Strength bias, day three

Today the schedule called for a 20 minute met-con, but I went a bit longer. I must be tired, because I got a lot slower on this workout.

Filty Fifty
50 box jumps @24"
50 jumping pull-ups
50 kb swings @35#
50 walking lunges
50 knees to elbows
50 push presses @45#
50 back extensions
50 wall ball shots @20#
50 burpees
50 double unders
(30:32)

Strength bias, day two.

I am sore. And tired. This is good. So tired, in fact, that I'm just going to list the boring numbers, then go to sleep.

A.M.
Deadlifts
3 sets of 3
255#(5 reps. Oops.)/ 275#/ 295#
Then:
20 unbroken reps @165#

P.M.
1.5 mile run time trial
(10:32) not my best
Then:
Bench press
10 @135#
5-4-3-2-1-2-3-4-5 @155#

Strength bias day one

Well, the Saturday running group went well. There was a decent turnout, and we did some steep hill sprints to kick things off. Tara and I are devising a hard 5k course for the group, and will probably put it out as a challenge to the other affiliates soon. 2000 feet of elevation gain in the first mile sounds about right. Other than that, it's time to get back on it. I'm starting the Crossfit strength bias 6 week program today, and I am psyched! Heavy lifting in the morning, and short heavy met-cons in the afternoon. I'm working on a list of goals for this 6 week period, but nothing solid yet, and I'm too anxious to get started to wait. I just want to get strong and lean. Here's what day one looked like.

A.M

Back squats

3 sets of 5

185#/ 195#/205#(failed to break parallel) 

Weighted pull-ups

3 sets of 5

18#/ 18#/ 18#

P.M

3 rounds for time:

30 double unders

5 power clean and jerks @155#

3 box jumps @36"

(10:03)

1 minute rest

Tabata rowing 

8 rounds of 20 seconds work/ 10 seconds rest

815 meters rowed 

Easy Friday

150 bucket circles
Then:
Every minute on the minute for 15 minutes
2 hang power cleans @135#

Just wanted to get the blood flowing today in anticipation of starting hard training again on Monday. I feel well recovered and ready to go. Tomorrow morning is the first meeting of the Salt Lake City Crossfit Running group, and I'm hoping for a good turnout. Running is usually a time to spend with Tara or time to be alone, but it won't kill me to be a little social. Two a day training starts on Monday!

Slow return

On Monday I'm starting the Crossfit strength bias program, and I can't wait. I'm giving myself a full week off from real workouts, and I think my body is thanking me. My recovery from the Speedgoat has been good on a structural level, but I have been sleeping a lot, and just doing a few double unders got me incredibly winded.

Today's workout:
Three rounds of Shoulder Press/ Push Press/ Push Jerk for max reps @95#
2 minute break between rounds

R1-10,6,6
R2-5,5,5
R3-4,5,4


Then:
100 double unders

Speedgoat 50K

Crossing the finish line. 11 hours and 26 minutes on the trail.

I finished. I have never wanted to quit a race more than I wanted to today. The climbs were BRUTAL! Everything about this race was hard, and it never relented. The course has changed over the years, but this year I believe it has been finalized. I talked to multiple veteran runners, and they said that it was harder than ever. In March, I ran the Sapper Joe 50k in 7:12. Today I was in better shape, and the Speedgoat took 11 hours and 26 minutes. I fell more times than I can count, might have heat exhaustion, and made a costly detour that cost me time and hope. Several times I made real plans to drop out. Once I was too far out to drop, and when I had a real opportunity, Tara gave me the encouragement I needed. It was so great to have Tara there. She hung out on Hidden Peak all day to support me. I was also lucky enough to have the support of Libby, Annie and Baby Tessa. Sue was at the last aid station on Hidden Peak, and she took good care of me and got me moving when I clearly wanted to lay down. Thanks everyone!

The first visit to Hidden Peak.The view.


The climb to the tunnel. Ready to quit.

Me, Libby, Annie and Baby Tessa. It's harder to quit when there are witnesses.

Me and Sue. She threatened me with 50 burpees, and that got me moving.

Me and world class ultrarunning badass, Karl Meltzer.


The main reason I made it to the finish. I only do this stuff to impress her.

Speedgoat 50k

The Speedgoat 50k is tomorrow, and the jitters are setting in. Spending the day running over some of the most beautiful mountains in the world is, really, nothing to be nervous about. I'm nervous, excited and already looking forward to the next training goal. All of this is just a continuous experiment, and hopefully I keep learning and refining my training. None of my training has been perfect, but the results continue to improve, if only a little. Next time I know I need to plan out a longer time frame in relation to future events. I have relied heavily on general physical preparedness, and really very little on specifics, and while this has given me what I need to finish pretty strong, I want more. Check back over the last couple of months and see how little I have actually run. I've got some plans and ideas for the rest of the year and 2010, and I am ready to step it up.
I will update you all tomorrow after the race. To the mountains!

The Speedgoat 50k approaches! Run!

Monday
3 sets of 3 back squats @205#
Then:
8 rowing intervals of 20 seconds work, 10 seconds rest. All out effort.
(813 meters rowed)

Tuesday
4 rounds of 440 meter run.
(1:37, 1:35, 1:34, 1:32)
Nice and steady, not a lot of effort. Felt good.
Then:
3 rounds of
10 back extensions
10 GHD sit-ups

Cooled down with 10 minutes of heavy bag work. I'm forgetting what it feels like to punch and kick people. The bag doesn't hit back, but it never falls down.

I'm really excited about the race on Saturday. I'm going to take some time off from running races after this, and focus more on strength and conditioning. Maybe more stress free fun. Almost every trip Tara and I have taken over the last four years has been to races. It's fun, but not at all relaxing. I want to get out to some more Crossfit certifications as well, and not paying race fees will help me afford that. I plan on really throwing myself into Crossfit for a while. The games have me super fired up, and I'm interested to see how the training goes without getting broken by races.

Meh

Went to the gym even though I had decided to rest after two terrible workouts. I went easy, got the blood flowing and got a good sweat on. I'm not sure what the deal is, but my strength and energy are very low. Maybe a quality diet would help. Maybe steroids.

Task priority Cindy
20 rounds timed, but not for time.
(31:00)

The wrong shoe and a shameful display.

I bought a pair of the Sportiva Crosslite trail shoes and they were not for me. While we were in Death Valley I broke them in with some hiking, and yesterday I took them out for an easy 6 mile trail run. The run itself was alright, but when I finished it felt like I had broken bones in my feet. I guess I'll stick to the Inov-8s.

Thursday
1 mile bike ride
6 mile trail run
2 mile bike ride

Today was the fourth installment of the Friday beat down. I couldn't make it in to work with the group this morning, so I thought I would make it up later. The heat rose and motivation waned, and I tanked. There is no excuse for this shit show.

This is what was intended.
As many rounds as possible in 55 minutes plus one round.
400 meter run
5 squat cleans @135#
5 wall ball shots @20#
5 box jumps @36"
5 KB swings @70#

What did I end up with?
5 rounds in 29:09
With every rep, it felt like someone jammed a straw in my third eye, and sucked out my soul.

Later
A desperate attempt at redemption
4o bucket circles
20 squats @135#
10 deadlifts @155#
10 GHD sit ups
10 deadlifts @155#
10 GHD sit ups
Every minute on the minute for 8 minutes, alternating:
Max rep bench presses @135# (10,10,8,6)
max rep weighted pull-ups @35# (4,4,2,4)

Death Valley, the Mojave, Lake Mead and Vegas.

Here are some pictures from our trip to Las Vegas and the desert. We love the heat. We went out to Death Valley, the Mojave and Lake Mead in search of some desert goodness. Without focusing attention on the Strip and casinos, Vegas is actually a pretty sweet place if you love the desert.

I've got a good idea. Let's do 100 burpees at the lowest point in the U.S. It's only 115+ degrees.
I didn't feel right for the rest of the day.