My God, it's full of stars!

tunney

2019 has passed, and in truth I will not be too upset to see the back of this annus horribilis. Volumes of training didn't hit what I had hoped for this time last year.



Roll on 2020

tunney

I have deferred my IM Austria entry, there is no way I can be in shape and I am not putting myself under that sort of pressure.

One week into the new job, very different, very interesting and everyone is very nice! Lots of work to do and looking forward to getting stuck into.

Kevhog1988

tunney wrote: »

I have deferred my IM Austria entry, there is no way I can be in shape and I am not putting myself under that sort of pressure.

One week into the new job, very different, very interesting and everyone is very nice! Lots of work to do and looking forward to getting stuck into.

Best of luck on the new role

tunney

Sure what is the worst that can happen.........

Bambaata

Didnt make it to the race?

tunney

Bambaata wrote: »

Didnt make it to the race?

Nope.

Back and neck fecked again, not done anything in a few weeks now.

Bambaata

Ah ****e sorry to hear that! Was looking around for you

tunney

One thing I've realised recently that the ability (physical, economical, family) to exercise is not to be taken for granted and everyone has an obligation to to stay as fit and healthy as possible - something I have quite obviously not been doing the last few years. So time for a reboot.

Current fitness : poor
Current weight : 13 st 7
Current injuries : neck and back

No real goal events, anything I had entered I have either pushed out a year or they will be canceled. So suppose this is like an extended 12 month winter period (doubt we will see a race in 2020).

tunney

Monday 30th March 2020


Bad day, bad mood. Went for an awkward waddle around the block.

joey100

How do you find power as a metric for measuring your running?

tunney

joey100 wrote: »

How do you find power as a metric for measuring your running?

I'm still assessing it. Only at it a few weeks. Seems useful but beginning to find a few limitations and would not give an opinion either way just yet.

EC1000

Which device are you using to measure it?

tunney

EC1000 wrote: »

Which device are you using to measure it?

Stryd - wind version.

Wind detection definitely works. My reservations are:
* Tailwinds - not 100% convinced
* Weight - I have been interacting with Stryd customer support about their conflicting advise as to updating weight. One group of Customer Support people (CS) seem to say "Update regularly or it will not be accurate" another group of CS seem to say "Don't update or you will not be able to compare across weight changes, only update across training blocks or quarterly ". And the latter group seems to be most vocal and write the most literature. Why this concerns me is either the person(s) don't get what they are saying or the product doesn't work as described, or I have missed something.


So imagine I only update on the first day of a quarter. I've been on the lash for a few months for whatever reason, end of Quarantine lets say, and weigh 100kg

I run at 5:00 per km and that is 350 watts at 100kg
Two and a half months later I weight 75kg

Now there is a group of Stryd CS people saying you SHOULD NOT UPDATE your weight as a run at the end of the quarter won't be comparable to the start of the quarter because they do no track the weight of the user for the power for each run. My point to them is tracking of weight should not matter if it works as a watt should be a watt. (okay its not really a power meter but it is marketed as one)

Back to my example

(a) 5:00 per km @ 100kg = 350 watts

Now if I take that advice and don't update the Stryd will tell me

(b) 5:00 per km @ 75kg = 350 watts

If we accept (a) then (b) cannot be true and therefore you should update your weight otherwise you are running far easier than you should be

so lets say we update and run at 350 watts, so I would expect something of the form

(c) 4:30 per km @ 75kg = 350 watts


As I said I got onto them about this query and was told

Weight affects power but we do not show historic weight in our system. Higher weight means higher power at the same pace. Can you tell me where you read this? That will help me provide a more complete answer.

I let them know where I read this and pointed out that they had written it.

the response to that was

You can change the weight as often as you want. The article highlights that we currently do not show the weight associated with each run, which makes the comparison between runs when weight changes more complicated. So, I recommend not changing weight too often, but that is a personal choice.

Now I am a cabbage or someone else is.

If I am running faster in March for the same power as I was in January, whether that is fitness, form, or weight loss - does that matter? I'm still running faster for the same power.

I have also tried the Garmin chest strap solution, and the Garmin RD pods. I didn't like either of them because (a) they disagreed with each other and surely a solution from the same vendor should agree and (b) the approach for wind is rather crude - (download wind direction from phone to watch and use that to guess exposure and additional power cost).


TL;DR version : Stryd

tunney

Tuesday 31st March 2020

Lunch waddle

Waddle around the area with some pickups.
Poxy HRM went nuts for the first 5-10km. All the software I have for repairing FIT files is windows based and now a Mac user.....

The park near me was a little crowded, carpark and surrounding lay bys all full. People not restricting their exercise to within 2km of home.
People do end up noticing - here is a report on Italy I was involved in https://blog.logograb.com/covid19-visual-ai-analysis-lockdown-violation-italy/





Evening easy spin
I've been missing my commutes so did an easy spin to loosen the legs. Pain cave needs work, dusty and not organised.




Evening body weight session
You could say that I am as weak as a kitten, or you could say I am as strong as an ox as I was lifting an elephant. Either way not as many sets as planned.

tunney

Long story short, remote diagnosis from TMWTT is a tear in rec fem and groin. No running for a while. #covidCrackup

tunney

I've been sick the last week. Throat, neck, chest all at me. I've tried to sort it myself but accepted today I needed to ring the doctor. Over the phone consultation. Nice doctor, asking all about Covid exposure. Tried to explain 100% sure not Covid that the chest was a regular enough thing. Went through all the questioning to be told "You don't meet the criteria for a swab test". Great I said because all I want are antibotics and some steroids. Getting the antibotics but no steroids. If it gets worse then need ring back. I would have preferred a physical consultation as not convinced the throat is a URTI.

Anyways.......

tunney

Done nothing bar a few tester runs the last month or two.
Beginning to get to the bottom of the series of injuries.
Ankle joint, rec fem, VMO and adductor magnus - all quite bad and all, probably, stemming from the ankle joint issues.

Dying to get out for a run again and help to return some sanity*



*Not claiming to ever have been sane

tunney

So I got over the adductor Magnus issue, got back running and then one rainy evening run in Bushy I landed badly, while distracted, on a wet tree root and went over on my ankle. It was bad but I managed to continue on another 20 minutes and got home. Not long after the pain kicked in. Near vomiting from the pain and unable to walk. Long story short some muscle tears, ligament damage and more time off my feet.

I'm back waddling now. Not on the bike much at all - this will have to change as have signed up for the Dying Light 200km Audax with Tango, Dolan and Danny DeVito. All I need to be is stronger than Tango

I'm heavy at the moment as well 13st 10 and my diet is sh1te. Time to start cleaning things up......

Kevhog1988

tunney wrote: »

So I got over the adductor Magnus issue, got back running and then one rainy evening run in Bushy I landed badly, while distracted, on a wet tree root and went over on my ankle. It was bad but I managed to continue on another 20 minutes and got home. Not long after the pain kicked in. Near vomiting from the pain and unable to walk. Long story short some muscle tears, ligament damage and more time off my feet.

I'm back waddling now. Not on the bike much at all - this will have to change as have signed up for the Dying Light 200km Audax with Tango, Dolan and Danny DeVito. All I need to be is stronger than Tango

I'm heavy at the moment as well 13st 10 and my diet is sh1te. Time to start cleaning things up......

Best of luck... Christ you have no luck

tunney

Friday 28th August 2020

Evening waddle
Dist: 6.1km
Time: 31:53
AHR: 151bpm
APwr : 286watts
APace : 5:13 min/km
ARPM : 179 spm

Ran alongside the Dodder, down past a few weirs and the torrent of water was amazing. Something very relaxing about it.
Right ITB made itself known a bit, been creeping up a bit recently. Will work on the TFL over the weekend. Did tennis ball release of TFL straight after. Quite sore.

tunney

Saturday 29th August 2020

Evening run
Dist: 60km
Time: 30:51
AHR: 162bpm
APwr : 292watts
APace : 5:08 min/km
ARPM : 180 spm

I have long held the opinion that all injuries, bar trauma induced ones, are the result of poor form. If your form is right you won't get injured.

As I want out for this waddle I was a few hundred metres in and waiting for the TFLs and ITBs to say hello. And then they started too. At this point I became aware that I was running sloppy, wrong muscles, unstable. And then it hit me - the last while I have been "going for a waddle" around the part 5:30 per km isn't running, its not even jogging, so I just went and did it. I was switching off and not paying any attention to form as, well, why would I? I'm not really running. I realised the error of my ways here and tightened the core, engaged hip flexors, hammers and glutes and focused on muscle recruitment and form. The TFLs and ITBs got back in their box and I enjoyed the run. Time to focus on form again.

tunney

Sunday 30th August 2020
Blessington spin

Time: 1:55:55
Dist: 51.5km
aHR: 148bpm
aRPM: 83rpm
aPWR: 150 watts
normPWR : 160 watts

Rode to Blessington and bike. Late out, about 1130, and lots of people, on the roads. Amazing that social distancing does not apply to cars when passing bikes.

peter kern

just enjoy it you cant have everrything in life ie work family sport
i would not go as far as you that form is everything but it does help
good luck

partyguinness

tunney wrote: »

I have long held the opinion that all injuries, bar trauma induced ones, are the result of poor form. If your form is right you won't get injured.

That opinion is widely held and shared.

I cleared up an ongoing runner's knee issue (lasted years) when I took steps to improve my form and cadence started by running slower.

tunney

partyguinness wrote: »

That opinion is widely held and shared.

I cleared up an ongoing runner's knee issue (lasted years) when I took steps to improve my form and cadence started by running slower.

Lydiard had that view as well, big mileage can be achieved quite quickly at the correct pace to maintain form.

What cadence did you settle on?

partyguinness

tunney wrote: »

Lydiard had that view as well, big mileage can be achieved quite quickly at the correct pace to maintain form.

What cadence did you settle on?

Funnily enough only at lunchtime today walking around the supermarket I was thinking how my knee was not giving me any grief whatsoever and had felt great over the past 2-3 weeks even though my mileage and sessions have been ramped up significantly (always a lingering ache under the kneecap that I just accepted).

Back in February I pared it right back with a coach and started HR MAF training. Keep HR under 135 and doing 1-2 hour runs (x5). No speedwork or intervals whatsoever.

That meant shuffling along at 6-7min/k (from the usual 4.30min/k) took me down to cadence of around the 164spm. The upshot meant I ended up focusing more on my actual running form and consistency to keep HR in check.

I am back doing intervals for Athens marathon and just checked my last few runs on Strava and 176-178 spm seems to be recurring figure.

I have 6 sessions paid for with The Running School in London that I need to use up to try to help some more with technique and cadence. My upper body arm movement definitely needs work. Covid has put it off all year.

Looks like you use a pod to track watts? How does that work out?

Might give that a go in the New Year. I am still using chest strap HR.

ps. Cadence could be better but I am hoping that will improve over the coming weeks. Only out of slow HR training in the past 4 weeks.

tunney

Lately, and by lately I mean since the onset of the pandemic really, both my socialising and my exercise have been largely limited to things that involve my dog. I've gotten to know loads of people in the area as people tend to stick to routine and if you meet people everyday you get chatting.

Anyways yesterday one of the ladies who was out with her dog mentioned something about her and her husband running and them having entries to the marathon. I said that I also have one. She looked me up and down and said "Oh you run?" She didn't mean anything by it I'm sure.

Time to start getting my act together. 13st 10 is far too heavy too be healthy never mind fit.

tunney

Sunday 24th January 2021

Afternoon waddle
Time: 22:01
Dist: 4km
HR: 153bpm
Cad: 176 spm
Pace: 5:29 per km

Went for a run/jog/waddle around the park. Not pretty.

peter kern

tunney wrote: »

Sunday 24th January 2021

Afternoon waddle
Time: 22:01
Dist: 4km
HR: 153bpm
Cad: 176 spm
Pace: 5:29 per km

Went for a run/jog/waddle around the park. Not pretty.

thats faster than my run on sunday ...

BTH

peter kern wrote: »

thats faster than my run on sunday ...

Faster than mine at the moment too.