10 weeks in. Right around the halfway point to race #1 on Memorial Day weekend.
Tuesday, March 15th - Off
-----
Wednesday, March 16th - 12x200m, 26-27 second goal with 5 minute walk recovery
George and I met up at Washington Lee and were pleasantly surprised to find a Kantor there, running 60m sprints. Gorgeous and I got right into the workout, as it was going to be a long one.
1. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26 or 27 (watch malfunction)
2. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
3. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
4. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27
5. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
6. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27
7. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
8. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
9. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27
10. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27
11. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27
12. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27 flat
Props to George for doing all 12. Very impressive for someone who hasn't really been doing workouts like these. His times were mostly between 27 and 29 seconds, with a few 30's and one or two 31's in there. George tried to boot a number of times but failed each time*. One of his attempts, however, did manage to cause me to boot.
*the final attempt - post-workout - caused an ab cramp so bad that he had a hard time straightening his torso, haha
This workout got quite tough by the end. Reps 8, 9, and 10 were the toughest. We took a longer 8-minute "halftime" break after #6 which certainly helped us down the back stretch. Also, one of the earlier 26's was actually a 25...I timed a 26 but ran 5 lanes wide to get around a mass of joggers who poured onto the track right as we started. That must have fired me up a bit. At any rate, we both felt awful afterward but rallied and went to Carpool to meet up with all the concrete jungle VAers. Food and water made us both feel 1000 times better. George was bouncing around feeling that runner's high, as was I. Good workout to build on going forward, especially after having experienced some down workouts over the last few weeks.
-----
Thursday, March 17th - Conditioning mile, then plyos
Green beer (not really)! Party! Birthday! Nothing like a rare morning workout to kick off the b-day. Got up at 7 and started my conditioning mile before 7:30. The pace was not inspired in any way, but I did do 30/30 for push-ups/dips, which is a first this year. I'm hoping for 40/40 by the end of the season. I then went into a power plyos workout: one-legged running/hopping, eccentric calf raises, depth jumps (platform was too short), straight-legged jumps, and lunges (2 sets of 40). I then showered at the gym, which is noteworthy only in that it was the first time I had ever done so (in 4+ years). At work by 9. Boom.
-----
Friday, March 18th - Off
-----
Saturday, March 19th - conditioning, then weights
Inspired by Linc's crossfit workouts, Laura and I went to do one of our own for the conditioning portion of our workout. We did 5 rounds of 6x30m shuttles, 5 pull-ups, and ab bicycles (30 reps). Laura did eccentric pull-ups and did all five sets on her own. I was able to get sets of five out for the first three rounds but then only managed 4/1 and 3/2 splits for the last two. Doing pull-ups while breathing hard is a good challenge. We then went into the weight room. We did bench press on an oblong physioball, bicep curls to shoulder press, calves, and squats. Then Laura left to do a bit on the bike before rolling out and I stayed to do regular bench press, standing running arms, triceps, overhead squats, ab/adductors, and hip flexors. For squats, I did sets of 5, 3, and 5 at 255 lbs. I'm being very conservative without a spotter and was happy to get sets of 5 here. I think my body has adjusted to the new weight. Standing and breathing before reps actually helped me again, which was nice. I finish with as many reps as I could at 135 lbs. I stopped at 15 again. I want to get to 20. For overhead squats I did 3x10 at 75 lbs and felt good. Then I showered at the Y (#2!) before heading straight to H Street to watch bball and heckle a Dartmouth pong tournament.
-----
Sunday, March 20th - 4x450m, 67 second goal with 5 minutes walking rest
This workout was brutal. I pushed really hard at the gym yesterday and knew I was in trouble after the first rep. George, Michelle, and Laura were all out there too, doing different things. Some 400's for Michelle and Laura and 60s/40s for George. We all helped each other. George, in particular, ran the final 200m of each of my reps and helped push me.
1. 450m - 67 - 70
2. 450m - 67 - 71
3. 450m - 67 - 74
4. 450m - 67 - 78
Talk about a breakdown. Wow. That first 70 did not feel easy. That's when I knew it was going to be a grind. My legs just started breaking down by the end. I must have brought too much fatigue in from the previous day. I had leg weakness after #4, similar to how I've felt after races. Crazy. I spoke with Alison on the way home because I was concerned about doing too much the day before hard workouts like these. She felt, though, that while it'd be okay to key it back a little, this period of the program is for strength endurance...I shouldn't really feel fresh and springy going into these workouts. That said, today was rough. My quads felt a little tight and strained later that evening. Good news is I didn't hurt myself and ran a couple 70's to start off. This workout has always been my foil. Haven't run consistent times yet (let alone consistently sub-70).
-----
Monday, March 21st - conditioning, then weights
Laura and I met up at the Y today. We started with 20 minutes on the bike. My quads were a little strained from the Sat/Sun workouts, so I didn't push too hard. My back was sore on Sunday evening from the pull-ups the day before and was still weak on Monday, so we forewent the pull-ups and went straight into a bench press, calves, and overhead squats circuit. We opted out of heavy squats today to avoid tempting injury. For overhead squats, I did 3x7 @ 75 lbs and did not feel very strong. My body still felt drained from the weekend. Laura went off to do a bit more conditioning before leaving and I did bicep curls to shoulder presses, standing running arms, triceps, rotator cuffs, ab/adductor, and a single set each of leg extensions/hamstring curls. I interspersed one-legged running/hopping, two-legged explosive hops, stiff-legged jumps, and a set of frog jumps in amongst the later exercises. I figured I'd go stronger on the plyo route with my lighter weights.
-----
Fun Time tonight. I'm leaving for Portland tomorrow and missing this weekend. My workouts next week will be shuffled a bit as a result.
Andrew
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Week 9 Summary
Okay, I need to get these out on time a bit better...
Tuesday, March 8th - Off
-----
Wednesday, March 9th - 400m, 300m, 200m w/ extra 100m follow-on for each; full recovery
Met Agan, Calvin, and Frankie at the track. Alex joined up later on. They all did a conditioning mile with pull-ups, stadiums, and dips on the bleachers. The runs today were a bit different. I ran each of the distances above but then continue to run/jog for another 100m with whatever I had left. The 100m follow-ons are surprisingly difficult (to just keep moving forward at all) because your body naturally wants to let-up after it crosses the finish line and you hit the stopwatch. To keep moving is really tough for me. It was really just a jog...I thought about keeping my upper body form intact.
1. 400m - sub-60 - 59
2. 300m - 41 - 42 or 43
3. 200m - 26 - low 25
I was not happy with my 400m or 300m times today. These goal times were from last year and I ran a 57sec 400m last week on short rest. So something felt a bit off. It's possible I was still a bit weak from my illness last week. The rest of the guys helped me run the 2nd half of the 200m, which was greatly appreciated.
-----
Thursday, March 10th - Conditioning mile, then plyos
I was not feeling great at work today...low energy and headache, so I took today off to recover.
-----
Friday, March 11th - Off
-----
Saturday, March 12th - conditioning mile or x-training
Laura and I ended up going for a long run today. All told, I ran close to 7 miles in over 65 minutes. Laura ran just under an hour and closer to 6 miles. I can't remember the last time I ran for an hour. By the end I started getting a few interesting pains in my shins but otherwise felt okay. We ran up Rock Creek Park quite a ways and then looped back around past Laura's house (where she stopped) and then down the hill to mine.
-----
Sunday, March 13th - 10x100m, walk same distance for recovery
My workouts were re-written due to my brief illness/resulting weakness, so this was a conservative workout that worked more on conditioning than speed. In addition, the long run from the day before had done a real number on my hip flexors (which I now think are a bit under-strengthed). My hips were very sore when I walked. So much so that I forewent my spikes and just ran in sneakers. Salmi, George, Laura, and I all ran. I felt awful for the first 3 reps, barely making it in under 15 seconds. Then, something clicked...not sure what it was exactly, but I ran the next 7 in closer to 13 seconds. I guess my hips warmed up enough/I got used to the sneakers. Salmi/George were consistently around 14 seconds. Laura hit 18 seconds for hers. All solid times. We all pushed each other.
-----
Monday, March 14th - x-train for 30 minutes, then weights
I decided to take it a bit easier this Monday than I did a week ago...my legs were sapped after my impromptu spinning session last Monday. After getting off the bike, Laura and I went straight into pull-ups and abs. Laura is getting very close to her pull-up...she's been doing sets of 10 of eccentric pull-ups (just the lowering motion). We then moved on to squats, bicep curls to shoulder press, and Laura did calves. Then Laura left and I continued with some overhead squats, a set of max reps @ 135 lbs (I got to 15), and bench press, standing running arms, and the hip machines. For the squats, I did sets at 255 lbs again and played it conservative without a true spotter (i.e. a dude who could actually help if I were to fail). I did sets of 4, 3, 4. I could have gotten a 5 or two in there but didn't want to push it. I got out of the gym within just over 2 hours. It felt good to have a bit of extra time. For overhead squats, I moved up to 3x10 @ 75 lbs. Challenging but doable. I think I'm making up some of the gap on my under-strengthed back.
-----
I'll send out Week 10 Summary within a few days.
Andrew
Tuesday, March 8th - Off
-----
Wednesday, March 9th - 400m, 300m, 200m w/ extra 100m follow-on for each; full recovery
Met Agan, Calvin, and Frankie at the track. Alex joined up later on. They all did a conditioning mile with pull-ups, stadiums, and dips on the bleachers. The runs today were a bit different. I ran each of the distances above but then continue to run/jog for another 100m with whatever I had left. The 100m follow-ons are surprisingly difficult (to just keep moving forward at all) because your body naturally wants to let-up after it crosses the finish line and you hit the stopwatch. To keep moving is really tough for me. It was really just a jog...I thought about keeping my upper body form intact.
1. 400m - sub-60 - 59
2. 300m - 41 - 42 or 43
3. 200m - 26 - low 25
I was not happy with my 400m or 300m times today. These goal times were from last year and I ran a 57sec 400m last week on short rest. So something felt a bit off. It's possible I was still a bit weak from my illness last week. The rest of the guys helped me run the 2nd half of the 200m, which was greatly appreciated.
-----
Thursday, March 10th - Conditioning mile, then plyos
I was not feeling great at work today...low energy and headache, so I took today off to recover.
-----
Friday, March 11th - Off
-----
Saturday, March 12th - conditioning mile or x-training
Laura and I ended up going for a long run today. All told, I ran close to 7 miles in over 65 minutes. Laura ran just under an hour and closer to 6 miles. I can't remember the last time I ran for an hour. By the end I started getting a few interesting pains in my shins but otherwise felt okay. We ran up Rock Creek Park quite a ways and then looped back around past Laura's house (where she stopped) and then down the hill to mine.
-----
Sunday, March 13th - 10x100m, walk same distance for recovery
My workouts were re-written due to my brief illness/resulting weakness, so this was a conservative workout that worked more on conditioning than speed. In addition, the long run from the day before had done a real number on my hip flexors (which I now think are a bit under-strengthed). My hips were very sore when I walked. So much so that I forewent my spikes and just ran in sneakers. Salmi, George, Laura, and I all ran. I felt awful for the first 3 reps, barely making it in under 15 seconds. Then, something clicked...not sure what it was exactly, but I ran the next 7 in closer to 13 seconds. I guess my hips warmed up enough/I got used to the sneakers. Salmi/George were consistently around 14 seconds. Laura hit 18 seconds for hers. All solid times. We all pushed each other.
-----
Monday, March 14th - x-train for 30 minutes, then weights
I decided to take it a bit easier this Monday than I did a week ago...my legs were sapped after my impromptu spinning session last Monday. After getting off the bike, Laura and I went straight into pull-ups and abs. Laura is getting very close to her pull-up...she's been doing sets of 10 of eccentric pull-ups (just the lowering motion). We then moved on to squats, bicep curls to shoulder press, and Laura did calves. Then Laura left and I continued with some overhead squats, a set of max reps @ 135 lbs (I got to 15), and bench press, standing running arms, and the hip machines. For the squats, I did sets at 255 lbs again and played it conservative without a true spotter (i.e. a dude who could actually help if I were to fail). I did sets of 4, 3, 4. I could have gotten a 5 or two in there but didn't want to push it. I got out of the gym within just over 2 hours. It felt good to have a bit of extra time. For overhead squats, I moved up to 3x10 @ 75 lbs. Challenging but doable. I think I'm making up some of the gap on my under-strengthed back.
-----
I'll send out Week 10 Summary within a few days.
Andrew
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Week 8 Summary
Otay...
Tuesday, March 1st - Off
-----
Wednesday, March 2nd - 10x downhill runs, then plyos
My left patellar ligament has been feeling a bit sore, so I opted against downhill runs on asphalt (the only surface near me with a slight-enough downhill grade), so I just went to the Y and did a good plyo session. I started with two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, and straight-legged jumps before moving on to the high impact exercises: one-legged hopping/running, depth jumps, eccentric calf raises, and lunges. I do lunges to finish these plyo workouts and will be increasing the reps from week to week. I did 2 sets of 30 lunges to close this one out.
-----
Thursday, March 3rd - 10x200m, 26-27 second goal, 5 minute walking recovery
Washington Lee was closed Wednesday, so I flipped my Wed and Thurs workouts. I met up with Neeley, Frankie, and Ken. Neeley ran a few 200's with me while waiting for the couple. They then ran 40's and did some vertical/quickness drills. Here's what I did:
1. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27.1
2. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
3. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
4. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
5. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
6. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
7. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
8. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
9. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
10. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
Wow. Something felt off today. This was definitely a down workout. After speaking with Alison, we thought that maybe flipping plyos to Wednesday messed me up a bit, but it's hard to lean on that crutch...I ran noticeably faster than this a couple years ago. I got sick just over halfway through the workout, which is rare...I usually get sick before or - as has been the case recently - after. No amount of rest brought down my times for the later reps. Prior to rep 9 I rested 8-9 minutes and still ran a 29. Oh well, let's hope I bounce back.
-----
Friday, March 4th - Off
So, as it turns out, I came down sick today...head cold/sinus pressure and fatigue. I went home after work and crashed for three hours. Laura got sick as well, so it must have been something Wednesday night. This adds a bit more color to last night's session, though.
-----
Saturday, March 5th - Off
I took today off from conditioning and weights and rested most of the day.
-----
Sunday, March 6th - 10x80m, full speed, 4-5 minutes recovery
Met up with Agan, Jesse, and Andrea at Banneker and did some fun reps in the rain, haha. I got lots of throwing in with Agan. The weather reminded me of a day when a team would see a lot of zone, so I worked on short popper throws and quick catch, pivot, and releases. At least it wasn't cold.
-----
Monday, March 7th - cross-training, weights
In an effort to reduce my Monday sessions to around two hours, Laura and I did a shorter (20 min) but more intense bike session today. I was on a spinning bike and pushed through the pain for the last 8-10 minutes or so. My heart rate was up over 170 afterward. Laura pushed hard on her bike as well...her heart rate was closer to 180. We then moved to a superset of pull-ups and abs. Slowly but surely, Laura is helping improve my pathetic ab strength. I surprised myself with sets of 7, 7, and 4 of wide-grip pull-ups. I'm not that far from 10 in a row now, which was an initial goal. Laura then moved on to a circuit of flies, calf raises, and dumbbell curl to presses (with 20's!). I did bench press and rotator cuff. We then did squats as part of different supersets. I did dumbbell curl to presses with 40 lbs dumbbells and Laura did back, triceps, and a hip flexor stretch. For squats, I did 3x3 @ 255 lbs. I hadn't squatted in a week so wasn't sure what to expect. The 20 lb increase from the week prior shocked me a bit, so I think I can rebound pretty quickly and get sets of 5+ reps at this weight next time. Laura then left and I stayed a bit longer to do overhead squats (3 sets of 10 @ 65 lbs - still does a number on my back), abductors, adductors, and leg press (3 sets of 5 @ 270-280 lbs). I felt decent today, given the recent illness and time away from the gym. I've learned that I need to be in the gym about every 5 days or so to maintain my strength. Any more than that and I start to slip, which sucks.
-----
Ultimate combine next Saturday the 19th at Washington Lee (late AM)! Book it!
Andrew
Tuesday, March 1st - Off
-----
Wednesday, March 2nd - 10x downhill runs, then plyos
My left patellar ligament has been feeling a bit sore, so I opted against downhill runs on asphalt (the only surface near me with a slight-enough downhill grade), so I just went to the Y and did a good plyo session. I started with two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, and straight-legged jumps before moving on to the high impact exercises: one-legged hopping/running, depth jumps, eccentric calf raises, and lunges. I do lunges to finish these plyo workouts and will be increasing the reps from week to week. I did 2 sets of 30 lunges to close this one out.
-----
Thursday, March 3rd - 10x200m, 26-27 second goal, 5 minute walking recovery
Washington Lee was closed Wednesday, so I flipped my Wed and Thurs workouts. I met up with Neeley, Frankie, and Ken. Neeley ran a few 200's with me while waiting for the couple. They then ran 40's and did some vertical/quickness drills. Here's what I did:
1. 200m - 26 to 27 - 27.1
2. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
3. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
4. 200m - 26 to 27 - 26
5. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
6. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
7. 200m - 26 to 27 - 28
8. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
9. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
10. 200m - 26 to 27 - 29
Wow. Something felt off today. This was definitely a down workout. After speaking with Alison, we thought that maybe flipping plyos to Wednesday messed me up a bit, but it's hard to lean on that crutch...I ran noticeably faster than this a couple years ago. I got sick just over halfway through the workout, which is rare...I usually get sick before or - as has been the case recently - after. No amount of rest brought down my times for the later reps. Prior to rep 9 I rested 8-9 minutes and still ran a 29. Oh well, let's hope I bounce back.
-----
Friday, March 4th - Off
So, as it turns out, I came down sick today...head cold/sinus pressure and fatigue. I went home after work and crashed for three hours. Laura got sick as well, so it must have been something Wednesday night. This adds a bit more color to last night's session, though.
-----
Saturday, March 5th - Off
I took today off from conditioning and weights and rested most of the day.
-----
Sunday, March 6th - 10x80m, full speed, 4-5 minutes recovery
Met up with Agan, Jesse, and Andrea at Banneker and did some fun reps in the rain, haha. I got lots of throwing in with Agan. The weather reminded me of a day when a team would see a lot of zone, so I worked on short popper throws and quick catch, pivot, and releases. At least it wasn't cold.
-----
Monday, March 7th - cross-training, weights
In an effort to reduce my Monday sessions to around two hours, Laura and I did a shorter (20 min) but more intense bike session today. I was on a spinning bike and pushed through the pain for the last 8-10 minutes or so. My heart rate was up over 170 afterward. Laura pushed hard on her bike as well...her heart rate was closer to 180. We then moved to a superset of pull-ups and abs. Slowly but surely, Laura is helping improve my pathetic ab strength. I surprised myself with sets of 7, 7, and 4 of wide-grip pull-ups. I'm not that far from 10 in a row now, which was an initial goal. Laura then moved on to a circuit of flies, calf raises, and dumbbell curl to presses (with 20's!). I did bench press and rotator cuff. We then did squats as part of different supersets. I did dumbbell curl to presses with 40 lbs dumbbells and Laura did back, triceps, and a hip flexor stretch. For squats, I did 3x3 @ 255 lbs. I hadn't squatted in a week so wasn't sure what to expect. The 20 lb increase from the week prior shocked me a bit, so I think I can rebound pretty quickly and get sets of 5+ reps at this weight next time. Laura then left and I stayed a bit longer to do overhead squats (3 sets of 10 @ 65 lbs - still does a number on my back), abductors, adductors, and leg press (3 sets of 5 @ 270-280 lbs). I felt decent today, given the recent illness and time away from the gym. I've learned that I need to be in the gym about every 5 days or so to maintain my strength. Any more than that and I start to slip, which sucks.
-----
Ultimate combine next Saturday the 19th at Washington Lee (late AM)! Book it!
Andrew
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Week 7 Summary
Tuesday, Feb 22nd - Off
-----
Wednesday, Feb 23rd - Fun Time
Headed to the track today and met up with Frankie, Calvin, and Jesse. We got started a bit late at 7:30 because we were paired up and throwing on opposite sides of the field, each pair not knowing the other was there. Brilliant. The track was clearer and became a barren wasteland at 8pm. So relaxing. I ran some unpleasant 300's. Frankie, Cal, and Jesse ran some full speed 60's and 40's with core work during the 3-4 minute breaks between runs. They also helped me down the homestretch of two of my runs (reps #3 and 4), which was great. I timed them on some 40 yard dashes, although it should be mentioned that they had already run 6 or so full-speed sprints by this point. The 3 reps I timed were 4.9, 5.0, and 5.04. These were from a standing start. For my 6x300m workout, the goal was 43-44 seconds. Rest time was full, so between 8 and 10 minutes.
1. 300m - 43-44 sec - 45
2. 300m - 43-44 sec - 43
3. 300m - 43-44 sec - 43
4. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
5. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
6. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
I paced the first rep to a disappointing 45 flat. I picked it up from there on out but could feel from early on that this workout was going to be a tough one. My legs didn't feel great. Having help on #'s 3 and 4 definitely helped, and I pushed hard for the last two...the last one being a complete all-out effort. I put my coat on shortly after finishing (just like I did last week), which my stomach didn't appreciate (just like last week). Something about the quick temperature change really did me in. Duly noted. Felt a headache on the ride back to DC.
-----
Thursday, Feb 24th - 12x hill runs, explosive plyos
I went over to the hill under the P street bridge after work and ran these hills in the early evening. I focused on leaning forward more at the start and using my arms to power my legs up the hill. Worked on maintaining a fast cadence as well. After finishing, I jogged to the gym for plyos. I did two-legged hops for quickness/explosion (4x12 of each), one-legged hops/running (3x12 each leg), stiff-legged jumping (3x15), depth jumps (4x7 jumps), lunges (2x28), and eccentric calf raises. I love these plyos and want to add some new ones from the Vertical Jump Bible going forward.
-----
Friday, Feb 25th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 26th - weights
Today was originally supposed to involve a longer conditioning run, but after a late night at Dan's for the Hambone's going away weekend and a large dim sum meal, Laura and I passed out and awoke with just enough time for a rushed gym session. I did squats, squat to push press (thrusters), bench press, overhead squats, standing running arms, abductors, and adductors. May have missed a couple. For squats, I did sets of 7, 5, 6 @ 235 lbs. It felt like my body needed to get used to the higher weight, but the first set felt quite easy. I hope I can continue to improve. I only just learned that increasing 20 lbs like this and decreasing from 10 to 7 reps shouldn't actually be much harder, if at all.
-----
Sunday, Feb 27th - Ladder Workout: 100m-200m(28)-300m(46)-400m(61)-300m(48)-200m(28)-100m, 5 minute walking recovery
I went out to Banneker with Laura and Salmi today. Everyone had a really good workout. Everyone pushed and was pushed. It was great. Laura, in her first workout like this of the year, ran a solid 60 sec-80 sec-60 sec split for the difficult 300m-400m-300m part of the ladder. Salmi was equally impressive with his 48 sec-63 sec-48 sec splits, which would have been winning times last year.
1. 100m - NA - 14
2. 200m - 28 - 28
3. 300m - 46 - 45
4. 400m - 61 - 57
5. 300m - 48 - 43 or 44
6. 200m - 28 - 28
7. 100m - NA - 13
Again, an encouraging workout all around. I was pleasantly surprised by the 57. Nice to see a time like that for this kind of workout and at this time in the season. Hope I can keep it up.
-----
Monday, Feb 28th - 45 minutes cross-training, weights
Long workout today. Laura and I met at the gym at 6:40, ran for 20 minutes, biked for 20 minutes, did 10 minutes of abs, and then hit the weights. We did squats together and then I stayed a bit longer and did overhead squats, bench press, bicep to shoulder press, calves, one armed/one legged row, abductors, and adductors. For squats, I did sets of 7, 5 and 5 @ 235 lbs. After Sat and Sun I didn't feel particularly fresh but whatever, it happens. I did 3x10 @ 65 lbs for the overhead squats and they really worked my back. After a few sets of the one-armed rows that followed, I started feeling some back spasms so decided to fore-go my 3rd set. I think that was smart because I woke up Tues morning with a very weak and sore back. I think I got super close to f-ing it up but managed to avoid it. Interestingly, Laura also had an extremely tight back after the Sun/Mon workouts. I ended up working from home Tues morning to ice/take pressure off for the first part of the day. Overhead squats are killer, man. They're killing me, anyway. I also plan to add in some high rep squats...like 15-20 reps @ 135 lbs or something, which I'd fold in towards the end of a workout. I need to work on this kind of strength endurance.
-----
Fun 80m workout this Sunday. Boom.
-----
Wednesday, Feb 23rd - Fun Time
Headed to the track today and met up with Frankie, Calvin, and Jesse. We got started a bit late at 7:30 because we were paired up and throwing on opposite sides of the field, each pair not knowing the other was there. Brilliant. The track was clearer and became a barren wasteland at 8pm. So relaxing. I ran some unpleasant 300's. Frankie, Cal, and Jesse ran some full speed 60's and 40's with core work during the 3-4 minute breaks between runs. They also helped me down the homestretch of two of my runs (reps #3 and 4), which was great. I timed them on some 40 yard dashes, although it should be mentioned that they had already run 6 or so full-speed sprints by this point. The 3 reps I timed were 4.9, 5.0, and 5.04. These were from a standing start. For my 6x300m workout, the goal was 43-44 seconds. Rest time was full, so between 8 and 10 minutes.
1. 300m - 43-44 sec - 45
2. 300m - 43-44 sec - 43
3. 300m - 43-44 sec - 43
4. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
5. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
6. 300m - 43-44 sec - 44
I paced the first rep to a disappointing 45 flat. I picked it up from there on out but could feel from early on that this workout was going to be a tough one. My legs didn't feel great. Having help on #'s 3 and 4 definitely helped, and I pushed hard for the last two...the last one being a complete all-out effort. I put my coat on shortly after finishing (just like I did last week), which my stomach didn't appreciate (just like last week). Something about the quick temperature change really did me in. Duly noted. Felt a headache on the ride back to DC.
-----
Thursday, Feb 24th - 12x hill runs, explosive plyos
I went over to the hill under the P street bridge after work and ran these hills in the early evening. I focused on leaning forward more at the start and using my arms to power my legs up the hill. Worked on maintaining a fast cadence as well. After finishing, I jogged to the gym for plyos. I did two-legged hops for quickness/explosion (4x12 of each), one-legged hops/running (3x12 each leg), stiff-legged jumping (3x15), depth jumps (4x7 jumps), lunges (2x28), and eccentric calf raises. I love these plyos and want to add some new ones from the Vertical Jump Bible going forward.
-----
Friday, Feb 25th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 26th - weights
Today was originally supposed to involve a longer conditioning run, but after a late night at Dan's for the Hambone's going away weekend and a large dim sum meal, Laura and I passed out and awoke with just enough time for a rushed gym session. I did squats, squat to push press (thrusters), bench press, overhead squats, standing running arms, abductors, and adductors. May have missed a couple. For squats, I did sets of 7, 5, 6 @ 235 lbs. It felt like my body needed to get used to the higher weight, but the first set felt quite easy. I hope I can continue to improve. I only just learned that increasing 20 lbs like this and decreasing from 10 to 7 reps shouldn't actually be much harder, if at all.
-----
Sunday, Feb 27th - Ladder Workout: 100m-200m(28)-300m(46)-400m(61)-300m(48)-200m(28)-100m, 5 minute walking recovery
I went out to Banneker with Laura and Salmi today. Everyone had a really good workout. Everyone pushed and was pushed. It was great. Laura, in her first workout like this of the year, ran a solid 60 sec-80 sec-60 sec split for the difficult 300m-400m-300m part of the ladder. Salmi was equally impressive with his 48 sec-63 sec-48 sec splits, which would have been winning times last year.
1. 100m - NA - 14
2. 200m - 28 - 28
3. 300m - 46 - 45
4. 400m - 61 - 57
5. 300m - 48 - 43 or 44
6. 200m - 28 - 28
7. 100m - NA - 13
Again, an encouraging workout all around. I was pleasantly surprised by the 57. Nice to see a time like that for this kind of workout and at this time in the season. Hope I can keep it up.
-----
Monday, Feb 28th - 45 minutes cross-training, weights
Long workout today. Laura and I met at the gym at 6:40, ran for 20 minutes, biked for 20 minutes, did 10 minutes of abs, and then hit the weights. We did squats together and then I stayed a bit longer and did overhead squats, bench press, bicep to shoulder press, calves, one armed/one legged row, abductors, and adductors. For squats, I did sets of 7, 5 and 5 @ 235 lbs. After Sat and Sun I didn't feel particularly fresh but whatever, it happens. I did 3x10 @ 65 lbs for the overhead squats and they really worked my back. After a few sets of the one-armed rows that followed, I started feeling some back spasms so decided to fore-go my 3rd set. I think that was smart because I woke up Tues morning with a very weak and sore back. I think I got super close to f-ing it up but managed to avoid it. Interestingly, Laura also had an extremely tight back after the Sun/Mon workouts. I ended up working from home Tues morning to ice/take pressure off for the first part of the day. Overhead squats are killer, man. They're killing me, anyway. I also plan to add in some high rep squats...like 15-20 reps @ 135 lbs or something, which I'd fold in towards the end of a workout. I need to work on this kind of strength endurance.
-----
Fun 80m workout this Sunday. Boom.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Week 6 Summary
This week marked the first week of Wednesday "Fun Time." With Wednesdays now at the track with larger groups, I've flipped my Wed & Thurs workouts. Wednesdays are now sprinting and Thursdays are conditioning/plyos/weights. In the past, I've always done track sessions the day after a lift or plyo session. Battling through any related fatigue or general flatness on track days seemed to be part of the challenge. I like this switch, however, because it allows me a track day after an off day. My Sunday track days still follow conditioning/plyos, but having a slightly different setup during the week may help Wednesdays become harder sessions and yield some better results.
Tuesday, Feb 15th - Off
-----
Wednesday, Feb 16th - 8x200m, 26 sec goal, walk 5 minutes recovery (can take more if needed)
I did a 200m workout during Fun Time last week. Kantor, Frankie, Keegan, Ken, Salmi, and Russ joined me for parts of the workout, which was great. Folks also threw and jawed with cantankerous old men jogging around the full track (new start time: 7pm!). Agan did all 8 and worked hard. His times were around 27-28 seconds (in sneakers) with maybe a 29 in there, which beat my times for this workout from previous years. Here are my times:
1. 200m - 26 - 26.5
2. 200m - 26 - 26.4
3. 200m - 26 - 27.0
4. 200m - 26 - 26.6
5. 200m - 26 - 27.4
6. 200m - 26 - 28.0
7. 200m - 26 - 27.2
8. 200m - 26 - 26.4
Last year, I ran this workout in sneakers indoors at Yates. I was horrible. This year, though, due to some encouraging times from Jan/early Feb, I targeted 26's as my goal. I paced the first three reps and felt pretty good, although I had to speed up a bit for reps 2 and 3...the 3rd one not being quite fast enough, which annoyed me. Frankie went out hard for #4, which I appreciated. It helped me stay fast and get a 26. After that, though, my times started to slip a bit. I went on feel/effort instead of time and paid for it. I don't think I was mentally prepared for this workout. Not sure if I'd actually been able to do it anyway, though. After running the 28 flat on #6, we rested a bit longer and pushed hard the last couple reps. For #8, I gave it everything and felt really good until about the 190m point when it started to feel like the wheels were coming off. I was really happy I was able to end on a 26, though. It would have been great to get a couple more 26's in there, but this was an encouraging workout at this early stage in the season.
-----
Thursday, Feb 17th - half mile jog; stadium step runs (run up, walk down for recovery, run up, 25 minutes total); explosive plyos; weights; finish with a half mile jog
I made up the Monday weight session on Thursday. I jogged from the metro to the gym as my initial half-mile jog and then spent 25 minutes running up and down the stairwell, haha. I made a point to keep me feet moving quickly and feel I need to get better at workouts like these. Then, after a brief rest, I went into a joint plyo/weight session. I've not really combined sessions like this before, but I liked it. I was able to start off with some of the lighter plyos, move into some of the heavier lifts, and then mix in power plyos with some of my lighter circuits. I did two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, squats, bench press, overhead squats, box jumps, rotator cuff, standing running arms, one-legged hops (running), lunges, and ab/adductors. For the squats, I did sets of 8, 8, and 6 @ 215 lbs. I was lifting on my own so was cautious about that last set. For the overhead squats, I did 65 lbs and still feel a little uncomfortable with them...more so because I worry about giving out or losing my balance if I do too many reps and needing to throw down or drop the weight. The Y doesn't have a power lifting area, so the space (and non-rubber plates) is not amenable to throwing weight around...
Friday, Feb 18th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 19th - 50 minute run, weights
Laura and I went on a long run in the morning. Hers was over an hour since she ran down to my place as well. We ran through Rock Creek Park with a nice detour on the way back that led to a barefoot river crossing. Fun times. Laura had worked out Thursday and Friday with long cardio sessions and some weights, so she powered through despite her third long cardio day in a row. After an insane brunch at the Tabard Inn and a mandatory afternoon nap, we raced over to the gym for about 45 minutes before it closed. I obviously wasn't able to get everything done that I wanted to, but I did manage to do squats, deadlifts, pull-ups (I think), standing running arms, and calves. For the squats, I did sets of 10, 7, 7 @ 215 lbs. Laura helped me on the very last rep. It was good having her there to step in; I may have been able to finish on my own but better to be safe.
-----
Sunday, Feb 20th - 4x150m buildups, 6x40m - full speed, 3 minutes walking recovery.
I took my digital camera and brand new cheapest-they-come tripod to the track on Sunday and filmed Salmi, George, and I run the 40s. I may get to posting these videos at some point, but I have a ton of stuff to improve on. George/Salmi: I checked out some stuff you guys were doing as well; we should chat next time we're at the track. My camera kind of sucks but it's better than nothing. These sprints weren't timed. The 150m buildups are 50m jog-50m stride-50m sprint. They're a nice lead-in to the full speed work. I get most worried about injury during these short distance workouts, so I made a point to warm up well.
-----
Monday, Feb 21st - 30 minutes cross training, weights/plyos
Went to the gym with Laura and started with 30 minutes on the bike. I did an interval workout which was tough at times but my heart rate stayed below 130, which is rare for me. Laura experienced the same thing (and she worked harder than I did). We then did squats and pull-ups. For the squats, I managed to get 3x10 at 215 lbs, a personal best. My hips felt stronger when at the bottom of the motion, which was nice. Laura folded in a circuit with bench press, calves, and back extensions...and then did squats to push presses and a few overhead squats with low weight as an intro. Laura did 3 sets of squats to push-presses with the 45 lb bar and got 7 push presses out each time before continuing on for 15-20 total squats per set. She worked really hard; the push presses were very impressive. I tried them with 85 lbs and had a tough time getting to 7 reps. I was particularly bad at lowering the weight back onto my shoulders prior to dropping down into my next squat. More often than not it came down rather forcefully and sometimes the landing was not particularly soft. At any rate, I stayed at the gym a bit longer and did dumbbell curls to shoulder press, overhead squats (just a few), calves, shoulder/triceps, standing running arms, two-legged hops for explosion, one-legged running (hopping), and lunges. I've found that combining weights and plyos (which will happen on Mondays) leave me feeling more sapped the next day than I otherwise would be; it's nice to have a day off afterward.
-----
Looking forward to some 300's on Wednesday. Wham-o!
Tuesday, Feb 15th - Off
-----
Wednesday, Feb 16th - 8x200m, 26 sec goal, walk 5 minutes recovery (can take more if needed)
I did a 200m workout during Fun Time last week. Kantor, Frankie, Keegan, Ken, Salmi, and Russ joined me for parts of the workout, which was great. Folks also threw and jawed with cantankerous old men jogging around the full track (new start time: 7pm!). Agan did all 8 and worked hard. His times were around 27-28 seconds (in sneakers) with maybe a 29 in there, which beat my times for this workout from previous years. Here are my times:
1. 200m - 26 - 26.5
2. 200m - 26 - 26.4
3. 200m - 26 - 27.0
4. 200m - 26 - 26.6
5. 200m - 26 - 27.4
6. 200m - 26 - 28.0
7. 200m - 26 - 27.2
8. 200m - 26 - 26.4
Last year, I ran this workout in sneakers indoors at Yates. I was horrible. This year, though, due to some encouraging times from Jan/early Feb, I targeted 26's as my goal. I paced the first three reps and felt pretty good, although I had to speed up a bit for reps 2 and 3...the 3rd one not being quite fast enough, which annoyed me. Frankie went out hard for #4, which I appreciated. It helped me stay fast and get a 26. After that, though, my times started to slip a bit. I went on feel/effort instead of time and paid for it. I don't think I was mentally prepared for this workout. Not sure if I'd actually been able to do it anyway, though. After running the 28 flat on #6, we rested a bit longer and pushed hard the last couple reps. For #8, I gave it everything and felt really good until about the 190m point when it started to feel like the wheels were coming off. I was really happy I was able to end on a 26, though. It would have been great to get a couple more 26's in there, but this was an encouraging workout at this early stage in the season.
-----
Thursday, Feb 17th - half mile jog; stadium step runs (run up, walk down for recovery, run up, 25 minutes total); explosive plyos; weights; finish with a half mile jog
I made up the Monday weight session on Thursday. I jogged from the metro to the gym as my initial half-mile jog and then spent 25 minutes running up and down the stairwell, haha. I made a point to keep me feet moving quickly and feel I need to get better at workouts like these. Then, after a brief rest, I went into a joint plyo/weight session. I've not really combined sessions like this before, but I liked it. I was able to start off with some of the lighter plyos, move into some of the heavier lifts, and then mix in power plyos with some of my lighter circuits. I did two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, squats, bench press, overhead squats, box jumps, rotator cuff, standing running arms, one-legged hops (running), lunges, and ab/adductors. For the squats, I did sets of 8, 8, and 6 @ 215 lbs. I was lifting on my own so was cautious about that last set. For the overhead squats, I did 65 lbs and still feel a little uncomfortable with them...more so because I worry about giving out or losing my balance if I do too many reps and needing to throw down or drop the weight. The Y doesn't have a power lifting area, so the space (and non-rubber plates) is not amenable to throwing weight around...
Friday, Feb 18th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 19th - 50 minute run, weights
Laura and I went on a long run in the morning. Hers was over an hour since she ran down to my place as well. We ran through Rock Creek Park with a nice detour on the way back that led to a barefoot river crossing. Fun times. Laura had worked out Thursday and Friday with long cardio sessions and some weights, so she powered through despite her third long cardio day in a row. After an insane brunch at the Tabard Inn and a mandatory afternoon nap, we raced over to the gym for about 45 minutes before it closed. I obviously wasn't able to get everything done that I wanted to, but I did manage to do squats, deadlifts, pull-ups (I think), standing running arms, and calves. For the squats, I did sets of 10, 7, 7 @ 215 lbs. Laura helped me on the very last rep. It was good having her there to step in; I may have been able to finish on my own but better to be safe.
-----
Sunday, Feb 20th - 4x150m buildups, 6x40m - full speed, 3 minutes walking recovery.
I took my digital camera and brand new cheapest-they-come tripod to the track on Sunday and filmed Salmi, George, and I run the 40s. I may get to posting these videos at some point, but I have a ton of stuff to improve on. George/Salmi: I checked out some stuff you guys were doing as well; we should chat next time we're at the track. My camera kind of sucks but it's better than nothing. These sprints weren't timed. The 150m buildups are 50m jog-50m stride-50m sprint. They're a nice lead-in to the full speed work. I get most worried about injury during these short distance workouts, so I made a point to warm up well.
-----
Monday, Feb 21st - 30 minutes cross training, weights/plyos
Went to the gym with Laura and started with 30 minutes on the bike. I did an interval workout which was tough at times but my heart rate stayed below 130, which is rare for me. Laura experienced the same thing (and she worked harder than I did). We then did squats and pull-ups. For the squats, I managed to get 3x10 at 215 lbs, a personal best. My hips felt stronger when at the bottom of the motion, which was nice. Laura folded in a circuit with bench press, calves, and back extensions...and then did squats to push presses and a few overhead squats with low weight as an intro. Laura did 3 sets of squats to push-presses with the 45 lb bar and got 7 push presses out each time before continuing on for 15-20 total squats per set. She worked really hard; the push presses were very impressive. I tried them with 85 lbs and had a tough time getting to 7 reps. I was particularly bad at lowering the weight back onto my shoulders prior to dropping down into my next squat. More often than not it came down rather forcefully and sometimes the landing was not particularly soft. At any rate, I stayed at the gym a bit longer and did dumbbell curls to shoulder press, overhead squats (just a few), calves, shoulder/triceps, standing running arms, two-legged hops for explosion, one-legged running (hopping), and lunges. I've found that combining weights and plyos (which will happen on Mondays) leave me feeling more sapped the next day than I otherwise would be; it's nice to have a day off afterward.
-----
Looking forward to some 300's on Wednesday. Wham-o!
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Runner's High
Interesting article about runner's high.
New theory is that it's not endorphins but instead endocannabinoid molecules that, you guessed it, cannabis replicate pretty well.
-----
I got a really good runner's high last week after the 10x100m full speed workout. I got it a bit yesterday after my 8x200m workout (to be recapped once my week is done) but certainly not as much. The 200s were more painful and tougher, and I'm sure that played a part in muting my post-workout euphoria.
New theory is that it's not endorphins but instead endocannabinoid molecules that, you guessed it, cannabis replicate pretty well.
-----
I got a really good runner's high last week after the 10x100m full speed workout. I got it a bit yesterday after my 8x200m workout (to be recapped once my week is done) but certainly not as much. The 200s were more painful and tougher, and I'm sure that played a part in muting my post-workout euphoria.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Week 5 Summary
I had a good series of workouts this week. After my satisfactory but not stellar 38 for my 300m time trial, I went out for both speed and endurance work this week.
Tuesday, Feb 8th - Off
-----
Wednesday, Feb 9th - Conditioning mile, plyos.
I felt sluggish during this conditioning mile. My exercises were 25 push-ups/30 seconds ab (varying exercises), 25 dips, and hopping over a line for quickness. The push-ups/dips were the hardest, naturally, but 25/25 is a step up from my starting point of 20/20 to start the year. Last year my best conditioning mile was 35/35 and I almost died. I want to beat that mark this year. It felt great to do plyos. It's been so long since I've done a good plyo session. I respond well to them and the time saved by doing plyos instead of a full lifting session was welcome. I did two-legged hops for quickness, two-legged hops for explosion, one-legged hopping (running), depth jumps, and straight-legged jumps. I need to get more explosive.
-----
Thursday, Feb 10th - 10x100m, 12 sec goal, walk 5 minutes recovery
Went to Washington Lee with Kantor and Agan. I could feel a little bit from the plyos but treated this as a good thing. I ran in spikes. Here are my times:
1. 100m - 12 - 12.5
2. 100m - 12 - 12.4
3. 100m - 12 - 12.1
4. 100m - 12 - 12.1
5. 100m - 12 - 12.4
6. 100m - 12 - 12.4
7. 100m - 12 - 12.8
8. 100m - 12 - 12.6
9. 100m - 12 - 12.4
10. 100m - 12 - 12.4
We threw around between reps, although we started focusing more on the runs by the end of the set. Stomachs were an issue for everyone; Kantor ended up running the first 3 reps and then doing a couple more over the course of the rest of the workout. Agan's stomach bothered him as well but he managed all 10, with almost all under 13 seconds in sneakers. Very solid work.
-----
Friday, Feb 11th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 12th - Cross-training, plyos/weights
I spoke with Alison, the friend who's coaching me from afar, today. Funnily enough, this was the first conversation we've had in 4 years of email/online correspondence. Crazy when I think about it. We went over a few things and talked about workouts/goals/things to focus on. It was great. I then went to the Y and shot some hoops for a while and then jumped on the bike for 10-15 minutes. Then I did squats, overhead squats, bench press, dumbbell curl to press, calves, standing running arms, two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, and one-legged hops (running). I hadn't eaten very well up until this point, so finished up with only two sets of the above plyos instead of three. For squats, though, I managed a personal best of 3x10 @ 205 lbs. I got a little lightheaded by the end but by standing and breathing I was able to finish out these sets pretty easily...except for the last rep of the last set. That one was almost too much. I then tried overhead squats for the first time and did a casual 3x10 @ 45 lbs (just the bar). The shoulder/core work was immediate and my balance was an issue for the first set. I was much more stabilized there on out. I plan to do these on all gym days because they do a nice job of working my shoulders and squatting with low weight...the latter being a nice lead-in to some box jumps or something.
-----
Sunday, Feb 13th - 4x500m, 90 sec goal, 5 minutes walk recovery (can take a bit longer if needed).
1. 500m - 90 - 90
2. 500m - 90 - 86
3. 500m - 90 - 88
4. 500m - 90 - 86
George and Salmi joined me at Banneker. George had come straight from two hours of basketball, haha. We paced the first rep to 90 to see how it felt. After that I felt I could push a bit harder down the last 200m, so I continued to pace the first 300m at 54-55 seconds and then pushed harder down the last 200m. For the last rep, George, feeling his legs, graciously volunteered to stand at the 300m mark and act as a rabbit for the last 200m. I gave that last one everything I had. It was exhausting. Salmi ran all four reps in very good times of 90-88-93-97(?). George was similar for those first three.
-----
Monday, Feb 14th - 30-60 minute jog, weights
Plan today was a long workout. But after a poor night's sleep Sunday night and a tough workout the day before, I ended up taking the evening completely off. The modified plan was to rest on my couch and then do a run/exercises in my apt, but I think I needed the rest. I will make up this weight workout on Thursday, which is my new conditioning/plyos/weights day.
-----
Fired up for the first Fun Time session on Wed. Sounds like 6:30 for now...
Tuesday, Feb 8th - Off
-----
Wednesday, Feb 9th - Conditioning mile, plyos.
I felt sluggish during this conditioning mile. My exercises were 25 push-ups/30 seconds ab (varying exercises), 25 dips, and hopping over a line for quickness. The push-ups/dips were the hardest, naturally, but 25/25 is a step up from my starting point of 20/20 to start the year. Last year my best conditioning mile was 35/35 and I almost died. I want to beat that mark this year. It felt great to do plyos. It's been so long since I've done a good plyo session. I respond well to them and the time saved by doing plyos instead of a full lifting session was welcome. I did two-legged hops for quickness, two-legged hops for explosion, one-legged hopping (running), depth jumps, and straight-legged jumps. I need to get more explosive.
-----
Thursday, Feb 10th - 10x100m, 12 sec goal, walk 5 minutes recovery
Went to Washington Lee with Kantor and Agan. I could feel a little bit from the plyos but treated this as a good thing. I ran in spikes. Here are my times:
1. 100m - 12 - 12.5
2. 100m - 12 - 12.4
3. 100m - 12 - 12.1
4. 100m - 12 - 12.1
5. 100m - 12 - 12.4
6. 100m - 12 - 12.4
7. 100m - 12 - 12.8
8. 100m - 12 - 12.6
9. 100m - 12 - 12.4
10. 100m - 12 - 12.4
We threw around between reps, although we started focusing more on the runs by the end of the set. Stomachs were an issue for everyone; Kantor ended up running the first 3 reps and then doing a couple more over the course of the rest of the workout. Agan's stomach bothered him as well but he managed all 10, with almost all under 13 seconds in sneakers. Very solid work.
-----
Friday, Feb 11th - Off
-----
Saturday, Feb 12th - Cross-training, plyos/weights
I spoke with Alison, the friend who's coaching me from afar, today. Funnily enough, this was the first conversation we've had in 4 years of email/online correspondence. Crazy when I think about it. We went over a few things and talked about workouts/goals/things to focus on. It was great. I then went to the Y and shot some hoops for a while and then jumped on the bike for 10-15 minutes. Then I did squats, overhead squats, bench press, dumbbell curl to press, calves, standing running arms, two-legged hops for quickness/explosion, and one-legged hops (running). I hadn't eaten very well up until this point, so finished up with only two sets of the above plyos instead of three. For squats, though, I managed a personal best of 3x10 @ 205 lbs. I got a little lightheaded by the end but by standing and breathing I was able to finish out these sets pretty easily...except for the last rep of the last set. That one was almost too much. I then tried overhead squats for the first time and did a casual 3x10 @ 45 lbs (just the bar). The shoulder/core work was immediate and my balance was an issue for the first set. I was much more stabilized there on out. I plan to do these on all gym days because they do a nice job of working my shoulders and squatting with low weight...the latter being a nice lead-in to some box jumps or something.
-----
Sunday, Feb 13th - 4x500m, 90 sec goal, 5 minutes walk recovery (can take a bit longer if needed).
1. 500m - 90 - 90
2. 500m - 90 - 86
3. 500m - 90 - 88
4. 500m - 90 - 86
George and Salmi joined me at Banneker. George had come straight from two hours of basketball, haha. We paced the first rep to 90 to see how it felt. After that I felt I could push a bit harder down the last 200m, so I continued to pace the first 300m at 54-55 seconds and then pushed harder down the last 200m. For the last rep, George, feeling his legs, graciously volunteered to stand at the 300m mark and act as a rabbit for the last 200m. I gave that last one everything I had. It was exhausting. Salmi ran all four reps in very good times of 90-88-93-97(?). George was similar for those first three.
-----
Monday, Feb 14th - 30-60 minute jog, weights
Plan today was a long workout. But after a poor night's sleep Sunday night and a tough workout the day before, I ended up taking the evening completely off. The modified plan was to rest on my couch and then do a run/exercises in my apt, but I think I needed the rest. I will make up this weight workout on Thursday, which is my new conditioning/plyos/weights day.
-----
Fired up for the first Fun Time session on Wed. Sounds like 6:30 for now...
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Week 4 Summary
Monday, Jan 31st -
Half Marathon workout at the gym (see below from last week)
Tuesday, Feb 1st -
Off
Wed, Feb 2nd -
45 minutes of cross-training (running/biking/stair-stepper (ha!)), weights. I did squats, squat jumps, pull-ups, bench, biceps to shoulder press, standing running arms with 10 - 12.5 lbs, abs, and calves. For the squats I was on the free rack and did 5 reps @ 225 lbs, 4 reps @ 235 lbs, and 3 reps @ 235 lbs. I was quite cautious due to some hammy tightness but was pleased that the sets at 235 lbs went smoothly. Squat jumps were two set of 10 @ 135 lbs. I think these jumps are slightly stretching/straining a ligament on my right knee. I may skip these altogether for a few weeks and see if that helps. I was doing sets of 5 reps across the board in prep for the Sunday time trial.
Thurs, Feb. 3rd -
Went out for some track action with George, Salmi, and Calvin. We did a tempo speed workout. Rest was to walk the same distance just ran:
50m - 100m - 150m - 200m (30 sec) - 300m (42 sec) - 350m (49 sec)
Everyone ran hard. It was great to have folks out there. Everyone was pretty close to 30 seconds for the 200m. I ran a 31. I was also in spikes. For the 300m, I finished in 43. The rest of the crew ran a solid time in the mid to high-40s. The 300m was not pleasant. I, for one, did not pace well, and slowed incredibly down the last 100m, mostly just due to fatigue and knowing that I had one more left. The 350m was certainly the toughest. It was also set up to be the hardest effort. George got a 53 or a 54, which was great. I managed a 50 in my spikes and Salmi/Calvin were both sub-60. Again, these are all solid times, especially for folks who are used to a different kind of running.
Fri, Feb. 3rd -
Off
Sat, Feb 4th -
10 hill repeats. Ran up, walked back down. Jogged there and back.
Sun, Feb 5th -
Time trial. Thanks to Cal and Tommy for helping me out. We met up at Washington Lee with a bunch of folks looking to play some football. Youth soccer camps stymied that effort, but the track was relatively clear, which was great. I ended up running a 38.7, according to Tommy, the stopwatch extraordinaire.
Mon, Feb 6th -
Went on a 30-minute run with Laura, then did a lift. We started with pull-ups (Laura is quite close to her goal of doing one on her own) and then did a machine circuit: bench, biceps, shoulders, triceps. I then continued with squats, squat jumps, standing running arms with 10-12.5 lbs each hand, rotator cuff, straight-legged hops, leg press, hip ab/adductors.
For the squats, I was on my own and did 4 reps @ 225 lbs, 5 reps @ 225, and then 3 reps @ 225. A dude spotted me on the 2nd set. I didn't feel as strong as I did last week. I did two sets of squat jumps @ 115. 7 reps or so. But my I started feeling something in my knee again so I skipped the 3rd set. For the leg press, I did sets of 5 at 235, 245, and 255 or something like that.
Today -
Off
----
I've decided that my right knee needs to heal some ligaments...I feel slight tenderness when twisting on my knee, so I'm going to stop the squat jumps for the next few weeks. I might move to only the leg press if the squats start to irritate it.
As for this week, Wednesday will be conditioning mile and plyos. Thursday will be speed work (10x100m w/ 5 minutes rest). Anyone interested in either or both?
Location flexible. Peace.
Half Marathon workout at the gym (see below from last week)
Tuesday, Feb 1st -
Off
Wed, Feb 2nd -
45 minutes of cross-training (running/biking/stair-stepper (ha!)), weights. I did squats, squat jumps, pull-ups, bench, biceps to shoulder press, standing running arms with 10 - 12.5 lbs, abs, and calves. For the squats I was on the free rack and did 5 reps @ 225 lbs, 4 reps @ 235 lbs, and 3 reps @ 235 lbs. I was quite cautious due to some hammy tightness but was pleased that the sets at 235 lbs went smoothly. Squat jumps were two set of 10 @ 135 lbs. I think these jumps are slightly stretching/straining a ligament on my right knee. I may skip these altogether for a few weeks and see if that helps. I was doing sets of 5 reps across the board in prep for the Sunday time trial.
Thurs, Feb. 3rd -
Went out for some track action with George, Salmi, and Calvin. We did a tempo speed workout. Rest was to walk the same distance just ran:
50m - 100m - 150m - 200m (30 sec) - 300m (42 sec) - 350m (49 sec)
Everyone ran hard. It was great to have folks out there. Everyone was pretty close to 30 seconds for the 200m. I ran a 31. I was also in spikes. For the 300m, I finished in 43. The rest of the crew ran a solid time in the mid to high-40s. The 300m was not pleasant. I, for one, did not pace well, and slowed incredibly down the last 100m, mostly just due to fatigue and knowing that I had one more left. The 350m was certainly the toughest. It was also set up to be the hardest effort. George got a 53 or a 54, which was great. I managed a 50 in my spikes and Salmi/Calvin were both sub-60. Again, these are all solid times, especially for folks who are used to a different kind of running.
Fri, Feb. 3rd -
Off
Sat, Feb 4th -
10 hill repeats. Ran up, walked back down. Jogged there and back.
Sun, Feb 5th -
Time trial. Thanks to Cal and Tommy for helping me out. We met up at Washington Lee with a bunch of folks looking to play some football. Youth soccer camps stymied that effort, but the track was relatively clear, which was great. I ended up running a 38.7, according to Tommy, the stopwatch extraordinaire.
Mon, Feb 6th -
Went on a 30-minute run with Laura, then did a lift. We started with pull-ups (Laura is quite close to her goal of doing one on her own) and then did a machine circuit: bench, biceps, shoulders, triceps. I then continued with squats, squat jumps, standing running arms with 10-12.5 lbs each hand, rotator cuff, straight-legged hops, leg press, hip ab/adductors.
For the squats, I was on my own and did 4 reps @ 225 lbs, 5 reps @ 225, and then 3 reps @ 225. A dude spotted me on the 2nd set. I didn't feel as strong as I did last week. I did two sets of squat jumps @ 115. 7 reps or so. But my I started feeling something in my knee again so I skipped the 3rd set. For the leg press, I did sets of 5 at 235, 245, and 255 or something like that.
Today -
Off
----
I've decided that my right knee needs to heal some ligaments...I feel slight tenderness when twisting on my knee, so I'm going to stop the squat jumps for the next few weeks. I might move to only the leg press if the squats start to irritate it.
As for this week, Wednesday will be conditioning mile and plyos. Thursday will be speed work (10x100m w/ 5 minutes rest). Anyone interested in either or both?
Location flexible. Peace.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Week 3 Summary
Here's what I did last week:
Monday, Jan 24th -
Off
Tuesday, Jan 25th -
20 minute jog, followed by weights. I did not get a ton done in this weight session...only managed to get in pull-up, squats, squat jumps, bench, and some arm exercises before leaving at my 9:30pm stopping point. Squats were 3 sets of 8 or so at 195 lb. and squat jumps were 3 sets of 10 at 105 lbs. I'm still shitty at pull-ups.
Wednesday, Jan 26th -
6x200m with 50m walk/50m jog recovery. I ran this on the 90+m indoor track at the Y. Not a great track for this kind of workout, but whatever. Goal was sub-30 and I ended up running 31s and 32s. Given Sunday's performance below, running in a group would have helped.
Thursday, Jan 27th -
The Marathon. Due to the snow, etc., I was able to leave work early and get to the gym by 5. I'm pretty sure I've dreamed about this before and it's certainly one of my favorites. I changed and used the foam roller for 15 minutes. I then lay around for 30 minutes to decompress. I got started at 6 with 20 minutes of 1-minute runs on the indoor track. 1 minute on, 1 minute off. Pace is as fast as you can maintain. These are not sprints. By my estimates, I ran about 330m on average in each minute...maybe a bit further. I'll pace it off tomorrow. I was happy with this distance. My goal is to run a 350m average by the end of the track season. I then pulled out my snacks and had a brief halftime recuperation before going downstairs for a full lift. I had tons of time so I managed to do everything: squats, squat jumps, standing running arms w/ weights, bench, bicep to shoulder press, shoulder/triceps, calves, leg press (one set only...I was dead), hamstrings, quads, ab/adductors. It was awesome. For the squats I did 4 sets of 6-7 at 205 lbs. Squat jumps I moved up as well to 115 lbs. 3 sets of 10.
Friday, Jan 28th -
Off
Saturday, Jan 29th -
Off (for Cornell alumni leadership conference, hey-yo!)
Sunday, Jan 30th -
8x400m with 200m walk recovery (about 2 minutes). First off, props to Jammin for showing up. I don't any of us was anticipating how hard this workout ended up being. I knew after the 1st one but didn't let on a ton. Last year, my goal time for this workout was 80 seconds per rep. It was pretty easy...the last few were the only ones that really required much effort. So I went into this workout shooting for 78's in my mind as a good starting point. But there goes George "rocket pants" Strange, to lead the first lap in a 72. Way to go, king kong. Salmi followed with a 73 or so and Agan with a 72. By this point our fate was sealed but I paced to a 75 for #4. #'s 5 through 7 were all around 72 to 73 seconds and George led a 70 to finish it out. Everyone was gassed. I don't think it was the intro workout we were expecting, but I'm really happy it turned out the way it did. Everyone pushed really hard. My coach was impressed, haha. Some of the future workouts will be a bit modified I think.
Monday, Jan 31st -
Half Marathon. Laura was my partner in crime. Started with a 20 minute jog and some stretching. Then did squats, squat jumps, bench, bicep curl to shoulder press, shoulder/triceps, standing running arms, quads, hamstrings, rotator cuffs, and one set of box jumps. Laura did a modified routine with more circuits and cardio and worked hard. We were both a bit glassy-eyed afterwards. It was hard to motivate to eat. Waking up this morning I felt like a dead weight. Crazy. Does anyone else get this way at all?
-----
300m time trial this Sunday, babies! We should get together to run/throw. Peace.
Monday, Jan 24th -
Off
Tuesday, Jan 25th -
20 minute jog, followed by weights. I did not get a ton done in this weight session...only managed to get in pull-up, squats, squat jumps, bench, and some arm exercises before leaving at my 9:30pm stopping point. Squats were 3 sets of 8 or so at 195 lb. and squat jumps were 3 sets of 10 at 105 lbs. I'm still shitty at pull-ups.
Wednesday, Jan 26th -
6x200m with 50m walk/50m jog recovery. I ran this on the 90+m indoor track at the Y. Not a great track for this kind of workout, but whatever. Goal was sub-30 and I ended up running 31s and 32s. Given Sunday's performance below, running in a group would have helped.
Thursday, Jan 27th -
The Marathon. Due to the snow, etc., I was able to leave work early and get to the gym by 5. I'm pretty sure I've dreamed about this before and it's certainly one of my favorites. I changed and used the foam roller for 15 minutes. I then lay around for 30 minutes to decompress. I got started at 6 with 20 minutes of 1-minute runs on the indoor track. 1 minute on, 1 minute off. Pace is as fast as you can maintain. These are not sprints. By my estimates, I ran about 330m on average in each minute...maybe a bit further. I'll pace it off tomorrow. I was happy with this distance. My goal is to run a 350m average by the end of the track season. I then pulled out my snacks and had a brief halftime recuperation before going downstairs for a full lift. I had tons of time so I managed to do everything: squats, squat jumps, standing running arms w/ weights, bench, bicep to shoulder press, shoulder/triceps, calves, leg press (one set only...I was dead), hamstrings, quads, ab/adductors. It was awesome. For the squats I did 4 sets of 6-7 at 205 lbs. Squat jumps I moved up as well to 115 lbs. 3 sets of 10.
Friday, Jan 28th -
Off
Saturday, Jan 29th -
Off (for Cornell alumni leadership conference, hey-yo!)
Sunday, Jan 30th -
8x400m with 200m walk recovery (about 2 minutes). First off, props to Jammin for showing up. I don't any of us was anticipating how hard this workout ended up being. I knew after the 1st one but didn't let on a ton. Last year, my goal time for this workout was 80 seconds per rep. It was pretty easy...the last few were the only ones that really required much effort. So I went into this workout shooting for 78's in my mind as a good starting point. But there goes George "rocket pants" Strange, to lead the first lap in a 72. Way to go, king kong. Salmi followed with a 73 or so and Agan with a 72. By this point our fate was sealed but I paced to a 75 for #4. #'s 5 through 7 were all around 72 to 73 seconds and George led a 70 to finish it out. Everyone was gassed. I don't think it was the intro workout we were expecting, but I'm really happy it turned out the way it did. Everyone pushed really hard. My coach was impressed, haha. Some of the future workouts will be a bit modified I think.
Monday, Jan 31st -
Half Marathon. Laura was my partner in crime. Started with a 20 minute jog and some stretching. Then did squats, squat jumps, bench, bicep curl to shoulder press, shoulder/triceps, standing running arms, quads, hamstrings, rotator cuffs, and one set of box jumps. Laura did a modified routine with more circuits and cardio and worked hard. We were both a bit glassy-eyed afterwards. It was hard to motivate to eat. Waking up this morning I felt like a dead weight. Crazy. Does anyone else get this way at all?
-----
300m time trial this Sunday, babies! We should get together to run/throw. Peace.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Week 2 Summary
Second true track workout of the year is gonna be on Wednesday this week due to a little rescheduling. I'm happy to do DC or VA depending on interest. Workout is 6x200m, each under 30 seconds. Just getting back into it. Nothing crazy.
Wednesday, Jan 19th -
Last Wed I did a conditioning mile and then a full weights workout with Laura (props!). On Thursday I did a 50-100-150-200-300-350m interval workout. I walked the same distance just ran. These were run at a tempo pace, not a sprint. The 300m was at 50-51 seconds and the 350m was at 57 seconds...right about the pace I wanted.
Saturday, Jan 22nd -
On Saturday, I played two hours of football and then went to the gym for a full lift. I ended up cutting it a bit short...3-4 hours is a bit much this time of year, it seems. I did squat jumps on the rack @ 95 lbs but moved to the leg press for the heavier stuff. I also did an upper body circuit and pull-ups. Laura represented with a gusty gym effort of her own.
Sunday, Jan 23rd -
On Sunday, Agan and I braved the rapidly sinking temperatures for a 3x500m workout with 300m walking recovery. This was certainly miserable. The goal was to pass the 400m mark at 70 seconds...we were a bit over that pace and then faded down the last 100m each time. It was great having Agan there. We then threw for about 30 minutes (another 100 throws closer to Agan's goal!). Then the sun went down and it got freezing and homeward we went.
Heading to the gym for weights tomorrow. Track, again, on Wed. Then 20 minutes of 1-minute runs followed by weights on Thursday. Hey-yo!
Wednesday, Jan 19th -
Last Wed I did a conditioning mile and then a full weights workout with Laura (props!). On Thursday I did a 50-100-150-200-300-350m interval workout. I walked the same distance just ran. These were run at a tempo pace, not a sprint. The 300m was at 50-51 seconds and the 350m was at 57 seconds...right about the pace I wanted.
Saturday, Jan 22nd -
On Saturday, I played two hours of football and then went to the gym for a full lift. I ended up cutting it a bit short...3-4 hours is a bit much this time of year, it seems. I did squat jumps on the rack @ 95 lbs but moved to the leg press for the heavier stuff. I also did an upper body circuit and pull-ups. Laura represented with a gusty gym effort of her own.
Sunday, Jan 23rd -
On Sunday, Agan and I braved the rapidly sinking temperatures for a 3x500m workout with 300m walking recovery. This was certainly miserable. The goal was to pass the 400m mark at 70 seconds...we were a bit over that pace and then faded down the last 100m each time. It was great having Agan there. We then threw for about 30 minutes (another 100 throws closer to Agan's goal!). Then the sun went down and it got freezing and homeward we went.
Heading to the gym for weights tomorrow. Track, again, on Wed. Then 20 minutes of 1-minute runs followed by weights on Thursday. Hey-yo!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Winter Break Update
Here's my update from over Christmas break:
Monday, Dec 27th -
I hit my 12 rep squat goal the week before (175/185/185), so I continued with my program. 3 sets of 8 at 10 lbs higher: 185/195/195. This was fairly easy, obviously, since the reps decreased so much, but I hope this kind of structure will allow for rests and then peaks. I went with my younger brother and also did pull-ups and squat jumps in addition to throwing and shooting around.
Wednesday, Dec 29th -
Threw and ran around with my friend Will. I wore my new webbed toe shoes (whatever they're called) in the absence of cleats. I'm hoping these new shoes will let me do some good toe strengthening and will add another dimension to my training. We ended with a four-minute tabata.
Thursday, Dec 30th -
Woke up early and went to the gym on my own prior to a road trip down to Savannah. Did 3x8 at 195/205/205. My lower back was still a little sore from rolling a 500 lb snowball (no joke) over the previous weekend, so I was a tad apprehensive but did fine. I got through the first two sets without a break but then on the third set, I got through five reps without a break but then took three big breathes at the top of the motion before going into each successive rep. I would either have failed or would have had a very tough time finishing without taking these breaths. What do you guys think about this? Is this cheating? Or is it okay to stand and breathe before going back down and up? At any rate, I then did 3x8 squat jumps (did 10 reps on the 3rd set) at 75 lbs or so. My legs definitely felt weak. I then did pull-ups and popped onto the seated leg press for a set. I ended with some abs.
Friday, Dec 31st -
Went for a three plus mile run with a friend and his girlfriend. They picked up the pace for the last few blocks and I struggled to keep up. My legs were probably still tired from the day before, but I really need to get better endurance speed. I ended with a nice 5/10/15 AMRAP. Those squats burned...
Monday, Jan 3rd -
Went to the gym with Laura to do a fat-burning conditioning mile. We slowed the pace down a bit so our heart rates were more around 120-130...this level of efforts targets more fat than glucose. Exercises were back-lying ab/adductors (legs start vertically up in the air above the hips, then split them out to the sides into a V and then back to vertical), abs, dips, and back exercises similar to supermans but smaller and faster movements (I was not good at these).
Planning a squat session today. May do something else and move squats to Wednesday if I don't feel strong. Savage 7 tournament this weekend (and if you aren't going, you suck). Then training starts in earnest. Booyah, bitches!
Monday, Dec 27th -
I hit my 12 rep squat goal the week before (175/185/185), so I continued with my program. 3 sets of 8 at 10 lbs higher: 185/195/195. This was fairly easy, obviously, since the reps decreased so much, but I hope this kind of structure will allow for rests and then peaks. I went with my younger brother and also did pull-ups and squat jumps in addition to throwing and shooting around.
Wednesday, Dec 29th -
Threw and ran around with my friend Will. I wore my new webbed toe shoes (whatever they're called) in the absence of cleats. I'm hoping these new shoes will let me do some good toe strengthening and will add another dimension to my training. We ended with a four-minute tabata.
Thursday, Dec 30th -
Woke up early and went to the gym on my own prior to a road trip down to Savannah. Did 3x8 at 195/205/205. My lower back was still a little sore from rolling a 500 lb snowball (no joke) over the previous weekend, so I was a tad apprehensive but did fine. I got through the first two sets without a break but then on the third set, I got through five reps without a break but then took three big breathes at the top of the motion before going into each successive rep. I would either have failed or would have had a very tough time finishing without taking these breaths. What do you guys think about this? Is this cheating? Or is it okay to stand and breathe before going back down and up? At any rate, I then did 3x8 squat jumps (did 10 reps on the 3rd set) at 75 lbs or so. My legs definitely felt weak. I then did pull-ups and popped onto the seated leg press for a set. I ended with some abs.
Friday, Dec 31st -
Went for a three plus mile run with a friend and his girlfriend. They picked up the pace for the last few blocks and I struggled to keep up. My legs were probably still tired from the day before, but I really need to get better endurance speed. I ended with a nice 5/10/15 AMRAP. Those squats burned...
Monday, Jan 3rd -
Went to the gym with Laura to do a fat-burning conditioning mile. We slowed the pace down a bit so our heart rates were more around 120-130...this level of efforts targets more fat than glucose. Exercises were back-lying ab/adductors (legs start vertically up in the air above the hips, then split them out to the sides into a V and then back to vertical), abs, dips, and back exercises similar to supermans but smaller and faster movements (I was not good at these).
Planning a squat session today. May do something else and move squats to Wednesday if I don't feel strong. Savage 7 tournament this weekend (and if you aren't going, you suck). Then training starts in earnest. Booyah, bitches!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)