Start Getting Miles In

Today's lunch time workout:

start putting time in on the feet

The Training Pattern

Gratuitous Deadlift Picture with Atlas Stones 

Lunch time run:  find/estimate lactate threshold.

• Run 20 minutes pretty hard
• Record average heart rate (~172)
• Record average pace(7:52 min/mile)
• Cool down
• Hydrate
• Recover

Get home.

PTP Deads and Presses:

• Conventional deadlifts 5x275, 5x250
• Shoulder Press 5x125, 5x115

Then, something totally unrelated, 100 arrows at 18yds.  Being a new archer (and hooked) I thought I'd try 100 with the recurve and work on the instinctive shooting aspect.  Getting better.

Running a Sub-10 Hour 50 Miler

Ever have the feeling you have unfinished business out there on the trail?  That nagging sense that you could have done more/better/faster?

Then you'll understand this post.

The goal is the April 4, 2015 American River 50.

It will be my 5th year running it.  It will also be the first year I go sub 10 hours.

It's time to clear the training slate, step up and honestly own where this is going.

SUB-10 AR50

How will this translate to training?

Resurrect PTP (deadlifts and presses 2x5's).

Reboot Viking Warrior Conditioning

Lasso the Yasso 800's and other awesome track workouts.

Run, and run some more.

Stay tuned!

Social Lifting

It's a great problem to have - social lifting.

Every Sunday a few of us get together to move weight, cajole, and badger each other to getting stronger.

Usually around 4, at the most 10, and sometimes only 1.  Anyway you look at it, I'm grateful to have the location, the time, and the equipment to be able to move weight when I want, with the people I want, and how I want.

Cheers to Social Lifting!

Post by Strong Sunday.

Time to Get Smarter About the Lifts

In the next two weeks I'll be wrapping up a program that has had me thinking in different ways.

It has a repeatable pattern, and the drive to push oneself is built into it.  Linear decreases in rest time for sets, challenging rep patterns, hypertrophy building... I'm already noticing a difference in how I'm able to move, and also, how there's little pain in the lower back.

The basics:

• Front Squats on day 1
• Single leg strength day 2
• Deadlifts day 3
• Bodyweight conditioning day 4

It's not conjugate or Westside barbell, and it isn't CrossFit, it's just different and it's highlighting things I never do.  So for instance on the deadlift days, there's a ring dip series built in.  I never do those and I'm noticing a difference.

Ab work.  Since I've been under the illusion that deadlifting will give me all the ab work I need, I find myself fascinated that ab rollers and hand walkouts could be so tough and challenging.

It's these kinds of ah-hah moments that have me thinking about how I go about programming the next 45 days of training.

After watching this from eliteFTS, I'm inclined to think I better get squatting:

My new favorite log to follow:

Harry Selkow Training Log

Run 50 Kilometers - Recover - Get Back to the Deadlift

Last Saturday (5/10) a friend and I ran the Quicksilver 50k.

Great race, first time doing it, and it wasn't too hot.  Not so for this deadlift session 5 days later.  90 degrees in the garage at 6pm...

As for the deadlift, I've left it alone for about 3 months.

Now it's time to focus on clean form, and keeping the back locked, hips down.

Elder Advice

Today was a fun Strong Sunday.  As a dad, getting to move weight and challenge oneself in a way that isn't just a 5k challenge or office weight loss contest is gratifying.

What was surprising was that an elderly man (late 50's to 60's) felt compelled to tell 3 guys moving weight in a driveway that they were essentially going to snap city with how we were lifting.

I wasn't rude, I asked as much as I could about his background, but English was his second language, and all he could get across was "spine.  not good for overhead back".

We continued lifting and he went on his own tour of the garage.  Then he left.

"What just happened?  Did we get visited by an aging Borat?"  asked by one of the guys lifting.

"Nah..." I said, "Just a guy trying to keep his neighborhood safe".

It is interesting though, perspectives on what will hurt you later on down the road.  Tattoos, lifting, and sunscreen all appear to be in the top three for what is most important in retrospect as you near the end of the road for life.

Let's get a couple things straight:  lifting is something that we're not doing enough of.  Most of us work in an office environment where lifting anything over 10lbs if unheard of.

We were designed to MOVE WEIGHT.  It's intrinsic to our biological programming to run, pull, push, hinge and squat.  We were not designed to SIT.

Get out, move and make yourself tired and sore.  It won't hurt you.  Well, at least not for now, and you'll feel better, your brain will work better and you won't be inclined to tell youngsters that they're going to snap city for doing shoulder presses...