Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Walking tall after a psoas massage
My knees have been bothering me. Pain in shoulder. Feeling a bit beat up. I went to the Chiropractor Monday. I got a long session. The person I go to uses an activator, power massage thing and no crunchy stuff. I have gone to chiropractors that just do the crunchy stuff. Problem with that is the muscles just yank stuff back out pretty quickly. This person tries to loosen things up. She hits trigger points trying to get them to release. So she did two new moves. One was working the psoas. I did not even know what that muscle was. I do not know how many massages I have had or how many chiropractors but it has been a fair number and no one has ever worked that. Well there was some tenderness there. Second move was some tugging on the face while I moved the feet towards the knees.
I walked out of that hour session feeling taller. When I got to the office I got out a tape measure and indeed I was back up to 70”. Over the past year I have been the same height as my wife when I used to be an inch taller. It has been a while since I have walked that tall. So I need to do psoas stretches to see what that gets me. I still feel tall 2 days later.
Knees are still complaining a bit. Left foot is still sore. I suppose by Saturday everything will be good enough to let me do the 3 mile run as part of my sprint tri.
I walked out of that hour session feeling taller. When I got to the office I got out a tape measure and indeed I was back up to 70”. Over the past year I have been the same height as my wife when I used to be an inch taller. It has been a while since I have walked that tall. So I need to do psoas stretches to see what that gets me. I still feel tall 2 days later.
Knees are still complaining a bit. Left foot is still sore. I suppose by Saturday everything will be good enough to let me do the 3 mile run as part of my sprint tri.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Interfaces
My knees have been complaining about my jogging. I started out slow and short a few weeks back so my shins would not fuss. So I have avoided that shin pain. I have used my gravel road as the training route which is softer than blacktop but still fairly hard as we have not had any rain in a while. My big toe was complaining last Thursday when I was trotting with some friends. One of the fellow said I looked quite tight in the hips. Well my knees complaining is probably a lot of that weird gait.
I went to a shoe expo today and got some insoles and some good socks. Big toe likes those socks. Knees are still complaining but I will give them a bit of time.
I got a lead on a physical therapist and custom orthotics guy. I will start with a visit to the chiropractor as I am plenty goofed up now. Sharp pain in shoulder area. I probably should be doing yoga as I am plenty out of balance with lots of tight stuff.
My saddles have been bothering me also. Dreaded numbness I have never experienced before. And the shorts have chamois about 2 inches to short up front. Fine if you are a girl but not so good to have seams there if you are a guy. I might be forced to look at those expensive shorts to see if they have "man" sized chamois.
My splashing is not going so swell. I am failing to get to the pool often enough. I sucked in plenty of water in 15 minutes last night. At least the pool water is not as nasty as the shallow lake water next Saturday. Looking forward to the sprint tri this Saturday especially if my knees stop fussing.
Back to socks. A few months ago someone was commenting that he was getting hot spots in his cycling shoes. I recommended some SmartWool socks. I get a big smile wearing my Smartwool socks. Or my Defeet wool socks. They are so much more comfortable than wearing those basic Coolmax summer socks. Sometimes those Coolmax socks are fine for me but other times breaking out the wool socks even in the summer works for me. Really the wool socks are not bad even in the summer. The only maybe not was that century a few weeks ago. Warm and humid. It started out foggy sort of cool and humid which just became hot and humid. My shoes felt like I rode through some big puddles as my socks and shoes were filling up with sweat. That is a fair bit of sweat to make my shoes feel like that.
I had a dream last night that involved one of my college room mates Mike that I have not seen in 25 years. I graduated 26 years ago. He sort of had a bobble head thing going on like he had a traumatic brain injury. His right foot was rotated about 130 degrees from normal. I guess the dream was telling me be happy I can ride a bike, I can walk fine, and I might be able to learn to swim one day. Last time I saw Mike he was physically fine and happy. I have no idea where that weird injuries came from other that I am annoyed at being less than able to do whatever I want. Makes me wonder what the next 40 years have for me.
I went to a shoe expo today and got some insoles and some good socks. Big toe likes those socks. Knees are still complaining but I will give them a bit of time.
I got a lead on a physical therapist and custom orthotics guy. I will start with a visit to the chiropractor as I am plenty goofed up now. Sharp pain in shoulder area. I probably should be doing yoga as I am plenty out of balance with lots of tight stuff.
My saddles have been bothering me also. Dreaded numbness I have never experienced before. And the shorts have chamois about 2 inches to short up front. Fine if you are a girl but not so good to have seams there if you are a guy. I might be forced to look at those expensive shorts to see if they have "man" sized chamois.
My splashing is not going so swell. I am failing to get to the pool often enough. I sucked in plenty of water in 15 minutes last night. At least the pool water is not as nasty as the shallow lake water next Saturday. Looking forward to the sprint tri this Saturday especially if my knees stop fussing.
Back to socks. A few months ago someone was commenting that he was getting hot spots in his cycling shoes. I recommended some SmartWool socks. I get a big smile wearing my Smartwool socks. Or my Defeet wool socks. They are so much more comfortable than wearing those basic Coolmax summer socks. Sometimes those Coolmax socks are fine for me but other times breaking out the wool socks even in the summer works for me. Really the wool socks are not bad even in the summer. The only maybe not was that century a few weeks ago. Warm and humid. It started out foggy sort of cool and humid which just became hot and humid. My shoes felt like I rode through some big puddles as my socks and shoes were filling up with sweat. That is a fair bit of sweat to make my shoes feel like that.
I had a dream last night that involved one of my college room mates Mike that I have not seen in 25 years. I graduated 26 years ago. He sort of had a bobble head thing going on like he had a traumatic brain injury. His right foot was rotated about 130 degrees from normal. I guess the dream was telling me be happy I can ride a bike, I can walk fine, and I might be able to learn to swim one day. Last time I saw Mike he was physically fine and happy. I have no idea where that weird injuries came from other that I am annoyed at being less than able to do whatever I want. Makes me wonder what the next 40 years have for me.
C4 fun TT ride #4
Fun time had by one and all. I rode from my house to Flat Rock. Legs felt crummy. I was late leaving the house so no TT before everyone else. Dan Coy and Robert were out warming up when I arrived. Richard was pulling cones out of the car. Since it was a small group I decided we could just self time. Eddie wandered up from Conyers on his bike reluctant to do a TT. He had no timing device on his bike but no matter.
Course was simple. Ride out about a half mile, turn around, go about5 miles and head back to the start/finish line. Richard headed to the start line and then noticed no cycling shoes. He went back to the car and came back still no cycling shoes. He headed out with no warm up. We got reluctant Eddie out on the course. He started out heading the wrong direction I think trying to avoid the start. He looked like he was trying to slip away but we would have nothing of that and sent him off the correct way. Robert headed out. Richard was coming back from the first U-turn pedaling like a mad man and going fast. I took off and Dan left a bit after me. On my way back from the first U-turn I saw Lee and Maurice. I tried to suggest to them that it was a self timed event that they could come out and play. I think they saw the determined look in Eddie’s eye and decided that being cheerleaders would be better.
I eventually saw Eddie up ahead. Where, I am not sure as I was trying to go as hard as I could without blowing up. With Dan behind me, I was really not wanting to be passed. After I passed I tried to reel in Robert but he was having none of that. I was riding my regular helmet today because the TT helmet muffles too much traffic noise. That meant I could hear the sound of a disk wheel which sometimes sound like F350 coming up behind you. I was happy to see the 1 k to go. Happier to see the 500m to go and I turned on what I had left. Dan did not catch me.
Eddie looked mystified after the ride. I am not sure if he was confused and thought he was doing a C4 leisure ride that went bad or what. Eddie rode strong which he usually does. How fast no one knows since he had no watch.
Dan Coy 23:53
Jim B 24:42
Robert 26:57
Richard 28:19 riding in Crocs.
I am guessing that Eddie finished between Robert and Richard. Hard to guess.
My gps said 15.4 km or 9.57 miles. The Polar said 9.5. Dan’s said 9.86 Topo USA says 9.6 so I will go with that. Just enough distance and hills to make it fun.
Season finale sometime next month. I need to check for other race conflicts. It is currently on the same day as the Covington Fuzz Run 5k so I need to move. Then cross season starts. I need to think of some big ideas to get more to participate. I also think a Wednesday night crit series will be fun. I just do not know of any local office parks that will work well. On the far from me side of town they have a huge crit practice series.
Course was simple. Ride out about a half mile, turn around, go about5 miles and head back to the start/finish line. Richard headed to the start line and then noticed no cycling shoes. He went back to the car and came back still no cycling shoes. He headed out with no warm up. We got reluctant Eddie out on the course. He started out heading the wrong direction I think trying to avoid the start. He looked like he was trying to slip away but we would have nothing of that and sent him off the correct way. Robert headed out. Richard was coming back from the first U-turn pedaling like a mad man and going fast. I took off and Dan left a bit after me. On my way back from the first U-turn I saw Lee and Maurice. I tried to suggest to them that it was a self timed event that they could come out and play. I think they saw the determined look in Eddie’s eye and decided that being cheerleaders would be better.
I eventually saw Eddie up ahead. Where, I am not sure as I was trying to go as hard as I could without blowing up. With Dan behind me, I was really not wanting to be passed. After I passed I tried to reel in Robert but he was having none of that. I was riding my regular helmet today because the TT helmet muffles too much traffic noise. That meant I could hear the sound of a disk wheel which sometimes sound like F350 coming up behind you. I was happy to see the 1 k to go. Happier to see the 500m to go and I turned on what I had left. Dan did not catch me.
Eddie looked mystified after the ride. I am not sure if he was confused and thought he was doing a C4 leisure ride that went bad or what. Eddie rode strong which he usually does. How fast no one knows since he had no watch.
Dan Coy 23:53
Jim B 24:42
Robert 26:57
Richard 28:19 riding in Crocs.
I am guessing that Eddie finished between Robert and Richard. Hard to guess.
My gps said 15.4 km or 9.57 miles. The Polar said 9.5. Dan’s said 9.86 Topo USA says 9.6 so I will go with that. Just enough distance and hills to make it fun.
Season finale sometime next month. I need to check for other race conflicts. It is currently on the same day as the Covington Fuzz Run 5k so I need to move. Then cross season starts. I need to think of some big ideas to get more to participate. I also think a Wednesday night crit series will be fun. I just do not know of any local office parks that will work well. On the far from me side of town they have a huge crit practice series.
Chains, knees, swimming lessons
I have not ridden in two weeks except for a ½ hour ride last night after installing a new Shimano 7801 chain. I had a cheap Wipperman 10So that was just nasty. It was a plain steel chain and it looked bad, had sticky links, and was noisy. Maybe their more expensive nickel and stainless steel chains work well but if you catch sales the Shimano chains are a bargain. I should do a new chain every year or 5,000 miles but my frugal ways tend to make me try for 10,000 miles. The 5 hour century and the team time trial do not count as rides.
My knees have been hurting a bit. Traditionally this is when I stop running so my Peachtree sprint tri and cross season suffer. I am trying to decide what to do about that. Knees do not bother me as much as a sore left arch. I am not sure but I suspect a good massage/chiropractic visit would be a good idea.
I finally got a swim lesson yesterday at Johnson Park. I do not know what all the fuss was about. There were only 4 people in the water. 9 days to my tri and I am finally getting a lesson. Typical Jim planning. It was interesting. Coach would not let me in the water. New way to learn how to swim. Stay out of the water. OK, he covered some 101 points. The water does not control you, you control the water. That concept works great when you are 70” and the water is 60” deep. I can stand up, breath, spit out water, blow nose, walk to bathroom, adjust goggles. That idea did not work when I was 6 and 40”. Stand up meant I was drowning. Ok, when doing the club tri or maybe even a low water Peachtree that also works as the silty bottom is right there less than drowning depth. Repeat after me, “I control the water; the water does not control me.”
Second concept was just as significant. Coach was saying we practice doing 4 strokes and breath on the fourth stroke. I was trying to stroke easily with my arms and breathe every fourth stroke. L……R……L…R……LbreathR Kind of like a fixed gear where my left/right were in an even metronome like cadence. So I could get half a lung of air if I remembered to exhale before I tried to inhale. If stroked like I had a freewheel, the breath stroke could have a stutter to allow me to try to get a lung or even two lungs of air. I am so used to even cadence that I try it in the pool. Sometimes too fast with the arms. All of this is concept work trying to get me to be comfortable breathing so I can put together a half lap without standing up. Baby strokes. Now my legs were sometimes going 3 times faster than the arms which was kind of funny. Sounded like a trolling motor up front and Honda 150 hp outboard wide open in back. I guess with practice and comfort I can get to a more even stroke and breath thing.
Tonight coach is threatening to follow me over Covington Athletic Club pool which is half the length of Johnson Park.
My knees have been hurting a bit. Traditionally this is when I stop running so my Peachtree sprint tri and cross season suffer. I am trying to decide what to do about that. Knees do not bother me as much as a sore left arch. I am not sure but I suspect a good massage/chiropractic visit would be a good idea.
I finally got a swim lesson yesterday at Johnson Park. I do not know what all the fuss was about. There were only 4 people in the water. 9 days to my tri and I am finally getting a lesson. Typical Jim planning. It was interesting. Coach would not let me in the water. New way to learn how to swim. Stay out of the water. OK, he covered some 101 points. The water does not control you, you control the water. That concept works great when you are 70” and the water is 60” deep. I can stand up, breath, spit out water, blow nose, walk to bathroom, adjust goggles. That idea did not work when I was 6 and 40”. Stand up meant I was drowning. Ok, when doing the club tri or maybe even a low water Peachtree that also works as the silty bottom is right there less than drowning depth. Repeat after me, “I control the water; the water does not control me.”
Second concept was just as significant. Coach was saying we practice doing 4 strokes and breath on the fourth stroke. I was trying to stroke easily with my arms and breathe every fourth stroke. L……R……L…R……LbreathR Kind of like a fixed gear where my left/right were in an even metronome like cadence. So I could get half a lung of air if I remembered to exhale before I tried to inhale. If stroked like I had a freewheel, the breath stroke could have a stutter to allow me to try to get a lung or even two lungs of air. I am so used to even cadence that I try it in the pool. Sometimes too fast with the arms. All of this is concept work trying to get me to be comfortable breathing so I can put together a half lap without standing up. Baby strokes. Now my legs were sometimes going 3 times faster than the arms which was kind of funny. Sounded like a trolling motor up front and Honda 150 hp outboard wide open in back. I guess with practice and comfort I can get to a more even stroke and breath thing.
Tonight coach is threatening to follow me over Covington Athletic Club pool which is half the length of Johnson Park.
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