Mastering All Facets Leads To Success On Race Day
Preventive medicine is not always in the form of a pill. Training for an Ironman is hard and you need to stay healthy. Yoga and ART help keep you healthy. I am in Week #9 of Ironman training with a half-marathon tomorrow and a half-ironman in one month and yet my body feels great. I know it is early and that the Ironman training can and probably will catch up to me after 70.3 San Juan but as of right now I’m feeling better than I did before 70.3 California or 70.3 Austin and the training volume has been higher and more intense.
I started to think about what has changed and I can put my finger on a few things that I believe have allowed me to get to this point:
- Experience. At the end of 2011 while training for the Las Vegas Marathon I pushed my body to the brink. I was simultaneously training for 70.3 Austin and the marathon and my body was crushed by the time that race ended. Fast forward a few weeks when IM training started and now long runs are slow. Warm-up means just that. Cool-Down means just that. I am tied into my coach’s words and following the plan (almost perfectly….I’ve thrown in two swims on rest days now as well as a couple of short slow runs as well.)
- Yoga. I began going to the gym on Tuesdays to do yoga. I do not stretch after I run or bike. I only do dynamic stretches before I run and nothing before I ride. Swimming I swing my arms a bit (until Dr Tim gave me some exercises to do) and into the water I went. Going to yoga weekly has allowed me to get that stretch in while being able to focus on my core and ultimately relax. At the end of the class I fall asleep even though you are not supposed to. I am at peace and calm at that point and I let my mind go blank (Karen will say it’s always blank.) During those weeks when getting to the gym in the evening is impossible I will take out the Wii Fit and do the yoga then.
- ART. I have been going to see Dr Tim for quite a while now. Dr Tim is a chiropractor that has provided me relief and helped me to recover from the workouts. I first went to see him because of a nagging knot in the back of my calf. For 6 weeks straight I went to him and that loosened up my calf tremendously and we then set out a preventative course of treatment. I go to see him every other week unless something acts up, like it did this week. Monday I was doing a recovery spin on the trainer when I felt a pinch in my right hip. Thought nothing of it and kept going. Later that day I could barely walk and I started thinking random thoughts and frustration set in. Tuesday I had a 45 minute run and thought I’d give it a go if the hip felt ok when I woke up. The hip felt ok and I ran. I bothered me for about the first 2.5 miles and then loosened up. Not taking any chances I went to go see him on Wednesday and my hip feels brand new. I think I found the culprit. The cleat on my right shoe is loose and a little tightening and my feet should be where they are supposed to be when I’m riding.
- Nutrition. About a month or so ago I really started to dial it in because I want to be down to 140 lbs when the gun goes off in Puerto Rico. I was at 149 lbs at the turn of the calendar and said to myself if I lose 1 lb per week I’ll get there. I started to really listen to my body for the hunger queues and eating only when hungry but not before I drank some water before hand to ensure it was true hunger. This morning I weighed myself and I am down to 143.8 lbs. The craziest part is that I am losing that 1 lb during a taper week. Normally during taper I would have gained 2 lbs but this time the trend is reversed.
Here are a couple of posts about Yoga and ART that I wrote and may help you as well. As far as nutrition goes you can search my site for recipes using the search box on the right hand side or scroll over the menu tab for Frugal Grocer and see meal selections that contain recipes. I am in the process of going through my posts to properly categorize them so that section will continue to fill up.
What Is Your Preventive Medicine?
I don’t stretch like I used to either. It seems if I do I always piss something off in my body. I’m just trying to get plenty of good nutrition and rest and of course listen to my body when I should slow down regardless of what the plan says.
Mamarunsbarefoot recently posted..Five For Friday
Losing weight during taper – now that is a feat! I am terrible with hunger cues. My eating tends to become habitual, which makes it difficult to scale back when the activity level drops. Need to take a page from your book!
Great list of tools here for staying healthy and getting to that starting line in the best condition possible!
marlene recently posted..Three Things Thursday
My calves and hammies get really tight, so I like to stretch at night, and use the foam roller while watching TV. I’m also a huge fan of Amazing Grass powder. I started using it a few years ago, and I honestly think it gives my immune system a boost.
Molly recently posted..DVD’s and New Running Shoes Make Me Happy
graston graston graston! it’s like ART on steroids.
katie recently posted..random friday facts
Foam Roller – that is all!
Jeff Irvin recently posted..It is time to go Underground …
why aren’t you supposed to sleep at the end of yoga? i think that would be excellent. LOL that karen thinks your mind is always blank.
i have always gone to a chiropractor but i don’t go to one of the ‘fancy’ ones that does other stuff like acupuncture, ART, etc. mine is what they call a “straight chiropractor” – since some these days try to get a little more MD like instead of DC (doctor of chiro). though i’ve never had ART, i do think it is valuable.
lindsay recently posted..boom
You are supposed to be tied into your body. I’m asleep before I can get to be tied to anything.
ART is incredible. Has helped me tremendously.
Yoga is great! My other preventive medicine tips are my ITB exercises, and good sleep/stress management techniques. I am working on several of your other tips (experience, nutrition), but don’t know if I’ve seen enough of a positive outcome race-wise from either quite yet.
Lauren @ Lauren Runs recently posted..The Great Race Schedule of 2012
Experience is a huge benefit to knowing paces and what you can do on race day. You learn what can happen on race day from the training before hand. Maybe you didn’t go hard enough or to hard and see the results of that on race day.
Nutrition for me is key not just during training but also during the race and what works/doesn’t work for you.
From my previous experiences I am dialed in for my nutrition on race day.
Here is a great, tough, yoga routine!
Chuck recently posted..Rants and Raves
http://www.hulu.com/watch/154833/yoga-zone-power-yoga-for-strength-and-endurance
Oh, I know I should do yoga. I just don’t want to! This is just another reminder that I need to stop putting it off!
Good job on the weight loss. I am trying the same thing with less encouraging results.
Katie@Will Race for Carbs recently posted..Runner vs. I run