This morning was full of technical difficulty so the bike will have to wait until after work. I did a rowing workout that focuses on upper body - kind of a strange way to use the erg, and not many meters are accumulated that way - or the meters that are accumulated are at a slow pace - either way, it bothers my competitive alter ego to post workouts that will look like I was hardly moving - when in fact my bicep, tricep, lats - you name it got worked pretty hard. I again opted for a workout with Xeno. Xeno can be found at http://www.xenorowingcoach.com/ and http://www.indoor-rowing.blogspot.com/ . I own some of his workout DVDs. This morning he was counting strokes in what he claimed to be German because "people like the way it sounds" - well, he is Swiss - to my German ears he sounded plain funny :).
When it was time to bike, I started my Computrainer Program, picked a course, hopped on and started pedaling but nothing happened. Somehow the link between the pc and the trainer was not working. I dinked around with it and got it fixed eventually but by that time it was time to call it quits so I would get to work on time. Bummer. I like getting done in the morning.
Ordered an Omron Bodycomp Analyzer on line. Should be at my house Friday. I am all about numbers. Good and bad. I found it at Amazon and it was 40% off - making it affordable at about $68 and free shipping. It will show weight, bodyfat %, BMI, visceral fat, resting metabolism, body age...probably more than I need or want to know - but knowledge is power and knowing what we need to change is a start.
In my last post I mentioned some of my training tools such as the erg and computrainer. I thought I would elaborate a bit.
Erg - or Indoor Rowing Machine: Mine is a Concept2 Model D with a PM3 Upgrade. The Concept2 rowers are those long rowing machines with the wheel up front and handle on a chain. You can generally find them in larger health clubs and YMCAs. They are the rowing machine of choice for Olympic Rowers, simulating rowing on water most closely. Approach with caution. Make sure you learn proper technique. You can go to the Concept2 website - http://www.concept2.com/ - to find information on how to. There are also videos on Youtube. Proper technique is critical. I have seen people on the rowers in the gym and rarely do I see someone using them correctly. They are an awesome training tool when you do. I think a common misconception is that rowing is upper body work - not so. 60% of the work is done by the legs - the leg drive, the rest of the work is done by upper body, back, arms and yes, core! One of the most common mistakes I see people make is to set the damper very high (increases resistance) - for an aerobic workout it should be set low at 2 or 3 (you might notice that is the orange area on the machines in the gym). You will be surprised how hard of a workout you will get rowing. I have pushed my heart rate right to the red zone with 500m speed intervals and have watched athletes puke after a 2K race. 2K is the common race distance for indoor rowing races - yep, there are races - one of them right here in Rochester. I participated a few years ago. The race took about 8 minutes - but the workout was extreme - probably kind of like running up that 26 stories in the Stair Climb - except about twice as long! A 20 or 30 minute row will give you an excellent cardio and strength workout all in one. It is great cross training. The Concept2 website is full of great information, has a very active on line community complete with log where you can post your meters and times and measure yourself against other athletes. There are contests etc too.
Computrainer: This is my indoor bike trainer. It is sold by Racermate - http://www.racermateinc.com/ . It looks like most indoor bike trainers, you put your rear wheel up on it and use a block or ring for the front but it also connects to a pc. There are 2 programs, coaching software and Computrainer 3D. The coaching software is pretty cool - you can do spin scans - you will see if you are pedaling truly in complete circles vs mashing up and down on the pedals (much more efficient). You also get feedback about power etc. The 3D is fun and a great workout. You can race on many included courses, purchase additional or upload your own. When you ride a course you have a visual - can be country side, city scape etc, and you can have another racer for you to pedal against or ride solo. You also see the elevation profile along with a great number of stats on your cycling. My screen is too small to really see much of that but that is ok - you can save a report at the end and look at it later. As you climb the hills on the course, pressure is applied to your rear tire, acting like a break, forcing you to pedal harder and shift, just as you would on real hills. You don't get to coast the down hills - if you stop pedaling the system will assume you have stopped once the tire stops spinning - but after a tough climb the easy spinning on the downhill feels great and let's face it you don't ever really coast outside either, you take advantage of gravity some but you will pedal to continue to pick up speed. You can set drag factors to simulate wind resistance etc. It gives you a pretty close to "real outdoor" ride. Many of the included courses are Ironman courses. Bonus! There also is a Interactive Real Course option - it comes with a DVD of the course you are riding - so not the "cartoon" like landscape of the 3D courses. I bought IM Coeur D'Alene a long time ago - now I can put it to use. For now I am sticking to the shorter 3D courses. Plenty tough.
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Of course, with training - especially heavy loads - there usually are injuries. While I hope to remain injury free, I am taking some preventive care. I have two awesome helpers with that. One, is Junge Chiropractic. I met Dr Scott and Dr Anna at the Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Extra. They had a booth set up and offered free scans, complete with cool colorful charts, and intoductory pricing on first visit and adjustments. I liked them both right off the bat. They are energetic, fun and just plain nice. Dr Scott takes care of me, my spine, hips and yes, feet and ankles too! I had a chiropractor a long time ago who would work on my back and neck but inspite of the fact that he knew that I ran long distances he never discussed or touched my legs or feet. Dr Scott understands my needs as an athlete as well as just the every day pains and aches caused by work stress or sitting at a pc or in a car for long periods of time. www.jungefamilychiropractic.com He has a great sense of humor - which keeps my visits interesting and fun. He also is helping me with my supplements, vitamins, etc. I am taking a variety of supplements from Standard Process - a Wisconsin based Whole Food Supplement Provider. I am on day one with those, so don't have anything to report yet. I do understand that they are a quality product. They are only sold through Healthcare Professionals and your regimen is strictly tailored to you and your specific needs.
When I re-injured my Achilles a few weeks ago, I knew it was time to work on the cause of this pesky injury - a tight knot in my calf muscle that had been there since Waseca Triathlon 2 years ago. I simply had not been able to massage or roll that bugger out on my own. In pain I asked my favorite Chiropractor if he knew someone who would be able to do a serious deep tissue massage to get rid of the lump once and for all and he referred me to Balance Massage and Bodywork in Byron. www.tinyurl.com/balance-massage
I called and got in quickly. I met Erin Dietz, one of the owner/CMTs and liked her right away. She listened and then went to work. Boy did she ever. I felt sorry sometimes, that darn knot insisting on popping out from under her fingers, but she kept at it and lo and behold - after 2 visits, I feel much better. Knot is gone and Achilles is on the mend. Erin - like Junge Chiropractic - will be a regular part of my year of training which will undoubtedly leave me with kinks and knots galore.
Well, this got to be a really long post but I also learned how to add links to favorite sites and how to add pictures etc. I'll get this blog fancied up in no time!
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