The Blog Of Eric Herdman

Zoot Recovery Tights

You just put out a massive effort or put in massive distance or both.

At the store (Red Rock Running Company) we are often asked this question… How do you recover?  Is In and Out Burger a good recovery method?  No!!!   However, a giant Recoverite or Ultragen recovery shake (available at Red Rock Running Company), a freezing cold ice bath are recommended!  Then you slip (more like cram) into a pair of Zoot Recovery Tights and a recovery top.  Then, for the next 4 + hours (minimum) you relax and recover.  I also recommend to all of the athletes I work with and write programs for that they sleep in these tights.  Sleeping in these compression tights give you a chance to keep them on longer and thus prolong the enhanced recovery process.

Compression Recovery Tights

These tights also serve another key recovery point.

Travel!  If you have ever finished a race and then sat in the car and drove a few hours only to find out when you hit a Starbucks half way home that you cannot walk your legs are for shit.  These tights will help with this significantly.  I can do a 3-5 hour run in Santa Monica, CA.  Then cram myself into the Zoot tights and then into a car and I am good to go when I hit Barstow for my afternoon coffee.  I can actually move almost like a normal person.  There is also an element of safety here as well.  Wearing these tights for long drives and air travel help with clots.

Zoot Compression LS Top

Wear the top?  Really?

I recommend that all of the triathletes that I work with that they wear the recovery top in addition to the tights.  For the obvious reason the swim but also for the low back bike wear and tear as well as the time in the aero bars and the tension this position adds to the shoulders and rhomboids.  Get the top and put it on.  You will be glad you did.

Nothing says DEAD SEXY like a pair of knee high socks

Dead Sexy Compression Socks

One final recovery tool.  This one can be deployed when tights and tops are not an option.  Like when you are in a hurry and headed to work and cannot have tights sticking out of your suit or uniform.  Compression socks are the daily recovery tool used by me no matter what.  If I put in a good effort or go over 14 miles in my daily runs (This happens 3-4 times a week) I wear these.  They come in black and white and really help with the damages created from our daily runs.  They are also a must if you will be on your feet long hours after your daily run.  One note:  Socks compared to compression calf sleeves.  Many that use compression and research is showing this also.  The socks are better for recovery than the sleeves.  Reason why… the sleeves act like a rubber band wrapped around your finger.  This is fine when exercising because the movement keeps the blood from getting “cut off” and circulating.

Leg compression sleeves=during activity.  Compression socks=recovery time but wearing them during is okay as well.

There you go.  One more way to feel better, get back out there faster and hit it hard again!

Laced Up And Ready To Go Run

We test all of the shoes that come into the store so we know how they “work.”  We test them on the treadmill with our HD video system, measure degrees of pronation, over/under pronation and run them through 5-6 other secret tests to determine what we really have on our shelves.  More important to you is the knowledge about the shoe so we can get/put you in the right shoe for you.

So when the Pearl Izumi (PI) Fuel showed up I was stoked.  I was excited about the shoe when I did the buying some 9 months ago and was waiting its arrival.  I grabbed a pair and headed to my shoe lab.

The facts…

• 10.2 ounces men’s size 10 (my test pair was a 11)
• Runs a tad small.  However , not everyone will notice this!
• Soft enough for a neutral runner
• Stable for slight to a bit more overpronation.  We can test this so you can be 100% sure at RRRC (stability provided by a medial side slice of Syncro Frame)
• Plenty of mid-sole under foot with SKYDEX in the strike zone and forefoot.  Mid-sole thicker than most shoes in this category.
• Mid foot wrap is the best I have felt in years from them
• Drop 25/12mm
• Arch height okay for medium to high arch foot
• Seamless (PI is the best at this) upper

The Treadmill Test

I normally overpronate 10-20 degrees.  This shoe held me to a comfortable and “normal” 7-10 degrees.  My slightly forward of normal initial impact zone was soft and quiet on the TRUE treadmill.  My mid-transition plant was made with the whole sole making contact with the surface and I left the ground over the first and second metatarsals (as normal).  Upon replay I measured the degrees of pronation and noted any (there was none) shoe upper sag of bagging.  This is a well fitting shoe.

The Road Test

I took the Fuels out for a quick 4 miler around Henderson and along the wash.  The first thing I noticed is that the shoe weighs only 10.2 ounces the second thing I noticed was that the shoe felt like a plush full on training shoe (Good thing, some lighter weight shoes can beat the crap out of you).  I placed orange duct tape on the bottom to see the exact wear pattern and as expected it was normal for me.  This is important because some shoes can be to controlling and some can let the foot flip and slide all over the place during the initial strike to toe off.  Other things to note but not exact or scientific.  This shoe felt fast and yet protective.  Downhills were comfortable.  Traction was solid and sure.

Final thoughts

This is a go to shoe for someone wanting a trainer that is flexible in the mid-foot forward.  Protective  from back to front.  Wants or need a lighter weight shoe.  Yes, this shoe is perfect for an everyday trainer for the right body type, efficiency style and training mode.  Please stop in  the store and we will help you take a look at the shoe and go over these considerations.  Finally, you can go long and fast in this shoe!  Pearl Izumi has another winner on the shelves AGAIN!

Light weight blown rubber, carbon and a very grippy out-sole

Medial side:  SYNCRO FRAME = Stability

Way flashy red laces, great mid-foot fit and vented toe box.

Visit Red Rock Running Company at 7350 W. Cheyenne. Las Vegas, Nevada 89129 for a shoe fitting and treadmill video test

MESO, MICRO, MACRO = Get fit. Get fast, Get Strong…. the smart way!

Periodization defined by an image

As promised I wanted to start posting some information on periodization, mesocycles and macrocycles. Some of my clients are familiar with these terms but if you are not here is a quick set up. I am getting ready to start a 3 week MESOCYCLE (3-4 weeks of training). My MESOCYCLE is filled with MICROCYCLES (5-7 days, mine are 7 days). These MESOCYCLES will fill my MACROCYCLE (Several Months, mine are 3 months usually ending with a race).

The workhorse of these cycles are not the MICROCYCLES that you might think but the MESOCYCLES. I find, by focusing on the week you can see small or big enough (depending on how you look at it) to feel in control but not far enough out to be overwhelmed by all of the work you have in front of you. Plus, this lets you obey rule #1 of exercise programing… plan in pencil, log it in pen! It also helps with E’s New Rules… (I am up to 12 so far, blog post on them TBD) One of my new rules is NEVER BE AFRAID OF CHANGING A WORKOUT BECAUSE OF RECOVERY RATES! When I am looking at my week I can easily make adjustments up or down based on my recovery or failure to achieve success with a workout. This my extreme workout friends is a key to your success. That is 3 sacral, 2 pelvic and 1 metatarsal FRACTURES talking. Listen when I tell you. Don’t want to listen to me? Fine! Kenny Rodgers said this way “you got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em, know when to walk away, and know when to run.”

The goal over any cycle is to increase intensity and duration of exercise.

So what the hell do you do with all of this meso-micro bullshit E?

Use the time in the cycle to build. Build your endurance. Build your speed. Build your strength. That is the beautiful thing about periodization, you can build whatever you want safely and intelligently. Enough said. Why? Most of us (Old me included) just grabbed some workout/training ideas threw them at the wall and waited to see what would stick=work! Sad part is… most of the the time it worked. However, a large part of the time it worked by happenstance not by science and purpose filled direction. When science is used with the drive and determination (the mind) of a skilled athlete… BAM! That’s where the magic happens. These cycles give you the ability to be simple, safe and smart! All at the same time. End result…. you come in to the event fit, healthy, and ready to kick some motherfucking ass!

Low tech is fine when it comes to big results!

What do I do to get started?

Grab a calendar, find a race, get some new shoes at RRRC (I have to promote that) and get to planning! Good Luck! And get your run on!

Now the New Year has settled in it’s time to start thinking about getting some specific fitness going. So today on my run I decided to sit down later today and write out what my specific “fitness” plans are. I will need to ignore my Wii Fit Age. As it seems to be filled with a fucking BS program. The same BS program that figures you BMI… total fuck shit data. Get a DEXA scan done and forget the toys! Come on get a grip people. This is a Wii, a toy.  The same toy that lets you play Tony Hawk!

I will post some of the basics here over the next few days without boring you with too much talk of mesocycles and macrocycles.

I'm feeling the need to get fit!

More on this… stayed tuned…

Yesterday I hit one last run and core workout of 2009. My extreme hope is that 2010 will be filled with lots of run miles. By the way… the new Asics 2150 (pictured and available at Red Rock Running Company ) is awesome!

Last run, core and stretch of 2009