Slacker

If you actually read this blog/training log, I have been a slacker for the past few days. Well, slacking when it comes to using blogger. If you are still curious about the past few workouts, keep reading.

Thursday: -- Rest - and some pullups - and some stretching - and some JM.

Friday: -- VO2 workout snatch protocol. Sets: 20L/20R - Reps 7s. Time: 20min. Comment: this was both easier and more difficult. More difficult on a humid day. the kettlebell actually missed my thumb on the 19th right and the handle slipped around my wrist - OUCH. At that point I decided not to go for 25 sets.

Saturday: -- Swing 32K x 100
Ride: 40Mi. time just over 2hrs. First loop with "b" group. AVSpeed: 20. 2nd loop with "A" group avspeed 25+ we pushed 30+ to catch up with part of the group. As it went along, I was dropped with 4 miles to go. Finished at a sensible 18 - 20. Still can't quite hang with the racers. I will keep trying!

Shut up and walk the walk

In this spirit:

Yesterday:
AM ride 20 fast
Lunchtime fun: pull up: BW 5x5
PM Clean and Press + front squat 2/24K 5x5 (do presses then squat then rest about 1min)

Today:
Lunch time fun: pull up: BW wide, chin, narrow chin 3 x 5 each (total pu= 45) GTG

comments: yesterdays fun has left me DUN. I crossed the line yesterday during the PM workout. Glad I didn't follow it up with a ride!

Monday Snatching

I have been debating about which protocol to follow for the next few months or so. I've been thinking about EDT protocol; which is touted for size and strength gains. This seems like it would be good training however I could risk over training leading to no progress. I will consider beginning this down the road. I actually was going to begin today but at the last second, I decided to continue with snatches twice per week. On the other days, I plan to do 5x5 stuff. Stuff includes pull up, presses, front squat, pistols, 1 leg dead lift, farmers walk, overhead holds and get ups. Not all on the same day! Pretty similar to routines done over the past year.

I've taken some time away from the kettlebells and pull ups and have lost some pull up fitness. Hopefully the time away will help with some strength gains.

Pull up - 5x5 + handstands

Snatch: 24K: 6x6/6, 4x5/5. (15 sec on / 15 sec off) I had to reduce the number as I wasn't quite making it within the 15 seconds. Next time I will do 5s and do more sets.

Farmers walk 2/24K around the block.

Snatchsss

Today I did another version of Monday's AT snatch workout. This one proved to be slightly more intense. I will continue this method. I can do this more as long as my hands will hold up.

Snatch: 15 sec on / 15 sec off
16K 20L/20 = 280 reps

Late entries: from tue-thur

A little complacency...Here are the workouts or lack of workouts for the past 3 days. In a nutshell, the shock to my body from Monday's mayhem is more than I thought.

Tue:
AM Ride: 15
Clean/press: 5x5
PM Ride: 16 - added extra hill work

Wed:
Ride 15
Ride 15

Thurs: Rest (did kettlebell work with a client)

Back to the iron manana. Really...

Return of the Kettlebell Snatch

I have neglected this exercise for months; random use of this mode. The kettlebell snatch is a brutal and elegant exercise that is one of the staples of kettlebell lifting. It is one of the 2 events in Kettlebell Sport. Done often, it will increase strength, improve VO2 max and shed fat. Brutal? Yes! HMMM, anything that is of benefit is not exactly fun.

I began today's workout with fear. I respect the kettlebell! Simple do 30 sec on and 30 sec off switch hands each set. The plan do this until 8 - 10 sets each arm. I used a light weight of 16K today as I want to work up to the big weight. There is alwyas room for training tomorrow!

Once I started, I got into a zone. I have to admit this was fun. I really didn't feel tired until about 10 minutes after I was done. My forearms throb, my legs are fatigued and I feel it deep in my abs. Oh yea, my hands are a little tender!

Today also marks the first day of a new training schedule. I am now training solo as the two comrades I have trained with in the past have moved on to new locations. So, Don, it was fun and I am sure we will train together again! Dan - is there one more session of pain left before you leave? If not, that is fine, fair winds and following seas!

Workout:
Pull up + handstand - 5x5
Snatch - 16K 30 sec on, 30 sec rest x 10 sets (about 10- 12 reps each)(~200 reps)

Training Ride

Headed out this morning on a ride with the Contes Cycling teams. It did help that most of the really fast riders were racing this morning. I stuck with the "slower" group. The group still averaged 19mph over 40 miles. We went on some roads that I had not ridden and I will add them to my rides.

Ride: 40mi. Time: 2h 5m.

Two commutes

Back on the bike today. The wind blew hard. In more ways than one. Rode to work in serious head wind. The trip home was slightly more pleasant. I took the Ft Story route home and did a couple loops on the hills.

Ride: 15
Ride: 20

No strength training today. I did a set of pull ups just for kicks; can't get too rusty.

Recovery Days

I know...know, we've been down this road before. I could ride today but why? After the May 300K, I rode on Wed and was wasted during the ride, all workouts and for the rest of the week. I need to be 100% so no ride today. Tomorrow will begin riding again.

I will do light strength workouts this week and begin a new cycle on Monday. Last night, I did 16K swings for demonstration. I didn't count the reps or sets. I do feel it in the legs this morning!

I just reviewed the blog from May and I said I would let you know how the hand stands worked out. FYI, I began doing a handstand after every pull up set. I can honestly say this works great. During the 6 or 7 weeks since I began doing this, I have experienced no elbow pain. The handstand effectively stretches the "wrist muscles." I will use this term instead of flexor and extensor.

Black Beard Permanent 283K

It is done! There is a great write up about the route and good times we endured on Mike Dayton's Blog, Research Trailer Park.

Enjoy!


I am pleased with my ride time as I am getting faster.
Distance: 283K or 177mi.
Total time: 13.5 hrs. (Includes all rest stops and breakfast at McDonalds.)

Hot Dogs

It is the 4th of July and that means that Nathan's annual hot dog eating contest takes place. ESPN really plays up hype of the nearly 100 year old event. Every sports talk show host discussed the event in detail. The past 5 years or so I have watched the event on TV. I am amazed by the amount of food these people can devour in 12 minutes.

In case you missed it, here's the recap. Takeru Kobayashi is the 6 time champion, the defending champion and until a month ago, he was the world record holder for hot dog eating. Last month, Joey Chestnut broke the world record setting up an epic eating battle at the annual event.

After 6 minutes, Chestnut had Kobayashi by 5 dogs. This is an endurance test and at the 10 minute mark, Koby had closed the gap to only 1 hot dog. This is where it got interesting. They continued dog for dog until the 20 second mark. This is where both competitors looked like they would burst. As the buzzer sounded, they stuffed the last dog parts into their mouths.

At this moment, Koby had a problem. It was actually gross. Food and lemonade came flying from his mouth, he caught it hand and kept stuffing. He would receive a penalty of 3 hot dogs.

Chestnut would win the competition with 66 hot dogs in 2 minutes. Koby would finish with 63 dogs. Both competitors shattered the world record set last month and Chestnut is the new world record holder and the 2007 Nathans Hot Dog eating champion. The most coveted title in professional competitive food eating.

This sets up a great match up for the 2008 contest!

In other news, ESPN 2 will host the rock, paper, scissors contest. There is a $50,000 purse for this event.



Back to hot dogs! There are hundreds of different hot dogs on the market and in the ballparks etc. What is your favorite hot dog? I like Nathans hot dogs and the best are the Dodger Dogs which can be purchased at the Chavez Ravine (Dodger Stadium).

Short training ride on Independence Day

This morning, I headed out on a short journey around one of my VB loops. This route heads away from the VB Ocean Front, around NAS Oceana, on to Cape Henry and some laps on Ft. Story and returning home. This route is 30 miles and has some hills including 2 bridges. The other hills on the route are some of the only natural hills in the area, this is a big swamp after all. I can custom the route to be as long as I like with as many rollers as needed for training.



Ft Story is not known to many of the riders in the area who think Pungo is the only area to ride in HR. It is great because it closely resembles terrain found everywhere in the country except HR. It is also great because a large majority of cyclists in HR are plain rude. A simple wave or head nod is a polite greeting even if you are tired. It's not like there are severe rollers (see Moorsville brevet series) that pop up all the time making your legs feel like Jello. Just be polite! Should I keep going?

Ft Story has 2 historic light houses that warn of Cape Henry's dangerous rocks. It is also roughly the site of the "First Landing" 400 years ago by Capt John Smith which claimed this continent as part of the Brittish Commonwealth. This is the begining of our country. Which brings me to Independence Day.

Why do we have a July 4? Duh, so we can watch fireworks.

Most people forget the real meaning of our holidays. Today is a celebration commemorating our independence from Brittain and the monarchy. On this day, democracy was born. Read the Declaration of Independence. We have been defending Democracy ever since. We've fought many battles and wars to ensure our way of life continues. Brave men stood up to England and paved the way for our freedom. Like wise brave men have stood up to tyrany for more than 230 years.

Today there are many men and women in harms way doing what our ancestors have done. Please think of those that came before us and those that are in harms way today. Pray for their safe return. Pray for continued democracy.

Rest takes Humility

This is an interesting thought. I probably haven't learned my lesson yet but, I am getting wiser. After the 200K on Saturday, I have decided that more rest is better than pushing the CNS even more and not recovering. In the past month or two, I have consistently over trained to the point of injury. This week, rest, a ride tomorrow (50mi) and some more rest in preparation for a 322K ride on Sat or Sun. This ride is the Blackbeard Permanent from Raleigh to Swan Quarter, one of Black Beard's homes. ARRRGH! I will discuss this ride more later.

Last night I worked with a client and did some demonstration exercises. At first, if felt good to stretch and get the blood flowing but I was rudely reminded of the muscle damage left from Saturday. More rest is going to be good.

Today, I will do some light training to keep the blood flowing and some joint mobility. Stretching will also be done this afternoon. I will keep it light by training by myself so I am not tempted to do something I shouldn't.

Kerr Lake Permanent (200K)

On Saturday, I rode the Kerr Lake Permanent 200K. The ride begins outside of Raleigh, NC near Falls Lake and wanders through North Carolina, around Kerr Lake in Virginia and back. I completed the ride without getting lost or missing any turns! This is a first. Well, this is only true if you don't count the drive to the starting point. I began the ride 1 1/2 hours late! (This will prove to be a problem later.)

All week the weather reports looked grim for the ride. Rain and thunder showers. Yuck. I prepared by putting on the fenders and taking the rain coat. I began the ride heading north and reached the first check point without incident. No sign of rain at this point. The temperature was already heading north along with me. I continued the journey and in no time was at Kerr Lake dodging boaters.

There was actually a bass fishing tournament at Kerr Lake. This was very evident by the fishermen on boats wearing NASCAR pit crew chief style fishing shirts laden with sponsors.

After crossing the dam, it dawned on me that I was in Virginia. It became even more evident when I crossed Hwy 58. This is the road that takes us back into Hampton Roads. This is where the depression began to set in a little. The ride to the next control seemed to take hours (maybe it did). Everything was better when I reached the half way point. A huge weight was lifted. There are two information controls on this route. The first requires you to find a statue and record the inscription and the other asks for the post office numbers (not the zip code). The latter is pretty much the half way point.

The good spirits continued as I wandered through the tobacco rows. When I hit the 80 mile mark, all pain seemed to disappear. Maybe I was going down hill with tail winds. Highly unlikely. During the ride up to this point I had been nursing some DOMS from Thrusday's workout combined with ordinary riding pain. When the pain left, I was able to finally have fun on the bike. The pace picked up. Good times.

I reached the last check point, which is also the first check point. I was HOT and it was time to cool off. I couldn't really waste any time because some clouds were forming in the west. I saddled up and headed south with the same vigor I had for the previous 25 miles. The clouds got darker and soon they began spitting on me. So much for a dry day.

The skies opened with 12 miles left. For a while I continued the pace hoping to finish as quickly as possible. When I reached 10 miles or so, i hit a wall or maybe a hill. Needless to say, my pace slowed considerably. Nothing I could do to get going. Now that I think about it, another Hammer Gel would have been a good remedy. Too bad I used them all. Note to self: take 1 or 2 more than I think I need.

About 1 mile to the finish and the sun came back out. Just in time for me to load up the bike and get out of wet clothing.

This is a nice route. No major climbs. Few dogs; the dogs that are loose only attack when you are tired and one of them was a beagle! There are plenty of gas stations and little country stores along the route. I would recommend that you twist someone's arm to tag along for company as 8 - 10 hrs alone can get long.

Ride time: 9.5
Total time: 10.5