Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Whippin' Wednesday
I stayed home sick yesterday with a nasty cough and sore throat that kinda snuck up on me. I slept a whole lot and felt a lot better in the evening. Today I went to the gym at 1:30 p.m. and started with one arm-chinning exercises. Did comedowns, pulley-assisted one-arms, and weighted two arm pull-ups. I then got on the treadmill, which is finally FIXED, and ran 30 minutes. I did a hill workout in which I averaged 7:30 minute-miles at an average slope of 4.5 . I ran a total of 4 miles and burned 700 calories. Felt a little beat at the end, but it was good to get my legs moving.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Friday Lift and Sunday Maintenance
Friday was a great full body workout. Did bi's, tri's, shoulders, abs, chest, and back. I did not run, as I was still sore from the lifting (and running) I did for my legs the day before.
Sunday evening I did almost 2:40 on the elliptical (weather was too bad for running -- very heavy snow and slick roads). According to the machine I burned 4300 calories and my distance was "8000" which I think is supposed to be in meters. If that's what it's supposed to be, I did an equivalent of 20 miles. I hit a wall only an hour in but recovered after drinking one of those carb-loaded goo's, which also had caffeine, kicked it in for the long haul. Was happy to see "The Departed" get best picture on the Oscars!
Next weekend, Saturday 3rd and 4th, is my last long run before the marathon. I will run for about 3 hours and then take the two weeks before the marathon relatively easy.
Sunday evening I did almost 2:40 on the elliptical (weather was too bad for running -- very heavy snow and slick roads). According to the machine I burned 4300 calories and my distance was "8000" which I think is supposed to be in meters. If that's what it's supposed to be, I did an equivalent of 20 miles. I hit a wall only an hour in but recovered after drinking one of those carb-loaded goo's, which also had caffeine, kicked it in for the long haul. Was happy to see "The Departed" get best picture on the Oscars!
Next weekend, Saturday 3rd and 4th, is my last long run before the marathon. I will run for about 3 hours and then take the two weeks before the marathon relatively easy.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Fired-up Wednesday and Thursday
Wednesday started with more training for the one arm chinning. I was able to position the bar on the same axis as the pulley for both arms this time, so I got an even workout doing consecutive right and consecutive left arm "pulley-assisted" chin-ups. (See my earlier post if you need a better description of what this is.) I found out that my left arm/back is stronger which was a surprise considering I'm right handed. I also found that I need significant help (50-60 lb) to just do 3 reps with either arm, which means I have my work cut out for me!
I did three sets of five +30 pound two handed pull-ups after the pulley-assisted single arm ones. Tried to do some one arm come-downs after that but I was pretty much destroyed!
After all that good stuff I went out in the melting snow and ran 3 miles in mush. Went on the tow path and it literally was harder than sand running--a hard crust over wet melting snow. Got my feet soaked and ditched the tow path for the Billy Goat trail thinking that may be better. Think again! I put my whole foot in the water of the little creek that runs through the trail when I slipped off one of the rocks! Lucky for me it was in the 60s! Once I got back on pavement I was running strong again. Finished 3 miles in 24 minutes for average pace of 8 min/miles. Kinda slow but acceptable given the conditions.
Today I did a lot of leg work. Quad extensions, speed lunges, and leg-press. Went outside for my run and the gusts of wind were probably close to 40 mph, I kid you not! I was smart enough to stay on pavement today -- the slush is still lingering. Running into the wind was HARD, but running with the tail wind was fun! It was like being pushed forward and hardly having to work at all. Finished 4 miles in 26:25 for an avg. pace of 6:36 per mile. Not half bad considering the friggen' wind!!
I did three sets of five +30 pound two handed pull-ups after the pulley-assisted single arm ones. Tried to do some one arm come-downs after that but I was pretty much destroyed!
After all that good stuff I went out in the melting snow and ran 3 miles in mush. Went on the tow path and it literally was harder than sand running--a hard crust over wet melting snow. Got my feet soaked and ditched the tow path for the Billy Goat trail thinking that may be better. Think again! I put my whole foot in the water of the little creek that runs through the trail when I slipped off one of the rocks! Lucky for me it was in the 60s! Once I got back on pavement I was running strong again. Finished 3 miles in 24 minutes for average pace of 8 min/miles. Kinda slow but acceptable given the conditions.
Today I did a lot of leg work. Quad extensions, speed lunges, and leg-press. Went outside for my run and the gusts of wind were probably close to 40 mph, I kid you not! I was smart enough to stay on pavement today -- the slush is still lingering. Running into the wind was HARD, but running with the tail wind was fun! It was like being pushed forward and hardly having to work at all. Finished 4 miles in 26:25 for an avg. pace of 6:36 per mile. Not half bad considering the friggen' wind!!
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Monday and Tuesday's Training
Monday I had off from work for Presidents Day (albeit, as a contractor I worked from home..) so I didn't have the regular gym routine to turn to. As mentioned in my last post I was planning on doing speed work on the treadmill at Fort Meyer. I did just that with an exercise I found in runners world. I did twenty 400 meter repeats at "10K pace" which actually turned out to be a little faster--about 9.7 mph pace. I gave myself just 30 seconds to recover between each repeat, so I was feelin' it good! I ran My last one "full out," as recommended, and had the pace all the way to 12 mph towards the end. My hamstrings are still a little sore from that performance ;)
Today, Tuesday, I was planning on going to the climbing gym with a bunch of people I met at a party over the weekend.. However, I got to work--and consequently left work--a little too late for that. So I jumped on the elliptical again for 32 min and "1000 calories". I still think that thing has to be off on the cals, but it's motivating to think I may have had that good a workout!
Tomorrow I'm planning on an actual outdoor run! It's been a while, with the crappy weather and all!
Today, Tuesday, I was planning on going to the climbing gym with a bunch of people I met at a party over the weekend.. However, I got to work--and consequently left work--a little too late for that. So I jumped on the elliptical again for 32 min and "1000 calories". I still think that thing has to be off on the cals, but it's motivating to think I may have had that good a workout!
Tomorrow I'm planning on an actual outdoor run! It's been a while, with the crappy weather and all!
Monday, February 19, 2007
Welcome Abyss2Hope Readers
So I'm cutting in on Ethan's training log to welcome the Abyss2Hope readers who caught Marcella's post today about us. Thanks for coming!
North Korean refugees have been abused by their country, abandoned by international protection agencies, and forgotten by the world.
The more people who know, the better. Please link to Helping Hands Korea or Ethan's blog. If you see fit, donate to Ethan's effort (100% of proceeds go to Helping Hands).
North Korean refugees have been abused by their country, abandoned by international protection agencies, and forgotten by the world.
The more people who know, the better. Please link to Helping Hands Korea or Ethan's blog. If you see fit, donate to Ethan's effort (100% of proceeds go to Helping Hands).
Friday's exercise and Monday's plan
Friday I hit the gym and did some quick push-ups and ab workouts. I then jumped on the stationary bike for 35 minutes of peddling at a relatively high resistance. The machine told me I burned 600 calories. I was VERY sweaty when I got off -- had to wipe down the whole exercise bike with wet paper towels!
This weekend turned into a weekend of rest from a training standpoint. Taking the weekend off from a long-run sense probably was a good idea because peaking too early in your training is something to be avoided.
Today, (Monday) is a federal holiday, but I've been working from home to regain some work hours. I plan on hitting the Ft. Meyer Gym before it closes at 6 p.m. for some good treadmill speed-work.
This weekend turned into a weekend of rest from a training standpoint. Taking the weekend off from a long-run sense probably was a good idea because peaking too early in your training is something to be avoided.
Today, (Monday) is a federal holiday, but I've been working from home to regain some work hours. I plan on hitting the Ft. Meyer Gym before it closes at 6 p.m. for some good treadmill speed-work.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Thursday Tune Up
Yesterday's workout was pretty inspired. Snow and ice kept me out of work and a workout on Wednesday (Valentine's day) -- but did not keep romance out! Thursday's weather and road conditions pretty much made running outside out of the question so I went for another cross-training workout in the gym.
I wasn't feeling too hot when I headed over to the gym around 2 PM, so I took that as cause to turn it around and leave the gym feeling great! I read more in the one arm chinning guide and hooked myself up to an overhead pulley using a lifting belt as a "swing". This is similar to doing the two arm assisted pullups on the machine that supports you from below by you standing or kneeling on a counter weighted platform because you don't have to lift your whole body weight. However, the pulley is better for one arm chinning because you are free to rotate and you get a better feel for the balance necessary.
Unfortunately, the workout was a little uneven for my right and left arms because the pulley was about 8 inches to the right of the bar's center line. I'll have to play around more with the set-up at the gym to see if I can fix that. I did some additional one arm "come downs" as well as weighted pull ups (holding a twenty pound dumbbell in my legs) to further my training for one arm chinning.
I also found the arm slings necessary to do three sets of "leg-ups" from a free hang. That's the ab exercise where you hold yourself vertical [hanging] while doing repetitions of lifting your legs up as high as you can to your chest and back down to vertical. I'm still sore this morning -- means it was effective!
For my cross-training of the day, I did 25 minutes on the erg machine (rowing) to cover an equivalent distance of 6.15 km. I could feel my glutes the most when I got off which will be good for running. Today I may try to brave the outdoors for a short trek.
This weekend I'll probably do a 2:45 run. If the weather sucks, I'll have to do in on a treadmill at Ft. Meyer which will not be the greatest..
Word
I wasn't feeling too hot when I headed over to the gym around 2 PM, so I took that as cause to turn it around and leave the gym feeling great! I read more in the one arm chinning guide and hooked myself up to an overhead pulley using a lifting belt as a "swing". This is similar to doing the two arm assisted pullups on the machine that supports you from below by you standing or kneeling on a counter weighted platform because you don't have to lift your whole body weight. However, the pulley is better for one arm chinning because you are free to rotate and you get a better feel for the balance necessary.
Unfortunately, the workout was a little uneven for my right and left arms because the pulley was about 8 inches to the right of the bar's center line. I'll have to play around more with the set-up at the gym to see if I can fix that. I did some additional one arm "come downs" as well as weighted pull ups (holding a twenty pound dumbbell in my legs) to further my training for one arm chinning.
I also found the arm slings necessary to do three sets of "leg-ups" from a free hang. That's the ab exercise where you hold yourself vertical [hanging] while doing repetitions of lifting your legs up as high as you can to your chest and back down to vertical. I'm still sore this morning -- means it was effective!
For my cross-training of the day, I did 25 minutes on the erg machine (rowing) to cover an equivalent distance of 6.15 km. I could feel my glutes the most when I got off which will be good for running. Today I may try to brave the outdoors for a short trek.
This weekend I'll probably do a 2:45 run. If the weather sucks, I'll have to do in on a treadmill at Ft. Meyer which will not be the greatest..
Word
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Tuesday's Tirade
Running out of unique words starting with a "T" =)
Today I went out at noon in the sleet and snow and ran seven miles along the tow-path. Had a nice solid run with about an inch or two of snow accumulation under foot. Actual snow is much better than what the rodes were like -- slushy / icy! It was a little like running in sand but not anywhere near as tough. I finished 7 miles in exactly 49:30 which is a hair above a 7:04 minute mile. Pretty good considering the conditions.
I saw a ton of cool birds during the run. First a blue jay, then a King Fisher -- first one ever (flycatcher variety bird with a big mohawk lookin thing) -- followed by a LARGE hawk (maybe eagle) that I still need to identify in my bird books, and lastly, a little warbler type dude that was small, compact and gold colored.
Work was let out early due to the weather so apparently the federal government is less tough that yours truly!
Today I went out at noon in the sleet and snow and ran seven miles along the tow-path. Had a nice solid run with about an inch or two of snow accumulation under foot. Actual snow is much better than what the rodes were like -- slushy / icy! It was a little like running in sand but not anywhere near as tough. I finished 7 miles in exactly 49:30 which is a hair above a 7:04 minute mile. Pretty good considering the conditions.
I saw a ton of cool birds during the run. First a blue jay, then a King Fisher -- first one ever (flycatcher variety bird with a big mohawk lookin thing) -- followed by a LARGE hawk (maybe eagle) that I still need to identify in my bird books, and lastly, a little warbler type dude that was small, compact and gold colored.
Work was let out early due to the weather so apparently the federal government is less tough that yours truly!
Monday, February 12, 2007
Monday Madness!!
I was up kind of late last night, likely due to my LATE sleep in Sunday. I decided to check out the crossfit.com journal that my brother (flying Cobras in Iraq right now) got me a subscription to for X-mas. Jumping around in the links I ran into the following workout: http://www.dragondoor.com/articler/mode3/232/
It's a regimen that you use to train for one-arm chin-ups. Definition from the link above: "A one-arm chin means to pull yourself from a dead hang, with one arm only, until the bottom of your chin is higher than a stationary bar. The free hand should not touch any part of the pulling arm or bar, but if you are skilled, it will be used to control your balance and prevent unwanted body twist."
Sounds like a new crazy thing to work for!! Yeah baby.. I will do a one-arm chin one of these days! ;)
Today was my first one-arm chin workout day! I went to the gym at 3 p.m. and got to work doing alternating one arm "comedowns" which are basically negatives of one-arm chins. I did not have much control and what is supposed to last 3 to 4 seconds was really about half a second! I did a bunch of exercises for lats, biceps, shoulders, and middle back to supplement the "comedowns". I also did some comedowns with "help," meaning I supported some of my weight on a bar below my feet. After such a hard workout I rewarded myself to a three mile run in the chilly outdoors in nothing but running shorts and short-sleeve shirt. Good fast little run got me breathin hard!
All in all, a very good workout today. I am motivated!
It's a regimen that you use to train for one-arm chin-ups. Definition from the link above: "A one-arm chin means to pull yourself from a dead hang, with one arm only, until the bottom of your chin is higher than a stationary bar. The free hand should not touch any part of the pulling arm or bar, but if you are skilled, it will be used to control your balance and prevent unwanted body twist."
Sounds like a new crazy thing to work for!! Yeah baby.. I will do a one-arm chin one of these days! ;)
Today was my first one-arm chin workout day! I went to the gym at 3 p.m. and got to work doing alternating one arm "comedowns" which are basically negatives of one-arm chins. I did not have much control and what is supposed to last 3 to 4 seconds was really about half a second! I did a bunch of exercises for lats, biceps, shoulders, and middle back to supplement the "comedowns". I also did some comedowns with "help," meaning I supported some of my weight on a bar below my feet. After such a hard workout I rewarded myself to a three mile run in the chilly outdoors in nothing but running shorts and short-sleeve shirt. Good fast little run got me breathin hard!
All in all, a very good workout today. I am motivated!
Sunday's Ellipse
I slept in late Sunday after having a pretty awesome Friday and Saturday. Won some good money playing poker Friday night and then did a lot of game-playing Saturday (chess, settlers of caton board-game, blockus board-game). Did a lot of winning all weekend! Also enjoyed a fair amount of beer between Friday and Saturday.
Sunday, I got up at 3 p.m.! I was dreaming hard until I woke up which means it was good REM sleep. I sat down to a bowl of cereal and a bunch of water. I started watching "Saw" from my netflix rentals while allowing some time to pass before starting my workout and got on the elliptical after about 45 minutes. Watched "Saw" the rest of the way thru (and got nice and pumped towards the end when all the intense stuff started happening -- ahh nothing like the wonderful ineptitude of the protagonists to get you moving!)
After Saw was done, I put in the first disc of Family Guy, Season four. That was awesome--extremely funny! Especially the opening of the first episode which had Stewie riding his power wheels thru all kinds of ridiculously funny scenes with the Dragnet music playing! Nearly fell off the elliptical laughing! I kept working out throughout 4 and a half episodes of Family Guy and finally got off the object of torture (jk) after 2 hours and 45 minutes of effort on it. The thing is definitely incorrect when it comes to calories burned. It told me I burned 4800 calories! There's no way! I would guess 3000 or less in reality..
Today I plan on doing an easy outdoor run during my lunch break.
Sunday, I got up at 3 p.m.! I was dreaming hard until I woke up which means it was good REM sleep. I sat down to a bowl of cereal and a bunch of water. I started watching "Saw" from my netflix rentals while allowing some time to pass before starting my workout and got on the elliptical after about 45 minutes. Watched "Saw" the rest of the way thru (and got nice and pumped towards the end when all the intense stuff started happening -- ahh nothing like the wonderful ineptitude of the protagonists to get you moving!)
After Saw was done, I put in the first disc of Family Guy, Season four. That was awesome--extremely funny! Especially the opening of the first episode which had Stewie riding his power wheels thru all kinds of ridiculously funny scenes with the Dragnet music playing! Nearly fell off the elliptical laughing! I kept working out throughout 4 and a half episodes of Family Guy and finally got off the object of torture (jk) after 2 hours and 45 minutes of effort on it. The thing is definitely incorrect when it comes to calories burned. It told me I burned 4800 calories! There's no way! I would guess 3000 or less in reality..
Today I plan on doing an easy outdoor run during my lunch break.
Friday, February 9, 2007
Friday Trot
Just ran a nice 6:30/mile 5 mile run from the Clara Barton gate of Carderock down Clara Barton to its T-intersection with MacArther Blvd where I turned left. When I got to the parking lot across from Angler's Inn Restaurant, I crossed over the canal to run back to Carderock via the Tow Path. The canal was frozen over and there was a random old dude standing out in the middle of the canal taking a picture down the ice. Later there were ice skaters playing hockey and one guy who was just cruising around at high speed. That was cool. I'll have to get me some second hand hockey skates to take out there and do some cross-training!
Finished my run strong and had a good cool down jog. Just took some Motrin and plan on icing my shin if need be.
Finished my run strong and had a good cool down jog. Just took some Motrin and plan on icing my shin if need be.
Thursday Workout
I was originally going to run 6 miles with a guy from work, but I think he called in sick. left to my own devices. It was in the low twenties, temperature-wise and the windchill probably got it close to zero.. I was about to go out on my own, but I found out when I got to the gym that I forgot to bring one article of clothing in particular that was essential for a long outdoor run. I'll just use the word "support" as a hint.. Another hint: I'm a "boxers", not a "briefs" man.
So I recalibrated to an indoor workout. Did 15 sets each of alternating push ups (20 reps per set) and pull ups (4 reps per set). This is a muscle endurance workout which basically keeps you doing a set of either push ups or pull ups on the minute, every minute, for half an hour. I was throwing in sit ups and other ab workouts in the free time between each "on the minute" set. Also did some more shin rehab work.
I then got on the stair climber for 25 minutes (treadmill still only goes 6 mph) and burned 300 calories. It was a decent workout, but I don't like that stair climber.. Unlike the "normal" ones where each leg is on an independent pedal that goes down when your weight is on it and only goes up when your weight is off it, this one had a cross-connect between the pedals so that standing on one made the other go up. In a way, this is less of a workout because your own weight is "assisting" getting your other leg up for the next down-stroke.
Today (Friday) is COLD outside. I did bring the missing article of clothing to work with me this time, so I will likely go on an outdoor run / "freeze"..
So I recalibrated to an indoor workout. Did 15 sets each of alternating push ups (20 reps per set) and pull ups (4 reps per set). This is a muscle endurance workout which basically keeps you doing a set of either push ups or pull ups on the minute, every minute, for half an hour. I was throwing in sit ups and other ab workouts in the free time between each "on the minute" set. Also did some more shin rehab work.
I then got on the stair climber for 25 minutes (treadmill still only goes 6 mph) and burned 300 calories. It was a decent workout, but I don't like that stair climber.. Unlike the "normal" ones where each leg is on an independent pedal that goes down when your weight is on it and only goes up when your weight is off it, this one had a cross-connect between the pedals so that standing on one made the other go up. In a way, this is less of a workout because your own weight is "assisting" getting your other leg up for the next down-stroke.
Today (Friday) is COLD outside. I did bring the missing article of clothing to work with me this time, so I will likely go on an outdoor run / "freeze"..
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
Tuesday and Wednesday Workouts
Yesterday, I worked straight thru the workday and didn't get home until 8 p.m. or so. Committed as I am to training right for this marathon, I was not going to fold on a workout! When I got home, my lady and I popped in a "Lost" DVD and I got on the new home elliptical again. I worked it for 45 minutes on the top resistance level and had a NICE burn in my quads by the time I stepped off.
My shin was in pain Monday and Tuesday, so I iced it a bunch both days and started doing rehab exercises and stretches I read about on the internet... going to nip this thing in the bud. It's feeling much better today and I plan on continuing the rehab stuff until the shin splints go away entirely.
Today I played racquetball with my roommate Justin, and felt good. My game was on, and my legs were fresh.
Tomorrow will be a six miler with a guy I met recently at work who I found out also runs along the Tow Path. It's going to be in the 20s or 30s so I'm going to have to bring the warm gear en force!
My shin was in pain Monday and Tuesday, so I iced it a bunch both days and started doing rehab exercises and stretches I read about on the internet... going to nip this thing in the bud. It's feeling much better today and I plan on continuing the rehab stuff until the shin splints go away entirely.
Today I played racquetball with my roommate Justin, and felt good. My game was on, and my legs were fresh.
Tomorrow will be a six miler with a guy I met recently at work who I found out also runs along the Tow Path. It's going to be in the 20s or 30s so I'm going to have to bring the warm gear en force!
Monday, February 5, 2007
Sunday's Long Run
Not too bad a run yesterday. Logged 18 miles in 2:28. My left shin is pretty flared up and hurts again.. I ran all over the place and got turned around at one point. I was trying to run North towards the Potomac thru Roslyn but ended up going South on Wilson to get back to Glebe. It actually ended up being a fortuitous wrong turn, because Mt. Vernon Trail would have been 20 miles or more if I got to it..
Brought my water bottle belt (holds two water bottles) and ate a cliff bar along the way. Felt pretty good the whole way. Didn't really hit a wall.
It was pretty frigid but I'm glad Sunday's weather isn't like today's (Monday's). The high today is in the high 20s.
Taking it easy today and going to ice my shin!
Word.
Brought my water bottle belt (holds two water bottles) and ate a cliff bar along the way. Felt pretty good the whole way. Didn't really hit a wall.
It was pretty frigid but I'm glad Sunday's weather isn't like today's (Monday's). The high today is in the high 20s.
Taking it easy today and going to ice my shin!
Word.
Friday, February 2, 2007
(Yesterday's) Thursday Training
Yesterday was a pretty good intensity workout. I did leg press, backwards sit-ups (back exercise) and, hanging [abdominal] leg lifts in succession for four sets and then did some low weight high rep dumbbell bench pressing. After some stretching, I went outside in the COLD and ran 3 miles around the David Taylor Model basin (twice). My avg pace was 6:30-ish.
I'm taking today off and will be running Sunday for two and a half hours. Target start time is 10 a.m.!
Shin is feeling better.
I'm taking today off and will be running Sunday for two and a half hours. Target start time is 10 a.m.!
Shin is feeling better.
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