February 24th through March 2nd-Back in Black!

As an inspiration from the tunes I've been listening to during my P90x workouts, this week's theme is Back in Black.  Based off of all my commitments this week, most of my workouts are going to be taking place in the dark.  Regardless of possible obstacles, I will find a way to get some quality work in there.  "Yes, I'm back in black."

Sunday, February 24th

a.m. Met with Gazelle at Y for a solid 6 miles through the North End of Westerly.  Fortunately for us, the rain held out and we run under a light mist.  Conditions were actually really nice for running.  We hit some solid hills along the way, that Gazelle loves his hills!  The highlight of run occurred when we ran until an elderly gentleman in the North End who was completely baffled and quite possibly mesmerized by the sight of crazed runners crusin' through the streets!  Since I haven't been running much, I was quite curious on our splits (727, 640, 641, 615, 621, 621).  We were both really happy with the last three miles since it did not feel like me were pushing it out there.  On a negative, tightness came into play it the IT band area around 5 miles.

p.m. 40 minutes of rolling, stretching, and core.

-yoga sequence, abs, modified burpee, bentover rows, abs, bridges, hip exercise.

Monday, February 25th
P90x Chest & Back @ 430am

Tuesday, February 26th
P90x legs @430 am

Wednesday, February 27th
a.m. 3 miles on  the treadmill at 445 am, followed by a light stretch.
p.m. Went to the Uconn vs. Georgetown Basketball Game.  Hoyas pulled out the win in double overtime.  It was the best live basketball game I've ever scene.

Thursday, February 28th
p.m. 3 mile run with Lulu on local roads.  I was somewhat tight, but no major issues.
Played in the MMS Student/Staff Basketball Game.  I reluctantly decided to play in the game with the hopes that I wouldn't further aggravate anything.  Not only was I able to move well around on the court, but I felt good doing it!!

Friday, March 1st
P90X Core Synergistics-60 minutes
There were portions of the activity that I found really difficult and there were other aspects of the workout that felt really doable.   I definitely worked some running muscles in this one.

Saturday, March 2nd- A Run Down Memory Lane
6 miles on Charlestown Beach Roads with Gazelle.  We reminisced about our different experiences in CTOWN from back in the day.  Gazelle told me about his days of running  grueling 2 to 3 milers on the beach roads.  Meanwhile, I  thought about my days as a young lad eating enormous mounds of ice cream from the shop on Charlestown Beach Road.  Fun run and nice change of scenery.  No pain today!

Totals

Miles: 18

Lulu's miles: 3

P90x: Chest & Back, Legs, Core Synergistics

Core/Stretch/Other: 80 minutes

YTD: 276
Lulu: 43

Back in Black Synopsis
Highs: bookend runs with Gazelle, playing in the basketball game,  some pain free running, and getting Lulu back out there.
Lows: mileage, no yoga, not being out of woods with injury

February 17th through February 23rd-Portrait of an Achiever

Trying to keep focus, I have been trying to dedicate a theme to each week of my training.  This week's theme comes from the life of Abraham Lincoln and it is titled Portrait of an Achiever.  I first came across this inspirational example during my junior year of high school during track season.  One day the assistant coach, Tom Rivet, came over to me and said, "Here Tommy, I want you to have this card."  He gave me a little business card with the information about the 16th President of the United States.  As I moved through college and into adulthood, I always kept a copy of this message somewhere.

In sports and life, you constantly face ups and downs.  In the world of endurance sports, there is no such thing as immediate gratification.  You have to work for it.  Some days you have to suffer.  Some days you will fail to meet your goals.  Keep moving, keep pushing, and don't quit.  "A quitter never wins and a winner never quits."

Portrait of an Achiever

1831 He Failed in Business - Bankruptcy.

1832 Defeated for Legislature.

1834 Failed in Business again - Bankruptcy.

1835 Sweetheart and Fiancee died.

1836 Nervous Breakdown.

1838 Defeated in an Election.

1843 Defeated for U.S. Congress.

1846 Defeated again for U.S. Congress.

1848 Defeated once again for U.S. Congress.

1855 Defeated for U.S. Senate.

1856 Defeated for U.S. Vice President.

1858 Defeated again for U.S. Senate.

1860 Elected President of the United States. 

... Abraham Lincoln 

You cannot fail...UNLESS you quit!

Sunday, February 17th

P90x-Legs & Back-60 minutes

Warmed up by trying to work out some trigger points on the foal roller.  I started sweating just sitting there.  After my own warm-up, I jumped into the program.  Tons of body weight squats and lunges in various directions along with pull-ups.  The focus of every one of these workouts seems to be muscle confusion.  You are always changing angles and hitting different areas of the body.  Fortunately, the time went by quickly.  I was really feeling the burn on the pull-ups after yesterday's session.  I would have rather done the plyometric routine today, but figured that would have really trashed my body and would have not helped me get my legs back.   Really wish running was the activity of choice today.

Monday, February 18th-Happy President's Day
a.m. 3 miles controlled on the treadmill.  I could feel the tightness above my knee, but it was no where near the pain I was feeling on Friday.  Foam rolled before and after.

p.m. Strength workout...
-200 push-ups in 18 minutes from various angles.  This was really hard.
-Circuit: ab exercise, shoulder press, bentover row
-Finished with some foam rolling. If this injury is in fact IT band, I have read that foam rolling is quite helpful.

While doing this workout, I jammed out to ACDC.  Would any of my "older" friends out there have gotten down to this back in the day?

  

Tuesday, February 19th
P90x Plyometrics-60 minutes.
All sorts of jumps, squats, and leg exercises.
I was slightly nervous about  doing this workout with the state of my leg.  It actually went really well and I didn't have any problems.  The movements felt pretty good and will hopefully improve my range of motion.

Wednesday, February 20th
a.m. 20 minutes of stretching
p.m. work ruined my chances of a workout.

Thursday, February 21st
a.m. P90x Chest & Back
p.m. 4 mile loop on local roads.  No major soreness! Nice to be out on the roads despite the wind.

Friday, February 22nd
60 minutes of yoga...solid workout that incorporated some really good hip openers.

Saturday, February 23rd
5 mile beach loop from my house with Lulu.  Our pace was just under 7 minutes per mile.  Per Lulu's request, we made sure to cut into Fenway Beach to go run in the sand.  Tightness rolled in after about 25 minutes of running.  It was really windy down by the water.   Just think, warm weather is only about three months away!  15 minute stretch postrun.


Weekly Totals:
Miles: 12
Lulu's miles: 5
Lulu walks: 2
P90x: Legs & Back (60 Minutes), Plyometrics (60 minutes), Chest & Back (50 minutes)
Core/Stretch/Yoga: 135 minutes

YTD Miles: 258
Lulu: 40
 I should probably start tracking my YTD cross training since I do so much of it.

Synopsis:
From a running standpoint, this week was a bummer.  The leg tightness shows signs and symptoms of IT band (although I am by no-means a medical professional).  I have scheduled a consult with Olympic Physical Therapy and Orthotics in Wakefield in a couple weeks to look at my orthotics and possible pinpoint what is going on with me.  My main point of going to Olympic is for the orthotic piece.  If I end up doing PT, I'd prefer somewhere more local that I can fit around my work schedule.

As for core work, I did well this week.  The P90x is fun, challenging, and feeds my drive to push myself.  Yoga class was really good and I was most pleased with some of the hip openers we did.  

February 10th through February 16th-Sufferfest!

My primary goals this week involve continuing to improve my fitness, stay healthy, and have fun.  Oh yeah, a sufferfest or two this week would be sweet!

Sunday, February 10th
Brrr-lingame Snowy Sufferfest
4 mile monster snow run..39:57
Results

Since moving down to Rhode Island five years ago, I haven't seen a storm like this since my days of living in Western Massachusetts.  I was kind of pumped about the possibility of a real New England Winter Storm.  On the other hand, I was not looking forward to losing power and having temperatures plummet inside my house.  After a day of some serious shoveling and a run, I was unsure whether or not the race would go on.  The prospect of running in some really challenging conditions peaked my interest.  Once I heard that the race was a go on Saturday night, I set it in my mind that I had to be there.  Before I even start to give a real race report, I have to offer some serious props to Mike Galoob, his family, and support crew for pulling this one off!

Upon arrival at Brrr-lingame, I quickly crossed up with Jonny, who immediately seemed excited about the possibilities of the day.  After signing up, Jonny encouraged me to borrow his Yaktrax to give me a little extra traction out there.  I took Jonny up on his offer and then headed out for a warmup with him and Rhody Seth.

After shredding some warm-ups, I made final race preparations and caught up with the Gazelle and his entourage.  Gazelle and I chatted it up about the course and our intentions. In the back of my mind, I wanted to make a gentlemen's deal with Jeff about working together out there, but figured it wouldn't be the best idea with today's conditions.  Mike gave us some quick race directions and before you knew it, the siren went off.  I got out at a pretty good pace and then told myself to relax since I didn't know how challenging the race would really be.  As we crossed into the deep snowy trails, the battle began.  Fortunately for me, I had the Gazelle as my wingman.  We hit the first mile in a blazing 10:44.  I knew that splits were "no thang" in conditions like this and I needed to keep my focus on the fun and putting one foot in front of the other.  As we moved through the rolling hills, I took a quick digger and gave some serious consideration to making a snow angel as I laughed.  I opted against the snow angel knowing that Jeff and Ben Folsom were right on my tail and were giving me the opportunity to get up without passing me.  We continued to push on and right before our final hill climb, Jonny came cruising by in his snowshoes.  I knew that Jonny would be running the "Death Course" (along with Sandals and Jackman) and figured the battle of the "Long Run Course" would be between Gazelle and me.  Without knowing it, we shook off Ben and stomped through the remainder of the trails.  As we crossed out back onto the road, the run to finish line was ahead.  Even though we were running uphill for most of the paved section, it felt really good to have some turnover.  As I crossed the line, I was pumped about the fun I just had.  Jeff crossed  the line right after me as we waited for the crazies to finish the Death Course.

While I've run a ton of races through the years, this one stands out as one of the coolest races I have ever done.  Everyone had fun and I really enjoyed the spirit of this event.  It's what running is all about.  The only downside of the day was that I broke one of Jonny's Yaktrax's.  Jonny, I promise I'll get you a new one!

                                                               The finish!

Warmdown

                                                             Team WTAC

*Photos courtesy of Jana Walker

Monday, February 11th
a.m. 5 easy  miles that didn't feel easy on snowy, ice roads.
While the rest of my body felt okay, my outer left knee/calf area was extremely tight.  I had to stop a few times to stretch and hop in place to loosen it up.
p.m. 30 minutes of stretching

Tuesday, February 12th
a.m. 20 minutes of push-ups and core work.
p.m. 60 minutes of yoga

Wednesday, February 13th
a.m. 445- 3 miler on the treadmill

p.m. Workout Wednesday
Warmup
6X400 on Fenway/Wawaloam loop (I brought the space watch out and came up with around a 1/4 mile loop to do some repeats).
Most of my reps were between 77 and 80 seconds.  Final rep was 73 seconds.  After checking GPS data, I realized that most of my repeats were slightly longer than a 1/4 mile.  Solid, but not a killer workout.
Warmdown-that leg tightness came back...need to keep stretching..ughh!!

Thursday, February 14th
a.m. 25 minute stretch.
p.m. 6+ mile recovery run down on beach roads.  I had the chance to run on the beach by Seaside and timed things just right to see the sun set right over the water..cool sight indeed.  I was quite sore and tired on this run.  43 minutes

Friday, February 15th
Met up with Gazelle and Crutch on a charming Friday afternoon for a light 6 miler.  As soon as we got going, I could feel a light tightness in my upper calf/outside of knee area.  Running along, my hope was that the muscles would stretch out as we warmed up and feel better as we progressed through the run. Unfortunately the exact opposite happened and the pain/irritation strengthened as the run went on.  Crossing onto Ocean High Highway, the pain intensified and was really irritating me with every step.  I really didn't want to stop, but as we kept running, I knew it would be the best thing.  Gazelle and Crutch were accommodating to my pain and even waited for me at one point (thanks guys!).  I limped it back to Jeff's house as we finished the run.

While it is always nice to run with the guys, this was a physically frustrating run for me.  Errrr!!!  I thought I followed the right recipe this week...off day, stretching, moderate training.  My hope is that I'm just dealing with tightness.  I'll take a few days of rest and continue to assess the pain and stretch.

Saturday, February 16th
a.m. Salivating as I envisioned running long with the guys on my roads!!!  If I had known you guys were going to be so close, I would have pulled out my breakfast skillet.

p.m. P90X Chest & Back-50 minutes
I needed to feel the "burn" in some format and this workout did the trick..push-up, pull-up..and on and on.  Finished up with some light stretching and rolling.  Feeling the tightness.


Weekly Totals:
Miles: 32
Lulu's miles: 0
Lulu's Cross Training: 2 nice walks
Stretch/Weights/Yoga: 3:15

YTD Miles: 246
Lulu:  35

Synopsis:
Highs: Brr-lingame Sufferfest, solid Wednesday workout, and did lots of stretching.
Lows: Friday run pain was extra frustrating considering all of the stretching I did.  I guess there were signs of trouble throughout the week.

February 3rd to February 9th-Never Give Up

The theme for this week is to Never Give Up.  Based off of how I'm running and feeling, I'm struggling right now.  Poor performances, soreness, tightness...all reasons to consider becoming a "recreational" or "fitness" runner.  The big issue here is that I still have a burning desire to compete and run fast.  In order to achieve success, you have to work through the hard times.  Whether it's running a race or working through a problem in life, giving up is not an option!

Sunday, February 3rd
Super 5k, 17:09 7th
WTAC win!

The Narragansett Super 5k stands out to me as one of the coolest local races around.  As
I went back and forth on whether to race or not earlier in the week, I just couldn't resist missing this one once I heard how many members from Team WTAC would be showing up for the team competition.

After arriving at the race about an hour before show time, I went out for a 3 mile warmup jog with team members on the Canonchet trails.  As we ran through the trails, I laughed and thought to myself, "these must be the only guys who could find trails at a race race."   We arrived back to race headquarters with a small amount of time before the start.  This was a bit nerve racking for me since I like to have a little time to make sure everything is set.

As we lined up at the start, it felt like the Who's Who of Rhode Island Running.  For whatever reason, I didn't get myself pumped up but was still happy to be there.  As the gun went off, I quickly settled in and ran comfortably throughout the first mile.  As I hit the mile mark in 5:29, I became rather frustrated thinking that the effort felt faster.  Right around the mile mark, Mr. Puddin' went cruising by me and looked strong.  As I struggled, my primary goal was to stay as close to him as I could and maintain position on other runners.  After looping around the cone, it felt like all places were set and it was time to march back along the sea wall towards the finish.  Like many others stated, the Towers felt like they would never come.  Approaching the last half mile, I felt like I was starting to close in on Puddin', but it was too late.  Being in no-man's land and knowing I wasn't running well, I witnessed Justin's plight with the sub 17 barrier before I crossed the line myself.  A weird day indeed...I felt slow out there, but also felt efficient.

On a positive note, WTAC tore up the team competition and this reminded me of why I came in the first place. Enjoyed the post race festivities and was especially grateful for the replenishing we received for taking the team competition.

Monday, February 4th
6+ on local roads and down through the beach.  Solid effort, especially post race.

Tuesday, February 5th
60 minutes of yoga.  Felt good!

Wednesday, February 6th
a.m. 100 pushups in 7 minutes flat.
p.m. Workout Wednesday..well sort of..
3 miles with Lulu in about 20 minutes
10X1 minute hard/1 minute easy
Slog home
(7+)
Thursday, February 7th
445 light 4 miler on the treadmill.

Friday, February 8th
13+ mile run with Gazelle and Muddy.  We met at the Brandford School, cruised through Grills Preserve, and then continued on to Woody Hill as the snow started to come to down.  This run was simply awesome.

                                        Woody Hill with Muddy...as Jeff was Gazellin'
                                             Picture hi-jacked from Gazelle's Blog


Saturday, February 9th
5+ miles post Blizzard on Weekapaug roads.  I believe there was still a driving ban when I headed out, but no one said anything about running ban!  As I cruised through neighborhoods, some of the snow shovelers stopped an kind of gave me a funny look.  One guy even said, "You get em Rock, keep at it."  Thanks buddy, I will.  Another fun run..oh yeah, I shoveled for about 4 hours as well.

Blizzard by the beach..there is still space out there for all of you sun worshipers!

Weekly Miles: 44
Lulu's Miles: 3
Core/Strength/Stretch: 80 minutes

YTD Miles: 214
Lulu: 35

Synopsis:
Highs-WTAC win at Super 5k, Friday morning run, post blizzard run by the beach, stretching, less hip pain than I have had all year!
Lows-no solid speed workout, not getting Lulu out there more.