Que bueno! CrossFit #5

Thursday, 2012-04-19

I just completed my fifth CrossFit session this evening. Tonight's session was about (1.5)hrs. long, and also included some strength training with the Cybex machines upstairs.

What did we start with? I did some running back and forth end-to-end on the court to get a little warmed up, stretched a little, then it was off to the races with the jump-rope. I completed three (3) sets of consecutive, uninterrupted jumps: (6) jumps; then (35) jumps; then maxed it at (50) consecutive jumps!! Wow. Four weeks ago I had trouble executing any jumps properly, and my trainer's goal was for me to execute (10) consecutive jumps. Guess I'm getting better after all. :-) [I might have been able to complete more than (50), but was getting too winded and didn't want to screw up.]

Next up was Bounding, then Backward Bounding. I also tried some forward shuffling with a shoulder-wide stance. This was to help emphasize keeping my feet shoulder-width apart while running. My trainer pointed out that I was keeping my feet too close together during my running segments, and by focusing on keeping my feet wider this should help improve my running form and balance.

Then I did some Forward Leap-frogs. not sure how many I completed, but was getting better at executing them correctly. This was followed by one handed Kettle-bell Clean-and-Jerks with a (15)lb. 'bell. Lastly, we took turns throwing a (10)lb. medicine ball at the wall, switching hands with each throw, and trying to pass it back and forth between us with the rebounds off the wall. Since my toe went over the no-cross line (like at the bowling alley) I had to finish with five (5) push-ups. They were slow, but I completed them.

Strength Training: Cybex Machines

Lat-Bar Pull-downs: Maxed @ (9) reps. @ (100)lbs.
Seated (Forward) Chest Press: Maxed @ (??)reps. @ (x)lbs.
Triceps Press-downs: (30) reps. @ (??)lbs.; (I felt them, especially at a quicker pace.)
Seated Dumb-bell Presses (free-weights):  (30)+ total reps. w/ (10)lb. 'bells
Cable-crossovers: (20+)reps. @ (10)+lbs.

That was it for the day, but it took up (1.5) hrs. My heart rate was pretty high throughout the session:

Zone (3): (130-148bpm) for (28:35)min.
Zone (4): (148-167bpm) for (47:55)min.
Zone (5): (167-185bpm) for (11:22)min.
(These times are aggregated by Garmin Training Center.)

One chart I saw posted at the gym suggested my target heart rate for training should be (142)bpm, so I assume keeping it above that rate is better. Bonus: No vomit threshold issues today! (And far less belching, too.) It looks like two (2) training sessions per week will make a difference in this.

For a comparison, look at these two (2) snippets from my Garmin TC logs:

This is the log from my CrossFit #5 session, 2012-04-19.

And this one is from my San Jose 408K run on 2012-03-11.

Looking at the above graphs, you can see that I can sustain a Zone (4) heart-rate for a full hour, as long as I am running. Trying to do the same during my CrossFit sessions is considerably more difficult due to the variety of exercises being performed.

I am looking forward to the next two weeks of training.

-Lancer!!

No Vomito! CrossFit #4

Tuesday, 2012-04-17

OK. Most of Tuesday is too hazy at this point, but these are the highlights I remembered after I got home from the gym. I'll skip the prose effort at this point, and just leave the details.

MCR: CrossFit workout: (1:10)hrs. Jump-rope; Press-ups: (2x) (15)lb. dumb-bells; Walking Lunges: (15)lb. dumb-bell; Kettle-bell swings: (10)lb. K'bell. Bounding; Knee-ups; Walking knee-ups; Planks; Forward Leap-frogs; Walking cross-overs (sideways); Butt-kickers (against wall).

-Lancer!!

Vomit Threshold, or I Survived CrossFit Session #3

Wednesday, 2012-04-11

Tonight was my third CrossFit session with my trainer. Whoof! Again I am reminded how little I have actually pushed myself aerobically in the last year of my own self-directed training. First up was jump-rope. To warm up we did some jumping using just feet and calves to spring up and get those muscles going. I brought I my new jump-rope and used that. I was able to complete (12) consecutive jumps before fumbling on the rope, but kept at it. I tried to reach (25) consecutive, but did not. My trainer recorded a video for later review. I got a lot of jumps in, all the same, and my calves know it. Vomit Threshold: Just...almost... right there. While I was catching my breath my trainer demonstrated how double-unders are executed, i.e. two passes of the jump-rope under your feet during each jump. (I have a ways to go to get there.)

Next up was stretching out the arms and shoulders, followed by "Barrel Hugs," a rotational exercise moving from high to low and rotating at the waist, then some hamstring/leg stretches, moving sideways wall-to-wall (short side of the court). Following this we performed walking lunges lengthwise up and down the racquetball court; and then a repeat of this carrying a (15) lb. dumbbell on one side, then switching it on the return. (I like to call these Elmer Fudds, because my trainer mentioned exaggerated cartoon "sneak" motions during the first workout.) Carrying that dumbbell definitely put my hamstrings on notice that they need to "Cowboy up!" Wowzers. Vomit Threshold: Just...almost... right there.

Shoulder presses were next on the list, using (15)lb. dumbbells. I was calling them Rocky Balboas because the reflection in the court window reminded me of the Rocky statue in Philly. My trainer helped make sure I was executing the exercise with proper form: chest forward, hips back; glutes, abs and core muscles taught and "activated/engaged." Actually trying to keep my glutes and abs engaged and flexed simultaneously was difficult to co-ordinate, so that's one more thing to add to the "keep working on it" list.

After those, and catching my breath, and pulling back from my Vomit Threshold, we worked on Pose Running form, "running" in place while leaning forward against the court wall, maintaining proper form while lifting the legs and getting the hamstrings in on the leg action, rather than the hip flexors. This also involved leaning forward and catching yourself with your feet (much like Good Form running, and Chi Running). I had trouble making this work correctly, and not executing lunges unintentionally. After a few iterations of this we tried barefoot running in the hall, which feels like carpet with minimal rubber padding over concrete. I didn't break my feet, or run into the wall full-tilt, so that was a good thing. I got a better feel for the way this style of running form works, and will have to practice that more once my plantar fasciitis is healed.

Also, I still need to put in more time at the gym using the weights, the stationary bike, and getting into the pool, finally, for some lap swims. I want to start doing the CrossFit training twice a week, going forward. We'll see how that goes.


Dinner: My post-workout dinner was leftover sliced beef from Easter, nuked and loaded on warm flat-bread with Pepper jack cheese, diced chiles, and black pepper. Mmm. Tasty!

-Lancer!!

More Hiking Equipment

I purchased a Kelty Redwing (50) day-pack at REI last week. There is a good video review and overview, (10:24)min,, of the pack here. Another shorter video review, about (5:28)min., is here. The pack is hydration bladder compatible (most of them seem to be nowadays), has nice padding on the back and the hip-belt, and includes an aluminum spine/frame-stay and semi-rigid polymer framesheet (which appears to be removable). I had been pretty set on buying the Osprey Stratos (24), but the lumbar pad at the base of the stay on the Kelty pushed me in that direction.

Kelty Redwing (50)L Pack, Cypress; Image (c)REI, (c) Kelty

The Osprey has an included (removable, replaceable) rain-cover, and dedicated bungees for attaching your hiking poles while still wearing the pack (i.e. you don't have to stop and remove the pack to stow your 'poles, or have someone else stow them for you); this feature is referred to as "Stow-on-the-Go" on the website. This last feature had a lot of appeal for me because I plan on hiking Half Dome solo this year, and I also intend to do several other solo hikes before, and after, Half Dome. The lack of lumbar padding was a ding against the Osprey because, while the pack has a floating mesh support web, the aluminum frame stays seemed to dig into my lower back just a little; over time I expect it would just become worse. Also, the hip-belt was not as well-padded and the shoulder straps were a bit narrow.

Osprey Stratos (24) Pack, Tarn; Image (c) REI, (c) Osprey Packs.

I also tried the REI Lookout (40) day-pack (which is what I believe Dave used on the hike last year), but I disliked that it had only two (2) compression straps (one on each side), rather than four (4) (two on each side). As one reviewer pointed out, this means you can't cinch down the base of the pack as much as at the top, so keeping the pack close to the back (front to back) is not possible. This may be a trivial point, but I will go with the option, rather than without. The REI pack also had an integrated rain-cover; I still wish the Kelty included one. And the REI pack also included an internal frame, which I did not realize it had when I was checking out Dave's pack.

REI Lookout (40) Pack, Grecian Blue & CastleRock Gray; Image (c)REI.

Dave's REI day pack. Yosemite Half Dome Hike, Sept. 2011. (c) Lancer!!

When I was at the REI San Carlos store a couple weeks back, the same day as the San Jose 408K, I tried on the Gregory Z30 pack. It seemed to fit well, and has all the features I was looking for, except the Stow-on-the-Go bungee cords (Osprey is the only one that appears to have them). The salesperson who helped me get fitted for the pack mentioned that some customers had complained that the frame stays had a tendency to dig into their lower back, despite the lumbar padding, so rather than purchase this one on the spot, I chose to wait and try some others at the Stockton store when I had more time to spend on it. Disappointingly, the online inventory checker shows these packs are unavailable in any of the stores, but it is still available online. I really like the deep blue color, Midnight Blue.

Gregory Z30 Pack, Midnight Blue; Image (c) REI, (c) GregoryPacks.

Now, since my pack did not include a rain-cover I purchased one separately: the REI Duck's Back (60). This rain-cover appears to be more than suitable for my needs. On closer inspection of the rain-cover itself, I see there is an attached stuff-sack that can be used for storing the cover, which means the included carry case can be used to carry other items on a belt, or other webbing attachment point on your pack. Nice! The built-in pouch also appears to have a hole in one corner. That is either a defect (possible), or a pass-through port for your hydration bladder hose (more likely?). If and when I need to use this cover, I believe I will treat that opening as a hose pass-through.

REI Duck's back (60)L Rain Cover, Liquid Orange; Image (c) REI.

Mine does not appear to be quite as bright as in the photo, but it is still orange.

That's it for now.

-Lancer!!

Update: Proof read and made corrections. Added another video review link.

Sputter. Cough. Wheeze.

Tuesday, 2012-04-10

Foot Pain: OK. So I finally got to attend the Heel Pain class held at my local Kaiser facility. Based on the descriptions provided by the podiatrist the needle-sharp stabbing pain in my right heel (bottom) is indeed plantar fasciitis. Phooey. And the pain under the ball of my left foot, specifically at the base of my second toe, is in fact metatarsalgia. I was able to self-diagnose these two issues with the help of two publications:
1.) "Fixing Your Feet: Injury Prevention and Treatments for Athletes," John Vonhof (5th ed., 2011, Wilderness Press), www.fixingyourfeet.com;
2.) "Foot Owner's Manual: A Guide to Good Foot Care," Krames Patient Education (c. 2000, printed 2008).

And because I try to be cautious, I followed up that initial reading with an appointment with my primary care physician, who ordered X-rays for both feet, and then set me up with my Heel Pain class appointment. After the class today I was able to view the X-rays of my feet and the podiatrist pointed out that the second and third toes on my left foot (and most certainly on my right foot, too, I'm just not looking at my naked feet at the moment) are actually longer than my big toe. It could also be said that my big toes are both short. Since the bones in those toes are longer than my big toe extra pressure is being exerted on the metatarsal heads of those toes. In my case it only appears to be an issue on my left foot. The podiatrist recommended I use a metatarsal pad in my shoe. Since I had the forethought to bring in my running shoes (complete with Spenco insert) he was able to point out how my arch support already has a built-in metatarsal pad, it's just smaller than the ones he recommends I install in my shoe. I was able to pick up a pair from the Orthopedics desk, size Small. We'll see how these work out for me.

In the meantime, I expect I will need to give running a break till at least the end of the month in order to give my plantar fasciitis a chance to heal. This also means no StairMaster, tread climber, or elliptical, but I can still use my bicycle, the stationary bike at the gym, the weight machines, and the pool. The podiatrist did not recommend jumping rope as part of my CrossFit training due to the pressure it will place on the metatarsal heads on my left foot. However, so far I have not experienced any pain during that activity, so we'll see how long that lasts. The benefits of jumping rope include: improved balance and agility, plus building up your calves, feet and ankles.

CrossFit: I had my second training session on Friday, April 6th. Again, I was very winded and had to rest a couple of times. I was much better at the rope jump activity this time around so I was pretty pleased with that. In fact, I went to Sports Authority after my session and bought my own jump rope, so I can practice on my own. I also bought a pair of swim goggles, since I can't find my old clear pair. I have a pair that are dark tinted for outdoor use, but the pool area is pretty dimly lit, so I felt a clear pair would be more useful. Among the exercises my trainer had me do: jump rope; Kettlebell Snatch; Walking Lunges, carrying a (10)lb. kettlebell (which looks kinda' like Elmer Fudd sneaking through the woods); sit-ups on a sit-up board (20); wall push-ups (25).

Note to self: Get digital copies of my foot X-rays to share with the class blog. :-)


-Lancer!!

Back in Action!; CrossFit Session #1

OK. I took way more time for post half-marathon recovery than I really needed. C'est la vie. Now I am back in action! :-)  Yesterday, I huffed and puffed my way through a casual (5K) run-walk in the park as a refresher run. I did not expect my "running fitness" to be so perishable. I tried to maintain a fairly even pace during the running, but I didn't try too hard. I managed an average pace of (15:17).

CrossFit: I recently saw a flyer at the gym for CrossFit training and made a call to ask about it. I read an article in the February 2012 issue of Runner's World about CrossFit Endurance (CFE): "a high-intensity, low-volume training plan that blends CrossFit conditioning (i.e., heavy, explosive strength training) with sprints, time trials, and tempo workouts." (From the article) This sounded really cool. [Thinking back, I believe I actually read an article in Competitor magazine about something similar; I'll have to check and see.] During my phone call to the gym I left my name and phone number and received a call later in the day from the trainer, RJ. We arranged to meet at my gym, MCR, and give CrossFit a try. Wow. I did not expect it to be so thoroughly exhausting.

RJ had me run three (3) laps around one of the empty racquetball courts as a starting warm-up, picking up the pace on each lap, then we did some stretching for torso (using a straight PVC pipe), arms and wrists, legs and ankles. During some of the leg stretches RJ pointed out how I needed to keep my knees above my toes, not in front of my toes, and my weight on my heels. This made a noticeable difference in the hamstring stretches.

Next we tried some push-ups on the floor. I mentioned how I used to get sharp stabbing pains in the sides of my biceps when I tried doing push-ups on my own back in high school, so he had me execute the push-ups slowly, all the way to the floor, then lift up my hands for a couple of beats, and push back up. I think I managed between five (5) and ten (10). During the last couple I noted a a bit of tension in the muscles below and to the right of my right pectoral/rib muscles, which is where I injured myself in January during a free Aikido class (I was sloppy and fell incorrectly, and landed on my arm; I was sore for a couple of weeks after that).

Squats with body-weight only was next on the list. It's a good thing I do these as a warm-up before most all of my training runs, because I was at least prepared for these. The difference in doing these squats was, again, keeping my knees over and above my toes, not in front of them, and keeping my weight on my heels during the squat.

After that was the jump rope. I never mastered this skill when I was younger, but I do recall trying it on more than one occasion. Needless to say, I am still poorly coordinated when it comes to jumping rope, but I did manage to get in at least ten (10) total jumps, just not consecutively, and certainly not smoothly. It's a good thing that improved coordination, agility and balance are benefits of this exercise, because I can really use those.

Following the jump rope, I tried out the Kettlebell swings with a (15) lb. 'bell. Later after the class, and now today, I can still feel the comfortable ache of using that Kettlebell in most all of my muscles. :-)  RJ demonstrated how to start off with getting your hips into the action with the Kettle Bell, then moving up from the squat position up into the full upward swing, and back down again. I think it was during this phase that I first started to get seriously winded, and more than a bit dizzy, from the effort.

We moved on to wall-to-wall sprints for a couple iterations, then we put it all together: Wall-to-Wall Sprints, Push-ups (15x), Squats (15x), Kettlebell Swings (15x), then repeat for (12x), then (9x). This is where it got much harder. I chose to do standing push-ups off the wall rather than on the floor, which was a good decision, since I was able to maintain those throughout the workout. I was able to execute the squats without much difficulty, but the Kettlebell Swings got to be a serious impediment. After each iteration with the Kettlebell, I had to stop and get back my breath. I'm glad I wore my Garmin and the heart-rate monitor strap so I could keep an eye on my heart-rate. I should have set the watch to log the workout time and HR, but I didn't. MY HR got up between 165-178, or so, which was probably more than it should have been, but it didn't kill me, even if I did feel like I needed desperately to hurl, hurl, hurl. *Whew* That was a mighty vigorous workout!

During my own gym training and running I workout solo, and I keep the tempo fairly slow. Last night's training had much higher tempo once we combined the different exercises and that is something that I obviously need to keep improving and the gains I have made so far. I am really looking forward to next weeks session.

The New Plan: I'm a little fuzzy on the new training plan at the moment, but I think I want to do CrossFit training at least once a week, add bicycling back into my workouts during the week, set-up a new half-marathon running plan with SmartCoach targeted at a half-marathon on May 20th, 2012, (which is actually the Bay to Breakers, but I think this will give me some room to try improving my pace times up to race day), add a weight-training day in the gym (with stair-master work for Half-Dome), and that should probably be about it. We'll see how that goes over the course of a week and modify as needed.

-Lancer!!

Addendum: I'd like to thank the Academy...

2012-03-19

Here is some addendum to the Half Marathon race day, including the pre-race Expo and Dinner.

Big thanks to Pahla B. and her blog, Adventures of an Average Athlete, including some of the blogs I started reading after hers, like Sweat Once A Day by Sweaty Emily. They taught me more than a few things -not- to do before, during and after a race, especially the importance of training, consistent training, and injuries. (Oh, and also talking me off the proverbial ledge of trying to run a full marathon the same year I just started running for the first time in (25) years. Good call!)

Also thanks to Teri S. K. Both she and Pahla were using Voomaxer way back when, which also inspired me to get out and exercise, and keep records, to begin with.

Garmin for their products. My ForeRunner 305 GPS watch is essential for my training runs, and more.

2XU for making great compression gear. I really think wearing the tights and shirt during the half-marathon run helped minimize my recovery time and more.

Dick Beardsley for some inspirational words during the pre-race dinner.

Dick Beardsley just can't hold still.

ShadowChase Running Club for being there to sponsor and support local running events.

Fuzio Universal Bistro for their pre-race dinner (I had two [2] plates, but it was so good):

Chicken Marsala - pan-sautéed chicken breast, Marsala wine, and seasoned portobello mushrooms 

Rigatoni Alfuzio - home-made garlic cream sauce, pomodoro and hickory smoked bacon with Parmesan and rigatoni pasta, also served vegetarian (totally awesome!!)

Caesar Salad - chopped romaine, Caesar dressing, grated Parmesan, and seasoned croutons 

Mixed Green Salad - Mixed greens with tomato mix, seasoned croutons and roasted garlic vinaigrette 

Roasted Vegetables - Yellow squash, zucchini, carrots, red bell pepper, and roasted fennel marinated in herbed oil and oven roasted

Bread & Desert & Drink

I spent some time before the dinner browsing through the booths at the expo, but spent the most time looking at the selection that Go For It Sports brought with them from Atascadero, CA:

Go For It Sports had the largest display and selection.

Not really my color, but maybe I should get one in black, anyway.

Goody bag and bib pick-up. (ShadowChase)

See you next year, Modesto Marathon!!

-Lancer!!