Thursday, August 25, 2005

Happy Thursday To You

Rookie Runner Questions:
1. What is the difference between and ironman and a triathalon? Does triathalon refer to any number of events that involve the three activities but with swims, bikes, and runs of differing lenghts. Is there such thing as a half triathalon - a quinthalon?

2. How do you run down hill? Do you basically keep the same stride but try to go easy? Do you come down on your toes instead of the heel? Do you come down even more on the heel?

Ever get a few hours into your day and realize its really Friday when you thought it was Thursday? That is sort of what happened to me today. I work four tens in summer and just realized today isn't Wednesday. Woo Hoo! My butt and my office chair will not know each other tomorrow!

I've been taking it easy with the runs this week (as directed). Tuesday I did once around the lake. Plenty of hydration and stretching and unlike the Tuesday before I took it easy out of the starting gate. I had some shin soreness and this funny ache I have developed on the left side that starts below the inside of my ankle as my stride comes down that shoots up and around the front. After about the first mile or mile and a half I loosened up and both pains went away. I poured a little more on, a little more, and by the time I got to the last section I was flying along, passing people left and right. Who knows, I might have even have been able to keep up with Jeff or Keith for that last mile. I got a bit of a sideache which I welcomed because I'm trying to learn to push my lungs and breathing to the max and then learn how to combat or overcome sideaches. I ended up with an overall 8.27 with the first mile probably being closer to a ten. My overall average since I've started running (according to coolrunning) is a 9.27, so I was making pretty good time.

Yesterday turned out to be a 13 hour work day but I still put in a little run before going home to my darling sweet bed. I'll do another short easy run tonight and then this weekend I'm going to run on the beach. Woo hoo!

Running Toys:
I got a Forerunner 201 for my birthday. Set phasers to stun! Yay!
My third iPod Shuffle in a month and a half crapped out on me. Apple - Boo!
Hydration belt off Ebay and on its way. Look out long runs in rural places!

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Addendum to this post, Added 08/25/05 12:43 PST
I called the Apple support number (on my ten minute break of course), was on hold for less than a minute, and they were on their way to sending me a new one within another 4-5 minutes. The technician said, and I quote, "Sounds like your audio jack is totally bonk."

If this time goes like last time, the courier will have the new one in my hand in a little over 24 hours. I guess Apple is striving hard to maintain that whole cool/customer service thing. Maybe I'll fill this next one with cool music, hook a solar panel power supply into the USB port and encase the whole thing, cord and all, in a solid cube of lucite.

Going for my run in T-minus 3 hours, ten minutes.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I knew you wouldn't be able to resist getting another electrogizmo...thus...enter the Forerunner.

Ironman is just a very long triathalon. A cenutry ride, a marathon, and some obnoxiously long swim.

What I've been told/read on running down hill is just keep your stride the same. Me, I just kind change into a "rolling run". Like...fast speed walking, focusing on low impact.

Doesn't the Forerunner look like it should shoot laser beems out on end or the other?

Stephanie said...

Bummer about your third shuffle, man. Big bummer.

Unknown said...

We only have one more week of these 4 tens, then back to normal after Labor Day weekend. WooHoo!!
Can't hardly wait. It's too much work to catch up on Friday, it's not really like a day off.

About Me: said...

ya, ironman is really long tri. swim is 2 miles +. but what a neat feeling to have that done! i think it's all about the half ironman though. that's what i think now. i'd be interested in hearing more about downhill/uphill runnnnig. i was watching alcatraz tri on nbc (i think that was the network) and of course they were following elite athletes and they seemed to straighten their legs on the downhill. and the announcer says 'see how they take advantage of those hills by running like that' and so i've been trying that. not sure what i think yet.

and since you brought up the topic, let's all do a half ironman next year! a fun blog is www.trigeekdreams.com and it's following my buddy and his group as they train for ironman floriad 2006.

Running Chick said...

Lately, I've been leaning forward as I run downhill - as far forward as I can, just getting to that point where it feels like I could go head-over-heels. It's been a blast!

And triathlons come in all different distances, with the standard order of events being swim, bike, run.

There are sprint distance, olympic distance, international distance, half-ironman and ironman.

There are 'adventure races' that do kayak, mountain bike, trail run type thing too...and other variations of that.

Scott in Washington said...

Interesting. Thank you all for the information. That clears things up quite a bit on the Tri's.

I guess I tend to learn forward and sort of walk/run on the downhill myself. I'd be interested to see that "stiff legged" running Partyrunner was describing. Sounds painful.