Still Grinding

Last Friday night I did a group run with friends and friends of friends from my gym called The Pioneer Run. In a nutshell it is a night time trail run from an undisclosed location for a unknown distance. This is how my coach and team leader for the run described it:

"Pioneer Runs were designed as a way to spend the evening with friends running through unfamiliar terrain making choices along the way (Thinking while running)...Friday night would serve as the 4th Pioneer Run. The initial concept was designed around 7-10 miles from Mt. Wilson to Jones Peak via the Toll Road and a ridge-line then down into Sierra Madre via the Mt. Wilson Trail. As the Teams filled up we had a unique opportunity to push the envelope and increase the distance all while giving our Teams the maximum opportunity to make great route selections for added Teamwork challenges.


The Teammates had no idea really what they were getting themselves into as they arrived at my house Friday evening. After a meeting with both the Team Captains and the Team of drivers we broke our folks into 4 groups...Blue, Green, Red, and Yellow. Once color-coded and matched with their respective Captains away we drove up the 210 Freeway to Highway 2 and up towards Mt. Wilson. Again, 90% of the Teammates still having NO clue as to where they were to be dropped off...that's how I like it.


The Road Closure Sign stopped none of us, and the snow packed road to Wilson only elated both imaginations and anxieties. The night was young, air was crisp, and the temperature was perfect...about 45 degrees. After a quick drop off at Eaton Saddle @ 5090ft we broke into our groups and headed through the Meullar Tunnel to Markham Saddle @ 5270ft. The snow, ice, and drop-offs forced a lot of folks to pay attention quickly..."

It was a great time that pushed me mentally more then anything else. Not because it was hard but my group had a few people that were not as at the level of fitness to be great at this so I took it upon myself to push them. Put it this way when we started I was the go-team guy cheering people on with an "at-a-boy" or a "keep pushing you can do this" and people liked me. As the night turned to morning and downhill turned into uphill my positive reinforcements stopped. Not that I was mean or cruel to these people, I just pushed them with a different timber in my voice, one of authority and anger, and not so much patience. I was physically pushing and pulling people up the hill for extended periods of time all and may have used a couple of bad words, but just a couple. At one point I told young Andy to "SHOW SOME FUCKING FORTITUDE!" and "I WILL NOT BE ON THIS MOUNTAIN ALL FUCKING NIGHT SO GET YOU SHIT TOGETHER AND GO!" But what was great about it was Andy responded. He did not recoil from the anger he pushed. I could see him pushing and it pushed me. Andy and I battled and I hope he would agree when I say we are both stronger because of it. When we finally made it to the final leg Andy was asked if he could run the rest of the way, about a mile or so. I did not let him respond I said "he doesn't have a fucking choice, we are running." And we did I finished right next to him in a RUN up to the drive way.

We finished at 2am and 15.5 miles in total distance with a lot of elevation changes in the middle.

Saturday I was useless. My WOD was sleeping on the couch for time.

Sunday I took a run technique class with my gym that I think will pay big dividends as I work on the technique. It wont come easy but I am committed.

Monday I did the WOD at my gym.

The Punisher
10x 135# squat cleans +
run 200m+
9x 135# squat cleans +
run 200m....
so on to
1x 135# squat clean +
run 200m

It was hard. My legs hurt and my back was the tightest I have ever felt it including the tightness I felt in my triathlons.

Pat: 25:28

It was not a proud moment so I took Tuesday to try and recover.
Tonight I will do

Karen
150 Wall Balls
EDIT time: 8:53

As a follow up to my diet:

I continued to work on my diet and continued reading and decided on a stragity. I will cut my carbs to 8 blocks per day like I said last time but I will add 3 fat blocks for every missing carb block. So if my lunch is a 4 block lunch it will look like this:

4 Protein blocks

2 Carb blocks

10 Fat blcoks

so because that meal is short 2 carb blocks compared to the protein I add 6 fat blocks. So far I like it a lot and have not had any issues as it pertains to performance, sleep or recovery but it is still early.

Building

This past Monday was my 25th birthday, I did not do much to celebrate and that was fine by me. What I did do was use it as an excuse to carry the excesses from Saturday night right through Monday's pizza, beer and sweet potato fries lunch/dinner. Some of the crossfiters I have trained with tell me how they are never satisfied after cheat meals and it is never as good as they expect it to be. That was not the case for me. I had a great dinner on Valentine ’s Day and a great lunch on Saturday.

Prior to that weekend I had consistently stuck to my 17 blocks with two (sometimes three cheat meals) a week. It has been effective in decreasing my times and increasing energy and recovery but I wanted more. So after doing some reading and research (robbwolf.com) I have decided to drop my carbohydrate blocks down to 8 and increase my fats to 42. I was expecting to be dragging on Wednesday but by about 3pm I felt like I was going to tear through my own skin I was so amped. It felt like I had been pounding redbull all day. Today I am experiencing a similar feeling. I am actually a little light headed. I like it.

As far as workouts:

2/16
AMRAP in 20 min of
10 95# squat cleans
15 push-ups

I did 11 rounds.

I was happy with that number and was only slightly out done by one guy in the class. He did 11 and change, I did just 11.

2/17
7 rounds of 1 Squat Cleans
I pr'ed at 215#'s and it felt pretty good.

2/18
I meet up with Phil like it was last summer all over again and we invaded the land of the Jimmy’s. We strolled into a packed Globo Gym and did WOD from last year’s CF Games:

5x 275# Dead-Lift
10 Burpees

I'm not totally sure what my time was the last time I did this but I wanted to get close to 5min (top 50 at the games).

Pat: 5:29
Phil: 4:09

I went first and drew a ton of attention (and scorn) from the people in the crowded gym, especially from the fat-ass who could not comfortably do his seated calf raises, yes that’s what I said he was mad because I was so close to him while he did seated fucking calf raises. After I finished one of the trainers walked over and I could see the satisfaction on the people’s faces “now that asshole is going to get it! They should throw his ass out and revoke his membership for actually doing work in a gym. How am I supposed to concentrate on my lat crunch things with a 45# plate in one hand while some guy drops 275#s repeatedly.” But he is a friend of ours and only wanted to know my time. People were genially pissed that he did kick us out.

I am glad I went first because the effort Phil put in was humbling and I would not want to follow a 4:09.

Rest day today then a trail run on Friday and not sure about Saturday. Till then I will try not to make my shoulder any worse than it is.

God Damit I hate ring dips

Saturday I got up thinking sweet its O-lift day I don't have to kill myself for 20 minuets then lay on the floor for 15 just so I don't feel like I am going to die. But No

I got to the gym and was talked into doing the main site WOD for Saturday.

(to be fare I say talked into but all it took was "Pat are you going to do the WOD from the main site?" "Yes")

Seven rounds for time of:
95 pound Sumo-deadlift high-pull, 10 reps
10 Ring dips

I really fucking suck at ring dips. The high pulls were easy because it took so long to get through the ring dips.

My time: 15:30

Split Jerks and Ring Dips

On Wednesday I did a max effort day:
Split Jerk 7 sets of 1

I hate the sets of 1 so I always do a couple of extra, mostly in the first few sets, to get warmed up for the heavy stuff. I think I constantly sell myself short by not warming up properly.

I pr'ed at 205#s which was nice but I still have a ways to go. the good thing was that it didn't really feel that heavy so with some practice I think I am strong enough to do more weight. Its all about technique with these things.

During the class I was giving the instructor Nathan a hard time about his sore back and that he needed to suck it up. He called me out so, knowing full well that it was a bad idea I did the workout he had done earlier that day. It was the WOD from the main site.

45 double unders
45 squat cleans @ 135#s
45 ring dips
45 double unders

It sucked. I am pitiful at the ring dips but that was one of the reasons I did the WOD. I really want to start to flush out my weaknesses and ring dips is a huge weakness.

My time was 21:38. Of the people who had done it that day I was the slowest and the quality of my dips were suspect but I felt good on the cleans and the double unders.

The 2009 Crossfit Games So Cal Qualifier

OK so I am in. I registered this morning.

After a solid Performance last night with a 30:52 Barbara I was inspired.

I know I wont qualify but I will give it all I got between then and now and may get lucky and be able to represent my gym in the affiliate cup.

A Long Review

I have not posted much so below is the last several days but first some thoughts

I have been zoning strong since the 2nd of Jan with 17 blocks a day and 2 cheat meals a week. I don't even really notice it that much any more. its gotten a lot easier. It has started to show in the gym too. My times are coming down along with the body fat. I feel lighter and that's what is important.

Friday 1/30 I did Randy

75x 75lb Power Cleans

7:59

I did this WOD in November and got 9:??. This one felt harder then I remember but I was happy with the time

Saturday 1/31 I did a hill repeat run. It was the same run from 2 weeks prior but this time I was alone and about a minute slower.

I also did a team workout.

150 wall balls (20lb ball)

200 KB swings (53lb bell)

250 dead lifts (135lb)

300 push-ups

It was with two other people; a girl who I had never met before but really impressed me with her effort especially on the push-ups and wall balls and a guy I had seen before who is average and had to scale the weights but also put in a good effort. They both pushed me.

I felt great on this. I had a coffee immediately before the WOD but I don’t know if that had anything to do with it but everything went well. I did a little more than my 1/3 share on most of the stations but I was cruising especially on the dead lifts the weight felt easy. The push-ups were as good as they have felt in a long time and the wall balls were not to hard either.

.

Sunday 2/1 I rested

Monday 2/2 was Hanging Power Cleans

3-2-2-2-1-1-1-1-1

I finished with a sketch 195lbs. It was more of a hanging squat clean. I did a good 190lb and failed at 205lb.

Tuesday 2/3 was Jackie:

1000m Row +

50 Thrusters @ 45lbs

30 pull-ups

I forgot my exact time for this but I think it was in the 8 min range. I know I did the row in 3:30.08 and got through the thrusters well. I was having a little trouble on the pull-ups; I am getting my butterfly kip down and could not get the regular kip to work

The day after this was filmed I got it. It clicked and now I can string them together much better.

Wednesday 2/4 I did a evil thing called “Reverse Running Fran”

9 Pull-ups +

9 Thrusters +

800m sprint +

15 Pull-ups +

15 Thrusters +

400m sprint

21 Pull-ups

21 Thrusters

200m sprint

13:23

I was able to “butterfly kip” almost all of these and that helped my time a lot and the thrusts felt a lot better than they have recently.

Thursday 2/5 I rested

Friday 2/6 I did Annie:

50-40-30-20-10 of double unders and sit-ups

8:23

I have been pulling out the jump rope a little lately and have not done many sit-ups so this seemed like a good one to do. (on a side note this is the 2nd fastest time on the gym's board but #1 is 5:25 ish)

Saturday 2/7 I did "Tabata Hell"

8 rounds of 20 seconds work 10 seconds rest

Row

Pull-Ups

Sit-ups

KB Swings (53 lbs)

and B to B squats

This sucked. period.

Sunday 2/8 Rest