What is rest?

Bear G <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<J8Dad.244117$3l3.137519@attbi_s03>...

Quoted message said:

but what is rest?

Read one of Realbitchy, or Freesepops* posts, about 5 to 10 seconds
into it you'll lose consciousness (already acheived with their eyes
wide open by many posters here) after you wake up you'll feel
"rested". That's rest.

* Freese is an old fart, hence the word "pop" after his name. From now
on he'll be known as "Freesepop".

"Bear G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:J8Dad.244117$3l3.137519@attbi_s03...

Quoted message said:

I know I need to go into a rest cycle, but what is rest?

Define the perfect mate or the ideal shoe.

Quoted message said:

One of our coaches suggested skipping running entirely for about a
month, but I knew that if I did that I wouldn't resume running until
next spring.

It's reletive. I think the notion about taking off a month comes from
the Kenyan training camp. If you feel you train that hard all year or
are that fast then take the month off. From the give a rats butt I go
from 50ish miles of high quality to about 20-25 miles of easy junk for
about 3 weeks. I loose a little edge but the rest is incredible please
all the little aches and pains seem to go away and it doesn't take much
time to ramp back up. Then I build back slowly over the winter with just
base miles and then hills(no speed). I don't race until March so I can
concentrate on base and power.

Quoted message said:

Or is this a moot point as winter approaches? I know you guys run
through 4' snow drifts wearing nothing but shorts, sports bras (Dot)
and smiles, but I'm a wimp and expect storms to play havoc on my
schedule.

In the NE, if I can drive to start of the run, I run. There is always,
gulp, a treadmill.. 🙂

Quoted message said:

The alternative is to plan to do all of my runs on the street with
trail runs as a pleasant surprise.

Then I take it your storms are rain? Where I live you can only get on
the trails with snowshoes, skis or crampons. It's roads or nothing.

Quoted message said:

I was planning to shift to street running anyway (in preparation for a
street marathon) but was hoping to shift about 10%/month from trail to
asphalt. That is, I'm currently about 30/70 (asphalt/trail) and would
go to 40/60, 50/50, etc. in November and December.

Hook up with other folks if possible. One of the main reasons I host
winter runs is to get my sorry ass out the door in winter. I have about
12 regulars and another 10 that come when they receive a
get-out-of-jail-free card. Knowing others are suffering with you
provides some strong inspiration.

-DF

<< Define the perfect mate or the ideal shoe. >>

sneakypoo

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<< In the NE, if I can drive to start of the run, I run. There is always,
gulp, a treadmill.. 🙂 >>

3rd crosses

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corn puffs, puffie

On 11 Oct 2004 21:50:23 -0700, [email hidden] (MWL)

Quoted message said:

X-No-Archive: yes
Bear G <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<J8Dad.244117$3l3.137519@attbi_s03>...

Quoted message said:

I know I need to go into a rest cycle, but what is rest?

Rest is what you do on Columbus Day.
Before and after you come back from all those great shopping deals.

Praise be to Columbus who made all this possible!!
Imagine if it were for those natives, we would
still be eating corn instead of getting all
these sweet deals.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7055.htm

MWL

--------
Can't wait till Happy Thanksgiving Day.

<< corn puffs, puffie >>

Breakfast time ~

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<< << corn puffs, puffie >>

Breakfast time ~ >>

Or defer,
Food,
Til lunch?
Roll over,
Not done
With
You...

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splat

On 12 Oct 2004 11:59:30 GMT, [email hidden] (Brilliant One)

Quoted message said:

<< << corn puffs, puffie >>

Breakfast time ~ >>

Or defer,
Food,
Til lunch?
Roll over,
Not done
With
You...

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<< splat >>

Good shot!

*smile*

[Snap]

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Want a facial?

On 12 Oct 2004 12:42:32 GMT, [email hidden] (Brilliant One)

Quoted message said:

<< splat >>

Good shot!

*smile*

[Snap]

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or a Pearl Necklace?

On 12 Oct 2004 12:42:32 GMT, [email hidden] (Brilliant One)

Quoted message said:

<< splat >>

Good shot!

*smile*

[Snap]

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<< Want a facial?

Quoted message said:

<< splat >> >>

stick it yr krspy krem

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<< or a Pearl Necklace? >>

Yes, or say,
Olmstead's emerald
Necklace...

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Want sprinkles on your kk?

On 12 Oct 2004 12:53:15 GMT, [email hidden] (Brilliant One)

Quoted message said:

<< Want a facial?

Quoted message said:

<< splat >> >>

stick it yr krspy krem

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A gusher

On 12 Oct 2004 12:53:57 GMT, [email hidden] (Brilliant One)

Quoted message said:

<< or a Pearl Necklace? >>

Yes, or say,
Olmstead's emerald
Necklace...

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Quoted message said:

know I need to go into a rest cycle, but what is rest? One of
our coaches suggested skipping running entirely for about a month,
but I knew that if I did that I wouldn't resume running until next
spring.

Here's an article with one of the hottest coaches in the US--Brad Hadson of
Boulder--saying that your coach is right. If you have trained hard, your
endocrine system and your ability to produce aerobic enzymes need time to
recover (that's the theory, anyway).

http://rockymountainsports.com/story.cfm?story_id=6486&departmentID=4&publ
icationID=21

I have doubts about taking more than 4 weeks off (many Kenyans go away for 2
months), but 2-4 weeks seems about right to me. I will take 3 weeks off (no
running) but I hit the weights hard during this period.

Lyndon
"Speed Kills...It kills those that don't have it!" --US Olympic Track Coach
Brooks Johnson

Bear G said:

I know I need to go into a rest cycle, but what is rest? One of
our coaches suggested skipping running entirely for about a month,
but I knew that if I did that I wouldn't resume running until next
spring.

Maybe something like :
- 1 week of 30'-40' very easy runs, a bit like a taper week (3 runs max)
- 2 weeks of *complete* rest from running (bike, swim, take saunas,
hamams, jacuzzis, get massaged, get plastered whatever :-)
- 1 week like first week with maybe an 1h-1h15m "long run" on Sunday

This is close to what I was supposed to do as a full rest cycle, once
per year, but never actually did one during my first 4 years of running.

And I've been paying for it more or less for a year now. Things do catch
up on you real sloooooooow and my doctor just told me to stop completely
for a month cos I'm completely [censored].

Dot said:

IIRC, you're in Colorado which has mostly dry snow, I think. You
shouldn't get the ice like we get.

The Denver-Boulder metro area has brown winters. We get a lot of
snow, but the clear sunny days and human activity usually melts it
within a few days. The trails in the mountain park tend to remain
snowpacked and muddy/icy into spring because of the tree cover and
slightly higher altitude, the access and plains trails are just
muddy. (Boulder is around 5300', our mountain parks range from
5500' to over 8000'.)

I've been thinking about what really concerns me and I believe
it's the tendency of the weather to run on a seven day cycle. If
we have bad weather on Friday afternoon (which will make Saturday
and to a lesser extend Sunday runs a mess) we'll probably have bad
weather on Friday afternoons for a month. I can drop to inferior
runs - at the worst case the bike path system is routinely plowed
- but I can't do my longest runs on concrete without messing up my
knees.

Quoted message said:

Snowshoe running should allow you to run on trails most of the winter.

I actually considered that last year but the pads required to
float my weight were impractical. Things should be better this
year, but I'll still need fairly large pads.

On the other hand the close-in trails are so heavily used I could
probably count on staying on packed snow so I could use smaller
pads. I've certainly gone out with regular hiking boots (granted
size 13 boots) in the spring.

Quoted message said:

If it gets really icy in Jan or Feb, I used to get a 30-day fitness
center membership and do machines (no free weights there) for PT and the
versaclimber.

I'm already trying to line up a personal trainer for strength
training so I guess I could plan to maintain my base over the
winter, but going long when the opportunity presents itself.

Quoted message said:

Treadmills (all 2 of them) usually had lines and were
limited 20 min but I'd try to get on one once a week and run hard.

Before January 1st, and after mid-March, I can usually get to my
gym at a time when I can run on a treadmill for hours without
getting too much grief. But all of the chains oversell
memberships to the New Year resolution crowd and it's a nightmare
in January and February.

On the other hand I recently learned that I can get a day pass to
a private health club about one mile away (vs. 20 miles for
Bally's) for $12/day, and they said that there's rarely a problem
getting on the cardio machines. That's not unreasonable, esp. if
I can piggyback on a PT session (which includes a day pass).

I also own a lifecycle stationary bike, but I've promised it to a
very overweight friend. :-)

Doug Freese said:

"Bear G" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:J8Dad.244117$3l3.137519@attbi_s03...

It's relative. I think the notion about taking off a month comes from
the Kenyan training camp. If you feel you train that hard all year or
are that fast then take the month off. From the give a rats butt I go
from 50ish miles of high quality to about 20-25 miles of easy junk for
about 3 weeks.

My mileage was low but I was right against my limits for most of
the year, enough to develop some aches that took weeks to go away.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

The alternative is to plan to do all of my runs on the street with
trail runs as a pleasant surprise.

Then I take it your storms are rain? Where I live you can only get on
the trails with snowshoes, skis or crampons. It's roads or nothing.

It's snow, but on the flatland it's sunny enough that the snow
usually melts within a few days. Unfortunately it's also cold
enough that the mud takes a long time to dry out so several heavy
snowstorms can create a muddy mess.

In the lower mountains it stays snowpacked and icy/muddy,
depending on sun exposure. Of course the higher mountains have
the best skiing conditions in the world. :-)

(Seriously, I usually can't hike in Indian Peaks Wilderness Area
until June... and by now the trails are usually snowpacked again.)

Quoted message said:

Hook up with other folks if possible. One of the main reasons I host
winter runs is to get my sorry ass out the door in winter.

One of the running stores sponsors a Sunday morning run, but I
don't know if they go long. I really should check them out but BF
met on Saturday mornings and I've maintained that schedule.

Lyndon said:

http://rockymountainsports.com/story.cfm?story_id=6486&departmentID=4&publ
icationID=21

Thanks. I noticed that towards the bottom he wrote:

(begin quote)

Ability aside, Hudson believes all athletes will benefit from some
type of recovery period, whether they’re putting in the mileage
and intensity to build a competitive season, or setting more
modest goals, like fitness and weight loss or simply finishing the
Bolder Boulder.

For fitness runners, Hudson says, “A few days off on a weekly
basis can be adequate, but you really can run all year,” while the
competitive high school and college runner, who essentially has
two seasons (cross-country in the fall and track in the summer)
would be better off with two 2-week breaks per year, one following
each competitive season.

(end quote)

I've been taking three days off each week and cut way back on
intensity and duration for a few weeks after the marathon, so
maybe that's enough. I'll also keep my eyes open for an
opportunity to take some serious downtime in the next few months.

But right now I feel it's important to continue running as the
weather cools. If I take a few weeks off now it will always feel
"too cold" to run in the morning. But I can handle the temps
dropping 5F/week if I'm out there several times every week.