Run Plan

Didn't work out today but came across an article that helped remind me of how I can improve my running. Basically, more short runs can be better since short runs require less recovery. The key is to build weekly volume and rest after a long run.

So, I averaged out my weekly running volume over the past several months and it comes to 9.56 miles per week. This makes the next week's goal 10. Learning from 5/3/1 I should take a deload week very 4th week but maybe have a blowout long run on the third week. 

Sketching out the calendar going forward:
6/1 - week 1- 10 miles
6/8 - week 2 - 11 miles
6/15 - week 3 - 12 miles - BF is Saturday and that is 9.94 so I only have to run to the park once
6/22 - week 4 - deload
6/29 - week 1 - 11 miles
7/6 - week 2 - 12 miles - PA Super which will be 10 miles
7/13 - probably deload and reassess training plan going forward to the Beast. 

The Beast is at the end of the 10th week following the PA Super. 

Run, Burpees & Lunges - Tapering for Tuxedo

This was the first time that I have run in a week and I don't feel as though I am hurt but my left leg is aching. I really need to deload on the run, burpees, lunges routine which I have done over the past week and will do next week while on vacation. Although I will hit my legs with Pistol Squat progressions. 

Run - This isn't right since it tracked distance from my house but starting timing once I started running but I will use it anyway since it doesn't really matter.
Distance: 2.34 miles
Time: 20:34
Pace: 8:52

100 Burpees in 9:48 - 5.88 seconds per burpee pace
** the goal was 10 minutes of burpees. Maybe should have squeezed in a couple more but we are good. I put in max effort.

100 meters lunges. Did progressions from 10 to 18 (skipped from 16 to 18 since finish line was right in front of me).

Muscle Ups & 1 Arm Push Ups

Real simple.

Warm Up:

• 50 Jumping Jacks
• 40 Squats
• 30 Sit Ups
• 20 Push Ups
• 10 Burpees

Muscle Ups:

• Able to do 5 horizontal bar dips regularly. Need to work on extending ROM and maybe going side to side
• Doing 5 sets of 3 good Pull Ups, keeping the elbows in. Before dropping off the bar I do 5 HLRs just because it helps me work on my grips strength to hang and I might as well throw in some core work here

1 Arm Push Ups:

• 10 Rows off the horizontal bar. Not getting to chest so maybe have to work on that. Also can start to go 1 arm
• Progressing Push Ups to 3 reps each side with one arm elevated. Need to make sure that my weight is centered over my arm when I try these. 

Handstand Push Ups & Back Bridge

Since I am giving my legs a few days off to recover, I went back to a former warm up that was tougher than anticipated. 

Also, when I got to the park, there were 3 other guys who really did look like they were from convict conditioning. It was kind of intimidating seeing one guy bang out reps of L-Sit Pull Ups (palms facing). However, the more I noticed what they were doing the more I saw a lack of ROM. They were also doing a lot of reps so I won't hold it against them.

Anyway, I concentrated on doing what I came to do and block them out and by the time they were leaving while I was still working out I got a fist pump of encouragement from one guy and a "what up" from the other 2. Bro props. Cool.

Probably because I am still recovering I could only get in 2 exercises and only do 4 sets instead of my planned 5. Its okay since I put in my max effort and I need to get my body back to feeling 100% again. 

Warm Up:

• 50 Jumping jacks
• 40 squats
• 30 sit ups
• 20 push ups
• 10 burpees

Handstand Push Ups - 4 rounds:

• Doing better going forward into the handstand and holding for time. Close to counting to 20.
• Pike Push Ups - Got to 4 on the second rung

Back Bridge - 4 rounds:

• I am starting to be able to pop up onto my head on the glute bridge
• Bending backwards and doing push ups against the fence. Don't know how to judge/measure this
• Hanging Leg Raise to Chin Up - this is kinda new since I am getting better with HLRs and don't know where to go with this. Sometimes Toes-to-Bar and sometimes trying to finish the HLR with a Pull Up attempt. Its all good exercise. 

100% Burpees (120) & 50% Lunges

This Saturday workout was the first in adjusting my goal achievement and progressive overload to focus on one thing at a time. Since burpees didn't go well last time I made them the entire purpose of my workout today and cut back on the lunges. Hopefully this emphasis helps me continue to make progress. 

For the burpees, I started by not watching the clock the trusting myself. Turns out that was not the best idea since after 60 I finally looked and saw that I was at 6:25. The back half was all about me trying to catch the clock. I did it but should have paced myself a bit better. Lesson learned. 

My legs have been hurting me over the past week. Since the long hill run really. Running home, when I usually feel better, I felt a little bit of a twinge or tightening behind my knee. Since I am incredibly sensitive to anything that may be an injury and put me out of commisssion for an extended period of time, I cut the run short and finished walking. I still ran close to 2 miles and for 20 minutes so it wasn't a complete bail on my running but still not everything that I wanted to do.

The plan going forward is to drive to the park on Sunday for body weight and Yoga Monday so I won't even consider running again until Tuesday. On top of that, this week is a bit of a taper week for the Spartan Sprint on Saturday so Wednesday and Friday are programmed rest days. The week after is Disney when I expect to do a lot of walking but no running. Bottom line is that it will be a while before I get back into a regular running flow and that should give my body the time it needs to recuperate.

Run: 1.94 miles
Run Time: 18 minutes
Pace: 9:17

Burpees: 120 in 11:59

100 meters Lunges

5x5 for Strength - 1 Arm Push Up, Pistol Squats, Muscle Ups

Got a reminder about set & rep ranges. Need to focus on 5x5 since I want to build strength. This means doing the harder versions of the exercises so that I max out at 5 reps.

I also have to remember that I am doing progressions toward 1 Arm Push Ups, Pistol Squats and Muscle Ups but I need to name the exercises that so I don't forget what I am working toward. There is a difference between doing push ups and working toward a 1 arm push up. It is slight but significant. Naming the exercises properly is part of keeping my head straight.

• Run: 2.23 miles
• Run Time: 20:08
• Pace: 9:02

• 1 Arm Push Ups - With 1 arm on the elevated feet push up bar. Need to keep my elbow closer to my body when I work the left side
• Australian Push Ups - Need to continue to work on these and get body up & closer to bar

• Pistol Squats - working off of the bleachers and going deep. Keeping the front half of my foot off the bench so that I am forced to work off of my heel.

• Dips - in the 5 - 3 range but getting better ROM
• Pull Ups - 3 per set with 1 set devoted to the top 1/3 where I am weakest.  

Burpees & Lunges - Lesson Learned - 50% & 100%

Gains are getting hard to come by. Today I was shooting for 120 in less than 12 minutes. Not able to do it. Made it to 68. This is the 2nd time in 2 weeks that I fell well short of my workout goal. I did, however achieve my lunge goal for the day of extending my pyramid to 20 from a previous high of 18. 

I think that a new approach to take is to do a light day and heavy day with burpees and lunges. So, consider today a 50% burpee day and a 100% lunge day. Saturday when I do conditioning again I will do 100% burpees (120 in 12 minutes) with 50% lunges (10 sets of 10). We shall see how that goes.

Run Distance: 2.32 miles
Run Time: 21:21
Pace: 9:13

68 burpees in 6:46
5.97 seconds per burpee

Lunge ladder from 10 to 20

Body Weight Monday - HS/Pike, HLR/BB

I tried to get a long run done on Sunday but just didn't have the energy. In part due to a lack of sleep with family activities. I also think that after some beginner gains, that my body is catching up and broken down. Now I need to build it back up again. All part of the process.

Today also served as a reminder that although I am doing the parts of an ultimate exercise (pistol squat, muscle up, handstand push up, back bridge, 1 arm push up), that I also should try to go for the ultimate exercise. 

• Run: 2.23 miles
• Time: 20:28
• Pace: 9:12

• Handstands - 5 sets. Now I am working more on trying to do a real handstand instead of just holding myself up against the fence for an extended period of time. Doing it on the grass in the baseball field. 
• Pike Push Ups - 10 with feet on ground, 8, 4, 4, 4 with feet elevated

• Hanging Leg Raises - doing sets of 10 with the first 5 being toes to bar. Made a great jump here. 
• Back Bridges - Took a step back here with only being able to do 4 reps per set. My hamstrings and glutes are shot and hopefully I should do better as I recover.

Was supposed to do squats and RDLs but my leg is hurting and I just did what I felt like. I will let this be an opening to do more as I feel like it.

Run, Burpees & Lunges

After a disappointing performance on Tuesday, I was back at the track for my conditioning workout today with the goal of accomplishing the unaccomplished. 

For burpees I tried a new technique of doing 10 burpees per minute but disciplining myself to start each round on the minute. It worked but I think that my previous method of 10 burpees with a count to 10 rest works better. It builds a cushion early that I can work off late. I don't get that cushion when starting on the minute.

For lunges, after beginner gains or 100 meters, 200 meters, 300 meters, I realized on Tuesday that I had hit a wall when going for 400 meters. But Tuesday I implemented a new set scheme that I am able to build upon. 1st set was 10, 2nd 11, 3rd 12 up to 17. Today I got up to 18. Next time will be 19, then 20 before I start laddering down. We shall see how it goes. I would like to build to 400 meters in lunges and I am sure that in time I will get there. 

Run Distance: 2.32 miles
Run Time: 21:26
Pace: 9:14

110 burpees in 10:53; 5.94 seconds per burpee

Lunge ladder to 18 - a bit over 100 meters

Squats/1 Leg RDL, Push/Row, Upper 1/3 Pull/Dips, New Run Pace Record

Sub 9 minute pace on my run. Awesome! I started this year not breaking a 10 minute mile.

• Run Distance: 2.32 miles
• Run Time: 20:11
• Run Pace: 8:42 !!

• Squats & 1 Leg RDLs: Did 5 elevated 1 leg squats on bench followed immediately by 5 1 leg RDLs on the same leg. x5 each leg. Challenging. 

• Rows & Push Ups: 5x10 with increasing difficulty

• Pull Ups: Worked on the upper 1/3 of the movement since that is my weak point. 3 sets of 4 reps each (AMAP)
• Horizontal Bar Dips: Getting much better depth and extension at the top. 3x5/4

Tuesday Conditioning Day

I didn't have much today but I gave it everything that I had. Funny thing is that Friday is my next regularly schedule conditioning day and I didn't know what I was going to do. I do now. Burpees & lunges attempt #2.

• Run to Park & home: 2.04 miles in 19:50, 9:43 pace
• 78 burpees in 7:35; 5.83 seconds per burpee pace
• <100 meters lunges

Park BW - Pull/Dip, BB/HLR, HS/Pike

Still recovering from Saturday's run but was able to make it to the park and get my work in.

I notice that I really need to work on the top portion of my pull ups. I also have trouble with the push press getting the bar off my chest. I am thinking that I need to start to do partials to address this weakness.

• Run Distance: 2.25 miles
• Run Time: 21:27
• Pace: 9:32

• Pull Ups: 3, 3, 3, 2, 2 - also tried to hang at the end of each set when I don't reach 5 and that didn't go well. Really need to continue to work on these.
• Dips: 4, 5, 4, 4, 4

• Back Bridge: Did sets of 10 escalating the height each time. Last set was on the ground with 1 leg 5x each. I really need to work on that.
• Hanging Leg Raise: Weakness is the hang and grip strength. I am in the 8, 7 range. 

• Handstand: Only did 1 set 
• Pike Push Ups: 7 with feet flat. This killed me and was the end of my workout. I am thinking that in every set I did something targeting upper body/shoulders and I just gave out. By continuing workouts like these, My upper body will be monstrous by the end of summer.

Saturday Hill / Trail Run

Writing this on Monday I am still feeling the effects of this killer endurance run. There is much room for improvement but I gave it all that I had and finally got the complete course stats on RunKeeper.

Total Run Distance: 10.81 miles
Total Run Time: 2:15:47 - I believe that my best last year was 2:20
Run Pace: 12:33 minutes per mile

Total Elevation Change: 2,227 feet.

Park Bodyweight - Handstands, Squats, Push Ups/Rows

I am really feeling like my body is adjusting to the new routine and new exercises. My quads are killing me after burpees and lunges yesterday and this directly effected my 1 leg squats today. Thats okay since I will build up, get stronger and be able to do this no problem....eventually. 

Also, I am feeling it in my upper back. It is an obvious point of unbalance and something that I hope to improve upon by the end of summer.

Run Distance: 2.24 miles
Run Time: 20:31
Pace: 9:09

Handstand: 30 seconds, 15/15 1 leg x4
Pike Push Ups: 10, 6e, 5e, 4e, 8

1 Leg Squat: 6 range and not full ROM - quads killing me - area for improvement

Row: 10, 10e, 7e
Push Ups: 20, 10, 10 - first set of 20 done regularly, 10 & 10 were weighting toward 1 arm

I don't know if I will keep the last exercise to 3 sets as opposed to 5 but if I do the justification is that the third exercise of the day is hypothetically doubling up from the last time and I can go light after going heavy the first time.

Run -> New Burpee Record, Lunges -> Run

Today I ran to the park, achieved a goal of doing 100 burpees in less than 10 minutes and set a new burpee pace record in the process, extended my lunges from 200 meters to 300 meters and ran home. Great pace. Good workout. I was feeling dead last night and this morning but it only took a kick start to get me going and knock out a great work out.

Run Distance: 2.01 miles
Run Time: 18:26
Run Pace: 9:09 ** awesome

100 burpees in 9:18
Burpee pace of 5.58 BPM **new record probably achieved since I did the last 20 with no break.

300 meters lunges

Sunday Run - Dead legs

Just a note on how today was supposed to be my long run but after not resting since last Saturday and doing leg work every day since Monday (Tuesday run & burpees, Weds squats, Thurs run & lunges, Friday deadlifts) I did not have it. I need to watch this since I don't want to burn out or get injured. I am also bumping up the volume by running to and from the park on both my conditioning and strength so much more pounding on the feet.

Total Distance: 2.13 miles
Total Time: 19:23
Pace: 9:07 - Great pace

Monday - 1st Day of Body Weight

Today was the first day of my 100% body weight routine. Some notes include:

1 - I have to schedule my workouts according to the weather. I was aching yesterday and that extended into today but since it is going to rain tomorrow morning, I had to get a strength day in so that I can rest tomorrow and get back to conditioning on Wednesday. 

2 - The entire routine is going to take longer than I will ost probably have time and energy for on an everyday basis. Looks like the exercises will have to go into rotation. 

3 - Back bridges are hard and don't require too much upper body arm strength. Also, my shoulders are going to get huge or flame out since so much of this work is on a pull up bar or pushing/pulling

4 - I may need to look into a stretching routine. Right now I don't have a warm up routine if I don't run to the park.

Super Sets - 5x10 or AMAP

• Rows - getting to 10 and putting more weight on one side vs another but not at full ROM
• Push Ups - gradually shifting weight to one side to get to 1 arm push ups

• Pull Ups - in the 2 - 3 range
• Dips - 3 to 4 range - all done with bar in front

• Hanging Leg Raise - 8 each set but 7, 6 on last 2. Better to do more HLRs than few Toes to Bar (done on 2nd set)
• Back Bridge - getting from flat ground to feet elevated to 1 leg. 1 leg is tough and needs some work. Can start with small elevation next time.

Time: ??
Weight: ??

* I like this. This summer I am going by feel. Lets see how I do and what the results are after Labor Day.

Squats - Last day of 5/3/1

Today was the last day at Steven's gym until fall and it was the last day of the 5/3/1. I learned a lot from the 5/3/1 and will be applying some principals learned when I return to barbell training but it is the end of it as a strict program. 

When I get back to barbell training at Stevens, since I have 3 days a week to lift, I will be concentrating on squats, dead lifts and bench press. I'm going to switch back to 12/10/8/5/3 sets and use body weight exercises for assistance. From the 5/3/1 I will incorporate deload weeks so that I continue to make progress without burning out. 

Warm Up: 5 minutes rowing

Squats: 5@85, 5@100, 3@115, 5@135, 5@150, 6@180 

Assistance:
Pull Ups: 3, 3, 5, 3, 3
Dips: 4, 5, 4, 3, 5

T2B/HLR: 4, 5, 5, 5, 3 *really need to work on grip strength here and I will over this summer

Time: 50 minutes
Weight; 206