2/27/14. time for a break. over-training rears its ugly head.

so below is my journal from yesterday.  I didn't post it.  After I wrote it, I went back and read it.  and re-read it.  and came to the conclusion that I need a break, mentally and physically.  I think I am showing a few symptoms of over-training.  the tiredness and sub-standard performance in workouts, I could deal with.  but I think I was feeling a lack of motivation, and I was getting really angry and irritable.  worse than normal, that is.  Plus I think I need to take some time off and see if I can get my heel back to normal.
a little about over-training syndrome...

so no gym, and no running, for the next 5-7 days.  its a tough decision, and I feel guilty, but I have one goal, and that's to do awesome in Berlin.  so I need to get my shit together, and be ready to hit the streets again on 3/10/14.


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2/26/14 crossfit. run.  somedays I feel entirely alone in my training.

wow, I was really dragging ass in the gym this morning.  3 RFT: 800m run, 20 wallballs, 20 box jumps.  I was slow and tired.  runs were trudging. wallballs were sets of 7 or so.  box jumps? I took lots of breaks.  just slow.  but the music was rocking.  Misfits, Rancid, Minor Threat, Fugazi, Dead Kennedys, Social Distortion, The Ramones, and more. I even heard some Operation Ivy this morning. Seriously, Op Ivy.  made my workout a little better.  except when Rancid was playing, and I was supposed to go out on an 800m run.  I had to decide whether to stay and listen, or run it out.  needless to say, I ran, just not fast.

some days, I feel really alone in my training.  I have friends that run.  and I have friends that crossfit.  but I feel like nobody is trying to pull the kind of shit I'm doing.  seriously, I'm 43 years old.  I'm not an athlete, and I've never been a jock, and i could care less about sports.  never have, never will.  and yet, this week, I'm running 18+ miles, and I'm in the gym WODing 5 days.  plus the extra mobility and yoga I am squeezing in.  I'm feeling a little beleaguered, and I feel like no one understands it.  except maybe my best friend, who i feel works harder than me, but he's 3000 miles away.  and not the same work I'm doing.  I would like to have someone else pulling the kind of work I'm pulling, along with me, to share notes with.  commiserate with.  run the miles with.  this is my 3rd day of double workouts.  I set a new 5K PR on Monday. last night my WOD included 54 pullups and 54 deadlifts at 205#.  that was hard for me.  some days I just wish I had a partner, so I could compare notes on what's normal.  I think I am having a little over-training syndrome right now.  I think in a week when I start the real plan, and I'm running 6 days a week, then workouts are gonna get trimmed. maybe cut down to 3 a week and see how is goes form there.

run.  5K.  at last, some decent weather.  the sun was shining, and it was warmer.  was nice to be outside.  running through a myriad of minor issues.  left hamstring, left knee. left calf. right heel. right foot.  nothing major, just running those diagnostics while I work.

2/26/14. protein shake. coffee. orange. protein bar. beef jerky. chili dog with cheese. broccoli salad. apple. almonds.  pork chop. cabbage. apples. salad. lots of water.

2/25/14. run. crossfit. so far, i keep up with the strength training.

5am, 5K.  was fairly cold (about 34 degrees) and pretty dark, but no rain.  after last night's 5K, I was feeling some aches and pains here and there.  left hamstring. right foot. right heel.  so I wanted to run a little slower.  my goal was 27-28 min for the 5K.  I didn't watch pace on the GPS watch, I just slowed myself down when I felt I was starting to speed up.  ended up at about 27:15, which was pretty well on goal. felt OK, didn't strain or push it.  just another 5K in the bank, getting me closer to starting the plan.

crossfit. tabata V ups and sit-ups.  21-18-15: deadlifts and pull ups.  I have been reading some articles and journals about the importance of strength training for runners.  3 main areas to concentrate on: upper body, core, leg muscles that complement running.  today, the pullups, sit ups, and deadlifts worked all 3 areas.  I read a lot of runners work the quads, and maybe the calves, thinking those are prime.  equally important are the muscles that oppose, like the hamstrings and glutes.  which means I need to keep up with the deadlifts and squats. went with deadlift Rx weight of 205#, but I figured I would take it slow and watch my form.  if I felt like i was rounding my back or compromising form, I could strip some weights.  struggled through it. last one done, but i don't give a shit about my time.

2/25/14. coffee. orange. cashews. beef jerky. meatloaf. Kale. wild rice. orange. apple. protein bar. almonds. protein shake.  chili dogs. broccoli salad.  mac and cheese. lots of water.

2/24/14. crossfit. run. thus begins a 4 day streak of double workouts, the shape of things to come.

beginning of the second week without any pre-workout energy supplements before my 5:30am workouts.  Not sure if its the increased mileage or the decreased stim, but I was dragging in the gym this morning.

crossfit. 15 min AMRAP: 7 thrusters, 7 bar facing burpees, 21 double unders.  I ran all my thrusters, never set the bar down till I was done.  but i admit i went slow and took a lot of breathers.  double unders got a little smoother.  actually ran my last 3 rounds.  other that going slow and not hitting too many rounds, this was a good WOD.  I didn't mind this particular combination of movements, and the weight wasn't too heavy. I feel like I was holding back a bit, in anticipation of the run at night.

5K run.  tell you what, I dwelled on this 5K all day long at work.  something about the temperature (cold, mid 30s) and the weather (gray, foggy, misty) made me dread this one.  I know in my head, though, that running in this adversity will make me hard.  it will make me tough, and it will make me able to run in any conditions.  my good friend Randa just ran her first marathon.  she trained all winter, ran outside every time.  no tread mill, no inside track, just dealt with the cold and rain and snow.  when she got to the start line, it was rainy and windy, really dismal.  and it was no problem for her, she took it in stride and crushed her goal.  that is the training i believe in.  not just the fair weather running that are fun and easy, its the truly ugly miles that toughen you and will get you what you want.

so i went out there and went all out tonight.  i just felt like starting the week right - and i hit a new 5K PR. only by 3 seconds, but i busted my ass for those 3 seconds.  that was a pace I could only sustain for a few miles. I'll probably pay for this tomorrow morning.

2/24/14. crossfit. run. thrusters. bar facing burpees. double unders.  protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds. beef jerky. split pea soup. apple. orange. meatloaf. kale. baked potato. cookies. ice cream. lots of water.

2/23/14. The long run

Nothing special. 36 degrees, gray and dismal, raining, 10K. No fun at all, but I had to get it done. I wished I could have done this yesterday, to keep a day of rest between the long run, and a long week. But E had little league tryouts and I needed to spend some time with him practicing. Now I'm going to have to run 5 days in a row, with 5 workouts. Step up week.  We'll see how I hold up.

When I ran that 10K today, only 6.22 miles, it felt tough. I thought to myself, I can't believe that I have ever, or will ever, run 20 miles and then finish with anther 10K after that. It's so far out of reach right now it feels impossible. Despair. I need some more sunny days and runs that feel easy.

My friend Jess ran a 50K trail run yesterday, and did awesome. I'm real proud of her, and jealous too.  Someday I would love to have an ultramarathon trail run under my belt. Sounds worse than impossible right now. Trail is the best, as soon as the weather gets better I intend to some of my shorter mid week runs on the trails. But it has to get to the point that it stays light longer.

Oh well, step up week coming...

2/23/14. Coffee.Eggs Benedict. Peanut butter toast. Spaghetti. (all for breakfast). Sandwich. More spaghetti. Cottage cheese. Peppers and cheese. Salad. Split pea soup. Scones. Lots of water.

2/21/14. crossfit. no run. steak. raw steak.

crossfit this morning, benchmark workout "Jackie".  1000m row, 50 45# thrusters, 30 pullups.  Here is where my current energy output is evident.  my time was 2.5 minutes slower than the last time we did this workout.  almost 25% longer this morning than last time.  but I knew what I was getting into, didn't I?  accumulated workouts.  plus, this is week one of working out without a pre-workout energy supplement.  So in retrospect, I am happy with the week.  some fast runs, a new 5K PR, and a workout everyday M-F.  workouts (run or crossfit) every 12 hours from tues morning to Friday morning.  I am in the groove this week.

no run today, rest.  long run tomorrow.  next week is another step-up week.  I will add another 5K, on Monday.  this will put me at 18.6 miles for next week, which I will hold for the following week as well.  then The Plan begins.

I'm a little scared about my heel.  it's not bad.  no sharp pain.  nothing I can't work through.  I don't feel it when I run.  But when not running, just walking around, it feels like its bruised.  I remember a day I walked around all day with a wrinkle in the top layer of my insole, right under my heel.  gave me a feeling like this for a week or so.  I just know so many older runners that have heel and plantar fasciitis issues that I'm scared.  my first week of The Plan introduces some hill repeats, which I know as bad for your heels/calves.  Right now I am trying to do some extra calf stretches throughout the day, as well as rolling out my heel/instep with a frozen plastic water bottle every day.  I'll try to watch this without freaking about it.

lunch.  I have a friend at work that seems to be under the impression I enjoy raw steak.  not sure where he got that idea, but about once every other month or so he drags me out and forces me to get a ribeye on a rock.  raw steak, served on a 750 degree stone.  you carve off chunks of raw steak and flash-grill it right on the stone.  you need to prop the steak up on top of the onions/peppers/mushrooms to keep it form cooking too quickly.

2/21/14. crossfit. protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds. beef jerky. steak. broccoli. wheat roll. tater tots. peanuts. apple. chicken pizza. salad. popcorn. chocolate chips. lots of water

2/20/14 run. crossfit. a word about what i eat.

run. 5am. 5K.  not much else to say.  as always, its kind of tough to roll out of bed at 4:45am and run 5K.  wanted to keep it kind of slow, but i ended up about 25 seconds faster than last night.  I guess if I just run what feels right, i'm going to end up faster than intended.  I need to discipline myself, maybe watch my pace while running.

food. I think we eat pretty healthy.  we hardly eat out, maybe once every few weeks.  T cooks everything from scratch.  there are very few, if any, pre-packaged foods or pre-assembled dishes.  the farmer delivers fresh fruit/veggies once a week.  the milkman delivers milk and eggs once a week.  prior to this current endeavor, I was at least keeping an eye on the quantity of food I ate.  I figure T handles the quality, I am responsible for the quantity.  as in, eat sensibly and no seconds at dinner, that sort of thing.  when I started this current ramp up, I lost a few pounds.  but other than a blip on the radar over the holidays, I have maintained the same weight from december until now.  really consistent.  I am eating like a horse.  seconds every night, sometimes until its all gone.  whether I feel hungry or not.  several nights i have eaten until i felt sick.  I'm not losing any more weight, but I may need some new strategies when the miles ramp up.  eat more frequently?  I currently eat (including snacks) probably 5 times a day. maybe have to throw in extra protein shakes every day? it will be interesting to look at the data in a few months, maybe mid summer.

crossfit. 5 rounds for time: 20 double unders, 25 abmat situps, 30 kettlebell swings.   I actually stuck many of my double unders together.  at least 3 of the rounds were unbroken.  150 KB swings got tough. but it felt like a respectable performance.

2/20/14. coffee. orange. beef jerky. almonds. steak sandwich. rice pilaf. apple. protein bar. protein shake. spaghetti and meatballs. spinach salad. lots of water.

2/19/14. crossfit. run. working through some heel/instep issues.

sometimes you read the WOD online, and you think "OK, I can do that, should be OK".  then you get started and its like getting punched in the nuts. today was one of those days for me.  4 RFT: 100' ovhd weighted walking lunges, 30 box jumps, 20 wallballs, 10 handstand pushups. everything was Rx'd except the HSPUs (45# plate ovhd, 24" box, 20# wallball).  but i did the HSPUs with my toes on a box. this WOD took me along time, like more than 38 minutes.  and the whole time, the main thought running through my head was "5K run coming in a few hours". frustrating to be slow and feel weak, but I knew what I signed up for with 2 a days.

having a little heel pain in my right foot, inside of the foot, going into my arch.  I tend to obsess about these sorts of things.  its hard to know the difference between and ache/pain that will work itself out, and something that is verging on an injury and needs an intervention. I guess I will try to run a little slower, give it a week, and see how it goes.

ran my 5K.felt like i was running slow, but probably not slow enough.  did some rolling of the bottom of my foot using a frozen water bottle, and I will take  a few alleve. 

2/19/14. crossfit. run. weighted walking lunges. box jumps. wallballs. HSPUs. protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds.  veggie burger on rice pilaf. apple. orange chicken. broccoli. noodles. lots of water.

2/18/14. run. crossfit. with the wind, against the wind, and like the wind.

2/18/14. run. crossfit.  against the wind, with the wind, and like the wind.

5K at 5am.  was cool and not rainy, but very windy.  on loop out, the wind was in my face, so hard I could barely catch my breath.  I felt like it was holding me back, like the wind pressure made me work harder and slowed me down.  on the loop back, i didn't feel the wind, so I suspect it was at my back and helping me along.  i think i went like the wind, because I set a new 5K PR this morning.  I felt good and sometimes felt like i was running fast.  I notice a trend.  tues, I am well rested, and run fast.  but by thurs, after 5-6 workouts/runs, I am tired and run slower.  each week has validated this. 

thought I should collect some running benchmarks.  I have set some new ones on the shorter distances, in the last week.

5k, 24:32, 7:54 min/mile, 2/18/14 (solo, at home)
10K, 53:52, 8:40 min/mile, 2/15/14 (solo, at home)
13.1 miles, 1:49:55, 8:23 min/mile, 3/10/12 (lake sammamish half)
26.2 miles, 3:51:24, 8:50 min/mile, 7/15/12 (tunnel marathon)

crossfit. rowing and burpees.  many meters of rowing, and a shitload of burpees.  partner WOD, so I texted Brice to join me.  he also hates burpees, but he loves to row.  he rows as often as i run, if not more.  he has a concept2 rower at home, just for fun.  i figured i could lean on him to row pretty fast. and the burpees, we suffered them together.

2/18/14. coffee.  orange. almonds. beef jerky. steak fajita. corn. apple. protein bar. protein shake. chicken. rice pilaf. lots of water.

2/17/14. crossfit. no run. slow and steady in the gym.

2/17/14. crossfit. no run. slow and steady in the gym.

5:30am crossfit.  20 min ARAP. 10 min of 5 pullups, 10 pushups, 15 air squats.  then 10 min of 5 front squats, 10 shoulder to overheads, and 15 deadlifts.  went lighter on the weight, tried to go slow and steady and keep good form.  as much as I want to stay strong, i need to be smart and avoid any injury.  sometimes on lighter weight higher rep shoulder to overheads and deadlifts, my form can slip and i can put my lower back at risk.  not today. in fact I did a little clock watching.  For the first time I can remember, I slowed down as the clock got closer to zero.  I ensured I would finish my current round, but I wasn't too worried about stacking up any "extra" reps.

First 5:30am workout without a pre-workout energy drink in over a year.  I am going to wean myself off this crutch, and save it for the races, or when I need to get excited about a long run.  I used to get a real kick from the NOxplode, C4 Extreme, PRE, Scream, etc.  But these days, I don't feel any of that live wire power coming on, almost no energizing effect at all.  I think I have a tolerance build up, and I need to work it out without it.  It will be hard to go without, and I surely did a lot of yawning at the gym this morning.  but "avoiding feeling tired" is no where near as cool as feeling like a stick of dynamite with the fuse lit.  I need to quit using the juice until my body will react to it again.  without it, and my motivation level was low and I had a hard time going.  but this is something I have been thinking about for a while now.  If i really want that kick when I need it, I have to save it for when it counts.  or else its wasted.

rest day from running.  I truly think running can become an addiction, or at the very least a form of mental illness.  seriously. I know I cannot run everyday.  my body can't take it.  but i want to, really badly.  when I'm not out there, I'm thinking about getting out there.  where I'll run next, when, how.  I am really thinking about it a lot, and I wish I could do more than I already am.

2/17/14. crossfit. pullups. pushups. air squats. front squats. shoulder to overheads. deadlifts. protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds. turkey tetrazini. corn. apple. protein bar. cottage cheese.  steak fajitas. salad. streudel. lots of water.

2/15/14. yoga. the long run. what crappy weather.

2/15/14. yoga. the long run.  what crappy weather.

T had to teach 2 yoga classes, so I stayed home in the morning with the boys.  So i didn't have the chance to do the long run early.  so I did yoga with her for the second class, but i was anxious the whole time, worried about getting the long run in.  and the later it got, the worse the weather got.

it dropped into the low 40s, with continuous rain, and wind of 20-30 mph.  really crappy to head out into that.  the wind was actually hard to run into, and the sideways rain ensured that no matter where I looked, it went right into my face.  I ran it out anyways.  Like Bill Bowerman said, "there's no such thing as bad weather, just soft people".  Just glad to get that one over with.  Didn't see any others runners besides myself, which is abnormal for a saturday afternoon.  I guess they were all soft.  after a while, i gave up on trying to wipe my face off. teh rain, sweat, snot, just all ran together.

was really glad to have my nike flash jacket.  kept me really visible.  I haven't been hit by a car since I got that jacket.  has a weird drape and flow, and its heavier than it looks.  doesn't breathe well either, reminds me of the vinyl rain coats we had in the late 70s.  but it lights up like nobody's business when you get in the headlights.  so its awesome.

Today my friend Randa finished her first marathon in 4:09, just crushed her goal.  I am so proud of her.  I feel like I was a small part of helping her train, with some advice and some well-wishing.  I feel great to see a friend set a goal, train for it, and smash it down. So great to witness, even second hand.

2/15/14. yoga. long run. coffee. omlette. sausage. PB toast. veggie burger. broccoli salad. chicken. kale. cornbread. dark chocolate bar. tortilla chips.

2/14/14. crossfit with my wife. no run. Happy Valentines Day.

2/14/14. crossfit with my wife. no run. Happy Valentines Day. 

rest day from running today.  which is good, I could use the recovery.  yesterday was tough (run 5K, snatches, wallballs, bearcrawls) and  my knees and hamstrings and calves are complaining .  I took the WOD slow this morning.  21-18-15 Kettlebell swings, toes2bars, row (calories).  Seriously.  I took it ssslllooowww. toes2bar are tough for me, but I hit every one.  slowly. the wife kicked my ass this morning.  Happy Valentine's Day, that's the only date she's gonna get today.

fingers crossed for some good weather for tomorrow's long run.

2/14/14. KB swings. Toes to bars. rowing.  NOxplode. protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds. meat loving calzone. Steak. Salad. Broccolini. Lots of water.

2/13/14. run. crossfit. nothing comes for free.

2/13/14. run. crossfit. nothing comes for free.

this is the 3rd double workout day in a row.  seriously, its been almost 2 years since i pulled this shit.

this morning, I paid the price for last night's speed.  felt slow, achy, stiff.  both calves, lower back, right foot.  nothing major.  just diagnostics while running.  2 years ago my best friend told me that at our age, we need to learn to self-rehabilitate.  i think constant diagnostics during work keeps you in tune with what's going on, what needs attention, what's going well.  my body is a machine, and there's always something that could use a little tune up or some attention.

although stiff, still knocked out the 5K in 27:05.  as long as I keep the training runs under 9:00 min/mile, I think I'll be just fine. weather was fairly warm, mid 40s.  a little breezy.  although dark, the clouds parted and an almost full moon beamed down on me, made the road look cool.  I enjoyed the moonlit scenery while I ran.  glad there's no run tomorrow.  I can use the recovery time.

crossfit.  2 hang snatches, EMOM for 10 minutes.  ugh.  snatches are technical, and my lake of grace and fluidity is apparent.  plus overhead squats are my goat.  left hamstring was bothering me, so i kept it light.  then 10 RFT: 10 wallballs and 100' of bearcrawl.  really?  10 rounds?  100 wallball squats, with my tight ass hamstrings?  1000' of bearcrawl?  was terrible.  took me a *long* time.

2/13/14. run. hang snatches. wallballs. bearcrawls. coffee. orange. almonds. Mediterranean chicken pita. cucumber salad. apple. protein bar.  protein shake.  Red Robin for dinner.  lots of water.

2/12/14. crossfit. run. low energy day. output is catching up with me

2/12/14. crossfit. run.

kind of dragging today.  energy level is definitely down a bit.  this week, and next week, will be a good test of how I can tolerate the ramp up to the training plan.  if i can't keep up with the output, something will have to give.  and unfortunately, for the next 32 weeks and 3 days, run reduction is off the table.  top priority is the run, leaving strength conditioning, though important, as secondary.  that's just the way its gonna be.

crossfit.  1000m row.  kept my 500m splits well under 2:00, which is the pace I was shooting to maintain.  12 min AMRAP: increase by three each round.  sumo deadlift high pulls and handstand push ups.  I did the SDHPs at Rx weight, I did the HSPUs with toes on a 24" box.  Having trouble keeping my legs straight in the HSPU with toes on a box. probably a combination of hamstring tightness, sloppy form, and general laziness.

generally tired.  bad morning. forgot half my lunch at home. motorcycle pants leaked in the rain and it looked like i pissed my pants.  minor headache, general soreness and lassitude. I think I looked like hell today, in the gym and at home. Several people told me I shouldn't run today. One of them really has a set of brass balls though, to tell somebody they look tired, and tell on them to their wife that they looked tired, after just making them row 1000 meters. 

run 5K.  its warmer than last week.  About 46 degrees F, windy, no rain.  ideal running conditions. The sun was just setting over the Olympics as I ran, was beautiful. Seriously, as shitty as my day was, as much as I was dragging, that run restored me. I felt awesome. The better I felt, the faster I ran. Ended up doing my 5K 30 seconds faster than yesterday. I couldn't help myself.

2/12/14. crossfit. run. row. SDHPs. HSPUs. NOxplode. protein shake. coffee. protein bar. chicken. peas. buffalo chicken cauliflower. almonds. Mediterranean chicken pita.  cucumber/chick pea salad. dark chocolate bar. lots of water.

2/11/14. Tues. Run. Crossfit.

2/11/14. Tues. Run. Crossfit.

didn't sleep well.  OK, maybe I slept fine, I woke up at around 3:30am, didn't really sleep soundly again.  from 4:00am onward, I looked at the clock every 5 minutes until it went off at 4:45am for my run.  I honestly think I actually had enough rest, and maybe I was just ready to go.

so here's the thing.  my run felt plodding.  I felt like a rhino.  like I have no rhythm, no efficiency, no style, no economy of movement.  just stumbling along for 5K.  but when I was done, and I hit stop on the GPS watch, i had run my 5K in 26:12 (avg pace 8:26 min/mile).  thats pretty fast for me, especially since I didn't really feel like I was pushing too hard.  I didn't have any pre-run energy drink, and I wasn't wearing my new energy boosts.  I think I was just well rested and fully recovered from my last week, and I was running well.  even if it didn't feel like it.  it was encouraging to start my day like this, it makes me feel like maybe I am regaining some of the conditioning I have lost over the last 20 months.  maybe there's hope I can actually do this thing.  of course, the long runs are coming, and that's a different story altogether.

then came crossfit.  like night and day.  my energy level was down, as was my motivation.  was a lot to squeeze in, for one trip to the gym.  3 rounds of: 50 double unders, 100 ft bear crawl, 15 goblet squats. I didn't even have time to get this done.  I spaced out at the beginning, waiting for the call"3,2,1... Go!".  Never came, since it wasn't for time.  when I realized other were already doing their first round of bear crawls, then I started.  followed by 21-15-9 hang cleans and chest to bar pull ups.  didn't go Rx on the hang cleans, and i could only hit the C2Bs one at a time.  about halfway through, I started hitting regular pull ups.  sucks.  this whole night was a lot of work. and I didn't have the heart for it.

2/11/14. coffee. orange. beef stew. sloppy joe. corn. apple. protein bar. rotisserie chicken. buffalo chicken cauliflower. bread. carrot soup. arugula salad. lots of water.

2/10/14. crossfit. no run.

2/10/14. crossfit. no run. stronger, but slower?  and how my coming weeks will start to flesh out.

seriously, how do you measure growth when you don't repeat the exact same workout with the same parameters?  this morning we did Open workout 12.3.  18 min AMRAP: 15 box jumps, 12 push presses, 9 toes to  bar.  i am still feeling fatigued from last week, so I know I was going slow.  we did this workout a year ago, and I had almost 2 rounds less today than I had a year ago.  but a year ago, i did a few rounds at 95#, then the remaining rounds at 75#.  Also, a year ago, I couldn't hit toes to bar and did knees to elbows (and I'm pretty sure I didn't actually touch knees to elbows).  today I did all rounds at 115#, the Rx weight, and I hit every toes 2 bar.  So although I did fewer rounds and less reps, I was able to put more weight over my every rep.  And although I had fewer rounds, I guarantee the toes 2 bar were harder than the not quite toes to elbows I had last year.  So I guess although my overall rounds went down, my strength is greater.  But I wouldn't call it an unqualified success.  I think the goal ought to be to hit more rounds than last year, but using the weight from this year.  oh well, maybe next year.  but probably not, with this being a major running year, not a strength training year.

5K tomorrow morning, 5am.  I was thinking of a metric to compare my output from week to week.  maybe number of "workouts", assuming a 5K is roughly equiv to a session of crossfit?  Although the long run is harder than a short run, an hour of yoga is not nearly as much output as a 15 min WOD.  So I will score a 5K same as a WOD at 1 "workout" each, but the long run and the yoga combine to make 2 "workouts" (one a little more, one a little less).  So 2 weeks ago I hit 9 workouts in a week (5 crossfit, 2 5Ks, 1 5 mile, 1 yoga).  last week I also hit 9 workouts (4 crossfit, 3 5Ks, 1 10K, 1 yoga).  This week I am going for 10 workouts (5 crossfits, 3 5Ks, 1 10K, 1 yoga). Next week will also be 10. Then the following week will be 11 (5 crossfits, 4 5Ks, 1 10K, 1 yoga).  Hold that an additional week.  then The Plan begins, and all hell breaks loose.

I was in a little bit of denial about my gym time, but it's getting close enough to March 10, that I better face facts.  Hal wants me to take a day of rest on Friday.  But Friday is a 5:30am workout, and I really treasure those.  T goes with me.  I really like everybody in the 5:30am class.  we get a lot of individual attention and training.  but the fact is, a schedule that doesn't have a day of rest is stupid, and establishes an unsustainable pace.  6 days of running a week is tough, believe me, I've been there.  then throw in 5 crossfit WODs.  the yoga is non-negotiable, it helps the long run recovery.  So I need to think big picture here.

So for 30 weeks, starting 3/14, Friday WOD is just going to have to come off the table.  5 regular runs (which include hill repeats, tempo runs, intervals, fartlek, etc), 1 long run, 4 WODs, 1 yoga.  in addition, I can foresee a day when I don't WOD every time I go to the gym.  Might have to drop to more body weight exercises (push ups, pull ups, dips, etc) and some days of just some weight lifting not for time (deads, squats, presses).  i may not be able to keep up for all the Pirates of the Caribbean bullshit every day.

but maybe I'll still go in Friday morning and just work mobility.  I guess as long as the gym still opens, I'll keep my schedule consistent and mob out.  Maybe this will be my chance to really work my way through all the top 10 mobility exercises for runners that I have been wanting to try, per the Supple Leopard himself...


the-10-best-mobility-exercises-for-runners

2/10/14. crossfit. box jumps. push presses. toes 2 bar. NOxplode. protein shake. coffee. almonds. orange. beef stew. apple. almonds. cottage cheese. cashews. sloppy joe. tater tots. corn. arugula salad.

2/8/14. long run. yoga.

was a cold clear morning for my long run.  crystal clear blue skies, could see the snow on the mountains.  was just beautiful.  of course, for it to be clear and sunny in Feb, means it was cold.  about 25 degrees F when I left the house.  I wore the Buff that Jess lent me.  it actually worked out well for me.  in the sun, when I got warm, I pulled it down.  but in the shade, or when the wind blew and I felt cold, i pulled it up over my nose.  it was stretchy enough to stay up, and thin enough to be able to breathe fairly well.  i was pretty much running with my mouth gaping open to get more air through the Buff, but it was fine. I was glad to wear this.

I probably looked like a nut, but I wasn't too cold and I wasn't too hot.  thermal management plan worked out, and it was an awesome run.  i went slow, and felt good.  when I hit halfway, I didn't really feel ready to turn back.  it was a good end to a step-up week, ended up with 15.5 miles this week.

did an hour of yoga with T after the long run.  I really think that doing yoga directly after the long run is making my recovery time shorter.  I don't feel too bad at all on sundays, even after the long run sat.  we'll see if this trend continues when I introduce some longer runs in 3 weeks.  yoga got a little freaky, with chairs and straps.  but I learned some new stretches and I felt good afterwards.

2/8/14. coffee. peanut butter toast.  egg/ham/cheese english muffin. orange. NOxplode. protein shake. protein bar. tacos. arugula salad. fritos. pretzels.
  

2/7/14. crossfit. no run. recovery day.

2/7/14.  crossfit. no run. 


hit the gym at 5:30am this morning.  Was a good crowd, had the best coach.  3x10 dips.  then rowing and handstand pushups.  did the HSPUs with my toes on a box.  I have trouble keeping my legs straight (pike position) due to my general hamstring tightness.  Will continue to work this. i've been hitting the lower body mobility twice a week for about 45 minutes, but its not enough.

no run today.  day of rest.  did 5K each on 3 consecutive days, then I will do 10K saturday.  that's the most running I've done in a week long period, in over a year, and I feel pretty good.  My friend Jess gave me a Buff, so I'm going to give that a try - its supposed to be barely above 20 degree tomorrow morning.  It's cool to have friends like this, even when I am not that friendly of a person.

2/7/14. crossfit. dips. rowing. HSPUs. NOxplode. protein shake. coffee. oranges. protein bar. baked gnocchi. apple. almonds. cottage cheese. beef stew. fritos. lots of water.

2/6/14. run. crossfit. run in the dark, when its 18 degrees F? Why not?

2/6/14. run. crossfit.  yeah, any idiot can run. there's even a few that run in the dark. but it takes a special kind of idiot to get up at 4:45am, and run in the dark when the thermometer reads 18 degrees.  but i lived to tell.  only about a minute slower than normal 5K time.  not sure if it was the temp, or the fact that this is my first week to hit the road 3 days in a row.  i know 5K isn't far, but i'm still getting back into my groove, and 5K 3 days in a row feels like a lot right now.

i don't care so much about the cold (I know my core will warm up while I run), but i was a little scared about running with exposed skin (nose, face).  I read this article, and concluded that with an air temperature over 15 degrees F, no matter what the wind speed was, I had more than 30 minutes before I could get frostbite. I can limp my way through 5K at 26-28 minutes, any day, so I knew I should be OK.


how-long-does-it-take-to-get-frostbite-or-hypothermia

I did panic a little at the last second and threw on a complete extra layer.  track pants over my running tights. fleece pullover under my reflective jacket, wool fingerless gloves (T knitted them) over my running gloves, etc.  But I couldn't arrive at a solution to cover my face.  I actually tried tying a bandana on, train robber style.  didn't work out.  if I tied it tight enough to stay up, then my breathe fogged up my glasses and i couldn't see.  and breathing through it restricted my breath like an elevation mask.  couldn't catch my breath.  when I loosened it up so i could breathe, it would just fall down.  so the compromise was to hold it up when the wind blew in my face, but let it slouch down when it was calm.  I got through it OK.  But I didn't see too many other people out there this morning! my good friend Jess, a real runner, recommends "the buff" ( how to wear the buff ).  Then she left one on my front porch for me!!! I'm excited to give it a try.

Crossfit. 2 heavy front squats EMOM for 10 min.  decided after 3 days of running, with a long run coming Sat, not to go too heavy (like to failure).  kept it reasonable, max'd out for the last 4 round at 165. WOD was 18-15-12-9-6-3 of hang power snatch and bar bacing burpees.  no fun at all.

2/6/14. run. crossfit. front squat. hang power snatch.  bar facing burpees. coffee. almonds. orange. deep dish pizza. peas. apple. protein shake. baked gnocchi. ceaser salad.lots of water.

2/5/14. run. in which I get blown off at the gym and miss my workout.

2/5/14. run.  what happened to my crossfit?

crossfit? I waited outside the gym until 5:40am, nobody showed up to let me in.  so I went home and ran 5K instead.  probably for the best, as this is a step up week for the running and I need to get in a 5K today.  Yesterday I found out the kids had a science/tech/education function tonight, and I wasn't sure when I could get my run in.  So I guess things were easier to get my run out of the way early.  but its frustrating, in that I haven't missed a workout in years.  seriously.  I have scheduled flights around the 5:30am class so I could squeeze it in.  I have dropped in on boxes in Wichita, Myrtle Beach, and Wake Forest, so I could get my workouts in.  but not today.

so it was a 6am 5K (I lost an hour due to travel to the gym back and forth, including my wait), which is why it wasn't a 5am run.  It was friggen cold, around 22 degrees, maybe even a little colder.  it was a little windier than yesterday, which increased the suck.  Funny thing is, my time and my pace were the same from Tues to Wed, down to the second.  crazy coincidence.  legs are feeling a little stiff (calves, hamstrings especially), i think it has something to do with yesterday's deadlifts.  my knees are feeling a little achy, I'm going to have to just be mindful. 

the plan is to run another 5K tomorrow morning.  the weather is calling for even colder, more like lows of 14 degrees.  Running sounds like a bad idea.  If it goes below 20, I may shift the run to Friday afternoon, which will leave me no recovery time before Saturday's long run.  almost wish I had a treadmill...

2/5/14. run. NOxplode. waffle/ham/egg sandwich. coffee. orange. almonds. tamales. peas. apple. tea. homemade deep dish pizza.  broccoli. lots of water.

2/4/14. early AM run. crossfit. tweaks to the next months running

2/4/14. early AM run.  crossfit.

I set the alarm for 4:45 to guarantee I would be running before 5am. woke up at 3:30am, never really got back to sleep.  out the door by 4:58am. was 25 degrees.  cold.  dark.  I was angry.  angry at the cold.  angry to be running.  angry at myself for being stupid and thinking I could run.  angry at the plan.  angry at fitness.  then i compounded it by only listening to angry music.  skipped any songs that might get me out of my funk and only listened to fast loud angry music.  culmination? rolled the odometer to 5K while the CroMags were pounding one out...

why I am running right now?  to kick ass at Berlin. the training plan i want to follow is specific in design.  per Hal, "I DESIGNED THIS PROGRAM FOR EXPERIENCED RUNNERS, individuals who have run two or three or more marathons and who would like to improve their times, to achieve Peak Performance, to set a Personal Record (PR). You should be running five to six times a week, averaging 15-25 miles a week."

that's some pretty hefty requirements, to qualify myself to even start this plan. this is the stable base I have been referring to.  I ramped up slowly, got to approx 3 runs a week, for a total of 11-12 miles a week.  I have held it there for 2 months.  I am adding a day, so that for the next 3 weeks I will run 4 days a week, approx 15 miles per week.  then, the last week of Feb and the first week of March, I will add an additional day.  Should be comfortable with 5 runs a week, approx 18 miles/week by March 10.  Then all hell breaks loose.

crossfit. EMOM, 10 min, 10 push ups.  WOD: AMPRAP 15 min: 7 deadlifts (70% 1RM) and 200m run. the problem with hitting a new 1RM last week is that now 70% of 1RM is higher than it used to be.  didn't pay attention to the clock.  went slow, kept form good, just tried to lift a lot and stay uninjured.

2/4/14. run. crossfit. push ups. deadlifts. run.  coffee. almonds. orange. bbq meatballs. pretzel roll. peas. apple. almonds. protein shake. cheese stick. pork chop. kale garlic mashed potatoes. purple cabbage. ham and cheese. lots of water.

2/3/14. crossfit. no run. but this is the week to crank it up a notch.

2/3/14. Monday. Crossfit. no run.

5:30am class.  5 min EMOM, 30 double unders.  my doubles were off.  hit maybe 20 each minute.  lots of energy wasting leaping and flailing around, flagellating myself with an aircraft quality steel control cable strung between 2 handles.  5 min AMRAP of clean and jerks (full squat). only loaded up 115, should probably have gone a little heavier.  21-15-9, chest to bar pull ups and 53# kettlebell swings.  after a first run of 5 C2B, I actually strung together sets of 2-3 chest to bar pullups.  still have to do them as chin ups, not pull ups, if I want to get the extra little pull to touch my chest.  halfway through, resorted to peeling down.  chest hair gets you the extra half inch as it brushes the bar, that can spell the the difference between a good rep and a no rep.

this is the first week of February.  To stay on the "pre-training" training plan I set up last October, I need to add an extra run this week.  should be up to (3) 5Ks and (1) 10K per week.  I'm thinking of running Tues 5am, Wed 5 pm, then Thurs 5am. plus the long run on Sat. average over 15 miles/week.  hold that through the month, then onward and upward.  was a little tired in the gym this morning, so we'll see how I adjust to the additional output. 

2/3/14. NOxplode. protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds.  BBQ meatballs. broccolini. cole slaw. apple. almonds. Cottage cheese. Edamame. Chicken yakisoba. Cookies. Lots of water.

2/1/14. the Long Run. yoga. energy boosts kick ass

2/1/14. Saturday. the Long Run.  yoga.

did my long run, 5 miles, at about 10:30am.  wore the adidas energy boosts.  those shoes rock!  seriously, I felt real good running in them, and the miles flew by.  did my 5 in just under 42 min, avg pace of 8:22 min/mile.  it was funny, I could feel every crack and pebble I stepped on, I was really in tune with the path.  felt cushioned and springy, but really grounded at the same time.  was a good run.  i wish they could all feel like that.

i had my perfect long run recovery drink.  20 ounce shaker bottle.  2 scoops vanilla protein powder, 1 scoop orange gatorade.  add water, shake up, guzzle.  tastes like an orange creamsicle...

after the long run, i did yoga for an hour.  I'm glad T is back from india.  having her teach every saturday forces me to do it, and i really think it help me recover from my running.  i'm still probably the most inflexible person there, but every bit helps.  I have trying to do about 45 min of lower body stretching/rolling/mobility work on tues/thurs before working out.  I hope to avoid any injuries this way.

2/1/14. coffee. eggs. cheese. sausage. peanut butter toast. preotein shake. protein bar. cottage cheese. orange. apple. chicken breasts. mashed potatoes. carrots. ceasar salad. tortilla chips.

1/31/14. crossfit. no run.

1/31/14. Friday. crossfit. no run

hit the 5:30 class, it was almost overcrowded.  did some heavy push jerks.  I don't particularly like the push jerk.  could be my lack of flexibility or my lack of coordination.  i understand how, and i understand why.  but it just doesn't always work so well for me.  push press, or straight to split jerk, i guess.  WOD was 100 shoulders to overhead for time.  had to do 50' of walking lunges each time you dropped the bar.  tell you what - I wasn't interested in trying to run 100, and I wasn't interested in hurrying.  when i hurry, my form gets shitty and I get hurt.  proved that before, no need to do it again.  so I went a little light, did all push presses, and after a first set of 25, I kept sets of about 15.  felt about right, I probably did about 250' of walking lunges.  that was my break time.

thank to my best friend Manuel for the following link - I almost pissed my pants laughing.  "woman, its called kipping"

1/31/14. crossfit. push jerk push press. walking lunges. NOxplode.  protein shake. coffee. orange. almonds. turkey. corn fritters. apple. cottage cheese. turkey. broccoli. peppers. lots of water.