Hanging Out with Mom, Spartan Revolution Workout 2.0, Beast Prep

The day after I got back from the West, I got to hang out with my mom.  We did a yoga class in an idyllic setting among tall trees at a pavilion at the US National Whitewater Center.  Then, we watched some madness as people raced homemade boats down the whitewater course.  After that, we had lunch at a public house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was still tired and recovering, so I didn't do too much early in the week.  One evening, we played boccee, but that's about it.

Thursday, Oct 13:

On Thursday, I did 2 rounds of 30 minute biking (8.2 mi & 8.25 mi), 25 minutes of strength, and another 30 minutes of biking (8.15 mi).  The strength part helped me rack up some Deez Nutz workout reps.

• 3x25 = 75 pushups
• 95 jumping jacks
• 155 squats
• 45 + 70 = 115 flutter kicks
• 4 min plank (I'm nearing the end of my planking challenge, so I'm not doing as much as I usually do, so that I will still have capacity to throw that "easier" exercise in, amidst other exercises that are harder for me)
• 2x100 mountain climbers
• 50 sit-ups
• 1.4 mi ruck to/from the gym

Saturday, Oct 15:

 All over the world, about 4,000 Spartans and Future Spartans would simultaneously do the same 1-hr workout.  It took place at 10am Eastern, to account for people in other time zones.  It was cool to think that fellow Spartans all over the place were doing this together with the group that had assembled at Crossfit Mecklenburg.

 The Crossfit box was nice, with a spongy surface, and we got to work out indoors.  They made good use of the space.  

• We started with warmups of jogging in place, high knees, and jumping jacks.  I nose breathed during this.
• Next were animal moves, which are surprisingly useful in OCRs... crab walk, broad jump, forward ape.
• The first WOD was a partner burpee challenge.  We alternated 10s on/off, 2x 20s on/off, 3x30s on/off, 60s on/off, then back down the pyramid.  During the "on" time, you did burpees.  During the "off" time, your partner did burpees and you cheered them on.  The challenge was to see how many you could do total, during the WOD, with prizes on the line for top 2 for each gender.  Big motivation!  I was glad that I didn't go all-out on Thursday.  I ended up with 121.
• The second WOD was 15 minutes of 1 rep each, 2 rep each, 3 rep each, 4 rep each, etc, as high as you could go, of a series of 5 exercises... Jumping Jack (1 move = 1), Backwards lunge, Mountain Climber, Squat, Push-up.  The push-ups were by far the toughest, maybe because those muscles were worn out from the burpees.  I got up to 10 full, plus everything on the 11th round other than the 11 push-ups.
• After the workout, we played around on cool obstacle training equipment, like grip slings, ropes, and a wall.  I was able to successfully climb a rope with the foot pinching technique, for the first time.  In the past, I've always used my arms plus friction from pinching the rope between my thighs.  It was incredible and so easy.  I've tried pinching with my feet in the past, but it never worked.  I wonder if it's because of the shape of the shoe that I used this time vs. the one I used in previous attempts.  It made me feel like I'd be invincible on the rope climb in the future.  Granted, muddy ropes may make it much harder.

After that, I headed out to the Whitewater Center and did 14.2 mi in 2:33:52, 10:50 average.  The 50K and 50 miler races were taking place that day, so there were hard-core runners about.  I moseyed around various trails.  The trails looked so different from how they looked in the past.  I don't know if I've lost my mind, or if it's because they do look different after Hurricane Matthew washed out some of the usual dirt and exposed large rocks, roots, and other features that were previously hidden.  I wore New Balance 858's, which were not a good choice.  They didn't have much arch support, and my feet really hurt for the first couple of miles, before they warmed up.  It was ok after that.  After the run, I whitewater rafted in coldish temperatures.  Another fun fitness day.

Monday, Oct 17:

Really needed the workout to keep my mind busy.  It was a rough week, mentally.  Did 60 minutes of biking, covering 8.1 mi and 8.3 mi in the 30 minute reps.  

Wednesday, Oct 19:

Deez Nutz WOD, while watching the third presidential debate.

• Rucked 1.8 mi roundtrip to/from the gym
• 1 mi ruck on 7 degrees of incline in 16:40
• 100 sit-ups
• 3 min plank
• 1 mi ruck on 7 degrees of incline in 15:20
• 55 flutter kicks
• 110 squats
• 1 mi ruck on 7 degrees of incline in 15:30
• assorted dumbells
• 25 pushups
• 45 flutter kicks

 My nerves were still recovering from the trail run, so the slow paced rucking and strength session was more appealing than a run.

Thursday, Oct 20:
60 minute biking session, with 8.1 mi and 8.4 mi.  Plus the 1.8 mi ruck to/from the gym.  I had hoped for 2 hours of biking, but my body was not up for it.  Each of the 30 minute reps even mentally felt like they took a long time.

My left foot felt stress fractury.  I hoped that it would completely heal up in time for the Spartan Carolinas Beast the following weekend.

Sunday, Oct 23:
I didn't even feel comfortable enough to bike until Sunday.  I did manage 2 hrs of biking, with 34.5 mi total, allowing me to reach the Amerithon "run/walk/bike/whatever across America" Powerhouse (Hoover Dam) milestone, after having virtually left San Francisco back on July 4th. 

My left foot felt better on Monday.

Tuesday, Oct 25:

Debated whether or not I wanted to try running, to make sure that my body would be used to that motion after a 9 day break from running, or if I wanted to continue resting to make sure that nothing was wrong with my left foot.  I decided to go for the run, and it worked out.  5.0 mi in 42:39 at 3 degrees of incline, 8:32 ave (7:51 effort).  It's only like the third run in almost 30 days.  I kept it controlled and went by comfort, without pushing anything.