Run Bulldog Run » recovery

Hammer Chocolate Walnut Mocha Blast Smoothie

Steve — Sun, 30 May 2010 23:16:36 +0000

On a bit of a smoothie kick at the moment and thought I’d share the recipe for one of my current favorites — the Hammer Chocolate Walnut Mocha Blast. Like most smoothies, it’s quick and easy to blend up and makes for a perfect post-run recovery drink.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup fat free milk
1 tbsp instant coffee
10 walnut halves (shelled)
10 ice cubes
2 scoops Hammer Chocolate Whey Protein powder
2 packets Stevia (optional)

Method:
Add the milk, coffee, walnuts and optional Stevia to a suitable blender. Blend until mixed, then add the ice cubes and scoops of protein powder. Blend until the desired thickness is achieved. Serve immediately!

Nutrition:

Calories — 356
Protein — 43g
Carbs — 14g
Fat — 13g

Alternative recipe:
After a longer run (more than 10 miles), I’ll substitute one of the scoops of Hammer Chocolate Whey Protein powder with one scoop of Hammer Chocolate Recoverite powder. This combination yields an extra 15g of carbs, but reduces the protein down to 31g.

Fun fact:
The word “walnut” originates from wahlnut, an Old English word for “Welsh-nut.” I never knew that!

Hammer Nutrition:
Dont’t forget, if you’d like to try any of the Hammer Nutrition products, feel free to use my referral code (29178) to receive 15% off your first order! (Discount applied once the order has been received and processed.)

Finally…

Steve — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 02:39:24 +0000

Okay, here it is, the moment several of you have been waiting for (yes, I’m sure you know who you are!!) – a short video of my return to running after six weeks out with a 2nd metatarsal stress fracture:

First Post-Stress Fracture Run from steve speirs on Vimeo.

The two mile run was aerobically fine (average heart rate 146bpm) and my legs felt great despite not running for a month and a half – I guess the consistent bike riding has paid dividends. I’d like to say the grassy run was totally pain-free, but it wasn’t; the area of the fracture was sore from the first couple of steps and lasted through the whole two miles. On a positive note, the “pain” didn’t get worse and I was able to quicken slightly in the second mile.

I’m icing the foot at the moment and will probably stick to running alternate days this week. The aircast boot will still be my best friend for a week or two too. I must say, however, it was a great feeling to be “back out there” jogging along…

On a slightly different note, congratulations to everyone who ran the Rock n Roll 1/2 today. I was disappointed not to be part of the race, but I did have fun watching and cheering from the sidelines. Hopefully I helped spur a few of you on to some great finish times and PRs. Thanks also for all the good wishes and positive thoughts – they’ve really been a big help on the road to recovery.

Ally – great race today! Proud of you for getting the job done….. Now you can be confident in your fitness and look forward to Cardiff, Richmond, Grand Cayman and the inaugural First Landing 50k!

Happy Labor Day and thanks for reading!

Not Much Going On

Steve — Fri, 08 May 2009 00:08:05 +0000

Been nice to have a fairly easy week. Aside from a few comfortable runs, short indoor bike works and a few push-ups/sit-ups, I haven’t done too much at all. My legs don’t feel stiff or sore, but they also don’t have the usual “zip” about them – hardly surprising I suppose considering the marathon last weekend.

I’ll probably take another easy day tomorrow and then race a local 5k on Saturday morning – I need to keep myself on track to finish 50 races in 2009. Think I’m at 19 at the moment, so Saturday’s 5k will be number 20. Should be fun…

Runner’s World Mocha-Madness Recovery Shake

Steve — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:54:43 +0000

Just spotted the following recovery shake in May 2009 Runner’s World. Thought I’d post for future reference – sounds delicious!

Ingredients:
2 ounces of espresso (substitute with strong coffee if espresso not available)
6 ounces of low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons sweetened ground chocolate
1 banana
5 ice cubes

Place all ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth and frothy.

Nutrition:
Calories – 380
Carbs – 71g
Protein – 19g
Fat – 6.5g
Calcium – 30% daily value

Personally I would probably add a scoop of unflavored Hammer Whey Protein which would increase the total calories to 480 and protein to a whopping 37g! Think I’ll try one tomorrow after my long run….

The Recovery Continues

Steve — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:53:08 +0000

Three more easy days of running (plus an additional bike workout I guess I can include) and my legs are starting to get back to normal – no soreness and even a slight spring in my step. Mileage has been very low this week (15), but enough to take the monthly total to over 200. Would be nice to average over 200 miles every month, so I’ll have to see what I can do about that.

Tomorrow morning is the Bellator Wounded Warrior 5k – a first time event taking place down at the Oceanfront. You’d think I had enough of the boardwalk at the Shamrock Marathon last weekend, but nope, I’m heading back to support the Wounded Warrior Project and stay on track for my 50 races in 2009 goal.

Not content with just one race this weekend, I’m also taking part in the Virginia Duathlon on Sunday morning. Don’t worry, I won’t be attempting a bike ride – I’m just the runner guy on a two-man team. Last year, in crazy weather conditions, our team managed to win the Men’s Relay division and I’ll be doing my best to take first place again. To be honest, we were the only team to finish, but Chris rode like a man possessed and the awards were very well deserved.

Enjoy the weekend….

Mixed Bag Of Exercise

Steve — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 00:58:00 +0000

Believe me, sitting at a desk all morning is not the best post-marathon activity, so it was great to get outside during lunch and go for a brisk 2 mile walk. It really helped work out some of the soreness in my calves….

After work, I decided it was time to dust off the bike and get spinning. After all, my first sprint triathlon in 5 years is only just over 2 months away and I really need to start cross training. The workout wasn’t too stressful – 23 x 1 minute “on”, 23 x 1 minute “off” – but was a perfect way to get back on the saddle.

I followed up the spin with an easy 15 minute run – calves were still a bit tight, but the bike/run transition will be great practice for the upcoming triathlon.

One last thing to mention – yesterday I decided to dispose of the Brooks ST3 Racers I wore in Sunday’s marathon. I’m not looking to make excuses, but I believe I made a really novice mistake in my choice of shoes for the race. My calves and feet have never been this sore after a long race and I’m 99% sure it was the shoes. I knew they were almost ready to be recycled, but after testing them out before the weekend I figured I’d be able to get one or two more races out of them. How wrong I was….and how right my wife Ally was when she advised me to wear the ST4′s I’d purchased just a couple of weeks earlier.

Two Week Taper

Steve — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 00:28:11 +0000

Nice easy six mile run today in the mid-day sunshine and unseasonably warm 79°F temperature. I really hope it won’t be as warm for Shamrock, but weather is definitely one of the factors not in my control and therefore I’ll take whatever comes my way on the big day. Today I averaged just under eight mile pace and it was just the easy run I was looking for. Actually, I was pleasantly surprised how good my legs felt coming off a 69 mile week.

For the two week taper I’ve decided to follow the last two weeks of the McMillan custom training plan that I used in my build up to last year’s Richmond Marathon.

So I have something online to refer to, here’s a breakdown of the next two weeks:

Monday 9th: 40 to 50 minute easy run – build endurance.

You now enter the special Peaking Phase to rest the body/mind but keep the engine revved for racing! Reduce your life stress and focus on good sleep, proper nutrition and hydration.

Tuesday 10th: 15 to 30 minute warm up + fartlek workout [8 to 10 x 1 minute at slightly faster than 5k effort with 1 minute recovery jog] + 15 to 30 minute cool down – build speed and aerobic capacity (VO2max).

NOTE: Tuesday workouts after a fast finish long run are optional. If tired, just run easy.

Wednesday 11th: 60 minute easy run – build endurance.

Thursday 12th: 15 to 30 minute warm up + tempo interval workout [3 x 2000m with 2 minutes 30 seconds recovery jog followed by 3 times 200m with 200m recovery jog] + 15 to 30 minute cool down – build stamina – lactate threshold.

Friday 13th: 40 to 50 minute easy run – build endurance.

Saturday 14th: 40 to 60 minute easy run – build endurance. Actually, I’ll probably race a 5k on Saturday morning instead.

Sunday 15th Fast finish long run: 12 miles total with the last 6 miles at marathon goal pace – build endurance, leg resistance to fatigue, practice race pace, try equipment and nutritional routine.

This is a dress rehearsal for the marathon. Start the run at your normal long run pace (:30 to 1:00 per mile slower than goal marathon pace) and focus on running fast the last few miles. Also, match the course for this run as closely as possible with the course profile of your marathon.

Monday 16th: 40 to 50 minute easy run – build endurance.

Tuesday 17th: OPTIONAL: 15 to 30 minute warm up + stride workout [8 to 10 x 25 seconds with 1 minute recovery jog] + 15 to 30 minute cool down – build leg turnover and lactic acid tolerance.

Wednesday 18th: 15 to 30 minute warm up + cruise interval workout [4 to 5 x 1000m with 200m recovery jog] + 15 to 30 minute cool down – build stamina – lactate threshold speed.

Thursday 19th: 30 minute easy run – build endurance.

Friday 20th: OFF or 20 minute easy run – recovery day or build endurance.

Saturday 21st: OFF or 20 minute easy run – recovery day or build endurance.

Sunday 22nd Shamrock Marathon!

The structured taper will definitely help me stay focused and hopefully set me up for a new PR. Sub 2:51 or bust….

Back On Track For Shamrock Marathon

Steve — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:30:07 +0000

I finally feel that last week’s sickness is well and truly behind me. The workouts and mileage I missed are gone for good; no point stressing about them so it’s time to focus on the next 19 days leading up to the Shamrock Marathon.

I’ve had a couple of good runs the past two days and my strength and speed seems to be back to about 85% of where I’d like to be. A few more days of hard work will put me in prime position to log a solid long run on the weekend and then gently ease in to the two week taper.

Earlier today I was looking back through my previous marathon times. My all-time best 2:51:00 took place at the end of 2006 and I’ve had six attempts to beat the mark in the last couple of years. Hopefully Shamrock will be lucky seven and I finally smash the 2:51 hoodoo! We’ll see. 19 days and counting….

Just Another Week…

Steve — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 09:03:41 +0000

Not too much running taking place at the moment, hence the lack of blog updates. To be honest, it’s been nice to just take things easy and enjoy the post-marathon recovery.

Last week I managed a grand total of 17 miles (lowest for a very long time) and this week kicked off with an easy 4 miler last night to keep things ticking over. I do plan on running the local Turkey Trot 10k on Thursday, but unusually for me am not expecting too much from the race. Should be fun….

There’s another race in early December – the Army/Navy 10k – which just happens to be the final race in the Tidewater Striders Grand Prix Series. If all goes to plan this will be the third successive year I’ve managed to complete all 12 races in the series; a feat unmatched by anyone else in the club.

This past weekend I also kick-started the Hundred Push Ups plan and Essential Abs program. With less than five weeks to go until Christmas, I decided to jump right in at the second week of both plans; hopefully this will keep me motivated (and fit) all the way up to the Holiday period.

On a somewhat sad note, last Saturday I retired three pairs of trusty Adidas running shoes; 2 pairs of Supernova Cushions and a lone pair of Adidas AdiStar Cushions. In case you’re wondering, the local running store offers a shoe recycling program so at least they won’t end up in some huge landfill. I planned on buying a replacement pair of Supernova Cushions, but the store was out of the current version in my size. The good news is the all-new Supernova Cushion 8 will be available in a week or two – just in time for a whole new year of running!

Lots to look forward to in the upcoming days, weeks, months……

Four Easy Days

Steve — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:06:52 +0000

Not much to report this week; just been enjoying some nice easy post-marathon running:

Monday: 30 minutes
Tuesday: 30 minutes
Wednesday: 40 minutes
Thursday: 40 minutes

The recovery has gone well and thankfully I haven’t experienced any aches and pains or soreness.

Next up is the Turkey Trot 10k on Thanksgiving Day (surprise, surprise) and the Army/Navy 10k in the first week of December. I’m not expecting anything fantastic but it will be nice to finish out 2008 with a couple of solid races.

Hope everyone is running well and having fun…