Trailjackers and my 1st Long Run

1/8 run 70 mins on Sycamore Trail @ Umstead with left foot taped in NB MT101's plus an 8 min run out (I got too cold to walk out the trail)

Wow, it was cold this time.  I think temperature was about 37 and we had light snow/hail flurries during the run (thankfully they stopped).  I wore my silk base layer tops and bottoms with short sleeve shirt and shorts plus my headband, sunglasses and the usual footwear.  My friggin Global Trainer lost signal right when we started the run, so my distance was missing about 1.25 miles.  I think I ended up doing about 5.85 miles in 70 mins, which is acceptable for my first long run, especially with the problems we encountered...or rather problem.  We got hijacked on the trail, and by hijacked I mean this lady decided she wanted to have a conversation with us without actually stating her intentions, so I kept trying to give her room to get by (she was ALOT faster than us) and the wife actually stopped, in the hopes she would run on, but she slowed down too, then finally she returned to her normal pace and zipped off (apparently she's run Boston and tons of other stuff).  The only problem is we catch up to her in the middle of the hail/snowstorm and she is sitting on a log taking pictures of the trail with her phone, so I am forced to stop so as to not run into her shot!  Finally, I asked if she minds if I run ahead as it was taking her forever to get the photo.  She then proceeds to pickup again and run with us, but this time she asks if she can hang with us for the rest of the trail, but I guess she changed her mind at some point, as she took off again...  It wouldn't have been a big deal if she had just stated her intention to run with us in the beginning and done so, instead of having us jump out of the way every time we thought she was about to pass, only for her to instead, start in on another story.  It didn't help when she asks to run with us the second time and then takes off again...make up your mind!!!  I have nothing against meeting new people on the trail,  I only ask that we all be considerate of each other and our individual training goals.

So, back to the reason for this post, my first long run!  I knew going in, there was no way I could make it without taping my foot for Plantar Fasciitis.  Here's the link to the video I've been using for my tape job.  I wish I could say I did a better tape job this time, but I ended up with lots of wrinkles again.  I will say I didn't feel the pain on the back of my heel as much, not sure if this is because I'm getting used to the tape or because I made a point to keep the tape lower on my heel.  I was worried it wouldn't hold up, as the job looked like crap, but I made it through the run without too much pain!  I might try to go without taping on my easy runs depending on how my foot feels in between, but at least I think I've found a long term solution to running through my foot problems.

My heart rate average was 161bpm with a peak of 176bpm.  Other than a few times where our run was hijacked, I felt pretty good.  I kept my pace under control thanks to the hrm, but for some reason the strap kept sliding down, even though I had it adjusted from my last run.  I guess it must have stretched some, but it never fell off, it would just work its way to below my lats in the back.  I felt pretty good for this run and didn't have any problems finishing it out.  I couldn't believe how tight my quads were trying to stretch back at the car.  I think the tightness was setting in from my 5 sets of squats on Friday.  I'm a little worried about my knees, as my right one is very stiff and swollen right now, but I have two days to heal up before my next run :-)  I just wanted to give a big thank you to my +1 for all her patience and encouragement to get me to this point.  I won't say I enjoy running yet, but it does carry a certain sense of accomplishment.

Goodbye 5x5 week

1/7 lift squat 4+1x265 bench press 4+1x230 plus overheads with 55lb dumbells and one set pull-ups and two sets of dips

The squat was a struggle, my legs felt good, but my upper and lower back was still sore from Wednesday.  I had trouble keeping my head up when I would come out of the hole and my legs would straighten faster than I could get the back to fire, so I would end up bent forward.  It all stems from my back injury, as I never had this problem before the injury.  The bench would have been no problem but I kept hitting the supports on the rack.  I'm not sure if that means my chest is shrinking or what.  It really throws you off a rep when the bar hits the support before it touches your chest.  I tend to drop my left side, but today I actually hit on both sides on a rep or two, so I had to reset.  If I had lowered the supports first the set would have been no problem, but it's good to keep them there for the times I don't have a spotter, so I don't risk crushing myself.  Backed off on the pull-ups to keep from aggravating the forearm.  Shoulder felt pretty good today.

Double Down part 2

1/5 lift powerclean 5x195 deadlift 5x365 plus inclines with 6x70 and 5x80

Wow, I could barely hobble down the stairs to the basement after the run, so the thought of trying to do 5 sets of 5 reps in anything that involved bending my knees seemed impossible. I was in a lot of pain at first with the cleans (especially my right knee), but I guess the endorphins kicked in and I was able to get through them. I found myself using more of my back to pull my cleans, as my legs had no spring left in them. The deadlifts weren't any better, this was probably the closest I've been to the edge on the deadlift in awhile. I'm still shocked I was able to pull 365 for 5 reps only a few hours after putting in 40 minutes on the trails. My left shoulder felt better today on the inclines but by the time I got to this point in the workout my body was spent and I struggled more than normal to complete the reps. I actually missed my first attempt to clean the dumbells into position, which hasn't happened to me with 80's in a LONG time, certainly not in the last year.

I'm still dealing with some residual congestion from my on going cold, but each day things seem to get a little better. I want to try and make a note of this, just so I know the exact day I finally get over this crap, so I can look back next year when I get it again.

Double Down part 1

1/5 run 40 min "easy" out and back on Sycamore trail @ Umstead

The temp was about 5 degrees cooler than yesterday (42ish), so I wore my silk base layer bottoms as well as the top along with my headband, glasses and regular running gear. I also figured this would be a good time to test out the heart rate monitor with my Timex Global Trainer.

Something which I forgot to mention the other day is I've been playing around with the Timex Global Trainer and my wife's Garmin 310xt. I wore both of them on my pace run yesterday and I wore them both again today. I definitely feel like the Garmin is the superior device but I've also been to a 310xt specific training class with our regional Garmin Rep. It's taken me quite a bit of time to figure out the Timex. I did manage to setup my time intervals before my repeats yesterday, but I wish the watch would vibrate in addition to the audible alarm. I had a pretty big discrepancy between the two on distance yesterday, but today they were pretty close. The Timex Global Trainer is consistently shorter in it's distance calculations compared to the 310xt, I can't speak for which is more accurate, but based on the online data I've seen the Garmin is closer to actual distance. I'm not passing judgment until I get a chance to use the Timex on a measured course. So back to the heart rate strap.

Back in the day I used a Polar strap when I would do cardio, so I was at least used to wearing one, but this was my first time doing so in the great outdoors instead of on a piece of cardio equipment. I was concerned it might come loose between the deep breaths and unpredictable nature of the terrain, but I didn't have any issues. I found the monitor really helped me to figure out when I needed to push and when I needed to throttle back, especially with some of the longer hills. I found that as long as my heart rate was under 170, I could manage pretty well. On some of the hills I would push up into the 170's and this was where I realized recovery could become an issue if I didn't adjust my pace to get my heart rate under control. My average heart rate was 158bpm including warmup, so I would say I hover around 160 once I'm cruising, my max for the run was 175, which I know I hit on more than one occasion. Looking at the zones on the watch, I was in "Zone 4" most of my run with periods in "Zone 5" during the climbs. I don't really know what the implications of this are, so I guess I have some research to do tomorrow. I think I will start using the strap on all my runs to help me train a bit smarter. I think it could be really helpful when I do Uwharrie so I can tell when I'm really getting myself into trouble and when I'm just psyching myself out.

Time to Get Serious

1/4 run pace 50 min on Sal's Branch Trail @ Umstead

This was supposed to be a pace run consisting of a 20 min easy run, followed by 5x1 min repeats at 10k pace with 1 min recovery in between and a final 20 min easy run.  Things were going pretty well until I caught up to another runner on the trail at the start of my repeats.  At first he seemed to be going much slower than I, but he started to speed up the closer I got.  So his pace ended up somewhere between my repeats and my recoveries.  I didn't want to have to keep passing him, so I ended up balling out for several minutes until I passed the trailhead, figuring he was wrapping up his run(and he was).  By this time my oxygen debt was much too high to jog off, so I found myself trying to walk and then do another repeat followed by another bit of walking.  I probably walked no more than 2 minutes total, but it was demoralizing and frustrating to have screwed up my workout that way.  I did manage to get things back together enough to finish out my 20 minutes of running, although there were times I felt like I was barely moving.  This was an important run just for me to get through the 30 minute barrier.  I'm used to running 30 minutes but that is generally where I call it quits.  My legs felt like they weren't going to recover at first but eventually I got through the wall and on to the next one until the run was done.  I walked out the rest of the trail, which was a bad idea, as I started to get super cold on the walk (47 degrees) to the point where I almost started running again, but with my easy run tomorrow, I really want to stick to the program in the hopes of avoiding any possibility of injury.  I could feel it in my foot toward the end of the run, but I feel pretty good right now.  The real test are the first few steps out of bed the next day.

I should add that my cold is much better than it was on my last run, but I still have a ways to go.  I was able to clear my nose during the run without too much trouble.  I did have a coughing fit in the car on the way home, but hopefully I will continue to get better.

5 sets of 5 for the New Year

1/3 lift box squat 5x320 towel bench 4+1x245 plus snatches 75x5 90,100x3 pull-ups with 50lb kettlebell

I made a decision ahead of time to not do 100lb snatches with my left arm due to my shoulder problems.  My elbow was really bothering me on the pull-ups.  I might have to take another break from them if it gets any worse.  I've been taking 6 capsules of cissus a day for the last few days and it seems to reduce the pain and irritation, but I'm not sure if it's actually helping to heal my tendonitis.

New Year, New Run

1/1/11 run 30 mins continuous "easy" run at Umstead

I was fighting my respiratory issues on this one.  I couldn't use my nose to breath due to the congestion and after awhile it started to run constantly.  I think I'll be doing much better once my nose clears up.

Lifting Out the New Year

12/31 lift squat 3x275 bench press 3x235 plus pull-ups with +50lb kettlebell and some hammers with 55 and 85lb dumbells.

I managed to gut out some decent squats, but my bench is still suffering with my left shoulder.  I started taking a Cissus supplement to see if it will help with my tendon issues.

Take your time

12/30 lift power clean 3x195 deadlift 3x365 plus inclines with 70lb and 75lb dumbells

I'm still under the weather but feeling much better than yesterday.  Had some very troublesome shoulder pain on the inclines, hopefully it's not the start of something bad.  I need to clear up this illness and get serious with my running if I plan to have a chance on the 8 miler.

Down with the Sickness

12/28 lift box squat 3x315 towel bench 3x245 plus pullups with 50lb kettlebell and snatches with 70x5, 85x1 and 100x2 (only got 1 with left arm).

I was already sick with what I thought was just a head cold from our eurotrip but later that evening things took a turn for the worse.  Today I feel like I got hit by a truck between the muscle aches, constant throbbing headache and congestion that has completely blocked up my sinuses.  I hope I get better soon because this sucks.  I think I should probably go to the doctor but the thought of trying to get myself presentable enough to leave the house seems like an insurmountable task.  On the brightside, I went to bed around 6pm and minus a brief period where I had to get up until the mucinex kicked in I slept through until 10am.  This means I might finally be back on East coast time!

Pack it up, Pack it in

This is going to be a kind of random post, but I find it helps me consolidate my thoughts.

So we are in the final 36 hours before we board our flight to Germany.  I'm doing my best to prepare us for all travel related scenarios, both good and bad.  Just interpreting the baggage and personal item guidelines for foreign airlines is time consuming and confusing.  Many people have told me to pack with extra room to bring back any gifts or souvenirs, but looking at the fee structure in place since 1/10 for over weight and extra bags... well, it seems kind of retarded.  Based on my understanding of Austrian Airlines policy, if you have ONE bag and it's over 23kg you pay a fee of $150 USD, but if you, instead bring a separate bag weighing up to an additional 23kg it only costs you $50 USD.  So it sounds like I'm better off bring 2 bags or perhaps nesting one inside the other for the flight to Germany. 

Also, the carry-on aka hand luggage policies are very confusing.  They read like you are allowed only one item up to 8kg.  So does this mean if my wife brings a carry-on suitcase, she has to leave her purse???  They also state any hand luggage weighing over 8kg will have to be checked.  I'm beginning to think I should pack a scale and tape measure for the trip!  At least the trains seem to have a relaxed stance on baggage.

Last lift before Europe!

12/15 lift power clean 2x225 deadlift 2x375 plus inclines up to 8x80

I can tell I'm dropping body weight and it's starting to affect my heavy lifts.  I once again did a bit of a split clean, as my left foot isn't popping out like it should.  The deadlifts went well, but I'm starting to feel a bit more like a leaf in the wind under heavy loads.  I've been weighing in around 212 lately, which is down from the 225 I was at around the time I hurt my back.  I'm expecting I'll drop more weight when we travel due to my limited food options, which isn't a bad thing, but I don't want it to mess with my lifts.  Tomorrow I will be running for sure.  We are supposed to get some winter weather tonight, so the run should be fun.

Monday log

12/13 lift box squat 6x320 towel bench 5x245 plus some ugly snatches 3x100 on right side only and pull-ups with 50lb kettlebell.

I figured I should clean this post up post-mortem.  My left shoulder is definitely "off."  I can't really think of another way to put it.  It happens every now and then where it starts to ache and I have some weakness in it.  Sometimes it can last for months, other times it clears up in a few weeks.  I need to be diligent with my rotator cuff exercises.  Our eurotrip should be a good time to focus on rotator cuff work as most hotel gyms have extremely light dumbells and you really don't need more than 10lbs to effectively target the cuff.  This was my first time doing pull-ups again in a few weeks and I don't feel like I lost much, if anything.  My forearm is not ready yet, that's for sure, but it felt good to do them.  I feel like my bench was hurt by leaving them out, either that or the dips were pushing my chest over the edge.

45 minutes of training and almost 22 hours of continuous work

12/11 lift squat 1x300 (no beep) bench press 1x265 (after a near miss at 270) plus some rotator cuff work

I had to cram this little bit of lifting in on Saturday when I had about 45 minutes between changes for work.  We use a Safety Squat to make sure we are going deep enough on every rep and I didn't get low enough to make it beep on my single, hence, no beep.  I seem to have a serious sticking point in my bench, I just need to figure out what is causing it.  I come of the chest strong and get to where my elbow are about 90 degrees.  This is where I burn out.  I seem to be able to hold the weight at this spot forever but I can't get that last little bit of kick to lock out.  I dropped back to 265 and managed a molasses slow single to finish.  Did a my rotator cuff work as my left shoulder has something new and weird going on.

Building my Aerobic Base

12/8 spin SYNCCycling 60 mins

The +1 talked me into playing hooky instead of cycling on Tuesday, so we had to make up for it on Wednesday.  This meant weights and cardio on the same day, not one of my favorite things.  She hadn't forgotten about it and made a point to call me earlier in the day to make sure I signed up...  So off we went for a full 60 minute class.  I think I haven't done a full spin class since before Mexico, which would mean October.  We've done quite a few of the combo classes lately, but none of them having more than 30 minutes of spinning.  I muddled my way through it, lacking rhythm as always.  My knees are feeling very stiff and making lots of funny noises.  I hope things feel ok tomorrow.  If I have time and the energy, I might try and hit the ATT for another run.  I need to make the most of the last days before our trip.

Mixed Results

12/8 lift power clean 2x225 (after missing 1x240 and 235) deadlift 1x385 plus inclines of 70,80,75.

I won't say it was a bad day, but certainly not my best.  I can't seem to get both my feet to move on my cleans lately.  My left stays planted and my right steps back.  Perhaps it's related to my arch troubles with the left foot.  I think I'm still worn down from work, weather and running.  My lifting partner tells me I was shaking like a leaf on the deadlift single.  Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but my back is still in one piece, so I won't complain.  I need to focus on the fact that I only have a few lifting sessions left before we leave for our trip and make the most of them.

Muscular and Mental Failure

12/6 lift box squat 1x345 (failed 350) towel bench 2x255 (failed on 290, then 285)  snatches 5x70, 3x100 plus dips with +45

I think today was a perfect storm of failure due to too many hard lifting sessions in a short period of time and lack of sleep the last few days thanks to some work emergencies and Time Warner Cable failures. 

Let me explain.  I normally work from home and use a Time Warner Roadrunner turbo cable modem for my connection, but over the last 4 non-consecutive work days, my connection will start slowing down around 12-2am with an eventual complete loss of cable and tv signal by 3am.  This failure will last until around 8am or so.  After MANY MANY calls to their support desk and MANY MANY dispatch attempts to repair the problem (it's always working by the time they show up).  The problem has been classified as a group outage and the field techs have informed me the entire street, if not a larger area shows an outage during the exact same periods on these 4 nights.  At least I feel like we are making some progress.  I am told their overnight crew will be on the street watching the signal levels all night tonight and my devices have been put on high alert so a page/email goes out in the event of another outage to my specific equipment.  At this point, I intend to call our only other competing provider (if you could call it that), Frontier Communications and see about getting a DSL line installed as a backup.  I have lost what little faith I had in Time Warner Cable.  In the past I could count on them to consistently screw up my Tivo CableCARD setup and overcharge me on a monthly basis but I could also count on a decent internet connection in the deal, but those days are over.

Dashing through the snow

12/5 run 30ish minutes on Umstead trails in New Balance MT101's with left foot taped

I found a good video on how to tape your foot for plantar fascitiis.  Using some 3M nexcare tape I managed to do a half way decent job of taping it up.  This really paid off on the trail.  I had some pain on the back of my heel where the tape rubs, but otherwise my foot felt pretty good.  My right knee is a little sore and stiff but for such uneven and technical terrain I think I came out relatively unscathed. 

I was out of my comfort zone on this and in the +1's natural habitat.  I felt like I was chasing a snowshoe hare through the woods.  This worked out great, as it allowed me to focus on the terrain and her cute little posterior without having to worry about trail markers or mentally psyching myself out.  Perhaps I will ask her to wear a bunny tail on her running tights next time and I can just do my best impersonation of our retarded lab chasing rabbits in the yard with complete disregard for her personal safety.  Either way, I think we will make a weekend trail run together part of the regular schedule.

less than 24 hours and another lifting session

12/4 squat 4x265 bench press 5x230 plus some my rotator cuff exercises

I puss'd out on the squats for the 5th rep.  I guess after taking deadlifts to the ragged edge only 16 hours ago I didn't want to push my luck.  My training partner has definitely jacked up his back.  Here's wishing him a speedy recovery.  He still worked up to 185 though.  My left shoulder felt "wrong" yesterday on the inclines and I could definitely feel it again today on the bench, so I did some rotator cuff exercises.  Now I need to try and get a run in this weekend, looks like it might be in the snow!

Rough Week with a Strong Finish

12/3 lift power clean 5x205 deadlift 5x365 plus incline dumbell presses with 70, 80 and 75.

After cover at work for an emergency from 8pm Wednesday until 7am Thursday and then having to take my car to the shop, pushing my bedtime back to after 9am.  I felt like crap all day Thursday.  Got some sleep and woke up for work on Friday at 7am sharp, as usual.  Still felt pretty crappy, but had a very productive day, so that helps.  My lifting partner had to go it alone today, as I was too busy with work.  He called me Friday evening and told me he hurt his back on the deadlifts!  Crap, I hope it's not as bad as what I am still going through.  This didn't help my mindset coming into the workout tonight, but my brother hit the iron with me.  This helped motivate me and keep me honest.  I managed to hit some new top numbers.  The last set of cleans turned into split cleans and the final set of deads was about as close to maximum effort as I've been since I hurt my back.