Fri 19 Feb 2010
Running with the Pack 69: Chemical Addiction, Winter Olympics, and Stevie’s New Shoes
Posted by Allan under Olympics, inspirational stories, podcasting, running, triathlon
[11] Comments
Okay, I finally admit that I have a chemical addiction. I’m flying on an endorphin high and loving it. We also talk about the 2010 Winter Olympics, Stevie selecting new shoes, and listener mail about triathlons, staying motivated, and more.
Chemical Addiction, Winter Olympics, and Stevie's Shoes [42:05m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
ALLAN! If I hear you give one more qualifier about making it to Boston I am going to run to Western PA and kick your ass! You WILL WILL WILL qualifuy for Boston! Maybe it'll be later rather than sooner, but you WILL get there! Just say it and move on!!!
Stevie, why didn't you try Newtons? The women's neutral trainer is 7.6 oz. http://www.newtonrunning.com/newton-products/the-...
Am I crazy for doing an Ironman, or are you crazy for not signing up yet?
Just FYI, there are also varying distances of what is considered a "long course" triathlon. Some are half (70.3) but some are odd distances.
As for river swims, Ironman Louisville (which I'm doing in August) does actually have an upstream swim for the first part of the swim. But, from what I understand the upstream part is beside an island that all but eliminates the current and the second half is indeed downstream.
Great show guys! If you have tri questions and ever want a gust on the show, let me know and we'll work something out.
BW
Hey Brandon. Sure, I'll make it to Boston – or not. I'm confident that I could break 3:30 by the time I'm 45 if I really work at it. The question is: do I really want to work at it like that? I mean I know you would and will. But maybe by the time I'm 45, I'll be so enamored with triathlons or trail running that I won't really care about Boston. All the race medals are nice, but my long-term goal is health. I can be healthy and happy without making it to Boston.
You are crazy awesome for doing an Ironman that quickly. I never doubted that you could do it. It still impresses me and I bring you up when people ask about triathlons.
By the way, I was wondering what you thought of the first part of the show. I did about 2500 meters in the pool and it felt fantastic. I think that might be the most I've swam without stopping. I could have kept going too – not too bad for only being back in the pool for a few weeks. So I was wondering if you're like me and get a huge endorphin rush from swimming versus running – or whether you get it more from a different endurance sport – or maybe not at all?
All that being said, after a workout of some length (though not a hundred mile ride) I do find myself with oxytocin coursing through my veins and feeling quite "afterglow-y". But even with that there is a point where I am just too worn out to feel that. I think this has been a mental shift for me personally because, now when I go workout, I put the hammer down to maximize what my coach has given me.
Does that answer it?
BW
Yep. I wonder if the way I feel after swimming has something to do with my rhythmic breathing as well.
Oh, and you'll be proud of me. I started doing a few laps breathing on my left. It felt very strange at first – I panic a little, stiffen up, and lift my head too much, but it's already starting to feel more normal. After I get over my left-side anxiety, I'll try bilateral breathing every three strokes and see how that goes.
Hey there Allan,
how I feel during training is largely dependant upon the type of workout I'm doing. With swimming, most of the time I'm doing what amounts to an interval workout. Something like:
900 warm up (3x: 200 swim/50 kick/50 drill)
8×50 @ 1:10 (descend stroke count 1-4, 5-8)
9×50 kick (3 @ 1:20, 3 @ 1:15, 3@ 1:10)
50 easy
6×150 pull (3 @ 2:50, 3 @ 2:40)
8×25 @ :40 (descend 1-4, 5-8)
4×125 @ 2:15 (free swim)
200 cool down
continued…
In that case, I don't really get to that "rush" point. However, if I am doing what amounts to a tempo workout for a long distance, my shoulders get to a place at 1500~1800 meneter (or yards) where the lactate is flushed and I go on autopilot. When I get to this point, I can really push the pace and hammer if I want to and really not feel any effects.
On the bike and in the run, I also tend to hit my marks and certain waypoints during a workout where I find the "flow". I don't feel a "rush" so much as I just feel very light and in sync with my body. On the bike, this is a bit more challengin for me because it has a lot to do with pedal cadence, which in turn has a lot to do with the ability of (please pardon the detail) your ass to stay in the saddle, in aero position for long periods of time.
continued…
Good link on the shoes–I'm liking the Mizunos for now, but the Newtons will definitely be on my list. Thanks!
Stevie – I've been in Mizuno Wave Riders since model 10 (Guess you will have WR13s?) & find them to be a great neutral shoe for everyday training. If you find you get on with them, may I suggest you give the Mizuno Precision a whirl if you're in the market for a lighter 'racing' shoe? It's still a trainer rather than a flat/true racer, but weighs in at about 194g(6.85oz?) compared with the Wave Rider 12's 257g(9.1oz?) – yes, sadly, I've weighed my shoes. I wear a mens US7.5 (despite being a girl) and don't consider myself a light runner – tho probably mid-forefoot striker.
Allan – Superheroes with strange powers: check out Mur Lafferty's "Playing for Keeps" podcast novel. And I will certainly spread the word about RWTP. Not that it matters in the slightest (to me), but I'm an English-speaking expat – my Cantonese & Mandarin are pretty bad – I have enough to get around but don't ask me to get into discussions of philosophy, politics, Cantopop stars etc!
Just an additional FYI, the Mizuno waverider has a heel-to-toe height dfiierence on 15mm which equates to a 10% grade. Newton trainers have a 5mm drop or a 3.3% grade and their racers have a 4mm drop or a 2.7% grade.
Barefoot: 0 mm, 0%
Track spike: 1, 0.7
Newton Racer: 4, 2.7
Newton Trainer: 5, 3.3
Asics Prianha 3 (ultralight weight racing flat): 6, 4
Biom: 8, 5.3
Nike Free: 10, 6.7
Nike Zoom Streak XC: 11, 7.3
Nike Luna: 12, 8.0
Brooks T5 (distance racing flat): 13, 8.7
Saucony Hurricane: 14, 9.3
Mizuno Waverider: 15, 10.0
Saucony Omni 6: 18, 12.0
Asics 2100 series: 21, 14.0
Hi Brandon: Interesting. I'm open to trying different shoes. In fact, I've previously tried to order a pair of Newtons but because of where I live, it was going to cost me an extra $70-$90 in shipping and taxes! NewtonUS were nice enough to give me the option of cancelling the order – which I did – couldn't justify +50% cost to myself. Perhaps when I'm next in Japan/UK I'll try to pick up a pair. That said, I've tried lots of 'regular' trainers and always come back to the Mizunos – currently have a pair of Ronin 2 racers awaiting a test run when I feel brave enough / patient enough. I've gone from assuming I'd never break 45mins for 10k a couple of years ago to a PB of 41m57s. I'm SURE it's not all shoe-related, but I'm wondering if a sub 41 is within my capabilities and I'm willing to give new kit a try in my (likely futile) quest. Best, LDG
I agree with LDGirl–the differences are interesting. Makes me wonder how the back-and-forth with the vibrams will be. I'll have to do some testing on that.