Mediocre Runners

Well today’s WOD was Hanging Power Cleans 5-5-5-5-5, which means you do 5 sets of 5 reps at your max.  Usually you build up to your absolute max.  This was eerily similar to the WOD from July 20 where I started with 85# and did a complete set of 3 at 115#.  Today’s aim was to at least tie that if not beat it.  Now in my experience, 3 weeks isn’t a lot of time between workouts to notice a significant improvement but I was willing to give it a shot.  So today I started at 85# and went up by 10s (85-95-105-115).  The last set I decided to go for it, but in a mediocre fashion.  I got 120 up 3 times, so not enough for a complete set, however this would have been good for July 20.  Soooo, this is a round about way of saying I’m improving.  Granted in a mediocre fashion.

On Thursday I went back to try my failed WOD from Tuesday. I was originally going to do 4 rounds of of 800m run + 20 squats + 20 pushups, but decided to add some knees to almost elbows for some extra flavor.  I don’t remember my times exactly, but I think my best was 3:32 and worst was 3:37. I think I will call this WOD a “Tar-Tar.”

I’ve been taking it easy because of a nagging ankle pain. I went for a short run yesterday, but had to cut it even shorter. I’m taking today and tomorrow off to give it some more quality rest and ice team. But I really just want to get out there and run!

Truer words haven’t been said.  Today’s WOD was a tough one called 500 or “Filthy Fifty,” which involves:

• 50 Box jump (24″m, 20″w)
• 50 Jumping pull-ups
• 50 Kettlebell swings (35#m, 25#w)
• Walking Lunge, 50 steps
• 50 Knees to elbows
• 50 Push press (44#m, 33#w)
• 50 Back extensions
• 50 Wall ball shots (20#m 15#w)
• 50 Burpees (yay burpees!)
• 50 Double unders

I will say I’ve been sick the last few days.  So much so that I missed work on Thursday.  I haven’t worked out since Tuesday because of it.  So the Filthy Fifty was a perfect debut to bounce back, except I still feel like someone with the plague.  I knew it was going to be a long one going in, but I finished in just over 40 min.  I fought off pukey a couple times during the burpees (yay burpees!).  I had to sub high knee raises (note: I did not say scale) for double unders because I am mediocre and not coordinated enough yet.  I’ll get there.  All-in-all it sucked.  I really think I could have finished around the 35 min mark, but I’m sick.  And it was my first day back in 4 days.  And I was groggy from the nyquil.  And I haven’t been sleeping well.  And I haven’t been eating a lot or well.  Excuses are what makes us….mediocre!

Yesterday was a classic example of a mediocre WOD.  I walked over to the track with the intention of using my fly Nike Frees to do a great WOD:

4 rounds of 800m + 20 pushups + 20 squats. It was going to be a variation of 20090725’s WOD.  Alas, when I got to the track it was closed for renovations. So instead I went for a jog to test out the Frees.  After about .5 mile I came across a swing set and though “pullups.”  I jumped up, missed my grip, and fell on my ass. Hard. I did manage to bust out 5 mediocre pullups on the nearby monkey bars.  I did finish up with about a 1.5 mile run.

A few thoughts on the Frees. They still feel great. It took my a while to get a good stride going. Once I did, I could really feel my legs working, but in a good way. It feels different than normal shoes and my legs felt more tired than normal the next day. The best thing was that after a while, the pain from my shin splints faded away. I also woke up today with no pain from my shins. The Frees must be physical therapy or something.

Today’s WOD was pretty good. The local box was a little on the annoying side, but I did enjoy the WOD:

Deadlift: 5-5-5 – 135, 145, 165 (yay PR!)
For time: 50 Burpees – 3:01 (yay burpees!)

The burpees were actually awesome. I felt pretty damn good about that time and Pat says I need to apologize, because that time is actually decent, not mediocre. Sorry.

Last week was a great week as far as Crossfitting goes. I logged four Crossfit workouts.  Wednesday was a tough one:

15-12-9
Thrusters, 65#
Kettlebell Swing, 35#

As RX’s it was 135# and 2 pood (whatever that means).  While I was struggling with my very scaled workout, the pros at my box were thumping away with the heavy weights. But who cares? I got a great workout out of it.

Then on Saturday I did a Crossfit main site WOD called Nicole:

Complete as many rounds in 20 minutes as you can of:
Run 400 meters
Max rep Pull-ups
I completed: 8 rounds with 1-3-2-2-1-2-1-2 pullups respectively (those were dead hangs, but still mediocre).

I was still pretty beat up from my Wednesday workout, but felt good about the running during Nicole, especially since it was my first real use of my new Nike Free 5.0s.  I’m going to do a do an in depth review of these shoes once I get some more time in them, but my first impression was very good. Great even – despite a nagging pain in my right ankle, which could be related to some shin splints I was having last month.  I took today and Sunday off to give the ankle a rest and some quality ice time, but I can’t wait to get out there and really run in these Frees.

did 40 min. on the stairclimber (actually mobile machine, where you are physically climbing up) and it reminds me of Iraq!! I love the machine because you know you’ll always get a really good workout, espec. if you throw some crazy intervals in there. Going to try the fartleking tom. morning (such a funny name…) but had a question for you two guys: I’m running the VA Beach 1/2 marathon on 6 Sept and figuring in a week of rest in-between, do you think I would be ready to do the Tucson Marathon on 13 Dec.? I feel like I have a pretty good base to begin with and if I committed myself to it I could, but afterall, I am a mediocre runner and wanted my fellow comrades’ advice. What say you? Oh and PS – MEDIOCRE RUNNERS team officially signed up for the Baltimore Marathon relay, 10 October!! Woo woo, more info to follow, but def mark it down on your calendars…

it’s funny how on the weeks I have 9 or 10 mile long-runs, I do absolutely fine and really enjoy myself but then when I am offered the opportunity to pull back and do a simple 4 everything falls apart. well, it was muggy and hot today but what really make the run unpleasant was I ate way too close to when I ran. I felt like I had this alien in my stomach, heartburn, sluggish, blah. but i pushed through, it was a good mental endurance exercise. so yeah, pat–I still need to try the whole fartlek deal but think I will save that for Monday morning. I would have hurled today if I started sprinting. Oh! But one more thing!! I totally saw three black dudes riding legit horses around penn. ave, haha, they weren’t cops though–three guys with weird safari-type hats, cowboy chaps and regular T-shirts. it was the oddest, coolest thing I’ve seen in a while. tomorrow is yoga and stairclimber…

Tabata Hell that is.  Ok I did workout at Diesel on Monday and Tuesday.  Those WODs were great:

Deadlift 15 (#225-M, #165-W)
Ropeclimb 5
Deadlift 12
Ropeclimb 4
Deadlift 9
Ropeclimb 3
Deadlift 6
Ropeclimb 2
Deadlift 3
Ropeclimb 1

I deadlifted #170, scaled the rope climb, and finished in 17:45.

Tuesday’s WOD:

Push Press 3-3-3-3-3-3-3 reps. I had a first set of 85 and maxed out at 120 on the last set.  I did try and 8th set at 125 but could only get 1 out.  Ah well…next time right.  I’m not stud.  I know my place.

Ok for today’s WOD was Tabata Hell.  Tabata intervals are 8 rounds of 20 sec all out followed by 10 sec of rest.  The “all out” is what really gets you, esp around set 5-7.  Here’s how Tabata Hell played out (with the number of reps for each set listed after):

• Squats (rest at bottom): 19 20 20 19 19 18 18 18
• Push-ups (rest locked out at top for half of sets): 16 10 9 8 6 8 8 8
• Med Ball Cleans @ 18#: 11 12 11 11 11 11 11 12
• Sit-up: 18 16 16 16 15 14 15 16
• KB Swing @ 45#: 12 8 8 8 8 8 7 7

I couldn’t have been more dead at the end of this.  I will say my very first CF WOD at Diesel, in the beginning of May, was tabata squats where I did 15/17 (low/high), but I did not do active rest nor could I move after the 8th set.  CF must be doing something!  Ok, I think I’ll go lay down now.

This one probably shouldn’t even count. I had to scale this big time due to a bad ankle and my mediocre pushups skills. After round 4 or so, I gave up on strict pushups and put the old knees on the mat.  My burpees were a mess. But I guess I finished and that counts for something.  And I did get to this one in my basement.

10 Rounds for time:
10 Burpees
10 Pushups

16:18

A first for this mediocre runner: a WOD as RX’d.  I went to the track for this one, which was similar to Saturday’s.

4 Rounds for time:
Run 400m
40 Squats

I did it in about 13:45. My fist 400m was 1:37, then 1:50, then 1:52. I forgot to time the last one, but it must have been 2:00. Those squats really kicked my ass. Now it is time to ice my shin splints.