Monday, December 14, 2015

Week of 12/7 - 12/13

I didn't run a whole lot last week nor did I swim a bunch. But I did run and I did swim and I started back lifting weights with more zeal than I have lifted in a few months. It is time to begin to train with the next Challenge in mind. Monday, I ran 2.6 miles and did some rotator cuff exercises. Tuesday, I did some lower body weight work and then ran 2.71 miles. I might have to rethink this.

Squatting and running afterwards tears my legs down way way more than one would expect. It is a huge difference from squatting after running, which causes less muscle damage. The reason I went to leg work before running is twofold. One, if I run first, I tend to run farther and then do less work after the run. Two, I theorized that running afterwards would pre-exhaust the muscles and thus lead to greater endurance gains on shorter runs. The jury is still out on that one, but I have made a necessary commitment to strength work, and I am not dropping it just because I don't have the kinks worked out. Maybe I will split the leg work into a before session and an after session.

In addition to the leg work and running, I went to DSU Tuesday night. I slipped into the water early and got in 2,400 straight yards before practice started. I think I wrote about the swim already, so I'll spare you the details and say only that I got in 4,350 yards for my only swim of he week.

Wednesday could best be described as dead legs day due to that lifting/running issue talked about above. Even if it costs me mileage, I need to lift more not less. I only shuffled an awkward 1.5 miles before I walked home feeling like a bust. I did some upper body weight lifting once I got back to Plate City Gym but not much else.

Thursday was special for a couple of reasons. First, I entered the last of my grades meaning I was out for a few weeks. Second, I drive to Webb where I met Hayden Hall to pick up a dog that needed a home. Our dog, Gracie May, has been terribly lonely. Hayden's son and wife moved and needed homes for two outside dogs. We took one. I will write about Bear later. Now I only want to say he is a nice addition to our family. I only ran 1.61 miles because my legs were still trashed.

Friday, I knew I was not up to a really long one, so I did a longish run with some quality. After shuffling through each mile, I tossed in a hard .25. For the run, I shuffled 11.62 miles with eight hard quarters thrown in which should reawaken my anaerobic system as well as maintain my endurance.

Saturday, I did something I think about a lot but rarely do. I created my own cross-fit style workout that hit the whole body but the emphasis was more towards the upper. I did a circuit of bench presses, T-bar rows, swim pulls, kettlebell swings, tire flips, and runs. Each run got a little longer, and I did the circuit three times through. I plan to do many more of these in the future. There is no limit to the number of workouts one can come up with.

For the week, I

ran 23.42 and walked 2.49 miles,
lifted weights two three times, and
swam 4,350 short course yards.

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