Or Stair Calf? 45 minutes later my calves have finally stopped the bouncing. It was painfully scary riding back up the hill with my asics perched on my 959 pedals... any load would start the tremors... didn't matter if the ball of the foot or the arch or the heal was on the pedal... the shaking was bad...
How did i get it?
Well i figured if i was gonna be having a fantastic weekend with me and the two little girls of mine i should get some extra work in. Would have been nice to ride up a road i've driven numerous times in winter and summer. But that's not in the plan for lunch.
So i donned some generic Klein kit (ya know when Tinker was first killing everyone in the 24 hr races back in the day) and laced up the Asics and headed down to the stadium. It is a smallish stadium. One small set of "visitor" bleachers, and then mother load on the home side. 72 rows of steeply tiered aluminum bleachers. I didn't think it would be prudent to just start running the stairs with the bike. So i got on the track. nice rubberized one. And i ran for 800 meters. a miniscule distance but, i don't have a ton of time, and i came here to run UP stairs not run around on the track below them.two laps, grab the down tube, take off up the stairs.
50, 62, finally 72. Tough, but hey, not that bad.
Head back down.
Turn around, about 48 my legs were saying, you want us to go that fast? You sure? They protested but i managed to hold pace until 72. Touch the wall. Head back down... ouch ouch ouch...
Turn around, this fahking hurts... 50, man only 50, 60, 62, ten more, 70, sweet two more... holy crap this hurts...
head down... okay fahk this, i'm doing a slow lap... 400 meters later i grab the bike and this time walk... to the top... holy sh1t this hurts...
Yeah, 4 sets of stairs carrying the bike. Blazing sun and everything. Nothing revolutionary, i'm sure Kerry Litka would have done 20 sets... but, she weighs like 50kg less than i do, and probably wouldn't do it with a bike. That or she's smart enough not to do them at all.
I needed to bring the stick with me today. That stick. Wow, it might not be a LMT but man is it way better than anything i've done before. Tommy D is a saint for giving it to me. Best Birthday present ever. At least until someone gives me a Speedvagen for my birthday (only 10 or so months away).
Dreams...
-g
4 comments:
...i've noticed certain euros & some guys who've raced in belgium...fast little baby steps on the run-ups...heard it better matches yer pedal stroke...supposedly better or easier on calves & hamstrings...
...don't know what yer stadium looks like but i know some have long, though not necessarily high steps...
...i realized well after my first posting that "fast, little baby steps" on the run-ups wasn't very scientific & certainly not very tough sounding...
...how about "range X motion induced bio-mechanics"...reflective of one's cycling pedal stroke...it might even keep yer heart rate lower than an extended stride...
...that or "belgian baby steps" if yer just a tough guy...
You do want to shorten your stride going uphill. The idea of a consistent cadence applies to running to so in order to keep the same footstrike cadence you would on flat ground you need to shorten your stride going uphill. That and if you think about the muscles you're using if you start reaching going uphill it would become all ass and hammys. So yes G... work those calves :)
...of course, stadium calf could be the menu at really big bbq / tailgate party...it is the fall season after all...
Post a Comment