Active Community: Message List

Re: Calf cramping for first time ever

guest — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 14:21:08 GMT

I have to agree that your cramping is from electrolyte imbalance, which affects muscle function. Since you're running so long, you need to replace electrolytes every 40 mins or so...you can do this with enlyten electrolyte plus strips (I use them, too! glad to see them mentioned - a quick way to get these in your system through your mouth, rather than in the GI tract. Sugary electrolyte drinks slosh and make you feel full. You'll still need to drink water, not as much, though, and it won't upset your stomach so much. You can pre-load with enlyten strips (3-4 before you run) and then take another 3-4 every 40 mins. We'll have a booth at the Chicago Marathon Expo....Good luck with your training runs and the race!!!

Re: Curious about Triathlons

guest — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:58:41 GMT

Yes, you should do a tri!! I got involved last year at age 39 and love it! I had only done a few running races prior. Now, I'm in the best shape of my life. I joined a training group in my community, Together We Tri, which is an excellent program for newbies and seasoned athletes. I learned everything with this group, which has a great 12-week training program (an ideal time frame) and I've really enjoyed the group-it's a social outlet, too. Anyone can do it, if you put in the time. We even had a few people who didn't know how to swim and were very afraid of the open water. You might want to start by finding a group convenient for you. We'd meet 2 times a week and then do the other workouts on our own. It was nice to follow an easy to read schedule that keeps workouts interesting. Last year I managed doing 4-5 days of workouts per week and this year worked out consistently 6 days a week and was at my peek performance, but you don't need to. You have some flexibility in your weekly schedule. We even had a recovery and taper week built in. 3 sports makes for interesting and fun training - never get bored! By the end of the 12 weeks we did mini-tris so I felt very prepared for the race day! We also carpooled to the expos, met at our main races and are always cheering each other on. I blog about my training, if you're interested....www.bnoxon.wordpress.com. Doing tris has really changed my life!

Re: Swim Endurance

guest — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:46:56 GMT

I just completed my 5th tri at the Danskin in Chicagoland this past Sunday. Great race! I've been training the past 2 years with a top-notch swim coach - who just went to World's in Australia. She was first out of the water for her age group! Anyway, I take her advice and work on swim technique with every swim work-out. Sounds like you might be missing something with your technique, therefore tiring out quickly. Remember to be streamline and rotate your hips, head down helps keep your hips up.

You might want to have 1 or 2 swim lessons - this will go a long way. Do some drills with every work-out: catch-up (hands meet in front before you start another stroke), finger drag drill (keep elbow high), side balance drill, closed fist, counting strokes so you glide as much as possible. Build speed as you swim some 100's and/or sprint a 25 or 50 etc...And YES, break down your work-outs in 100's, 50's and 25's....this makes it more interesting and fun, too!

Re: Running shoe life span.

guest — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:27:00 GMT

Experts say replace shoes between 300-500 miles. My husband's a foot & ankle specialist and says this and I've heard this again from shoe experts and running coaches. Runner'sWorld.com has a section to log runs you've done in specific shoes, so it's easy to track your mileage. I also have been advised to not run a race in a new pair of shoes! Good luck!