Wednesday 30 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 5.
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 5.: "this week I 'ran' about 50 kms in 3 runs. inverted commas because one run was along a trail which involved walking up hills. I am fairl..."
marathon training week 5.
this week I 'ran' about 50 kms in 3 runs. inverted commas because one run was along a trail which involved walking up hills.
I am fairly happy with the effort because it is an increase in next best distance by about 10%.
The effort required this week was considerably more than 10%, because of the hill work involved, and the subsequent pain endured through the following run, because my legs hadn't recovered enough.
the 3rd run of the week was an easy and reasonable 15.9 kms, with minimal pain.
I have taken to cold baths and raising the legs after my runs, in an effort to facilitate recovery.
I lost a toe-nail during the week. At this stage it doesn't seem to make much difference.
Interesting how the 3rd run of the week seems to be the end of the week for me - like friday afternoon when I was working.
I am slightly inspired about next week's runs, where I think I should run about 55kms, maybe a 25, a 15, and a 10. The longest run is at a jogging pace without any consideration for speed. 55 kms is about 10 hours of running, quite a lot of time really. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was still working.
Time for another dip in the bath!
cheers dears!
I am fairly happy with the effort because it is an increase in next best distance by about 10%.
The effort required this week was considerably more than 10%, because of the hill work involved, and the subsequent pain endured through the following run, because my legs hadn't recovered enough.
the 3rd run of the week was an easy and reasonable 15.9 kms, with minimal pain.
I have taken to cold baths and raising the legs after my runs, in an effort to facilitate recovery.
I lost a toe-nail during the week. At this stage it doesn't seem to make much difference.
Interesting how the 3rd run of the week seems to be the end of the week for me - like friday afternoon when I was working.
I am slightly inspired about next week's runs, where I think I should run about 55kms, maybe a 25, a 15, and a 10. The longest run is at a jogging pace without any consideration for speed. 55 kms is about 10 hours of running, quite a lot of time really. I wouldn't be able to do this if I was still working.
Time for another dip in the bath!
cheers dears!
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 5 pain threshholds
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 5 pain threshholds: "how many times have you heard the maxim - 'no pain - no gain' ? it seems that a certain amount of pain is inevitable if we would be fitter, ..."
Monday 28 March 2011
marathon training week 5 pain threshholds
how many times have you heard the maxim - 'no pain - no gain' ? it seems that a certain amount of pain is inevitable if we would be fitter, faster and go further. does building endurance mean enduring pain? The short answer would be yes.
the question then becomes how much pain should we endure? there has to be optimum level. we don't want to injure ourselves, but would like our rate of progression to be as much as possible.
the sensible advice is to add increments of 10% to workloads.
if only it was that easy! being a fairly determined and enthusiastic sort of guy, it's easy for me to overdo it, and spend the next few days recovering in pain.
at least my lifestyle can allow for spending time in bed after a run. and writing this blog is easy enough from my bed.
as I write, the bath is filling with cold water, the idea being that blood will be forced out of the legs, removing lactic acid, later to be replenished with 'fresh' blood. so there's a little bit of pain to reduce a longer lasting pain. I'll let you know how I go.
At the end of week 3 I ran 21.6 kms - an increase of 25% of week 2's run. too much of an increase maybe, but what was worse was injuring my toes in tight shoes.
week 4 was a step backwards as I took a day off for my toes to recover, and had to cancel a run due to inclement weather.
this week began with another 25% increase in running time but a much larger increase in effort. specifically, I joined a running group for a 22 km jaunt in the adelaide hills. I kept pace for the most of the event but dropped behind as we climbed back to mount lofty. the route included 800 metres of elevation - down then up. I totally wore out my ability to run and walked the last 2 kilometres. I was in mild pain. I ended up sleeping for 2 hours, getting up for lunch, then going back to sleep for another 2 hours.
we were running along trails that were generally do-able, and then walking up the hills. some runners were able to run up sections of the hills, but most walked. given that the event I'm aiming for is a 56 km trail through the hills, I will be doing more of this walking up hills.
I picked up a few tips from the other runners. mainly to run 10 kms a day as fast as possible during the week, and run along tracks on the weekend. one runner pointed out that it was easier to walk up hills than to run down them.
so I've had my cold bath - interesting how those goosebumps make the leg hair stand on end, warming the water around the legs, and then you get another cold sensation as you wiggle your legs around. 3 by 2 mins in the bath with hot showers in between. I saved the bath water for next time
today's run was interesting. I was in pain - not an acute pain but a low level pain. the run passed uneventfully with me trying to ignore the discomfort, which didn't subside. the first 5.3 kms took 29.03 mins, with an av hr of 147, max 162. A fair effort with a near normal time, but still slow for the amount of hr involved.
The second lap took 32.38, with an av hr of 150, max 156. The legs were sore and the steps were small to begin with. through the run, the calves were sore, quads ok. I had a slight back pain and was tensing the core muscles to compensate and relieve the pressure. I noticed something told to me by a brilliant swimmer - the step was originating from a point within my abdomen, somewhere in the obliques area. I see this as an improvement in my running. I was also varying the pace by tilting my head further forward.
towards the end of the run I slowed down a bit to reduce the risk of straining quad strings.
on the walk home the legs were still sore!
I guess that training with sore muscles is something that people do. no doubt today's run went towards increasing my pain threshhold.
I like that this program is about running every other day. This provides enough time for recovery, and minimises the chance of wearing yourself out and catching a cold. I have caught colds in the past from training too much, and recovering too little. This is a huge point.
also, my appetite has increased dramatically. I try to make all my meals small serves, and fit in a good salad or vegetacle juice every day.
by the way, I lost a toe-nail this morning, and I've got skin peeling off blisters on my soles. The joy's of marathon training!
My legs are getting bigger, and it looks like I am on track to achieve my target.
I'm looking at buying a Garmin watch - with heart monitor, gps, and much else besides.
Cheers dears!
the question then becomes how much pain should we endure? there has to be optimum level. we don't want to injure ourselves, but would like our rate of progression to be as much as possible.
the sensible advice is to add increments of 10% to workloads.
if only it was that easy! being a fairly determined and enthusiastic sort of guy, it's easy for me to overdo it, and spend the next few days recovering in pain.
at least my lifestyle can allow for spending time in bed after a run. and writing this blog is easy enough from my bed.
as I write, the bath is filling with cold water, the idea being that blood will be forced out of the legs, removing lactic acid, later to be replenished with 'fresh' blood. so there's a little bit of pain to reduce a longer lasting pain. I'll let you know how I go.
At the end of week 3 I ran 21.6 kms - an increase of 25% of week 2's run. too much of an increase maybe, but what was worse was injuring my toes in tight shoes.
week 4 was a step backwards as I took a day off for my toes to recover, and had to cancel a run due to inclement weather.
this week began with another 25% increase in running time but a much larger increase in effort. specifically, I joined a running group for a 22 km jaunt in the adelaide hills. I kept pace for the most of the event but dropped behind as we climbed back to mount lofty. the route included 800 metres of elevation - down then up. I totally wore out my ability to run and walked the last 2 kilometres. I was in mild pain. I ended up sleeping for 2 hours, getting up for lunch, then going back to sleep for another 2 hours.
we were running along trails that were generally do-able, and then walking up the hills. some runners were able to run up sections of the hills, but most walked. given that the event I'm aiming for is a 56 km trail through the hills, I will be doing more of this walking up hills.
I picked up a few tips from the other runners. mainly to run 10 kms a day as fast as possible during the week, and run along tracks on the weekend. one runner pointed out that it was easier to walk up hills than to run down them.
so I've had my cold bath - interesting how those goosebumps make the leg hair stand on end, warming the water around the legs, and then you get another cold sensation as you wiggle your legs around. 3 by 2 mins in the bath with hot showers in between. I saved the bath water for next time
today's run was interesting. I was in pain - not an acute pain but a low level pain. the run passed uneventfully with me trying to ignore the discomfort, which didn't subside. the first 5.3 kms took 29.03 mins, with an av hr of 147, max 162. A fair effort with a near normal time, but still slow for the amount of hr involved.
The second lap took 32.38, with an av hr of 150, max 156. The legs were sore and the steps were small to begin with. through the run, the calves were sore, quads ok. I had a slight back pain and was tensing the core muscles to compensate and relieve the pressure. I noticed something told to me by a brilliant swimmer - the step was originating from a point within my abdomen, somewhere in the obliques area. I see this as an improvement in my running. I was also varying the pace by tilting my head further forward.
towards the end of the run I slowed down a bit to reduce the risk of straining quad strings.
on the walk home the legs were still sore!
I guess that training with sore muscles is something that people do. no doubt today's run went towards increasing my pain threshhold.
I like that this program is about running every other day. This provides enough time for recovery, and minimises the chance of wearing yourself out and catching a cold. I have caught colds in the past from training too much, and recovering too little. This is a huge point.
also, my appetite has increased dramatically. I try to make all my meals small serves, and fit in a good salad or vegetacle juice every day.
by the way, I lost a toe-nail this morning, and I've got skin peeling off blisters on my soles. The joy's of marathon training!
My legs are getting bigger, and it looks like I am on track to achieve my target.
I'm looking at buying a Garmin watch - with heart monitor, gps, and much else besides.
Cheers dears!
Thursday 24 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 4 - coping with injured toe...
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 4 - coping with injured toe...: "Week 4 was somewhat of a misadventure. After my 21.6 km run on the previous thursday, I took off my shoes to discover that I had bruised my ..."
marathon training week 4 - coping with injured toes!
Week 4 was somewhat of a misadventure.
After my 21.6 km run on the previous thursday, I took off my shoes to discover that I had bruised my toes and pulled a nail partly out from under the quick. I had pushed the toes into my shoes during the run.
I spent a few days putting aloe vera gel on to the injury, and took a day off running. At one stage I clipped a bit of the protruding toenail and a large amount of clear fluid came out.
So with a larger pair of shoes, I ran on the monday, 10.6 kms. the first lap of 5.3 kms in 29.51, av hr 136. The first lap was a warm up - feet were still a bit sore.
I ran the second lap in 27.43, av hr 147. I used an interval approach of speeding up to hr 150+ and jogging back down to 135. This lap was a recent pb,
I ran again on wednesday, 5.3 kms. in 28.46. It was raining and windy. I had a tailwind and ran quite fast for the first 500 metres, and then at a reasonable pace for the next 2 kms. Then I turned into a headwind which slowed me down for 1 1/2 kms. The weather became worse so I went home early.
Run 3 thursday, 15.9 kms. lap 1, another slow warm up of 30.29, av hr 129.
lap 2 was an effort, 28.26, av hr 144.
lap 3 in 29.35. av hr 134. In this lap I had to slow down when a ham threatened to start cramping, a good indication that I was at the end of my leg strength. All in all it was a good work-out, with little energy left at the end of it.
The week was a bit of a hick-up. with 32 kms run in 2hrs 55 mins. down quite a bit from the 47 kms run the week before.
Nevertheless the focus of effort was directed at glut max and quads. these muscles, along with the ham group, are the large muscles used in running fast. As I was running towards the limits of current ability, it became apparent that I had to use core muscles to maintain a better technique. The idea here is to firstly start sucking up the gut - diaphram contraction I guess - and move the navel towards the spine. Doing this activates core muscles, which improves the posture, relaxing back muscles and glut max. works for me! this technique can be used almost anywhere - sitting down for example, and invariably relaxes back muscles which otherwise take the strain of a bad posture.
The injured toes I suffered this week reminds me of an occasion when I ran down the scree slopes of Ben Nevis. It was above the snow line and great fun to be running, sliding, and jumping down the slope.
Unfortunately I ran out of 'vastus medialis' the support muscles above the knee. Those muscles screamed as I finished the downhill trek.
Back at the hostel I discovered that I had massively bruised my big toes, with blood blisters under the nails. I lost half of each nail - diagonally accross the nail, and it took about a year for them to grow back!
As an adventurous runner, running downhill is hard to beat. There's a certain leap of faith involved as you launch into a 3 metre drop.
I've done this a few times. It helps to have strong shoes and rugged clothing - invariably you are going to be sliding down on your behind.
It also helps to have large vastus medialis muscles! You grow these muscles by walking down hills, something I am yet to program into my training.
I've also been advised that for long runs and downhill runs, it pays to wear shoes that are a bit big so that you don't cram your toes into the front of the shoe!
Cheers dears!
After my 21.6 km run on the previous thursday, I took off my shoes to discover that I had bruised my toes and pulled a nail partly out from under the quick. I had pushed the toes into my shoes during the run.
I spent a few days putting aloe vera gel on to the injury, and took a day off running. At one stage I clipped a bit of the protruding toenail and a large amount of clear fluid came out.
So with a larger pair of shoes, I ran on the monday, 10.6 kms. the first lap of 5.3 kms in 29.51, av hr 136. The first lap was a warm up - feet were still a bit sore.
I ran the second lap in 27.43, av hr 147. I used an interval approach of speeding up to hr 150+ and jogging back down to 135. This lap was a recent pb,
I ran again on wednesday, 5.3 kms. in 28.46. It was raining and windy. I had a tailwind and ran quite fast for the first 500 metres, and then at a reasonable pace for the next 2 kms. Then I turned into a headwind which slowed me down for 1 1/2 kms. The weather became worse so I went home early.
Run 3 thursday, 15.9 kms. lap 1, another slow warm up of 30.29, av hr 129.
lap 2 was an effort, 28.26, av hr 144.
lap 3 in 29.35. av hr 134. In this lap I had to slow down when a ham threatened to start cramping, a good indication that I was at the end of my leg strength. All in all it was a good work-out, with little energy left at the end of it.
The week was a bit of a hick-up. with 32 kms run in 2hrs 55 mins. down quite a bit from the 47 kms run the week before.
Nevertheless the focus of effort was directed at glut max and quads. these muscles, along with the ham group, are the large muscles used in running fast. As I was running towards the limits of current ability, it became apparent that I had to use core muscles to maintain a better technique. The idea here is to firstly start sucking up the gut - diaphram contraction I guess - and move the navel towards the spine. Doing this activates core muscles, which improves the posture, relaxing back muscles and glut max. works for me! this technique can be used almost anywhere - sitting down for example, and invariably relaxes back muscles which otherwise take the strain of a bad posture.
The injured toes I suffered this week reminds me of an occasion when I ran down the scree slopes of Ben Nevis. It was above the snow line and great fun to be running, sliding, and jumping down the slope.
Unfortunately I ran out of 'vastus medialis' the support muscles above the knee. Those muscles screamed as I finished the downhill trek.
Back at the hostel I discovered that I had massively bruised my big toes, with blood blisters under the nails. I lost half of each nail - diagonally accross the nail, and it took about a year for them to grow back!
As an adventurous runner, running downhill is hard to beat. There's a certain leap of faith involved as you launch into a 3 metre drop.
I've done this a few times. It helps to have strong shoes and rugged clothing - invariably you are going to be sliding down on your behind.
It also helps to have large vastus medialis muscles! You grow these muscles by walking down hills, something I am yet to program into my training.
I've also been advised that for long runs and downhill runs, it pays to wear shoes that are a bit big so that you don't cram your toes into the front of the shoe!
Cheers dears!
Wednesday 16 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 3 run 3
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 3 run 3: "Today I increased the distance of my weekly 'long' run. I prepared by taking some suppliments before I went to bed last night - 300 mg of Q1..."
marathon training week 3 run 3
Today I increased the distance of my weekly 'long' run.
I prepared by taking some suppliments before I went to bed last night - 300 mg of Q10, 300 mg omega3, 150 mg glucosamine, and 150 mg comb 12 tissue salts.
This morning, after a coffee, I took a teaspoon of creatine, another 300 mg of Q10, 100 mg of ginko and brahmi, and 100 mg of fat metaboliser,
I drank some powerade and some chia gel, and took some with me.
There is 500 metres to my start line, which I use to begin the warm up process. The idea was to settle into a rhythm where I could 'run all day'.
The first lap was a bit shorter - 4.7 km in 25.50, heart rate 135.
The second lap was longer - 5.3 km in 30.37, heart rate 137.
The third lap was - 5.3 km in 30.59 , heart rate 136.
The fourth lap was 5.3 km in 31.42 , heart rate 138.
The total was 21.6 km in 118 mins, with an average heart rate of 136.5, a tad short of 11 kms per hour.
I'm happy with this.
During the run I was thinking that I was running more or less at the pace that I ran at in my 20's. I wasn't really concerned about fast times then. a mid 130's heart rate is about a 60% effort for me.
I was pleased that there was only a 22 second difference between the second and third laps - this indicates a consistent pace. the 40 second difference between laps 3 and 4 is also pretty good. The higher heart rate is due to extra effort in the last 800 metres.
I had a cold shower and raised my legs and wobbled the muscles in an effort to drain the blood out of them, as a recovery strategy.
Today's run was significantly faster than the earlier runs of this week, probably down to the the suppliments I took.
I was 22 years old the last time I ran 21 kms, and that's an indication of my current commitment to running.
This week I ran 47.2 kms in 4 hrs 30 mins.
I'm happy with that!
Cheers Dears!
I prepared by taking some suppliments before I went to bed last night - 300 mg of Q10, 300 mg omega3, 150 mg glucosamine, and 150 mg comb 12 tissue salts.
This morning, after a coffee, I took a teaspoon of creatine, another 300 mg of Q10, 100 mg of ginko and brahmi, and 100 mg of fat metaboliser,
I drank some powerade and some chia gel, and took some with me.
There is 500 metres to my start line, which I use to begin the warm up process. The idea was to settle into a rhythm where I could 'run all day'.
The first lap was a bit shorter - 4.7 km in 25.50, heart rate 135.
The second lap was longer - 5.3 km in 30.37, heart rate 137.
The third lap was - 5.3 km in 30.59 , heart rate 136.
The fourth lap was 5.3 km in 31.42 , heart rate 138.
The total was 21.6 km in 118 mins, with an average heart rate of 136.5, a tad short of 11 kms per hour.
I'm happy with this.
During the run I was thinking that I was running more or less at the pace that I ran at in my 20's. I wasn't really concerned about fast times then. a mid 130's heart rate is about a 60% effort for me.
I was pleased that there was only a 22 second difference between the second and third laps - this indicates a consistent pace. the 40 second difference between laps 3 and 4 is also pretty good. The higher heart rate is due to extra effort in the last 800 metres.
I had a cold shower and raised my legs and wobbled the muscles in an effort to drain the blood out of them, as a recovery strategy.
Today's run was significantly faster than the earlier runs of this week, probably down to the the suppliments I took.
I was 22 years old the last time I ran 21 kms, and that's an indication of my current commitment to running.
This week I ran 47.2 kms in 4 hrs 30 mins.
I'm happy with that!
Cheers Dears!
Tuesday 15 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Individual Medley swimming
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Individual Medley swimming: "today, being wednesday, I went for a swim. No class so I swam by myself. the pool is 33 metres long - by 25 wide - a bit harder to calc..."
Individual Medley swimming
today, being wednesday, I went for a swim. No class so I swam by myself.
the pool is 33 metres long - by 25 wide - a bit harder to calculate distances.
so 4 x 33 free, (132) back, breast and fly = 528 metres warm up with flips 528
then 132 i.m. 264 i.m. 396 i.m. and 528 i.m. 528
didn't feel like warming down and sprinted 2 x 33 fly. 396
396
66
total swim 1912
today's swim took just over an hour.
interesting that as you become fitter your training sessions become longer.
I like i.m. because you swim all the strokes. each stroke has technical aspects to focus on, and I believe you end up with a better balanced body.
cheers dears!
the pool is 33 metres long - by 25 wide - a bit harder to calculate distances.
so 4 x 33 free, (132) back, breast and fly = 528 metres warm up with flips 528
then 132 i.m. 264 i.m. 396 i.m. and 528 i.m. 528
didn't feel like warming down and sprinted 2 x 33 fly. 396
396
66
total swim 1912
today's swim took just over an hour.
interesting that as you become fitter your training sessions become longer.
I like i.m. because you swim all the strokes. each stroke has technical aspects to focus on, and I believe you end up with a better balanced body.
cheers dears!
Monday 14 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 3
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training week 3: "This week is interesting in that I began to use chia - a seed used by mexican indians. It is also called 'Indian runner food', and the claim..."
marathon training week 3
This week is interesting in that I began to use chia - a seed used by mexican indians. It is also called 'Indian runner food', and the claim is that people can run all day on this stuff.
The science behind it is that the seed becomes a gel and slows the passage of nutrient (banana) to the blood stream. this makes digestion of sugars more efficient, with no need for an insulin reaction to reduce blood sugar levels, or the energy loss that follows an insulin reaction.
I prepared the gel first - seeds left overnight in water, and prior to the run, took some first, followed by some banana.
Chia also soaks up a large amount of water, thus reducing hydration issues during the run.
It also has an energy profile of oils and carbohydrate, and protein and antioxidants.
Run 1
sunday morning, fueled with the recommended chia gel and banana, it was a dawn start.
my quad and glut max strings were still sore from from thursday's speed work, so it was a slow warm up with short paces.
first lap of 5.3 kms in 31 mins. av hr 130, a leisurely pace
second lap I sped up the heart rate to 135, and stretched out a bit. 5.3 kms in 31.30
third lap of 4.6 kms in 27.30, hr 137.
total 15 kms in 1 hour 30 minutes.
I was happy with that. The strings were a bit sore during recovery.
run 2
this is a 10.6 km run. once again fueled with chia gel and banana.
my strings were still noticeable as I warmed up. the quads have grown a bit recently and took a bit longer to fill up. after a while the strings settled down and I picked up the pace.
the first lap went past 5.3 km in 30mins. 28secs, with an av hr of 139.
the second lap went past in 31.30, av hr 143.
I tried harder in the last 2 kilometres and managed to max my hr to 159 in a 100 metre sprint to the finish line.
total 10.6 kms in 62 mins, av hr 141. this is a slight improvement on previous times.
the quads and strings felt good on the walk home - a warm down of 500 metres.
ideally I should have a cold bath when I get home so that the blood is forced out of my leg muscles. I could stand on my head for a while and this also would drain blood (and lactate) out of the legs to be replenished with 'fresher' stuff.
I've been looking at a profile map of the run I'm aiming for - it looks like a mountain climbing route up and down several mountains! I've decided to replace this week's speed work with a run along a section of the track.
I'll keep you posted!
The science behind it is that the seed becomes a gel and slows the passage of nutrient (banana) to the blood stream. this makes digestion of sugars more efficient, with no need for an insulin reaction to reduce blood sugar levels, or the energy loss that follows an insulin reaction.
I prepared the gel first - seeds left overnight in water, and prior to the run, took some first, followed by some banana.
Chia also soaks up a large amount of water, thus reducing hydration issues during the run.
It also has an energy profile of oils and carbohydrate, and protein and antioxidants.
Run 1
sunday morning, fueled with the recommended chia gel and banana, it was a dawn start.
my quad and glut max strings were still sore from from thursday's speed work, so it was a slow warm up with short paces.
first lap of 5.3 kms in 31 mins. av hr 130, a leisurely pace
second lap I sped up the heart rate to 135, and stretched out a bit. 5.3 kms in 31.30
third lap of 4.6 kms in 27.30, hr 137.
total 15 kms in 1 hour 30 minutes.
I was happy with that. The strings were a bit sore during recovery.
run 2
this is a 10.6 km run. once again fueled with chia gel and banana.
my strings were still noticeable as I warmed up. the quads have grown a bit recently and took a bit longer to fill up. after a while the strings settled down and I picked up the pace.
the first lap went past 5.3 km in 30mins. 28secs, with an av hr of 139.
the second lap went past in 31.30, av hr 143.
I tried harder in the last 2 kilometres and managed to max my hr to 159 in a 100 metre sprint to the finish line.
total 10.6 kms in 62 mins, av hr 141. this is a slight improvement on previous times.
the quads and strings felt good on the walk home - a warm down of 500 metres.
ideally I should have a cold bath when I get home so that the blood is forced out of my leg muscles. I could stand on my head for a while and this also would drain blood (and lactate) out of the legs to be replenished with 'fresher' stuff.
I've been looking at a profile map of the run I'm aiming for - it looks like a mountain climbing route up and down several mountains! I've decided to replace this week's speed work with a run along a section of the track.
I'll keep you posted!
Sunday 13 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Wild Swimming with 'Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing...
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Wild Swimming with 'Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing...: "This is for the hotties! A test of bravery, Not of potential death, but certain pain. I was living in Scotland and joined the 'phibbies..."
Wild Swimming with 'Ye Amphibious Ancients Bathing Association' est 1884
This is for the hotties!
A test of bravery, Not of potential death, but certain pain.
I was living in Scotland and joined the 'phibbies', an open water, or 'wild', swimming club.
Okay - think 7 degree water, and your next task is to dive into it.
Let me paint the picture.
It was an overcast and summery 11 degrees at Broughty Ferry Castle, at the mouth of the Firth of Tay and the North Sea. Castles on the sea have harbours, box like extentions of the castle into the sea.
So there I was, having climbed down a well worn cold iron ladder, facing the sea, a few centimetres below my protesting feet.
The advice was to breathe out, keep breathing, and keep moving.
Breathe in, dive in, Bang Zoom and WTF!!!! surface and breathe out. AMAZING GRACE!! I'm sure that thinking about breathing and moving took my mind off the pain. I'm several metres into the harbour and moving forward, realising why swimmers in Scotland don't put their heads in the water - it's too painful.
A few minutes later, my body becomes numb with pain. This is a good thing - the pain has been replaced with numbness, no pain here.
Next thing I'm surprised to find that I'm starting to feel warm. My skin feels warm, I can put my head in the water and look around a bit.
Ha Ha !! This feels good.
And so we swam, I built up enough fitness for a 2nd place and a trophy for wild swimming in Scotland.
I'm looking at it now. My cup runneth over with medals!
I'm going back there again for more cold water adventures.
Being a scientific sort of guy, I like that this sort of swimming squeezes ALL of the blood out of your muscles, including Lactic Acid. I also like that cold adaptation is very good for the cardiovascular system.
To continue... hypothermia is an adventurous activity.
I climbed out after 45 mins of swimming, and started talking to the coach. I felt okay, but was thinking I should maybe start rugging up. There I was in my smugglers, in a hot and sunny 11 degree overcast scottish day.
I had a shower - too painful! Got dressed, said 'see you next week' got in the car, and made the obligatory stop at the fish and chip shop.
Let's cut to the chase, the cure for hypothermia is warm air respiration. For most of us, sadly me included, this means getting in the car and turning on the heater. In a more fantastic world it would be mouth to mouth with a hottie!
... in oz I have a lot of cold showers. being hot in oz is a given.
diving into cold water has extended my life, in my opinion.
Am I close to your reality? Tell me about your amazing little adventure.
A test of bravery, Not of potential death, but certain pain.
I was living in Scotland and joined the 'phibbies', an open water, or 'wild', swimming club.
Okay - think 7 degree water, and your next task is to dive into it.
Let me paint the picture.
It was an overcast and summery 11 degrees at Broughty Ferry Castle, at the mouth of the Firth of Tay and the North Sea. Castles on the sea have harbours, box like extentions of the castle into the sea.
So there I was, having climbed down a well worn cold iron ladder, facing the sea, a few centimetres below my protesting feet.
The advice was to breathe out, keep breathing, and keep moving.
Breathe in, dive in, Bang Zoom and WTF!!!! surface and breathe out. AMAZING GRACE!! I'm sure that thinking about breathing and moving took my mind off the pain. I'm several metres into the harbour and moving forward, realising why swimmers in Scotland don't put their heads in the water - it's too painful.
A few minutes later, my body becomes numb with pain. This is a good thing - the pain has been replaced with numbness, no pain here.
Next thing I'm surprised to find that I'm starting to feel warm. My skin feels warm, I can put my head in the water and look around a bit.
Ha Ha !! This feels good.
And so we swam, I built up enough fitness for a 2nd place and a trophy for wild swimming in Scotland.
I'm looking at it now. My cup runneth over with medals!
I'm going back there again for more cold water adventures.
Being a scientific sort of guy, I like that this sort of swimming squeezes ALL of the blood out of your muscles, including Lactic Acid. I also like that cold adaptation is very good for the cardiovascular system.
To continue... hypothermia is an adventurous activity.
I climbed out after 45 mins of swimming, and started talking to the coach. I felt okay, but was thinking I should maybe start rugging up. There I was in my smugglers, in a hot and sunny 11 degree overcast scottish day.
I had a shower - too painful! Got dressed, said 'see you next week' got in the car, and made the obligatory stop at the fish and chip shop.
Let's cut to the chase, the cure for hypothermia is warm air respiration. For most of us, sadly me included, this means getting in the car and turning on the heater. In a more fantastic world it would be mouth to mouth with a hottie!
... in oz I have a lot of cold showers. being hot in oz is a given.
diving into cold water has extended my life, in my opinion.
Am I close to your reality? Tell me about your amazing little adventure.
Wednesday 9 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training, run 3 of 3 speedwork
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training, run 3 of 3 speedwork: "oh my legs! Today's run was meant to be 10 kms of speed work with recoveries. That was the theory. After 500 metres of warm up, we're o..."
marathon training, run 3 of 3 speedwork
oh my legs!
Today's run was meant to be 10 kms of speed work with recoveries.
That was the theory.
After 500 metres of warm up, we're off!
An initial acceleration and 100 metres later, heart rate exceeds 140, so I slow to a walk, and wait for heart rate to fall to 120, and off again! This goes on for a few kilometers.
I notice that tendons between my quads and groin are a bit sore, like I've stretched them a little. I like this because it's a new level of leg work for me. I know from experience that if I don't back off, I run the risk of injuring those tendons.
I continue on at a jog , thinking about fast twitch, neutral twitch, and slow twitch muscles. I'm thinking that maybe the fast twitch muscles are those on the outside of the muscle group, My fast twitch muscles have had enough, so it's back to the slow twitch for the remainder of the 1st lap (5 kms).
The stats are 28 mins, av heart rate 134. Given that I was running up to hr 150 and recovering to 120, 134 is okay. 28 mins is a bit slower than my normal time.
The 2nd lap took 29.31, hr 137. I sped up a few times, building slowly to 150, before jogging back to 120.
As well as quad strings, glut max strings were also fatigued.
I was happy with the run - ran faster and for longer than previously, and accessed the next level of development, strengthening quad and glut max strings.
These fast twitch muscles don't last long and are to be saved mainly for the sprint to the finish line.
This training program suits my needs at the moment. It's challenging, and it's improving my performance.
I now have 2 days recovery before week 3.
This week I ran a total of 37 kms in 3 hours 20 mins.
Cheers Dears!
Today's run was meant to be 10 kms of speed work with recoveries.
That was the theory.
After 500 metres of warm up, we're off!
An initial acceleration and 100 metres later, heart rate exceeds 140, so I slow to a walk, and wait for heart rate to fall to 120, and off again! This goes on for a few kilometers.
I notice that tendons between my quads and groin are a bit sore, like I've stretched them a little. I like this because it's a new level of leg work for me. I know from experience that if I don't back off, I run the risk of injuring those tendons.
I continue on at a jog , thinking about fast twitch, neutral twitch, and slow twitch muscles. I'm thinking that maybe the fast twitch muscles are those on the outside of the muscle group, My fast twitch muscles have had enough, so it's back to the slow twitch for the remainder of the 1st lap (5 kms).
The stats are 28 mins, av heart rate 134. Given that I was running up to hr 150 and recovering to 120, 134 is okay. 28 mins is a bit slower than my normal time.
The 2nd lap took 29.31, hr 137. I sped up a few times, building slowly to 150, before jogging back to 120.
As well as quad strings, glut max strings were also fatigued.
I was happy with the run - ran faster and for longer than previously, and accessed the next level of development, strengthening quad and glut max strings.
These fast twitch muscles don't last long and are to be saved mainly for the sprint to the finish line.
This training program suits my needs at the moment. It's challenging, and it's improving my performance.
I now have 2 days recovery before week 3.
This week I ran a total of 37 kms in 3 hours 20 mins.
Cheers Dears!
Tuesday 8 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Adventures in the Sea
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Adventures in the Sea: "I have been swimming for Henley Beach Masters for 12 years now, and have been through some exciting times in the water. Initially my passio..."
Adventures in the Sea
I have been swimming for Henley Beach Masters for 12 years now, and have been through some exciting times in the water.
Initially my passion was for open water swimming, and I was keen to keep the form going. I would concentrate on a routine of maybe six points. Once I forgot to look where I was going for about a kilometre and was unknowingly taken in a current to about 900 metres offshore.
Imagine my disbelief when I spotted Grange Jetty as a tiny dot under my right arm. Within a few seconds I figured out that I was in a current of unknown quantity. I felt ok, there was no question of being exhausted. I set a course across the current to gauge its speed, which turned out to be manageable.
I swam in, somewhat embarrassed, to the other swimmers, concerned, pissed off, laughing and waiting for me. My friend Roy had come out to save me, tried to catch up, but I was on too much of a roll.
From the shore I appeared to stop and start to swim in the opposite direction. People thought I was delirious, but I was ok.
I figured out that if you push yourself past your comfort zone, endorphins kick in and make it all bearable. I like this state because swimming is easier and what I’m thinking seems more profound.
It took me a few years to learn to swim in a straight line. Henley to Grange is about currents. They tend to go off shore but there is a strong current that flows in a gully alongside the shore when the tide is high enough. It starts near the Grange Sailing Club. Some of the locals call this area Carnoostie. Also around the sailing club is the beginning of the offshore current that took me out to sea. You can tell when you’ve entered the area of a current because the seabed suddenly drops and you can see lots of exposed shells. The sand no longer runs parallel to the shore and looks compacted with little bumps.
In the first 2 years I would swim in morning, and totally exhausted, would sleep in the afternoon. Open water swimming is more fun if you are fit and know how to read the sea. The best time I did H to G was at 5.40 on a Friday afternoon. There was an onshore breeze, the current was fast, and Roy and I did it in 20 minutes! Alright, maybe 21! This was Grant Hacket pace, and Nirvana.
Roy and I joined Henley Surf Lifesaving Club, and had learned to read the sea. I knew where the fast water was, and used Uncle Fartlett’s theory of speed. i.e. sprint for 10 seconds, and recover for a minute. This meant taking on the breaking waves, taking 6 strokes without a breath, and recovering in the troughs. Huge amounts of fun, with the waves hitting the feet first, prompting surges and Fartletts.
Once, swimming H to G in the late afternoon, I had another moment of disbelief when I met Battlestar Galactica. I was sure that my groin and legs were going to cop it. Thank god for survival reflexes. I stopped in a nano-second. Isn’t water great in that we can stop instantly, avoiding head on collisions? In amazement I expected/visualised a manta ray in front of me. I was in 3 metres of water and back pedalling. I focussed on the sting of a stingray directly in front of my intended path. This sting was a few times the size of a biro, the ray about the size of a double bed. There was a message here. We spoke the universal language and I respectfully retreated stage left. Our stingray escorted me for a few metres, then remained behind as I continued to the shore. I ran along the beach for a while. My desire to get back in the water had gone awol and I met Roy at Grange.
I told everybody in the club about my encounter, and we swam in shallow water from then on. The ray was one of 2 we had seen regularly between H and G. I used to wear a dark blue sun suit and may have looked like a competitor for our ray’s mate. Maybe I was just encroaching on his territory.
We had a young dolphin swim with us for a few years. It would swim in and around our group, then follow us back as we walked along the beach.
Another dolphin would tease the surf lifesavers at Henley, lying on the bottom then coming up to nudge a surf -ski. They have a really strong smell of fish about them (dolphin farts?).
Open water swimming is an adventure. There’s a jungle out there, and we must be respectful of those whose environment we pass through. For me it’s a risk, requiring bravery, and passion, but well worth the effort! I recommend swimming in about a metre of water at Henley, the first 20 centimetres are for the crabs and skates that reside on the bottom. I once did a back flip when a puffer-fish I buffeted took offence and went for my eyes. It probably swam away laughing. Actually when I was 10, I chased pufferfish with a trident. Maybe they have a genetic memory and they are getting their own back, those little ratbags!.
All this might sound a bit scarey to you, but I have never seen any sharks and believe that sharks have received a lot of unwarranted bad press.
In Adelaide we are exceptionally lucky to have brilliant beaches and weather. It is a great lifestyle to join 100+ swimmers at 9.00 in the morning for a 2 km swim. There are 10 open water swims during the season, and about 350 swimmers who participate. We go to a pub or surf club for presentations. It's hard to keep a smile of your face!
That's what I like!
Monday 7 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training, week 2, run 2 of 3.
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training, week 2, run 2 of 3.: "After viewing numerous videos on running, I started todays' run with 500 metres of warm up exercises - foot stomping and bum kicking. It is ..."
marathon training, week 2, run 2 of 3.
After viewing numerous videos on running, I started todays' run with 500 metres of warm up exercises - foot stomping and bum kicking. It is pertinent to point out here that a warm up should incorporate limbering, not stretching. shorter muscles are stronger than stretched out muscles. limbering up will move blood into the muscles and reduce muscle wobble.
My legs hadn't fully recovered from sunday's 15 km run - 2 days recovery not quite enough at this stage. There was no excess strength to speak of.
I ran 3 x 4km.
The first lap took 18 mins 6 seconds, average heartrate 141. I was happy with this, being within 5 seconds of current best time. The distance lapsed quickly, without duress.
I stopped and waited for my heart rate to reduce to 100, doing mild stretches and wobbling the legs. My singlet was soaked from sweat and rain, so took it off and ran topless.
The second lap took 19 mins and 1second. My heart rate monitor was playing up and gave an average heart-rate of 151.
Once again I waited till the heart rate was down to 100 before setting off again.
The 3rd lap took 19mins 27 seconds, av hr 145 (watch still playing up).
500 warm down to home.
I'm happy with the times. Given that I'm at the beginning of the program, I expect to make significant gains in the next few weeks.
My leg muscles feel tired. They have a bit more definition, but have a long way to go to reach past levels of development.
I was viewing a video about muscle development. The theory is that we have 3 types of muscle fibers - short twitch, neutral twitch, and long twitch. We develop the neutral twitch fibers to become longer or shorter. I would like to develop mine to become short twitch so that I can speed up towards the end of my run. This means more speed work. My next run should probably be 10 kms of sets of 500 - 1000 metres.
It was good running in the rain today - less overheating to slow me down.
According to my scales, I lost 1.8 kilos of weight during the run. Water mainly.
Time for a salad!
Bill
My legs hadn't fully recovered from sunday's 15 km run - 2 days recovery not quite enough at this stage. There was no excess strength to speak of.
I ran 3 x 4km.
The first lap took 18 mins 6 seconds, average heartrate 141. I was happy with this, being within 5 seconds of current best time. The distance lapsed quickly, without duress.
I stopped and waited for my heart rate to reduce to 100, doing mild stretches and wobbling the legs. My singlet was soaked from sweat and rain, so took it off and ran topless.
The second lap took 19 mins and 1second. My heart rate monitor was playing up and gave an average heart-rate of 151.
Once again I waited till the heart rate was down to 100 before setting off again.
The 3rd lap took 19mins 27 seconds, av hr 145 (watch still playing up).
500 warm down to home.
I'm happy with the times. Given that I'm at the beginning of the program, I expect to make significant gains in the next few weeks.
My leg muscles feel tired. They have a bit more definition, but have a long way to go to reach past levels of development.
I was viewing a video about muscle development. The theory is that we have 3 types of muscle fibers - short twitch, neutral twitch, and long twitch. We develop the neutral twitch fibers to become longer or shorter. I would like to develop mine to become short twitch so that I can speed up towards the end of my run. This means more speed work. My next run should probably be 10 kms of sets of 500 - 1000 metres.
It was good running in the rain today - less overheating to slow me down.
According to my scales, I lost 1.8 kilos of weight during the run. Water mainly.
Time for a salad!
Bill
Saturday 5 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: marathon training: "28 weeks before the event 15 kms 1hr.27mins av hr 139 max 152 av km 5.50 pb km 4.30 starting time 6.00 a.m. It was a 'stepping up a..."
marathon training
28 weeks before the event
15 kms 1hr.27mins av hr 139 max 152 av km 5.50 pb km 4.30 starting time 6.00 a.m.
It was a 'stepping up a notch' run - 5 km longer than the last.
I was looking forward to the run. I had had 2 days recovery from my previous 10 km effort, and prepared for it with some dietary considerations. Heart and liver + eggs for tea last night, and milk. coffee, supplements and pills for breakfast. Ginko, ginseng, creatine, Q10, fat metaboliser, glucosamine, iron, omega 3, and energy jell for during the run.
It was cold and dark when I set off running up Hilton Bridge. Venus, the morning star, was bright in the sky, and the city skyline looked good in the dark.
I started feeling sick - too many yucky tasting pills - ginko and ginseng are bitter. I probably didn't drink enough water or give them time to pass through the stomach. Anyway, at around the 1 km mark, I chucked up, ran on, and chucked a bit more, on grass. What a waste!
The first 5kms went past quickly, with some bursts of speed.
The 10 km mark passed quickly too.
The third 5kms was new territory. I was still running faster than when I started running a few months ago. Those first few runs were more of a shuffle, working on strengthening knees and ankles.
The legs were definitely tired by km 11. The stride was shorter and the heartrate was dropping to 130. It's common to lose form (technique) and speed as you become tired, so I dug in and concentrated on lengthening my stride.
'When the going gets tough, the tough get going, winners never quit, quitters never win.' This has been my mantra since I was 18.
I could be wrong, but I think you will make greater gains if you work to the point of fatigue, then work some more.
So my legs were losing form. I could feel a greater impact as my feet hit the ground - ankle muscles not cushioning impact as much. so I turned them on again. More speed work, heart rate up to 140 burns in core, glut max and upper legs. I was still running well, no pain to speak of. ran past a sprint section, too tired to sprint. Sped up for the last 500 metres. was happy to finish.
Slight knee soreness as I bend to take off shoes, get horizontal and the pain abates. feet and legs a bit tingly as I write.
I liked the distance, my time was reasonable. I wonder if I will maintain distance in the next two runs. I would like to maintain a 5 min per km pace for 15 kms, my next goal.
Running for that length of time might call for longer recoveries. I prob lost some muscle mass today, but muscles feel good. I don't think there was much adrenalin in today's run, and I don't think I did much damage.
That's it folks!
15 kms 1hr.27mins av hr 139 max 152 av km 5.50 pb km 4.30 starting time 6.00 a.m.
It was a 'stepping up a notch' run - 5 km longer than the last.
I was looking forward to the run. I had had 2 days recovery from my previous 10 km effort, and prepared for it with some dietary considerations. Heart and liver + eggs for tea last night, and milk. coffee, supplements and pills for breakfast. Ginko, ginseng, creatine, Q10, fat metaboliser, glucosamine, iron, omega 3, and energy jell for during the run.
It was cold and dark when I set off running up Hilton Bridge. Venus, the morning star, was bright in the sky, and the city skyline looked good in the dark.
I started feeling sick - too many yucky tasting pills - ginko and ginseng are bitter. I probably didn't drink enough water or give them time to pass through the stomach. Anyway, at around the 1 km mark, I chucked up, ran on, and chucked a bit more, on grass. What a waste!
The first 5kms went past quickly, with some bursts of speed.
The 10 km mark passed quickly too.
The third 5kms was new territory. I was still running faster than when I started running a few months ago. Those first few runs were more of a shuffle, working on strengthening knees and ankles.
The legs were definitely tired by km 11. The stride was shorter and the heartrate was dropping to 130. It's common to lose form (technique) and speed as you become tired, so I dug in and concentrated on lengthening my stride.
'When the going gets tough, the tough get going, winners never quit, quitters never win.' This has been my mantra since I was 18.
I could be wrong, but I think you will make greater gains if you work to the point of fatigue, then work some more.
So my legs were losing form. I could feel a greater impact as my feet hit the ground - ankle muscles not cushioning impact as much. so I turned them on again. More speed work, heart rate up to 140 burns in core, glut max and upper legs. I was still running well, no pain to speak of. ran past a sprint section, too tired to sprint. Sped up for the last 500 metres. was happy to finish.
Slight knee soreness as I bend to take off shoes, get horizontal and the pain abates. feet and legs a bit tingly as I write.
I liked the distance, my time was reasonable. I wonder if I will maintain distance in the next two runs. I would like to maintain a 5 min per km pace for 15 kms, my next goal.
Running for that length of time might call for longer recoveries. I prob lost some muscle mass today, but muscles feel good. I don't think there was much adrenalin in today's run, and I don't think I did much damage.
That's it folks!
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Snorkelling at Noarlunga Reef
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Snorkelling at Noarlunga Reef: "Today Helen and I put the kayak into the river at South Port and paddled through choppy conditions to the reef. Heaps of fish, an unde..."
Snorkelling at Noarlunga Reef
Today Helen and I put the kayak into the river at South Port and paddled through choppy conditions to the reef.
Heaps of fish, an underwater paradise. The fish were friendly, some a bit shy and hiding in caves and corridors. Some lovely sea anenomies and corals growing on huge rocks.
We were in 4 metres of clear and warm water.
My camera packed up - so much for being an underwater camera! Hopefully it will come back to life, I might need a card reader.
An interesting sight where the river meets the sea. the water was flowing quite quickly out of the river so I got out and pulled the kayak upstream back to the car. I felt like a barge horse.
We had the obligatory coffee at Moana, and a picnic lunch.
Not quite amazing, but a lovely little adventure.
Cheers Dears!
Heaps of fish, an underwater paradise. The fish were friendly, some a bit shy and hiding in caves and corridors. Some lovely sea anenomies and corals growing on huge rocks.
We were in 4 metres of clear and warm water.
My camera packed up - so much for being an underwater camera! Hopefully it will come back to life, I might need a card reader.
An interesting sight where the river meets the sea. the water was flowing quite quickly out of the river so I got out and pulled the kayak upstream back to the car. I felt like a barge horse.
We had the obligatory coffee at Moana, and a picnic lunch.
Not quite amazing, but a lovely little adventure.
Cheers Dears!
Friday 4 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: bird of paradise
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: bird of paradise: "bird of paradise that would be me! let me explain. I had a girlfriend who lived in Paradise - south aust. google earth it if you don't know..."
bird of paradise
bird of paradise
that would be me!
let me explain.
I had a girlfriend who lived in Paradise - south aust. google earth it if you don't know where it is.
we were 16. she died at 22, from a head on car collision. 34 years later, I still think of her. That woman was 'my island home'.
We continued our relationship in my dreams. Lucid dreams. She saved my life again and again.
one of our hilarious moments was riding 5 on my motorbike. now there's a challenge!
what were you like at 16? Paleo girl was a mother of 3 if she lived in paradise. the average paleo died before 20.
margaret was a mesomorph, this girl was gutsy, straight down the line, with a heart of gold.
you might be able to imagine the adventures I shared with margaret, the number one love of my life.
After she died I felt that my big chance at living happily ever after was gone. I tried to will myself to death, in outback australia.
I'm crying now, as I was then. Margaret, save me a spot. I'll see you in heaven.
Time to lighten up!!!
(reflecting) not a bad week, a mixed bag really. I temporarily lost 4 kilos, ran 29 kms (happy about that). 'losing one ounce of fat is equivalent to putting on a pound of muscle'. went swimming this morning and caned it. less weight, more fitness. saw a number of local celebs in the market today. ex sports stars mainly. thought a lot about paleo diet, cleared the pantry of cereal products.
let me explain.
I had a girlfriend who lived in Paradise - south aust. google earth it if you don't know where it is.
we were 16. she died at 22, from a head on car collision. 34 years later, I still think of her. That woman was 'my island home'.
We continued our relationship in my dreams. Lucid dreams. She saved my life again and again.
one of our hilarious moments was riding 5 on my motorbike. now there's a challenge!
what were you like at 16? Paleo girl was a mother of 3 if she lived in paradise. the average paleo died before 20.
margaret was a mesomorph, this girl was gutsy, straight down the line, with a heart of gold.
you might be able to imagine the adventures I shared with margaret, the number one love of my life.
After she died I felt that my big chance at living happily ever after was gone. I tried to will myself to death, in outback australia.
I'm crying now, as I was then. Margaret, save me a spot. I'll see you in heaven.
Time to lighten up!!!
(reflecting) not a bad week, a mixed bag really. I temporarily lost 4 kilos, ran 29 kms (happy about that). 'losing one ounce of fat is equivalent to putting on a pound of muscle'. went swimming this morning and caned it. less weight, more fitness. saw a number of local celebs in the market today. ex sports stars mainly. thought a lot about paleo diet, cleared the pantry of cereal products.
Wednesday 2 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Image Streaming - thanks Einstein!
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Image Streaming - thanks Einstein!: "Einstein used Image Streaming to explore and develop his theories of relativity. He would hold an image of what he was investigating. He wou..."
Image Streaming - thanks Einstein!
Einstein used Image Streaming to explore and develop his theories of relativity. He would hold an image of what he was investigating. He wouldn't ask questions, but just meditate on it. Asking questions is more a Socrates thing. Gradually details of the image would present themselves. Albert held a rock in his hand so that if he fell asleep, the rock would drop and wake him up.
Today boys and girls, I'm exploring some thoughts about what the body does to provide energy to the muscles. I'm looking at fuel storage, not the aereobic system.
I'm not an expert, these are just my understandings, gleaned from various sources. Feel free to comment, maybe we can learn something.
Fuel for the muscles comes from our bloodstream, liver, fat cells and muscle tissue.
Instant energy is already in the cell. Let's create an image of a steam train - each cell is a locomotive. There is a furnace, a pile of fuel, and the train driver, plus a few mates, shovelling fuel in as necessary. The fuel is a pile of enzymes. As the muscle works harder, fuel has to be shovelled into the furnace quicker. Actually, we need to change the image here; the guy shovelling - aka a co-enzmye, actually has to grab an enzyme and jump into the furnace. This is co-enzyme Q10. Q10 is in food and our body also makes its own. As we age, our body makes less and we slow down.
The bloodstream provides energy needs for a minute or 2 before the liver starts reacting. That's where glucose is converted to glycogen and stored, and released as required.
After 15 mins give or take, if our energy needs continue, then fat cells start to empty their contents - excess whatever we have ingested.
If we still require more energy, then the body will break down muscle tissue.
So we have enzymes, glucose(sugars), and carbohydrates, all composed of the same material, each taking 20 minutes to break down to the next stage.
Carbs break down to sugar plus crap that is going to slow us down, silt up, and maybe irritate our our system. - we need to find carbs without too much crap in it e.g. fruit and veg. Cereals generally have a lot of stuff in them that we don't need, stuff that works against us. Think about making glue - flour and water. this stuff hardens in the gut and can remain there for decades. If you want to see something gross, google 'total cleanse' and look at 'first time cleansing' (blessedherbs website).
Distance running is a fat burning activity - hearts are pumping at 60 -70 % of max. A fat cell is actually open ended, stretches a lot, It stores oils and lipids and everything else that there is too much of in our blood stream inc sugars, toxins. The fat cells don't die, just get smaller, but new cells will grow. So if you put on weight (fat), then lose it, you will find that you can put it back on overnight as all those extra cells suck up your binge.
I tend to do fatburning activities that don't require carb build ups, but if I'm preparing for an event I will use a number of supplements which increase my performance by maybe 10 %.
I like the paleo idea, although I am a bit interested in losing weight at the moment. I have a strong detox remedy focus. I recommend that people start their healthy life program by working on the gut and blood stream - diet is more important than exercise.
Following on from the paleo idea, I believe there is something much more significant. There was a period in our development, between homo erectus and homo sapiens, when our brain doubled in size. What were we eating then? Apart from whatever we could find, the thing that grew our brain was blood marrow. The image is that we broke the bones left over from animal kills.
I have to express a vested interest here. I was born in Scotland and black pudding was part of my diet.
Call me a scotophile. I'll try to be brief, think Scottish Enlightenment - journalism universities hospitals tv phones electric lights postal systems atm machines ... there is a contention that western life is actually an expansion of scottish thinking.
I also have an interest in the aquatic theory - we went back to the sea for a while, lived at the beach, and spent most of our time in the water. That's what I want to do!
Here's another bone of contention! The biggest brains on the planet live in the sea (as did we maybe).
Are you interested in developing your brain? Google intelligence and swimming, and look at 2 ways to profoundly increase your intelligence. One way is by swimming underwater, your carotid arteries expand, and after a while they remain enlarged. You end up with an extra 10% of blood to the brain. Good for working out problems. The 2nd way is by Image Streaming.
Finally I'd like to close with a question and answer. Apart from intelligence, what else is really important?
My answer includes Passion, Language, Learning, Health, I'm pretty idealistic too.
Some food for thought in this lot, or was that thought for food?
Regards,
Bill Martin
Today boys and girls, I'm exploring some thoughts about what the body does to provide energy to the muscles. I'm looking at fuel storage, not the aereobic system.
I'm not an expert, these are just my understandings, gleaned from various sources. Feel free to comment, maybe we can learn something.
Fuel for the muscles comes from our bloodstream, liver, fat cells and muscle tissue.
Instant energy is already in the cell. Let's create an image of a steam train - each cell is a locomotive. There is a furnace, a pile of fuel, and the train driver, plus a few mates, shovelling fuel in as necessary. The fuel is a pile of enzymes. As the muscle works harder, fuel has to be shovelled into the furnace quicker. Actually, we need to change the image here; the guy shovelling - aka a co-enzmye, actually has to grab an enzyme and jump into the furnace. This is co-enzyme Q10. Q10 is in food and our body also makes its own. As we age, our body makes less and we slow down.
The bloodstream provides energy needs for a minute or 2 before the liver starts reacting. That's where glucose is converted to glycogen and stored, and released as required.
After 15 mins give or take, if our energy needs continue, then fat cells start to empty their contents - excess whatever we have ingested.
If we still require more energy, then the body will break down muscle tissue.
So we have enzymes, glucose(sugars), and carbohydrates, all composed of the same material, each taking 20 minutes to break down to the next stage.
Carbs break down to sugar plus crap that is going to slow us down, silt up, and maybe irritate our our system. - we need to find carbs without too much crap in it e.g. fruit and veg. Cereals generally have a lot of stuff in them that we don't need, stuff that works against us. Think about making glue - flour and water. this stuff hardens in the gut and can remain there for decades. If you want to see something gross, google 'total cleanse' and look at 'first time cleansing' (blessedherbs website).
Distance running is a fat burning activity - hearts are pumping at 60 -70 % of max. A fat cell is actually open ended, stretches a lot, It stores oils and lipids and everything else that there is too much of in our blood stream inc sugars, toxins. The fat cells don't die, just get smaller, but new cells will grow. So if you put on weight (fat), then lose it, you will find that you can put it back on overnight as all those extra cells suck up your binge.
I tend to do fatburning activities that don't require carb build ups, but if I'm preparing for an event I will use a number of supplements which increase my performance by maybe 10 %.
I like the paleo idea, although I am a bit interested in losing weight at the moment. I have a strong detox remedy focus. I recommend that people start their healthy life program by working on the gut and blood stream - diet is more important than exercise.
Following on from the paleo idea, I believe there is something much more significant. There was a period in our development, between homo erectus and homo sapiens, when our brain doubled in size. What were we eating then? Apart from whatever we could find, the thing that grew our brain was blood marrow. The image is that we broke the bones left over from animal kills.
I have to express a vested interest here. I was born in Scotland and black pudding was part of my diet.
Call me a scotophile. I'll try to be brief, think Scottish Enlightenment - journalism universities hospitals tv phones electric lights postal systems atm machines ... there is a contention that western life is actually an expansion of scottish thinking.
I also have an interest in the aquatic theory - we went back to the sea for a while, lived at the beach, and spent most of our time in the water. That's what I want to do!
Here's another bone of contention! The biggest brains on the planet live in the sea (as did we maybe).
Are you interested in developing your brain? Google intelligence and swimming, and look at 2 ways to profoundly increase your intelligence. One way is by swimming underwater, your carotid arteries expand, and after a while they remain enlarged. You end up with an extra 10% of blood to the brain. Good for working out problems. The 2nd way is by Image Streaming.
Finally I'd like to close with a question and answer. Apart from intelligence, what else is really important?
My answer includes Passion, Language, Learning, Health, I'm pretty idealistic too.
Some food for thought in this lot, or was that thought for food?
Regards,
Bill Martin
Tuesday 1 March 2011
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Finger Exercises for National Band Championships
Bill's Amazing Little Adventures: Finger Exercises for National Band Championships: "Our band - Unley Concert Band, is preparing for nationals at Easter. In Adelaide, so no transport cost to us. We are playing in A grade and ..."
Finger Exercises for National Band Championships
Our band - Unley Concert Band, is preparing for nationals at Easter. In Adelaide, so no transport cost to us. We are playing in A grade and B grade, a total of 8 pieces, at Elder Hall, which has amazing acoustics. Generally, the higher the ceiling, the more space you get to fill up with your sound, and it feels like you become that space - it's an incredible feeling. My form of expression is the bass guitar.
Bass normally sets the harmonic and rhythmic foundations, and the rest of the band lock into it. To a large extent, the quality of the band derives from the bass player. Accuse me of bias but that's what I think.
Unley Concert Band is full of brilliant musicians, and I am so lucky to be part of that band. We have won maybe up to 20 competitions in the past 10 years.
The number one comment from the judges is about taking the music off the page - giving it life - channeling it, and playing with PASSION.
To me, passion drives your thoughts and dreams to reality - that is the crux of today's posting.
So today I am working on technique, with a bunch of technical exercises centred around speed. Quite a few passages in 'The Year of the Dragon' - the A grade test piece - are set at 8 notes a second, and go up to 10 notes a second. I can do it in my right hand, but my left still has a way to go. The passages have been memorised some time ago, leaving more brain power to concentrate on playing better.
So I'm playing scales and stuff at mahavishnu speed. This is way out of the comfort zone of the bass, yet well within the limits of the violin, on which I've played at speeds of 14 - 16 notes a second. That might be a story for another time. Piano is way up there too.
Playing that fast is about being relaxed and making small movements. It's about feeling underlying pulses.
cheers!
Bass normally sets the harmonic and rhythmic foundations, and the rest of the band lock into it. To a large extent, the quality of the band derives from the bass player. Accuse me of bias but that's what I think.
Unley Concert Band is full of brilliant musicians, and I am so lucky to be part of that band. We have won maybe up to 20 competitions in the past 10 years.
The number one comment from the judges is about taking the music off the page - giving it life - channeling it, and playing with PASSION.
To me, passion drives your thoughts and dreams to reality - that is the crux of today's posting.
So today I am working on technique, with a bunch of technical exercises centred around speed. Quite a few passages in 'The Year of the Dragon' - the A grade test piece - are set at 8 notes a second, and go up to 10 notes a second. I can do it in my right hand, but my left still has a way to go. The passages have been memorised some time ago, leaving more brain power to concentrate on playing better.
So I'm playing scales and stuff at mahavishnu speed. This is way out of the comfort zone of the bass, yet well within the limits of the violin, on which I've played at speeds of 14 - 16 notes a second. That might be a story for another time. Piano is way up there too.
Playing that fast is about being relaxed and making small movements. It's about feeling underlying pulses.
cheers!
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