especially if you’re like me and the only drink you had before dashing out was a cup of coffee (which dehydrates).

For all that extra time and effort, I’d still rather be out there than on a treadmill; I want the 2012 Winter season to have as much running as I can fit in!

December 28, 2011

Back to the Pool Part 2

I finally made it back to the pool today. The last Back to the Pool post should have made it clear that my swim workouts are not entirely unstructured, just mostly so. I picked up some kicking drills from an online source, and I figured that when I get too frustrated by the fast lane not being fast enough or too many collisions or whatever, I could move over to the medium lane and do those drills.

It turns out, December 28th is a good day to go for a swim workout, as the lanes were a lot less busy. I warmed up with 10×25; and for once I remembered to take it easy on the warm up so I could keep my technique clean and have plenty of gas for the main set.

I decided on a little experiment before moving to the kick drills. I did two sets of 100m (4x25m):

On the first set, I simply timed the 100m swim. I came in at 1:46 which sounded good, but comparing it to race paces of over 2 minutes doesn’t make a lot of sense, since I’m going a lot longer in those cases. Still, I wanted it for reference.
The next set, I counted the number of strokes it took me to complete one length, and averaged out over 4 lengths (stroke count is considered an important measure of your efficiency in the water). It came out to 24 strokes to complete 25m which surprised me; I’d never had a stroke count less than 25 before.

Due to the lack of traffic and according to the average pace in the lane, I was able to do my kick drills (12x25m) in the fast lane. Doing drills like this was a little tedious at first, but once I felt I was getting the hang of it, the lengths started ticking off faster, it seemed.

I re-did the two sets of 100m coming in with a time of 1:42 and a stroke count of 23. That looks like improvement , though it’s not entirely conclusive since I ended up really sprinting the last timed length to pass a swimmer and avoid a traffic jam in the middle of the pool.

I’m encouraged by the potential of technical drills, especially ones based around my kick. From what I’ve read, off-season is ideal for technical work, since the cold weather takes time away from doing more serious distance/volume (even in pool swimming, as the winter drive to/from the pool eats up more time than it would). I’m also hoping that any improvements in kick strength/power/efficiency pay dividends into my cycling and running due to stronger legs and core.

December 28, 2011

Back to the Pool Part 2

I decided on a little experiment before moving to the kick drills. I did two sets of 100m (4x25m):

On the first set, I simply timed the 100m swim. I came in at 1:46 which sounded good, but comparing it to race paces of over 2 minutes doesn’t make a lot of sense, since I’m going a lot longer in those cases. Still, I wanted it for reference.
The next set, I counted the number of strokes it took me to complete one length, and averaged out over 4 lengths (stroke count is considered an important measure of your efficiency in the water). It came out to 24 strokes to complete 25m which surprised me; I’d never had a stroke count less than 25 before.

November 29, 2011November 27, 2016

Gear Corner: Running Wirelessly

Usual disclaimer: I don’t get any compensation or consideration for writing this; all products were purchased with my own money.

I started running seriously (i.e. more than 2 miles at a time) sometime in 2004. As I got built up to Half-Marathon distance I accrued more and more technology to support my runs.

Shortly before the September race I was doing, a friend spotted me with sunglasses, a Garmin Forerunner 205 strapped to my wrist, and a Palm Treo (one of the first smartphones) on my arm – he referred to me as ‘Robocop’; I found it both cool and funny. The phone was playing MP3s to a wired headset; it was nice to listen to music but people would get a little scared when I answered the phone huffing and puffing.

Nowadays, smartphones are more commonplace and since both my Garmin (I now use the Forerunner 305) and iPod Touch seem to be lost or missing, it’s as good a time as any to write about running with a Smartphone.

With an iPhone, Android, or even Blackberry you can track and share your workout activity – including distance for many sports using an app. I use Endomondo (I’ve tracked running, cycling, inline skating, walking, cross-country and downhill skiing and kayaking so far), but there’s Adidas miCoach and many others including Daily Mile and RunKeeper. It’s a lot simpler when you can combine device functionality like this.

To me, one of the big pains of running to music is dealing with the headphone wires; I either snag it with my hands and yank the headphones out or I have to deal with stringing it under my clothes and through the neck, sleeve or whatever.

I experimented with Bluetooth solutions. I used to have the Oakley ROKR sunglasses. These were nice for killing two birds with one stone, as I would have both my headphone and sunglasses needs taken care of.

The problem was that music would skip, almost as if I was running with one of those old portable CD players (remember those?). It got very aggravating. I also got reliant on them to be my actual sunglasses, so I had hands-free when driving, and was better able to take phone calls on bike rides (I wouldn’t listen to music, but if a call came in, I could stop, stick an ear-bud in and push a button more easily than fumbling through a pocket), but when racing, they became unusable since earphones are not allowed. Ultimately, I dropped them on the ground once, and that was the end of them.

Nowadays I use a Bluetooth headset (without shades): the Motorola S9. I’ve used it with an iPod and my Blackberry and no skipping – now let me tell you why I love using a Bluetooth headset for music. It actually feels more natural (oddly enough considering it’s a more high-tech option than regular headphones), and I can store the player (iPod/cellphone) in whatever pocket I like once the devices are paired and the connection is made. It feels like the music is simply present in myears (the S9 seems to grip to my head quite nicely) as I move, and it stays with me even when I’m jumping around or dropping into push-ups.

Bluetooth headsets have a few drawbacks:

They need to be charged. If you’re forgetful about this sort of thing, you’re going to be left in the lurch when you want to have music to listen to, and the headset battery is dead. Don’t lose the charger, or find one that can be charged by USB
Pairing challenges. Getting Bluetooth devices to talk to one another should be straightforward, and usually when you’ve done it once, the devices remember each other like old friends (my car and Blackberry seem to have little spats from time to time, though). In my experience, if you can’t get them to connect, there seems to be very little troubleshooting you can do with most devices.
Standards confusion. There’s several different versions of the standard from 1.0 to 4.0. According to Wikipedia: “Users who need a stereo-music playing Bluetooth headset should look for a headset with the A2DP profile.” This is less of a problem nowadays, as music playing is pretty standard in a lot of devices, but still it’s worth double-checking before putting your money down.
Breakability. You already know what happened to the Oakley’s… now look at my S9 headset:

And yet I still prefer it to these Adidas/Sennheiser OMX 680 headphones which were recommended as being one of the best running headphones – in spite of being able to ‘mold’ and adjust the ear-clips to fit, they still pop out when my run gets too bouncy, or I sweat too much.

And if you’re wondering, my #1 favourite running song is Wild Hearted Son by The Cult.