See BamaDave Run (and Lift)

[BamaDave]

Let me see if I can catch up my log today!

TUES. 1.24.05 COSGROVE'S UNDUL. PERIODIZATION - WEEK 4/WKT 1

A = 5 sets of 3/ rest = 180 sec
B-D = 4 sets of 5/ rest=90 sec

A. POWER CLEANS - WMP: 5x120; WORK: 150: 1(F-2); 2(F-3); 1(F-2); 145: 2(F-3); 3

B1. FRONT SQUATS: WMP: 6x120; WORK: 180: 5; 5; 4; 4

B2. SINGLE-ARM DB ROWS: 105: 5; 5; 5; 5

C1. SINGLE-LEG RDL's: 2x25#ea.: 5; 5; 5; 5

C2. BENCH PRESS: 175: 5; 5; 1(F-2)javascript:void(0)
[img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img]; 4

D1. DB WOODCHOPPERS: 70#: Ea. side - 5; 5; 5; 5

D2: HANGING LEG RAISES: +20# ankle wts - 10; 8; 6; 8

-- My Power Clean problems seem to have been form-related. I really need to work on that, along with a million other things. I'm not dipping low enough for my catch. I finally improved for the very last set! javascript:void(0)
[img]/images/graemlins/crazy.gif[/img]

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WED. 1.25.06

AM RUN
DISTANCE: 11.15 miles
TIME: 1:22:16
AVE. PACE: 7:22

This felt pretty good - and it was a hard course. Much better than anything last week!

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THURS. 1.26.06
AM RUN

7.2 MILE RUN INCLUDING 8 x 0.5 mile repeats on hilly route
REST TO HR=120 bpm
TOTAL TIME: 56:42

LAPS:

1. (Warmup) - 1.25 mi. 10:11
2. 0.5 mi. - 3:06
3. Rest - 1:22
4. 0.5 mi - 3:36
5. Rest - 1:00
6. 0.5 mi - 3:11
7. Rest - 1:22
8. 0.5 mi - 3:41
9. Rest - 1:33
10. 0.5 mi - 3:28
11. Rest - 1:16
12. 0.5 mi - 2:41 (Ah, finally I'm not going UPHILL!!!)
13. Rest - 1:12
14. 0.5 mi - 2:50
15. Rest - 1:09
16. 0.5 mi - 2:55
17. 1.6 mi - 12:01

Felt like a good workout -- I managed to route this thing so that the first five 0.5 mile repeats had a lot of uphill stretches, if they weren't entirely uphill (those are the obvious slow ones on the list!!)

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FRI. 1.27.06
AM RUN

DISTANCE: 8.4 miles
TIME: 1:02:01
AVE. PACE: 7:22

Not bad - I have felt much more normal this week. Not overly fatigued, etc. Last week was really bad. I didn't realize how bad until now. I guess it's okay to push through a rough week now and then, but I wouldn't want to do that all the time. I was supposed to be tapering this weekm but if I get my run in today (Saturday) - I won't have tapered at all! javascript:void(0)
[img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

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FRI. 1.27.06
PM WORKOUT - COSGROVE UNDUL PERIOD. WEEK 4, WKT 2

A. 4 sets -- prescribed reps =5, but I increased since I am doing plyo pushups

B.-D. 3 sets of 10; 60 sec rest between supersets

A. PLYO PUSHUPS: 12; 12; 12; 10

B1. DEADLIFTS: WMP: 6x200; WORK: 10x235; 10x235; 9x235

B2. DB MILITARY PRESS: 2x 42.5#ea.: 10; 10; 7

C1. BULGARIAN SPLIT SQUATS: 2x25# ea. - 10; 10; 10

C2. CHIN-UPS: BW - 10 (8+2); 10 (6+3+1); 10 (6+4)

D. REPETITION CORE:

1. Incline Bench Sit-Ups: (+15) - 10/7/6

2. Bicycles: (+20# ankles): 10ea. side; 10 ea. side; (BW): 15 ea. side

3. Hanging Leg Raises (twist left and right): (+20# ankles): 5 ea. side; 4 ea. side; (BW only) - 5 ea. side

4. DB Woodchoppers - 50# DB to ea. side: 10/10/10

- Chin-ups sucked for some reason. I felt really weak on those. Deadlifts felt really good. My sweaty grip caused me to miss the final rep in the 3rd set. I probably could have gone a little heavier, but it's hard to guess what weight to use with the superset format and short rest period. I used 225# the first time I did this workout format - which was the very first week. Nevertheless, I'm not where I was at the end of last Summer when I seemed to hit a DL "peak" -- not that I expected to be!

[BamaDave]

SAT. 1.28.06
CROSSFIT WORKOUT - "FIGHT CLUB GONE BAD"

5 Stations - 1 minute at each station
Rest = one minute between ea. round of 5 stations
3 Rounds Total

1. 2x30# DB THRUSTERS: 23/19/17 - TOTAL: 59

2. 75# SUMO DEADLIFT/HIGH PULL: 15/13/14 - TOTAL: 42

3. BOX JUMP (JUMP ONTO BENCH): 14/18/16 - TOTAL: 48

4. 75# PUSH PRESS: 16/16/14 - TOTAL: 46

5. BURPEES - 11/12/11 - TOTAL: 34

GRAND TOTAL: 229


I last did this workout in October and had a total score of 224. Little change! I would have had a couple of extra reps on the 2nd round for Sumo Deads/High Pulls, but my 6 year-old daughter came downstairs and started asking me questions! LOL. I guess I shouldn't expect much improvement, since this is the first Crossfit routine I have done all month. Felt good to do one of these dangerous workouts again, even if I am not fast at it. It certainly wiped me out - I was shaking for at least 30 minutes afterward.

Later I took my daughters roller skating. Neither are avid skaters, although the little one shows promise of eventually liking it once she gets the hang of it. I could skate all day - it reminds me of how I spent almost every weekend when I was in my early teens. LOL.

My wife is gone for the weekend, and I couldn't do my Sat. morning run. Probably just as well, since I really am supposed to be tapering back.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Hey Dave-

I have a couple questions about your long runs; forgive me if you've touched on this before.

Do you bring water/gatorade with you?How about those gel things?
In your races do you walk through the aid stations? And how often do you take water/gel during those runs?

[Bill2380]

Aren't Burpies the absolute worst exercise ever invented?

[BamaDave]

[ QUOTE ]
Aren't Burpies the absolute worst exercise ever invented?

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha! Yeah, and they feel especially nice as the 5th exercise in a circuit! [img]/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img]

[BamaDave]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Dave-

I have a couple questions about your long runs; forgive me if you've touched on this before.

Do you bring water/gatorade with you?How about those gel things?
In your races do you walk through the aid stations? And how often do you take water/gel during those runs?

[/ QUOTE ]

Hey Twins -- It depends on the season as far as whether I bring water and/or gatorade on long runs. When the weather is decent, I bring it on runs that are approx. 18 or more miles. During hot weather, I'll bring it on runs that are shorter -- even as short as 11 or 12... even less if it's really obnoxiously hot and humid.

Right now, I am only using gels on long runs that are 20+ miles.

Alot of this varies from individual to individual. How easily you dehydrate, how much food you can tolerate before running, etc. I can eat a lot more food than many/most before my runs, so that may reduce my need for gels. OTOH - I dehydrate really easily - so I can have training runs that crash in warm weather by 13 or 14 miles, even if I have all 4 8-ounce bottles of fluid on my fuel belt.

As far as races - I don't walk the aid stations. I slow down and try to keep moving while I drink. Generally, I don't take any fluids during races that are 15K or less (unless it's warm/humid). For a 1/2-M, I would probably take fluids at a couple of aid stations. Marathons are completely different - I take water or gatorade at every aid station. Again, though - there's variation between individuals. Some can tolerate a lot of fluids, and some can't take as much. Also, whether or not to walk through the stations varies. I don't like to walk, because it breaks my momentum and makes it hard to re-start. But there are people who stop and use port-a-potties, so it varies.

I doubt you would need gels for your 1/2-M. You could take one before the race starts just to get an extra shot of fast carbs into your bloodstream, but you shouldn't deplete your glycogen reserves in a Half.. assuming that you eat really well for a couple of days preceding the race.

[BamaDave]

SUN. 1.29.06
LONG RUN

DISTANCE: 15.1 MILES
TIME: 1:50:49
AVE. PACE: 7:20

ELEVATION PROFILE:



This went really well. The extra rest has really improved my ankle tendon soreness, and that helped me get off to a good start on this run. The weather was warm, like last Sunday, but less humid. Windy at times, though. This was a PR on this course by almost three minutes [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] - which makes me feel optimistic. What a difference one week makes. Last Sunday, I was practically on my knees at the 15-mile point. I was tempted to run farther, but I thought that probably wasn't a good idea two weeks out from a marathon. The only negative is that I irritated the ligament on the top part of my ankle again, presumably on the very steep grade hills between 5.5-9.5. It's not swollen, though -- I just need to be careful.

[twinsavsvikingsfan]

Thanks for the info Dave. I appreciate it. I guess these are things I will learn as my training runs get longer, but I like to get all the info I can from people who have done it.

Awesome run! Out of curiosity, by looking at the elevation chart was that an out and back route?

[BamaDave]

Yep, it's an out and back run -- except for a little stretch of about 0.6 miles around mile 8 that I only do once.

[BamaDave]

TUES. 1.31.06
AM RUN

DISTANCE: 5.05
TIME: 36:30
AVE. PACE: 7:14

This was a good "unwind-er" from Sunday's run. My legs were still pretty tight. The first three miles of this run are obnoxious, and they always seem to loosen up my legs when I run this course. Then I was able to ramp it up for the last couple of miles.

[Buk]

That is an impressive long run Dave, and with hills to put the Mercedes marathon to shame. Are you going to do any race pace or sub race pace medium length runs between now and the race? I am liking the profile of the last 4 miles of the half, I think that is going to seal the deal for me.

[BamaDave]

Hey Buk, are you still coming down here for the half?? I didn't know whether you were still planning to do it...

This is actually the profile for the Half:



So you actually have the "tumble down the mountain" descent -- same as the one at the end of the full marathon. The 9-1/2 to 10 will be a knee-knocker, but after that should be fairly smooth sailing...

I'm planning to embed 5 x 1.25 mile tempo repeats in an 11-mile run tomorrow (on less hilly terrain). Then I'll probably embed some 0.5 mile repeats into my run this Saturday. My run on Sunday had a lot of marathon pace or faster miles in it when not climbing hills, so I'm not too worried about running M-pace. The big question is whether or not I have increased my ability to sustain it out to 26.2. Last year, I don't think I ever had a sub-8 pace training run on a course like the one I did Sunday, and my Mercedes pace was 7:32. So, I'm hoping a 7:20 on a run like that can translate over to around 6:50 average pace at Mercedes. I'm giving it a shot, anyway - I don't have anything to lose. Knocking over 4 minutes off my marathon PR on a substantially harder course after just 9 weeks of training is probably a lofty expectation - so I'm trying to be realistic about my chances. But there's no reason not to go for it, and I don't see the point in treating Mercedes as a "trainer" like some people do when they run multiple marathons fairly close together...

If the rest of my taper goes as last time, my shorter runs in the 6-7 mile range will wind up near marathon pace... if not, then that may signal that I have slowed down while concentrating on more miles through January... on the other hand, I'm not really tapering as aggressively as I did before Rocket City...

[somewhattossedup]

Damn Dave it looks like you are running from a hit man!! (J/K) Your log is solid man. I really like the graphs. Nice touch. Keep up the good work and go out there and win the Mercedes for us Bama folks. Make us proud!!

[BamaDave]

Haha, thanks tossedup! If a Bama guy wins Mercedes, it will likely be Scott Strand. It probably depends on whether and how many Kenyan runners show up for the race!

TUES. 1.31.06
PM WORKOUT

COSGROVE - UNDUL. PERIODIZATION
WEEK 5 - WORKOUT 1

Changed the exercises this week - 4 weeks of the others felt like enough!

A. 3 sets of 5 (120 sec rest)

B.-D. 2 sets of 15 (30 sec rest between supersets)

A. SNATCH: 100: 5/5/5

B1. SQUATS: 220: 15/15

B2. INVERTED ROWS/FEET ELEVATED: BW: 13+2/ 8+4+3

C1. SINGLE-LEG BACK EXTENSIONS: BW: 10 ea. leg/ 10 ea. leg

C2. DIPS: BW: 15/ 6+3+4+2

D1. DB WOODCHOPPERS: 30#: 15 ea. side/ 15 ea. side

D2. WEIGHTED SIT-UPS: 50#: 20/20

This was probably only the second time I have ever done snatches, so I need a lot of practice. I need to watch some videos again - I couldn't get the ones on the CrossFit site to download with my obsolete Bellsouth dialup connection at home.

Only a masochist makes people do squats in sets of 15 with 30 sec rest between Supersets. This rep configuration feels like a Crossfit routine. I hadn't done back squats since sometime in Dec., and I didn't do them much that month due to the Rocket City marathon and associated tapering and recovery. I really needed a warmup set in there, because I didn't get as deep as I wanted in the first set.

Inverted Rows - hadn't done those in a really long time, either and I had forgotten how hard they were.

The first set of dips was good, but the second one sucked. It sounds dumb, but my hamstrings were actually cramping up so much from the single-leg back extension, that it really distracted me in the second set. I have noticed I crash pretty quickly with dips, though. Just like pullups.

[BamaDave]

WED. 2.1.06
AM RUN

DISTANCE: 11.0 miles
TOTAL TIME: 1:14:59
AVE. PACE: 6:49/mile

I was supposed to run 5 x 1.25 mile tempo intervals within this run, but I forgot to start my workout on the Forerunner - just started the watch instead -- and didn't realize it until I was through with the 2 mile "warmup." So after the first 2-miles, I decided to run 6 miles at a tempo clip. The average pace for those 6 miles was 6:32 with variation from 6:22 to 6:39/mile. I probably would have maintained in the 6:20's if I had been on asphalt - I ran 4.5 of the 6 miles on a dirt road and have noticed that I lose about 10 sec per mile on that surface - I guess due to less bounce. I immediately sped back up into the 6:20's once I was back on the asphalt. I slowed down for miles 9 and 10 to recover (mile 10 was mostly a fairly hard uphill) and then sped back up for the final mile (6:31).

This felt like a solid workout, and I was happy with the pace, esp. since I just ran a hard 15-miler three days ago. This will be my last 10+ mile run until Mercedes.

[kmwest]

Wow. Just wow.

[Buk]

That is the kind of pace I like to see! 220 pound squats for sets of 15 is quite impressive. I hope you remember to taper your weight lifting workouts before the marathon too.

Is that "tumble down the mountain" descent actually steep enough to tumble down. I have effected both that stradegy and sliding down grassy hills in different types of races before. They both make great opportunities for recovery while maintaining pace. The hill I slid down during my adventure race was about 100 yards long and I probably passed 50 or so people who were all doing everything they could to keep from slipping. A well timed ice storm could do us well.