General: Can't believe tomorrow is 2011. Time for a solid year of training. Not going out on New Year's because I'm getting up early to get one last trail run in before my ultra next weekend. Hoping to go 2-3 hours. I really didn't care about going out anyway so I'm looking forward to the morning.
Nutrition: Good, had some ice cream and might have a clif bar or something before bed to make sure I'm carbed for the morning. I was in ketosis earlier.
Body: Shoulders tight, otherwise feeling good.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: I wrote my programming for 2011, as you can see from the pictures above. I based the strength portion of the template I made off CFFB, Witchita falls, Starting Strength, and Justin Lascek's newest strength program he came out with. Once I finish this CFSB cycle, test my 1rm's, finish my 50k next weekend and take a few days off to get ready I will be ready to get my programming on the road in preparation for my 50 miler and to get closer to my strength goals for 2011. I estimate to start somewhere around the time my next semester at school does.
5x Max rep chest to deck standard pushups with 20# weighted vest
15 12 9 8 7
COMMENTS
General: Despite a terrible cold, minor nausea and severe stomach problems today I somehow managed to PR. I didn't even work out until 9:30pm. I'll take it either way but needless to say I was a bit baffled.
Nutrition: Good
Body: This cold has me feeling like shit, but nothing was really sore minus some feeling in my squat muscles.
Sleep: 9 hours. Loving this melatonin experiment.
Reflections: Nada really. I think I had 7 PR's in total this week which was pretty awesome. Got a rest day tomorrow and a long run Saturday. I'll be skipping the back squat on Saturday and try to recover in time to deadlift Sunday, but other than that I'm not sure how I'm going to approach next week as far as tapering goes still.
General: I was thrilled with the 2 PR's on squat, especially the huge PR on high rep back squat. Opted not to do the third set because I got the stimulus I needed and would rather be fresh for my run on Saturday than risk it. I think I had something like 5 PR's in the last 3 days of training which is really motivating. A lot of my success I am starting to attribute to my switch to a post-wod concoction of whole milk and whey powder, whereas I used to eat a huge paleo-style meal.
Nutrition: Ate really clean but had some ice cream and a good sized vanilla shake for dessert at my birthday dinner. Felt really sick from it. I guess I can't handle that much dairy in a day.
Body: Shoulders were a bit sore, but other than that I've been feeling really good this week. I am in the middle of a bad cold though which has been awful to deal with.
Sleep: 7.5 hours. Once again the melatonin may have contributed to me feeling really good on a rather short night of sleep. It also could be a placebo effect so I'll continue to monitor my sleep.
Reflections: Looking forward to tomorrow and would love to hit 2 PR's on shoulder press and high rep shoulder press. That would be a great feeling going into the rest day with so much accomplished this week. Happy birthday to me.
135# Power Clean 50# Dumbbell Swings (Not to full extent, limited ROM because of ceiling height limitations) 135# Floor Wipers
Time: 14:09 (PR by 3:11, last done on 7/1/10)
MWOD complete
COMMENTS
General: I was really pleased with the PR on this metcon today. I was not even really expecting to get a PR because I wasn't sure how I'd perform on the power cleans, but they were actually my strongest part. I do remember being hungover last time I did this WOD, but I'll take it nonetheless. I also found out today that my 24 hour challenge video might get posted on the Crossfit Endurance website, which made me really happy.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Tight lower back, but other than that I felt really good today.
Sleep: 8-9 hours. The melatonin seemed to do something for sure because I always remember at least one dream the next day and I didn't remember any when I woke up. It also took me like 10 minutes to drag my butt out of bed this morning when I did wake up which may have had something to do with it.
Reflections: Nothing really to reflect on. Tomorrow's my birthday and I'm hoping for 2 strength PRs on front squat and high rep back squat and a solid metcon. 18 was a great year of training and I made some really awesome gains since I reached this age.
No training. 3 hours of shoveling driveways for money.
COMMENTS
General: Nice rest day in general. I'm hoping to get the MWOD's going again tomorrow. I purchased melatonin and vitamin D today and will be experimenting with both over the next few weeks. Also purchased Converse Chuck Taylors for powerlifting when I join my new gym in a few weeks, and Yaktrax which go over my shoes to allow me to run safer through snow. Really excited to try all my new stuff out.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Lower back and chest are kind of sore.
Sleep: 7-8 hours
Reflections: Nothing to reflect on. Going for one long trail run on Saturday to finalize preparation for the 50k and then it's taper time. I won't be scaling my training until 3 days out from the race most likely, but I'll figure that all out as we get closer.
General: The deadlift felt great today. I PRed on the 3-by sets, and had Dan's bar not come loose I would've easily gotten more reps of 225. I felt strong today for whatever reason. The metcon was awesome and I will start programming both of those movements more often.
Nutrition: Great
Body: Feeling awesome
Sleep: 8-9 hours
Reflections: Now that the holiday is over I'm ready to get serious for the ultra and getting my strength #'s back. Looking forward to it.
General: Had planned to do a second Crossfit work out later in the day with my girlfriend, but the plans we made ended up going a little too late and we were both too tired to do anything else. Good work out in general although I wish I had used 135# like RX'd calls for. I wasn't sure how my elbow would hold up but I think it's OK. Keep in mind I rested yesterday between this and the endurance challenge.
Nutrition: Bad. Did work on party food. I got the Primal blueprint cookbook for christmas and will be waking up tomorrow to a crockpot of chicken that I made. Trying to get the nutrition better before the race.
Body: Overall I wasn't that sore from the event, but really really tired. My calves and achilles were pretty tight, and they were the limiting factor on the hang cleans in the wod.
Sleep: 11 hours
Reflections: Nothing. Going to deadlift tomorrow. Fully healed pretty much from the challenge so I'm good to go.
Video capturing everything from the beginning to the end of the challenge
A little background:
My name is Ben. I am a believer in the Crossfit methodology and most of my programming (at least now) has been involved with improving at the sport. My good friend Dan (His blog can be found at http://rotatoridan.blogspot.com ) and myself have been avid Crossfitters for nearly three years, although we have taken substantial time off in between for lacrosse seasons, experimentation with other programs (P90x), etc. We are currently doing Crossfit strength bias. This challenge was in no way to improve any form of our conditioning, although I am currently planning on running a 50k in 3 weeks that I should receive benefits from off this challenge.
Dan and I decided a couple of months prior to this day that we wanted to try something really difficult that would test our mental and physical endurance. I remembered that during the summer when I was following Crossfit Endurance that on the 4th of July a work out came up that took over a day. It seemed like it fit the bill perfectly for something we could try and had been talking about doing it for a while. At some point, we decided to give it a shot when we both were home from our respective colleges for winter break. We thought it would make it even more difficult and actually hoped for bad weather to make the challenge even more "epic." In the end we received our wish and got snow along with 24 of the hardest hours we've ever gone through. The following is an attempt to recapture some of this event.
The work out was simply as follows:
10 minutes on, 50 minutes off x 24. Use the 50 minutes in between to rest, recover, sleep, hydrate and/or fuel.
We began the work out at 9pm on Wednesday December 22, 2010. From what I remember the first couple hours went by rather uneventfully. We were fully indulged in games of Madden that captured our attention for much of the 50 minutes in between running sessions. We were happy with the pace we set and decided to keep it consistent the entire time in hopes of reaching over 24 total miles covered. We ran the same loop repeatedly. 22 of the 24 intervals were done on the same loop. The other 2 were deviations to end at my house (down the street from Dan's) for my mother to make us a breakfast in support of us finishing, and the other was to try a new one that we ended up not liking.
The challenge started to get interesting around 1am. By that point we were starting to get pretty tired and burnt out from Madden, and started watching TV. I think Dan would agree with me that the 50 minutes in between was harder some of the hours than the actual run portion was. There was times where it felt like 2 hours was going by, and it got discouraging when 30 minutes felt so long. The time period from 1am to sunrise was kind of weird to think about. I can honestly say I do not remember a lot of it. I would try to sleep in between for maybe 10-15 minutes, but it wasn't really sleeping. I've always been one to take a while to fall asleep and by the time I was nearly ready to relax and doze off the alarm would be sounding to get my butt up and go again. The weirdest part about this portion was how surreal it was. It seemed like Dan's dad had only gone to sleep an hour ago when he was arising 7 hours later to go to work bright and early. The night went by with us getting more tired and looking forward to the sun to hopefully wake us up. We were granted our wish of getting snow during our runs, and although it only happened during 3-4 of them in total it was nice to see.
During the night I made the mistake of eating a little bit too much. I'm blessed to have an iron stomach for when I run. I can put down large quantities of anything and usually feel fine. I had some peanut butter, oreos and an apple around 3AM. For the next 12 hours I had severe heartburn that would not go away no matter how many TUMS I consumed. I know it was the peanut butter and will never eat that again during any running or endurance work out.
From 6AM to noon was also a slight blur. I was really out of it at this point and it was starting to just get tedious. 8o clock in the morning marked the half way point for runs, and by that time I was just pleading for the event to end. I would rather be honest with myself and say that there was many times I would've loved to quit. I'm still developing the sense of telling myself that I am not quitting under any circumstance. Dan had some nagging injuries and there was times where I was praying he would ask to stop because of them. On the bright side, had he suggested that we end the challenge I probably would've said no, but I know there would've been some manjor reluctance. I would rather put this in writing now so that when I'm more experienced with endurance challenges I can look back and hopefully see that this has improved.
My mom cooked us breakfast at 10AM. We refueled with some primal food that tasted good after all the junk we'd been putting down. By this time I was over tired, but was not very beaten down physically. My legs were well prepared for this event after the ~23 mile run I did a few weeks prior. I think I was much better prepared for this run as I tend to excel at running where Dan tends to excel in the weightroom. We've become different athletes where we used to be pretty much even (at least with weights and running) and both had interests in the exact same form of training. A lot of this stems from my rehab from elbow injuries and deciding to give ultra-running another shot.
I noticed in the early AM that it was crazy how little it took to entertain us. Dan and I began to get really loopy during our conversations. As weird as that sounds, I'm sure he would vouch for what I'm saying. We would find ourselves having weird conversations running down the road, or bringing up random things from our past that had no relevance to anything. That and my speech was beginning to slur slightly, and I would forget what we were talking about too. During the night me and Dan also both admitted to seeing things on several occasions that were not there. The stuff we were watching on TV would make us laugh just for the sake of laughing. In retrospect I feel like we needed to keep laughing to keep our spirits up and forget about the daunting number of times we had to venture out into the cold again.
Once the afternoon rolled around we began to get a little antsy. We moved out of his basement for a change of scenery as everything was getting to repetitive. At this point we went and showered for the second time (first one being in the early AM) and changed clothes which felt nice. One of the hardest parts of the challenge was the severe chafing we both got which was alleviated with showers and Gold Bond. From 1-4pm was probably the hardest part of the whole challenge. It seemed like the end was near but it was still so far away when you thought about it. Besides a 20 minute nap on the rock hard floor I took in the early afternoon, the only sleep I got the whole challenge was at 5am for about 15 minutes, and one last quick snooze right before the last 10 minute interval. Each run was beginning to get more and more frustrating because we knew how long we had to wait until the next one was scheduled to start.
The sun going down on Thursday was pretty crazy. We started the challenge in the dark, watched the sun rise, then saw the sun go down again. This whole time we were running what seemed like random ten minute intervals when in reality they were calculated and schedule. The realization of this was kind of interesting and sort of motivating. Probably the best part about the last 5 runs was that the 50 minutes in between there were good TV shows on which helped pass the time.
The last interval finally came. I was awoken by Dan and told it was time to go. We strapped on our gear and headed out. At this point there was only 10 minutes from us reaching our goal and I didn't even care. It wouldn't be far away from the truth to say I've probably never been this out of it, and the amazing thing is I was sober. The 10 minutes went by and seeing that last road of our loop was a great feeling. When 10 minutes struck on the Ipod timer I believe my exact words were "Fuck you challenge, we just kicked your ass." I was thrilled to have finally finished.
It didn't hit me what I'd done until we got into Dan's basement. We took off our stuff and his Mom took a few pictures of us and his family congratulated us. His brother had a joke going about picking what hour we would quit the challenge at. Major props were given to us for completing it. At this point I was pretty much gone mentally. I had a slight euphoria feeling from finishing but I could not wait to pack everything up and go home. We filmed the rest of our tape (9 minutes of footage by the way; hoping to get a video made and I'll edit it in) and I packed my stuff in my car and headed back to my house. I ate a lot of food, not really caring what I shoveled down and headed downstairs. I was asleep by 10pm and slept over 11 hours.
All in all I can honestly say this is the hardest thing I've ever put my body through mentally or physically. The toll of waiting far outweighed the actual running portion in my opinion. Me and Dan completed 24.29 miles in total. Some things I learned:
- Never eat PB during a run again.
- Pick a pace early and stick to it.
- Feed off other's energy if its there for the taking to keep you going
- Don't think about what's ahead. Don't break it up. Just keep it as far out of your mind as possible and think about the positives
- Set a goal on how much you realistically think you can accomplish
- Focus on hydration more.
- Address stride issues if you need to, because it makes the run portion 10x worse if you don't.
The distances from each interval, taken from Mapmyrun and logged after each interval was completed:
I'm hoping that this challenge will help me succeed in running my first ultra on January 9th. It was all that and more and I'm really glad me and Dan pushed through and finished. I don't know if I would ever do it again, but if I did I would probably rather start in the early AM so that the portion during the night could be used for more sleep. I would also probably try and get more people to join in and try it out.
I sort of had an emotional connection to this whole event, which was not planned at all. We had planned to start it much earlier in the day, around 6pm ideally. However, life doesn't always stop for your plans. I was at a wake until around 8:15pm on Wednesday. A kid I grew up with that lived down the road from my old house was killed in a car accident on Sunday morning of this week with alcohol involved. It's just a reminder to love my life and stay smart in all my decisions. R.I.P. Joey. I often thought about him during the runs and used that energy to fuel some of the harder parts of the race.
In the end, this challenge was a positive experience. I would recommend anyone willing to partake in a challenging endurance event to give it a shot. I can promise you it will not dissapoint. For anyone who dos not specialize in endurance training this would be one hell of an accomplishment. Now that it's over, all I can say is it's time to catch up on some sleep and enjoy the holidays. Merry Christmas to everyone.
__________________________
The best picture of the day deserves to be the biggest. End of the challenge and time for bed.
___________________________ Some of the other pictures we took during the challenge. Us flipping random fingers up are to indicate how many intervals we've completed at that point. Props to Dan's mom for getting us on camera sleeping. Didn't even know they were taken until we uploaded all the pictures.
General: Really good day of training. I was irritated with the fail on the 5th rep of the last set, but it was more of a form thing than strength. I really need to get a weightbelt and stop being so cheap, especially since I'll soon be lifting really heavy often. The Chief was a good one that I'll do again. I took a hot/cold shower today that I think I'll add to my recovery arsenal. Can't wait to start taking ice baths again.
Nutrition: It was pretty good, but I had some fried clams at dinner. Last night at dining hall tonight, had to go out with a bang... As Pat Sherwood would say "You can't pass up that opportunity."
Body: Good, my back was so sore during the work out. I don't know why it won't heal.
Sleep: 11 hours... needed it big time.
Reflections: Good day in general. Last work out tomorrow before I move home for at least the forseeable future, so my training will begin to adjust in the near future. This was a fun portion of my life, but I'm happy with the decision I made to return home. College life just wasn't for me and I'm excited to get back to a more sustainable lifestyle that I enjoy even more.
By looking at my goals, you could infer that my main focus this year will be on getting stronger and being capable of running long distances (with emphasis on becoming more competitive in 2012 with ultra running, although that isn’t spelled out). I don’t really know exactly how close or far I will come to achieving my strength goals as I’ve never made strength my main focus before for longer than about a month. I tried to make guesses on what I could achieve in a year’s time and those were the numbers I came up with.
Although I still love CrossFit and have spent almost all of the last 2-3 years using it as my main training method, I made a decision to lower the amount of CrossFit I do in favor of ultra running and dedicated strength training. This decision involves a couple different trains of thought. I feel like I never have a chance to be competitive in Crossfit. Maybe someday I could contribute on an affiliate team, but other than that I’ve never been a stand out in the sport. I noticed that once I started to get into running that I am really good at it, which is surprising because I never ran when I was younger and haven’t done a whole lot of running specific training. I’m young and if I’m ever going to be a stud at any sport I think now is the time to focus on it because the opportunity might go away as I get older. The other main reason behind why I might not do as much CrossFit revolves around a similar train of thought. I realized that if I’m not training for health and I’m not doing it to be competitive in CrossFit, then what's the point in making that my main focus? Some people use Crossfit as a daily work out to be healthy and fit, and then there are the ones who do it to be competitive. I’m stuck in between and I don’t see myself wanting to be on either spectrum (or being able to for that matter). I know the benefits of intense training, and I will not be eliminating the intense metcons totally. I’ve never been great at bodyweight stuff; I couldn’t even do a pushup until the end of my freshman year of high school. The skill work goal I made will be very bodyweight-oriented and I think that it will help me become stronger, overall fitter and when I do go back to Crossfit it will make my transition back a lot easier. The skill work goal will require about 8 minutes a day of work to reach 48 total hours during the year. My only worry in general is I might burn out, and if I do I will simply re-evaluate my goals and figure it out from there. I will never be consistent with a training program that I hate doing, so I need to make sure I’m happy as well as training to reach my goals.
A typical week would be something like
Day 1: Powerlifting/Strongman/Strength Work (possible metcon in the PM) Day 2: Metcon + CFE Style Run Day 3: Powerlifting/Strongman/Strength Work (possible metcon in the PM) Day 4: Rest Day Day 5: Powerlifting/Strongman/Strength Work (possible metcon in the PM) Day 6: Long(er) Run, Ranging between 1-5 hours Day 7: Rest Day/Skill Day/Bodyweight Work
The possible metcon would only happen 1-2 times a week, and if it begins to affect recovery then it could be eliminated.
I’d like to get bigger and leaner this year. My main diet will be a paleo + whole milk hybrid and living at home will make this a lot easier. I’m lucky to have someone to help me support how I eat and I look forward to seeing what getting a lot stronger will do to my body composition. I generally don’t care what I look like anymore. My main concern comes from feeling healthy and feeling capable of training, so recovery will be key this year. With one long run every 1-2 weeks I will also have days where I do not follow my diet and as long as I limit those days and I am smart about it (which I admit I need to work on) then I should be OK.
I also want to make pretty clear that if my elbows do end up getting injured again, I won't go through the crap I did this fall. I will focus on ultra-running and become a runner, and probably start running 4-5 times a week. If my elbows get injured to the point where I cannot train in a suitable manner then I won't do a watered down version of Crossfit and instead will focus on running a 100 mile race this year. My idea behind this is that if I can't accomplish any of my goals, then I should probably pick something crazy to do and focus all my efforts to that.
I don’t really know how everything will work out. I don’t have many options for suitable Crossfit-type gyms in the area because I don’t like how the affiliate near my new college programs their workouts. The gym I will be joining is powerlifting and strongman dedicated, with 2 rooms full of equipment for each. If I like this gym enough, I may get a year membership. I'll be in this area for a while so I may have to look into buying my own stuff for home if I do end up deciding to go back to a Crossfit type training style. I can do short metcons there with barbells for sure, but I may be limited with other stuff. I will have a really busy schedule with work and school this year so I might have to work around time constraints that will limit my training some days.
One thing I know is that I'm ready for whatever comes and I'm going to leave 2011 behind with some pretty awesome goals accomplished.
General: Missed my PR by almost 60 from the summer. The sub was not the main reason. I was just gassed severely after the first round. Looking forward to the high rep back squat tomorrow.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Feeling pretty good
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: Nothing much. My back was really sore from the DL's a few days ago and that held me back really bad today. Other than that just looking forward to tomorrow. Me and Dan will be doing the 10 min on, 50 minute off by 24 rounds workout from CFE last summer on this upcoming Wed/Thurs. Looking forward to it.
General: As scheduled took today off. Didn't really do much.
Nutrition: Not good. I went out to dinner for my girlfriend's sisters birthday. 'Nuff said
Body: Good in general, elbows were feelin a bit tingly today
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Ready to go tomorrow. Bought a car today so I'll be able to start training endurance again at trails wherever I want when I move home Tuesday.
General: The calluses on my hands caused me not to PR this week. I had to rip my shirt and use them as grips. I'm not that mad because I definitely got stimulus to get stronger for next week, so I'm just explaining why there was no advancement. Solid metcon.
General: Solid day. The metcon went well and I plan to incorporate more of these style WODS into my training for power-builing purposes. 20# PR from week 1 on squat.
Nutrition: Pretty good, had 2 brownies for desert ;)
Body: Good. My back was really holding me back on the metcon, especially on the last round.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Looking forward to deadlifting tomorrow if my hands hold up. In general a good day of training
General: Good day. Felt OK to wod today. I was really sucking wind on the WOD and didn't PR from last week on the shoulder press. Guessing it was a mix of getting over a fever and not eating pre-wod. Rest tomorrow or maybe going to Crossfit Iron Will
Nutrition: Not great... going to get it going tomorrow now that I feel better
General: I have a fever right now I concluded and that's why I've been sick the last few days. The 185 felt like I was PRing, although I did 205 for 3 a month ago pretty easily. I started doing the high rep set, got to 7 at 185# and almost failed. Clearly shouldn't have set foot in the gym.
Nutrition: Not great. Can't eat normal when I'm sick
Body: Alright. Elbows have been OK
Sleep: 8 hours. I woke up at 4am last night and it took me 90 minutes to fall back asleep.
Reflections: Going to rest for 2 days in a row and hopefully get back on CFSB on Thursday.
General: I was really sick all day today. Spent about an hour in the library doing work and it got to the point where I thought I was going to puke so I went back to my dorm and laid down. I was dizzy and out of it all day until about 8-9pm. The worst part was I couldn't sleep. No work out tomorrow if I feel anything remotely like today.
Nutrition: Not good. I can't stomach paleo food when I'm sick so I had to resort to some less than ideal food. Tried eating salad and almost puked.
Body: Sore back, lats, biceps and shoulders. Really tired in general.
Sleep: 10 hours
Reflections: Shitty day. Hopefully I'll be good tomorrow.
General: I was really humbled by today's wod. After the first 15 squat cleans in the first round I could no longer do anymore than 1 at a time because I was so sore from yesterday. The high rep set yesterday torched my CNS and my body was not ready for this whatsoever. The WOD quickly turned into a death march and the last round took me about 15-20 minutes. I was practically walking because running was hurting my back as well. I can honestly say this was the hardest WOD I have ever done, not because of the actual wod but because of the circumstances I went into it with. I broke down 3 times during it and refused to do anything for 2 minutes each time because I was so pissed off, and my time reflected it. I felt bad because the owner of CFIW let me work out for free and I acted childish during it. I apologized after. After the WOD I felt like crap the rest of the day and I've done little to nothing all day. In general, a day to forget.
Nutrition: Solid, got really bad stomach cramps from all the milk I drank and thought I was going to vomit in the afternoon. Body is adjusting to all the dairy I guess.
Body: Back torched, biceps, shoulders and lats really sore as well. I can't bend over with a straight back without twitching.
Sleep: 9.5 hours
Reflections: Going to rest tomorrow and move on because I want to rebound strong on Monday. We all have bad work outs so I feel like the only thing I can do from here is forget about it.
•General: On the deadlifts, I was getting really frustrated because I couldn't grip the bar. The gym at Springfield really sucks for that. I was very out of it and frustrated by this problem; enough that I was focusing on pulling and hanging on so much that I actually bit a small hole through my lip on one of the sets. It didn't even hurt until I put it down but that was definitely a first. I'm going to be very sore tomorrow to say the least... I was twitching pretty badly for a long time after.
•Nutrition: Good. I got lactaid pills last night so I'm excited to see how I do with dairy now.
•Body: My upper body was pretty sore in general. Could probably use some rest.
•Sleep: 9.5 hours
•Reflections: Solid day today. I will be going to Crossfit Iron Will (Springfield, MA) tomorrow to do "Badger", even though its a scheduled rest day. To make up for this I will be going to bed early, and drinking lots of milk and eating to support recovery. Going to rest on Sunday again and pick up where I left off with CFSB on Monday. Also not going out tonight, so I should be OK.
General: The squat was a lot heavier than I would've liked. I was really tired all day, and I think that might've been why. Also feel like I might have a minor cold. Metcon was good.
Nutrition: Pretty good.. not sure how I'm going to approach this cycle with eating. Got 2 lbs of whey today.
Body: Good overall, tired though
Sleep: 8.5 hours
Reflections: Lots to talk about, will type out more tomorrow.
General: Tried to do Tabata This! but I felt really sick halfway through the squats, like I was going to puke. I stopped and it was a good call because I felt shitty the rest of the day.
Nutrition: Not good. It was hard to eat strict today because I didn't feel good
Body: Alright. Elbows hurt
Sleep: 7 hours (Pats jets game)
Reflections: Rest tomorrow, hopefully cfsb after dattttt
Right now this is my tentative list of goals for 2011. Of course I will have to re-do all these goals if my elbows don't heal, and I end up needing surgery or something which could of course happen. Surgery would put me completely out of the game for about a year. If that is the case, I will end up running my first 100 miler in 2011 without a doubt. Otherwise....
Crossfit • Fran in under 4:30(7:01 as of 1 year ago) • Complete Diane as Rx’d • Complete 25 hero Wods. Scaling allowed if necessary, as long as scaled appropriately. This comes out to one every 2 weeks. This is to honor the soldiers that lost their lives so I can worry about such little things like my goals that I'm training for.
Other Life Goals • Have $4000 more in total assets (Bank, Schwab account, cash) on December 29,2011 than on January 1, 2011 • Write and be able to perform my first song on guitar • Eliminate unnecessary stress from my life • Pick up a new sport
General: Run went really well. No low points during the run, and I was going at a solid pace. I had planned to do more with strength, but I didn't want to push the elbows and those 3 sets were surprisingly a lot more taxing than I thought they would be after the run. My pace on the run was consistent the whole time. My bench press #'s are just pathetic.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Felt surprisingly good. I took an ibuprofen before the run. Had a hangover in the morning but it went away pretty quickly. Ate junk last night so I felt that today too.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Decided to start a CFSB template this week on Thursday. The only thing I'm going to change is on the 20 minute metcon day I will instead go for a 1-2 hour run. Might also do bench press on squat days, because obviously my bench sucks. I don't think it will change a whole lot. Probably will drink milk during the program, but not a lot. Many of my metcons will be running ones, so it will be pretty similar to what I'm doing now. The time in between now and Thursday will be a rest day (or two) and I'm not sure what else.
3x20 Leg Lifts 3x15 back extensions with 25# plate
No mwod
COMMENTS:
General: I'm going to start programming back extensions with a plate to make my deadlift go up even more. I didn't know we had one of those in our gym. 2nd PR on 3 rep back squat this week, so I was pretty happy.
Nutrition: Good during the day. Drank too much and had a Big 100 bar as my drunk food. Not really caring about the drinking because at most I'm going out 2 more times and I want to go out with my friends before I transfer.
Body: Good. Writing this the next morning and my elbows hurt this morning.
General: Safe to say the first real metcon kicked my ass. My body was not used to picking up weight with my heart rate jacked and normally I'd be able to push through that but I was so gassed I would have to wait 10-15 seconds to unrack the bar. Only a 5# less max from my previous best SP, and I got 135 half up. My shoulders were also pretty tight today to begin with.
Nutrition: Good, going to drink tonight but not going to eat junk during/tomorrow morning.
Body: Good, elbows didn't "hurt" but I can tell they had mixed emotions on what I did today.
Sleep: 9 hours, 1 hour nap
Reflections: Solid day of training. OK with drinking tonight because it never effects my long runs which I'm doing tomorrow (1-2 hours). All in all pleased with today.
General: Body was pretty beat up today. Didn't have time to run so I did the Mwod, some foam rolling and heating and I'll be good for tomorrow.
Nutrition: Strict
Body: Shoulders, lats, lower back, biceps are all really sore. Elbows felt good today.
Sleep: 9 hours. Really tired all day though.
Reflections: Not sure exactly what tomorrow will consist of, but I think I'll be using the elbows. Looking forward to it. Planning a long run (1-2 hours) on Saturday or Sunday as of now. I'm hoping to start working on my list of 2011 goals within the next week, but I'm going to wait to make sure my elbows hold up before I get my hopes up with upper body strength goals.
Deadlift 1-1-1-1-1 (Heavy, not 1 rep max attempts) 275 325 345 355 355
1x20 @ 185 (heavy not max attempt)
500m Row Test: 1:31:00
MWOD COMPLETED
COMMENTS:
General: Pleased with the row PR. Done no rowing recently so I guess it was more of a "go" thing than anything. I was pushing for >90 seconds, but the last 200m I was pulling as hard as I could and just couldn't pull any harder, so I know I gave it my all. I did today's MWOD to loosen up my shoulders, and then did some glute and hamstring work.
Nutrition: Not great
Body: NO elbow pain. None before, during or after the work out. Not ready to jump the gun just yet, but I'm starting to get pretty optomistic.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Rest tomorrow, or maybe an active recovery day with an hour long slow run in the vibrams possible. I have a busy day with classes and work tomorrow so we'll see. I was thrilled about how I felt today. I can't wait for it to be Friday so I can give it another go.
"Death By 10 yards" 16 rounds + 16 touches (missed the 17th by 2 seconds)
Mobility Wod completed
COMMENTS:
General: Both metcons were good. Felt the walking lunges on the turn around of the running WOD a lot more than I thought I would. Lots of hip work in today's Mwod which I definitely need.
Nutrition: Pretty good, had some frozen yogurt and white potatoes though
Body: Sore in biceps, shoulders, groin
Sleep: 9 Hours
Reflections: Just trying to make do with what I have. My elbows don't hurt during the work out but feel so weird after and I'm not sure if it's a bad thing or not. I'm hesitant to do anything else on them besides burpees and push ups right now.
5 Rounds for time: 10 Burpees 15 24 inch box jumps
7:24
Mobility work done, not complete mwod
COMMENTS:
General: 10# PR on the 3 rep squat even though I haven't squatted in a month, and have been focusing on running a lot. The MWOD is the difference in this case. I can honestly say I've never felt as good at the bottom of the squat before. The metcon was quick and sharp which was exactly what I was looking for.
Nutrition: Good. Not eating eggs for breakfast anymore because they make me sick now.
Body: Elbows didn't love the burpees, but there was no pain. I can't describe how they felt the rest of the day, just a weird sensation. Otherwise good.
4 hours and 1 minute run @ Riverlin St Trails. Started at 5am. Estimated distance between 22-24 miles
MWOD NOT COMPLETED
COMMENTS:
General: The run went well. My legs would not move fast for the first 2 hours but I perked up after we made a car stop and I felt pretty good for the rest. My legs were very heavy but there was never any doubt that I could cover the 4 hours. I need to start doing the MWOD because I missed it 3 days in a row.
Nutrition: Not great, but I wanted to fully recover from the run
Body: (Writing the following day)Nothing is sore from the run. I'm just tired and the elbows have been doing well. I'm going to begin a dedicated heating session to them everyday in hopes that it speeds recovery.
Sleep: 6 hours yesterday
Reflections: Nothing. Going back to school tomorrow and won't be home for over 3 weeks so I'll be doing maybe one 2 hour run, 3-4 one hour runs and the rest will be focusing on getting my elbows better and the best "Crossfit" I can manage. Going to make the MWOD a huge priority the next couple weeks too.
General: Solid workout. Crossfit pushups were a new one. I probably won't run tomorrow because we're leaving earlier than I thought. If I do, it'll be when I get home.
1000 Single Unders For Time, Wearing weighted vest
*Every break requires a penalty of 15 air squats
Time: 14:40
MWOD COMPLETED
COMMENTS:
General: My calves are going to be sore tomorrow I bet. The work out wasn't so much a killer metcon, but my feet and calves were toast by the end. I think it was a good one to help out my running. The MWOD I chose had to deal with my calves so it was perfect.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Good, only a bit of elbow pain today
Sleep: 8 hours, shitty sleep coming again tonight
Reflections: Nada, traveling tomorrow. Can't wait for Thanksgiving... legit one of my favorite holidays by far.
1 Hour 12 minutes on Riverlin St powerline trails @5am. Faster pace than ultra.
MWOD COMPLETE
COMMENTS:
General: Solid run, I was tired all day though from lack of sleep the last couple days. Didn't stop me from staying up as late as I did though. The pace we went at was a lot faster than normal. Had cramps the whole time from all the fruit I ate the date before, but I pushed on and finished really strong. I've noticed that my recovery has been phenomenal from trail runs recently, even with the less than adequate nutrition as of late. I haven't been the slightest bit sore or worn down from the actual run portions recently.
Nutrition: S.A.D.
Body: Good just really tired. My chest and triceps were destroyed from the burpees.
Sleep: 5.5 hours or so
Reflections: MWOD has been going well. Noticing a huge difference in the 3 times I've done it in my squat and lower leg flexibility. Schedule for the rest of the week goes as follows:
Wed: Crossfit(ish) WOD, maybe some sprints Thursday: Thanksgiving Crossfit(ish) WOD Friday: Light trail run, going exploring in New jersey Saturday: Long trail run, likely pushing for 4 hours Sunday: Rest Day
Once I get back to school I'm going to spend a lot of time looking over little things to get ready for the 50k and see what else I need to buy/request for christmas so I can get that out of the way too. Training will stay consistent to how it's been prior to thanksgiving break. Only 23 more days at SC.
25 minute light run on Riverlin trails (brought Allie out so she could try trail running, and she actually liked it a lot)
MWOD COMPLETED
COMMENTS:
General: Got my elbow checked out today. They need to schedule an MRI to properly diagnose it, but the doctor thinks it's a ulnar collateral ligament strain. He based that on the pain indicators when he would put resistance on my elbows in certain directions. I'll be scheduling my MRI asap. He told me not to do any overhead or olympic lifting, so I decided to see what burpees would do to them. They felt good so I was happy overall. The workout was originally going to 50-40-30-20-10 but I think what I did was plenty.
Nutrition: Good
Body: Solid, fully recovered. Need to get some sleep tonight though.
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: Nothing to reflect on, but going on a 5am trail run tomorrow. Doing something I've never done before tomorrow; 2 long runs in one day. Going for the early one and then going on a night run at Tuft's when it's dark out. Looking forward to it.
General: Didn't work out today. Had a really long night last night and got shitty sleep so I knew it was best to rest. I won't be drinking for a while. Me and Dan decided today to start doing the Mwod everyday and hold each other accountable. Today we started with the 10 minute paleo chair... ouch.
Nutrition: Not great
Body: Tired
Sleep: 7 hours
Reflections: Really looking forward to seeing what the Mwod will do for my flexibility issues. The 10 minute squat loosened up everything that's always tight (lower back, hips, ankles, etc.) and I felt really good after. I'm excited to do tomorrow's. Got a good week ahead of me, looking forward to it and I'm not going to let my dumb mistakes from last night haunt me anymore past not running tomorrow like I was supposed to (chose not to so I could catch up on sleep)
General: First time ever running in the dark before with a headlamp. Today's run was awesome. I felt really good the entire way and kept going after Contois left for work for 40 more minutes. Also had another first today- I took my first dump in the woods in the middle of a run. Just a day to try new things I suppose. Anyway, the run went great and I think I'm looking really good for the 50k in January.
Nutrition: Good, ate strict after the run which was a first. Writing this post early I'm going to Endicott for the night, so I can't imagine it will be too healthy
Body: Really tired. Got more fish oil so I took some of that today for the first time in a week. Elbows getting no better.
Sleep: 6 hours
Reflections: Going to rest tomorrow most likely. I'm planning at least 2-3 more long runs in the next 7 days.
I stole the workout from CFE that goes "Run 10k total, first 5k at 85% and second 5k at 95%" but I used 20 minute intervals instead. Made my goal to beat my first 20 minutes in the 2nd 20.
5 Laps completed in both 20 minutes, for a total of 10 laps in 39:29
COMMENTS:
General: My legs were so slow today. They had no intensity at all most likely from yesterdays hell work out. I wasn't pleased with my score, but I did the best I could and was just not feeling it. I think I was a little low on the carbs side and that was part of it.
Nutrition: Not great, tried to replenish the carbs and kind of went overboard. Not awful though
Body: Hamstrings sore, elbows hurt
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Probably going to rest tomorrow, definitely won't run.I'm going home tomorrow for Thanksgiving break early. I'll be home for 9 days and I plan to do 3-4 long runs in that time. Got to speed up the training while I have the opportunity.
14 rounds, finished with 15 seconds left so I just collapsed.
1min on 1 min off x3 Leg Lifts 6 inches 50 Abmat situps AFAP.. didn't time
COMMENTS:
General: That was the hardest running workout I've ever done. When I finished I was laying in the grass and hallucinated the lights that illuminate the football field falling next to me. Needless to say the intensity was there. My throat was making a clicking noise the last five minutes too. Not sure what that was about.
Nutrition: Good, ate a shit load of almonds though and now I'm out -__-
Body: Feel good, elbows have been nagging bad though
Tabata Intervals with 20# Vest, Totals added up for all 8 rounds
Walking Lunges: 105
Situps: 99
4 Count Flutter kicks (had to do all 4 or it didn't count towards anything): 45
Squats: 125
COMMENTS:
General: Solid workout. The intensity got really high with the squats, and my body is certainly no longer as adjusted to being that high of levels as it used to be. I was pleased with my recovery from yesterday and how I felt good to work out today. My yoga muscle was the only limiting factor during the squats but it loosened up quick.
Nutrition: Good, had some cheese and some breading on my pork at dinner.
Body: Minus the elbows everything is good. My ankles are sore as balls, calves are tight but other than that I was good to go today. Could've ran if I wanted to.
Sleep: 10.5-11 hours of medicated baby sleep(haha). Haven't slept that deep in a long time.
Reflections: Might rest tomorrow if my legs are toasted. I need to start foam rolling more because I think it will help with my knee if I loosen up all the muscles around it.
Long run at Riverlin St trails, mixed terrain @6am. Lots of single track, wide trails, powerline trails, some hills and the last 10-15 minutes were on pavement.
2:33.42. Complete estimation of 12-15 miles (12:45 to 10:12 mile pace)*Based on pace I felt my body was moving at, nothing else.
COMMENTS:
General: I was so pleased with this run. This was my first time running sleep deprived (6 hours of sleep maximum) and also my first time going this early in over a year. Regardless I did phenomenal and there was never a low point during the run. I used 3 goos throughout. The hammer gels we got are great and might be my go-to from now on. Hydration was good too. Although it means nothing I would bet that I had another hour in me without any water or food at the position we finished at. I sprinted the last half mile and had a lot left in the tank. The new shoes felt great too and I noticed such an improvement in my mechanics and focus that I know they were worth every penny. I think the most positive part was there was never a point where any injuries nagged (i.e. knees, achilles).
Nutrition: Good, had some pumpkin pancakes post WOD but otherwise strict.
Body: Yoga muscle is really tight from the run. Both knees are a little creaky now. Left ankle got swollen after but it doesn't hurt at all. Not that fatigued but my body in general could use a good night's sleep.
Sleep: 6 hours or so
Reflections: I think today was a big step in proving I could be good to go on January 9. Even if I have to walk a good amount I think that if I do a couple more long runs I will have the ability to get there. You could say that my runner's high still hasn't worn off after 10 hours. I'm going home next weekend to go hopefully over 3 hours with Contois.
1 hour Run on SC Complex, 14 laps completed (~7 miles) in 1:01.02
COMMENTS:
General: Felt pretty good today. I had some major highs and lows during the run. Had to stop about 33 minutes in to use the bathroom, but I stopped the clock and picked up. I drank out of the sink in the bathroom because I was really thirsty, and it seemed to give me a pick up for the last half. Achilles never hurt, but my calves are going to be sore as a mother tomorrow.
Nutrition: Good. I need to find a way to solve my problem with eating so late in the afternoon that I'm never hungry for dinner before 7ish, which is when I need to eat by because the dining hall closes. Wasn't really sure what to eat post WOD since I was trying to eat strict, but I did have some chili with beans.
Body: Headaches still. Elbows are hurting less but still a good amount. Otherwise solid.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: I think I need to stop typing the way I have been. I know that sounds weird, but my elbows seem to hurt when I type for a long time or use my laptop a lot. I think laying in my bed with it on me alleviates some of the tension that using it at my desk brings to the nerve.
General: Pretty good today I guess. Just working with what I have. Decided that I might be running my first 50k 2 months from this very day instead of all the way in March, and might contact the race directors to see if I can do the 50miler in March instead. It'll take a lot of training quick to succeed but I'm ready for a challenge while my elbows heal.
Nutrition: Good, I'd say like 95% strict
Body: Knee hurt today until I walked, guessing it was from the box jumps.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: I got kind of stressed today deciding if I wanted to do the 50k. I realized that it's a Fat ass race so the worst thing that can happen is I stop and no one even realizes it and no time is ever recorded, so it's not a big deal. I'm just scared about getting re-injured again after I just spent 3 weeks shelved and I'm not sure if I can safely reach that level of training between now and then. On a positive note, I think it's a good move because even if I don't do the 50miler in March, I'll still definitely PR if I am successful in the GAC one in January, because it's a lot flatter. I also decided that I want to transfer to Worcester State today, or that it is at least my #1 at this time. So it's been a long day with the brain, but hopefully some sleep tonight will help.
General: Forgot how much I hate short interval sprints. The cold air made it even worse and the wind was brutal. Good news is that I cleared out the remaining "stuff" (we'll refer to it as that) that may still be in my lungs from the past couple weeks of slacking. I usually feel a lot better the second time I do these when I do them consistently. I had planned to do some core stuff but I'll probably do it tomorrow and try to do something longer.
Nutrition: Good, had some rice and corn though so not strict. I'm still trying to decide if I want to put my body through a 2 week phase of eating really strict to get my focus back. I'm not looking forward to the feeling though and I'm not giving up coffee this time regardless.
Body: Minus the elbows everything felt good with the exception of some pretty sore calves. Had headaches all day though.
Sleep: 8.5 hours
Reflections: Nada, looking forward to a good week of training
General: Really not the definition of a healthy weekend. Didn't work out yesterday because I was hungover and it pissed me off but I was just out of it so I took the day off. I tried the new Inov8 Roclite 295's out, and it's safe to say I'm in love. I can't wait to go home next weekend and hit the trails with them. The run was good, I was holding a good pace and felt fine when I finished minus my calves.
Nutrition: Time to shut up with the excuses and dial it in.
Body: Alright. Achilles felt good but my calves were sore as shit after 25 minutes so, probably because they haven't been worked in 3 weeks in this manner. Played it smart. Elbows have been bothersome all weekend.
Sleep: 8 hours... Not great quality because I had to share a twin bed but whatever.
Reflections: I'm going to start wearing my brace more for my elbow to remind me that I do have a problem and I need to lay off the everyday things that could irritate the nerve. The nutrition problem is just a stupid mistake that is my fault and I'm man enough to admit I've just been lazy. I can do much better and my race deserves a better effort from me so I'll be better from here on out. I have thought a lot about the elbow situation and was thinking that maybe if I just bite the bullet and get a nice heaping dose of runners muscles (maybe 4-5 runs a week) for 2-3 weeks I'll not only surpass where I was before with the running but it just might heal completely. We'll see though because I need variety to be mentally happy and motivated to train.
General: I was going to pair this with a run, but I popped my hamstring warming up to squat. It doesn't hurt but it was really tight and was already really sore so I didn't want to mess it up further. I'm going to do a good 30 minute warm up tomorrow to make sure I'm good to go.
Nutrition: Not great. Probably going to have some man sodas tonight so it won't get much better.
Body: Alright. Elbows nagging a bit more than before
Shoulder Press (Hence The Title) 5-5-5 105 Straight Across, Focused on Form
50 yard sprints, decent recovery in between x 10 (Barefoot, on grass)
PM
4 Mile Forward Locomotion, 1 lap walk then 1 lap run. Not timed. Tried to nail a solid ultra pace on the run portions
COMMENTS:
General: Did a lot today. Truth is I was really tempted to try out the elbows now that I've been nerve gliding. They felt good the whole time, and never was there any pain. The right elbow feels a bit off now, and I know the nerve needs some extra attention before I do that again. Overall I was pleased with my decision and will probably do something similar in a few days. The achilles felt great, I think I loosened it up which was exactly what it needed.
Nutrition: Good, 3 days in a row. I'm going to start recording on Fitday most days now to see how I'm doing.
Body: Feeling good.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: I spent my whole 4 miles reflecting on the race in March. All I can say is I'm going to be thrilled to finally cross that finish line.
1:45, 2:12, 3rd one I lost time for because Dad texted me during it and stopwatch stopped.
100 Situps For time: 3:27 (no pr)
Went for a 5 minute light jog, had the right foot wrapped in ace bandage and was at a light pace.
COMMENTS:
General: OK, probably not the most creative or hardest work outs but I did something that didn't involve a bike at least. Some very positive news today- the achilles didn't hurt but it was sore the whole time, no pain though. The nerve gliding is phenomenal and although I'm not rushing anything I am pretty confident I will be back a lot sooner than I thought. I had no idea something could do this much for an injury, it's unbelievable. No pain in the elbows at all today. Hopefully I can do a run tomorrow, maybe some sprints.
Nutrition: Good. I filled out a fitday today and tweaked it to adjust to my goals (excess fat loss, better performance). The link is a realistic ideal day for me. I started by filling out my actual day and removed all the fruit I've been eating at breakfast and replaced it with a can of tuna and an orange, which should help a lot. http://fitday.com/fitness/FoodLog.html?_a_Date=1288656000
Body: A lot better. Mentally feeling better too.
Sleep: 9 hours, still was tired today. Going to sleep like a baby tonight.
Reflections: Just so happy that I might be back to Crossfit soon. It couldn't come at a better time. The nerve gliding made me aware that there is physically NOTHING wrong with my elbows. The nerve is just compressed and when pain is felt, that's where I feel it. The radial nerve goes from my neck to my finger tips and I can feel the entire thing when I do the gliding exercises. If I feel a tweak in the elbow, I do it and it makes that go away for hours. I'm very excited for what the future holds.
General: Can't hit as high intensity on the bike as I can running no matter what I try. Began nerve gliding today, and I think it's going to be very helpful for my recovery.
Nutrition: Good, maybe a few too many almonds (got a headache)
Body: It's been better
Sleep: 9 hours, was exhausted all day
Reflections: Nada, going to try and be more creative tomorrow I guess.
Really busy today, didn't really have time to do a work out.
COMMENTS:
General: Tomorrow marks a decently important day, because I will officially be getting serious about my training and nutrition. I'm close enough to my race that it's time to start taking the necessary measures to make sure I'll be nothing but successful. Although I still might not be able to run for a few days, I will be watching what I eat a lot more closely. This is it, and this time it counts so I know I won't let myself down.
Nutrition: Was great yesterday, not good today. Last time for a while it will say on this part of my post that it wasn't good.
Body: Beat up, getting there.
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: Achilles is feeling alright and I think I'll be able to go for a run this week. I don't think I'll be going home next weekend so I'll probably do something here like 30-45 minutes just to build my endurance back up. Going to wait at least 2-3 more days to make sure because it isn't 100% still. I've come to terms with the fact that my elbows may not be good for a while. I need to just work around them, and that's all I can do.
30 Minute High Pace on the stationary bike, averaged 13.5 for resistance
9.56 miles completed
30 Minutes of dedicated stretching and foam rolling after.
COMMENTS:
General: Wasn't as sore as I thought I'd be. Thought I needed some extra "cardio" (kills me to say that) because I just haven't done anything like that recently. The stretch felt great.
Nutrition: Good, not strict though.
Body: Feel good... elbows hurt :\ so does achilles.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Going home for the weekend, going to go on a 2 hour walk on saturday since I can't run. Probably going to buy some sort of boot or something to put on my leg because it hurts just walking.
2mins on 1 min off x 8 Rounds on the Stationary Bike, Averaged 11 overall resistance setting
5.78 miles in 16 minutes of work (2:46/mile)
COMMENTS:
General: The title of this post came from the video I watched today by Greg Amundson, explaining that nothing comes easy and just because something gets in the way of your goal (AKA all my injuries preventing me from running and Crossfitting right now) doesn't mean you have to not do anything and give up. Find a way around it and I had been toying with using the bike for a while because I'm sure it does something to help improve my running since it's a little bit similar. It kicked my ASS... I clearly don't have the muscles to bike because I was dying. On a side note, I was pretty dehydrated going into this. I didn't know that because I had just woke up from a nap. I noticed halfway through how dizzy I was, and I'd be lying if I said I can remember walking from the gym back to my dorm. My pee looked like coke. Healthy right?
Nutrition: Pretty good. Strict until dinner and I had some homemade potato chips and a bit of mash potatoes.
Body: Beat up, been icing a lot. The ice on my elbows has been making them hurt more when they aren't being iced, not sure why and if that's a good/bad thing.
Sleep: 9 hours
Reflections: Probably should've focused on my hydration. All in all good day and I'm going to be sore tomorrow. Probably won't be able to run this weekend which is upsetting but I'll be back soon enough.
225 straight across (1/2 deload week I'm calling it)
Tabata Walking Lunges with 30# dumbbells
75 Total Steps
50 Leg Levers For Time: 2:49
COMMENTS:
General: Good day. Maybe holding the dumbbells was stupid because my elbows hurt a bit.... What else is new. Still can't run, been 9 days of rest -_-.
Nutrition: Good today, was bad all weekend. No paleo for this guy
Body: Eh. I didn't work out for 2 days so not great.
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: I noticed something weird. If I don't work out for more than a day I get these unexplained pains and aches all over my body. I think it's my body's way of telling me to quit being lazy because I usually don't feel good unless I do SOMETHING. Found that kind of cool. Hoping to be able to run soon, still being easy though.
On a POSITIVE note, I am now 99.99% sure I know where my elbow pain is coming from. Lots of research led me to a problem with radial nerve pain where any type of damage to this full arm nerve can cause pain to be felt in the elbows. I'm confident that is what it is because it described my situation perfect and the odd circumstances (more pain at night, certain ways I twist my arm that hurt, etc.) were also exactly what I've been going through. 3-4 weeks of pure rest is supposed to clear it up, and that involves heavy grasping, rotation, basically ANYTHING. So here I go again, I won't be touching a barbell until at least after Thanksgiving. Lots of bodyweight shit, core stuff, etc. and hopefully lots of good runs! Let's go
General: Really wasn't feeling a hard work out today, but made this stuff up because I would've been pissed if I rested 3 days in a row. The core metcon sucked big time, as that was my first time with LL and Flutter kicks. They both were great movements and I will incorporate them a lot more. The squats pissed me off because my PR is 1:21. Not sure if it was because my core was toast, but it irritated me regardless.
Nutrition: Strict day 2
Body: Achilles feeling better, elbows don't hurt but they feel like they will if I work with them.
Sleep: 9+ hours
Reflections: Hit 100 posts on yesterdays post. Crazy to think I've worked out/recovered 100 times and documented it all, because there was quite a few times where I didn't blog. I can only imagine how it'll look a year from now when I'm at 400 posts and I'm seeing what I've done. Very cool. Going to do something heavy tomorrow and MAYBE some light running if the achilles will comply.
General: Didn't feel great today in general, needed to rest.
Nutrition: Bad
Body: Elbows hurt, achilles hurts, legs are really sore. Can you see why I rested?
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: I'm seriously debating going 30 days completely strict paleo. I've been doubting my ability to stay focused lately and I think that might be just what the doctor ordered, and it might help my elbows with inflammation. I'd have to make exceptions during my long runs with goos, but minus that I think it's doable.
325 345 (PR)(The 3rd rep was debatable, I'm counting it though because it slipped at the top but I was locked) Skiped last set after a PR and because I couldn't grip the stupid bar. Chalk isn't allowed and my elbows probably appreciated it anyway.
1x20@235
30:20x8 Leg Lifts 6 inches off ground
1min on, 30 sec offx3 Planks
COMMENTS:
General: Didn't metcon because I didn't know what to do. Elbows seem to take a toll from the DL's so I eased, and I really need the core work. Making an appointment with a sports doctor tomorrow to check out my elbow/knee
Nutrition: Not great, had milk and some icream
Body: Good, wasn't very sore from squats. Achilles feeling better, still hurts
Sleep: 8-9 hours
Reflections: Excited to make the appointment. Hopefully this guy will be able to help me. I'm really looking forward to running tomorrow. The whole college debate is kind of putting a toll on me and I've been really stressed out recently, which I know I need to work on.
General: First actual "crossfit" day in a while. I did this whole thing with a pretty full stomach, and I really wasn't hydrated. I was pleased with my 500m row, and I think if I was to do that again on full rest and in proper condition I could smoke that time. I was on the ground for quite a while after it though. Probably the closest to pukey I've ever been. PRed on squat 3 workouts in a row now.
Nutrition: Not good
Body: Achilles hurts. Elbows have been not great, but they made it through this whole workout. Not sure if pullups are the greatest to be doing.
Sleep: 8 hours
Reflections: I really don't know if I'm doing the right thing by working out or if I should be resting the elbows, but until the actual pain comes back I think I'm going to stick with this.
80 Minutes on trails on Riverlin St @ 4pm. Ran @ Contois' pace primarily, dipped behind towards the end.
COMMENTS:
General: I was pissed, because I felt phenomenal on the run. I was very tired when we started and not fully hydrated but I finished that first 80 minutes without even feeling like I had run. Unfortunately I had to stop because my right achilles was acting up and hot pain kept flooding into it. Similar to what happened to my knee after/during the 20 mile run I went on in the late winter. I was glad I stopped because it was purplish/black all night.
Nutrition: Not good, but my cheats primarily come on long run days.
Body: Great, except my achilles is torched. Hurts to walk, slight limp....
Sleep: 7-8 hours
Reflections: All I can say is I'm glad I stopped. Going to let it heal fully before I run again at all, which is going to suck. 2 Weekends from now I'm going to attempt a 2-3 hour run if I am able to get trail shoes by then.
40 Minutes of Full Body Stretching after a 10min light cardio session to warm up the body.
COMMENTS:
General: I woke up with the worst DOMS I've had in a long time. My squat muscles were absolutely shot, and walking was pretty difficult today. The rest day was welcomed. I'm probably going to Crossfit tomorrow, and then do a 2 hour trail run on Saturday.
Nutrition: Good, not strict. Had milk to help recover.
Body: Beat up to say the least.
Sleep: 8 hours maybe. Had to get up early for an exam. Aced that shit though.
Reflections: Need to be smart in the morning. Going to lift with the power lifting squad in the AM, and if a good warmup doesn't help the elbow then I need to just leave it be. We'll see. Can't wait to trail run this weekend, weather is supposed to be shitty and I really need to get used to running in the rain again.
General: Was planning on resting, so didn't really have a plan. Only deadlifted to show another girl here how to Crossfit, and was teaching her the form. She's actually pretty good so that will be interesting to see. Run tomorrow.
Nutrition: Strict
Body: Achilles, knee both hurt. Might not run if they feel like this tomorrow.
Sleep: Good
Reflections: Need to stop sitting so fucking much. Worst part about college. My back is always sore even if I haven't done anything with it in days.
40 Min soccer game, then running around playing football after.
COMMENTS:
General: Glad I didn't metcon; legs were toast from the squats.
Nutrition: Strict
Body: Lower legs are beat up.
Sleep: Not great
Reflections: Great diet today. Ready to hit one tomorrow. I feel again like I might know what my elbow pain is from. I read on Kelly Starretts blog about nerve gliding and how flexibility in the upper body can give pain in the arms, especially elbows if you are not good with it. I stretched a lot and did some pushups yesterday with minimal pain, but I still want to take it slow.
1:53 minute run around SC Track/baseball field complex (est. 1/2 mile). Finished 22 laps and a half mile deviation for a bathroom break. Did this with the VFF's
COMMENTS:
General: Good run in general. No real elevation so it sucked and was tedious, especially without my ipod.
Went to the powerlifting club at 6:30 AM. Did a bunch of barbell stuff with 75# on the bar. Things like push presses, power cleans, deadlifts, etc. Also did some core work on the GHD machine (back extensions and GHD sit ups)
COMMENTS:
General: Not really concerned that I didn't have a great workout; I was more pleased that my elbows held up for the whole work out. They did not feel 100% the whole day though so I will probably rest tomorrow or do some kind of running.
4x5 min intervals with 3 min recoveries. Used 20# weighted vest for full Workout. Done on SC Track
12 Laps Completed
5 Minute REST
5 minutes of jump roping barefoot, mixing in single, double and running steps.
COMMENTS:
General: That run was really humbling. Can't remember the last time I contemplated quitting a work out so many times. Weighted vest added a whole new dimension. It was pure heart that got me to finish the 12th lap and I laid on the ground for all 5 minutes of that rest. Calves will be sore tomorrow
Nutrition: Not great... they only opened the dining hall for dinner tonight. Had ice cream and some bread too.
Body: Calves, achilles are sore. Knee is a little achey.
Sleep: 7 hours, on benadryl so going to crash very early tonight.
General: Was glad I didn't do a workout earlier in the day prior to the soccer game. My achilles hurt from all the sprints and changes in direction that I'm not used to, but it was so much fun. I didn't work out or do my long run this weekend because of a severe allergic reaction that covered my body and is STILL spreading.
Nutrition: Good, only ate like 1000 calories today because I was so busy and didn't get to go to dinner -_-.
Body: Good.
Sleep: 9 hours, plus 2 seperate 1 hour naps.
Reflections: Going to the health center to get antibiotics hopefully in the morning. Going to do a long run at some point this week on the track as a mental test.
For 20 minutes, run 400m. Rest the time it takes to complete the 400m, then repeat.
1. 1:10 2. 1:17 3. 1:20 4. 1:22 5. 1:25 6. 1:35 7. 1:30 8. Finished 30m meters past halfway of 1 lap with the remaining 50 seconds
COMMENTS:
General: Didn't PR from the last time I did this, attribute that to not training much recently. Really good work out though, it's a mental game to finish the last few for sure.
Nutrition: Good, had some beans and salad dressing and some fish with dinner that had breadcrumbs in it.
Body: Knee hurts from running, both achilles hurt. Is my body telling me to rest? -_-
Sleep: Shitty quality, like 9 hours though
Reflections: Probably need a rest day to let the muscles heal, so I might just go on a walk tomorrow since it's a scheduled rest day anyway. We'll see.
5 Minutes of barefoot jump roping, mixing in double unders, one footed, etc.
2k Row at slow pace, picked it up for 50m bursts periodically Time: 8:45
COMMENTS:
General: I know I said I was going to wait 30 days with the elbows, but I've been stir crazy and since the elbows felt semi-decent the last few days I figured I'd see if they felt alright. The end result was positive because they feel alright, except my right one feels a little weird. Tomorrow I'll see how they feel again. Back squats were a little lighter than normal, all the sitting I do in college makes me sore before I even start squatting heavy....
Nutrition: Good, ate a huge dinner. Had some beans and salad dressing, otherwise strict.
Body: Alright, knee felt OK during all exercises. Surprisingly the achilles didn't bother me during the jump roping. Back sore from sitting so much....
Sleep: 9 hours, shitty quality. Thinking once my training starts again I might take melatonin to make up the difference in shitty sleep here.
Reflections: I'm glad I did some exercises today to test the elbow. I'm at day 15 right now, and I'm going to be extremely cautious of what else I do to test them out from here on out. Going to do a metcon and some running tomorrow hopefully. I feel like coming back from elbow problems will be a piece of cake compared to coming back from a brain injury, like I already did this year so I'm optomistic- plus I have something serious to train for and slacking for the sake of it won't work.
Took 2 rest days in a row since the run, just because my right achilles has been bothering me. I will be working out tomorrow though and it feels a lot better right now than it has all day.
Been perfect with nutrition for 2 days now, minus oatmeal with PB at breakfast.
93 Minute Trail Run, Riverlin St Trails with Contois @ his pace mostly. Maybe 5 minutes of walking scattered throughout to refuel and hydrate.
Also walked a good 2.5 hours in the PM with going to the mall and stuff.
COMMENTS:
General: Felt good to do a workout today... I've been a prisoner in my own body these last couple weeks. Really fell off the wagon. The run was good, and I could've gone longer with more water/food, which makes me happy. At my peak last time of LDR I could go about 2.5 hours comfortably, and I know I could've gone 2 hours today with water and fuel
Nutrition: Awful, and has been for over a week. No excuses, and it's time to get back on track. Today was a good start with the exercise.
Body: Knee is extremely in pain, not sore which scares me. It's honestly never hurt as much as it did today after my run. My right achilles hurts too.
Sleep: 8 hours
Elbow: It's OK. It's been 13 days since I began resting it (12th) and I've definitely noticed improvements but it's still got a long way to go. I'm going to start paying more attention to the healing process by taking more fish oil and icing/heating/massasing it.
Reflections: I'm going to go ahead and not get mad at myself for the last week. I worked out once, and ate shitty all week. But now it's time to get serious because I am not going to DNF this race, and my training needs to be top notch. I need to make sure my knee is good before I run again, because it actually scares me how bad it hurts right now, but other than that I felt good on my feet. I need to get trail running shoes soon.
As I write this (9/14/2010) I have been going over a plan to approach this goal for the last couple days in my head. So far, this is what I've come up with.
Note: This is all based on assuming I will not be attending the Spring semester at Springfield college. Most likely will be returning home to attend somewhere near there so I can have my car, and therefore hit trails. I also would then be able to eat how I want to again.
Layout:
Remainder of September-End of October- Focus on the following: - Losing weight (5 pounds maybe, just to be lighter. I'm sure it can't hurt) - Getting elbow healed (Can't do cleans with the pain right now, those are helpful for the race) - Getting diet under control (paleo) - Improving my running technique - Reading up on ultra runners with experience, game planning for the actual race - Follow program with some changes (due to lack of ability here on campus)
October-December 22 - Do as many trail runs as possible (when home for the weekend) - Keep diet dialed in - Follow program as best I can. Hopefully can use the elbows again.
December 23-March 19th - Completely strict training - Diet dialed in, experiment with stuff I can consume while running - Anything else for pre-race preparations
PROGRAM/SCHEDULE:
Day 1: Crossfit Metcon/Strength Day Paired with CFE (short distance intervals) Day 2: Metcon/Strength Day/Active Recovery Day Day 3: Crossfit Metcon/Strength Day Paired with CFE (medium distance intervals, no more than 10k run) Day 4: Rest Day Day 5: Metcon/Strength Day/Whatever Paired with a long Walk/Ruck Day 6: Long Run Day 7: Rest
All tentative, got to see how it works but I like it so far. Will update with further stuff.
