Cheers 
Weekend = off. Lots of using a pick axe and shovel - maybe too much…
Monday - 10km aerobic run, around 40min - some hip flexor and calf work in gym.
Tue - some easy 3min on 3min off effors, with some push ups, sit ups and squats at half way - 45min all up including warm up
Bit of a recovery week this week.
Get the aerobic system back a bit, reduce the acid build up and neutralize the system
Wed
10 x 300’s (same as quoted session)
So much easier session
Last time, Heart rate Peaked 170, and each effort the heart rate went higher and higher - nearly all over 165 - 170
This time, avg pace 52sec each again, but heart rate maxing out during the reps at 160. A 163 was hit Just after the last rep was finished…
Finished the session with a few chin ups, push ups etc
Thurs
1hr of foamrolling / stretching
30min of Tempo, bike and rowing
Fri
a.m.
10 x 1min on 1min 20sec off - in joggers to give the lower legs a break from the flats and spikes
Fri P.m.
3 x 400’s (on a crap paddock)
On the very last one, about 100m to go, i back off just before a little a downhill - half way down, i pulled my hammie a little…
Sat - off
Sun - 50min of circuit running/exercises (not very fast, just getting moving and getting the hammie working)
Avg hr 120 (highest of the others was 171…)
Mon - Gym workout - Dumbbell complex routine - spin bike (30sec hard, 1km easy for 4 sets) - Squats (50kg, 10 reps, 20reps) - spin bike 2km. 30 min all up.
Tue
Hammie still tight.
could run a bit faster - but not a great deal.
40min of running circuits Avg hr 122 for session, and 128 for the circuit
Wed
Hammie still tight
Massage
50min - 6km of running circuits
Thurs
Hammie still tight / massage
10min of Tempo - feeling 80 / 90% better
Fri
Hammie still tight / massage - maybe 90% better
A.m. - run up Mt Coolum - 8min 50sec (Best is 8min 30sec) - not too bad for the hammie, mostly Quads…
P.m. - Circuit Vo2max
Run 200m - Jog 100m = repeat 14 times (no walking) Max Hr 165 Hammie help up ok - couldn’t push too fast though
Sat
Off - plenty of yard digging for the pool though…
Sun
Hammie feeling pretty good
Speed session
2kg mediball
5 x Squat throw and chase
5 x single jump / squat throw and chase
3 x 15m Easy, 15m Hard, 15m Easy (focus on hips under and knees up) (hammie every so slightly there, but help up great)
Total 4hrs for the week
We’re both having hamstring issues. I’ve been icing mine a bit. It has helped with the nagging soreness, but now it feels a little bit tighter. I’m guessing that’s just a reaction against the cold. I’ll whack on some cups later tonight and see how it feels in the morning…
My hammie issues, started from hard physical labour… Digging the back yard, leveling it for a Pool. Now have to dig holes for fence.
This tightens up the spinal muscles, and is really tightening my up all over. Lots of therapy.
So, i was tight, and when running down a steep 2m section of grass on a diagonal, hips went out, and hammie followed…
Therapy has gone up a lot, but still need more.
I’m backing off the volume of digging - but it’s close to being finished.
Hopefully, the “cupping” set i ordered arrives soon via post. Can’t wait to give it a go!
Monday
circuit
run/mediball/bike/burpee/rowing/push ups - repeat for 30min
Tue
30min of Tempo runs
Plenty of therapy - hips were twisted, thighs and hip flexors very tight
Wed
4 x 145m with 2min rest (on pretty crappy grass/dirt - but in my new spikes)
18;35
18;34
18;41
18;26 - feeling the La+ after this one
15min recovery, walk/jog
1 final effort
17;56
Really felt the last two in the hammies (fantastic)
Squats - 3 sets of 20
Push ups, chin ups and abs/stretching
gardening can be good core work, and lawnmowing is a great warm up… 
Pool is getting closer to finished, maybe another 2weeks (time permitting)
Thurs
I forgot how crap really fast stuff effects you - CNS is smashed, leading to depression, lack of energy and a big case of Couldn’tbestuffed
30min of basic cardio - run, bike, row
Fri
Still suffering from CNS depletion
A.m. - 50min of cardio
P.m. - 30min of cardio
Sat - Still suffering from CNS depletion
Finally got ahold of some L-tyrosine - Started feeling better by days end.
Sun
50min of cardio
Included Burpee challenge - New PB - 13min flat (this time last year = 14:10)
Monday
Wanted to go for a run - but very tight all over. Had a solid session of the Cupping therapy. 90% of the tightness removed - just a tight area in the left hammie, very deep.
First impressions??
Pretty good - I like.
As with most things - the value lies in the user.
A mate - didn’t notice anything (he lives in Melbourne, somebody else used it on him)
I have used it with 4 other clients, and myself.
I like that it’s not very painful at all. You can see the good muscle and the poorer muscles almost instantly, eg, good muscles and the cup goes red super quick, tighter and more issues = skin color for some time…
It’s not a be all and end all - It’s just another tool, that if used well, works a treat.
Tue
day off
Wed
All up, 70min session + weights
4 x 300’s with 10min recovery’s
Track (more of a paddock with basically 90deg turns and a slow downhill steep section) - One would have to be around 2 sec slower on this than tartan, easy.
1 - 41sec
2 - 40sec
3 - 40sec
4 - Was on target for a 38 (that’s what the guy ran who i was catching “handicapt run off 230m”) when 50m to go, on a tight corner and bad grass, the hammies tightened right up, so i slowed instantly before they got hurt.
Thurs a.m.
Very tight hammies and glutes = foamrolling
I’ll do some cardio this arvo
that’s funny, I’ve found the opposite. tight muscles go purple, healthy muscles stay pink.
I agree that it’s not a cure all, but it seems to get pretty good results when other methods fail. for me it has proved to be extremely effective, so perhaps there’s something about my body that responds well. I often find that I react negatively to massage. if it’s anything more than very gentle I end up worse than when I started…
Yes - a lot of massage people try to do too much in the time allotted. A good massage, i find, fixes one problem before moving to the next. Sometimes, this might mean, staying say on one area eg hips, and working on that area for a solid 30min before even looking at a different area. Otherwise, like you said, it’s like they bruise the muscle and it’s worse.
Perhaps because i’m, and the people i’ve been using the cups on so far, are used to foamrolling - so the muscles are used to therapy already.
But, i find, once a muscle lets go, the blood is released and fills the area in the cup (once so, i remove the cup)
If the muscle doesn’t let go, there is no blood flow, no blood flow = no change in cup color, no blood flow = muscle is still tight.
I always give the muscle a rub 1st to find the sore n tight area - use the cup, then re-test with fingers and give the area a slight massage. That i way i can tell if the cups worked.
I have crazy sensitive feel (stems from being my Fitter apprenticeship - we had to file things dead square with only hand tools, developed a great sence of feel)
If something works - i can feel it almost instantly with my hands.
It’s deff a great tool - and for the price of a kit, wow - outstanding value.
Oh yeah, i have tried it on a few tendons also - NICE.
Also - i find, if it takes ages for the cup to change color, then once it does, remove the cup, massage etc, but, that area will stay “bruised” for potentially a few days. A quick change of color = skin returns to normal within minutes = good muscle
How long are you leaving them on for??
Until the cup area turns red from the blood.
So, anywhere from 30sec to 5min
Thurs p.m.
20min jog - avg HR 135
then 20min easy running around with a very slow client
Hammies still rather tight - but a lot better than early in the day
Fri a.m.
Foamrolling - hips, lats and hammies
25min slow jog - avg hr 132
Hammies still tight/sore but a lot better
Fri P.m.
40min of high end aerobic work)
200m work
100m jog
repeat 10 x
Avg running speed - 39sec (last time was 41-43sec)
Avg jog speed - 31sec (last time was 32-34sec)
Max Hr - 162 (last time was 165)
Also found it hard going up the slight hill at half way (and going down) as the left hammie still isn’t right
Sat - Sun - Mon
Off
Plenty of therapy on the hammie, glutes and back
The main problem is the hammie tightness is very deep. At least we are unlocking a ton of excess tension in the mean time
Still have an issue with hammie - it’s biggest area of bother is as pace gets faster and faster.
So i plan on doing more of a base week this week - more volume but less intensity - typically i’m doing a weekly total of 4hrs. So this week, i’ll up to around 5hrs
Tue
10 x laps around a park (a few very tight and slow corners, almost to a stop twice each lap)
70sec recoverys
48sec avg laps
The last two laps were down to around 45sec - which rose the Heart rate up from 159 to 169 on the last rep.
Left hammie still giving grief - so couldn’t really open up any strong speed - but the short recovery’s sure got the heart ticking over nicely
Will get stuck into the hammie/hips area later today
Wed
Tue night, really got stuck into the Cupping, thighs, hip flexors, hammies and glutes.
Hammie issue feeling much better - but, still there.
65min session
10 x 300’s (on a grass paddock…)
Extreme wind
Done in 2 sets of 5
Avg recovery for the 1st 5 was around 65sec
50
52
51
52
49
Break for 10min - feeling rather La+
49
49
55 - I died badly
27 - 150m destroyed
28 - 150m
Just didn’t have it today - the wind was super strong
Then did 12min of throwing a mediball around
Thurs
Recovery Jog
37min run
7.3km
Avg hr 137
Hammies felt like lumps of cement as i took off - and though they improved, they felt more like wet concrete slurry … Both of them.
So, it’s 3 weeks till Pan Pacs - I feel i still need another SPP phase to really hit my straps.
I really feel under prepared to race my best. Sure, I’ll hit season bests - but, i feel there is still sooooo much more improvement just waiting to come out.
Fri A.m.
50min of easy running circuits - very stiff everywhere
Fri - P.m.
Big tempo workout - total 37min including warm up
Sat - off
Sun
Cupping - thighs, lower legs and hammies
Did the cupping on the lower legs and hammies by Sliding the cup along once it was ready (full of blood)
Worked a treat, esp on the hammies - removed hard knotts that have been there for, well, like ever…
Could touch my toes with Both hands with knee flat on the floor (1st time ever) - I also have very long legs.
Also at lunch time, i tested my PH levels, which is only a new thing, and they were way down, around 6.2. Should be around 7.3 - but the best over the last two weeks since started with the testing is 7.1 / 2
Ended up drinking 700ml water with 16grames of sodium bicarb.
1hr later - PH was back up to 7.3
End of day - ended up running a decent workout
55min
10 x 300’s with recoverys based on HR - once it fell to around 135-140 - started at 48sec recovery, and by the last one, was 1min20sec
51 was perhaps the avg fastest time
a couple 52 and one 54
The last one, i took my JOGGERS off and ran 48 (such crap grass though, not doing that again there)
So, a pretty good session considering i was wearing heavy joggers instead of flats or spikes.
Sliding is a common technique with cupping, but I haven’t got it to work with the pump variety. It is especially good for scar tissue.
How fast did you do it??