Well, this ought to get some juices flowing … Macca wants to race Lance. Got to admit, it gets my attention and I’d probably watch as much as part of me does not want to.
Who do you think takes the 50 this weekend in SF? Hard to pick as it is so loaded. I find Sage’s recent post that he needs to train down to race up to be interesting. That event and the HR and WS lotteries turn the weekend into quite the ultra party. Solid interview with another favorite, and one of the nicest guys in the sport, D-bo.
Just started the EP interview with Matt F on diets and it is pretty interesting. His take that there are diet cults is an idea that I have articulated in a different way over the years: if we have proven anything as humans in our diet is that we can eat nearly anything to survive, and still eat a lot of varied stuff and be healthy. Also interested in hearing Ben G’s cast on why athletes get fat.
Cool video of a kid getting ready for NXN. Love the simplicity of the focus.
Morton read.
Rick M saw my reference last night to doing a session with my son’s Scout troop on winter camping and pointed me to this.
Interesting article by Steve M on the transition from HS to College. (in terms of competitive running).
Pretty sure it is the earliest sunset everywhere in NA today … and sticks that way for a while.
Took Shad up this AM on a long standing invitation to hit the gym together. As I am trying to get a bit stronger in the legs, I hit him up for a workout. Had to navigate over to Westy through the snow, but no big deal.
While through October I averaged over 70 miles a week for the year, I am ridiculously weak in leg exercises in the gym. I did hamstring curls the other day at my office gym and I could feel the muscle angrily protesting even at the lowest weight.
With this in mind, I approached the workout with a mindset of both caution and wanting to jump into and start to address this problem. I probably overdid it a bit, but hopefully not too much where I can’t get out of bed tomorrow. I am sure I will feel sore though.
Straight Leg Deadlifts: 3 sets of 8-12 reps of bar +25 lb weight. (I could see my hips curving in the descent and Shad corrected me on the curve of my back)
Squats: 3 sets of 12 with the bar trying to remain focused on form (Shad was going heavier on these and with a much deeper squat – and as a front squat)
Leg Press: 3 sets of 10-12 reps (I think when I do these I can almost visibly see how my left quad is markedly smaller than my right)
Laying leg curls: near the lowest weight possible, 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Leg Extensions: 3 sets of 10 reps (I think this is the only one I was anywhere in the same ball park as Shad in terms of weight. Alternated toe position to get different stimulus)
Walking Med Ball Overhead Lunges: 3 times halfway across the gym with the lightest ball possible.
Calf Raises both Standing and sitting: 10 reps, light weight.
I am hoping to do something like this once a week for the next 5 or 6 weeks. The whole set with us B.S.ing and switching up, but moving with purpose took us 40 minutes. Always good to catch up with Shad.
Short and slow jog due to the leg workout, the single digit cold, and the back. Fun to get out in this stuff though. 5.7 miles. First decent snotsicicles of the season.
Got word on some stuff for XC today that I am pretty excited about. More to come on that soon. That project, the backpacking project this summer, and setting up a brewery run this winter are things I am currently stoked about.
I look forward to my return from CIM and getting back in the gym for light weights - and the dang pool. I haven't swam in ages, and I've always believed that kicking a crap load of laps in water is great recovery for tired, achy legs. Now, let's see if I follow through (I think I will, I'm kinda burned out from running right now).
ReplyDeleteI hope your back is doing better. It's so irritating when doctors just can't determine a solution and therefore say just to take some IBUs. If it persists, then go back because they'll listen more closely then and refer you to someone who can hopefully help.
The pic on my blog header is from Sept when I climbed a bunch of 14ers; I was leaving Cameron and heading to Lincoln. Beautiful day; great memories!
Good luck at CIM and have fun. That is a familiar ridge line and I was wondering if that was it.
DeleteGZ showing perfect form in the gym:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHYThrm5iss
Thankfully we were not doing bench today. I'd like to think I could still get one plate up without looking like that. But in the AF, man - there was tons of that stuff going on.
DeleteIn high school I was quite into the gym (track coach was also the football coach) and your benchpress max was (socially) maybe the most important stat you could have (along with vertical leap). I always wanted to hit 200lb (weighing 145), but think I stalled out at 190. I think 14 or 15 reps with my bodyweight was the most I ever achieved, too. Anyways, we'd bench with our feet on the bench to avoid the form seen in that video. No cheating. Oh yeah, and my slowtwitch legs could only ever muster like a 27" vertical.
DeleteI curse those days a bit; even at my most fit/lean I think I still carry too much pec weight up the hill (compared to other runners with their bird-like upper bodies).
After HS, where I was running just under 10 for 2 miles, I joined the Air Force. After actually getting to my regular base we got to work out (AF Basic is hardly a physical challenge). I got wrapped up in the base gym culture of hitting the gym a lot, and hard. Dudes with bars sitting on their chest and their spot refusing to help him out, eating 5 egg whites at breakfast to up protein in take, etc Fun times ... comical to look back it.
DeleteI went from 135 pounds and unable to bench 100 pounds to getting to 225 (two plates) over about a year. I also got up to 168 in body weight. I guess that is muscle hypertrophy? Oh yeah, there was no running 2 miles under 10 at that point, but I could still pop under 11. I am back to 140-150 these days ... I think I could get 135 (one plate) up maybe six times - but I am not super interested in that.
Curse your pecs now, I think you may be happier in later years when you can count on that strength a bit more ... versus the true sticks.
Adam C seems to be a local guy that has struck a fair balance between upper body strength and endurance.
We now have to do a bench test on you. Fun!
DeleteHa! Okay, maybe Tuesday.
DeleteI'm glad you're weight training, GZ. I started weight training last winter (and stopped in April, as the racing season kicked in) and I have to say it's made a huge difference. I've been injury-free all year (knock on wood) and I feel like my strength and overall stability is much better. And all of that came with just 3.5 months of weight training! The one downside is that it can be hard to recover from some workouts--I always do my big day on Sundays, a few hours after my long run (better to go hard on hard days and easy on easy days). I've restarted weights for this year. I'm really emphasizing squats, in addition to isolated extensions, curls, hip stuff, etc. I'm doing 6-8 reps and focusing more on heavier weights. I also love to do planks, push-ups and ab stuff. I can't recommend weights enough, especially in the off-season for master's runners. I'm planning to stick with it until about April or so. I don't plan to do weights during the racing season, save push-ups, planks, core stuff, etc.
ReplyDeleteRegarding Macca versus Armstrong, that would be an epic matchup. I'm gonna say at this point that I think Macca would take him. However, I think Lance would have a lot to prove, and so that might fuel him.
Wyatt
Easier for me to consider this now when it is this cold out now (and soon windy) anyway. Thanks for the words of encouragement. Next up might be some yoga with the wife post the new year.
Delete