Monday, July 8, 2013

Weekly Recap - 7/1 to 7/7

This is an easy week to update. With Peachtree on Thursday, I took it relatively easy with a workout on Monday and the race on Thursday. I'm sure this next week will feel much different with workouts everyday.

Monday
20 minute AMRAP
- 10 Squat Cleans
- 10 Dips
- 10 Knees to Elbows

I completed 4 rounds in 20 minutes. The squat cleans weren't too big of an issue. However, the dips and K2E gave me some problems due to sweaty hands. I think I ended up with chalk mud by the end of the workout. I'm going to have to research ways to improve grip as the sweat is only going to get worse this summer.

Thursday
Peachtree Road Race 

See the previous update for a short update on the race. It was fun and made me realize I miss my running days more than I thought.

This week's schedule:
Monday - Crossfit
Tuesday - Crossfit (am) and Speed Work or 3 miles (pm)
Wednesday - Crossfit
Thursday - 3 miles (am) and Barbell Club (pm)
Friday - Crossfit
Saturday - 5 miles
Sunday - rest

Friday, July 5, 2013

Peachtree Road Race recap

Yesterday was the annual Peachtree Road Race in Atlanta. This was my 3rd time running the event. My training for the actual race had been very limited as I've been focusing on weight training more the last few months. Even with the lack of run training, I still had a plan for the race: Run the race in segments
  • Mile 1 - start the race slow until crowd thins out some
  • Mile 2 & 3 - pick up pace to near what I'd hope to run
  • Mile 4 (Cardiac Hill) - just survive 
  • Mile 5 - get back into a groove and transition to a walk/run
  • Mile 6 - pick up pace
  • Last .2 miles - kick it up and finish strong

Here's the actual data from Garmin:
  • Mile 1 @ 11:13
  • Mile 2 @ 10:34
  • Mile 3 @ 10:45
  • Mile 4 @ 12:32
  • Mile 5 @ 12:04
  • Mile 6 @ 11:27
  • Last .34 @ 10:36
The weather was much different than last year. There had been heavy rains most of the day on Wednesday and forecast for Thursday was more of the same. However, upon arriving to the start area, the rain had stopped and didn't begin again until after all of our group had finished. Temps were in the upper 60's/low 70's with very high humidity. Considering the weather the past 2 years, this was much better running weather for July 4th.

Overall time was 1:12:13, which was a Peachtree PR for me (5:07 over last year's 1:17:20). I have to admit I wasn't sure I'd be able to work a plan like this. I've always gone into races with no set plan. But, this actually felt good. I guess I'll start planning out these things more in the future. 

Monday, July 1, 2013

Weekly Recap

Monday
- Rest day (unscheduled) after weekend at beach and driving

Tuesday
- 15 minutes work up to 1 rep heavy deadlift. I was able to pull 235 with some left in the tank. New PR
- 5 rounds for time: 12 deadlifts and 12 knees to elbow. Result: 15:37

I struggled with the K2E and my grip. 

Wednesday
- 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 Overhead Squat @ 75#, Kettlebell swings @ 53#, Burpees. Result: 23:05

Overhead squats have been a long time problem for me. I struggled on some of the early rounds. Once I realized I wasn't engaging my core enough, I was able to do them with much better form (DUH!)

Thursday
- Rest and Barbell Club

Back squats - 2x5, 2x3, 3x1, working progressively heavier each set. Maxed out at 185. Half deadlift (to the knee) and squat clean work for 10 reps @ 115#. We ended with 1 set of 20 back squats @ 125#.

One of the things I started this year to improve my olympic lifts was Barbell Club. It meets every Thursday for an hour or so. Workout each week varies. Although, we have been doing a lot of snatch and overhead squat work as of late.

Friday
- 3 rounds for time: 10 weighted pull-ups and 30 back extensions. Coach decided to drop the time component due to back extensions needing more attention to form than speed. 

Plan for July
Week 1 will be relatively light due to Peachtree Road Race on the 4th. CF on Monday with a short run either Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Rest on Wednesday and PRR on Thursday (July 4). I may get a CF workout in on Saturday depending on plans.

Rest of the month:
Monday - CrossFit
Tuesday - CrossFit (am); Speed work (PM)
Wednesday - CrossFit
Thursday - 3 miles before Barbell Club
Friday - CrossFit
Saturday - 5 miles