Muscle Depletion?

[fern 195]

No cramping at all. I felt really good during the race, just fatigue. I would maybe try taking a couple really early walk breaks. The reason I say this, is because of the talk that Jeff Galloway had at the fitness expo. Someone talked about cramping in the toes. He said some people claw with their toes like they are trying to get traction within the shoe. He recommended taking very early walk breaks to allow the body to recover in intervals. Maybe you are doing the same thing? Do you feel you toes trying to grip? Maybe consciously try to make sure to relax them? I know my hip cramps up bad ( like a Charlie horse) if I don't force it to relax. It really does help. I'm signing up for 8-10 more races this year, so I'll see what more I can find out. It's a long way away, but I'm doing the Disneyland race in September, so anything unanswered, I can bring up at Jeff galloway's talk at THAT fitness expo!

[massindex 346]

It could be... I'll take a look at that and see.

[Globetrotter 1,340]

I've bought some real running shoes, some Nike minimalist shoes that provide arch support and encourage my foot to have a mid-foot strike rather than the heavy heel strike I did have. I'm excited to go to the gym today, I'm going to walk for 5 minutes and then run as long as I can at a gentle pace and repeat this twice. =)

[massindex 346]

I've bought some real running shoes, some Nike minimalist shoes that provide arch support and encourage my foot to have a mid-foot strike rather than the heavy heel strike I did have. I'm excited to go to the gym today, I'm going to walk for 5 minutes and then run as long as I can at a gentle pace and repeat this twice. =)

That heavy heel strike will lead to shin splints and sore knees every time. Sounds like you are on your way!

[massindex 346]

I'm back from my Sprint Triathlon over the weekend with some observations. Spending a week and a half before the race changing my diet from Protein based to carb-based helped. I feel like I had sufficient stores to complete it and without any cramping in the legs or toes. I tried to maintain atleast 200 carbs per day and went all the way up to 400 carbs two days before the race before I tapered off leading into the race. I did gain 2 pounds before the race but I lost it during the race. oatmeal, raisins and bananas were my primary sources for carbs but also tried graham crackers (that could become a slider for me so I might avoid that in the future).

The 60 degree Water was enough to shock my system and start my heart racing at 7:30 am in the morning and the 750 meter swim kicked my butt but I made up time of the 20k bike ride and 5k run. Even with a cold (did I forget to mention that I came down with a cold two days before), I was only 2 minutes off my projected goals and most of that was because the transition area was further from the swim area than I had on my other triathlon.

I want to thank everyone for their input. It's a wild ride but now I'll include nutrition as part of my training plan and goals.

[massindex 346]

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/gallery/image/7146-preparing-for-the-swim-portion-of-the-desert-triathlon/

My wife snapped a couple of pictures, including me grabbing a banana 45 minutes before the race...

[fern 195]

Good job mass!!!! Glad to hear all went well! That was my biggest worry about running my first race.... A bloody cold!!! Lol!

Glad to hear the cramping went away! Looks like we might all be getting the hang of these new tummies of ours eh?

[massindex 346]

No kidding. I went for a followup with my nutritionist and she's got me reading about "Lactate Thresholds' and heart monitoring. Geez, I never had any of this information 40 years ago wen I was in high school and running. This might be TMI in the real sense of the words.

[fern 195]

what are lactate threshholds mass?

I'm jealous that you have a nutritionist!! I've just used books and this forums so far......

I had to tell you guys... I'm all signed up for 4 more half maratons this year plus a 10k!! OMG!!

I would love to do a sprint triathalon, but my swimming sucks!! I hate sticking my face underwater so I need to get past that first!!! LOL

[massindex 346]

what are lactate threshholds mass?

I'm jealous that you have a nutritionist!! I've just used books and this forums so far......

I had to tell you guys... I'm all signed up for 4 more half maratons this year plus a 10k!! OMG!!

I would love to do a sprint triathalon, but my swimming sucks!! I hate sticking my face underwater so I need to get past that first!!! LOL

Here is the definition I was given. "Lactate Thresholds determine at what level an athlete can continue at for an extended period of time without having to slow down, usually an hour or longer. As long as the athlete maintains this effort level, his or her lactate level will remain constant. At small effort levels above this point the athlete's lactate level will rise, and he or she will be forced to stop, sometimes within a few minutes, sometimes a bit longer".

My swimming sucks too but there are two things I'm trying. First, during my swim, I ended backstroking for a lot of the swim after I sucked in Water. It's easy to get off track through and I ended up swimming probably an extra 250 meters because of that but it got me through that part of the race. Secondly, I just got a swimmer's snorkel (a front facing snorkel so I can have my head in the Water, face down, without worrying about my breathing technique. This I think will allow me avoid the extra distance and it's legal according to the USAT because it doesn't assist in propelling me. It looks dorky to be the only one out there with the snorkel but I'm so past what anyone else thinks,

You might have to be careful with overdoing half marathons. Four sounds about right if they are spaced out sufficiently. I have a tendency to not let my body recover sufficiently between races.

[fern 195]

thanks mass. The snorkel sounds like a great idea! I'll have to look into that one. The half marathons are pretty spaced other than a lululemon one on Aug. 11 and then the Disneyland 1/2 on Sept 2. I'm already planning on just enjoying the lululemon 1/2 and taking it easy as to not over do my poor body.

the schedule is as follows:

April 15- 10k sunrun

May 6- BMO half marathon

June 10- Sandcastle 10k

June 24- Scotiabank Half Marathon

August 11- Lululemon Half marathon

Sept. 2- Disneyland Half marathon

My plan is to get better times for the BMO on May 6, the sandcastle 10k on June 10, and the scotiabank on June 24. I'll take it easy and have fun for the others. Do you think I'm pushing it too hard?

[massindex 346]

My plan is to get better times for the BMO on May 6, the sandcastle 10k on June 10, and the scotiabank on June 24. I'll take it easy and have fun for the others. Do you think I'm pushing it too hard?

I think that schedule is just about right, in my estimation.