EIGHT 1 - 7 (19.53 / 15.09) Trojan Trek

Monthly goals

1. minimum of 10 minutes of yoga daily
2. two weeks of running recovery 
3. two weeks of increased cycling
4. minimum of two times per week strength training 

Monday 1

Lunch run. LM, LS, and drills. 4 miles with 4x 100m strides. GSM and stretch. 

ST.

1. Med ball warmup, 12 reps each 
2. Hollow hold and plank 1 minute each 
3. Pull ups sets of 7, 6, and 6
4. Atlantis Power Squat #180, 230, 250, 3 sets of 6 
5. Monkey bars 3 sets
6. Kettlebell swings #40 2 sets of 6, 1 set of 5 (left knee pain on the last set, weight was too much)
7. Rope pull 3 sets of 20 seconds (very weak on these)

Yoga day 1. 10 minute session before bed.

Tuesday 2

Lunch run. LM and LS. 3 miles with 5 x 100m strides. GSM and stretch.

ST. 

1. Pushups 10 reps
2. Knee extension #35, 3 sets of 10 reps
3. Swiss ball hamstring curl 3 sets of 10 

Volleyball (Spiked Punch). We were short three players and lost three games.
Yoga day 2. 10 minute session before bed.

Wednesday 3

I'm very tired today and thinking about forgoing or cutting short my evening trail run.
Haw Ridge run. I ran the 2011 course ~7 miles in 1:22.39. My knee felt a little unstable and hurt just a bit, almost to the point I was thinking that trail running was not for me. I worked through it and had a great time.
I met Justin for burgers and beers after my run. By the time we finished I was exhausted and my legs were killing me. At home I did Yoga Day 3 and soaked in the hot tube for a cycle. Now I'm feeling much better. Cycling tomorrow.

Thursday 4

I slept over about an hour this morning and it was much needed rest. The 3 ibuprofen I took before bed seemed to have helped with my leg / knee pain. I took 2 more this morning and this got me thinking about when I was taking an Aleve every morning and evening. I don't want to get into this habit, but this worked wonders for me at the time.
Oak Ridge Cycling. 15 miles at 16.1 MPH.
Hot tub soak and Yoga Day 4.

Friday 5

My legs are tired, no workout. I'm to bed early for the Trojan Trek.
Yoga Day 5

Saturday 6

I was up before dawn cracked again this weekend to race. Today was the Trojan Trek; my first trail race. LM and 1.5 up. The course was nothing like Haw Ridge so some speed was needed. The hill were not the worse even but I did have to walk on two occasions. Overall I was pleased with my first trail race experience. I was the 28th male, 32nd overall, and 1st in my age group.

Trojan Trek Finish

Yoga Day 6. 

Sunday 7

ST.

1. Med ball warm up 
2. Ab roll 1 set of 8
3. Shoulder combo #10, 1 set of 10
4. Nautilus deadlift #90, 110, 130,  3 sets of 4
5. Pull ups 6
6. Bench #135, 1 set of 5, #155,  2 sets of 3
7. Pull ups 6
8. Hollow hold and plank 1 minute each
9. Hip abduction #70, 1 set of 25
10. Pull ups 6

Volleyball (Pandemonium). We won our 5th match 2-0. Left thumb injury.
Yoga Day 7

SEVEN 25 - 31 (17.22) TVA Big Dam 8.0K

Monday 25

Evening run. LM and LS. 4 miles at 9:00 pace. The temperature was 97 so, I took shade breaks after every mile to let my HR come down to 130. Stretch.
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a ride!"" Hunter S. Thompson

Tuesday 26

ST.

1. Med ball warmup, increased reps to 12 
2. Calf press #160, 3 sets of 10 
3. Hollow hold and plank 1 minute each 
4. Clams and side lying leg lift 15 reps each 
5. Pull ups 7 
6. Bench #135, 3 sets of 6 
7. Pull ups 5 
8. Atlantis Power Squat #180, 3 sets of 6 
9. Pull ups 6 
10. T2B 5 (this hurts my right shoulder a bit) 
11. Hip and calf stretching

Volleyball (Spiked Punch). Possible pregame warmup from Power Speed Endurance (4 rounds of 50m Barefoot Run + :60 Balance Right / :60 Balance Left + 50m Barefoot Run, Rest as needed between rounds NOT for time). I completed 2, 50m barefoot runs and 2 by 30 seconds balance each leg.
We won the first match 3-0. In the second match we were in the first game at 21-21 then fell. The remaining 2 games were canceled due to lightning.

Wednesday 27

Morning flow. Plantar fascia mobility with a tennis ball. Hip opening mobility and stretching exercises.
My energy level is low; I need to go to bed earlier.
Haw Ridge run. LM and lateral skips. 4 miles out and back. My left knee hurts a little after the run.

Thursday 28

Morning flow. Foam roll and foot mobility exercises.
Rest day.

Friday 29

Haw Ridge. Run and hike.

Saturday 30

TVA Big Dam 8k. I didn't sleep well and I had to get up at o'dark thirty. Knowing that the race would have a significant ascent, my plan was to not necessarily race the course but use it has a training run. The buses were running late which didn't leave a lot of time for warming up. I did the Lunge Matrix (LM) and some leg swings and we were off. Just before the start it began to rain, then pour for the first 2 miles. The only blessing was that the rain kept it cool and only the first half if the race was uphill (375 feet elevation gain). I saw a couple guys that I usually beat at the turn around and decided that I would try to run a few of them down. I was able to push hard to the finish with a sub 7 pace for the last mile. Overall the race was a great experience. I finished 26th and Justin 41st out if 440. 

I did take a couple of much needed naps in the afternoon. 

Sunday 31

Morning flow. Leg mobility and stretching exercises.
Volleyball (Pandemonium). We lost for the second time this season. The other team was diggin like whoa and we were a little off.
I was not able to lift or ride today because Pat was sick with vertigo. My mileage was down this week, but it's OK I've raced a lot this month. 

SEVEN 18 - 24 (15.04 / 11.75) Thursday Night at the Track & Scenic City Scorcher

Monday 18

I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn't over 170, but I actually had lost 2 pounds over the weekend. 

My legs ached bad last night and my left calf felt like it was going to cramp. I took 3 Ibuprofen before bed and it's much better today. I do seem to be having a slight issue with my left achilles. Rolled my hamstrings and calves out with the foam roller.
ST. Med ball warm up. Core: hollow hold and plank for 1 minute each and hip abduction x 30. Pull ups 4 sets of 5. Calf press 4 sets of 10-15. Squats #115, 4 sets of 5. Bench press #135 5 sets of 5.
Run. LM, LS, and stretch. 3 miles at the North Boundary (pace 8:56)
Yoga. Vinyasa flow with Joan.

Tuesday 19

I have woke up sore this morning. Wonder why?
Volleyball. Spiked Punch won 2-1. We played better and beat a better team this week. The only downside is I injured my big toe on my left foot. I'm icing as I type. No running tomorrow, which was planned. However, I may do RPM at lunch and a ride after work with Justin. It's a wait and see situation.

Ouch! 

ST. I did 1 shoulder combo before volleyball and 1 after. 10 reps of each movement.

Wednesday 20

We didn't do RPM today. Justin and I did ride though. It was not a good ride for me; I had 2 flats.

Thursday 21

Thursday Night at the Track. 1 mile (6:27.5). Splits 1:34.2, 1:42.0, 138.1, 1:33.3.

Friday 22

My weight was sub 165 this morning. The lowest I've been in years. 

Travel to Chattanooga. Walked about 3 miles. 

Saturday 23

Scenic City Scorcher. 13:43.87. WOW! This is a 41 second PR and 45 seconds better than the Freedom Run.
My initial goals for the race were 1) sub 14, and 2) sub 14:25 (PR). The conditions were awesome and I wasn't feeling too bad so I decided to go out under 7 minutes for the first mile (6:58.3) then run the next .75 around 7:05 pace or below then start my kick at .25 to go and go all out after I went under the bridge (6:45.3). This strategy worked great! I don't think I left too much on the course.

Scenic City Scorcherx

Sunday 24

ST. Med ball warm up. Hollow hold 1 minute. Plank 1 minute. Pull ups 6. Deadlift #135 4 sets of 3. Pull ups 6. Bench #135 4 sets of 5. Pull ups 6. Step ups 8, 3 sets of 5. Pull ups 6. About 40 minutes.
Volleyball (Pandemonium). We won 2 - 0. I did hip opening warm up exercises.

SEVEN 11 - 17 (20.32 / 7.00) Thursday Night at the Track

Monday 11

Evening run. LM, LS, and drills. 3 miles and 4 x 100m strides. Rolled calves, quads, and hamstrings with the Stick.

Tuesday 12

AM. Soft tissue mobilization for feet, calves, quads, and hamstrings. 

ST. Med ball warm up. Pull ups 4 x 5. Bench #135 3 x 5. Core - Hollow hold and plank 1 minute each. Rope pull 2 x 30. Kettlebell swings #40 3 x 5.
Volleyball.  Spiked Punch made their debut tonight and we won 2 of 3. The team started slowly but had a match point service error. This was not a bad start for a very young and inexperienced team.

Wednesday 13

Lunch XT. RPM Xpress with Julie. New release today. It was a bit of a challenge, not so aerobically but leg fatigue.
My evening plan was to run at the Blvd., but I was so tired after work all I could was lay on the bed. After I was so hungry I had to make dinner. It's OK I wasn't up to running because of tomorrow's track meet and I've been more tired than usual.
I got an email from the meet director and the order of events changed, or maybe I wasn't paying attention until now. They're leading off with the 800, then the 400, mile, and relays. I was thinking and hoping the 400 would be first and I could put out a good effort there then run the others would be a workout.
A list of participants came in the email and I really didn't notice any old guys. I really hope there are some old guys there.

Thursday 14

Thursday Night at the Track. 800m (2:53.91), 400m (1:11.66), Mile (6:57.08), and 4 x 400m relay. I was the oldest guy there, but it wasn't an issue. I hit all my marks but the 400, I wanted to go below 1:10. I think I could have hit the 400 mark if it would have the the first event. Next week it's the mile and I may try to go low if I can find someone to pull me around the track.

800m

Friday 15

I am tired this morning.
Trail running at Ijams. Lunch then a nap.

Urban Wilderness

Ross Marble Quarry

Saturday 16

Long run. LM and LS. 7 miles average pace 9:08.

Sunday 17

Volleyball (Pandemonium). Hip opening stretches. Dumbbell combo. We won 2 - 0. 

SEVEN 4 - 10 (29.64 / 17.44) Freedom Run 2 Mile

Monday 4

Morning vinyasa yoga flow. 10 minutes. 

Freedom Run 2 Mile. 14:29. This was a challenging course with heat, wind, and incline all playing a role. I had 3 goals; 1) sub-14, 2) PR sub-14:25, 3) have fun. I did have fun and I won my age group.

Freedom Run 2 Mile

Tuesday 5

I wasn't able to run today due to evening thunderstorms.

Wednesday 6

I rolling my foot out 2-3 times a day. The good news is it's not getting worse. 

Lunch XT. RPM Xpress with Julie.

ST. Dips 40. Pull ups 20. Kettlebell swings 30# 5.
Cool off after the Wednesday night run. LM and LS. 6 miles.

Thursday 7

North Boundary. We had a great time and an awesome run. We did get caught out in a thunderstorm which was kind of scary. EPIC SHIT!

Friday 8

I got stormed out again today, but it was OK because my plan was for a recovery. 

Saturday 9

Vinyasa flow 10 minutes. 

Long run. LM. 12 miles. Stretch.
Evening ride at the Melton Lake Greenway. 10.44 miles at 9.5 MPH. 1 hour and 5 minutes while Pat and Kristen ran.

Sunday 10

My legs are sore and I'm tired.
Volleyball (Pandemonium). We lost to the number 2 team. My legs and lethargy were not an issue. I think I played well.