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.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)