I think my pull or strain or whatever it is must be in the Soleus muscle. It's not a big deal, I just need to lay off of it for a couple of days instead of doing runs that aren't all that beneficial.
I doubt I'll attempt that hill on Monday. I'll have to postpone possibly to the following weekend. Even then, I may not be able to run, as my wife and in-laws are considering returning to my in-laws' home in Chalmette, LA to salvage from the flood destruction, and my 9 and 6 year-old daughters probably won't want to run with me [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] . Don't they know that will interfere with my ability to run?? The nerve! Actually, it's up in the air, since they are weighing the risks of exposing themselves to who-knows-what versus the desire to see their home of 35 years for one final time. I'm hoping they choose not to expose themselves, because there was an oil spill on top of all of the other nasty crap in the water, but I do understand the pull to see their home and belongings and hopefully find something salavageable.
Yeah, Google Earth is really incredible. Fortunately for me, I can only really use it at work, which severely limits my time (I have dial-up at home). If I had it at home, I'd probably waste many hours goofing around with it.
I turned 39 on Saturday, and since I'm supposed to now stay 39 for the remainder of my days, I thought I better work out to keep on top of things!
I. DEADLIFTS - 8x180; 6x220; 4x250; 3x290; 3x290; 3x290. Another crash day with DL's. I've managed to go from an 8x285 set a few weeks ago to 3x290 ?!?!?!?! I was having sweaty grip problems, but even with stronger grip, I think I would only have managed another rep or two in the 290 sets. This seems to be my history with DL's, though -- I do well for awhile and then have a setback. I'll probably lower weight next time and work myself back upward.
II. PULLUPS: 5xBW; 5x BW+25; 3x BW+25; 4x BW+25.
III. DB BENCH PRESS: 8x 50ea.; 7x 75ea.; 6x 75ea.; 5x 75ea. This was actually good for me on DB Bench. And no rotator cuff pain, which I often feel when doing these.
IV. CLEAN + PRESS: 6x90; 3x115 (Failed on 4); 4x110; 5x105. I was doing these without any leg push on the press and was surprised by how difficult it was. Had to keep backing down on the weight.
V. CHIN-UPS: 4x BW+25; 4x BW+25. Went to deadhang as on pull-ups.
VI. SQUAT CLEANS: 8x70; 8x100; 7x110. Never done these before. Very challenging! This is a great exercise but will take lots of practice.
No running due to continued pain in my left Soleus muscle. Nothing major, but I'm hoping for this to clear up quickly and don't want to aggravate it. So, I decided to try one of the Cross-Fit workouts instead. For some insane reason, I decide to try CHELSEA:
Each minute, on the minute, for 30 minutes, do 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 squats.
I knew I wouldn't be able to do all of the pullups, but I thought I would probably be good for the pushups and the squats. LOL! Yeah, sure.
For the first set, I paced myself too slow, and it took me about 1:10, which meant no breather for the second set, and I sped up to try to catch up. I did catch up within a couple of sets, but then slowed down again.
First 6 sets took 7 minutes. Took a 1 minute breather.
Next 3 sets took 4:17 (ended at 12:17 total).
Started again at 13:47 -- next 4 sets ended at 19:41.
Started next 3 sets at 21:30, ended at 25:38.
Last 3 sets started at 27:00; ended at 31:18.
So I only got 19 sets in 31:18. It wasn't too far into the workout before I was having to jump on the ascent part of at least some of the pullups (still did the negatives) -- and by the end, I was doing all of them with jumping. Same on the pushups - I was on my knees for many of the pushups, and essentially all of them by the end!
The squats were no problem. But my upper body was shaking for at least a couple of hours afterward and feels like jello this morning - not to mention VERY sore. I also had more of a "pump" from this workout than a typical barbell workout.
I think I am going to try to incorporate at least one of these Cross-Fit workouts every week. Most appear to be fairly short duration, so it should be feasible to double up these with running workouts on the same day, assuming that I don't pick a routine that pulverizes my legs. In fact, I might even do 2 Cross-Fits per week and one traditional weight training workout -- or alternate back and forth.
Awesome work Dave! First I got you doing sprints, and now Crossfit. I have never done Chelsea, but I have done her very close sister Cindy which is to do as many rounds of the same exercises(pull-up, push-up, squat), same reps(5, 10, 15), in 20 minutes. I struggled through 11 rounds, with the push-ups slowing me down the most.
That is a great first Crossfit performance. They are usually short in duration, 30 minutes being at the longer end of the spectrum.
On your deadlifts you might want to try and pull from a platform for awhile and see if that helps you at all. Of course this is coming from someone whose max is only 290 lbs, but hopefully rising! Also some rack pulls or Good mornings might help as well.
That Crossfit workout sounds like a killer. I might have to check those out.
Hey Buk, you're a sadist. Stop trying to influence us old guys into trying this crazy stuff! [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] I'm probably going to find another CrossFit workout to do tonight. My calf is almost back, but I can still feel a twinge of pain. I'll likely try running tomorrow AM or PM - but for tonight, I'll shop around for some more CrossFit torture.
C., thanks for the suggestions! I haven't pulled from a platform in a long time - it probably would be worth a shot at changing up the approach for awhile. I have been doing Good Mornings, and I think they may have been helping with the DL progress I was making -- but the last couple of workouts have been a downward trend.
75 Barbell Thrusters (from Crossfit Site) for time
95 LBS.
12:48
After last night and tonight, my upper body is more sore than it has been in a very long time. This was another very tough workout. I was limited by the overhead shoulder press and had to break when I sensed I would fail on the next rep. The time component of these workouts really makes you push.
I actually wrote down how many reps I did before having to break during this routine: 15, 5, 8, 6, 7, 6, 6, 5, 5, 5, 4, 3.
I think I could have done this a little faster if I wasn't so sore from last night, but really I didn't even think much about being sore/stiff after a few reps.
Did you yell "I'm a huge wild beast!" as you completed the last rep? That is a really good time. I may be influencing you into some crazy stuff, but you know you like it, masochist. I will say again, I am indeed impressed.
Quote:
Originally posted by BamaDave:
[qb]I think I could have done this a little faster if I wasn't so sore from last night, but really I didn't even think much about being sore/stiff after a few reps.[/qb]
This is exactly what I tried to express the other day.
Quote:
Originally posted by Buk
[qb]I find that any soreness that exists at the begining of a workout is quickly drowned by the intensity of the first few reps. I think that working through soreness actually helps train the recovery process. And it doesn't seem to impact a workout once I get past the first few reps.[/qb]
Originally posted by Buk:
[qb] Did you yell "I'm a huge wild beast!" as you completed the last rep? That is a really good time. I may be influencing you into some crazy stuff, but you know you like it, masochist. I will say again, I am indeed impressed.[/qb]
Thanks! Yeah, does this mean I'll be hauling a sandbag down the street in the not-too-distant future?? I'm hoping some of this high intensity work will help me break some strength plateaus, especially in the shoulders.
------
TUES. SEPT. 20. 2005:
AM RUN. 6.2 miles. 45:07. Ave. pace = 7:17. I ran most of this at a moderate intensity, trying to avoid any re-injury to my calf. However, I did run at a higher intensity on a 1.05 mile incline segment (7:52 or 7:30 pace), and then also for the final one mile (6:22). My calf feels pretty good now -- better than last week for sure.
You don't need a sandbag. I remember you complaining that you couldn't go on a long run because your wife was going to be out of town and you couldn't leave the kids that long. One over each shoulder or both in the wheelbarrow. I bet they would love wheelbarrow rides! My belief is that the adaptations are greater the greater the average power(intensity) of the workout. Perfect solution to break a strength barrier.
Oh yeah, they definitely would stop and ask! I've had several offers of rides up hills or out of the rain. LOL. They might think I'm a kidnapper.
Bill, I felt like a wounded beast too. LOL!
----------------------
WED. SEPT. 21, 2005
AM RUN -- ~14.3 miles. 113:37. 7:58 ave. pace. I missed my long run on Sunday so decided to do an almost-long run this morning before work. I kept my pace reduced, mostly because I was headed for the BIG MOMMA hill that has eluded me -- but this morning I ate that hill for breakfast! I also wanted to keep my calf in check, and so far, it's doing reasonably well. My legs were hurtin' by the end. LOL. This is the first time I have ever had to work after a run of this length and terrain intensity, but so far so good.
My plan is to do another long run on Sunday and get back on schedule, so hopefully I will be ready for that 4 days from now. I'm also going to try to keep a second run each week in the 10-13 mile range with a slower pace to help with acclimating to the long distances. I'm hoping that will help me realize the marathon pace that is "predicted" based on other race paces.
AM RUN -- This was first run with my new Garmin Forerunner 301 [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] . I'm still learning how to play with it, but I have already overlayed the data on a Google Earth map, and it really did track my run well.
According to the watch, my distance was 6.49 miles, time = 46:29, with an average pace of 7:09 per mile. My pace plot looks like a seismograph reading. LOL. This route is one that I use regularly and have measured in a car as 6.3 miles. My best guess for the discrepancy is that a car travels straight down the road, whereas when I am running, I am frequently weaving to change lanes to stay on the safest side of the road due to hills and/or to avoid cars. So I imagine the weaving adds a little distance.
I did use the heart monitor. I thought it was interesting that my heart rate started rising just in anticipation of the run, and when I started it was already up to 110! My ave. heart rate during the run was 158 bpm. The Forerunner is supposed to adapt to my heart rate and adjust max heart rate and heart training zones accordingly. I'm not sure how much I'll use this information, but it's interesting.
My legs feel blasted after yesterday's long one plus this morning's run. I was planning to scope out another CrossFit routine for tonight, but I may try to do that in the morning - I feel exhausted right now.
I'm also planning to try intervals again at the track tomorrow - I hope my calf will cooperate. That should be fun with the new toy!
I thought I was going to blow off a workout this morning, but I'm caught in a pattern of waking up between 4:45 and 5:15 every morning, so I had plenty of time before rushing the kids out the door to school. I browsed the CrossFit site again, and chose a WOD from a few days ago. This time no beat-the-clock with the routine, which was 3x5 Cleans followed by 3x5 Front Squats and 3x5 Split Jerks. I did add a warm-up set before each exercise.
CLEANS: 5x95; 3x150 (Failed on 4); 5x145; 5x145
FRONT SQUATS: 6x120; 5x185; 5x190; 5x190
SPLIT JERKS: 5x100; 3x120; 4x120; 3x120 (almost on 4th)
I seemed to be in the right ballpark for the cleans and working on technique, especially the dip down to catch the bar on my shoulders. Front squats went well, and 190 was a good weight for me for 5 reps with going rock bottom. I was tilting forward somewhat on the last couple of reps, but overall decent. I seem to be doing a lot better with bar placement on these than in the past - these used to kill my wrists. I wonder whether that was due to tilting forward too much and putting pressue on my curled back wrists.
I had never done Split Jerks before, and I will have to work on the technique. I'm assuming I should be able to jerk more than I military press. LOL. I was already pretty well exhausted from the cleans, so that probably hurt me somewhat on these as well, since my shoulders tire out pretty fast.
I'm planning to go to the track after work and play with my new toy again.
I have been playing with some features at MotionBased.com. Here are two graphs of my run from yesterday. LOL. One is Elevation vs. Grade of the terrain. The other is Elevation vs. Pace. The "Pace" data is hard to see, because the scale they are using for that axis is really broad.
1:20 -- (rest 2:21)
1:20 -- this one would have been my best at approx. 1:18, but I got screwed up by a bunch of walkers and field maintenance equipment parked on the right hand side of the track. [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] [img]/images/graemlins/mad.gif[/img] (rest 1:56)
1:21 -- (rest 2:24)
1:22
TOTAL MILEAGE with INTERVALS AND WALK/JOGS: 6.5 miles
This felt like a good, hard workout, although I was not as "on" as my last two track workouts (aside from last week's when I nailed my calf). In general, all intervals were slower than last time. I definitely had more leg fatigue before starting this workout, so I'll just have to adapt to the increased training.
My Forerunner didn't work so well at the track -- the GPS signal was only "fair," which caused the distance measurements and pace calculations to be off. This surprised me, since the track is in a wide open space, obviously.
Just for fun, I overlayed my "run" on a Google Earth image. I swear I was not running outside the track and across the field:
The heart rate profile for this workout was pretty cool, though, because it clearly reflected the intervals:
-------------------------
SATURDAY, SEPT. 24, 2005: AM RUN
DISTANCE: 6.94 miles
TIME: 53:50
AVERAGE PACE: 7:45
This run was difficult. It was my fifth consecutive run day, and I could really feel it. I planned to do some tempo intervals, but that only happened for one split, ~0.5 miles, fairly early in the run. Otherwise, the terrain was all of the intensity shift I could handle today.
Here's a pace versus elevation profile. So far, I am not finding the pace calculations from the Forerunner to be all that helpful in hilly terrain. When I get into more level to rolling areas, it stabilizes better and is more useful. So I think it could be helpful during races or during longer runs on less variable terrain. Motionbased.com does calculate some pretty nice statistics, like giving you your average paces for ascending (8:33), descending (7:05), and flat terrain (7:45).
Here's a Google Earth Image of today's course, and then I'll quit posting useless graphs and images from my new toy!
I was planning another long run tomorrow, but I may cut back on that plan and shoot for a longer one again next weekend.
I think the GPS slightly underestimated this run - I noted when I overlayed it onto a Google Earth map, it missed some points, especially in the final mile.
I was going to keep this ~11 miles, but felt good enough to add on some extra, which included a long downhill and then a 2-mile mostly uphill for some end-of-run torture. I felt like I held the intensity at the right level, considering this run followed a more difficult 14+ mile run just a few days ago. Also, this was my sixth consecutive running day, which is not typical for me. Also, I logged about 54 miles of running the past six days, also not typical... so, I have to be cautious about injuries when ramping up the miles.
Pace and Elevation Profile:
So far, I am not very impressed with the real-time pace information the Forerunner is providing me during my runs. I have definitely noticed that it seems more accurate when I am completely away from any trees, but that's not usually the case where I run. Otherwise, it bounces all over the place. It also sucked at the track, but I only had a "fair" signal during that run.
Good work the last few days Dave. I've been reading, just pretty busy and trying to catch up on sleep.
About the Forerunner:
I could care less about GPS at the track. The heartrate and time/lap functions are better than any watch I have ever had, but on a short measured distance, there is no need for the GPS. I can figure pace and speed every quarter lap. There is an option for the amount of smoothing that the Forerunner applies to the displayed pace, but I think the default is set pretty high. One thing that I find useful sometimes is to use the lap pace rather than the current pace. Also, the Forerunner is more accurate than any post processing or viewing. It stores trackpoints that MotionBased or Google Earth see, but the actual calculations that figure distance use more data. One of my biggest complaints is that you can't store more trackpoints. I think that MotionBased is working on the ability to add points to runs to "fix" tracks and get the distance right. I hope your Forerunner treats you well enough to keep you happy with it.
Thanks for the tips, Buk -- I believe MotionBased has implemented their GPS correction (called MB Gravity, I think). I'll have to check into the smoothing option on pacing.
I agree that the pacing feature isn't really needed at the track - I was just surprised that the distance measurements were so "off" -- it overestimated my total distance by almost 0.5 miles on a 6.5 mile workout, which is a pretty serious error.
I haven't even started to use many of the features -- no autolapping or custom workouts yet.
“Cindy”
Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
5 Pull-ups
10 Push-ups
15 Squats
Completed 13 rounds in 20:20.
This was very similar to "Chelsea," which I did 9 days ago. This time I didn't allow myself to do any of the pushups on my knees. That slowed me down a little compared with last week, but should give me a better benchmark for improvement. I still had to use some leg push to get up on some pullups, but I think I was a little better on that exercise this week as well (keyword: LITTLE!).
Good job Dave and Bill too. You both topped my 12. My speed really slowed a lot after I completed the first 6 rounds in 6:42. The push-ups just became impossible for me. Triceps were refusing to work, and the shoulders were sore. Dave, do you get taxed cardiovascularily? Somewhere around minute 12 or 15, my breathing becomes as labored as it gets. My time is still limited by my push-ups, and to a very slight degree my pull-ups, but my lungs don't feel far behing.
Bill, I didn't read the comments on the Crossfit website. THIRTY?!?!?! Well that gives us something to shoot for!
Buk, I don't know why I didn't think to lap my sets on this routine. That would have been very helpful for future comparisons. I know I did the first set in about 50 seconds, because I did glance at my watch. I do have a note at home about when I finished the first 6 rounds -- It was 7 minutes and sumthin'. I wasn't limited cardiovascularly. It was definitely the push ups with pullups coming in second, although I was allowing myself to cheat on the pullups. Next time I do one of these pullup/pushup routines, I'll make myself do all of the pullups as well and really get a true benchmark for improvement.
------------------------
WED. 9/28/05: WEIGHTS
My upper body was pretty tired and sore from the Crossfit routine on Tues., and I was really tired from poor sleep for two consecutive nights (senile dachshund waking me up to go to the bathroom or get tucked back in under his blanket -- no, I'm not kidding!). But my wife and in-laws were back from a salvage trip to New Orleans (barely anything to salvage - entire house was trashed [img]/images/graemlins/frown.gif[/img] ) , and we all went out for Dairy Queen -- so the Snickers Blizzard revved me up enough to reconsider blowing it off.
I. FULL SQUATS - 6x220; 6x265; 6x265 -- these were good -- all the way to the bottom and less shaky than last time, even on the final reps. Still odd how much harder it is to push back up from just a few inches lower, but I'm building confidence.
II. MILITARY PRESS - 5x120; 3x120 (F-4) ?!?!?! I'll hope this was due to Crossfit fatigue - if not, I have regressed on standing military presses .
III. DEADLIFTS - 6x220; 6x275; 2x275; 3x275 -- Major grip problems - my hands were blistered from the Crossfit routine (and sweaty), and I couldn't hold on as long as I should have been able to. I refuse to use my gloves anymore... I'll just have to build even bigger callouses.
IV. DB BENCH PRESS - 8x75 each; 4x75 each. 8x75ea. is a PB for me on DB Bench, but the 4x75 was a terrible drop for a second set.
V. BB ROWS - 6x170; 6x170
VI. OVERHEAD SQUATS - 6x95; 6x95 -- good low depth -- getting better at these.
VII. DIPS - 3 x BW+40 (?!?!); 4 x BW+40 - I guess my upper body had enough by now!
VIII. CHIN-UPS: 3 x BW+25; 3 x BW+25 - yeah, upper body shot at this point...
IX. ABS:
A. Incline bench sit-ups: +30# -- 11 reps
B. Hanging Leg Raises with Twists (left - center -right) -- +20# ankles -- 12 reps (4 each position) -- why I went ahead and tried this with blistered hands I don't know. Couldn't hold the bar.
C. Bicycles - +20# ankle wts - 35 to each side
Decent night's sleep last night, so I should be charged up for a good run when I get home this evening. Not to mention a cold front is passing today!
DISTANCE: 7.2 miles (Forerunner said 7.47 -- no wonder people love these things!)
TIME: 51:14
AVE. PACE: 7:07
AVE. HEART RATE: 160
This was a good run with two major inclines to conquer. My goal was to have an ave. pace on it below 7:00, and I'm sure I would have, except that it got dark well before the end, and I had to be cautious with where I was stepping (our rural roads often have many potholes). Weather was absolutely perfect, and I finished strong (could have been stronger).
Unfortunately, at some point during this run (I believe on a decline), I dinged my lower left calf again -- not in the same spot as two weeks ago, though.
-------------------
FRI. SEPT. 30, 2005:
AM RUN -- EASY PACE
DISTANCE: 6.3 miles (Forerunner told me 6.53 -- I really should use its distances so my paces will be better! [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] )
TIME: 50:22
AVE. PACE: 8:00/mile
AVE. HEART RATE: 149
I went running despite concerns about my lower calf, and it went reasonably well. I kept the pace down to avoid further irritation. It seemed okay, but I aggravated it later in the day walking down stairs at work. I think I may have done this by misstepping on a downhill, and it's not really all that aggravated by running. I just need to be cautious. I also think my running shoe inserts are due for replacement.
--------------------------
SATURDAY OCTOBER 1, 2005:
AM RUN -- MODERATE PACE
DISTANCE: 6.2 miles (Forerunner was on it this morning! Even pacing information it reported made sense while I was running)
TIME: 44:46
AVE. PACE: 7:12 per mile
AVE. HEART RATE: 158 (The Forerunner is learning my personal heart zones, apparently -- it says my max heart rate is 185).
Calf felt good, so I ramped it up somewhat for this run without getting too carried away. Held my pace fairly well on a long incline. Overall, pretty decent run.
------------------------------------------------
SAT. OCTOBER 1, 2005:
PM CROSSFIT WORKOUT:
I did the CrossFit workout of the day from one week ago:
75 pound Thruster
Pull-ups
With a continuously running clock do one thruster the first minute, two pull-ups the second minute, three thruster the third minute, and four pull-ups the fourth minute…continuing in this pattern as long as you are able. If your pace falls behind the count, continue to alternate exercises while recording reps for a total of twenty minutes.
This one starts out easy, but quickly becomes a killer. As expected, I failed first with the pull-ups. By the time I got to "10 pullups in the 10th minute," I had to do mini-sets of 6,2,2. After that, I had to include some jumping on the ascent part of the pullups to stay even remotely close to being on time. Thrusters went better -- I didn't break those into mini-sets until my final set of 17, which I had to do as 10 and 7. I finished the workout with those 17 Thrusters at 20:40. Pullups are a weakness for me, even though I have done them routinely ever since I started working out regularly 3-1/2 years ago. I'm just not used to doing so many in such rapid succession.
I hurt!
Afterwards, I did a set of weighted curl-ups (+50# DB, 30 reps), and two sets of weighted leg raises on a decline bench (+20# ankles, 6 reps; 6 reps).
I have been planning to do a hard long run tomorrow -- the longest since my Feb. marathon, but I may decrease it depending on how my calf behaves.
I planned out a really difficult run for this morning... more of a personal challenge thing than a sensible long training run. Lots of monster inclines. The first one was my dreaded "nemesis hill," which I completed for the second time today. That really wipes me out, though, and the top of that hill was only at a little over the 7-mile point. I also made it up the second major incline, which I consider 2nd or 3rd worst in the area, at around the 10 mile point. Good run up to that point, but I started crashing after that. Humidity was high and I couldn't keep myself hydrated very well. I made myself do the whole course, which included several more bastard inclines, but I had to alternate walking and running. I also stopped at a gas station and guzzled a ton of water and filled my bottles, which I have never done before. I'm pretty wiped out, and I'll have to file this challenge away as something to conquer. On a decent Fall day, I could probably do it or come close without stopping to walk.
On the plus side, a guy stopped me and told me he has run in the Huntsville Marathon 9 times and said he didn't realize there were any other runners in the area (neither did I). He wanted to know whether I wanted to train with him, so I may have a running partner. Hopefully he's not a 2:30 marathoner or something - that would probably be good for me, but not so much for him!
This run went pretty well, in spite of a terrible night's sleep. I had some pretty decent intensity segments up hills and also during the last two miles.
A 15K race is coming up this weekend. I'm debating whether I want to run it, since my daughter is playing soccer that morning, and I would likely miss her entire game. I may save my fee money for November, when we have the big local 10K in Birmingham followed by a half-marathon in Huntsville one week later. The timing of the half-marathon is one month in advance of the full marathon -- sounds like perfect timing for a big push on a half as a trainer for the big day in December.
Good work Dave! Running seems to be going well. Nice on the thruster/pull-up workout too. What are your goal road race times for this fall? What pace are you going to run the marathon?
Re: See BamaDave Run (and Lift)
I'm hoping some of this high intensity work will help me break some strength plateaus, especially in the shoulders. 
Linear Mode
