Melvin Watson's Posts - Pikes Peak Sports2024-03-28T19:01:19ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatsonhttp://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2797456086?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1http://pikespeaksports.us/profiles/blog/feed?user=1oeojw1j8nt0u&xn_auth=noPain....It Does Not Discriminatetag:pikespeaksports.us,2013-08-03:5021591:BlogPost:4847892013-08-03T03:27:29.000ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatson
<p>After having such a blast at the 12K Summer Roundup, I took heed to one of my previous blogs and allowed myself to recover appropriately. It was about ten (10) days with no physical activity because of illness. I did not panic knowing the Pikes Peak Accent was five (5) weeks away at that time. So on my first day back after suffering from those bad allergies I told myself "Just Build Your Base!".</p>
<p>My goal was to run the stairs at my place of work on Schriever AFB. Stair running has been…</p>
<p>After having such a blast at the 12K Summer Roundup, I took heed to one of my previous blogs and allowed myself to recover appropriately. It was about ten (10) days with no physical activity because of illness. I did not panic knowing the Pikes Peak Accent was five (5) weeks away at that time. So on my first day back after suffering from those bad allergies I told myself "Just Build Your Base!".</p>
<p>My goal was to run the stairs at my place of work on Schriever AFB. Stair running has been part of my training all year in preparations to improve my hill running performances for the Triple Crown of Running Series events as well as my overall fitness. I set out to do fifteen (15) round trips similar to a six (6) story building. Mind you my training log shows it takes about twenty-five (25) minutes to complete that workout. As I got to four (4) the pain was too much to bear. My lungs and legs were not ready for that intensity on the first day back….not to mention I was going easy or at least I thought I was what was I thinking?</p>
<p>I was able to get through the pain and complete ten (10) flights. Over the years I have learned when and WHEN NOT to “Dig Deep”, “Man-Up”, “Ignore the Pain”, or “Just Push It”…..pain is not always “just pain” you can hurt yourself and miss making it to the starting line for your next big race. As athletes we must learn to embrace the fact that it is ok to stop, fold up shop and hit the showers. Don’t get me wrong there is that time when that pain is so loved….that good pain, the type of pain that makes you say "if I keep this up I’m going to see great improvements" type of pain. I was patient enough to rest and do another set of ten (10) two days later, then rest again for my weekend workouts.</p>
<p>The weekend was here! I was so excited to get back on the Manitou Springs Incline. Saturday morning 6:00 a.m, there I was. Had my plan, pace, game face…. and was so ready to meet “Mr. Pain”. He loved me as I was a faithful Incliner and was glad to see me back. As “Mr. Pain” sat in his comfy recliner, he sipped on his Starbuck’s latte and viewed his Facebook page from his mobile device. Thousands of Incliners came and went. Elites, first timers, young, old, timid, brave, diverse ethnicities, cultures and races. “Mr. Pain” did not discriminate he gladly provided each incliner with an equal amount of pain. For some reason it seemed like “Mr. Pain” handed me an extra dose of pain as I reached the bailout point and man was I tempted to bail!</p>
<p>Finally I reached the top and was so happy. I usually don’t sit on a rock but that day I had to. “Mr. Pain” chuckled and said “See you next week, you brought the pain!"</p>
<p>I chuckled as well and said “I’ll be back” in my Terminator voice…. LOL.</p>
<p>P.S. “Mr. Pain” is a fictional character that just came to me as I was writing this blog. You don't have to be an elite runner to relate to "Mr. Pain". Having an imagination makes it so fun.<br/> <a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2806499090?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="90" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2806499090?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="90" class="align-left"/></a><br/>
Happy Running</p>
<p>Mel</p>Allergies....Smallergiestag:pikespeaksports.us,2013-07-21:5021591:BlogPost:4784472013-07-21T01:28:32.000ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatson
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<p>I never thought in my wildest dreams my training would ever be impacted by allergies. I thought I had a summer cold or hey fever and it felt as bad as when I had pneumonia a few years back. The impact it had on my life was shocking. It really through me for a loop. I had to miss three days of work...yaaaay! The first sign was a sore throat and I was like wow two days…</p>
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<p>I never thought in my wildest dreams my training would ever be impacted by allergies. I thought I had a summer cold or hey fever and it felt as bad as when I had pneumonia a few years back. The impact it had on my life was shocking. It really through me for a loop. I had to miss three days of work...yaaaay! The first sign was a sore throat and I was like wow two days before the 12K Summer roundup...ok body fight this off. So I'm loading up on vitamin C, spraying chloraseptic, every half hour, drinking hot tea, eating chicken soup, and drinking tons of water.</p>
<p>No sneezing or cough yet just the "Pre-cold" symptoms we all have experienced some time in our lives. My lovely wife felt so bad to see me suffering and she constantly ask if she can get me anything. I was then relieved from all of my honey do list task until she saw me back to my normal self.....whooohooo! So it's one day before the 12K Summer Roundup I'm saying to myself "Oh....noooooooooooow I know how Michael Jordan must have felt in game five (5) of the 1997 NBA finals when he had the flu or some type of food poisoning the night before".</p>
<p>My mindset was I have to do this race as it is part of the Triple Crown and my ticket to running the Pikes Peak Accent. I explained that to my wife but she did not say anything about it until a week later...her inside voice at that time was saying...."WHY ARE YOU DOING THAT RACE IF YOU FEEL SO BAD? </p>
<p>I was determined, full of faith and was not going to let anything stop me from jogging\walking\\running the 12K. To my PikesPeakSport teammates Thank you for your awesome encouragement. To my wife and son.... you guys rock for taking such good care of me before I found out it was allergies and took NyQuil as much as I could for a week.</p>
<p>The race was everything I could image. It was so much fun!</p>
<p>Happy Running</p>
<p>Mel</p>Preparing For Summer Roundup Trail Run 12Ktag:pikespeaksports.us,2013-07-02:5021591:BlogPost:4663282013-07-02T13:00:00.000ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatson
<p>How does one prepare for such race? After hearing so many different stories good and bad about the Triple Crown of Running Series race number two, I have to admit I didn't know what to think. Someone even asked me for advice on how to approach it which I found amusing because I’ve never done it....hahahaha. We all have have different training methodologies, "secrets", approaches, philosophies, lessons learned and even some pet peeves. I try not to get myself too worked up but that is what is…</p>
<p>How does one prepare for such race? After hearing so many different stories good and bad about the Triple Crown of Running Series race number two, I have to admit I didn't know what to think. Someone even asked me for advice on how to approach it which I found amusing because I’ve never done it....hahahaha. We all have have different training methodologies, "secrets", approaches, philosophies, lessons learned and even some pet peeves. I try not to get myself too worked up but that is what is all about right? The anticipation, the nervousness, the excitement, equals loads of fun at least to me! If it was all about personal best, course records and awards I would have gave this "Running a Race" thing up a long time ago.</p>
<p>The race is less than a week away and the excitement is building. The surprise will be good for me and honestly<a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2806505047?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="90" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2806505047?profile=RESIZE_180x180" width="90" class="align-left"/></a> I'm very thankful to be even running or jogging because this time last year I was not running or jogging but recovering from several injuries so to be doing this is totally awesome. Summer Roundup Trail Run 12K here we come!</p>
<p>Happy Running</p>
<p>Mel</p>The Effects of Overtraining Part IItag:pikespeaksports.us,2013-06-01:5021591:BlogPost:4503882013-06-01T17:30:00.000ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatson
<p></p>
<p>The Effects of Overtraining Part II</p>
<p><br></br>As I love discussing training methods, conditioning and recovery I often find myself saying “Mel wait remember what happened the last time you did this”. If you ever wondered if you are overtraining consider the following symptoms:</p>
<p>~Persistent muscle soreness, Persistent fatigue, Elevated resting heart rate<br></br>~Reduced heart rate variability, Increased susceptibility to infections<br></br>~Increased incidence of injuries,…</p>
<p></p>
<p>The Effects of Overtraining Part II</p>
<p><br/>As I love discussing training methods, conditioning and recovery I often find myself saying “Mel wait remember what happened the last time you did this”. If you ever wondered if you are overtraining consider the following symptoms:</p>
<p>~Persistent muscle soreness, Persistent fatigue, Elevated resting heart rate<br/>~Reduced heart rate variability, Increased susceptibility to infections<br/>~Increased incidence of injuries, Irritability,Depression<br/>~Mental breakdown</p>
<p>It can be very frustrating when you “Think” you are putting in all of this hard work and not seeing any results; in some cases your performances are worst. How to bounce back from overtraining? Keep it fun, leave the watch\GPS home, take a break from racing, began encouraging others to reach their athletic goals and simply rest which is difficult for most runners. Here are other symptoms that are common with overtraining:</p>
<p>~Loss of appetite, Physiological, Excessive weight loss, Excessive loss of body fat<br/>~Mood Disturbance, Increased resting heart rate, Decreased muscular strength<br/>~Inability to complete workouts, Chronic muscle soreness, Increased incidence of injury<br/>~Depressed immune system.</p>
<p>Most overtraining experiences are subtle. It creeps up, training can be going really well, next thing you know you are trying to figure out why your performance was not what you expected, especially when previous weeks you were strong. Every runner is different and respond differently to intensity and rest. So as little and as long you have been running it is critical to learn how you respond. Be very very patient returning to soon will have you sidelined longer than expected.</p>
<p>Happy Running</p>
<p>Mel</p>The Effects of Overtrainingtag:pikespeaksports.us,2013-05-14:5021591:BlogPost:4460572013-05-14T02:30:00.000ZMelvin Watsonhttp://pikespeaksports.us/profile/MelvinWatson
<p>The Effects of Overtraining Part I</p>
<p>~ Over training- Is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in several sports, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes. Even the best of us wanting to get better experience this</p>
<p>Addiction<br></br>~ Physical…</p>
<p>The Effects of Overtraining Part I</p>
<p>~ Over training- Is a physical, behavioral, and emotional condition that occurs when the volume and intensity of an individual's exercise exceeds their recovery capacity. They cease making progress, and can even begin to lose strength and fitness. Overtraining is a common problem in several sports, but it can also be experienced by runners and other athletes. Even the best of us wanting to get better experience this</p>
<p>Addiction<br/>~ Physical exercise may be addictive. One theory is that this addiction is due to natural endorphins generated by the exercise. Whether strictly due to this chemical by-product or not, some people can be said to become addicted to or fixated on psychological/physical effects of physical exercise and fitness. This may lead to over-exercise, resulting in the "overtraining" syndrome. I have experience this several times and my overtraining resulted from this mindset: (Just one more interval, a few more miles, go faster).</p>
<p>Physiology</p>
<p>~ Improvements in strength and fitness occur only after the rest period following hard training. This process can take days to complete, depending on the intensity and duration of exercise leading to the over trained state. If sufficient rest is not available, then complete regeneration cannot occur. If this imbalance between excess training and inadequate rest persists, then the individual's performance will eventually plateau and decline. Mild over training may require several days of rest or reduced activity to fully restore an athlete's fitness. If prompt attention is not given to the developing state and an athlete continues to train and accumulate fatigue, the condition may come to persist for weeks. (Been there, done that got a coffee mug, T-shirt and bumper sticker).</p>
<p>Part II will discuss more on physiology and symptoms of overtraining</p>
<p>Happy Running!</p>
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