The last week and the week ahead.

What's happened this last week?

Thursday. Swim, not quite a 1000 m. Goggles giving me problems still.

Friday. Auckland v Otago rugby. Auckland got up for the win by 11 points. Game was a bit flat, poor crowd and not much atmosphere. A typical Auckland crowd some might say.

Saturday. No training, enjoyed a meal out with friends to this place. Heaven for meat eaters with a continuous supply of meat being served at your table. I had two cuts of beef, lamb, sausage, chicken, pork ribs, salmon. No I didn't have desert.

Sunday. Golf at Pukekohe. Another poor round, 100+, lost an incredible eight balls. I'm not playing enough to be consistent. Would rather be running honestly.

Monday. Another swim but goggle problems see me finishing short of the 1000 meters again. Should I just get some new ones?

Tuesday. Slept in and missed my weights workout. Hate those early starts , if I've been up too late then these are almost an impossibility. Will postpone it to Friday.

Tomorrow. Bikram Yoga. Still get that nervous feeling before these classes like when you know you have a really challenging workout ahead of you and you just hope you can get through it in one piece.

Thursday. Will aim for the 1000m swim again. Am seeing a physio just to get my shin / heel checked out and find out if there is more I can do to speed the recovery along.

Friday. The weights session I missed.

Chi running update. Haven't gone too much further with this yet but I am starting into the technique. Practicing some of the technique in my every day walking around just to get a feel for it. Feels like I'm prancing around a bit but apparently this is what it is supposed to feel like?

Happy running all.



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Learnings, Thoughts & Quotes from Chi Running

The book Chi Running by Danny Dreyer arrived over the weekend and I thought I would post a brief summary of some key thoughts and quotes from the first three chapters.

The first three chapters have been devoted to explaining how Danny came to discover the ancient Chinese martial art of T'ai Chi and how he as been able to take what he has learned from T'ai Chi and adapt it to his running, thus developing Chi Running, which offers an alternative and safer approach to running. With the help of his Chi Running method Danny has raced in over thirty ultra marathons since 1995, winning his age group in fourteen of them and placing in the top three in all but one.

So here's some key thoughts / quotes that I've taken from the book so far;

Fundamentals of Chi Running
- Great posture
- Relaxed limbs
- Loose joints
- Engaged core muscles
- A focused mind
- Good breathing technique

Benefits of Chi Running
- All the above

- tilt forward and engage the pull of gravity thus eliminating the need for you to push with your legs.

- use your ligaments and tendons instead of muscles.

- looser joints have less injury potential.

- all movement in your body originates in your center. Learn how to run from your center and the less you will need to use your legs.

- by forcing our bodies against natural laws, our forward progress will be met with resistance in the form of injury, fatigue and disappointment

- focus, body sense, breath and relax.

You might get the idea that it's been all theory to date and that is important I guess to set the scene for whats to come. Next up, learning the technique ...

Training this week;

Monday - Swim 1000 m - A good swim , best I've done in quite a while.

Tuesday - Weights - whole body , light weights high reps (my home made Pump Class if you like!

Wednesday - Bikram Yoga - It's not getting any easier, dealing with the heat is the tough thing. The stretches and poses I think I'm doing okay with. Getting several dizzy spells a session meaning I need to sit out the odd pose to get my breath and just take a minute to chill. Four more weeks of this to look foward to LOL.

Thursday - Has been my aqua run day but I might make this another swim day. I feel that will help retain/ maintain my aerobic base better.

Friday - Rest - Going to the Bank's corporate box for the Auckland v Otago rugby game. Lucky me. Go Auckland!!

Saturday/ Sunday - Rest or maybe a bike ride Saturday, golf Sunday.

Have a great week.




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Is Chi Running the Answer?

I was looking around on the web the other day and came across the Chi Running site. I had heard about this style of running before. Some long time readers (six months ago) of this blog may recall I was experimenting with the Pose Method for a period which bares some similarities to Chi Running. I suffered a calf strain in March however due to the added strain this method places the calfs under and I never really gave Pose a second chance.

Chi Running promotes a mid foot landing as a means of staying injury free, rather than the traditional heel strike that most runners naturally adopt. I like what I've read so far on the web site and I think this approach to running to have some real benefits for me.

I'll do all I can to learn this method and take the time needed to learn it properly rather than the approach I took with Pose which was just to read a few articles on the Pose site and try to teach myself from there.

I've ordered the ChiRunning book and this should arrive any day. I think that the lay off I'm in the middle of now combined with this new approach to running will hopefully pay dividends later on.

The last two weeks I've been more positive about my cross training.

One swim, one aqua run per week combined with weights and the Bikram Yoga I posted about last week. Yes I took another class last night and signed up for five more. That's my new goal for returning to the road. Five more weeks.

Hopefully by early /mid October , I will be ready to go.



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Bikram Yoga - One Tough Workout

I finally took that Yoga class I've been talking about for months. I attended a Bikram Yoga class this week and I have to say it rates pretty high on the scale of toughest workouts I've done.

The first thing that strikes you as you enter the studio is the oppressive heat which is set a 38 degree C /100 F (something Chad in Arizona may be use to be not this boy). Ninety minutes in this heat alone was going to be a challenge.

The room is silent. It is almost as if we are preparing ourselves to go into battle, with ourselves.

The Body Balance classes I had been attending at Les Mills may have been a nice introduction to Yoga but from the moment the Bikram Yoga class got underway I knew I was in for a different experience. For a start there was no pop music and the instructor meant business, perched on his stool, barking out instructions faster than an instructor at a army basic training session.

We started with some really deep breathing before launching into the whole range of stretches and poses. I was able to competently do most of the poses though clearly I still have a lot of room for improvement judging by the flexibility some of the students displayed.

I had no watch so had no idea of the time but by about the one hour mark I was almost totally spent. Every part of me is saturated with sweat and I am breathing harder than I ever have after a hill or speed session on the roads. I am almost finished my powerade.

We hit the floor. Surely this must mean we are nearing the end? We may be lying down now but the stretches are not getting any easier. I almost feel like I'm about to pass out. I get a cramp in my lower back at one point. I just lie there and skip one of the stetches while I try and regain my breath and some composure.

After a few more poses we are left lying on the floor as the instructor makes an abrupt exit after wishing us a good night. It's over.

Though I'm absolutely exhausted I am one of the first to rise and exit the room, trying to escape the heat and find some water to replace the copious fluids I have just lost.

Afterwards, the instructor complements me on my effort and seemed a little surprised that it was my first class. A few guys congratulate me on completing my first class and encourage me to return. I must admit, at that stage I'm not so sure I want to put myself through that pain ever again. As with most things, the memory of the pain passes with time and I will make this a weekly addition to my training for the next three months, at least while I'm not running heavily.

I was reading during the week an article on cross training for runners and while yoga is a recommended activity the article mentioned that rest days from running should involve a relatively low intensity workout. I can't imagine mixing one of these Bikram Yoga classes into a busy, mid - high mileage training schedule as it hardly counts as a rest. I wonder are the other forms of Yoga any less intensive and would these be better for a runner to incorporate into their training routine than Bikram?

Any other Yoga attendees have any thoughts on this?



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Boys Weekend

It's not what you think.

Michelle was in Rotorua over the weekend (Thursday Night thru Midday Sunday) with her Netball team for an end of season tournament. By the sounds of it there was more partying than Netball, but I guess that's what happens on Netball/sports tours right?

So that meant it was a boys long weekend at home with me firstly taking Friday off to drop Jack and Sam off and pick them up from school/pre school. In between those duties it was back home to tidy the mess that had been left then it was down to check out the brand new Westfield Albany mall that opened last week just up the road from us. It's your standard shopping mall and wasn't there to shop, just curious that's all.

It was then back home to mow the lawns and do a bit of section tidy up before I was out the door again to pick the boys up.

Saturday was a quiet day mainly at home though we ventured out for a couple of hours around to M's Nana's old unit which she has recently vacated for a retirement village. M's parents needed some help around there moving some stuff. It was then back home and we biked up to the local playground for a bit of fun on the slides, then back home for some computer games. M's parents had kindly invited us over to their place for dinner which was gratefully accepted. I am fortunate to have a good relationship with my in laws and they of course love to spend time with the boys too.

We were soon home and boys were in bed by 8pm (a little late for them) and I settled in to watch the New Zealand Warriors seal 4th spot on the premiership table with a 24-20 win over Penrith in the NRL thus also setting up a home semi final next week.

Fathers day Sunday and the boys brought out their presents (some much needed clothes)and then set out to make me some breakfast (toast) while I was laying in bed. I could hear the toaster was getting a bit of a hammering so while the thought was nice I sort of took over at this stage and ended up making toast for them.

After breakfast it was time for another big clean up, clearing up two days of mess before M was home. Boys were a little scratchy today obviously still tired (Jack just can't sleep past 6 AM it seems). Fathers Day lunch was up at the retirement village with M's parents and Nana and M turned up a little early than expected so was able to join us for lunch as well. Boys had a swim in the complexes indoor pool which they loved. The swimming lessons we have enrolled them in since they were toddlers are really starting to pay off. They both have great confidence in the water.

M's has nothing but great stories about the girls weekend and is already talking about next year. Now when was that next golfing weekend of mine? November i think!

Training remains uneventful. Only a swim, aqua run and body balance class last week.

Some slight improvement in the shins/ heel bit it remains slow. I'm still doing a range of stretches 3-4 times a week so I don't lose any flexibility I have. Now that my one month LMI membership is up I'm going to attend a weekly yoga class to keep working on the flexibility. The class i've settled on is a Bikram Yoga class near my work at this place.

I haven't been doing as much weight training as I intended so this week I will get back to that also aiming for one morning a week.

The slow progress is a disappointing so if there not much more improvement by the end of this week I will go back to a physio to seek some more advise. I might try the Millennium Sports Institute on the North Shore this time, which seems to have a range of health professionals all at the one facility.

Finally, just an update on Jack's Soccer season which finished last weekend. Of 14 games played they won 5, lost 5 & drew 4 scoring 20 goals, conceding 16. After a shaky start those five wins came in the last eight matches. Not bad for a rookie coach eh. Jack didn't make it to the score sheet but is never the less enthusiastic. Everyone seems keen to keep the team together next year so hopefully we will be a stronger unit for having our first year behind us. It's also been said that once you start coaching kids sport you won't be allowed to give it up!

Have a good week.

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