this post is more for myself to look back on, but its also a way for me to formally accept a few select challenges that are out there: to make my intentions clear to any readers i have, but also to myself.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to trails and will therefore be able to train more than ever(due to decreased pounding compared to roads). ive always felt like i handled hills better than most people ive run/raced with, but that could just be a side-effect of living in Illinois. i just love the feeling of going up with each step. so my first goal is to run up all the 14'ers (mountains with peaks above 14,000ft) in Colorado. most likely my standard will be that i have to start below 10,000ft and run the entire way up for it to count. this is my "first" goal only because i plan to run the my first 14'er within the next six months. one of the biggest roadblocks, after the sheer altitude, is the simple fact that many of these mountains arent runnable for most of the year. so the goal is to run Mt. Evans at the end of this summer. that will most likely be it until next summer, and the achievement should solidify my opinion of myself as a true mountain runner. next summers goal will be to run the rest of the "Front Range" 14'ers: there are five, six including Mt. Evans. after that(summer 2013) ill have to start travelling to hit the rest of them, so the goal will be to clear out an entire mountain range during a long weekend vacation, for obvious financial reasons. there are over 50 14'ers in Colorado, so the goal of running them all should give my training purpose for years, without the constant need for a race on the horizon.
another goal of mine is to set a CR (course record) at the http://www.arrowheadultra.com/index.php/race-inforegistration/race-rules(mile race, check out the link). i love the cold, i ive been able to tolerate it better than most for as long as i can remember and im somewhat notorious by this point for wearing what most would consider insufficient clothing during the colder months. my body just feels at home in the snow and the wind. ive made it through three Chicago winters now without covering my legs (although the past winter i used the treadmill a bit due to the shift in training style). even when sauna training regularly, i feel like the cold is something my body responds well to, unlike the heat which i doubt ill ever be able to handle to any significant degree. add that to the fact that i have more camping experience as a 19-year-old kid than most people get in their lives, and Arrowhead is the event for me. packing everything youll need for more than 30 hours of running into a sled and dragging it across rugged trails in the middle of winter has an appeal to me that i have trouble explaining. id imagine its how Anton Krupicka feels about Leadville, or Scott Jurek feels about Western States, or Zach Gingerich(if he had a soul) about Badwater, or more recently Ian Sharman about Rocky Raccoon. ill never be as fast as those guys, but Arrowhead could put me on the map. ultra runners become known for races that play up to their unique strengths, so even if i dont have speed, i can atleast be king of horrible, cold weather.
im hoping to run Arrowhead for the first time in 2013, then again in 2014 with a true record attempt by 2016. there are just so many variables in a race like this. and having never run a 100 mile race (or even a 50 miler!) the time frame may be a bit soon, but all i cna do its hope and train.
those are just two things that i hope to do before im 25, probly more to come. and the latest on my move as well.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
thoughts going into the 50s For Your Momma 50k
with a section of dirt trails to train on (which i just found last week!) the idea of running another trail race is even more appealing than ever, and a chance to set a new PR always provides a ton of motivation. i have been feeling a bit flat, but some long slow distance (LSD) is gona feel great after the months of high intensity, and therefore high pressure, workouts. the simplicity of "going for a run" is lost when doing intervals and tempos exclusively.
so this week im planning a 2 hour trail run, with an 8lb weighted vest, through Saw Wee Kee Park. theres only about seven miles of trails there, but theyre mountain bike trails. the violent ups, downs, and sharp turns should keep it interesting. and hopefully i wont be alone. this run (of two hours) will be my longest training run in both time and distance since late last fall, but it should be all i need to be ready to run for five hours on may 7th. with good conditions and some caffeine, i should be able to average under nine minutes a mile for the 50k, which will give me a 4:15-4:45 and a new PR for 50k. -as sad as that is. my target race, the "50s For Your Momma" in Circleville, Ohio should be a pretty fast course. the 50k consists of eight, four-mile loops with aid stations every two miles, so mentally it should be the easiest ultra yet.
the plan as of now is to stay with the front pack for the first 4-5 laps and see what happens after that. i just hope that anyone thats running sub-7:00s just breaks away from the start. ill be taking Vespa before this race, so going out fast is not an option or i risk throwing it up.
ill be using any major hills as a chance to eat and drink as i walk up, but if the course is flatter than advertised, id love to run the entire thing.
the goals for this one are:
1) to finish and not get injured
2) to PR
3) to get some hardware -im freakin tired of winning age-group awards! so what if im the fastest baby!
so this week im planning a 2 hour trail run, with an 8lb weighted vest, through Saw Wee Kee Park. theres only about seven miles of trails there, but theyre mountain bike trails. the violent ups, downs, and sharp turns should keep it interesting. and hopefully i wont be alone. this run (of two hours) will be my longest training run in both time and distance since late last fall, but it should be all i need to be ready to run for five hours on may 7th. with good conditions and some caffeine, i should be able to average under nine minutes a mile for the 50k, which will give me a 4:15-4:45 and a new PR for 50k. -as sad as that is. my target race, the "50s For Your Momma" in Circleville, Ohio should be a pretty fast course. the 50k consists of eight, four-mile loops with aid stations every two miles, so mentally it should be the easiest ultra yet.
the plan as of now is to stay with the front pack for the first 4-5 laps and see what happens after that. i just hope that anyone thats running sub-7:00s just breaks away from the start. ill be taking Vespa before this race, so going out fast is not an option or i risk throwing it up.
ill be using any major hills as a chance to eat and drink as i walk up, but if the course is flatter than advertised, id love to run the entire thing.
the goals for this one are:
1) to finish and not get injured
2) to PR
3) to get some hardware -im freakin tired of winning age-group awards! so what if im the fastest baby!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
right off the Crossfit Endurance page
i substituted my planned 1 minute intervals (6-8X 1 min on: 1 min rest, max effort) with a good looking workout i saw on Crossfit Endurance a few days ago: "the 30's." -a perfect substitution since i can use the same exact speed and incline for both of these workouts due to how similar they are.
the first round was pretty hard, but manageable. the second round had me digging deep in the last two intervals. and the third round had me quitting.
this is an awesome workout! the first one in a while that ive had to quit, which is a good thing. when im trying to work at 100% effort for my workouts, im bound to overestimate what i can do occasionally: trying to find the right speed, incline, and weights to allow me to finish the workout but not have anything left in the tank is the key, and its not easy to do.
the number one thing i do that helps me find my physiological 100%, without going over, is log every run. keeping everything in a log has made my high-intensity, low-volume, training work. if i was blindly guessing at the pace for each workout, id end up wasting interval sessions because the pace would frequently be too fast or too slow.
anyway, heres what it looked liked:
>6 min WU
>2.5 rounds of "The 30's" (fast speed with full incline on treadmill: 30 sec on, 30 sec rest*, 30 sec on, 25 sec rest, 30 sec on, 20 sec rest, 30 sec on, 15 sec rest, 30 sec on, 10 sec rest, 30 sec on, 5sec rest, 30 sec on, 2 min rest before starting next round)
>brief CD
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (wide stance), during 10 sec rest hold an "air sit"**
*during the rest periods, straddle the belt, but keep the treadmill going. its way too much effort to try to stop the mill and restart it in less than 30 seconds.
**yeah, the "rest" is worse than the "work" part of it; its aweful
i used an interval timer on my phone set to three 5:15 rounds with 2 minutes of rest between rounds and used a piece of paper to keep track of my shrinking rest times: crossing out "30" "25" "20" and so on. note that the speed and incline need to stay consistent throughout this workout, just because your rest time gets smaller, the speed shouldnt slow. the pace should be set at a speed(with full incline) that you could hold for one minute, if your life depended on it, two minutes, but no more. also this workout, like all treadmill ones, was barefoot. any treadmill running at over 10% incline is a great way to strengthen your feet and Achilles tendons.
this is a great workout for endurance athletes as well as any athlete that needs to give moderate-length bursts of all-out effort (soccer, mixed martial arts or wrestling, hockey, etc), as well as anyone looking to shed pounds fast. -nothing revs your bodys engine like intervals.
i followed this up with a decent trail run the next day:
-about 3-4:00pm
>7 mile muddy, rocky, trail run with 8lbs in the vest (in the Vibram Five Fingers; who says there not trail shoes!)
-late night
>50 clean and jerk @ 60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
*as fast as possible. record your time
try um out and throw your thoughts back at me.
the first round was pretty hard, but manageable. the second round had me digging deep in the last two intervals. and the third round had me quitting.
this is an awesome workout! the first one in a while that ive had to quit, which is a good thing. when im trying to work at 100% effort for my workouts, im bound to overestimate what i can do occasionally: trying to find the right speed, incline, and weights to allow me to finish the workout but not have anything left in the tank is the key, and its not easy to do.
the number one thing i do that helps me find my physiological 100%, without going over, is log every run. keeping everything in a log has made my high-intensity, low-volume, training work. if i was blindly guessing at the pace for each workout, id end up wasting interval sessions because the pace would frequently be too fast or too slow.
anyway, heres what it looked liked:
>6 min WU
>2.5 rounds of "The 30's" (fast speed with full incline on treadmill: 30 sec on, 30 sec rest*, 30 sec on, 25 sec rest, 30 sec on, 20 sec rest, 30 sec on, 15 sec rest, 30 sec on, 10 sec rest, 30 sec on, 5sec rest, 30 sec on, 2 min rest before starting next round)
>brief CD
>10 min rest
>tabata squats (wide stance), during 10 sec rest hold an "air sit"**
*during the rest periods, straddle the belt, but keep the treadmill going. its way too much effort to try to stop the mill and restart it in less than 30 seconds.
**yeah, the "rest" is worse than the "work" part of it; its aweful
i used an interval timer on my phone set to three 5:15 rounds with 2 minutes of rest between rounds and used a piece of paper to keep track of my shrinking rest times: crossing out "30" "25" "20" and so on. note that the speed and incline need to stay consistent throughout this workout, just because your rest time gets smaller, the speed shouldnt slow. the pace should be set at a speed(with full incline) that you could hold for one minute, if your life depended on it, two minutes, but no more. also this workout, like all treadmill ones, was barefoot. any treadmill running at over 10% incline is a great way to strengthen your feet and Achilles tendons.
this is a great workout for endurance athletes as well as any athlete that needs to give moderate-length bursts of all-out effort (soccer, mixed martial arts or wrestling, hockey, etc), as well as anyone looking to shed pounds fast. -nothing revs your bodys engine like intervals.
i followed this up with a decent trail run the next day:
-about 3-4:00pm
>7 mile muddy, rocky, trail run with 8lbs in the vest (in the Vibram Five Fingers; who says there not trail shoes!)
-late night
>50 clean and jerk @ 60-75% of bodyweight, for time*
*as fast as possible. record your time
try um out and throw your thoughts back at me.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
i wish i were better with words (Calamos NCO Spring Ahead 10K Trail Run)
i ran a few seconds slower per mile at NCO than i did at my last 10k a few weeks ago. yeah, it was on trails, and i trained hard up to the day before race day, but still, i should be getting faster and im not. im a runner: racing is how i measure myself as a person. my current PR is my value as a person. -just like a currency is given a value by how much its worth on the world market at that moment. and just like in economics, its rare (or impossible) to stand still: youre either getting more valuable or less on a daily basis. 'but Anthony, you got fourth and thats a big race. your so fast.' im just tired of this freakin mediocrity! in the end of the day i dont care how many people are slower or faster than me, i care about trying to be better than myself and i cant do that if im not getting faster.
more than two years ago i ran my lifetime PR (personal record) for 5k and shortly after for 10k as well. more than two years ago i ran 35:30 for a 10k, and i was alone the whole race. plus, as usual, i thanked all the volunteers as i ran by and cheered for other runners at the turn-around. i had no idea that id be chasing that feeling for years before id have a chance to feel it again. i ran almost three minutes slower this past weekend than i did three Novembers ago, and im not sure why.
but being the scientist that i am, im thinking about it all the time now. nobody hits there life peak for distance running at 16-17 years old. and i have spent months training like i was before those races without getting the same results in a race.
the only thing i can do is go back to the drawing board for a while and crank out a few (probly 2)thousand miles in the next 6-7 months and see what happens. im gona do one more race, then rest and cross-train for two weeks, then build up some decent miles.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to tons of dirt trails and that will help me ramp up mileage quicker than i can running exclusively on roads. even taking into account the altitude change (which i shouldnt even feel after the first month) i should be able to average above 60 miles a week for the second half of this year, and with any luck closer to 75.
the physiology-obsessed part of me can see no reason for endless, slow, "junk miles," but i love the feeling of trying to get as many miles in as possible each day. i miss the joy of ending another week above 60 miles and looking at the next week in my log, knowing that the blank pages im looking at will soon hold another week of recorded obsession and a few memories. plus, my workouts are so varied and intense that each one is a new mental challenge as well as physical, and unlike a relationship with a person, the relationship between a runner and their training is best when the focus is on the physical. when you have that perfect run, you can feel a connection with running and you cease to be a person who runs: youre simply a runner.
during the best months of training ive ever had (winter '09-'10) i had a significant High on 80+% of my distance runs. during one of them i became completely "self-aware." i dont know what else to call the moment when i realised that, even though what i was doing was hard, i would eventually stop running and go back to normal activities. ive never had such a sincere feeling of self discovery than i did that day. it was the only time that ive ever realized just how easily i lose track myself when i 'change hats' and move from one activity to the next. within 15 minutes of finishing that run i was in my scout uniform and on my way to my Eagle Project Review.
its just an amazing thing that anyone can get so involved in one thing that they forget that they are a whole person, but thats what makes running what it is to me. i hope some of that makes a bit of sense...
more than two years ago i ran my lifetime PR (personal record) for 5k and shortly after for 10k as well. more than two years ago i ran 35:30 for a 10k, and i was alone the whole race. plus, as usual, i thanked all the volunteers as i ran by and cheered for other runners at the turn-around. i had no idea that id be chasing that feeling for years before id have a chance to feel it again. i ran almost three minutes slower this past weekend than i did three Novembers ago, and im not sure why.
but being the scientist that i am, im thinking about it all the time now. nobody hits there life peak for distance running at 16-17 years old. and i have spent months training like i was before those races without getting the same results in a race.
the only thing i can do is go back to the drawing board for a while and crank out a few (probly 2)thousand miles in the next 6-7 months and see what happens. im gona do one more race, then rest and cross-train for two weeks, then build up some decent miles.
with the move to Colorado, ill have access to tons of dirt trails and that will help me ramp up mileage quicker than i can running exclusively on roads. even taking into account the altitude change (which i shouldnt even feel after the first month) i should be able to average above 60 miles a week for the second half of this year, and with any luck closer to 75.
the physiology-obsessed part of me can see no reason for endless, slow, "junk miles," but i love the feeling of trying to get as many miles in as possible each day. i miss the joy of ending another week above 60 miles and looking at the next week in my log, knowing that the blank pages im looking at will soon hold another week of recorded obsession and a few memories. plus, my workouts are so varied and intense that each one is a new mental challenge as well as physical, and unlike a relationship with a person, the relationship between a runner and their training is best when the focus is on the physical. when you have that perfect run, you can feel a connection with running and you cease to be a person who runs: youre simply a runner.
during the best months of training ive ever had (winter '09-'10) i had a significant High on 80+% of my distance runs. during one of them i became completely "self-aware." i dont know what else to call the moment when i realised that, even though what i was doing was hard, i would eventually stop running and go back to normal activities. ive never had such a sincere feeling of self discovery than i did that day. it was the only time that ive ever realized just how easily i lose track myself when i 'change hats' and move from one activity to the next. within 15 minutes of finishing that run i was in my scout uniform and on my way to my Eagle Project Review.
its just an amazing thing that anyone can get so involved in one thing that they forget that they are a whole person, but thats what makes running what it is to me. i hope some of that makes a bit of sense...
Friday, April 15, 2011
thoughts going into the NCO Spring Ahead 10k
i got pulled into this one by a few people who knew me well enough to know i wouldnt pass up a 10k even if a family member died. im really excited for it though. a day off and an ice bath tomorrow should get rid of most of the damage i caused today by going two miles further than last week with the tire. i feel almost as proud of my eight with the tire as i did of my first 20 mile run. averaging about 10 minutes a mile usually but feeling like im at a hard tempo pace makes the eight today feel more like a 12 mile marathon race pace run. the race could go either way, a win looks very possible at this point and im gona be pretty pissed if i end up with another age group award, so a top-3 finish is a must. after the two half marathons its gona be great to be back running a distance my legs are familiar with.
my biggest goal is to just have fun. with a course that has a few parts on trails and a rainy weekend ahead, a fast finish isnt looking good. that being said however, placing/winning is always fun.
see you out there
my biggest goal is to just have fun. with a course that has a few parts on trails and a rainy weekend ahead, a fast finish isnt looking good. that being said however, placing/winning is always fun.
see you out there
job offer!! aka: one big step closer to Colorado
got a call today from the fitness director at the 24-Hour Fitness in Littleton Colorado, and now less than 10 hours later, i have a flight booked to go out there. i still need to check out the gym itself and the apartment ive been looking at in the area, as well as my school options for the next year or two, but im pretty much signed up already. as far as big gyms go, it seems like 24-Hour has the best set up by far for personal trainers, and im really excited to here all the details and see who ill be working with (assuming the job goes through: i dont even have a solid offer yet). the woman i talked to said she wanted someone whos passionate about fitness and has a lot of energy. -ANYONE thats spent any amount of time with me would have to rank passion and energy as my top two traits, either that or theyd say obnoxious and elitist if they arent open to fitness ideas. either way, im really excited about this job opportunity, despite the fact that i absolutely love my current job! the truth of the matter i suppose is that as long as there isnt drama in my workplace, and as long as i know that my hard work is noticed, i would love any job in the fitness industry. from equipment sales to gym maintenance to management, feeling like im helping other people get the most out of there bodies really is my number one priority. -that sounds like a sales speech, but its true.
i feel my age is my biggest weakness when it comes to training. people dont want a 19-year-old kid telling them what to do. the way i see it, choosing a trainer is like choosing a doctor: you can go with a young one with all the most recent information, or you can go with the older one with possibly outdated information but loads of invaluable experience and wisdom... thats gona be my next poll i think.
more thoughts later, but heres todays workouts, very simple, but not very easy at all:
-midday
>8 miles dragging the tire (18lbs)
-night
>50 bodyweight("air") squats to warm up
>200 single-leg, leg extensions (alternating each 20 for a total of 100 each leg)
i feel my age is my biggest weakness when it comes to training. people dont want a 19-year-old kid telling them what to do. the way i see it, choosing a trainer is like choosing a doctor: you can go with a young one with all the most recent information, or you can go with the older one with possibly outdated information but loads of invaluable experience and wisdom... thats gona be my next poll i think.
more thoughts later, but heres todays workouts, very simple, but not very easy at all:
-midday
>8 miles dragging the tire (18lbs)
-night
>50 bodyweight("air") squats to warm up
>200 single-leg, leg extensions (alternating each 20 for a total of 100 each leg)
Monday, April 11, 2011
my sub-2:55 goal
-if you dont care about my goals, skip to the workout below-
my "A" goal for the marathon is to run a low 2:50 (like 2:50:00-2:53:00), but given that the race is gona be hot as hell at this rate, my "B" goal is to hit a 2:55 or faster.
since my last half marathon was kind of a fiasco, its hard to tell what im capable of, but considering the sub-6:40 average i had at that race, a few weeks of more marathon-specific training should allow me to get my 2:55 (a 6:40 average for the full marathon). the runs with the tire are gona get longer, im gona do atleast one day of track work, and focus more on leg endurance and power with my lifting (as opposed to strength and injury prevention which has been the focus up to this point in this season)
my first run with the tire on March 1st was only one mile, the second one three days later was two miles. each run has been one mile further. -two days ago my tire run was six miles. now that marathon day is getting closer, and my body has gotten used to the idea of dragging 20 pounds of rubber, im going to increase the distance 2 miles per run for the final two runs before race: eight miles then ten miles. i feel the tire helps me prepare for the mental part of raceing more than most other types of running since every step makes me want to stop just a little more than the previous one. when im in the last part of a hard race, even a shorter race like a 5k, the urge to stop gets stronger each minute i run, and the tire replicates that. plus, since im going slower (right around 10:00 pace) the impact is lower. also, since im pretty much going as hard as i can, its like going on a long tempo run. a 6 mile tempo would be less than 40 mins, but 6 miles with the tire is likely to be more than an hour long. -and the 10 miler will be over an hour and a half of hard effort!
other than the tire, my treadmill climbs have extended from a meager 8 minutes of tempo effort at about a 14% incline to 20 minutes earlier this week at the same speed and incline. and i plan to do 30 minutes at the same speed an incline one week before race day. im hoping that building these two up right before the marathon should help me feel somewhat of a peak in my running fitness.
heres my workout from last night (using less recovery is one way im making my workouts more race-specfic):
-with a 34 min running clock
>5 min WU on mill, alternating between full incline and fast paces for most of it
>1 min R (recovery)
>tabata* run on mill (full incline and roughly 10k pace)
>tabata squats (the rest period is seated on a "air chair," so the rest is the worst part)
>half tabata V-ups (touching toes each rep, the last variation in the video)
>half tabata supine bicycle
>half tabata V-ups
>half tabata supine bicycle
>half tabata deadlift at 3/4 bodyweight
>2 mins R
>7 min CD jog at a decent pace (no walking, youre almost done!)
*tabata: 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes -or 2 minutes for half tabata. the idea is to do the most reps you can during each 20 second period, dont pace, just accept the pain.
this workout was pretty rugged, i would suggest removing the second round of V-ups and supine bicycle for anyone that isnt really into ab work. after only having 10 seconds of rest, by the time you get to the deadlifts, your body should be letting you know that its been goin hard for 20 minutes. if your trying it, be sure to focus on form as you fatigue. this one will leave you flat on the floor panting, it has got to be in the top-3 for workouts ive designed, as far as the challenge and fun. enjoy. and tell me how it goes
my "A" goal for the marathon is to run a low 2:50 (like 2:50:00-2:53:00), but given that the race is gona be hot as hell at this rate, my "B" goal is to hit a 2:55 or faster.
since my last half marathon was kind of a fiasco, its hard to tell what im capable of, but considering the sub-6:40 average i had at that race, a few weeks of more marathon-specific training should allow me to get my 2:55 (a 6:40 average for the full marathon). the runs with the tire are gona get longer, im gona do atleast one day of track work, and focus more on leg endurance and power with my lifting (as opposed to strength and injury prevention which has been the focus up to this point in this season)
my first run with the tire on March 1st was only one mile, the second one three days later was two miles. each run has been one mile further. -two days ago my tire run was six miles. now that marathon day is getting closer, and my body has gotten used to the idea of dragging 20 pounds of rubber, im going to increase the distance 2 miles per run for the final two runs before race: eight miles then ten miles. i feel the tire helps me prepare for the mental part of raceing more than most other types of running since every step makes me want to stop just a little more than the previous one. when im in the last part of a hard race, even a shorter race like a 5k, the urge to stop gets stronger each minute i run, and the tire replicates that. plus, since im going slower (right around 10:00 pace) the impact is lower. also, since im pretty much going as hard as i can, its like going on a long tempo run. a 6 mile tempo would be less than 40 mins, but 6 miles with the tire is likely to be more than an hour long. -and the 10 miler will be over an hour and a half of hard effort!
other than the tire, my treadmill climbs have extended from a meager 8 minutes of tempo effort at about a 14% incline to 20 minutes earlier this week at the same speed and incline. and i plan to do 30 minutes at the same speed an incline one week before race day. im hoping that building these two up right before the marathon should help me feel somewhat of a peak in my running fitness.
heres my workout from last night (using less recovery is one way im making my workouts more race-specfic):
-with a 34 min running clock
>5 min WU on mill, alternating between full incline and fast paces for most of it
>1 min R (recovery)
>tabata* run on mill (full incline and roughly 10k pace)
>tabata squats (the rest period is seated on a "air chair," so the rest is the worst part)
>half tabata V-ups (touching toes each rep, the last variation in the video)
>half tabata supine bicycle
>half tabata V-ups
>half tabata supine bicycle
>half tabata deadlift at 3/4 bodyweight
>2 mins R
>7 min CD jog at a decent pace (no walking, youre almost done!)
*tabata: 20 seconds of all-out effort followed by 10 seconds of rest for 4 minutes -or 2 minutes for half tabata. the idea is to do the most reps you can during each 20 second period, dont pace, just accept the pain.
this workout was pretty rugged, i would suggest removing the second round of V-ups and supine bicycle for anyone that isnt really into ab work. after only having 10 seconds of rest, by the time you get to the deadlifts, your body should be letting you know that its been goin hard for 20 minutes. if your trying it, be sure to focus on form as you fatigue. this one will leave you flat on the floor panting, it has got to be in the top-3 for workouts ive designed, as far as the challenge and fun. enjoy. and tell me how it goes
the tire
the idea to drag a tire while running was introduced to me by a video online.
first i heard that Zach Gingerich had set a new course record at the Arrowhead 135 (mile race) and then i saw exactly what Arrowhead is and where its run. long story short: you drag a sled with all your food, water, and anything else you need for the 135 miles through trails in the "icebox of the nation," International Falls, in the middle of winter. so it sucks. and other than wondering how soon my body is gona let me do this(probably 2014) i wanted to know how people train for something so awful. i quickly found a video of a guy pulling a car tire behind him while running down the street. at the time i didnt think much of it, but after another few months of studying the physiology of a few different unconventional training methods i decided to try it out.
if ultra runners are doing it, it has to work. and if i can understand why it works than i have to try it.
my first run was only a mile, although to be honest i planned on making it five. i have run with a weighted vest probably about 100 times in the last three years, and my legs are stronger than ever. but dragging a 17 and a half pound tire is exponentially harder than running with a vest or deadlifting more than 2 times your bodyweight. its horrible.
i recently enough discovered that Zach trained exclusively on the treadmill before breaking the course record, but again: if i can understand why it works, ill try it. and that makes NO FREAKIN SENSE! the treadmill is great for intervals, maybe even tempo/hill work, but parts of my soul start to fall out when im on one for more than an hour.
pics soon
first i heard that Zach Gingerich had set a new course record at the Arrowhead 135 (mile race) and then i saw exactly what Arrowhead is and where its run. long story short: you drag a sled with all your food, water, and anything else you need for the 135 miles through trails in the "icebox of the nation," International Falls, in the middle of winter. so it sucks. and other than wondering how soon my body is gona let me do this(probably 2014) i wanted to know how people train for something so awful. i quickly found a video of a guy pulling a car tire behind him while running down the street. at the time i didnt think much of it, but after another few months of studying the physiology of a few different unconventional training methods i decided to try it out.
if ultra runners are doing it, it has to work. and if i can understand why it works than i have to try it.
my first run was only a mile, although to be honest i planned on making it five. i have run with a weighted vest probably about 100 times in the last three years, and my legs are stronger than ever. but dragging a 17 and a half pound tire is exponentially harder than running with a vest or deadlifting more than 2 times your bodyweight. its horrible.
i recently enough discovered that Zach trained exclusively on the treadmill before breaking the course record, but again: if i can understand why it works, ill try it. and that makes NO FREAKIN SENSE! the treadmill is great for intervals, maybe even tempo/hill work, but parts of my soul start to fall out when im on one for more than an hour.
pics soon
Friday, April 8, 2011
some mid-week workouts
after this past weekends race ive felt so excited to train. its great when it comes so easy. most of the time you train because you have to, but it feel great to train entirely because i want to. i felt like a kid on christmas before last nights workout! i wish i had more bodies so i could workout all day. -now theres the future of fitness: pay someone like me to somehow control your body for an hour a day and get into the best shape of your life.
last week i used a plyo workout to get sharp for my race, but as i did it i realized that it would be awesome to use the same routine as a hard leg day. so with a few small modifications to it, heres what i came up with:
>1 mile WU
>10 mins AMRAP(as many rounds as possible): 6 alternating single leg depth jumps over a box, 6 split jumps, 6 burpees
>3X 10 narrow back squats (bodyweight or above for the weight)
>8-6-6 narrow front squats (same weight as back squat)
>ankle circles for hip abductors (start with 20 each way on each leg and do as many sets as it takes to make your hip feel like its gona fall off)
i got just under 10 rounds for the AMRAP part. id like to replace the depth jumps with single leg lateral jumps for the sake of keeping the intensity high, i lost momentum when i had to get back onto the bench after each rep.
another workout that ive been planning is 500 split jumps for time, but ive been enjoying being able to sit on a toilet seat without crying, so ill probly put it off til next week.
heres the workout planned for tonight, a tempo hill build up:
>4 mins slow on full incline (about 14% on my treadmill)
>4 mins moderate on full incline
>20-24 mins hard tempo effort on full incline
>4 min CD
last time i did this workout i only did 16 minutes at the fastest speed, and only 8 the time before. but physilogically theres not much of a difference between 16 minutes and and hour and 16 minutes, so its just a matter of confidence to get to that point.
last week i used a plyo workout to get sharp for my race, but as i did it i realized that it would be awesome to use the same routine as a hard leg day. so with a few small modifications to it, heres what i came up with:
>1 mile WU
>10 mins AMRAP(as many rounds as possible): 6 alternating single leg depth jumps over a box, 6 split jumps, 6 burpees
>3X 10 narrow back squats (bodyweight or above for the weight)
>8-6-6 narrow front squats (same weight as back squat)
>ankle circles for hip abductors (start with 20 each way on each leg and do as many sets as it takes to make your hip feel like its gona fall off)
i got just under 10 rounds for the AMRAP part. id like to replace the depth jumps with single leg lateral jumps for the sake of keeping the intensity high, i lost momentum when i had to get back onto the bench after each rep.
another workout that ive been planning is 500 split jumps for time, but ive been enjoying being able to sit on a toilet seat without crying, so ill probly put it off til next week.
heres the workout planned for tonight, a tempo hill build up:
>4 mins slow on full incline (about 14% on my treadmill)
>4 mins moderate on full incline
>20-24 mins hard tempo effort on full incline
>4 min CD
last time i did this workout i only did 16 minutes at the fastest speed, and only 8 the time before. but physilogically theres not much of a difference between 16 minutes and and hour and 16 minutes, so its just a matter of confidence to get to that point.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
my legs have earned one more day before i tear them up again, but my arms are gona die tonight!
its two days after the race and the soreness is completely gone from my legs at this point, but i had a good race, so they can rest one more day. heres my running specific arm workout from tonight:
-on the mill at easy pace and small (about 4%) incline, and running the whole time of course
>8 mins w/1 lb handweights
>2 mins w/out weights
>10X 30sec w/8lb handweights: 30sec w/out weights
>4 mins to relax and cool down
24 minutes total running, a bit over 3 miles
still nothing too intense, but ive been excited for tomorrows workout since i finished the race on sunday -its gona be a good time. (check back for it in a day or two)
-on the mill at easy pace and small (about 4%) incline, and running the whole time of course
>8 mins w/1 lb handweights
>2 mins w/out weights
>10X 30sec w/8lb handweights: 30sec w/out weights
>4 mins to relax and cool down
24 minutes total running, a bit over 3 miles
still nothing too intense, but ive been excited for tomorrows workout since i finished the race on sunday -its gona be a good time. (check back for it in a day or two)
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Crossroads of Indiana Half Marathon (aka: another-nother night in the car)
the drive down was pretty good, picked up David at his dorm at U of I (university of illinois champaign-urbana) then left for Lowell Indiana, which was thankfully much more urban than i expected. for example, there were more than 20 buildings in this town unlike the last few that ive raced in. to be serious, i liked the feel of Lowell: rural with nice people, but not so rural that people look at you weird if you from the outside world.
after we arrived, we explored a bit and took care of the essentials. it was too late for anything to be open, so we bought bottled water out of a vending machine outside an apartment complex. and after finding no better place to park the car for the night, we decided to sleep at Freedom Park, the site of the race.
i quickly found out that for the exceptionally fit person he is, my friend David snores a bit. usually the unhealthier the person the quieter they sleep, so that was rather surprising. but i didnt plan on getting any sleep either way. ive probly averaged less than two hours of sleep the night before my last four races, but surprisingly im pretty sure i got closer to three and a half this time.
i hate blogs dedicated to rants about stuff people dont like, and i did enjoy the race, but there were a few problems. first off, i signed up for this race early, and as is the case all to often at races, they gave the small shirts away to race-day sign-up's and left me with a sheet of paper that said i signed up to get a small and and apathetic non-athlete telling me that there are none left. its not that big of a deal, except two things. first, im 5'6" and about 4% bodyfat at 127 pounds, so a medium makes me look less like an athlete and more like a skinny kid in hand-me-downs. second, it doesnt matter how proud i am of the race, im not risking chafed nips by working out in a loose shirt. im not a runner that has to match when i workout, but i dont wana look like a complete clown, for the sake of all runners -we gota dress decent enough to still look ok when were running down the roads half dead with GU dripping down our chins.
the next problem was shortly after i picked up my shirt. i joined the line for the porta-potties with what i thought to be plenty of time to spare. after almost 20 minutes i had made my way to the front of the line, only to see most of the people behind me, and thankfully some people in front of me, leaving to head for the starting line. it was 7:29 when a stall opened up for me, and the race was to start at 7:30. for some reason i can poop in seconds when i have all the time n the world to do it, but i seem to get performance anxiety when i have to go fast. plus there was about 300 meters between me and the start line still, so it wasnt a successful bathroom visit. sure i could have got in line sooner and actually gotten to go, but there were about 30 people that were left with extra weight during the race. im assuming that means that the race director is either not a runner, or didnt expect that much of crowd, i hope the latter for his sake. the two rules(as i have discovered, and i know many agree) of directing a race: there are never enough smalls and there are never enough bathrooms.
other than that my only other complaint is the lack of mile markers on the course, there were none, and the lack of voluteers at one of the more important intersections of the race. the course overall was very well marked with cones, but one of the turns had no signs or volunteers to direct us and the line of cones went straight forward, so i followed them (and the runner in front of me) only to realize that i must have been part of the marathon course. it turned out that there were indeed cones concealed somewhat by trees. ugh, enough bitching.
as i ran past my car on the way to the start line, i turned a few heads as i "got naked." im pretty sure i startled at least a few people with my short-shorted, arm-warmered, and shirtless self, not only at the start, but also at the aid stations. but considering that it was about 45 degrees at 7:30 and probably 55 degrees by 9:00, i was glad i went with just the arm-warmers. if your arms are warm, then your hands are warm.
the start was fast. i didnt use my forerunner for this one, so i had to just go with the pack. we had to have been at or below 6 minutes for the first mile. but by mile four i had settled into my pace and fighting the biggest battle of my race: the battle with my rectum. for the first half of the race it was stable enough and i was able to reel the kid (he was in my age group -under 19) in front of me in. im sorry, but if you need an ipod to run well, then you shouldnt be racing, period. i say that because this kid was using one and i know for certain that the website and registration info said 'no ipods.' plus, its just disrespectful to your competition and to the people that cheer for you that you dont care enough to have your ears open for a race. -so i had to pass him on principle. each hill we went over(and there were quite a few) i gained about 5-10 meters on him and breezed past him as the course opened up by the lake around mile six. but then it was right back in to the battle of my rectum. by mile nine or so two guys from behind me were pushing up to my side and as i tried to follow i realized that i couldnt wait til the finish line: this was gona happen now. so i saw an old newspaper on the side of the road and ducked about 20 feet of the road by the treeline and took care of buisiness. it only cost me about 30 seconds, but i never made up the time, and it didnt make me feel that much better. i was however able to stay with the guy that caught up to me during those 30 seconds, so i figured it would be good enough. me and that guy ended up taking the wrong turn together and an older guy passed us because of it. both of them finished in front of me. by the end i was pretty trashed and somewhat hopeless about the race as a whole: the unexpected hills and 30 mile per hour wind, the porta-potty situation, the lack of mile markers. i try to control everything i can with races and i feel thats one of the things that helps me run with people that are more talented than me, but i felt pretty derailed by this point. then, in the last 100 meters of the race, i saw the clock at the finish line: "1:26." all that and i had still PR'ed. not by the margin i had wanted, but enough to feel alright about the race, and in with those conditions thats not a horrible time for me.
im still not running up to my potential for the half marathon distance, but its only my second one ever. i feel that a sub-1:20 is something that i need to focus on in the next few months.
David had a good race as well, exceeding what he expected of himself, and that was amazing. seeing a runner calculate there pace in a race they just finished and realizing that they did better than they even hoped for is a beautiful thing. congratulations David.
ive decided against racing next weekend to allow myself to get some heavy training in. i need to get some longer tempo work in and some crippling lifting workouts in before the marathon on the 30th and i have some great workouts planned already. and if i can race a 10k between then and now, ill do it.
pics soon.
after we arrived, we explored a bit and took care of the essentials. it was too late for anything to be open, so we bought bottled water out of a vending machine outside an apartment complex. and after finding no better place to park the car for the night, we decided to sleep at Freedom Park, the site of the race.
i quickly found out that for the exceptionally fit person he is, my friend David snores a bit. usually the unhealthier the person the quieter they sleep, so that was rather surprising. but i didnt plan on getting any sleep either way. ive probly averaged less than two hours of sleep the night before my last four races, but surprisingly im pretty sure i got closer to three and a half this time.
i hate blogs dedicated to rants about stuff people dont like, and i did enjoy the race, but there were a few problems. first off, i signed up for this race early, and as is the case all to often at races, they gave the small shirts away to race-day sign-up's and left me with a sheet of paper that said i signed up to get a small and and apathetic non-athlete telling me that there are none left. its not that big of a deal, except two things. first, im 5'6" and about 4% bodyfat at 127 pounds, so a medium makes me look less like an athlete and more like a skinny kid in hand-me-downs. second, it doesnt matter how proud i am of the race, im not risking chafed nips by working out in a loose shirt. im not a runner that has to match when i workout, but i dont wana look like a complete clown, for the sake of all runners -we gota dress decent enough to still look ok when were running down the roads half dead with GU dripping down our chins.
 |
| pom-blueberry Roctane after a brief warmup. it funny how many looks i get with this hoodie, but its just my thing now i guess |
other than that my only other complaint is the lack of mile markers on the course, there were none, and the lack of voluteers at one of the more important intersections of the race. the course overall was very well marked with cones, but one of the turns had no signs or volunteers to direct us and the line of cones went straight forward, so i followed them (and the runner in front of me) only to realize that i must have been part of the marathon course. it turned out that there were indeed cones concealed somewhat by trees. ugh, enough bitching.
as i ran past my car on the way to the start line, i turned a few heads as i "got naked." im pretty sure i startled at least a few people with my short-shorted, arm-warmered, and shirtless self, not only at the start, but also at the aid stations. but considering that it was about 45 degrees at 7:30 and probably 55 degrees by 9:00, i was glad i went with just the arm-warmers. if your arms are warm, then your hands are warm.
the start was fast. i didnt use my forerunner for this one, so i had to just go with the pack. we had to have been at or below 6 minutes for the first mile. but by mile four i had settled into my pace and fighting the biggest battle of my race: the battle with my rectum. for the first half of the race it was stable enough and i was able to reel the kid (he was in my age group -under 19) in front of me in. im sorry, but if you need an ipod to run well, then you shouldnt be racing, period. i say that because this kid was using one and i know for certain that the website and registration info said 'no ipods.' plus, its just disrespectful to your competition and to the people that cheer for you that you dont care enough to have your ears open for a race. -so i had to pass him on principle. each hill we went over(and there were quite a few) i gained about 5-10 meters on him and breezed past him as the course opened up by the lake around mile six. but then it was right back in to the battle of my rectum. by mile nine or so two guys from behind me were pushing up to my side and as i tried to follow i realized that i couldnt wait til the finish line: this was gona happen now. so i saw an old newspaper on the side of the road and ducked about 20 feet of the road by the treeline and took care of buisiness. it only cost me about 30 seconds, but i never made up the time, and it didnt make me feel that much better. i was however able to stay with the guy that caught up to me during those 30 seconds, so i figured it would be good enough. me and that guy ended up taking the wrong turn together and an older guy passed us because of it. both of them finished in front of me. by the end i was pretty trashed and somewhat hopeless about the race as a whole: the unexpected hills and 30 mile per hour wind, the porta-potty situation, the lack of mile markers. i try to control everything i can with races and i feel thats one of the things that helps me run with people that are more talented than me, but i felt pretty derailed by this point. then, in the last 100 meters of the race, i saw the clock at the finish line: "1:26." all that and i had still PR'ed. not by the margin i had wanted, but enough to feel alright about the race, and in with those conditions thats not a horrible time for me.
im still not running up to my potential for the half marathon distance, but its only my second one ever. i feel that a sub-1:20 is something that i need to focus on in the next few months.
David had a good race as well, exceeding what he expected of himself, and that was amazing. seeing a runner calculate there pace in a race they just finished and realizing that they did better than they even hoped for is a beautiful thing. congratulations David.
ive decided against racing next weekend to allow myself to get some heavy training in. i need to get some longer tempo work in and some crippling lifting workouts in before the marathon on the 30th and i have some great workouts planned already. and if i can race a 10k between then and now, ill do it.
pics soon.
Friday, April 1, 2011
thoughts going into the Crossroads of Indiana Half Marathon
the more i think about it, the more uneasy im getting. ive had a pretty hard week of training, but i havnt really tapered for any of my last few races, so its nothing new. i just feel tired. luckly i have a friend (David Tkac) coming along for his first half marathon(which isnt a big deal by itself, but its one of only 3 races hes ever run, and the other two were more than a year ago), so thatll make the going much easier, knowing that other people are more screwed than you is comforting. i dont care who you are or what youre doing, as long as other people are worse off, everything is fine. at the same time, hes excitement and nerves should help me to remember why i love doing this to myself so much. plus, in the back of my head ive been wondering what kind of runners are gona show up to this thing: a top 5 place is definitely something to help motivate me, however my number one goal is to run 1:25 or faster. judging by my 1:29 in the crazy wind and slight hills of Delavan, a perfectly smooth and covered course should yield a 1:25 or better without too much luck.
i took an ice bath today and i hoping it helps a bit: my right foot has been bothering me some after runs for a few weeks now, but it wasnt until last night that it hurt while running. maybe im just actually getting nervous for this one.
my light plyo workout from last night:
>1 mile w/ 1 lb handweights
>3 rounds w/1 min rest in between: 6 alternating single leg depth jumps, 6 split jumps, 6 burpees
depending on how things go in Lowell this weekend, i may very well be running a sub-3 marathon attempt in a week in southern Indiana. -if things go wrong, then another half marathon might be a better option, but for now, i got this race is less than 33 hours and thats as far as i should be trying to think.
i took an ice bath today and i hoping it helps a bit: my right foot has been bothering me some after runs for a few weeks now, but it wasnt until last night that it hurt while running. maybe im just actually getting nervous for this one.
my light plyo workout from last night:
>1 mile w/ 1 lb handweights
>3 rounds w/1 min rest in between: 6 alternating single leg depth jumps, 6 split jumps, 6 burpees
depending on how things go in Lowell this weekend, i may very well be running a sub-3 marathon attempt in a week in southern Indiana. -if things go wrong, then another half marathon might be a better option, but for now, i got this race is less than 33 hours and thats as far as i should be trying to think.
the most delicious smoothie ever made
raw kale is hands down the single greatest thing you can eat if you want the most out of your body, so it makes it into all of my smoothies. it has a negligible glycemic load and a vitamin/mineral spectrum that can challenge multivitamins. also, for athletes, it can drastically reduce inflammation and increase recovery between workouts. the problem is that the dark green, almost brown, tint that it gives the smoothie isnt very appealing to most people. and the taste isnt exactly the greatest either, nor is the smell. but recently ive created two smoothies that have blown me away: great taste, good smell, and they dont simply mask the kale taste like most smoothies try to, in my opinion they wouldnt taste as great without it.
the first one was a few days ago and the second was just a this morning, both of them are amazing:
-the 'smooth banana smoothie'
>1 cup Bolthouse vanilla chai tea
>3 stalks of red kale* (mostly de-stemmed)
>2 bananas
-'chocolate banana cant-even-taste-the-health bliss'
>about 3/4 cup of water and soy milk (half water: half soy milk)
>6 ice cubes
>two bananas
>2 table spoons of Nutella
>2 stalks of red kale (mostly de-stemmed)
the 'smooth banana smoothie' is just sweet enough and just light enough to be drank alone or with food. since there isnt any ice in it, it can be put in a Nalgene and taken on the go wihtout worrying about how its gona taste an hour after its made like most smoothies. it would be a perfect post workout drink due to the high protein and easy digestion.
the chocolate banana one is a gift to runners and athletes everywhere. just try it, youll love it. the taste is amazing and the glycemic load is about as low as it can be. im confident its the best smoothie the earth has ever seen.
*get red kale, do NOT get green kale for smoothies. bad idea unless you like drinking things that taste horrible and arent as healthy for you.
the first one was a few days ago and the second was just a this morning, both of them are amazing:
-the 'smooth banana smoothie'
>1 cup Bolthouse vanilla chai tea
>3 stalks of red kale* (mostly de-stemmed)
>2 bananas
-'chocolate banana cant-even-taste-the-health bliss'
>about 3/4 cup of water and soy milk (half water: half soy milk)
>6 ice cubes
>two bananas
>2 table spoons of Nutella
>2 stalks of red kale (mostly de-stemmed)
the 'smooth banana smoothie' is just sweet enough and just light enough to be drank alone or with food. since there isnt any ice in it, it can be put in a Nalgene and taken on the go wihtout worrying about how its gona taste an hour after its made like most smoothies. it would be a perfect post workout drink due to the high protein and easy digestion.
the chocolate banana one is a gift to runners and athletes everywhere. just try it, youll love it. the taste is amazing and the glycemic load is about as low as it can be. im confident its the best smoothie the earth has ever seen.
*get red kale, do NOT get green kale for smoothies. bad idea unless you like drinking things that taste horrible and arent as healthy for you.
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