The Fitness Thread

[Edouble]

Just finished my first official race in quite some time. Finished the 5k at 24:00 flat, more or less…around a 7:40 split on my miles. I’m quite pleased with that, given the 20+ months of pandemic fitness disruptions and a forced complete shutdown of about 3 weeks in August/September due to an injury.

Was lurking for this post!

Nice work, Romper! It was cold out there this AM. I will be there with you next year. Want to aim for sub-22. Might have to shed a few pounds to get there.

[wilson]

Was lurking for this post!

Nice work, Romper! It was cold out there this AM. I will be there with you next year. Want to aim for sub-22. Might have to shed a few pounds to get there.

Thanks!
Yeah it was not warm, and given the challenges of preparation and the fact that I really haven’t run much on pavement or terrain of any kind in quite a while, I feel more than good about it.

[FUBARDoorBuster]

I have had cramps during exertion in HS sports, especially soccer, but not as much in Baseball as a catcher. Similar cramps in marathon running and cycling 3-6 hours. I have tried electrolyte solutions with no improvement, though they are important to replace losses. I have found mustard and pickle juice/vinegar to help, but never understood why it works quickly. It's faster than just feeding salt or other components to the abnormal contractions in the muscle.
Turns out that there are taste receptors that take sensations and send calming signals to irritated nerves that provoke the cramps Mustard and vinegar hit these receptors. So does Capsaicin from spicy foods, sour flavor from lemon, etc. Some Nobel-prize scientists have come up with this product that gives a good explanation, tested at Penn State

https://teamhotshot.com/how-it-works/

I have used this but in the end I just mix sriracha, lemon juice, mustard, pickle juice and balsamic vinaigrette in a 2 oz salad dressing vial and keep it in my back pocket on the bike. The oil in the vinaigrette seems to smooth the mixture onto all the taste receptor surface. Nasty but it works.
The trainers on the basketball team know this, right??

[duke79]

I have had cramps during exertion in HS sports, especially soccer, but not as much in Baseball as a catcher. Similar cramps in marathon running and cycling 3-6 hours. I have tried electrolyte solutions with no improvement, though they are important to replace losses. I have found mustard and pickle juice/vinegar to help, but never understood why it works quickly. It's faster than just feeding salt or other components to the abnormal contractions in the muscle.
Turns out that there are taste receptors that take sensations and send calming signals to irritated nerves that provoke the cramps Mustard and vinegar hit these receptors. So does Capsaicin from spicy foods, sour flavor from lemon, etc. Some Nobel-prize scientists have come up with this product that gives a good explanation, tested at Penn State

https://teamhotshot.com/how-it-works/

I have used this but in the end I just mix sriracha, lemon juice, mustard, pickle juice and balsamic vinaigrette in a 2 oz salad dressing vial and keep it in my back pocket on the bike. The oil in the vinaigrette seems to smooth the mixture onto all the taste receptor surface. Nasty but it works.
The trainers on the basketball team know this, right??

Frankly, I think I'd rather have cramps that drink that concoction, especially when exercising (half kidding here)!

[FUBARDoorBuster]

Frankly, I think I'd rather have cramps that drink that concoction, especially when exercising (half kidding here)!

I hate it too, but if I am 30 miles from home on the bike, I need a way to finish. The scientists that created it had cramps in a sea kayak in the winter. Yikes!
If something like this were to keep PB5 in the game without needing to go to the locker for an IV in the final 5 minutes of a championship game, I just hope it could be a tool in the toolkit. He still had cramps after the IV as well.

[wilson]

How's everybody doing these days? I have been trying to reclaim running rhythm in the last couple of months and some things have really paid off. I added in some faster-paced short intervals (usually three intervals of a minute each, interspersed with a rest/walking minute) at the end of my 5k runs about 8-10 weeks ago, and in that time, I've shaved a good three minutes off my regular 5k times (ran a 23:04 on Sunday and a 23:12 this morning). I'm also finding some success with the mental game...just acknowledging the pain/burn/whatever, and keep going anyway. I'm glad to feel like I'm in a good groove, since the holiday season figures to imperil my usually pretty disciplined dietary practices.
Anybody else got any good tips to help offset holiday indulgences?

[Duke79UNLV77]

I have had cramps during exertion in HS sports, especially soccer, but not as much in Baseball as a catcher. Similar cramps in marathon running and cycling 3-6 hours. I have tried electrolyte solutions with no improvement, though they are important to replace losses. I have found mustard and pickle juice/vinegar to help, but never understood why it works quickly. It's faster than just feeding salt or other components to the abnormal contractions in the muscle.
Turns out that there are taste receptors that take sensations and send calming signals to irritated nerves that provoke the cramps Mustard and vinegar hit these receptors. So does Capsaicin from spicy foods, sour flavor from lemon, etc. Some Nobel-prize scientists have come up with this product that gives a good explanation, tested at Penn State

https://teamhotshot.com/how-it-works/

I have used this but in the end I just mix sriracha, lemon juice, mustard, pickle juice and balsamic vinaigrette in a 2 oz salad dressing vial and keep it in my back pocket on the bike. The oil in the vinaigrette seems to smooth the mixture onto all the taste receptor surface. Nasty but it works.
The trainers on the basketball team know this, right??

I have used that product for marathons and long cycling events, too. I also would not choose PowerAde or Gatorade as my hydration for a big event. Personally, I use Scratch, but I think there are lots of products that would be better choices, although I assume there is a marketing deal with PowerAde or Gatorade.

[FUBARDoorBuster]

I have used that product for marathons and long cycling events, too. I also would not choose PowerAde or Gatorade as my hydration for a big event. Personally, I use Scratch, but I think there are lots of products that would be better choices, although I assume there is a marketing deal with PowerAde or Gatorade.

I have tried Scratch and Nuun, but I wasn't sure they offered any additional bang for the buck. The cost for nutrition and hydration for rides starts building up over the training week. Gatorade does promote the 2:1 ratio of glucose:fructose to optimize carbohydrate intake, but taking in the optimum 60:30g an hour will always be a challenge and other products probably have the 2:1 ratio as well. I have always wondered if the products we use are as important during our training, or just for the events.
Anyway, I went to the BOA website after it was announced that PB5 is using 'oxygenated electrolytes' to prevent his problems. I wonder if he still had problems during the second half at Ohio State. Basically, BOA seems to be a sublingual spray, high in sodium, using the rich capillary bed under the tongue to promote faster absorption of electrolytes than the GI tract can offer, according to the website. There is a "white paper' from a Duke source, as well as other articles as references. Says the product is shipping mid-November, though I seemed to have remember the name from UCI Tour events. States it is to be used along with other hydration strategies. a seven pound weight loss for 250 lb athlete approaches 3%, so not the most extreme. I wonder if he has done HIIT training, or has had to work at "redline"/Zone 5 in previous competitions- he seems so smooth and advanced that maybe he has never had to compete at his top level.
There also might be a role for lactate. As a carbohydrate, it works well to produce ATP as an energy source. Unfortunately, we produce it as lactic acid, and the acid part is what gives it a bad rap. But as an apparently legal exogenous source, lactate may add to the energy stockade to prevent anaerobic lactic acid production, and possible cramps. I only recently learned newer information about the positive aspects about the lactate shuttle that was not a part of my biochemistry classes in the 90's
Best of luck with next events!

[Native]

How's everybody doing these days?

I’m hoping to run the NYC Marathon next November. I’ve never been much of a distance runner so I’m working into it early. I’ve completed a few half-marathons already, usually getting it in at around 8:30-9:00 pace. If I can do a sub-4 marathon I’d be pretty happy with myself. Have got up to 25-30 miles per week and also doing a few days of cross-training each week.

[Edouble]

Currently doing the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge. Row 100K for charity between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

https://www.concept2.com/

If you row 200K, you get a pin. I am currently at 133K, as I want the pin for my gym bag.

[wilson]

I’m hoping to run the NYC Marathon next November. I’ve never been much of a distance runner so I’m working into it early. I’ve completed a few half-marathons already, usually getting it in at around 8:30-9:00 pace. If I can do a sub-4 marathon I’d be pretty happy with myself. Have got up to 25-30 miles per week and also doing a few days of cross-training each week.

Wow, way to go! I'm still working on 5K times. I'm back within a minute of my all-time PB (ran a 22:59 yesterday!), and after another 6ish weeks(?) of consistency on that front, am planning to ramp up to working on 10k times in the spring, with a possible half marathon as an eventual goal.
I don't think 26.2 is ever going to be in the cards for me.

[bundabergdevil]

Finally trying to integrate work outs back into my schedule now that my 4 month old can get decent chunks of sleep at night (and so can I). Been pretty tough but finding even just a 20 minute HIIT during nap time is useful.

Was able to get in a 45 minute lurch, er, jog today.

[duke74]

Well, after the year I had (won't go into that again - but many here know about it), and having gained back the 15+ pounds I had lost in the early stages of the pandemic and at home working, I decided I need to start taking care of myself again. Not really that overweight, but need/want to lose about 10ish and regain muscle tone.

Rejoined a local gym and will be training again with a personal trainer. I lift and treadmill at home, but need the discipline and motivation to get to the level I want.

A great, safe holiday to all. And to those celebrating, a Merry Christmas. And for like me (members of the Tribe), a gesunte Christmas . And health to all!

[Edouble]

Currently doing the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge. Row 100K for charity between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

https://www.concept2.com/

If you row 200K, you get a pin. I am currently at 133K, as I want the pin for my gym bag.

Finished the Concept 2 Holiday Challenge. Rowed 200,000 meters from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve. I finished the Challenge with a 19:27 5K row, which was a personal best.

https://log.concept2.com/profile/1556804

[fuqua1997]

Anyone ever done a couch to 5k and had luck with it? I started one two days ago, needless to say, I am sore!

[Native]

Anyone ever done a couch to 5k and had luck with it? I started one two days ago, needless to say, I am sore!

That was me a few years ago! You just have to push through. At first, you won’t feel like you’re getting any faster or stronger. Then you’ll start to notice that you recover quicker. You don’t get sore after running. Then you start feeling more confident in running a bit longer each time, knowing you won’t be sore afterwards. Then you start getting faster!

[fuqua1997]

That was me a few years ago! You just have to push through. At first, you won’t feel like you’re getting any faster or stronger. Then you’ll start to notice that you recover quicker. You don’t get sore after running. Then you start feeling more confident in running a bit longer each time, knowing you won’t be sore afterwards. Then you start getting faster!

Thanks! I was wondering how the interval training would work. Good to hear that the confidence grows over time, and I will get faster. I was slow!

[Ultrarunner]

How's everybody doing these days?\

I've decided I needed a challenge headed into my 60th birthday, so I set a goal of 1000 pounds combined lift (bench, deadlift, squat) with a 24:00 5k. Big change from distance running. I have a little less than a year.

[bundabergdevil]

I've decided I needed a challenge headed into my 60th birthday, so I set a goal of 1000 pounds combined lift (bench, deadlift, squat) with a 24:00 5k. Big change from distance running. I have a little less than a year.

That's good for any age amateur lifter, let alone one approaching 60. How close are you now?

Good luck!

[bundabergdevil]

Curious if anyone has invested in a home/garage gym...specifically, a barbell, bumper plates and a simple squat/bench rack? We've had 2 kids during the pandemic and between wanting to be very cautious with exposure, the idea of lifting in a mask just isn't something that sounds fun so we're thinking about cancelling our gym membership (which has barely been used in 2 years) and just upgrading our home equipment. I've been looking at what Rogue has to offer and I can get what I need for <$1,000, which is about what our annual gym membership is for 2 adults, then I think it'll pay for itself in the long run. Thoughts?