May 10, 2013
Day Two of serious training, and I am so sore from yesterday's workout that I am walking like I had a really good time last night, which is sadly not the case. I am elated when I get to the gym and realize it is Friday night. Not only do I have space to park, I will actually be able to workout without being stared at by 200 creatine-feuled men with gelled hair and tribal band tattoos. I dropped my daughter off in the kids room to climb the rock wall and set off to a) find a weight to put in my "ruck" and b) find a trainer to explain how to complete a push press.
The Workout:
Ruck 1-2 miles with 20-30#
Bench Press - 1 min
Squats - 1 min
Step-Ups - 2 min
Jog - 3 min
Military Press - 1 min
Lunges - 1 min/leg
Push-Ups - 1 min
Jog - 3 min
Push Press - 1 min
Burpees - 1 min
Run - 3 min
I took my son's Camelback bag, because it has a built-in water bladder, and put a 10# weight in it. No water, nothing else. Started the treadmill at 5.2 and immediately wondered why I did not think to try this out before signing up to do it for a day, with water and more weight. It sucked. It took me 13:04 to complete a mile, which included several walk breaks.
I completed the remainder of the workout without any real trouble. The only particularly miserable parts were the step-ups and the burpees, both of which are awful. The lunges and squats were no fun either because those muscles already hated me from yesterday.
Oh, yes, not to be forgotten...right before I went to the gym (when I was coaching my daughter's soccer practice) I received an email informing me that the start point on Saturday will be the Rocky steps in Philly. Rucking Awesome.
May 11, 2012
This was supposed to be a rest day, but my muscles are too tight and decided to go to the gym in hopes of warming and loosening them. I did 30 minutes (2.45 miles) on the elliptical and called it a day.
May 12, 2012
The workout plan was supposed to be 4-400s followed by 8-200s, which is a very difficult workout. It's hard on the lungs, legs, and arms if done properly. I decided that given how sore my legs are, that I am going to have to scale back my training or I will be useless on Saturday - I will have to pick back up after the event. So, today I just did a 4-mile recovery run/walk. It was a beautiful day running through the woods, but my current inability to force my body to perform as I wish is infinitely frustrating.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Friday, May 10, 2013
Oh Ruck
May 9, 2012
Yesterday I signed up for GoRuck Light in Philadelphia...on May 18th. For anyone mathematically challenged, that is 10 days from now. To further humiliate myself I will be undertaking this endeavor with a friend, who is active-duty light-infantry in the Army and has already completed the more difficult version of this event (oh, and 4 tours of duty).
After completing my ill-conceived and impulsive registration, I went to the gym last night and took the Army PT test. 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minute break, 2 minutes of sit-ups, 2 minute break, 2 mile run. Then your results are converted to a formulaic score based on gender and age. 26 push-ups, 48 sit-ups, and I didn't even finish the run. I failed.
Failure is not an experience with which I am entirely unfamiliar, but that does not make it any less frustrating. I have no shortage of readily available excuses...I had a baby five months ago, my ankle is fractured and with a ligament injury, I haven't had time to properly train between work and the kids. But I was raised by an Army officer and know better; excuses are neither to be offered nor accepted.
So, tonight, I set out for the track after finishing up at my second job, cooking dinner, and getting the kids fed, bathed, and in bed. It was 9:45pm before I even left the house.
The Workout Plan:
4 sets of:
400m run
50 squats
40 walking lunges
with 3 minutes to rest between sets, then
3 sets of:
100m run
50 m bear crawl
20 x 4-count flutter kicks
1 minute Front Leaning Rest (FLR's)
with 3 minutes to rest between sets.
All of the local high schools in our DC suburb were busy with spring sports...lacrosse, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis...and so I found myself on an unlit elementary school track at 10 o'clock. I measured out the distance (an elementary school track requires 5 laps for a mile instead of 4, so I had to use the Nike Run app to determine the quarter-mile mark), and then placed a forgotten soccer ball at mark. I started my music, Eminem station on IHeartRadio, started the clock, and then started my first set.
I knew during my first rest break that the second half of the workout was not possible, and seriously wondered if I was even going to make it through all four sets of this workout. The running sucked, I hate sprints. The first 25 squats didn't hurt and felt like a break from running, but by 35 I was straining. The walking lunges were the worst part, I had to keep catching my balance because my gluts and quads were so tight.
Like most life challenges, the mental was significantly more difficult than the physical. I finished. When I got home I could barely make it up the stairs and my shower was little more than leaning against the cool tiled wall while the steaming water loosened my muscles.
Set 1: 5:50.5
Set 2: 6:33.5
Set 3: 6:53.7
Set 4: 6:43.7
In total, 1-mile, 200 squats, and 160 walking lunges in 26:01.4.
It is 11:35pm now, and I suspect I will have no trouble sleeping tonight.
Final thought: Oh, Ruck! What did I get myself in to?
Yesterday I signed up for GoRuck Light in Philadelphia...on May 18th. For anyone mathematically challenged, that is 10 days from now. To further humiliate myself I will be undertaking this endeavor with a friend, who is active-duty light-infantry in the Army and has already completed the more difficult version of this event (oh, and 4 tours of duty).
After completing my ill-conceived and impulsive registration, I went to the gym last night and took the Army PT test. 2 minutes of push-ups, 2 minute break, 2 minutes of sit-ups, 2 minute break, 2 mile run. Then your results are converted to a formulaic score based on gender and age. 26 push-ups, 48 sit-ups, and I didn't even finish the run. I failed.
Failure is not an experience with which I am entirely unfamiliar, but that does not make it any less frustrating. I have no shortage of readily available excuses...I had a baby five months ago, my ankle is fractured and with a ligament injury, I haven't had time to properly train between work and the kids. But I was raised by an Army officer and know better; excuses are neither to be offered nor accepted.
So, tonight, I set out for the track after finishing up at my second job, cooking dinner, and getting the kids fed, bathed, and in bed. It was 9:45pm before I even left the house.
The Workout Plan:
4 sets of:
400m run
50 squats
40 walking lunges
with 3 minutes to rest between sets, then
3 sets of:
100m run
50 m bear crawl
20 x 4-count flutter kicks
1 minute Front Leaning Rest (FLR's)
with 3 minutes to rest between sets.
All of the local high schools in our DC suburb were busy with spring sports...lacrosse, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis...and so I found myself on an unlit elementary school track at 10 o'clock. I measured out the distance (an elementary school track requires 5 laps for a mile instead of 4, so I had to use the Nike Run app to determine the quarter-mile mark), and then placed a forgotten soccer ball at mark. I started my music, Eminem station on IHeartRadio, started the clock, and then started my first set.
I knew during my first rest break that the second half of the workout was not possible, and seriously wondered if I was even going to make it through all four sets of this workout. The running sucked, I hate sprints. The first 25 squats didn't hurt and felt like a break from running, but by 35 I was straining. The walking lunges were the worst part, I had to keep catching my balance because my gluts and quads were so tight.
Like most life challenges, the mental was significantly more difficult than the physical. I finished. When I got home I could barely make it up the stairs and my shower was little more than leaning against the cool tiled wall while the steaming water loosened my muscles.
Set 1: 5:50.5
Set 2: 6:33.5
Set 3: 6:53.7
Set 4: 6:43.7
In total, 1-mile, 200 squats, and 160 walking lunges in 26:01.4.
It is 11:35pm now, and I suspect I will have no trouble sleeping tonight.
Final thought: Oh, Ruck! What did I get myself in to?
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)