Vomit Threshold Revisited

2012-07-02

Today's plan is for a CrossFit session with my trainer at the gym. I woke up on-time, blended a whey protein shake with non-fat milk, bananas, strawberries and honey, then got dressed in my compression gear as a base, with running shorts and t-shirt on top. I rode (3.44)mi. to the gym in (20)min., and rode (3.78)mi. back home in (23)min. after my workout.

My CrossFit workout went like this:
Warm-up Stretching
Arm Rotations, Leg Swings, Russian Baby-makers (aka Boot-strappers), Circoia(sp?) [Greek? walking side-scissor hip rotations], (Superman) Bounding, High Knees (fwd/reverse), Butt-kickers (fwd/reverse)
And we finished off with Frog Leaps. I still gotta' work on these: My form is a bit off, apparently. I'm not getting enough forward lean and extension so my hips aren't opening up quite enough (I think). I'll have to take pictures or video my workout so I can see what I am, or am not, doing.

Next we moved upstairs to work on Tabata drills, in this case (6) rounds of (20)sec. active, (10)sec. rest.
Tabata Drills:
Jump Pull-ups: Front Grip: 16, 12, 13, 18
Jump Pull-ups: Reverse Grip: 11, 9

Those jumping pull-ups really worked my arms, shoulders and upper chest, and I really felt it during the push-ups. *whew*

Tabata Drills:
Push-ups: 10, 7, 7, 6, 7, 7 (knee push-ups)
Sit-ups: 9, 10, 11, 10, 10, 15
Air Squats: canceled due to nausea

And that's where I rediscovered my vomit threshold: Right -at-, but not over. :-)

-Lancer!!

CrossFit Update

Wednesday, 2012-05-02 Session #8
Having trouble remembering this workout (1) week later, but it was hard enough to keep me gasping for air.
Duration: (1)hr., (11)min. Avg. HR: (145)bpm, Max HR: (172)bpm. Burned: (235) Calories (estimated).

Friday, 2012-05-04 Session #9
We started out running over to the nearby church and practiced running in their parking lot.
CrossFit Running: Bounding, Sprints, Backpedaling, Supine to Knees to Sprints, Push-ups off the vehicle barrier.
Strength Training: Crunches on an exercise ball (65cm), Squat-Jumps w/ Medicine Ball Pushes, Planks (Forearms and Toes).

Tuesday, 2012-05-08 Session #10
Today I brought a notebook to log at least some of my CrossFit, and solo workout.
Breakfast: (1x) Raisin Bran muffin, (1x) cup coffee w/ milk and sugar.

Cycle (3.56)mi. to MCR in (20:55.93)min.
CrossFit: Duration: (56:36)min. Avg. HR: (148)bpm. Max HR: (182)bpm. Burned: (183) Calories.
Stretching legs and arms. Practice using foam roller on calves, hamstrings, quads, and inner thighs. My trainer emphasized that I need to use the roller for at least (2) continuous minutes for it to have a noticeable effect.

Wall Pushes (running in place with hands on the wall) emphasizing open hips and lifting those feet: (12)min. total.
Bench Presses (w/ straight bar on weight bench): 4x sets of diff reps.: 12, 10, 8, 10.
Squats (using squat rack): 3x (12) reps. same weight

Solo Workout:
Cybex Ab Crunch: 10x reps. @ (90)lbs.; 10x reps. @ (110)lbs.; 3x reps. @ (120)lbs. w/ lap-belt.
Cybex Back Extension: 10x reps. @ (100)lbs.; 10x reps. @ (110)lbs. w/ lap-belt.

Air Rows (seated): 20x reps., 10x reps., 10x reps.
Supine Straight-Leg Lifts: 10x reps.
Supine Lower Ab Curls (Legs Vertical): 3x (10) reps.
Plank (Forearms and Toes): 1x (60)sec.
Jump Rope: (44) jumps continuous; HR: (172) bpm.

After all that, I was shaking a little. So I drank more water, consumed (1x) PowerBar Gel (Strawberry-Banana), and then drank more water.

Cycle from MCR to World of Wheels, then to On The Run, then home. Dist: (10.85)mi. in (1:10:46.47)hrs.

Burned: (1071) Calories with the above activities.

Lunch: (1x) glass Gatorade (Orange, from powdered); (1x) small bowl of steamed white rice w/ left over Trader Joe's Sweet'n'Sour Chicken; (1x) sandwich (Turkey, Turkey bacon, Pepperjack cheese, tomatoes on toasted wheat bread).

Once I got showered and cleaned up, I got into my compression tights and top, got my legs elevated, and tried to talk myself into going to the track for a workout with the Shadow Chase Running Group; I did not succeed. I think I already had too much fun for one day, and needed to save some for tomorrow. *oof!*

-Lancer!!

Oof! CrossFit#7

Friday, 2012-04-27

Survived CrossFit session #7 with only a few hours sleep; somewhere between (2-3.5)hrs., I think. I just couldn't stay asleep last night. Not sure why.

Anyway: Ran (0.25)mi. @ (10:04) pace for a total time of (2:30.69)min. Now, if I can only sustain that over longer distances and times. :-)  I did this after some initial stretching and as a warm-up.

My trainers brother helped with tips on Figure (4) Pose Running form, and practice tips.

Managed the following with a (35)lb. Kettle-bell: (8), (8), (9), (7) swings. Woof!

Planks (toes and elbows): (42) sec., (28)sec., (31)sec.
Push-ups: (10)
Sit-ups (straight-legged): (10)
Squats (w/ PVC bar): (10)
Sled-drive (empty): (4) reps., there and back.

Looking forward to a couple days off to recover.

-Lancer!!

Mucho gusto! CrossFit #6

Wednesday, 2012-04-25

Today I completed CrossFit session numero seis (6). It was a really good workout, and I had to stop several times to catch my breath; only a few belches tonight.

Stretched out and warmed up a little.

Jump rope: (55) total, with errors at #7 and #19, then continuous to (55).
Running "laps" (3x) end-to-end-to-end on the racquetball court, Bounding, Knee-ups, Reverse Butt-kickers.

Push-ups: 3x (10)reps.
Sit-ups (straight-leg): 3x (10)reps.
Planks (toes and elbows): 3x (20)+ sec.

Weight-carry: Walk about (50) ft. there, then return, carrying 2x (35)lb. dumb-bells.
Leg Press: 3x (10)reps. @ (180)+lbs. [180 lbs. or weights, plus whatever the press foot-plate weighs.]
Dips: Hold myself in place for (20)+ sec. 3x. [I couldn't actually push myself up, but was able to jump up and hold.]

Thrusters: (5) reps, then 2x (10)reps. w/ (2) (15)lb. dumb-bells. [Thrusters: Squat with dumb-bells on shoulders, then press the 'bells at the top of the squat; repeat.]

Swim
I used the pool for about (20) minutes tonight, which is the first time I have used it since I started at this gym over a year ago. The Speedo swim goggles I bought did not seem to be nearly as water-tight as expected; I may have to return them. I will try using the pool again, tomorrow, with another pair of dark-tinted goggles I bought (4) years ago, and see if those are any better. I mainly just laid on my back and kicked back and forth across the length of the pool. Then I spent some time just treading water with arms and legs in the deep end, and also practiced a survival float face-up with my back arched. I think that last bit might have made me dizzy, or maybe it was the motion in the pool making me nauseous.

-Lancer!!

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!!

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!!