Todays Workout and A Video Note From Dr. Jay Gordon

Todays training -

1. Jerk set-@20kgs 4:00 25 reps
2. One arm swings - @20kg 51/51
3. Plank -1:00
4. Leg circuit (pre run) 10/10/10 (squats/alternating lunge/jump squat)
5. Run -3.5 bike path (Bikilas LS)

And here's a note from Dr. Jay Gordon -

Todays workout and short video from Mike Arnstein

Todays workout -

1. Jerk set -@20kgs 5:00 26 reps
2. One arm swings -@20kg 25/25
3. Pushups - 100 @3:31
4. Fit ball crunch -1x25
5. Run - 9.04 (8.04 @ tempo) Bikilas LS

~
And some words from Mike Arnstein

Todays Workout and Some Scott Jurek

1. Jerk set -@22kgs 4:00
2. One arm swing -@22kg 30/30
3. Wide stance pushups -3x10
4. Pullups -22 reps @3:30
4. Plank -1:00
5. Run - trail 2.60 (NB Minimus)



.

Weekend Training and A Video From Raw Food Athlete Tim Van Orden

Saturday -

1. Run -18.04 bike path (Bililas LS)
2. Pushups-100 reps @4:30
3. One arm swings -@22kg 25/25
4. Plank -1:00

Sunday -
1. Run - bile path 5.14 (Bikilas)

~
Great weekend of running - slow and steady and time on my feet. Felt exactly what I needed. Too often I get caught up in thoughts of speed for all my runs and most specificlly my long run (maybe I want it done sooner?) Regardless, it's call a long, slow, run for a reason.

Here's Tim talking wisdom -

Training and Hurricane Thoughts

Todays training -
1. Jerk set -@22kgs 2:30
2. One arm swings -@22kg 30/30
3. Pushups circuit -20/10/10/10 (reg/close/wide/pike)
4. Pullups/close grip chins -5/5
5. Plank -1:00

~
Pre hurricane run tomorrow and hopefully we'll miss the major rains and get in 18. That's the goal - if not we run in the rain. That's life and that's training. Of course safety is always a consideration and running in a full blown hurricane or storm should not be undertaken - at least in my view. One bad choice and we're often left with little other than regret. I love running - but I also have a treadmill. Maybe I'm just getting old?
Be safe tomorrow no matter ehat you do.
Eric

Training Thoughts and Todays Workout

1. Jerk set -@20kgs 5:00 23 reps
2. One arm swings -@22kg 25/25
3. Pushups -85 reps@3:30
4. Fit ball crunch -1x25
5. Run - trail 5.25 (NB Minimus)

~
Felt great on the trail today - fast, loose and springy. I think perhaps I have stumbled (trial and error) upon a very effective routine for ultras right now. The jerks and swings strength, cardio and explosive training in a short amount of time and do not leave me in such a state that I don't feel up to a full effort (whatever the day may call for) run. It's also short enough that I can add pushups, pullups, (maybe) getups or windmills as a finisher along with planks. I'm happy.

Great Add From New Balance (Minimus and Anthony Krupicka)

Yes it's an ad - but it says so much about Ultraruning and Tony Krupicka. Plus I really do enjoy my Minimus and use them not just for running but for my kettlbell workouts as well. The NB 100-101's have been my "go" shoes for many races on more rugged terrain than I believed my Vibrams or Trail Gloves could handle. n short - NB really makes a great shoe.

Training for Today

1. Jerk set -@20kgs 6:00 25 reps
2. One arm swings -@20kg 50/50
3. Pushups -80reps@3:19
4. Run- bike path 8.14 (7.14@ tempo pace 8:25)



~

Really good tempo run and was happy to excede 7 miles in an hour with more (another 1-2 miles) left in the tank at that pace - especially after a 6:00 jerk set and 100 swings.

Eating Raw Vegan on The Road

Training -08/22/11

Todays workout -

1. Jerk set -@22kgs 2:00
2. One arm swings -@22kg 25/25
3. Close grip pushups -3x10
4. Pullups -20 reps@4:19
5. Plank -1:00
6. Run -2.45 bke path (Bikilas LS)

Weekend Training -08/20-08/21/11

Saturday
1. Run - 16.00 bike path (Bikilas LS)
2. Pullups/close grip chins - 7/4
3. Pushups - 80@3:35
4. One arm swings -@20kgs 40/40
5. Plank -1:00

Sunday

1. Run - trail 6.25 (Trail Gloves)
Pm-
1. Run - bike path 2.0 (Bikilas)

~
First double run since before Cat and mainly did it for a friend who is just starting out as a runner and wanted some tips and comapny. I was happy to provide both and it never hurts to get in a few extra miles 9almost never hurts!)

Todays Training and Lots To Say About Kettlbell Swings (Fedorenko Style!)

Todays workout -
1. Jerk set -@22kgs 2:00
2. Swings -@20kg 35/35
3. Pullups- (mixed grips) 20 reps @4:30
4. Pushups (wide stance) 2x20
5. Fit ball crunch- 1x30

~
I'm enjoying the one arm swings quite a bit and my back feels great since adding these in. Reps are getting gup there so it may be time to jump to the 22kgs and build up again. Nothing the matter with high reps though (especially for swings.) If anyone is intersted in swings please see the Valery Fedorenko video and link a few post ago and learn from the best. I think that this style of swings has great benifits for ultra running as it builds shock absorbtion, hamstring strength and flexibility, core strength (including low back)stamina and mental and physical toughness, and grip endurance if you're a double water bottle holder like me. That's a lot to ask of one exercise but I think One Arm Swings may well deliver. Time will tell but I urge you to become an experient of one (assuming there's only one person reading this blog.) One set, work up in reps (30-50 is my choice)and then either go up in weight or add a set. I prefer (for now) to only do one set for varsious reasons but mainly as I feel that one is enough to derive great benifit from without over-taxing my hamstrings for my runs. As I build up in reps and weight that may well change. Oddly enough snatches, even fairly light ones, were effecting my back and causing me some worry. Nothing major but enough that I didn't feel it was worth keeping them in despite the swole they gave my arms. So far swings have been golden, although the two arm version would often leave my back feeling a bit tweaky - I believe that this was mostly do to high volume running along with heavy swings. So right now I'm happy with the current template of my training although I don't expect I'll keep the volume as high on the pullups as they were this week. Miles will start to add up after tis weekend too - lots of races coming up!
Thanks for reading and get busy swinging!
Eric

Training for today

1. Jerk set -@22kgs 2:00
2. Swings - @20kg 30/30
3. Pushups - 80 reps@3:28
4. Pullups/close grip chins- 6/4
5. Plank - 1:00
6. Run- bike path 4.60

Todays workout

1. Jerk set -@16kgs 6:00 50 reps
2. Swings -@20kg 25/25
3. Pulups -20 reps (4:270
4. Pushups - 1x25
5. Run - bike path 5.0 (Bikilas LS)

Training Today and a thought on Tempo Runs

1. Jerk set -@22kgs 2:00
2. Swings -@20kg 25/25
3. Pushups -75@2:35
4. pullups/close grip chins- 6/4
5. Plank- 1:00
6. Run - bike path 6.5@ (6@tempo) (Bikilas)

~
Nice tempo run although it took me about two miles to find my stride. Usually I run for a mile to warm-up but it seems I don't always have that luxery on race day due to travel and packett pickup and bathroom needs. So I'm hoping that a breif warm-up and some training will allow me to be "pace ready" sooner. We'll see.

A Nice Place to Live

Training for Today - 08/15/11

1. Jerk set-@20kgs 3:00 21 reps
2. Pullups -20 reps (@4;50)
3. Swings -@20kg 20/20
4. Plank -1:00
5. Run -2.50 bike path (Bikilas LS)

Todays workout

1. Run -6.0 bike path (Bikilas)
2. Jerk set -@22kgs 1:00
3. Swings -@20kg 20/20
4. Pushups -50@1:34
5. Plank -:30

Race Review - Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon

I really enjoy these smaller, local races. The effort required to put on a great race with limited man power and resources is great and there's a greater chance that something may go wrong. Yet even if something unforseen does happen it only adds to the charm of the race and the sincerity of the race directors (and crew)efforts. And that really sums up the Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon - a great effort and lots of support from Race director Ron Bowman. Here is a bit of information about Ben and the procedes of the race taken from the the race website -
Ben trained hundreds of runners to successfully complete their first marathon. Those of us who benefited from Ben's inspiration and guidance want you to join us in a memorial run in his honor, on some of the same routes Ben led us on for 20 years. We want to see Moore's Marines "Graduates" wear their shirts to be eligible for special awards. Proceeds from the race will go to the Anne Arundel County Auxiliary Police who Ben was a part of for many years, Chesapeake Hospice House who provided compassion and support for Ben and his wife, Betty; the Wounded Warrior Project for whom Ben was a kindred spirit, and Rude Ranch Animal Rescue. A new beneficiary this year will be the METAvivor organization for Stage 4 Breast Cancer awareness. JOIN US to Honor Ben and support these worthy causes.

Indeed a worthy cause(s) to race for.

It was a beautiful morrning to start the race - with rain coming only towards the end. But the beginning was cool with lots of sun. I didn't bother tapering for the race or taking an easy workout the day before - I wasn't sure how I was going to run it - either pace Moca, run it as a slightly faster than usual long run or actually race it. Since my legs are still on the mend from Catoctin racing was definitely my last option - especially ater hearing about how hilly the course was. Why did I think Annapolis was flat? It's not. At least not along this course which Ben used to train himself and others for the Marine Corp Marathon. I can see why he picked it!
About five minutes before the race started I decided to try and break 2:00. I honestly don't know why. I wasn't suddenly feeling fresh and ready to go - I just wanted to and I wanted that hard effort so close to a successful run on Catoctin and a tough week of training. I figured I could hold a 9:05 pace and slip in just before 2 hours. But a conservative start and the downhills made for a bit slower going for the first several miles and it was only at the 8 mile make that I decided to turn it on just a bit. The uphills were strong but the downhills still a bit tough on my recovering quads - so there was some tag going on with other runners on the ups and downs with me losing out to two races who kept pace with me for the last three miles. It made for great fun though!
The course itself winds through several neighborhoods (that all had hills!) and played some mental games with you as just when you might think it was the final stretch back to the start there was another detour through a neighborhood. Great mental training (I kept telling myself.)The neighborhoods come with the added benifit of kind people yelling support and for this (and for them) I am grateful- thank you all for coming out!
So in the end I manged a 1:57:11 (a bit more on chip time I think)on a pretty tough course on tired legs. It was an 8:57 pace and a great workout and even better race. The RD and crew worked really hard and had a tremendous amount of enthusiasm that the races seemed to pick up on and fule their efforts. A big thanks to you all.
Moca ran a strong 2:32 on her first run since Catoctin - she looked strong and smooth through out and as usual made friends along the way. She bonds well in pain!
It was a good time and I'm happy to have made the effort to be there and look forward to running it again next year. I'll build up my milage from here and prepare for a busy fall with Stone Mill 50 looming ahead this November. Every race counts!
Thanks for reading.

Eric

Training Log - 08/12-08/13/11

Friday -

1. Jerk set-@20kgs 5:00
2. One arm swings(GS)-@16KG 25/25
3. Plank -1:00
4. HH walk -29:00

Saturday -
1. Ben Moore Memorial Half Marathon - 1:57:11


~
Race review tomorrow.

Fed Shows Us How to Swing

The basic swings - not so easy to do but with big benifits when done right. Here's how to do by the best Valery Fedorenko -

Training for today and some training thoughts

1. Jerk set -@20kgs 3:00 18 reps
2. One arm swings -@16kg 16/16
3. Pushups - 75 reps (2:57)
4. Fit ball crunch -1x25
5. Run - bike path 5.50 (Bikilas)

~
I'm enjoying the shorter, quicker and heavier sets - especially with jerk (vs. long cycle)and this may be the template for a little while - jerks, swings (both one hand and two)pushups, pullups and a mix of relative easy leg work thrown in. My include get-ups as well- especially on the weekends. Saturday is the Ben Moore Memorial half marathon and my legs are beginning to feel a little more alive again. Not sure how I'll run the race though and I'll start building the mialge up again after the race - maybe high 30's to 40 mile week. We'll see.
Thanks for reading!

Training Log -08/10/11

1. Jerk set-@22kgs 2:00
2. Swings -@24kg 3x20 (:30 rest between sets)
3. Plank -1:30
4. Run - bike path 3.16 (Bikilas LS)

~
Pm
Heavyhand walk - 26:00

Dr. John McDougall On Potatoes

Dr. John clears up any confusion on eating potatoes (hint - eat them)

Listening

listening...and in that
moment of your
whisper -
a grace of words plays
soft against me

Training Log - 08/09/11

Today -
1. Long Cycle -@22kgs 3:00
2. One arm jerks -@24kg 1:30/1:30 9/9
3. Pushups -65 reps (2:11)
4. Fitball crunch - 1x25
5. Run - 6.5 bike path (1 mile warmup/5@tempo/.5 cooldown)

~
May hit the Heavyhands again this afternoon but doubtful right now. Tempo run was good but slowed down a fair amount for the last mile- legs still aren't back yet and the squats didn't help my leg turnover any either.

Training for today

1. Long cycle -@20kgs 3:00 16 reps
2. Front squats -@12kgs 1x10
3. Pullups - 22 reps (4:21)
4. Plank -1:00
5. Run - trail 2.50 (NB Minimus)

~
Pm -
1. HH waslk -24:00

Weekend Training -08/06-08/07/11

Easy weekend and still a bit worn out from Cat.
Saturday -
1. Run -11.30 bike path (Bikilas LS)
2. Heavyhands - about 20mins

Sunday -
1. Run -4.75 bike path (Bikilas LS)

Pm
1. Long cycle -@22kgs 2:00
2. Front squats -@(2)12kgs 3x5
3. Pushups - 60 reps (1:53)

Holy Cow...

That's a heck of a run -

Training Log and Heavyhands - 08/05/11

1. One arm press -@22kg 3x91/2/3)
2. Pullups/close grip chins -22 reps (4:47)
3. Swings -@24kg 4x20 (about :30 between sets)
4. Plank -1:00

pm -
heavyhands on treadmill -26:00

~
Okay, I really enjoyed the heavyhands - I did it the "original" way that it's founder Leonard Schwartz outlined in his book HeavyHands. Which is to say pumping the arms in a powercurl fashion and then doing sets of chest flyes, lateral raise, and overhead press in (for me) an attempt at matching the stride, between sets holds more arm pumping for a continuous motion. I think more often I will approach with it more of a ski pole action with the intensity dictated by height of the swing (level I,II, III equates to waist height, mid chest and head heigh.) This seems to be a great way to add in a high intensity cardio workout without the extra pounding of another run. Now as another ultra approaches I will most likely alternate HH with a double run as these have proven to be too benifical to eliminate - yet if I get great results with less pounding, who knows?

Training for today and some thoughts

Todays workout -
1. Long cycle -@20kgs 2:00
2. One arm jerk -@24kg 1:00/1:00 8/8
3. Pushups -60 reps (2:33)
4. Abs - band
5. Run - 2.5 bike path (Bikilas LS)

~
Quads are still an issue but beginning to come back to life after race. Leaving off the trail until Sunday. Saturday will be the return of the long run with a start of 10-12 miles (okay, maybe 15)and a build up through the weeks ahead. Endurance isn't the main issue right now but I do want to maintain the time on my feet that I have banked after Cat. Also giving some thoughts of adding Heavy Hands into the mix and I'll try to add some general information here on the blog so everyone can see why.
Thanks for reading!

Training for today

1. Jerk set -@16kgs 5:00 46 reps
2. One arm long cycle -@20kg 3x5
3. Plank -1:00
4. Run - 5.35 (4.25 at tempo)

~
Nothing special today - working back up slowly in my tempo runs - with the goal being 18 miles run at tempo in the weeks leading up to Baltimore marathon. Might be a bit of a stretch but I should be better off (faster) for the trying at least. Legs still are a bit fried so 4.25 is not too bad right now.

Todays Training

1. Long cycle -@20kgs 5;00 22 reps
2. One arm jerk -@24kg 2x5
3. Pushups -2x20
4. Fitball crunch -1x20
5. Run - bike path 3.00 (Bikilas LS)

CAT Card

Training Log - 08/01/11

1. One arm press -@22kg 3x(1/2)
2. Pullups - 20 reps (4:43)
3. Swings -@24kgs 5;00 71 reps
4. Plank -1:00
5. Run - bike path 3.50 (Bilkilas LS)

After Cat Thoughts

A few after thoughts on Cat -
Dates may be the perfect running fuel (for me at least) but I wish I could find a way to make them less bulky to carry. 10 dayes take a lot of room in a small waist (don't fall it a fanny) pack. I consumed about 6 dates with Cliff Shots (organic and vegan)in between and my energy stayed high. The aid stations themselves were stocked with a pretty nice selection of fruit - bananas, cantolope, watermelon (great) and grapes (even greater!)and towards the last quater of the race I had a handful of raw almonds and that really seemsd to help as I think the fat in the nuts can help stabalize the blood sugar and provide a bit of slow burning fuel in contrast to the faster burning fruit. My science could be off on this but it sure did the trick for me.
My hydration could have been better. Not to be overly graphic - but I only peed once the entire race and that's a sure sign of not drinking enough. I did do well with the electrolyts (S Caps and Salt Stick) and I definitely believed I was drinking enough (at least until I almost ran out of water due to my unexpected re-route)but seriously you can (almost) never drink too much water on these runs and in these conditions (90+ degrees.)
Training wise I felt dead-on. Strong and fast and no real body issues throughout. The double runs really helped as well as the tempo runs as the trail running pace felt extremely comfortable. More of this for the next ultra! Kettlebells (as always0 were instrumnetal and the addition of planks really aided my core strength and kept low back fatiuge at bay. The Leg Matrix, bodyweight squats and lunges all helped as well - especially for the hills and I this I'll add even a bit more to help for those tough downhills next year.
Gear wise the NB 101 were a great choice and actually felt "sturdy" after a year of running in Vibrams and Trail Gloves. I don't know if I'll attempt Cat in "true" minimal fashion but I believe the new version of the NB minimal line (106 I think) will be zero drop and that will make a great shoe even better. I'm looking forward to trying them. I will however run Stone Mill 50 Mile in the new version of Merrell Trail Gloves (zero drop, Vibram sole and not much more)so I'm sticking with the minimal route.
My shorts kept falling down (and I aologize to all who ran behind me) and I've yet to find a pair of shorts I really like for hot weather. Send suggestions if you have some. I won't mention the brand name here but the shorts I wore sucked. I have been wearing Brooks shorts recently and are much happier with these. Another mistake in not sticking with them. However my brand new WrightII socks worked fine and I was a bit nervous as I haven't worn socks on a run since mid winter. Oh - and the NO Meat Athlete tech shirt rocks! Not just for what it represents (a lot for me) but in its performance. Thanks to Matt Frazier and nomeatathlete.com for the shirt and all the great information they provide. Check them out!
Thats it for now.
Hopefully I'll have some pictures to share and I write more if something comes to mind (about the race.)
Stay tuned for a search for an August race (maybe Trail Dawgs)Septembers haf marathon (Freedoms Run) and the ever epic Conestoga 10 miler! October should be Baltimore Marathon (for training) and the Metric Marathon which will all lead up to Stone Mill 50!
Thanks for reading!

Eric