- Waterproof earphones As I've noted previously, a waterproofed iPod is fantastic for pool-running. It may just be your best friend. But there's no need to waste $30+ on waterproof headphones for pool-running. I've tried both waterproof headphones and ultracheap normal headphones. The sound quality is the same in both (mediocre), and the waterproof headphones have not lasted any longer. Save your money.
- Water shoes Every once in a while, I'll speak to someone who will recommend water shoes for pool-running. They've never been able to explain exactly how the shoes help, other than keeping your feet from being abraded when they make contact with the pool floor. Since you're in deep water, the time your bare feet spend touching the concrete is limited to pool entry/exit, plus crossing the deck. No need here.
- Water ankle weights The theory here is that by using these weights, you increase the resistance against your feet and up the intensity of your workout. Makes sense in a way. Except for the fact that pool-running tends to overemphasize the hip flexors and underemphasize the glutes, as opposed to land running. And weights are just going to amplify that discrepancy, making your pool-running less like land-running. Skip the weights, and just move your legs faster to increase intensity.
- Water barbells These are essentially dumbbells made of foam; by holding them in your hands to float, you increase the intensity of your workout, and also work on upper body strength. Some people are big fans of them, because they increase intensity and make pool-running a full body workout. The latter point is exactly my issue with these. I want my pool-running to mimic land running as much as possible -- if I want increased intensity and upper body strength, I'll just swim instead. Additionally, I think there's a risk that these encourage overuse of the upper body while running. One of the things I'm always trying to work on is keeping my upper body as relaxed as possible while running; these dumbbells strike me as counterproductive and promoting bad running form. (I'll note that many people disagree with me here.)
- Wall timer or watch In all fairness, it's really easier to do interval workouts when you have access to something that shows time to the second. And I LOVE my Garmin 310xt. But a timer isn't essential. If you don't have one, simply structure your interval workout by distance instead -- i.e. 20 laps is a tempo, or an interval is one and a half laps, with the recovery being the remaining half lap. It really works quite well, as long as you take care not to "cheat" and cover the distance too quickly by doggie-paddling instead of pool-running.
- Noodles Noodles are big with the aqua aerobics crowd. I don't really see how a pool-runner would ever need such, though. Of course, they are quite useful during the swim portion of a triathlon, so don't discount them for that purpose...
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Stuff that is NOT useful for pool-running
Due to this being nominally a pool-running blog, I have quite a few posts dedicated to things that are useful for pool-running. However, there are quite a few things out there that are NOT necessary, IMHO.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Training log - Week ending 9/04/11
This week was 55 miles of “real running” and 15 “miles” pool running plus 1500m of swimming -- training log is here.
Decent workout week, and definitely a bit stronger than the last few. The ragweed is still sending me for a loop, but hopefully that should end in a few weeks. I had very little issues on Sunday, despite a high pollen count, and I’m wondering if it’s due to my trying quercetin (on top of the Allegra I always take). A few more days will tell.
Apart from that, I also decided to start working with a nutritionist. I’ve always found both long runs and short intervals to be much easier than tempos – I have both speed and endurance, but stamina is my failing. I discussed it with my coach, and he suggested it might be either a nutrition or hydration issue. So, got a recommendation for a sports nutritionist, and I’m going to start logging my food and fluid intake this coming week.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, upper body strengthwork, 1500m of swimming breathing drills, and 20 minutes of easy pool-running for “2 miles”. Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9.5 miles on the track in fantastic weather, including a track pyramid workout – 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, each with half-distance recovery. Splits were 92, 3:02, 4:36, 6:03, 4:29, 2:54, and 82. Followed with 20 minutes pool-running. At night I took a “floor barre” class (basically ballet, but done on a mat rather than standing – it’s a core workout plus flexibility) followed by foam rolling.
Wednesday: 8.5 miles very easy (8:54 pace) on a hilly route, plus drills and strides, followed by upper body strength training. Stretching and foam rolling in the evening.
Thursday: In the morning, 12.5 miles outside, including a tempo on a local bike trail of 6 miles in 42:00 (neat) for 7:00 pace. Splits were 7:20, 7:07, 6:52, 6:56, 7:06, 6:39, which look pretty erratic, but actually match the moderate elevation changes in the trail. I was decently happy with this – not stellar, but I ran it well in control, with no struggling and a steady effort, while avoiding the temptation to race it.
[I usually run tempos on the track with my team on Fridays, but since the weather looked to be less humid on Thursday, I opted to solo this one a day early. I’ll also admit that tempos of more than 5 miles are much easier mentally on a trail than a track.]
Yoga plus foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 1:25 of easy pool-running with a friend for “8.5 miles.” Pilates session plus foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, an easy 8.5 miles outside (8:30 pace). Weight training plus stretching and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a long progression run of 16 miles. Averaged 8:02 pace for the 16, split as 8:33 pace for the first 7 miles (then water break), then 8:06 for next 3.5, then 7:30 for a mile (a second water break), then 7:18 pace for final 4.5 miles. Pretty happy with this one, given the high humidity. Followed with 25 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “2.5 miles.” In the evening, foam rolling and stretching.
Decent workout week, and definitely a bit stronger than the last few. The ragweed is still sending me for a loop, but hopefully that should end in a few weeks. I had very little issues on Sunday, despite a high pollen count, and I’m wondering if it’s due to my trying quercetin (on top of the Allegra I always take). A few more days will tell.
Apart from that, I also decided to start working with a nutritionist. I’ve always found both long runs and short intervals to be much easier than tempos – I have both speed and endurance, but stamina is my failing. I discussed it with my coach, and he suggested it might be either a nutrition or hydration issue. So, got a recommendation for a sports nutritionist, and I’m going to start logging my food and fluid intake this coming week.
Dailies
Monday: In the morning, upper body strengthwork, 1500m of swimming breathing drills, and 20 minutes of easy pool-running for “2 miles”. Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 9.5 miles on the track in fantastic weather, including a track pyramid workout – 400, 800, 1200, 1600, 1200, 800, 400, each with half-distance recovery. Splits were 92, 3:02, 4:36, 6:03, 4:29, 2:54, and 82. Followed with 20 minutes pool-running. At night I took a “floor barre” class (basically ballet, but done on a mat rather than standing – it’s a core workout plus flexibility) followed by foam rolling.
Wednesday: 8.5 miles very easy (8:54 pace) on a hilly route, plus drills and strides, followed by upper body strength training. Stretching and foam rolling in the evening.
Thursday: In the morning, 12.5 miles outside, including a tempo on a local bike trail of 6 miles in 42:00 (neat) for 7:00 pace. Splits were 7:20, 7:07, 6:52, 6:56, 7:06, 6:39, which look pretty erratic, but actually match the moderate elevation changes in the trail. I was decently happy with this – not stellar, but I ran it well in control, with no struggling and a steady effort, while avoiding the temptation to race it.
[I usually run tempos on the track with my team on Fridays, but since the weather looked to be less humid on Thursday, I opted to solo this one a day early. I’ll also admit that tempos of more than 5 miles are much easier mentally on a trail than a track.]
Yoga plus foam rolling at night.
Friday: In the morning, 1:25 of easy pool-running with a friend for “8.5 miles.” Pilates session plus foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, an easy 8.5 miles outside (8:30 pace). Weight training plus stretching and foam rolling in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a long progression run of 16 miles. Averaged 8:02 pace for the 16, split as 8:33 pace for the first 7 miles (then water break), then 8:06 for next 3.5, then 7:30 for a mile (a second water break), then 7:18 pace for final 4.5 miles. Pretty happy with this one, given the high humidity. Followed with 25 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “2.5 miles.” In the evening, foam rolling and stretching.
Friday, September 2, 2011
One and only shot - random friday facts
Since I didn't have time to do an interesting or relevant post, I'm doing "Random Friday Facts". What the heck.
- I am a ridiculously hard blood draw. No one ever finds a vein on the first time; it usually takes at least three tries, sometimes many more, with multiple people trying. I'm the phlebotomy equivalent of the jar that WILL NOT OPEN. More than once, I've been sent away and asked to come back another day for try two.
Additionally, my veins are tiny, move around a lot, and have pretty low flow due to my circulation issues, meaning that even when they do find a vein, sometimes they can't get much out of the vein before it collapses. Last week it took 6 tries (two tries each arm, and then both hands) to finally get enough to run a routine CBC test. It's a very good thing I'm not at all phobic about needles. - I'm ambidextrous.
- I have a large comic book collection, mainly split between mainstream X-Men stuff and Vertigo stuff like Transmetropolitan, Preacher, the Invisibles, and Sandman/Lucifer. I also have a lot of Transformers toys from the 1980s, all tastefully displayed on Pottery Barn shelving.
- I find nearly all individual sports and competitions fascinating to watch -- I'll spend hours watching gymnastics, track and field, ice skating, triathlon, swimming, diving. But I find team sports involving a ball or puck incredibly boring.
- I paint my toenails black because they're all black anyway. I paint my fingernails black because I like the color, and I like matching all the other nonconformists.
- I have always struggled with anything requiring fine motor skills, including typing my shoes, threading needles, drawing, and handwriting. My handwriting was so horribly bad in middle school that I underwent tutoring and testing for neurological problems. When those didn't pan out, I was allowed to take typing class as a 7th grader, and then I carried a word processor with me to take my tests in school (this predates computers, obviously). I was told repeatedly in high school that I was never going to succeed in life with horrible handwriting, since typing was only an option in certain limited situations.
Fast forward 20 plus years, and I can safely say that becoming a fast typist at an early age was probably the most useful thing I got out of high school. - I learned how to drive stick shift on the Florida interstate system. I used to fly from DC to Florida each week during the winter to compete in horse shows down there (high school Monday-Thursday; show Friday-Sunday). My trainer would pick me up at the airport in Gainesville on Thursday night and drive me the hour to Ocala, where the horse show was. One night, trainer decided there wasn't anything more fun to do, so she informed me that I would be driving us to Ocala. It took me 20 minutes to get out of the airport parking lot. But a bit over an hour later, I knew how to drive stick.
- My mother fell down the stairs when she was 9 months pregnant with me. I have a rather substantial dent in the top of my head that I’m convinced is the result of this.
- I HATE HATE HATE romantic comedies and chick flicks.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Training log - Week ending 8/28/11
This week was 53 miles of “real running” and 20 “miles” pool running plus 1000m of swimming -- training log is here.
Some kinda week. Running wise, I battled with ragweed allergies all week, and very high humidity destroyed me on Friday. I’m pretty grateful that this is the peak week for ragweed, so things should improve soon. Humidity should be improving as well.
Outside of that, we dealt with a) an earthquake mid-week and b) a hurricane on the weekend. No long run due to the hurricane – I didn’t have enough time on Saturday morning to do a long run, and the humidity was ridiculous anyway. I ran 11 miles just to get something done in case I couldn’t run on Sunday. [Meant to do only 6-8, but went longer to keep company with some others, making me late in the process. Ooops.]
On Sunday I was able to get out post-hurricane, though I waited until the winds had died down, so as to minimize the risk of falling tree limbs or trees. Since I had already done the 11 on Saturday, a Sunday long run would have pushed my weekly mileage way beyond where it’s been recently, so I opted to do a 5 mile tempo on a bike trail instead, focusing on dialing into something between 10 mile and half-marathon pace (with some allowances for the remaining gusts of wind, the heat, and the debris-dodging).
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles”. Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 11 miles on the track in fantastic weather, including a track workout of 5x1200, followed by 2x400. Splits were 4:46, 4:35, 4:36, 4:35, 4:33, and then 84 and 82 (~4:00 recovery between each 1200, full recovery between 1200s and 400s due to side stitch that had to be worked out). Followed with 20 minutes pool-running. Upper body/core strengthtraining, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Wednesday: 12 miles outside (8:31 pace) on a hilly route, plus drills and strides (did about 2 miles easy, then the drills and strides, before hitting the Custis). Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Pilates class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Thursday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 7 miles in 100% humidity, including a 4.5 mile tempo on the track (average pace 7:00, splits were 7:00/6:56/6:53/6:58/3:29), followed by 30 minutes shakeout pool-running for “3 miles”. I had wanted to go at least 5, but even cutting the pace way back, my form started breaking down. Gentle pilates session in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, 11 miles outside at supposedly 8:12 pace, but I’m not buying it (Worked off of Garmin, rather than using a mapped route, and I think the signal was kinda wonky). Once again, very humid. Foam rolling and stretching in the afternoon, while watching hurricane coverage.
Sunday: In the mid-day (after the worst of the winds died down) 12 miles outside, including a 5 mile tempo on the trail at 7:02 pace (35:10) – splits were first 1.5 miles in 10:36 (slight uphill), next 1.5 miles in 10:27 (slight downhill), next 1.5 miles in 10:48 (back the uphill, plus some gusts of wind), and final .5 mile “kick” in 3:19 (wind assisted, and downhill). [weird splits are because I was running on a trail, using chalk marks that indicate a 1.5 mile mark, before using the Garmin to measure the final half mile]. Followed with 30 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “3 miles.” In the evening, restorative yoga, plus some foam rolling.
Some kinda week. Running wise, I battled with ragweed allergies all week, and very high humidity destroyed me on Friday. I’m pretty grateful that this is the peak week for ragweed, so things should improve soon. Humidity should be improving as well.
Outside of that, we dealt with a) an earthquake mid-week and b) a hurricane on the weekend. No long run due to the hurricane – I didn’t have enough time on Saturday morning to do a long run, and the humidity was ridiculous anyway. I ran 11 miles just to get something done in case I couldn’t run on Sunday. [Meant to do only 6-8, but went longer to keep company with some others, making me late in the process. Ooops.]
On Sunday I was able to get out post-hurricane, though I waited until the winds had died down, so as to minimize the risk of falling tree limbs or trees. Since I had already done the 11 on Saturday, a Sunday long run would have pushed my weekly mileage way beyond where it’s been recently, so I opted to do a 5 mile tempo on a bike trail instead, focusing on dialing into something between 10 mile and half-marathon pace (with some allowances for the remaining gusts of wind, the heat, and the debris-dodging).
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles”. Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 11 miles on the track in fantastic weather, including a track workout of 5x1200, followed by 2x400. Splits were 4:46, 4:35, 4:36, 4:35, 4:33, and then 84 and 82 (~4:00 recovery between each 1200, full recovery between 1200s and 400s due to side stitch that had to be worked out). Followed with 20 minutes pool-running. Upper body/core strengthtraining, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Wednesday: 12 miles outside (8:31 pace) on a hilly route, plus drills and strides (did about 2 miles easy, then the drills and strides, before hitting the Custis). Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Pilates class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Thursday: In the morning, 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 7 miles in 100% humidity, including a 4.5 mile tempo on the track (average pace 7:00, splits were 7:00/6:56/6:53/6:58/3:29), followed by 30 minutes shakeout pool-running for “3 miles”. I had wanted to go at least 5, but even cutting the pace way back, my form started breaking down. Gentle pilates session in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, 11 miles outside at supposedly 8:12 pace, but I’m not buying it (Worked off of Garmin, rather than using a mapped route, and I think the signal was kinda wonky). Once again, very humid. Foam rolling and stretching in the afternoon, while watching hurricane coverage.
Sunday: In the mid-day (after the worst of the winds died down) 12 miles outside, including a 5 mile tempo on the trail at 7:02 pace (35:10) – splits were first 1.5 miles in 10:36 (slight uphill), next 1.5 miles in 10:27 (slight downhill), next 1.5 miles in 10:48 (back the uphill, plus some gusts of wind), and final .5 mile “kick” in 3:19 (wind assisted, and downhill). [weird splits are because I was running on a trail, using chalk marks that indicate a 1.5 mile mark, before using the Garmin to measure the final half mile]. Followed with 30 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “3 miles.” In the evening, restorative yoga, plus some foam rolling.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Bag lady's waterproof iPod
Previously, I posted instructions for a "poor woman's waterproof iPod" -- it's a way to waterproof your iPod when you don't have a nice waterproof case.
But, what to do when you forget both your waterproof case and your back-up plan of plastic baggie and swim cap?
Easy. You somehow acquire a plastic shopping bag or similar (my gym has rolls of them; you could also grab one from any convenience store, or even raid a nearby dumpster), wrap your iPod in it, and then tuck the wadded bag into your hair bun, wrapping the excess plastic around your bun.
(if you pick the dumpster option, it might be worth a bit extra digging to see if anyone tossed out an iPod as well)
Yup. Bag lady waterproof iPod (wrapping the headphone cord around your bun works very well).
You're welcome.
Pro-tip: for additional yuks, make sure to walk back home through your urban neighborhood with the plastic shopping bag still in place.
But, what to do when you forget both your waterproof case and your back-up plan of plastic baggie and swim cap?
Easy. You somehow acquire a plastic shopping bag or similar (my gym has rolls of them; you could also grab one from any convenience store, or even raid a nearby dumpster), wrap your iPod in it, and then tuck the wadded bag into your hair bun, wrapping the excess plastic around your bun.
(if you pick the dumpster option, it might be worth a bit extra digging to see if anyone tossed out an iPod as well)
 |
| Obviously, this doesn't work that well if you don't have long hair to begin with. |
Yup. Bag lady waterproof iPod (wrapping the headphone cord around your bun works very well).
You're welcome.
Pro-tip: for additional yuks, make sure to walk back home through your urban neighborhood with the plastic shopping bag still in place.
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Training log - Week ending 8/21/11
This week was 45 miles of “real running” and 19 “miles” pool running plus 2500m of swimming -- training log is here.
Most of the week was dedicated to recovery from last week's heat issues. I really hated to miss a track workout on one of the nicest days we’ve had in forever, but the combination of an elevated resting heart rate Tuesday and poor quality sleep convinced me that I wasn’t recovered adequately from Sunday’s race. And given the fact that I still felt lousy for Wednesday’s run, I’m sure I made the right call. By Friday I was nearly recovered, but still not 100%, so I played the tempo slow. (I could handle distance just fine, but my aerobic capacity was lacking).
By Sunday I felt good again, but still kept the long run careful, due to some really tough conditions. The absolute last thing I want to do is to set myself back another week -- every time I get heat exhaustion, even a mild case, it takes me a minimum of 7 days to recover. And that’s a lot of good training that I cut short or miss.
But in a way, this slight setback has been a good thing – it’s been an opportunity for me to practice running relaxed and really trying to listen to what is the appropriate pace for my body on that day (which is generally slower than what I want to be running).
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of very easy running (ended up being 7 miles at 8:36 pace). Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: Skipped track in lieu of upper body weights and core, 1500m swimming breathing drills, and 20 minutes pool-running. Core and alignment class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Wednesday: 10.5 miles outside (8:46 pace) on a hilly route, followed by drills and strides. Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Pilates class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Thursday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for “5.5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 11.5 miles, including a 4 mile tempo on the track (average pace 6:57, splits were 7:01/6:57/6:55/6:43), followed by a longer cool-down jog, and then 20 minutes shakeout pool-running for “2 miles”. Pilates session plus foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for “7 miles”. Upper body strengthtraining, injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a 16 mile long run that I’ll describe as “sloggerific” – temps in the mid to upper 70s, and dewpoint in low 70s. The group started very slow, at about 9:20 pace for the first 3 miles. From then I just averaged 8:00 pace for the rest of the run (whole thing averaged 8:16). Followed with 25 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “2.5 miles.” I’ll hit restorative yoga tonight, and also do some foam rolling.
Most of the week was dedicated to recovery from last week's heat issues. I really hated to miss a track workout on one of the nicest days we’ve had in forever, but the combination of an elevated resting heart rate Tuesday and poor quality sleep convinced me that I wasn’t recovered adequately from Sunday’s race. And given the fact that I still felt lousy for Wednesday’s run, I’m sure I made the right call. By Friday I was nearly recovered, but still not 100%, so I played the tempo slow. (I could handle distance just fine, but my aerobic capacity was lacking).
By Sunday I felt good again, but still kept the long run careful, due to some really tough conditions. The absolute last thing I want to do is to set myself back another week -- every time I get heat exhaustion, even a mild case, it takes me a minimum of 7 days to recover. And that’s a lot of good training that I cut short or miss.
But in a way, this slight setback has been a good thing – it’s been an opportunity for me to practice running relaxed and really trying to listen to what is the appropriate pace for my body on that day (which is generally slower than what I want to be running).
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of very easy running (ended up being 7 miles at 8:36 pace). Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: Skipped track in lieu of upper body weights and core, 1500m swimming breathing drills, and 20 minutes pool-running. Core and alignment class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Wednesday: 10.5 miles outside (8:46 pace) on a hilly route, followed by drills and strides. Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Pilates class in the evening, plus foam rolling.
Thursday: In the morning, 55 minutes of easy pool-running for “5.5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 11.5 miles, including a 4 mile tempo on the track (average pace 6:57, splits were 7:01/6:57/6:55/6:43), followed by a longer cool-down jog, and then 20 minutes shakeout pool-running for “2 miles”. Pilates session plus foam rolling in evening.
Saturday: In the morning, 70 minutes of easy pool-running for “7 miles”. Upper body strengthtraining, injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching in the afternoon.
Sunday: In the morning, a 16 mile long run that I’ll describe as “sloggerific” – temps in the mid to upper 70s, and dewpoint in low 70s. The group started very slow, at about 9:20 pace for the first 3 miles. From then I just averaged 8:00 pace for the rest of the run (whole thing averaged 8:16). Followed with 25 minutes of cool-down pool-running for “2.5 miles.” I’ll hit restorative yoga tonight, and also do some foam rolling.
Thursday, August 18, 2011
That XKCD comic.
So there's an xkcd comic that's been making the rounds:
One of the points is that the recommendations commonly given for strong passwords don't necessarily ensure strong passwords, and that there are other ways to construct passwords that are both easier for the user to implement and harder to crack. Cue mocking of those who set security requirements for corporate passwords.
Of course, what doesn't get captured in this comic is the fact that the security professional has to consider what the user will ACTUALLY DO in response to requirements. Yes, if we could rely on users to choose truly random strings of words, it'd work great. But in practice, there would be a non-negligible number of users who would choose something like "thisismypassword" or "th1s1smypassw0rd" or "correcthorsebatterystaple".
And while we do have the mechanics to force someone to have a password of so many characters minimum, with so many special characters, uppercase/lowercase etc, we don't have a similar easy way to confirm that random word strings are truly random.
Similarly, we require users to change passwords so often NOT because frequent changing will make much difference if users have very strong private passwords to begin with, but because users tend to pick very weak passwords to begin with, and like to share them with their buddies. We set the standards NOT to what is perfect, but to what will generate the best result, given human nature.
There's a good chance that a lot of people with security backgrounds will jump in to rebut what I've written above, and that's to be expected - there's no universal consensus here on what best practices are. We can debate all day.
But my broader point is: it's not just the recommendations, but the result of the recommendations combined with the user's response, that determines what the "best recommendations" should be. And so you don't make perfect world recommendations, but rather recommendations that take into account the user's response.
There's parallels here to the health/fitness community. The clearest example is the recommendation that we see for 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week. Many people, especially those who don't really like working out to begin with, assume that this means that 15-30 minutes is optimal for health. But it doesn't say that anywhere in the HHS document. The 30 minutes of moderate activity is recommended because it at least gets people to do something. Again, the recommendations are determined based on what they think people will actually do, not what is best in the real world.
But I wonder here, too, if we don't also see a parallel to the canned running training plans that so many seem to place utter trust in, like the ones set forth in Jack Daniels or Pfitzinger, or (*shudder*) Smartcoach (lots of irony in that name). What if those plans aren't based on what's really best, but instead the assumption that the reader probably won't follow the plan fully? Which means that those who compulsively stick to the plan no matter wreck their training in the process.
And of course, I don't see how any plan could ever be "best" anyway. Too many variables, and there's also the belief that there's one "best workout" or "best plan" -- that's the belief that so often gets us into trouble. It's really just consistency that advances one in running, not strict adherence to a schedule of paces and mileage no matter what.
Interesting thought, huh? Makes me pretty happy that I was never one to buy into one of those preset plans.
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| Full size version can be seen here |
Of course, what doesn't get captured in this comic is the fact that the security professional has to consider what the user will ACTUALLY DO in response to requirements. Yes, if we could rely on users to choose truly random strings of words, it'd work great. But in practice, there would be a non-negligible number of users who would choose something like "thisismypassword" or "th1s1smypassw0rd" or "correcthorsebatterystaple".
And while we do have the mechanics to force someone to have a password of so many characters minimum, with so many special characters, uppercase/lowercase etc, we don't have a similar easy way to confirm that random word strings are truly random.
Similarly, we require users to change passwords so often NOT because frequent changing will make much difference if users have very strong private passwords to begin with, but because users tend to pick very weak passwords to begin with, and like to share them with their buddies. We set the standards NOT to what is perfect, but to what will generate the best result, given human nature.
There's a good chance that a lot of people with security backgrounds will jump in to rebut what I've written above, and that's to be expected - there's no universal consensus here on what best practices are. We can debate all day.
But my broader point is: it's not just the recommendations, but the result of the recommendations combined with the user's response, that determines what the "best recommendations" should be. And so you don't make perfect world recommendations, but rather recommendations that take into account the user's response.
There's parallels here to the health/fitness community. The clearest example is the recommendation that we see for 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week. Many people, especially those who don't really like working out to begin with, assume that this means that 15-30 minutes is optimal for health. But it doesn't say that anywhere in the HHS document. The 30 minutes of moderate activity is recommended because it at least gets people to do something. Again, the recommendations are determined based on what they think people will actually do, not what is best in the real world.
But I wonder here, too, if we don't also see a parallel to the canned running training plans that so many seem to place utter trust in, like the ones set forth in Jack Daniels or Pfitzinger, or (*shudder*) Smartcoach (lots of irony in that name). What if those plans aren't based on what's really best, but instead the assumption that the reader probably won't follow the plan fully? Which means that those who compulsively stick to the plan no matter wreck their training in the process.
And of course, I don't see how any plan could ever be "best" anyway. Too many variables, and there's also the belief that there's one "best workout" or "best plan" -- that's the belief that so often gets us into trouble. It's really just consistency that advances one in running, not strict adherence to a schedule of paces and mileage no matter what.
Interesting thought, huh? Makes me pretty happy that I was never one to buy into one of those preset plans.
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Training log - Week ending 8/14/11
This week was 36 miles of “real running” and 15 “miles” pool running plus 3000m of swimming -- training log is here.
In short, Tuesday’s workout was a confidence booster. Nothing spectacular, but after two weeks of feeling lousy due to infection/antibiotics/etc, it was nice to be normal. Sunday’s race sent my confidence back into the crapper. But nothing to do except to be patient and try to train smarter.
Dailies
Monday: 40 minutes of easy pool-running for “4 miles,” then 1000m of swimming breathing drills followed by some injury prevention work . Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 10 miles on the track, including intervals. Prescribed workout was 1600, 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400 – half-distance recoveries between intervals. I ran 6:19, 4:38, 4:38, 2:58, 2:58, 84, and 80 (um yeah – pretty consistent). I was pretty darn happy just to be feeling like myself again. Followed with 20 minutes of pool-running (“2 miles”) and injury prevention work.
Upper body strength-training at night.
Wednesday: 12 miles easy outside (8:31 pace) on a hilly route (did 11.5, then stopped for drills and strides, before a final 5 minutes of easy running to lock my form in). Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 6 miles easy (8:14 pace), followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Wow, the weather was gorgeous. Per coach’s orders, I skipped my scheduled evening Pilates class, and also didn’t do any drills or strides.
Saturday: Off.
Sunday: In the morning, 8 miles. Warm-up jog of ~1.5 miles, then “10K race” (confirmed long by race staff– don’t know exactly how long, but Garmin read 6.36) in 45:23 (ugh – race report here). Followed with 40 minutes cool-down pool-running for “4 miles.” Skipping yoga – feeling lousy.
In short, Tuesday’s workout was a confidence booster. Nothing spectacular, but after two weeks of feeling lousy due to infection/antibiotics/etc, it was nice to be normal. Sunday’s race sent my confidence back into the crapper. But nothing to do except to be patient and try to train smarter.
Dailies
Monday: 40 minutes of easy pool-running for “4 miles,” then 1000m of swimming breathing drills followed by some injury prevention work . Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 10 miles on the track, including intervals. Prescribed workout was 1600, 2x1200, 2x800, 2x400 – half-distance recoveries between intervals. I ran 6:19, 4:38, 4:38, 2:58, 2:58, 84, and 80 (um yeah – pretty consistent). I was pretty darn happy just to be feeling like myself again. Followed with 20 minutes of pool-running (“2 miles”) and injury prevention work.
Upper body strength-training at night.
Wednesday: 12 miles easy outside (8:31 pace) on a hilly route (did 11.5, then stopped for drills and strides, before a final 5 minutes of easy running to lock my form in). Followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 6 miles easy (8:14 pace), followed with 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Wow, the weather was gorgeous. Per coach’s orders, I skipped my scheduled evening Pilates class, and also didn’t do any drills or strides.
Saturday: Off.
Sunday: In the morning, 8 miles. Warm-up jog of ~1.5 miles, then “10K race” (confirmed long by race staff– don’t know exactly how long, but Garmin read 6.36) in 45:23 (ugh – race report here). Followed with 40 minutes cool-down pool-running for “4 miles.” Skipping yoga – feeling lousy.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Product review: Uber Air minimalist running footgear.
So, a little bit ago, I got offered my first product review -- a niche running shoe called the Uber Air. Frankly, I was a little surprised, simply because I don't think my little blog really generates the level of traffic that interests most shoe companies. But, I believe this is a new company, and the nominal subject matter of my blog (pool-running) apparently linked me to their target market.
The Uber Air is being promoted as highly refined running footwear that can also be worn in the pool for pool-running. It appears that they're going after the minimalist running crowd, for their slogan is a bit snarky, but taps into that elitist mindset that seems to drive some (but definitely not all) to barefoot/minimalism.
Love it!
So, I guess one generally does product reviews by taking a bunch of photos, starting with the opening of the box and the savoring of that new shoe smell. Let's commence, shall we?
[as an aside to the FTC - I have not been compensated in any way for this review. Indeed, the manufacturer was a bit difficult to deal with -- they offered me the shoe, but wouldn't let me specify the size. Fortunately, the shoe that they provided fit perfectly, but I was still a bit annoyed. I guess that's minimalist customer service for you].
So... took them for a test run, and they definitely lived up to representations. They weigh far less than even my Saucony A4s, and the feel for the road is amazing. You can literally feel each pebble or sidewalk crack, which I didn't think could be accomplished in a trainer, even a minimalist one.
The sheer look was incredibly fun to wear. As I floated along (again, I can't possibly emphasize enough just how light these things are), I became aware that while these shoes might not make me a faster runner, they definitely made me a superior runner. And that's a great feeling.
A nice side benefit of the construction of these shoes is that I experienced none of the rubbing that I normally do when running. I was able to run sockless for the first time, with no need to place a protective barrier between the shoe and my foot. If only I had had these when I was dealing with my foot blister about 2 weeks ago.
There are a few drawbacks, however. I doubt the ability of these shoes to protect me adequately from the rocks and such I often experience on the towpath -- they just don't seem durable enough, though I'll concede I noted absolutely no wear and tear from the miles I did put on them.
The lightness of the material also makes me certain that this is a shoe best worn in the summer time; cold weather demands a bit more insulation. But, as a summer shoe, the Uber Air is superb. I especially appreciated the lack of "shoe sloshing" that I've experienced during humid long runs with my Kinvaras.
I also took them for a test pool-run. Most DC area pools prohibit any sort of footwear in the pool, except for flippers, and so I was concerned that the guards would stop me. Nope. Nobody batted an eye. And the shoes were every bit as comfortable and light and functional in the pool as they were on land. Win!
I did find that the lightweight insoles that come with the Uber Air weren't quite enough arch support for me. I was concerned that my Superfeet orthotics wouldn't work with the shoe, but it turned out that they fit quite easily.
I also found that the laces that came with the Uber Air were difficult to manipulate -- I really suck at tying normal shoelaces, and I could barely manage these laces. The problem was easily addressed by swapping out the laces, though.
So yeah, the shoe's an overall win, and I recommend it highly. You don't get more minimalist than this, folks.
BTW, the team at Uber Air also gave me a promotional sports-bra made of the same sheer and super lightweight material - guaranteed not to chafe. Unfortunately, my cell phone's run out of juice, so no pictures for this review. Sorry. I'll try to get it in a future review.
The Uber Air is being promoted as highly refined running footwear that can also be worn in the pool for pool-running. It appears that they're going after the minimalist running crowd, for their slogan is a bit snarky, but taps into that elitist mindset that seems to drive some (but definitely not all) to barefoot/minimalism.
we give the middle finger to Vibram 5 Fingers.
Love it!
So, I guess one generally does product reviews by taking a bunch of photos, starting with the opening of the box and the savoring of that new shoe smell. Let's commence, shall we?
[as an aside to the FTC - I have not been compensated in any way for this review. Indeed, the manufacturer was a bit difficult to deal with -- they offered me the shoe, but wouldn't let me specify the size. Fortunately, the shoe that they provided fit perfectly, but I was still a bit annoyed. I guess that's minimalist customer service for you].
 |
| Here's the box they arrived in. Open the box, and... |
 |
| Voila! New shoes! I love new shoes! |
 |
| Here's the shoe. As you can see, the upper and sole are both constructed of a super sheer material that is also amazingly lightweight and flexible |
 |
| And a side view of the right shoe. |
 |
| On my feet. |
So... took them for a test run, and they definitely lived up to representations. They weigh far less than even my Saucony A4s, and the feel for the road is amazing. You can literally feel each pebble or sidewalk crack, which I didn't think could be accomplished in a trainer, even a minimalist one.
The sheer look was incredibly fun to wear. As I floated along (again, I can't possibly emphasize enough just how light these things are), I became aware that while these shoes might not make me a faster runner, they definitely made me a superior runner. And that's a great feeling.
A nice side benefit of the construction of these shoes is that I experienced none of the rubbing that I normally do when running. I was able to run sockless for the first time, with no need to place a protective barrier between the shoe and my foot. If only I had had these when I was dealing with my foot blister about 2 weeks ago.
There are a few drawbacks, however. I doubt the ability of these shoes to protect me adequately from the rocks and such I often experience on the towpath -- they just don't seem durable enough, though I'll concede I noted absolutely no wear and tear from the miles I did put on them.
The lightness of the material also makes me certain that this is a shoe best worn in the summer time; cold weather demands a bit more insulation. But, as a summer shoe, the Uber Air is superb. I especially appreciated the lack of "shoe sloshing" that I've experienced during humid long runs with my Kinvaras.
I also took them for a test pool-run. Most DC area pools prohibit any sort of footwear in the pool, except for flippers, and so I was concerned that the guards would stop me. Nope. Nobody batted an eye. And the shoes were every bit as comfortable and light and functional in the pool as they were on land. Win!
I did find that the lightweight insoles that come with the Uber Air weren't quite enough arch support for me. I was concerned that my Superfeet orthotics wouldn't work with the shoe, but it turned out that they fit quite easily.
 |
| Side view of the Uber Air plus orthotic. It is a slightly different look, but I think I like it. |
 |
| All customized and ready to go! |
BTW, the team at Uber Air also gave me a promotional sports-bra made of the same sheer and super lightweight material - guaranteed not to chafe. Unfortunately, my cell phone's run out of juice, so no pictures for this review. Sorry. I'll try to get it in a future review.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Training log - Week ending 8/07/11
This week was 40 miles of “real running” and 30 “miles” pool running plus 2000m of swimming -- training log is here.
This was a rough week. I struggled for reasons that I don’t believe are related to my fitness, and so I decided to back way the heck off. My target peak racing season is October to December, and so it made absolutely no sense to run myself into the ground fighting to complete workouts that were tougher than they should have been, or to hit a certain mileage this week.
The first part of the week, I was on antibiotics (Bactrim) for my blister infection, and they knocked me for a loop. Bactrim’s side effects include “shortness of breath” -- it’s actually contradicted for people with asthma, but I’m assuming that precaution is meant for people with more serious problems, not my mild need-an-inhaler-before-track issues.
Well, “shortness of breath” just about describes it. My strength was very clearly fine; it was just that my aerobic capacity was about half the norm (noted in running, swimming, and pool-running). I stopped my track workout after the first set of three planned – I felt as tired after the first set as I normally do after the final set, and I thought that was sufficient reason to make the first set my last. I tried to do 20 minutes of swimming breathing drills afterwards, but struggled there too. I can normally work up to 13 strokes (very easy, with pull buoy) between breaths; I couldn’t do more than 7 on Tuesday. Without the pull buoy? It was very hard not to breathe every two strokes.
So, contacted my doctor and described the trouble I was having, and she agreed I could stop the antibiotics before the full 10 day cycle was done, due to the side effects (I was having a few others not directly running-related).
I stopped the Bactrim after Tuesday afternoon, and had a pretty good run on Wednesday. Of course, I then had a long and somewhat stressful day at work on Thursday, followed by a rare bout of insomnia (I don’t think the two were related) on Thursday night, resulting in 4 hours of lousy sleep. I debated skipping tempo on Friday, but the weather was so nice that I couldn’t resist. So, I showed up (acting like a space cadet) and ran a short 5K tempo at a slower pace. Not ideal, but I got something done, and I didn’t dig myself into a hole. Even after that shortened workout, I was totally beat with symptoms that felt like a cold might be coming on, so I skipped Pilates.
Tons of sleep (9.5 hours on Friday night!) later and I felt like myself for Sunday’s long run. I played Sunday’s run pretty carefully though – running out and back with a friend for 10 easy miles. After the 10 miles, I felt OK, so I went ahead and turned it into a progression long run that went pretty well, given the bad conditions (temps in upper 70s, dewpoint in mid 70s). Hopefully this is an indication that I’ve got all of these frustrations behind me – I really dislike not finishing workouts.
(aside - Elizabeth was nice enough to grab my running gait evaluation videos from a few weeks back and post them on Youtube at my request. I've updated the log entry discussing that gait analysis to show the videos)
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles,” and then some injury prevention work . Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 7 miles on the track. Prescribed workout was 2-3x1600, 800 – half-distance recoveries between intervals. I ran 6:17, 2:56 for the first set, and then called it a day – I was pretty clearly not myself, and no reason to dig myself into a hole. So jogged easy while cheering my teammates, and then hit the pool for 30 minutes of pool-running (“3 miles”) and 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Upper body strength-training at night.
Wednesday: 10 miles easy outside (8:22 pace) on a hilly route. Followed with 40 minutes pool-running for “4 miles” and then 1000m of swimming breathing drills.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 8 miles on the track, including an abbreviated tempo 5K workout on the track (6:52 pace – splits of 6:56, 6:49, 6:43, and 50 second (6:40 pace) for final 200m). Followed with 20 minutes of pool-running (“2 miles”) but skipped my scheduled evening Pilates class.
Saturday: In the morning, 70 minutes easy pool-running for “7 miles.” In the afternoon, light upper body strength training plus foam-rolling, injury prevention exercises, and stretching.
Sunday: In the morning, a long run of 15.5 averaging 8:00 pace – the first 5 miles (uphill) were 8:37 pace, followed by 6.5 miles at 7:52 pace (downhill+flat) and 4 miles at 7:23 pace (flat - including the final mile at 7:00 pace and then a 6:00 pace 400m kick). Pretty happy with this one.
I followed this up with some injury prevention exercises, and then 30 minutes very easy pool-running for “3 miles” to shake things out. Yoga and foam rolling tonight.
This was a rough week. I struggled for reasons that I don’t believe are related to my fitness, and so I decided to back way the heck off. My target peak racing season is October to December, and so it made absolutely no sense to run myself into the ground fighting to complete workouts that were tougher than they should have been, or to hit a certain mileage this week.
The first part of the week, I was on antibiotics (Bactrim) for my blister infection, and they knocked me for a loop. Bactrim’s side effects include “shortness of breath” -- it’s actually contradicted for people with asthma, but I’m assuming that precaution is meant for people with more serious problems, not my mild need-an-inhaler-before-track issues.
Well, “shortness of breath” just about describes it. My strength was very clearly fine; it was just that my aerobic capacity was about half the norm (noted in running, swimming, and pool-running). I stopped my track workout after the first set of three planned – I felt as tired after the first set as I normally do after the final set, and I thought that was sufficient reason to make the first set my last. I tried to do 20 minutes of swimming breathing drills afterwards, but struggled there too. I can normally work up to 13 strokes (very easy, with pull buoy) between breaths; I couldn’t do more than 7 on Tuesday. Without the pull buoy? It was very hard not to breathe every two strokes.
So, contacted my doctor and described the trouble I was having, and she agreed I could stop the antibiotics before the full 10 day cycle was done, due to the side effects (I was having a few others not directly running-related).
I stopped the Bactrim after Tuesday afternoon, and had a pretty good run on Wednesday. Of course, I then had a long and somewhat stressful day at work on Thursday, followed by a rare bout of insomnia (I don’t think the two were related) on Thursday night, resulting in 4 hours of lousy sleep. I debated skipping tempo on Friday, but the weather was so nice that I couldn’t resist. So, I showed up (acting like a space cadet) and ran a short 5K tempo at a slower pace. Not ideal, but I got something done, and I didn’t dig myself into a hole. Even after that shortened workout, I was totally beat with symptoms that felt like a cold might be coming on, so I skipped Pilates.
Tons of sleep (9.5 hours on Friday night!) later and I felt like myself for Sunday’s long run. I played Sunday’s run pretty carefully though – running out and back with a friend for 10 easy miles. After the 10 miles, I felt OK, so I went ahead and turned it into a progression long run that went pretty well, given the bad conditions (temps in upper 70s, dewpoint in mid 70s). Hopefully this is an indication that I’ve got all of these frustrations behind me – I really dislike not finishing workouts.
(aside - Elizabeth was nice enough to grab my running gait evaluation videos from a few weeks back and post them on Youtube at my request. I've updated the log entry discussing that gait analysis to show the videos)
Dailies
Monday: 60 minutes of easy pool-running for “6 miles,” and then some injury prevention work . Stretching and foam-rolling at night.
Tuesday: In the morning, 7 miles on the track. Prescribed workout was 2-3x1600, 800 – half-distance recoveries between intervals. I ran 6:17, 2:56 for the first set, and then called it a day – I was pretty clearly not myself, and no reason to dig myself into a hole. So jogged easy while cheering my teammates, and then hit the pool for 30 minutes of pool-running (“3 miles”) and 1000m of swimming breathing drills. Upper body strength-training at night.
Wednesday: 10 miles easy outside (8:22 pace) on a hilly route. Followed with 40 minutes pool-running for “4 miles” and then 1000m of swimming breathing drills.
Thursday: In the morning, 50 minutes of easy pool-running for “5 miles” plus upper body strengthtraining. Injury prevention exercises, foam rolling, and stretching at night.
Friday: In the morning, 8 miles on the track, including an abbreviated tempo 5K workout on the track (6:52 pace – splits of 6:56, 6:49, 6:43, and 50 second (6:40 pace) for final 200m). Followed with 20 minutes of pool-running (“2 miles”) but skipped my scheduled evening Pilates class.
Saturday: In the morning, 70 minutes easy pool-running for “7 miles.” In the afternoon, light upper body strength training plus foam-rolling, injury prevention exercises, and stretching.
Sunday: In the morning, a long run of 15.5 averaging 8:00 pace – the first 5 miles (uphill) were 8:37 pace, followed by 6.5 miles at 7:52 pace (downhill+flat) and 4 miles at 7:23 pace (flat - including the final mile at 7:00 pace and then a 6:00 pace 400m kick). Pretty happy with this one.
I followed this up with some injury prevention exercises, and then 30 minutes very easy pool-running for “3 miles” to shake things out. Yoga and foam rolling tonight.
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