Sunday, May 11, 2008

Sunday 0 miles.

Today is my 9th day of no jogging. I've biked a ton during the break though (I bought an Independent Fabrications steel hardtail mountain bike on Craigslist- I've wanted this frame since I used to work and sell them in a bike shop in Seattle in 99'.. it came with a full XTR group and I stripped it down and rebuilt it in to a single speed ~front brake only.. it weighs 19 pounds and is sweet! I-fabs are top of the line old school).
Tomorrow will be 30 weeks out from California International and I am glad that I took a break now. I know that my training will be much stronger later in the year when I need it to be. I'll get back to it tomorrow and will restart my previous plan which I failed to execute.. start at the basics with MAF HR 140-150 for a few weeks then test. Then progress up to HR closer to AeT until I plateau. I plateaued before my break and I'll get back to that fitness very quickly. Volume will once again be my focus.
It seems I came back from my trip to the desert in a different state of mind. Maybe it was the non-stop Neil Young that I played? I look at running a little bit differently right now.. more relaxed about it. I think I'll run with a little more thoughtfulness in regards to why I move and want to move often.

6 comments:

kerrie said...

when i turned 20, my brother played me 'sugar mountain' over and over again until i cried. since then, i have hated neil young...
stop listening to that stuff, time to get out and run!

BRFOOT said...

Never been a big Neil Young fan, a little goes along way. But I'm a big fan of getting mind right, and if Mr.Young helps with that so be it. But I always thought you had to be stoned for Neil Young to work.

Lucho said...

Hey hey now.. Neil's my man. If Skynard loved him then he HAS to be bad-ass.
Brfoot- I spent the first half of the 90's stoned out of my mind.. I think I have flashbacks from time to time;)

BRFOOT said...

Skynard says a southern man don't need him around anyhow.
yea I was stoned from 75-88...it's a wonder I can tie my shoes.

Brett said...

Hi Tim:

I have a question about the MAF topic. I have read some of your posts and others out in blogosphere and tried to focus most of my workouts to hit that range for the last several weeks.

Hopefully my body is starting to learn how to burn more fat now.

To that end, what are your thoughts on also lowering the number of carbs in my diet down? To take an extreme example (which would be impossible, but just to make the point) - what if I didn't eat any carbs? That would also simultaneously force my body to start learning how to burn fat right?

Just wondering if there is any benefit to exercising at MAF and also eating to some target carb load in my diet too.

Lucho said...

If I can remember the Skynard/ Young (untrue) tiff correctly.. Ronnie Van Zant was buried in a Neil Young T-shirt as a supposed curse against him, although truthfully there was no feud between the two. Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young shirt on the cover of their last album... he frequently wore one while performing, and Neil young frequently wore Skynyrd shirts..
Brett- you've touched upon a sensitive subject for me and I'll try not get worked up in to froth.. If the average American cut their carb intake and started a "low carb" diet I believe they would only be eating what they should have been all along. Look at the instances of obesity and diabetes in this country- our carbohydrate laden diets are contributors to both. Before you think about trying to eat a "low carb" diet maybe you can keep a food log and make sure you aren't over eating carbohydrates! Then by cutting your ChOs you will only be eating correctly. But I do know what you are asking and there is a benefit to limiting carbohydrates but you need to time it correctly in conjunction with your exercise. I tell my athletes to "eat to train" which is an adage that has been around forever and simply implies that you should be fueling for your next run and recovering from the previous one. If you're putting something in your mouth and it will not help you to reach your goals then put the fork down and walk away slowly. Eat a piece of sugar free spearmint gum or eat sunflower seeds.
You should also be choosing your ChOs wisely as all are not created equal. The founder of Letsrun.com says runners need ice cream- the guys an idiot. Part of the reason most American runners are lagging behind the Africans is that our Western diet is limiting our performance and health. Processed sugars are poison. Processed grains are poison. I won't tell you what all to eat, simply do a Google search on "alkaline diet" or "Paleo diet" and you will see exactly you need to be eating!
Limiting carb intake may help you to burn fat a little better but limiting them to much would only limit your training. Avoid trans and saturated fats.. avoid processed sugars and fruit juice, stick with MAF and you'll get there! Keep it up!
Word..