Weekend Warrior

I kicked ass this weekend. No other way to say it. Over 20 miles logged. My longest run ever on Saturday, followed by 2,600 stairs on Sunday. It was an amazing training weekend. The weather was perfect, the dirt was soft from the recent rain, and my body carried me through.

Friday evening I had to get in a work out since I over slept that morning. I got home and put on my road shoes and Nike+ SportWatch GPS. I ran the 1.13 miles over to the park, which was also my fastest mile to date (8:43). At the park I proceeded to do:

20 Inverted Pull ups
30 Burpees
30 Tri Dips
50 Squats
20 Push ups
1 Minute plank
Soccer field walking lunges (79)

10 bear crawls, 5 push ups (quickly becomes girl push ups) (full field)
Frog Jumps (full field)
Long Jumps (full field)
High Knees (full field)
Butt Kicks (full field)

Soccer field walking lunges
1 Minute Plank
20 Push ups
50 Squats
20 Tri Dips
30 Burpees
20 Inverted Pull ups

Then I continued on my run. It was a tough run. I need to get new road shoes, and my knees reminded me of this the whole way. So, definitely a bit of walking.

Total Distance: 5.98 miles
Time: 1:30:22

Saturday, I ran at Mt. Airy. I had been looking forward to this run all week. Nothing beats a few hours in the forest where its just your shoes hitting the dirt. I absolutely love trail running. I wish I had known this was a real sport years ago. Its so much more fun than road running and much easier on the body. I went twice as far on Saturday than Friday, but with zero knee pain afterwards. This is the difference between pounding pavement and running trails.

With my Nike+ SportWatch and CamelBak, I headed into the woods. Forgot my iTouch and headphones. Hike back to the car. Okay, let's try this again. Ran my usual trail. Once to the Stone Steps, I went up the first time with nothing. At the top, low and behold, my log and rock were still there. So, I picked up Log for a lap. Then, Rocky Balboa, Log again, and Rocky Balboa. A total of 5 times up and down those sketchy stairs. I had also bought some Gu's and Bloks to practice eating on my long runs. I planned to eat one every hour so I don't wear out before eating. The Gu's always freaked me out. But I've heard great things about them, and I had a free sample so I tried it. Let me tell you, it was so good. Do you remember those Squeeze Pops you used to eat as a kid? That's what they taste like but packed with potassium, sodium, protein, and all the other stuff you need to fuel your body. My other gu thingy wasn't Gu brand. I can't remember what brand it was, but I do remember it tasted like the inside of a Lindor Truffle. So good. I think the reward of eating Gu's may be a new motivator in my training. I wasn't a fan of the Blok chews. They were way too sugary. I did my first lap which was about 6 miles and I had about an hour left of training (plan was to roam for three hours). The Tough Mudder is 12 miles, so I decided to do another lap and let my body feel 12 miles. Never have I ever gone this far. My PR is 8.43 miles earlier this summer. This was a huge jump in mileage, but I had my mind set and I went. It was tough. I experienced chafing for the first time. That sucked. I fell 3 or 4 times. Got attacked by a little dog. Scared the Bejeezus out of a woman. There were several times when I wanted to quit, but I had to tell that part of me to STFU. I would walk from time to time, but I did it. And as I was finishing that last stretch of grass to the car, my pace quickened and I got goose bumps. I pushed myself farther than I've ever been, and it felt amazing afterwards.

Total Distance: 12:06 miles
Total Time: 3:23:32

Today, the plan was to climb Nippert Stadium. But my first stop was Bob Ronker's Running Spot for new road shoes and calf sleeves. I had the guy refit me, and I ended up in a different shoe. My past 2 road shoes have been Brooks Adrenaline. He had me try on those and also the New Balance 860V2. I actually preferred the NB. To me they felt lighter, so I went with those. My calf sleeves are fun. He said I had to get funky ones since I do crazy races. Hot Pink Tie Dyed it is!

Perfect day for climbing 2600 stairs

From there I headed over to Nippert Stadium. By that time, my bladder was full. I crossed my fingers as I tried the doors to the College of Business. Open! Women's bathroom? Open! 2 for 2. Once at the stadium, I got to work. The first lap was pretty easy. I got it done in under 30 minutes. After getting through the horse shoe with little problem, I had decided to add another lap. I really wanted to push myself today since tomorrow is a rest day. My second lap, not so fun. It was rough. More rests at the top of the stairs. On the drive home, my leg would shake when I hit the brake. As I'm typing this, I have my new Zenash Compression calf sleeves on to help with recovery. Last time we did this, I was sore until Thursday. I'm hoping for a faster recovery this time.

Total Distance: 2.4 miles
Total Time: 1:09:22

Don't Let the Cellulite Fool You

That cellulite is just my leg's super hero disguise. Under all that are a pair of powerhouses that make me faster than a speeding bullet. Ok, maybe a slight exaggeration, but they are getting pretty strong. And apparently my cellulite enjoys runs in the woods and burpees cause it ain't going anywhere. Perhaps one sweet day it will decide it has overextended its stay and move on. In the meantime my haunches are getting smaller (Yay!) and my thighs are slowly moving farther apart (Double Yay!).

As far as workouts go, Friday night (Thursday night margaritas nixed a morning work out) I did tire work before friends came over for a grill out. I will say flipping a tire really is a full body work out. You would be surprised how much you engage your abs. Its also good for grip strength. 'X' = flip to other end of yard. Intervals were 1 minute. I put a timer at each end our yard.

X

Overhead Sledge hammer

X

Overhead Sledge Hammer other side

X

Side Sledge Hammer

X

Side Sledge Hammer other side

X

Going side to side, jumping in and out of tire

X

Going forward, jumping in and out of tire

Then I did my burpees for my 100 day challenge and maybe some ab work.

On Saturday I went for a 2 1/2 hour trail run in Mt. Airy. I figured out how to get to the bottom of the Stone Steps!! I went up them 3 times, twice with a rock and once with my old buddy, Log. I also did 20-25 tri-dips on all of the bridges as an extra bonus.  Jon always warns me to not talk to strangers in the woods, but I always end up chatting with folks on the trails. Yesterday, I met a man and his grandson. The man was 81 years old and looked about 10 years younger. He told me he does what he calls the 12 bridge hike at least once a week. He was a truly an inspiration. I hope when I'm his age I look that good.



A plaque in Everybody's Tree House which sends a perfect message

Apparently you have to watch out for Indians

To the Stone Steps (I always park in the Oval): Walk up to Oak Ridge Ave. Trail A will be about half way down on your left. Once in the woods, at the first fork, take Trail B. Stay on the trail. There will be a trail that goes up the hill, do not go there. You will end up at the Oval. When you hit the creek, take a hard left on Trail C. You will see a trail that takes a left at a right angle. Take this. It bypasses heavy debris that you cannot get through. Finally, this will spit you out in a field and at the bottom of the steps. Now start marching. Once at the top of the steps, go left. Take the Quarry Trail. This trail is simply beautiful and this is also where you will spot Blue Indians. Then you're on your own. I just eventually make it out.

Today, we owned Nippert Stadium. There was a total of 5 of us: Bridgid, Tim, Lindsay, Gina, and me. Tim counted 26 sets of stairs with approximately 50 steps on each. Let me tell you, that stadium is bigger than I remember. And it looks a lot bigger when empty. We each attacked them at our own pace. If you dare to go, bring water (no water fountains) and go with an empty bladder (no pottys). Afterwards, with shakey legs we hopped into our cars and ventured down to Ludlow for lunch at Habaneros. Oh, and a frozen Margarita.