Riding, lots of riding!

So, after what seemed like an eternally wet spring, the trails are finally dried out enough to go ride. And I've done lots and lots of riding, both in a car and on the bike. After the last post, Lauren and I jumped in the car and drove to MArquette for Whitney's graduation, and commencement ceremonies. I'm still really proud of her for finishing her nursing degree. Yay Whit!

Lauren and I drove home on Sunday (the drive from Marquette is a day long endeavor) and the next morning I set out for Tremont, Illinois to visit my friend Brad. This time, I brought my mountain bike. 18 miles of brutal single track on Tuesday and another 14 miles of easier riding on Wednesday were really good training. Then another day-long drive home on Thursday.

After a chore day on Friday, we drove up to my parents (only a short 2 hour jaunt) for Whitney's Bridal shower. Then back home again Sunday night for a total of almost 2300 miles in 10 days. My butt hurts and not from riding my bike.

Yesterday I went for a long ride. Well, at least that was the intention. I wanted to do a 5-6 hour ride, but in the process of waiting for my new biking shoes, I didn't get out the door until uch later than I wanted. About 15 minutes in I went over the handlebars and cut some good scrapes and bruises. No serious damage but it definitely made a big difference in how I attacked the trail. It also put a nice little hole in the sidewall of my front tire. The Caffelatex sealed it right up, but I forgot to do something really basic - check the air pressure. It turns out that the tire dropped from 30psi to about 10 psi while the puncture was sealing. That 20 psi difference made the front end feel like a boat anchor by the time I was working on my third lap.

So, after three laps I called it quits. 33 miles in 3 hours and 10 minutes wasn't too shabby in my book even though I was hoping for 40-50 miles.

Double Post!!! Today and yesterday

Ok, so it's been interesting trying to getback on track.

Yesterday:

3x5 pushpress: don't remember the progression, but I ended at 115#

3x3 split jerk: 95#, 105#, 115#

3x1 behind the neck split jerk, 95#, 115#, 115# should have gone higher

Today: No crossfit, but YAY intervals

4 x 5 min

Distance [mi] - 1.58, 1.59, 1.53, 1.56

Back to it....

5x5 Good Mornings - 65,95,105,115,115
5x3 Power snatch - 75,95,110,110,110

For time:
30 Burpees
30 Pull ups
6:38

First Ride!

First ride of the season tonight, and I'm blown away. I crushed my previous best lap time by 20 minutes and I still had a lot of gas in the tank so to speak. This was my first chance to really get my new bike out on the trails and I can't even begin to describe how much fun it is. It just goes. Goes fast, goes where I point it, and goes up hills like a billy goat. I really REALLY like my Fu Bar handle bars . The high amount of sweep just feels so natural. It's a shame that they're so heavy (and shiny, I don't like shiny) compared to my carbon bars.

I'm just amazed at what my training during the off season has done for my ability to ride long and hard. CrossFit Endurance mayj ust be the way to go after all. We'll see in about 6 weeks when I strap in to go 100 miles in a day.

Here's the stats:

Trail/Miles: Lakeshore Park -10.44 miles. I really ought to calibrate my odometer.

Time: 56 minutes

Tires/Pressure: Rear- Rocket Ron(32psi) Front- Raven(25 psi)

Shock Pressure: +160/-150

RRRAAWWRR!

Squat 7-7-5-5, #185,#205, #225,#225

Power Clean 5-5-3-3 #135,#155,#155,#165

Press 3-3-1-1, #95,#105, #115, #125

Rest 90-120 seconds between each lift

3 rounds of:

10 squat jumps

15 Knee to elbow

20 DUs

10:41. THose Knee to elbows killed my time.... everything else was pretty quick.

Day of Failure?

The plan was to work out today, really it was. THis morning my legs were still really sore ater yesterday's "San Franciso Crippler" and I've been feeling really really run down this week. So I decided "no crossfit" this morning.

THis evening should have been intervals. Just as I was about to get after them, my friend Brad called. We talked for almost half an hour about some pretty serious stuff. I needed to share my recent faith journey. He had a lot of stuff to vent about. I'm pretty sure God connected us tonight.

So, exercise wise, today was a failure. Yet, somehow I'm ok with that.

If it were a real 30 rep max, .Jesus would have spoken to me

Today's workout ventured into unknown territory, a 30 rep squat followed by 1000 m row. I've never done either that I can remember.

For time, "The San Francisco Crippler"

30 squats #225 (scaled to #155)

1000 m row

8:05. about 90 seconds transition time

Wow..... squats broken into 15-10-5. Legs were noodles after that. Then the row, 1000 m in 3:34.... I could have pushed harder in the beginning but I don't know if I could have maintained that pace for 1000 m.

Out of the gate like a burnt cat

Started out this morning going full speed and promptly was reminded why I shouldn't eat lots of noodles. I burnt out quick.

5 min AMRAP

155# ground to overhead (I used #115, that was enough)

10 push ups

1 min rest (I walked down the stairs and had to search for a DB. Probably closer to 3-4 min rest)

5 min AMRAP

10 DB power snatch, #55 (I used #35, should have gone heavier)

5 burpee-pull ups (I did 5 burpees and 5 pull ups

Intervals:

Tabata -1.15 miles

Felt dead after dinner. Intervals so soon were a mistake.

4 rounds +3 rounds, no partial rounds completed

Lungs were fine today, I needed to stop holding back and I wasn't working long enough to do so. I'll have to hit it hard tonight for the Tabata intervals.

Time Trial

60 min time trial - 16.89 miles

DAMN!

Deadlift: 5-3-3-3-1-1 (PR or fail)

225-275-285-295-310(f)-310(f)

DAMN! I've been stuck at 305# as a 1 RM max deadlift for what seems like forever. I managed to get 310 off the ground TWICE today, but I couldn't pull it the rest of the way..... not a good way to start the morning. Now I'm angry....

2 Rounds of

1 min hollow rocks

30 sec rest

1 min supermans

didn't even count 'em since I was so irritated with the missed dead lifts.....

Heavy and hard = rough way to start the day

Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1-1-1

95-105-115-120-125-140 (f)- 120(f)

Front Squat 3-3-3-3-3-3

95-145-155-165-170-185

Last set for front squat was really hard. I mean, legs shaking , weight started to sink, yelling hard.

8 Min AMRAP

8 thusters (65#)

10 pull ups

8 clapping pushups

3 rounds + 5 pullups.

Wow, those thrusters SUCKED after pushing hard on the shoulder press and front squats!

Deadlifts and Double unders

2 reps every 90 seconds of 90% 1 Rep max - #275 That was tough.... really had to dig deep for the last set.

Was supposed to be OPT's flight simulator, but since I can hardly string together 5 DU, let alone 50, I did 200 DU for time: 16:53.

the girdle

No, not a piece of women's clothing, the shoulder girdle or the group of muslces around the shoulders, back and chest. It hopnestly felt like someone knows me and said "lets make an impossibly hard workout that will just smash Chris' shoulder girdle." Yeah, I'll be sore tomorrow....

Today's workout, JT

21-15-9

Handstand pushups (I did 35# DB presses, cause I'm a wimp)

Ring dips (regular dips for me!)

Push-ups (yay! I did what I was supposed to!)

11:39

I decided to work on my coordination and work my still-stiff calves for a bit. 4 min AMRAP of double unders - 67

Lets Race!

My first ever bike race went well. I learned more than I expected, finished faster than I'd hoped , and generally had an awesome time.

Highlights:

1) Passing people on uphills is the best feeling in the world. Particularly when their bike cost more than my bike AND my car combined.

2) Beautiful weather! Cold and sunny is my favorite!

3) Great atmosphere! Everybody seemed like they were having fun.

Lessons learned:

1) I'm a salty salty sweater. I cramped up twice, almost perfectly 1 hour after I had taken my most recent electrolyte supplement. Water + another shot of electrolytes= no more cramps. So, next time I just need to stay ahead of that curve

2) Race smart. I had a really nasty crash early on because I was racing too aggressively on some less than ideal terrain. I was fortunate that my right hip absorbed most of the impact and I didn't get run over. No major muscular or structural damage to report but the bruise is a sight to behold! The lesson is to race smart, you can't finish first if you don't finish

3) Gear taller (for this race) The added adrenaline really helped me crush the climbs, but a 32:17 ratio was a little low for the flats and downhills. . A 32:18 may be in order next time.

4) Use Aid stations. My hydration pack froze (guess it breathes "too well" on the back panel) so I wound up carrying 25 oz of water that never got used. I was able to use the aid station, but I should have just planned on it being there and used it accordingly.

squats!

5-5-5-5-5 Back squats w/ 2-3 min rest

135-165-185-205-225 (PR!)

5-5-5-5-5 weighted ring dips - subbed regular bar dips due to upper body strength limits

I started low with the squats since I wasn't sure how my legs would feel after the weekend's thrashing on the bike. That 225 was tough but I really wanted it today and I just went for it. I'm pretty sure I scared the other guy in the heavy weight room when I yelled.

???

So, yesterday was an enforced resst day due to an overwhelmig school schedule. Today was supposed to be a lung-burner of a workout (at least I think it was......) but due to my own lack of strength, it turned into just trying to hold onto the pullup bar and complete the pullups 2 or 3 at a time.

For time :15-12-10-9 of

70% 1RM overhead squat, #65

Chest to bar pull-ups - just did reg. pull ups since I can't do Chest 2 Bar yet....

9:47

Felt pretty good afterward since the limiting factor today was grip strength. So, I grabbed a jumprope and did 50 Double Unders for time. I did it in 2:02 with up to 8 unbroken double unders.

Intervals:

8 rounds of 30 sec on, 20 sec rest.... yep, that sucked

Dropping the hammer

In cycling, "dropping the hammer" refers to cranking up the power output for an extended period of time. I realized today that I only have 5 more weeks of class.... so it's time to drop the hammer academically and finish strong for the semester. 3...2...1... GO!

Workout:

4 "Full" Cleans at 60% 1rm (#115) on the minute for 5 minutes - It's hard to force myself to do a full clean when I can power clean it so easily.

Rest 5 mins

30s on, 30s rest of knees to elbows for 4 minutes

7,6,7,and 6 reps. Yep, still hate how much those work my lats and abs....

Intervals:

2 x 10 min. w/ 5 min recovery: 2.89 miles and 2.84 miles ,

2 x 2 min. w/ 1 min recovery: 0.66 miles and 0.67 miles

Fruits of Labor

Well, aside from being really sore from yesterday's workout, today has been a really, really good day.

This morning I drove out to Island Lake State Rec area to do a shakedon run of my prposed race plan. Everything went amazingly well. I rode for about 35 miles on the pavement (the trails are still too soggy) and it only took me 2:20. I was planning on it taking almost 3 hours. I've gighlighted some of the key observations below:

1) Pre and post ride weight was almost identical.This means I'm right about on target with 25 oz/hr of water. I'm sure this number will creep up when it gets warm out, but for the time being it is really encouraging to know I'm close

2) 32:16 seemed to be the sweet spot today. I'm planning on racing the Mohican with a lower gear, but for the rolling hills I was on today, man I was able to MOVE. I even caught a guy on a road bike; that was the best feeling I've had all week.

3) Hammer Perpetuem seems to work. I was taking in about 270 cal/ hr and my stomach was fine. I did start the ride with Hammer gels , but those were a pain, were really thick in the cold, and only tasted "ok". The thought was to give my body what it needed nutrient wise throughout the ride, but I think next time I'm just going to start with the perpetuem. Calorie wise it seemed pretty good. I wasn't even hungry an hour after I finished. Normally I'm famished within 20 minutes and could eat an entire pizza on my own!

*** I also was taking one salt-stick electrolyte tablet every hour starting 1 hour into the ride. I don't know if this is necessary since Perpetuem contains some of the same ions. I will play with this more as it begins to get warmer out and my sweating increases.

4) This is the big one; it appears Crossfit Endurance is working. Knocking 40 mins ff of my expected time, and feeling good for most of the ride was awesome. The infamous "Mile 3 Hill" at Kensington Metro Park got beat 3 times today. In fact, not once did I burn out on a longer climb. Sure I slowed down, but I didn't feel a need to stop and rest which is a first ever, even with a geared bike.

I did notice that I was feeling pretty gassed at the end of the ride. I'll have to play with some things to see if I can't beat that.

So the last 3 months of sweat, sore muscles, and research seem to be paying off. Today is a good day.

Cindy is still a bitch

So today I did "Cindy". Cindy is one of crossfit's benchmark wods and consists of:

20 min AMRAP (As Many Rounds As Possible)

5 pull ups

10 push ups

15 air squats

I managed 9 rounds + 1 pullup. That's only a couple rounds off from my best ever Elite level athletes can achieve rounds in the 20's. The bruise on my palm really hurt during the pushups, but I the real reason I only got 9 round sis that I'm slow. No, really, I am just not strong enough to just rip out push ups and pull ups till the sun goes down. By the end of the workout its a strength issue because my heart and lungs are having no problem keeping up. My legs were fine.... 135 air squats is pretty easy compared to some stuff I've been doing.

Interview and a little sweat

Had an interview this morning. It went well considering that the interviewers seemd more nervous than I felt.

I always manage to sweat profusely in interviews, but nowhere near as much as I did this morning with the following workout.

Jump Rope 5 min., mixing in variables of DU’s, Cross Overs, single foot, running.

5 – 7 wall walks - I've never tried a bridge, so I tried the wall walks. The bruise on my palm hurt like hell so I only tried 4 times.

Rest 5min

4 Rounds for time: 9:13

6 Hang Power Snatches 115lbs Unbroken - I did 75#,85#,95#x2

25 Unbroken Double Unders- Mine were broken. I can't string much more that 7 or 8 DUs at the moment

Rest 5min

Hollow Rocks 2min,

Rest 1min,

Superman’s 2min

Update: Interval training, felt like puking when I was done.

Hold Maximal distance/Speed/Watts on each interval

5x2min, 3min Recovery between intervals

Then:

4x1min, 1min Recovery between intervals

2 min intervals (distance in miles): 0.71, 0.63, 0.65, 0.65, 0.65 really struggled on last one

1 min intervals: 0.35, 0.33, 0.35, 0.34 THAT SUCKED!

Good Morning!

Good Mornings 5-5-3-3

65,75,95,135

Press 5-3-3-1

75,85,95,115

Un-scared

Feeling unscared today, I pushed hard on the weights.

C&J 95#x2, 105#x2, 115#x2, 125#x2, 135#x2 (matched PR for 1RM!)

Front Squat 155#x2, 175#x2, 185#x2 (matched PR for 1 RM!)

4 min. AMARAP: Double Unders -52

Skipped 5 min of MU practice due to time

Japanese Bears

Yesterday - The bear complex 5 times , can't put the barbell down until all 7 cylcles through the complex are complete.

"The Bear" 65-75-80-85-90 (weight for each set of 7)

Power clean

Front Squat

Push Press

back squat

Push Press

x7

Today - Tabata sprints (Damn Japanese researcher who discovered these....)

20 seconds on, 10 seconds off of all out sprints on the bike trainer.

It's been awhile

I looked at my last post, Feb 23rd about overtraining. Apparently my break from training also included an exteded hiatus from the blog.

The week of Feb 23 (whatever day that was) I trained M,W,F. Last week was spring break and I took the whole week off. I didn't do a darned thing when it comes to exercise.

So , it was back in the saddle again this week. Saturday I went for a 9 mile ride that was a mix of pavement and 6 inches of snow on top of ice. Took me an hour and most of that was spent slogging through crappy snow/ice. Yesterday I started to get back into it. I cut the session short beccause it was clear that I was going to overdo it by jumping in head first

Monday 3-7-2011 :

Front Squat: 95# x 7, 115# x7, 135# x5 , 135# x5. I was sore and tight this morning so I'm glad I didnt do the power cleans and other stuff yesterday

Today:

On th eminute for 7 minutes: 245 (80% 1RM) x3

30 Pullups and 30 dips for time ~ 10 min because I forgot to look at my watch.... damn.

Things felt good today and I fee rested and ready to tackle the demands of training again. Watch out!

Overtraining?

The past few days I've really lost my motivation to train and push myself. I think it's my body telling me it's time for a break. Next week is an enforced break (no gym access) so I'm dialing it back a bit this week and will rest hard next week. I took yesterday off instead of today and did the following today:

RX: Back Squats, 60% of 1RM, 2 reps on the minute every min for 10min. Drive out of the bottom as quickly as possible.

Rest 5min

4 Rounds for Time

15 D-Ball slams, 20-25lbs

30 Unbroken Double Unders

I did: 155# for the squats, could have gone heavier

4 rounds of :

30 Double Unders (broken)

15 burpees

11:31

blech!

15-12-9

75# full clean and jerk

chin ups

15:51

It was supposed to be:

15-12-9-12-15

Dumbbell “Full”Clean & Jerks 35lb each.

Chin Ups

Rest 5-8 min

Hollow Rocks, Accumulate 4min total Time

I was feeling really really unmotivated today. I would like to blame the fact that I donated blood yesterday, but I think it has more to do with an unwillingness to get going this morning..

Freddy's revenge

5 Rounds for Time of:

5 Reps, 185lb, Any way overhead. Press, Push Press, Push/Split Jerk

10 Burpees

I did 95# and it was all push press / split jerks. I can't even imagine trying to do 185#

Finding the extra gear

Today I wanted no part of the workout. Still, I found the extra gear to really push myself on the squats and to push through the KB swings. I died on the squat-jumps though.... next time I'll really get after those.

Jump Rope 8 min - Tried to string together DUs, no luck.

5 wall walks (start standing up back to the wall about 3 feet away. Lean back until hands come in contact with wall. Walk your way down as deep as you can. Reaching the floor is your ultimate goal. Walk back up the wall with out falling. That is 1 wall walk). Rest as needed between - Seemed easy, I must not be doing them right

5 x 5 Back Squat (85-90% of 1RM) 2-3min rest between sets:

155-175-185-195-205 Couldnt remember 1RM squat. Looked it up and its 225, so I'm pretty happy with the last one

Rest 5min

1min Max Rep Kettle Bell Swings 35# DB - 29 reps

1min Max Rep Jump Squats - 19 reps legs were dead

CFE: Tabata intervals

8 rounds of 20 seconds on: 10 seconds off - 1.25 miles covered

More Weaknesses

Yep, Crossfit exposes weaknesses. Today it was grip strength

5 rounds (rest as needed between rounds

5 DB deadlift

5 DB clean

5 DB squat

5 DB push press

increase weight on each round. Once you pick up the weights you can't put them down until done with the round

35-40-45-50(failed on cleans)-50(failed on clean again)

Cindy is a horrible wretched bitch

28:36 For the below workout. I had forgotten how much I hate "Cindy" and all her variations. A round of Cindy constitutes 5 pull ups, 10 pushups, and 15 air squats. A single round is really easy, but when they start adding up it gets to be really, really brutal.

I know I could have pushed harder today. I'd like to think it's the cold I'm getting over, but in reality I just didn't have the mental edge to be be "unscared" today.

For Time:

10 Dead lifts @ 185#

1 Round of Cindy ” 5 pull ups, 10 Push ups, 15 squats”

8 Dead lifts

2 Rounds of Cindy

6 Dead lifts

3 Rounds of Cindy

4 Dead lifts

4 Rounds of Cindy

2 Dead lifts

5 Rounds of Cindy

Time to get Strong!

Front Squat: 5, 4, 3, 3, 1, 1

Push Press Behind Neck: 3, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1

2 Minute Recoveries

FS: 95, 135, 175, 155(focused on form), 175, 185 (Matched PR!)

PP: 65, 85, 95, 115, 135x1, 155(PR!)

Split what?

Split Clean: 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3 180sec-240sec rest between sets

Rest 5 min

Tabata (20:10) alternating between squats and sit ups for a TOTAL of 8 rounds. You will end up doing 4 sets of each

Cleans: 115, 135,135, 135, 155, 155

Tabata Scores: Situps 12, Squats 18

Today was also the first day of CrossFit Endurance training. 1/4 mile repeats on the bike 8 rounds with 1 minute rest in between

38.8, 38.6, 43.6, 44.9, 49.7, 44.3, 47, 47.4

felt pretty good. Interval training is terrible, but I don't feel too terrible the next day. Time to ramp it up!

Time for a break

Whew! I need a rest day. This is the first week in a long time where i've put in 4 challenging workouts. My hamstrings are swearing at me every time I move, my lower back is unhappy with sitting for long periods, and my hands are sore from so much work with the barbell. It's taken a lot of patience not to just jump right into where I am now, and I'm glad. I might have died if I had done otherwise.

Workout Today:

Dead lift 2 Reps on the minute every minute for 10 minutes @ 85% of 1RM

Immediately following Dead Lifts do

30 Burpees for time

Rest 5min

4min Running Clock, alternate between the two exercises.

1min Sit ups

1min Hollow Rocks

245# Dead lifts, 1:56 for the burpees, Should probably count the sit-ups and hollow rocks next time

Been slacking

I've been away fromthe blog for a few days, here's the run down

2-1-2011

100 DB power snatches for time 35#, 50 per arm

7:44

2-2-2011

Rest Day

2-3-2011

1000m row followed by

5 rounds of

7 power cleans, 135#

7 juming pullups

3:50 row +17:25 = 21:17

It turned out to be fairly convenient that Wednesday was a rest day. Tuesday night the weather babes and dudes were calling for a "snowpocalypse" that would engulf SE Michigan. More like sNOpocalypse. Not only did we get a measly 6-8 inches, but if it were to occur in Houghton, the weather babes and dudes would have been fired for lying and exaggerating how terrible it would be. I want a job where I can be wrong more than half the time and still expect to stay employed.....

Anyway, class is about to start. Time to go learn about turbulence...

Benchmark

today was the first benchmark "girl" in my training. CrossFit uses several workouts as benchmarks for comparison. In comparing, a name for the workout is almost necessary, and I'm not sure why but the CrossFit people decided to do women's names. There is a misconception that the names are those of someones ex-girlfriend because of how miserable the workouts make you feel, but that has been refuted repeatedly by Coach.

Diane

21-15-9 reps of

155# Deadlift (scaled from 225)

HSPU progression (scaled from HandStand PushUps)

4:44

This taxed an entirely different metabiolic system than I'm used to using, and Im still shaky from it.,

Time to Step Up

Ok, so today I thought I didn't scale the workout, then when I finished I found out that I used 95# instead of 135#. Here it was

50 DUs/Situps

5 C&J 95#

40 DUs/Situps

5 C&J 95#

30 DUs/Situps

5 C&J 95#

20 DUs/Situps

5 C&J 95#

10 DUs/Situps

5 C&J 95#

25:25

I have some thoughts about what it means to "Step Up" in other aspects, but that will have to wait until later.

-Chris

One legged sqauts

I never thought this workout would develop the interest it did on Facebook..... apparently even mentioning a one-legged squat is worrisome to people who don't understand the mechanics of the motion and the progression of the skill.

It's ok, I guess I forget that most people, even educated people don't have the desire to learn as much as I do when it comes to exercise.

12 minute AMRAP

10 pistols (1 legged squat)

10 KB swings , 55#

4 rounds

myofascial release

It's been said that self myofascial release is about as pleasant as sticking a hot branding iron in your eye.

That sounds about right.

In all seriousness however, the tight muscles in my legs hurt like hell when I use a foam roller or "The Stick". Both are therapy devices, and I'm not sure how they work, but they take my tight and knotted muscles and work all the nastiness out of them.

1-15-2011

This morning’s workout was brutal. After the plane ride yesterday, my hips were tight and stiff. My upper body is weak in general so the burpees were really rough by the end. I’m gonna hurt tomorrow.

Workkout log

21-15-9 of 30# db thrusters and burpee box-jumps

15:39

Should have been 1-14-2011...

Sitting at 33,000 feet I never cease to be amazed at what is possible. Think about it, untold thousands of passengers all around the world walk into a multi-ton metal tube. Minutes later they are not only airborne, but comfortably doing so and enjoying a book, music, movie, or even connected to the vastness of the internet. It is simply mind-blowing to think of where we have come as a society in the last 100 years.

I’m probably thinking about time and such since it was my birthday yesterday. I am now 25 years old, which still feels remarkably young since I’m still in school. I suppose however that my awe and appreciation of today’s modern technology stems from the things I’ve learned in school. An appreciation for fluid mechanics, turbulence, material properties, chemical reactions, and gas dynamics makes the flight of an airplane simply amazing.

Where am I going? I suppose I ought to answer that question. Lauren is running her first half-marathon this weekend in Phoenix, AZ and I’m going with her. Leaving the snow will be a nice break for a few days. I wish I could find a way to have brought my mountain bike along, but that isn’t the point of this trip. This trip I get to play support person. I’m the photographer, team cheerleader, masseuse, psychologist, nutritionist, general go-fer, and husband. I’m comfortable in my role(s) and I’m pretty good at it. The biggest challenge will be containing and putting up with Lauren’s nerves. That challenge is incredibly small however in comparison to dealing with my dad’s nervous energy on a 3000 mile drive to Alaska and waiting in Anchorage for a week prior to the start of the Iditarod. Putting up with my wife, who is much better to look at and generally smells better is going to be much easier.

Title

12 Minute AMRAP

75# split jerks, 5 times

75# front squat, 5 times

12 later jumps over bar

12 pushups

Result: 4 rounds + jerks and 5 squats

Ouch!

I forgot how well Crossfit exposes your weaknesses. I've never had strong core or upper body and today revealed it. In addition to still being sore from Monday (and Friday!) Today really stressed my core. However, since mountain biking is all about balance and power transmission, today was excellent.

Training log:

75 power snatches- 50 at 45#, 25 @ 65#

9:48- upped weight part way through because it was too easy

6 min running clock of:

1 min hanging knee tuck (instead of L-hang)

1 min hollow rock

(repeat 2 more times)

New adventure

So, I'm goig to officially announce it to the world. I am going to complete a 100 mile mountain bike race, on a single-speed bike.

Ok, so this blog doesn't reach millions of readers, or gather international media attention, but it's my goal is now in writing. I don't know why I decided to do it, maybe it's because I'm not sure if I can do it. Maybe I'm a glutton for punishment. I don't know why and it doesn't matter. The fact of the matter is that I have a burning desire to finish the event.

So, here is the training log:

5 rounds for time of:

5 split power cleans, 95# (scaled from 205#)

10 bench jumps (scaled from 3o" box)

Time: 4:56

Bike training

2-miles followed by 2 min rest, 3 times (scaled from 4 intervals)

6:40, 6:45, 6:53