Moving

For the time being, I will be moving all of my blogging here as I start preparing specifically to join the Navy. I will cease posting on this blog for the time being. Thanks to all who read and commented.

swim

1100


swim

100m fs w/u
10 minutes easy css
10 minutes easy css w/ fins

4 x 25m underwater, 2:00 rest

• Notes: Easy recovery day. Stroke is feeling pretty solid.
• Body: Almost completely recovered from the race. I have some lingering calf soreness, but my joints pretty much feel 100%. I think the improved recovery reflects that I was much better prepared this time around than I was for the marathon. 
• General: Going to still take this week easy and enjoy a little relaxation time before training amps up again. I will probably try to get back on a normal schedule starting next week. 

Devil Mountain 50k Race Report

This was my first experience in the realm of ultras, and it was an amazing and successful outing.

Drove down Friday morning out of Boulder and reached Pagosa Springs in the late afternoon just in time to see the great views coming down from Wolf Pass. Small town, but I kinda dig it. Cool views of the surrounding mountains where much of the trail would traverse.

Drove to the Start/Finish line to set up camp, which was in the middle of a meadow 15 miles or so out of town. Ate a smallish dinner of ground beef, veggies, a couple clif bars and a few Alaskan Ambers. Probably didn't drink quite enough the night before, but no biggie. Sleep was pretty crappy as expected.

Race time was 6:30am, so after a 5:30 wake-up call in the cold I got my gear ready: hydration backpack, small handheld water bottle, headlamp, course directions, and some emergency snacks. The start was pretty informal - about 70-100 of us huddled around in the dark until a guy yelled out to start. I was pretty excited to get moving and warm up.

The first stretch was relatively flat as we followed the road out of the campsite for around 2 miles. It was cool to see the different groups of runners and all of their gear...there was a pretty even mix of 50k and 50 milers. The trail picked up around 2.5-3 miles and was relatively mellow and untechnical. The first climb was Chris mountain and was essentially a warm up for the day. The lead pack took a wrong turn and ended up docking an extra mile during this part, which became more significant later on in the day. Made it to the first aid station at miles 6-7 feeling great. Ditched my jacket, grabbed a handful of pretzels and banana and rolled out.

The next stretch to aid station #2 at mile 12 was mostly winding downhills and very comfortable. Towards the end of this stretch I realized that we were going out a little fast - hit the 9 mile mark in less than 90 minutes - which was WAY to fast for me, but I was feeling great so just rolled with it.

Around mile 10-11 things started to get real. The primary climb of the race was Horse Mountain, spanning miles 12-18 roughly. I knew this would be the real test going in, so I settled in and got ready to climb. Hit the aid station and grabbed some more snack food, including a few builder bars. Just tried to finish my handheld between each station and save the camel for reserves.

The climb was amazing, but slow. I had read enough before hand to know not to even consider running the climbs, so this was a solid period of 45-60 minutes of hiking. All single track in a dense aspen forest. At some point during the climb I accidentally stopped my GPS, so for the remainder of the race it was around 20 minutes and 1 mile behind. Topped out Horse Mountain to come into a clearing on the summit that overlooked all of the neighboring mountains, which sported an amazing layer of changing leaves and colors. I stopped moving several times to just absorb the view. Really wish I had brought my camera to capture that moment.

I think it was during this section that I made a fueling and hydration mistake. I was so relieved to finish the climb and take in the views that I spaced on continuing to eat and drink. The descent down to the next station was a little rough and my knees were starting to get a little tight, but I held a decent descent rate. I should note though that despite my best efforts to practice downhilling during my training, I seemed significantly slower than everyone else on my descents. It's definitely what sets trail runners apart.

Rolled into aid #3 a little worn out. Down a few PB&Js, more fruit, and some pretzels. At this point my left calf was starting to knot up pretty bad, and I could tell my left side was significantly more fatigued than my right. After leaving the station I downed some macadamias and raisins before trying to get running again.

The next section was the toughest of the race for me, and where I paid dearly for whatever mistakes I had made an hour earlier. My calf was cramping and hurting pretty badly every time I tried to run, so I walked for a decent period, periodically trying to pick things up. I had been taking salt tabs hourly prior to this point, but the cramps were still getting to me. I had anticipated this issue before the race, and the fact that it STILL slowed me down so much was frustrating. After force feeding, taking another salt tab, and chugging water, I adopted a short shuffle stride and was able to make decent gains at a time while waiting for my body to catch up with the nutrition (which it eventually did). Luckily this section of the course was pretty mellow with some flats and downhills...otherwise things may have taken a lot longer.

Eventually my short stride started feeling pretty good and I was back to steady running as I came into aid #4 at mile 23, which was the 50 mile cutoff. That 5 mile section of the course took 76 minutes, but I learned some very valuable lessons from it.

At aid #4 threw back a lot more food (more of the same) and filled my bottle with some electrolyte drink. This would be the longest stretch, so I made sure to load up on water.

It was getting pretty warm at this point, but in general the weather was perfect. The last 10 miles were relatively uneventful but crossed more beautiful terrain, much of which followed a narrow creek. The last section of trail featured a steep climb, which was apparently a new addition to the course this year, taking the course back to the original dirt road that we started on. I was pretty worn out at this point, but most of the cramping and achy issues had just become dull and standard. After a quick 1 mile detour due to some course confusion, I hit the main road and came across the finish at a decent pace.

Final un-official time was 6:30:00. Interestingly enough, the race website had me down as a DNS, which I can assure them is incorrect.

Totally different from my marathon experience, this race was a whole different animal that I truly enjoyed from start to finish. Couldn't have asked for a better course or volunteer crew. Finishing was endlessly more satisfying than the marathon, and I felt like I actually pushed my body past a few points that I usually wouldn't try to.

I try to always include this after every race, so here are some of the lessons that I learned:

• It doesn't always get worse - I had heard this before but never really experienced it myself till the wall at miles 18-23. Just because something hurts doesn't mean it's going to hurt 5 miles from now. Give it some time and things will likely turn around. Good insight for any endurance/selection event. 
• Don't space out. Usually I enjoy doing this, but when I zoned out too far and forgot to keep eating/drinking I had to pay for it for the next hour. Enjoy yourself but stay focused.
• Eat early and often.
• Start slow! For fuck's sake, that one should have been obvious.
• The short shuffle stride kinda works.
• Bring a camera. I really wish I had those pictures to relive. 
• Respect the downhill. Again, something I should already know.

Overall, awesome experience. As soon as it was over all I wanted was a chance to go for a 50 mile. I understand the addiction, and it is something I plan to keep pursuing in the future. In the meantime, training is going to shift gears a little bit.

Rest

rest day. Finished the race, report to come soon.

• Notes: Drove back from Pagosa Springs today.
• Body: Feeling really good. Calves and ankles are pretty sore and my knees are a little tender, but not bad at all.

BS/dips, core

1100


shoulders
2x
10 lying rise raises
10 lying L-raises
10 sitting L-raises


5x, quick pace
5 back squats, 135#
5 dips, 25#

100 hollow rocks
100 arch rocks

• Notes: Last day of lifting before Saturday. Just worked on being fast and explosive today with some lighter weight. Feeling good.
• Body: Little bit sore in my calves behind my knees. Energy levels are good though.

walker ranch

1730


run 1:24:17 on the walker ranch loop - 7.9 miles

technique drills

2 x 30s
monster walks w/ band
side steps w/ band

• Notes: Wow, hands down the best trail I have run in the Boulder area...can't believe I haven't gotten to it before now. Perfect blend of technical trail, climbs, and scenery. And at 7.5 miles for the loop it's a perfect distance for a nice easy run. I hit it decently hard just to test myself a bit, but I'm talking it easy the rest of the week.
• Body: Feeling good. Going to dedicate most of this week to mobility and easy lifting/jogging.

DL, pulls, swings/row

1300


Sumo deadlift
5 x 225, 245, 265, 285

face pulls, 60#
3 x 15

6x
1 minute row
1 minute 15 DB swings, 50#

2:30 hopping, kiss ground w/ heel

• Notes: Kept it easy today, didn't push weight or intensity. Very hungover.
• Body: Fine. Going to keep the diet very clean this week in preparation for the race.

Mesa

1100


run Mesa trail from Chat. using Upper Bluestem route

time - 2:18:37
distance - 11.6 miles

• Notes: Felt great the whole run, despite the midday heat. My joints felt 100% by the end and the new shoes are doing great. 
• Body: Shins, legs, abs a little sore, but doing quite well.
• General: This will be my last longer run before the race and I am feeling really good. Going to pull back slightly on the lifting and do some speed work between now and then.

BS, Pr, Pr/PU, drills

1200


Back squat
5 x 135#, 155#, 185#, 195#, 205#

Press
1 x 85#, 95#, 105#, 110#, 115#


5x, 60s rest in between sets:
2 presses, 65#
2 strict pullups
4 presses, 65#
4 strict pullups
6 presses, 65#
6 strict pullups


2:30 barefoot hopping, kiss ground w/ heels

side plank raises
2 x 15 L/R

• Notes: Finally a good day of lifting. My squat felt strong and presses didn't bother me at all. Still took it easy on them though. 
• Body: Hamstring soreness is starting to go away and my abs are finally getting back to normal. Ankles and calves are a little tight.

CPl, drills

1200


Clean pull
2 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 165#, 175#, 182#, 187#, 192#
4 x 2 x 170#

pullups, strict
1 x 12

running drills:
2 minutes hopping, kiss ground w/ heel
5 minutes leaning rest
2 minutes hopping

• Notes: Good day, made some good progress on the clean pulls. This is a PR for my 2rm and they still felt relatively smooth and light. Implementing a lot more running drills these few weeks before the race just to make sure my feet are strong and my technique is solid.
• Body: Sore. Had two intramural games yesterday with lots of sprinting, and my hamstrings are very sore. Left side is worse for some reason. Abs are also brutally sore from friday, which is pretty sad. 

run

1100


run 60 minutes easy/moderate @ Dowdy Draw

hip abductors w/ band
2 x 15

• Notes: Pretty decent run this morning with Liz. We went out at a good pace and then took it easy on the way back.
• Body: Very sore in the upper body. Mostly chest, triceps, back.

dips, core

1700


dips
5 x 25#, 25#, 35#, 45#, 45#, 50#

3x
10 presses, 65#
10 pullup shrugs

2x
10 ghd situps
10 evil wheels
60s plank
10 toes to bar

dips
1 x 15

• Notes: Dips felt fine on the shoulder, but I can feel that I am missing external rotation in the bad one which was making me feel a little unstable in the concentric portion. Pretty rough core circuit.
• Body: Fine.

track intervals

1200


short intervals @ track:

technique drills

"short tosh"
3 x (100m, 200m, 300m) sprints
equal rests, 4-5 minutes between sets

@ 0:15, 0:35, 0:54


side plank
2 x 1 minute + 12 raises each side

• Notes: Times were a little slow today, although I felt decent. Performance hasn't been great the past two weeks, and while I could make some excuses, I see these weeks as intentional break-down period. Just need to make it through this week of going hard and then I will start backing off for the race. By the end of september I believe everything will be where it needs to and I will be focused more upon technique and speed than volume and lifting heavy.
• Body: Pretty damn sore. Hamstrings especially got rocked from yesterday, plus lower back, upper back, and biceps.
• General: Implementing  more running drills in the next few weeks to really get that nailed down, which I think will help on my longer runs. Also adding in more abductor work (see the side planks) as that tends to make my knees feels stronger for race time.

DL, WCU, farmer carries

1100


Deadlift
10 x 225#
8 x 245#
6 x 265#
4 x 285# (x 3rd)
2 x 300#

Weighted chinup
10 x 10#
8 x 25#
6 x 35#
4 x 50#
2 x 70# (x 2nd)

face pulls, 45#
3 x 15

max farmer carry for time, 45# plates - 3:33

• Notes: Rough day. My lifts are feeling really weak right now, especially my conventional deadlift. Had to switch to a moderate sumo to finish out the last two sets and those felt a little bit better, but still weak. Haven't done weighted pullups in a while so that wasn't too bad. Tied my farmer carry with the EXACT same time. 
• Body: Calves and quads still kinda sore, but otherwise I am feeling fine from the run. Just a little weak systemically obviously.
• General: In memory of 9/11, here is a good article. We need to remember this each year.

recovery swim

Monday


swim 20 minutes easy css

2 x 25m underwaters

• Notes: Easy day just to shake the legs out. Stroke is feeling pretty solid.
• Body: Calves, quads a little sore.

long run

1400


Run 4:12:14 from Wonderland trailhead, hogback loop, and BVR to niwot rd and back

distance - 20.6 miles

• Notes: Longest training run before Devil Mountain. Went pretty well except for a little tightness and pain in my right knee towards the end. Got two ascents up Hogback Ridge as well, so got a little elevation in there. Decent amount of walking, no caloric intake.
• Body: Feeling fine.

BS, Pr, assistance

1100


Back squat

10 x 155#
8 x 170#
6 x 185#
4 x 200#
2 x 215#


Press

10 x 45#
8 x 65#
6 x 75#
4 x 85#
2 x 85#

2x:
15 dips
15 face pulls
15 scapula pushups

• Notes: Good day, got some more volume in on the squat. I had planned to also include deadlifts in this, but given the run I have coming up and how I am feeling right now in general it didn't make much sense, so just focused on the squat. Press felt perfectly pain-free, but I still opted not to go heavy. No point.
• Body: Quads are still tight and knees are a little sore, which I am expecting from this week as it is essentially the peak of my training for Devil Mountain right now. Going to try to clear that up before this weekend.

metcon

1200


8 rounds for time:

5 sumo tire flips + jumps
200 yard run
60 seconds leaning rest

time - 20:31

• Notes: Short conditioning day. Felt good, would have been a good day to do some supplemental work, but I am going to need everything for tomorrow's strength session. Mobility is going to be the focus for the remainder of the day.
• Body: Quads are pretty sore, everything else is good.

recovery day

1100


2x thru:

50 second on / 10 seconds off
side plank + 10 leg lifts
flutter kicks
plank
knees to elbows


swim 20 minutes easy css w/ fins

4 x underwater swims

• Notes: Swim felt good just to stretch everything out. Took it easy today.
• Body: Everything feels pretty good today. Knees are a little tight and quads a little sore but not too bad at all.

Green + Flagstaff

1600


Run Green Mtn. summit via Greenman and back down Ranger trail + Flagstaff summit

total time - 2:52:26
green ascent - 52:40
flagstaff ascent - 31:50
total distance - 11.8 miles

• Notes: Really good day on the trails. Got in a lot of vertical and took my new inov-8's for a spin and they are awesome. PR on my green ascent time, ran it with Riley and then broke off and hit flagstaff before running home. Felt pretty good the entire time.
• Body: Upper back and traps are pretty sore.

CPl, rows, farmer carries

1300


Clean pull
3 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 155#, 165#, 175#, 182#
3 x 3 x 165#

1 arm DB rows, 50#
3 x 15

shoulders - 2x thru
15 lying side raises
15 lying L raises

farmer carries, 45# plates
3 x 1 lap

60s rest between

• Notes: Good day. The pulls started out feeling a little shaky but I was getting them down by the end. Didn't have a lot of explosiveness today though.
• Body: Was really sore in glutes and legs the past two days from Thursday. Feeling good overall though. Shoulder is definitely feeling much better. Not trying to do pushups quite yet though.

box jumps, BS, pr/dips

1100


box jump 1 RM
tall box + 9.5 plates

Back squat
5 x 5 x 185#

press, 45#
3 x 10
60s rest

dips
3 x 10
60s rest


1800


hills @ chautauqua

1:00/0:50/0:40/0:30/0:20/0:10

maximal efforts, walk down recovery

• Notes: Huge pr on the box jumps. I was pretty comfortably hitting 9.5 plates, and I am usually very nervous going for 9. Haven't done a 5x5 in a while so it was a little rough, just want to get in a little bit more volume during these weeks. Emphasized externally rotating my shoulder on the pressing, which seems to help a lot.
• Body: I have figured out that my left shoulder (the one that has been bothering me) is having trouble externally rotating into a good position when I press, and I think this is a fundamental part of the pain I have been having from when I tweaked it. I am really working on cueing external rotation now and doing some exercises at night to deal with this.

run, planks

1200


run 65 minutes moderate @ Dowdy Draw trail - 7.5 to 8 miles

30 seconds leaning rest / 30 seconds butt in air x 10

2 x 20 standing hip abductors w/ band

• Notes: Run felt good today. Just wanted to get in a little more mileage this week since I had to cut my long one short. First time doing this trail...not super exciting but has some good views of the front range and is relatively flat.
• Body: Feeling good. Back is a little tender on the right side but no soreness anywhere.

DL, conditioning

1200


Sumo deadlift from deficit, 1 plate

5 x 225#

3 x 225#, 245#, 265#, 255#, 255#


3 x 40 seconds on / 20 seconds off:
row
chasing rabbits
db swings, 50#

3 x 15 pullups, kipping


shoulders - scapula
2x
13 db retractions
13 db protractions
10 pullup shrugs
10 presses, 45#

• Notes: Pretty good day. Did a little bit of conditioning today since it has been a while. Deadlifts felt pretty good.
• Body: Feel good, no soreness from yesterday despite how much i struggled on the run so that is encouraging.

long @ mesa

1200


run 2:42:24 up Mesa from my house, turned around at intersection with Shadow Canyon

• Notes: Not a good day really. Planned on getting in around 4 hours on the trails today, but had change my route due to some bear activity in the area. Felt good on the way out, but I was dragging ass on the way back. Did the Fern Canyon hill twice on the way back. Really hot day.
• Body: Tired and pretty worn out from this week. Little hamstring soreness.

BxS, ring dips

1700


Box squat
2 x 155#, 175#, 185#, 195#
3 x 2 x 185#

ring dips
5-10-15-10-5

• Notes: Squat felt pretty weak, my legs are a little beat up from the sprints yesterday. Dips felt mostly OK, but shoulder didn't feel 100%. 
• Body: Legs...hammies, flexors, adductors are all pretty tight. 

swim, sprints

1500


shoulders

2x
12 lying side raises, 5#
12 lying L raises, 5#


swim

500m easy css - 10:54


run

10 x 50m sprints
odd intervals - accelerations
even intervals - max sprints

2 minutes rest in between

• Notes: Good day. Haven't swam in forever so I just jumped in for an easy one today. Shoulder feels totally fine swimming so that's a relief. Sprints felt good...haven't gone all out in a while so probably gonna be sore.
• Body: Lats and biceps have been totally shot the past two days. Guess I need to do more pullups.
• General: Lift tomorrow, long on Saturday. This week has been less than ideal for training, but senior year of college only happens once. 

CPl, pullups, shoulders

1430


Clean pulls

2 x 133#, 133#, 143#, 155#, 155#, 165#, 175#, 175#, 185#

3 x 2 x 165#


pullups, kipping

8-10-12-14-14-12-10-8


shoulders, scapula work

2x12
db retractions 20#
db protractions 20#

2x10
overhead shrug 20# db
pullup shrug

• Notes: Just going to make some slow consistent gains on the clean pulls every time. Tried to do some overhead squat work, but for some reason the wider grip bugs my shoulder which is kind of a bummer. It's feeling better in general, but I am having some trouble stabilizing overhead. Hoping the scapula and rotator cuff work will fix that.
• Body: glutes are a little bit sore but that's it. 
• General: Have a longer run planned for the trails out at Mesa later this week, and the following week will be my longest training run before the race. Big two weeks of training coming up.

DL, carries, planks, flagstaff

1200


Deadlift, moderate sumo

5 x 225#, 255#, 275#, 285#, 265#


farmer carries, max time w/ 45# plates - 3:35

max plank hold - 2:34



run - flagstaff summit

total time - 1:03:43
ascent time - 24:30
distance - 5.58 miles

• Notes: Crushed my best ascent time, good run.
• Body: Feeling good.

ring dips, BS/burpees, rows, shoulders

1500


Ring dips

w/ 10#
2-4-5

unweighted
2-4-6-5


Back squat
5 x 135#, 155#, 185#


5x
2 back squats, 185#
10 burpees AFAP, no pushup

60s rest in between


1 x max single arm DB row, 50#


shoulders - 2x thru
10 lying side raises, 5#
10 lying L raises, 5#
stability rotations on swiss ball

• Notes: My ring dips are pretty terrible right now. They didn't bother my shoulder, but it's just not feeling quite right. I am hoping to be able to rehab myself out of it with some rotator cuff and scapula work, but I'm just not quite sure what the actual problem is. Need to just make sure to avoid painful activities for now. Squat felt good.
• Body: No soreness.

CPl, face pulls, rows/rabbits

1500


Clean pull
2 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 155#, 165#, 165#, 175#, 175#, 175#, 165#


face pulls, 60#
3 x 20


6x
30 seconds ring rows
30 seconds chasing rabbits

no rest in between

• Notes: Pretty easy and fun day. Didn't want to get to greedy on the clean pulls just to make sure I didn't fuck my shoulder. Oddly enough it is only horizontal pushing movements that seem to bother it. Dips, shrugging, overhead press, pullups, pulls...everything else feels totally fine. Gonna try to do some research and see what I might have done. Either way, I will still be able to train normally, just no pushups or bench. 
• Body: Quads and calves a little sore, as well as my abs. To be expected from a pretty hard climb after the time off. Curious to see how the pulls will make me feel tomorrow.

green mountain

1700


2x
60s hollow rocks
60s leaning rest rotations


Green mountain from my house via Gregory Canyon and Greenman


1:59:33 total
53:31 ascent time
9.04 miles

2x
60s hollow rocks
60s leaning rest rotations

• Notes: Good run. I like the greenman route much better than ranger trail...little more challenging terrain and awesome views. Unfortunately, my shoulder is still acting up and I can't really do pushups without some pain. Nothing else really bothers it which is weird, just horizontal pushing. Going to keep training and just avoid any painful activities for now. Priority is going to be focusing on shoulder stability and making sure I spent some time unimpinging myself before lifting.
• Body: Felt really good today despite taking a week or so off. Hips are a little tight.

BxS, Pr, climb

1500


Box squat, low box + 2 plates

2 x 175#, 185#, 195#, 195#, 195#


Press

5 x 95#, 105#, 105#, 110# (x 4th)

7 x 95#


treadmill challenge climb

15 minutes @ 15% - covered 1 mile

• Notes: Pretty tired today. Felt pretty good on the squat and could have definitely gone heavier, but I am really trying to hammer down my form and use my posterior chain on these. Presses felt totally fine on the shoulder, which is good. That tweak wasn't as bad as I thought. Got the idea for the treadmill climb from Krupicka's blog. I just had nothing in my legs though, so set it to 15 min/mile and took it easy. Definitely more of a mental exercise, you could really push the pace and make yourself hurt on this.
• Body: Doing fine, very sore up and down my IT bands though. 
• General: Going to Austin tomorrow night until Monday, so I am going to take the time to rest and recover. Feeling a little tired and burned out so looking forward to a little break.

conditioning

1500


short conditioning

tabata row
60s rest
tabata chasing rabbits
60s rest
tabata row
60s rest
tabata chasing rabbits


800m farmer carry w/ 90#, 45s each hand - 12:14

• Notes: I don't have many days like this anymore, but every once in a while a like to get some short conditioning in. It was also a good way to feel out my shoulder, which felt completely fine during everything. We will see how it does with pressing movements tomorrow. 
• Body: anterior hip is pretty sore all around from the run - quads, tfl, and hip flexors. No big deal though. Feeling pretty good today...wasn't very nice to my body this weekend between little sleep, drinking, first time deep dives, and a long run, but today was fine. Naps have been saving my life lately. 

long run

1600


run/walk 3:23:30

Wonderland up Hog Back Ridge to BVR and turned around by the res road. Did Hog Back again on the way back.

distance - 16.27 miles

• Notes: Decent day. Legs were pretty beat, ate a little bit at mile 11 but other than that just water and salt stick. Big climbs at miles 3 and 13, did a decent bit of walking.
• Body: Shoulder is feeling much better, but I am still gonna give it some time off. Feet were hurting a little bit on the run from my shoes, everything else felt good.
• General: Did day one of my certification dive this morning. Finishing up tomorrow morning.

active recovery

1600


Clean and jerk
1 x 133#, 143#, 143#, 143#

scapula retractions, 20# db
3 x 12 l/r

25m underwater swim ladder

• Notes: Hurt my shoulder doing something yesterday, I think it was the floor pressing. Pretty sure I know what happened...boring anatomy stuff but I think its some sort of impingement I caused by blocking my scapula on the ground during the press. Feels like it did when I was recovering from the shoulder separation, but not nearly as bad. I could clean and jerk just fine but I could tell it wasn't quite normal. Just gonna chill on the upper body stuff for a few days and try to fine some ways to clear it up.
• Body: Quads a little sore but everything else is fine.

FS, Fl Pr, assistance

1600


Front squat
3 x 155#, 185#, 185#, 185#

Floor press
3 x 135#, 155#, 165#, 175#, 175#, 185#


3x

5 front squats, 155#
12 band pull aparts, mini band
10 strict knees to elbows

90s rest in between

• Notes: Front squat still feels very weak. I am usually close to 200 for 5, and sets at 185 for 3 are kinda tough right now. First time floor pressing. I like it, but need to get some more practice before going heavier. Decided I just needed to work more on front squats for assistance so I threw in the circuit in at the end. Sometimes the primary lift is the best assistance you can get. 
• Body: Have some serious abdominal soreness up into my intercostals. Guess it's from the situps yesterday. Lats pretty sore as well.

cals, sprints

1600


Cals - negatives - 4 second eccentric, explode up

2 x 15 pushups w/ 15#
2 x 15 situps w/ 15#
2 x 6 pullups w/ 15#
1 x 20 pushups
1 x 20 situps
1 x 8 pullups

60 seconds rest between each


sprints

50 yard sprint every 30 seconds for:

6:00 on / 3:00 off
4:00 on / 2:00 off
2:00 on

increased intensity each set

• Notes: good day, wasn't too hard. I am doing a running study tomorrow and friday in which I might be doing up to 1 hour runs, so I figured I would keep to short and fast stuff today. Not sure about my training for the weekend yet since I will be doing a dive Sat and Sun morning, but I am shooting for a long run on Sunday.
• Body: Calves a little tight, and my hip abductors are actually a little sore for whatever reason. Feeling good though.

TDL, pulls, run

1500


Trap bar deadlift
3 x 255#, 285#, 305#, 315# (x 2nd)

face pulls
5 x 20


run 60 minutes moderate/hard up boulder creek path to canyon

• Notes: Decent day. Still struggle on the trap deadlifts, but I definitely felt stronger than last time. The trap bar is much more quad dominant and I am a lot weaker in my quads versus my hips and hammies. 
• Body: Feeling good, no soreness from yesterday. I still need to do a little massage on those tender spots in my hamstrings just to get everything sliding smoothly again. 

FS, jumps, amrap

Saturday


climbed the small flatty



Sunday


1600


Front squat
3 x 155#, 185#, 195# (x 3rd), 185#, 175#

box jumps
worked up to tall box + 7 plates

amrap in 10 minutes, 50# dbs:

DB rows
DB push press

7 sets

• Notes: Pretty bad on the squats today. To say that I was in no condition to lift is a horrible understatement. 
• Body: Hammies are finally better. 

Cals, long hills

Thursday


Hiked up to the mini flat and did some climbing


Friday


1500


Cals

80 wide pushups (25/25/15/15)
100 flutter kicks (60/40)
60 dips (15/15/15/15)
100 flutter kicks (60/40)
40 strict pullups (10/10/10/10)


hills @ BVR

5 x uphill @ moderate pace
1:11, 1:05, 1:04, 1:04, 1:08

• Notes: Planned on squatting today but my legs aren't ready. Flutter kicks felt very easy today pleasantly. Run was good, didn't want to push it to hard since I am still being a little cautious about my hammie.
• Body: Hamstrings are STILL extremely sore and tight, and I still have that tender knot in my right adductor/grundle (?). Shoulders are a little sore from the snatches the other day. The hammies are loosening up for sure, my damn its taking some time. I haven't been this sore in a long time...don't really get it, but oh well.

snatches, underwaters

1500


5 rounds w/ 50# db

10 snatches L
50 yd overhead walk L
10 snatches R
50 yd overhead walk R


underwater swim practice w/ flips

• Notes: For some reason this one took a long time. 50 felt heavy but doable for 5 rounds. Practiced doing some underwaters without using the wall and doing a flip first.
• Body: My hamstrings are fucking wrecked. Adductors were already really tender but yesterday just did away with my posterior chain. I planned on doing hills today but I need to chill on the legs for a few days because this is some legit tightness and feels on the verge of a tweak. Gonna do a healthy dose of massage and stretching tonight. Might take tomorrow off.
• General: Officially registered for the Devil Mountain 50k in Pagosa Springs in September. I seriously considered the 50 mile, but I figured its appropriate to climb the ladder....50 mile will come next.

PC, CPl, wheels, pulls

1400


Power clean
3 x 133#, 143#, 148#, 155#, 160#, 160#


Clean pull
3 x 160#, 175#, 175#, 175#


evil wheels
5 x 10


face pulls, 60#
4 x 20

• Notes: Good day. My clean is finally feeling a lot better and I am actually finishing my pulls. I think clean pulls are really good for me to do because they give me a better sense of where my hips need to be at extension. Evils wheels blow.
• Body: My right deep adductor is very tender for some reason. Both are pretty tight, but that one is oddly sore, I am guessing from the climbs the other day.

Mesa

0830


run

2:22:48 up Mesa from the amphitheater, turned around at the south mesa trailhead and came back via upper big bluestem

distance - 12.7 miles

• Notes: Good day, not as long as I wanted today to be but it was nice getting a whole Mesa loop in. Ran with Chiulli today so it was nice having a buddy. We were running out of water on the way back so started to get a little bogged down but in general kept a good consistent pace. Took a salt cap at the half way point. 
• Body: Felt like shit this morning, this felt more like a detox than a training run. Not much soreness to speak of.

BS, pullups, dips

1200


Back squat
5 x 155#, 185#, 185#, 185#


Weighted pullups
5 x 25#, 35#, 50#


Weighted chinups
5 x 50#, 60#


Weighted dips
5 x 25#, 35#, 50#, 60#

1 x 20 dips unweighted


100 hollow rocks

• Notes: Hips were a little tight so it made squatting difficult, but everything felt pretty good. 
• Body: Adductors and calves are sore. 
• General: Long run tomorrow on the trails.

track intervals

Thursday


easy 50 minute run hike on Mesa



Friday

1800


track:

10 x 200m @ 0:32-0:33

2 minute rest in between

• Notes: Form started to break down as usual towards the end of these, but felt pretty decent overall.
• Body: Tired, haven't got a lot of sleep lately. Everything feels good though.

Deficit SDL, facepulls, levers

1500


Sumo deadlift, from 1 plate deficit

5 x 225#, 255#, 275# (x 5th), 265#


Face pulls, 60#

4 x 20


10 minutes front lever progressions

• Notes: Short and sweet today. Made the mistake of trying to stand up and reset before the 5th rep at 275#...by the time I got back down and tried to pull, the system was just gassed. Could have probably grinded it out if I had just stayed down there and gone for it. But wow, the deficit pull is a whole different game. My hammies and glutes were very taxed. Have started adding face pulls and other row/pulls to help my scapula stability and hopefully keep my bad shoulder as functional and healthy as possible. 
• Body: Glutes were a little tight today, and for some reason my biceps are still a little bit tender. Odd.
• General: Planned on doing some sprints with today's session, but I am going to wait until Thursday so that I can really put some intensity into them. Sunday is going to be a bigger run/walk, and I haven't decided whether I am making it up to the mountains for another hike on Saturday. 

BS, Pr, assistance

1500

Back squat
5 x 185#, 205#

Press
5 x 95#, 105#, 110#

3x
5 pistols to low back, L/R
12 reverse hypers
5 HSPU

60s rest in between

• Notes: Decent day. I wanted to get a pr in the 5 rep squat, but I tied for 205#, which was a pretty big grind. Haven't squatted heavy in a while so I will take it. Press felt ok. 
• Body: Front of my shoulders are a little tight, but felt great other than that. Had a lot of motivation to lift today. Looking forward to pulling heavy on wednesday.

run, weighted cals

1000

50 minutes easy run/hike @ wonderland


1400

Weighted cals

4 rounds w/ 25# pack:
20 pushups
20 anchored situps
6 pullups
20 flutter kicks holding weight above chest

Scapula retractions, 20# db
3 x 10

• Notes: Easy recovery day.
• Body: Legs aren't sore whatsoever from yesterday, which is awesome and pretty surprising. Little tired overall, and my grips and biceps are sore for whatever reason.
• General: Broke my new balance MT110s in yesterday on the hike and exposed them to pretty much every condition possible...they held up amazingly. Lots of grip on wet rock and they are comfortable as hell. The rock plate is exactly what I was needing for rockier stuff compared to my inov-8s. Think I might have finally found the right all around trail shoe.

14ers

Saturday

Hiked Mt. Democrat (14,148'), Cameron (14,238'), Lincoln (14,286'), and Bross (14,172')

• Notes: Great day up in the Mosquito Range. Only took about 5 hours to summit all the peaks. Got rained, hailed, and lightening on but it was a great time.
• Body: Little tired, but not sore or achy at all. Legs held up great.

Short metcon

1500

8 rounds for time:

100 yard sprint, out and back
5 sumo tire flips
8 clapping pushups

11:08

• Notes: Short and sweet today. It was extremely hot on the turf field when I did this.
• Body: Tired, not really feeling 100%. My diet and sleep has been a little off recently, but I might need to throw in some more carbs also.
• General: Heading up to the mountains tonight. Gonna be spending a lot of time on the trails this weekend getting some climbing in. Looking forward to it.

OHS, pullups/dips

1500

Hang snatch + overhead squat practice

Overhead squat
3 x 95#, 95#, 105#, 115#, 115#, 125#, 130# (pr)

for time:
50 pullups
50 dips

7:09

• Notes: Big pr on the 3 rep ohs. My max single is 135#, so feel pretty good about that even though I haven't done overheads in forever. 
• Body: Tired. Glutes an adductors are pretty damn sore from the box squats. Did an easy hike/free climb yesterday to stretch out but they are still pretty tight (this is a good thing from box squats).

BxS, DB Pr, rows, short hills

1500

Box squat
2 x 165#, 175#, 185#, 185#, 185#, 185#

Dumbbell press
5 x 30#, 40#, 50# (fail ish), 45#, 45#, 45#

1 arm DB rows, 50#
3 x 15

Toes to bar
3 x 10


Short hills @ rec center

7 x uphill, walk down recovery
0:32, 0:28, 0:26, 0:25, 0:24, 0:23, 0:38

• Notes: Well, pretty weak today. Haven't squatted in what feels like forever. I'm trying to start implementing much more variation of squat and press, and the DB press was a challenging change up. Hills started out pretty sluggish, but I eventually opened up and got quicker tying my pr for this hill.
• Body: Not sore from yesterday, just a little bit tired overall. Tomorrow will just be a lifting session.

Summit run

Hiked a bunch Saturday

1200

Run 1:50:10

Green Mountain from my house - up via gregory canyon and ranger trail
Ascent time - 63:26
Descent time - 45:44

• Notes: Great run. Took my new Nathan's hydration pack for a spin today and I really like it...lightweight and comfortable. Took a salt tab at the top.
• Body: Pretty sore...upper back, traps, biceps, and hammies. Went up to Mt. Evans yesterday to hike, not really sore from that though.
• Side note: Just read that Anton Krupicka was on the same route I was this afternoon. Gotta run into him one of these days!

CJ, snatches/pullups, levers

Took this week off. Started taking SCUBA classes and mostly just rested.

1500

Clean and jerk

2 x 133#, 143#, 148#, 155#, 148#, 148#, 148#

3x

2 minutes max muscle snatches, 45#
2 minutes max pullups (weighted chinups, strict pullups, kipping pullups)

60 seconds rest in between

100 leg levers for time - 3:22

• Notes: Felt really good to get in and lift today. Clean felt really good, jerk felt decent. Right wrist is bothering me a little bit on the jerks.
• Body: Feeling good and well recovered.

Programming update

I like to stop and evaluate my training and programming every once and a while, so I think a new evaluation is due:

Basically I won't be changing anything in the near future.

My goals right now are to be strong in the primary lifts and have the endurance to finish longer (ultra-ish) runs.

My template has been pretty simple overall - 4ish days of lifting per week following the strength portion only of crossfit football. These lifts are usually squat, deadlift, some type of press, and an olympic pull. I have cut out almost all metcon work, though occasionally (once a week or biweekly) I will get something short, heavy, and fast in the mix.

Running-wise is where I have changed the most from last year. 3 runs/week is standard, comprised of one hill workout, one interval workout (usually on the track and high intensity), and a long hilly trail run in the area of 8-12 miles. The long runs have been where I have been making great progress and really been trying to put my focus. Using this method I have made some great physical adaptations to distance without putting in huge amounts of miles.

On the running days I will also typically throw in some core work after, usually with hollow rocks (which I have found to be the most potent and helpful of ab exercises) and pushups.

My recovery has been pretty much right where I want it, and I feel benefits from the strength gains I have made in the weight room translating to the trails. Long runs are almost always done in a state of fatigue or soreness from the previous day, and I have gotten comfortable going long in less than ideal conditions.

My next big race will be a 50k in late September (I have already chosen the race, just need to wait for my paycheck to come in so I can nail it down - more on that later) and my first ultra-effort. I plan to make the following changes in order to prepare specifically for this race:

1. Addition of one more medium length run during the week - this will come probably after a lifting session and will be a quick 45-60 minutes depending on the day and how I feel. Trails/hills if possible.
2. Modifying the long runs - Leadville taught me that I need to spend more time walking/hiking the hills of these races, so I plan to do so during my long runs while also extending their duration. Instead of mileage goal it might be easier to go by time. I think a good peak in training would be back to back day long runs of say 3 hours and 2 hours, 4 hours and 2 hours, or something in that ballpark.
3. Tinkering with nutrition and hydration on long runs - this is where I need to get as comfortable as possible. Need to make sure I can run with all the supplies I will need come race day.

Really excited. Being in the company of all the trail lovers this weekend really made me want to take the next step up. It's becoming addicting.

Recovery day

1500

Scapular retraction
3 x 12, 20#

Recovery pt:

3x through
10 bench press, 95#
10 pullups, strict
10 db swings, 50#
10 back extensions
10 ghd situps

handstand practice

Swim

4 x 25m underwater, decrease rest each time

• Notes: Took today easy just to get moving and get my muscles working again. 
• Body: Basically no soreness from the race, just some general systemic fatigue. I can tell that I don't have a lot of energy in my legs, but I am extremely pleased with my recovery. Tells me that I am training the right way and was pretty much prepared for the race, unlike the marathon. 
• General: Going to continue to take this week a little easy just to take a break. I could have trained normal today, but its good to take a mental rest. Probably resume normal training on Friday. 

Leadville Trail Heavy Half

Leadville Trail Heavy Half-Marathon Race Report


First thing's first: didn't take any pictures and highly regret it.

The heavy half is around 15.5 miles that starts on 6th street in downtown and goes on an out and back course up to Mosquito Pass. It follow along a short section of paved road, followed by a longer dirt mining road and eventually to the trail that leads directly to the pass. The trails are in good shape and get more rugged as you approach the peak, but otherwise they were very manageable - no single track.

I had a great time with this race and learned more from it than any other that I have previously done. Most importantly, it was a great preview of the style of running that I can probably expect from an ultra.

The course can be summed up pretty easily: steep as shit. We started out taking an old mining road out of town, and not 15 minutes in I found myself following those around me and walking. Not used to walking during races, so this was a little bit weird at first, but I would end up doing a lot of walking. Lots and lots of walking. The section to the first aid station was around 3 miles, and I tried to keep to a structure of running for about 5 minutes and then walking for 1 minute. This didn't last long though, and I found it made more sense to just walk the steepest parts and then run the others. It was cool to see that walking was actually more efficient, and you didn't end up losing places by doing it. Hit the first aid station and grabbed some gatorade and water.

I picked up a handheld Nathan's water bottle one day prior to this race. Undoubtedly the best decision I made in prep because it saved me throughout.

From station 1 to 2 was a relieving and gorgeous mild downhill that started the actual trail portion. Felt great, went fast. Had people around me talking about not opening up on this part even though it was tempting, so I followed-ish their advice. Station two was the last one before the top of the pass, so I tried to "stock up" - threw two Gu packets in my pocket, filled my bottle with gatorade and threw down some water. Should have grabbed a lot more.

So here started the climb. It was pretty sweet, everyone had this sort of "so it begins" type of moment (most of the people I ran into were also first timers). We took off up the start of the climb and I immediately put into place my newfound walking/running strategy - walk the steep uphills, jog any time you can. This worked for a while until basically running was no longer an option. I looked up and saw the entire field in front me walking, so I happily followed suit. The views on the way up were awesome. Again, I wish I had taken pictures.

The trail got much more rugged as we climbed, and footing more unstable, but all in all it wasn't too bad. My inov-8 230's held up fine. I also used gaiters for the first time and they worked like a charm...didn't get any debris in my shoes. I talking to several guys I saw wearing the NB mt110's, since I am looking into getting a pair, and they all said the shoe held up great to the terrain.

Somewhere close to the top the cramps set in. Calves first, as usual. I had walked most of the way up, but at this point I literally couldn't speed up to a jog due to cramps. Slammed down the Gu and chugged some gatorade. That bought me about 5 minutes and then they came back. I had put one salt stick tab in my handheld from the start, but intelligently brought no more with me. From then on the race was literally only about how to keep myself from cramping.

At the top of the pass, which was beautiful, the aid station saved my ass. Grabbed a handful of pretzels, more Gu, gatorade, and a banana. Started on the way down and felt pretty good, though the cramps slowly started creeping back in and spread to my adductors and hamstrings. Had a good time on the descent and started running into the full marathoners on their way up. My food/water ran out and, again, I counted the time to the aid station so that I could get some salt in me. By this point I was trying to blow up my quads as much as possible since they were holding up well and everything else seemed not to.

Back to station 4 and I was ready to put in some work. The climb was over, everyone around me was hurting and slowing down, and I honestly felt great. Except for the damn cramps. Didn't do much walking on this segment except when I was forced to, but it was a mild uphill to the last aid station. Same dance - handful of pretzels, gatorade, and some water, with a Gu on hand just in case. I hated that I was having to eat so much crap just to keep the cramps away because it starts to weigh on the stomach after a while. Some of those salt sticks would have been pretty clutch.

The last stretch was the 3 mile down hill back to downtown, which wasn't bad at all. It was a delicate balance...speeding up to the sweet spot to where I could catch some people without my legs locking up. But honestly, it was fun seeing how fast you could affect your body with what you put into it, as well as how you changed your stride.

Caught a few people at the finish and came in feeling pretty strong overall, even if ready to completely lock up.

Finish time of 3:08:33. 17th in my age group out of 43. Definite room for improvement.


Looking back I would have definitely done more hiking in prep for this, since that is where the majority of people passed me on the climb. My lungs were completely fine despite the elevation, and all the joints felt perfect for the duration. Where I need improvement is on climbing (that could always use improvement) and calf strength, although those should improve mutually. My legs are probably the strongest they have been right now and I think they did pretty well.

What really held me back was the electrolyte issue. I have definitely learned my lesson in this area and I will know exactly how to handle it next time. Honestly this was the most fun part for me...trying to find the balance with what you put in your body simply so that it can keep performing. You mess up and crash, then fix it and get yourself 10 more minutes down the road. It's a really cool physicality I haven't experienced in races before that makes things a hell of a lot more interesting. When I finished I just wanted to push it more.

Lessons learned:

• When in doubt, walk!
• Respect the race, respect the trail. Don't underestimate what you need to bring with you, and err on the side of bringing too much with you rather than too little.
• Salt, salt, salt. Saves lives.
• Go out slow.
• Take pictures.
• Spend more time walking uphills during training.

Awesome race and race series. The crew is the shit, and you get two free beers. Now its time for a 50k.

rest

No training, just mobility work.

• Notes: Up in Breck for the night. Gonna head out early in the morning in time to get to Leadville for 8 am start.
• Body: Feeling much better. Gonna really stretch out my quads and calves tonight.

pushups, hollow rocks

1700

general warm up

scapula exercises

2x
40 pushups
40 hollow rocks

mobility tonight

• Notes: Resting up. Still a little sore in the legs but by tomorrow night/saturday morning should be fine.
• Body: In need of some stretching and massage, but feeling strong.

run

1730

Run easy 1:05:10 from foothills trailhead to BVR, boulder res rd. and back

distance - 7.66 miles
terrain - rolling, gravel and hard pack dirt, rocks

• Notes: Run felt really good today and I just went at a comfortable pace. Last training day before the race saturday, tomorrow I am just going to do some easy bodyweight work. 
• Body: Distal quads are pretty sore as expected, along with my glutes and upper back. Cool to know that pause squats have such a more potent effect on my legs. 
• Side note: Kills me to watch these fires basically destroying our back yard right now. Banking on some rain to come through and help the guys out up there. 

BP, FS, fast

1600

Bench press, narrow/shoulder width
5 x 135#, 155#, 165#, 165#

Front squat w/ 3 second pause
3 x 135#, 155#, 165#, 175#

6x, 90s rest in between
2 front squats, 165#
10 burpees

maximal intensity and speed on each set

• Notes: Well, went a little harder today than I intended. Never tried pause squats before but they were tough. Ended up grinding out some reps and my quads were pretty shot afterwards. Probably not ideal during race week, but whatever. Taking it easy the rest of the week.
• Body: Good. Little tired because of early days for work, but that's it.
• General: Gonna hit the trail tomorrow for a relaxed run and maybe do some speed/agility stuff thursday. Lots of mobility in the meantime.

Track intervals

1400

3x
10 pushups feet elevated
5 tire flip + box jump combo

"Short Tosh"

3 x (100m, 200m, 400m)
equal jog recovery in between, near full recoveries between sets
pace ~ 0:15, 0:32, 0:75

100 pushups
100 flutter kicks

• Notes: Bad day. Made the mistake of running at midday and the heat was killer. Pace really fell off on the last round of sprints and I just wasn't feeling strong. 
• Nutrition: Going to cut back on the drinking a little bit...it's actually starting to affect my performance and kind of messing with my stomach. Still eating pretty well.
• Body: Legs are just feeling a little beat up from all the hiking and steep running I have been doing recently. Gonna need to take it a little easy this week so that I am feeling fresh for Saturday's race. 

CJ, pullups, t2b

1200

Clean and jerk
1 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 155#, 165#, 165#

Weighted pullups

4 x 5 x 25#
1 minute rest in between, alternating pullups/chinups

1 minute max strict chinups
1 minute max kipping pullups

straight leg toes to bar
3 x 10

handstand practice

• Notes: Didn't go too hard today since I am still really sore. Clean and jerk was pretty ugly today. 
• Body: Quads and calves are both pretty sore from a summit run a few days ago.
• General: One week out from Leadville. Gonna taper off a little bit this week on the lifting.

Metcons

0900 @ Buck's Gym

Warm-up w/ partner

10 minutes of:
25 yd run w/ 20#
max sumo deadlift high-pulls, 1.5 pood

-count max sdhp between you and your partner
-2 burpees every minute


4 rounds for time:

5 DB snatches, 45# L/R
25 yard prowler push, 90# added
100 yard farmer carry, 80# jugs
10 knees to elbows on rings
10 push press, 95#
15 back extensions

time - 20:00

50 step-ups w/ 50# sandbag

• Notes: First time doing straight crossfit in a long time, wiped me out pretty good. The warm up was really fun, could be a workout in itself.
• Body: Hammies a little tight, but surprisingly not very sore from yesterday. 

DL, overhead, hills

1200

Deadlift, moderate sumo
3 x 265#, 295#, 315#, 325# (pr)

Figure 8 overhead walks
95#, 115#, 135#
flutter kicks in between

max overhead hold, 135#


Hills @ back of 3-mile

10 x 30s
jog down recovery + 15s

• Notes: Huge PR on the deadlift for me, felt pretty solid. Hills were tough.
• Body: Left hammie is pretty tight at the distal end by my knee. Iced it after, should be fine. Triceps are sore.

swim, PT

0745

swim

4 x 25m freestyle
2 x 25m underwaters

500m css easy, no fins

50 flutter kicks w/ fins

w/ 15# pack:
50 pullups
50 dips

• Notes: Started using a flip turn for the first time today (not sure why I have waited this long) and it definitely helps speed things up a bit. It's still kinda shitty but I'm sure I can get a functional turn going before too long. Broke the pullups/dips into sets of 10.
• Body: Pretty well rested, legs are just a little beat up and sluggish from the past week of training. Today was kind of an active rest.

Flagstaff

1200

run ~1 hour round trip from my house to flagstaff summit and back

terrain - road and trail, lots of steps
distance - 5.6 miles total
summit time - 26:10, w/ about 14-1500 ft of vert gain

• Notes: Good run. Tried to maintain a steady pace on the ascent, there were only a few stair sections that I would have to slow to a walk on. Pretty hot outside.
• Body: Sore all over. Adductors, calves, forearms, shoulders, upper back...ect.

Short metcon, farmer carries

1400

12-9-6-3 for time:
thrusters, 95#
pullups
DB swings, 60#
GHD situps

time - 9:28

800m farmer carry, 45# plates in each hand

• Notes: Haven't done thrusters in a while so my technique felt a little shaky, but good workout other than that. Grip was pretty burnt out by the end of the carries.
• Body: Hammies, adductors, and calves are all sore. Upper back in a little tight as well.
• General: Tomorrow gonna do flagstaff ascent for time. Just signed up for a beginner SCUBA class in July, so looking forward to doing that.

PC, rows, sprints

1300

Power clean
1 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 155#, 165#, 165#, 165#
2 x 3 x 155#

technique work w/ 133#

3 x max reverse pushups


Short intervals

10 x 200m @ 0:31-0:33
2 minutes rest in between

• Notes: My clean technique has been unbelievably inconsistent recently, and today was pretty bad. I need to just get the thought of cleaning heavier weight out of my mind and just focus on technique. Heavier hang cleans might also be a better option for me until I can get some coaching. 
• Body: Feel good, diet has been a little iffy but for the most part decent. 

BS, BP, wall climbs

1100

Back squat
40 reps @ 70% (160#)

Bench press
40 reps @ 135#

20 wall climbs

• Notes: Good day of some higher volume. Broke the squats into sets of 10 and the bench into sets of 8. 
• Body: Abs are extremely sore, quads and upper back are tight as well. I am very pleased with how well my legs have been holding up after my long runs. These past 3 days have been very leg heavy with dead-run-squat days right in a row. Not sore from the run at all.

Long run/hike

0900

Run/hike 1:51:40 from Wonderland up Hogback Ridge loop, down Eagle trail to BVR and back

distance - 10.7 miles
terrain - gravel, dirt, rock trail with a few steep climbs

• Notes: Bonked really fucking hard today. Didn't eat before going out and this route has no shade, I was hurting by mile 6. Never done the hogback loop but it was pretty rocky/technical on the ascent. Did a decent bit of walking. This is a good route to add some serious miles to, as the BVR loop also connects to Boulder res and all of the dirt roads back there. 
• Nutrition: Adding a note to myself that I am going to stop my fasted runs and lifts in the morning. The past couple times I have done it has resulted in a serious energy bonk for whatever reason, so...eat something before going out. It's funny that I could easily handle it during the semester when I am busy and stressed, but during relaxing summertime it isn't working out? Probably just a sign that I need to eat more. Bonus - came home and made a bomb-ass smoothie: 1 cup coconut water, 1 cup whole milk, half a banana, blueberries, half avocado, half scoop of protein, honey, 1 salt stick capsule, cinnamon. Life saver.
• Body: Pretty sore - abs, upper back, and traps. 
• Extra: Signing up for my first 50k soon, just trying to make a final decision on which race. More on that later.

DL, rows, short metcon

1000

Trap-bar deadlift
3 x 265#, 295#, 315# (x 2nd)

Barbell rows, 95#
3 x 15

amrap in 10 minutes:
2 hang cleans, 133#
7 toes to bar

8 rounds + 1 clean

1300

About 1 hr hike up to saddle rock from chautauqua to do some climbing/dicking around

• Notes: First time trying the trap-bar variation, and it significantly different for me than regular or sumo stances. Basically it just felt like a squat, felt like I couldn't really use my hips and leverage to squeeze the bar up like a normal DL. Much more quad dominant.
• Body: Quads and calves are a little tight. My hand/wrist is still a little bit bruised and healing from the bike accident, as well as my right ankle. They are fine though. 
• Tomorrow: Long run, haven't quite decided the route though. Want to get a summit run in pretty soon here. 

long hills

1600

Long hills @ BVR

15 minute jog to hill

4 x uphill, walk downhill recovery
1:07, 1:02, 0:56, 0:59

walk/jog back

• Notes: Beat my previous best by 1 second on the third ascent, so I pretty much shut it down after that. Still hurt though, this hill blows. Forgot to wear under armour, so the jog back was destroying my grundle.
• Body: Quads and glutes are a wee bit sore.

BS, Pr, pullups

1400

Back squat
5 x 1 x 215#

Press
5 x 5 x 105#

3 x max pullups - 2 strict, 1 kipping

hollow rocks
1 x 30

• Notes: Back in Colorado, good day of strength work. Squat felt decent, press felt good.
• Body: Fine, still have some aches from the mountain bike.

short conditioning/recovery

1000

Cals - negatives

4x
10 pushups
10 situps
5 pullup

4 second negatives, then explode up

25 kb swings
15 pullups
15 kb swings
10 pullups
5 kb swings
5 pullups

6x
kb swings - 30s on/30s off

2 minutes squat
2 minutes plank
2 minutes squat

• Notes: Took a nasty spill on the mountain bike on wednesday and have been trying to recover from that. Ankle has been a little swollen and shoulder is sore, but it will just be a few days. Will probably be able to squat tomorrow.
• Body: Fine, aside from the above. 

Long run

1100

2x
30 pushups
30 hollow rocks

Run 1:39:23 backwards along the 11.2 route in Percy Warner
terrain - hilly, asphalt

2 minute squat

• Notes: Good run today. Can't remember the last time I ran on asphalt for this far, so my feet were getting a little more sore than usual but everything else was good. 
• Body: Hammies are very tight and my upper back is sore. I have put on a little weight in the past few weeks, post-run I was about 166#. 

DL/PU, strides

1100

5 rounds, 60s rest in between:
Max deadlifts, 225#
Max strict pullups

jog to track

6-8 sprint accelerations w/ pull technique drills in between

jog home

• Notes: The deads were tough, and the combo pretty much destroyed my grip. Tomorrow is a long run so I didn't want to go crazy at the track today.
• Body: Legs are very tight from wakeboarding this weekend, and my neck is super sore for some reason.

box jumps, PC, PU, prowler

0930

3RM box jump - box + 9 plates

Power clean
1 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 165#, 165#, 165#, 165#, 165#, 165#, 165#

3 x max strict pullups

Prowler w/ 45#:

death by 20 yards, alternating low and high push - made 4 trips

5 rounds:
50 yard push
1 minute leaning rest

• Notes: Decent day. Tried to just get some good technique work in on the cleans instead of pushing the weight. 
• Body: Calves are a little sore.

run time trials

1700

run @ steeplechase course

2 x 12:00 time trials
full recovery in between

• Notes: Not a great day, didn't feel as strong as I would have liked. Terrain was difficult, but I just need to be better. Need to do some legit conditioning soon.
• Body: Feeling good, just not completely in shape/fast. 

FS, Pr, overhead work, swings

1300

Front squat
1 x 200#, 210# (x), 200#, 205#, 205#

Press
5 x 95#, 105#, 115#
2 x 5 x 105#

Clean and jerk + 25 yard overhead carry
2 x 95#, 115#, 125#, 135#, 145#

6x
30 seconds kb swings, 20kg
30 seconds rest

• Notes: First time I have actually bailed out of a squat I think. There is no reason I shouldn't be able to put up 210# since I did 3 at 195# a few weeks ago, but I just didn't have much in my legs today. On the other hand, my press felt much better at 115#, and next time I do 5s its time for 120-125#. The overhead walks were really fun and challenging. I want to be able to carry my bodyweight overhead for a significant distance. 
• Body: Hammies are tight and my triceps are still sore. Right knee a little achy from the run.

double red trail

1200

Run Red Trail Loop x 2 in Percy Warner - 1:39:55
distance ~ 9.2 miles

• Notes: Felt strong on the first loop, started to bonk a little bit on the second. Lots of hills, almost comparable to Mesa but not quite. For right now, I am going to stop training fasted as I have been doing all year. Eating habits are a little different now that I am home and I need to be eating more in general, so my morning sessions will probably be precluded with some food of some sort. '
• Body: triceps and shoulders are a little sore, and my hammies are very tight. Tomorrow will be an off day and will be back at it on Tuesday.

DL, pushups, hills

1400

Sumo deadlift, wide stance
5 x 225#, 255#, 275#, 295#

150 pushups for time, as few sets as possible - 8:13, 7 sets

Long hills @ back of 3 mile hill
6 x 1:00 uphill, walk down recovery, increase distance each time

• Notes: DL felt strong again today, even with the wider stance. My pushups blow right now, but that's ok. Hills were rough, I bonked pretty hard.
• Body: After a week of the beach I have lost a little fitness and eaten/drank some crap, but strength levels are still feeling fine. Got a lot of mobility work to do.

PC, DL, wpu/lunges/twists

1000

Power clean

3 x 111#, 133#, 143#, 155#, 165#

Deadlift, moderate sumo

5 x 225#, 265#, 295# (pr)

4 rounds w/ 25#, a few minutes rest in between 

1 minute of weighted chinups

1 minute of walking lunges

1 minute of russian twists

• Notes: Huge pr on the deadlift, I should be over 300 soon enough for a 5 rep.
• Body: Great.

Tabata sprints, swim

1400

tabata sprints on treadmill
20:10 x 8
12% grade @ 6:10 pace

swim
25m underwater
500m css w/ duck feet easy

50 pushups
50 flutter kicks

• Notes: Happy summer.

PJ, BS, assistance

0900

Push jerk
1 x 115#, 135#, 145#, 155#, 165#, 165#
4 x 1 x 150#

Back squat
5 x 185#, 205#, 195#, 185#

3x
4 HSPU
7 box pistols, L/R
10 reverse hypers, no weight
10 GHD situps

• Notes: Really hard, but really good day of lifting. 165 is tied for my PR overhead, and I felt pretty strong just not quite ready to go heavier. Squats were good, I was really grinding them out at 205#. Even though it doesn't like much work, I was wiped the fuck out after today.
• Body: Feeling good. Exams done, gonna be stress free for a while.
• General: Think I'm going to do some running and hit the pool tomorrow. Haven't swam in forever it seems. 

Rest

Today and tomorrow are rest days due to finals. Resume normal training on Wednesday.

• Body: Very pleased that I am 100% recovered from yesterday. 12 miles and around 3,000 ft of vert left me neither sore nor tired today, so I am feeling good about my recovery abilities right now. Wanted to train, but need to focus on work right now.
• General: Heavy lifting on wednesday, probably some hills thursday, and some more lifting friday before I head home for a few weeks.

Mesa

1200

Run 2:20:45 from South Mesa to Chat. and back, whole Mesa trail

Pushups
2 x 40

Hollow rocks
2 x 25

• Notes: Run was good, not as hard as I was expecting. Aside from being overwhelmingly hungover everything felt good.
• Body: Hammies, upper back sore.

OHS, DL, PU, tempos

1100

Overhead squat
2 x 5 x 95#

1,2,3,4,5,6 x 95# on the minute

1 x 15 x 45#

Speed pulls, conventional
10 x 3 x 160#
45 seconds rest in between

1 x max weighted chinups, 25# - 10
1 x max strict chinups - 11
1 x max kipping pullups - 18

Tempo miles @ track
3 x 1 mile, 6:00 target pace
kept it between 0:44-0:46/200m

• Notes: Wrists were pretty achy on the ohs. Deads felt great. Adding 10 more pounds next time. The tempos were tough...hadn't felt the discomfort of a tempo session in a long time so it was good to get refreshed on that. Kept pace pretty well and focused on form again.
• Body: I was a little tired to start today, but felt great once I got going. Legs are a little tired. Chest, hammies, shoulder are a little sore.
• Tomorrow: Probably going to be one of my toughest training runs before Leadville. Gonna get some good hills and some good miles.

BS, BP

0930

Back squat
1 x 210#, 220#, 225#, 225#, 230#

Bench press
5 x 135#, 155#, 165#, 170#
2 x 5 x 155#

3 x 7 strict toes to bar

• Notes: Great day of lifting. Didn't pr on the squat, but I was grinding 230# pretty hard and my form felt perfect. Really focused on the 2 hand rule and keeping my entire spine neutral. 170# was feeling a little ugly for 5 on the bench, but its still more than I did last time. Triceps and chest were already a little sore so this was tough.
• Body: Chest, shoulders, triceps, calves and IT band area a little tight. Rest day tomorrow should do the trick. 
• General: Big weekend of training on my legs coming up, so I am gonna be doing some soft tissue work to prepare.

short metcon, track intervals

1000

10x fast
10 DB swings, 60#
3 inch worms

Track intervals

6 x 400m, 90s rest in between
target pace 0:41/200m, averaged 0:39-0:40/200m

• Notes: The intervals felt pretty good, not very difficult. It was tempting to push it really hard and blow them out, but capped myself at 0:39-0:40 pace and tried to really dial in my form. This is a pretty big week of training for me so need to pace myself.
• Body: Legs are still pretty beat up...quads and calves mostly, still sore from sunday's hike. Chest and triceps are also a little sore from yesterday.

PC, rings

0930

Power clean + front squat
1 x 133#, 143#, 155#, 165#, 170#, 175#, 175# (max front squats)

Rings

Single leg front levers

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
ring dips
ring rows
30 seconds in between everything

• Notes: Clean was feeling pretty ugly up at weight. Need to pull it back to the 155# range and just work on form.
• Body: Legs are really sore.

Run/hike

1400

run/hike 2:20:07 up South Boulder Peak via Towhee and Shadow Canyon, came back down Mesa trail

distance - 7.52 miles
terrain - straight up, very rocky and technical, difficult to run
vert - around 3,000 ft gain

• Notes: Well I didn't do the run I had planned up at elevation, but I got in some serious climbing today. First time taking shadow canyon all the way up, and its pretty brutal. Ran the first 2ish miles from the trailhead and then it was no longer an option due to the grade and the terrain. View from the top was unbelievable though, wish I had brought a camera. 
• Body: Legs held up pretty well, although my descents were starting to get sloppy cause my quads were burning out a little bit. Might be a little sore tomorrow. 

DL, hills

1100

Deadlift, moderate sumo
5 x 225#, 255#, 275#, 285#

3x
12 DB swings, 50#
max pullups

2x
25 situps
25 leg levers
25 flutter kicks

hills @ wonderland
6 x uphill, jog down recover
0:46, 0:40, 0:38, 0:33, 0:42, 0:45

• Notes: Should have gone for 290# on the DL, but the last set was pretty tough. Form felt good though, squeezing it off the ground. Hills went really well, crushed my last fastest time by 3 seconds and then did 2 cooldown ascents.
• Body: Lower back has been a little achy but its feeling better already. No soreness to speak of.
• Tomorrow: Getting a long run in at elevation.

BS, Pr, assistance

0930

Back squat
3 x 185#, 195#, 205#, 210#
3 x 3 x 190#

Press
5 x 95#, 105#, 115#

2 sets fast, couple minutes rest in between
40 DB push press, 35#
15 box jumps, waist height

1 set of knees to elbows

• Notes: Squats felt pretty strong, I was grinding them out at 210# so figured that was a good place to stop. Last press at 115 was a little ugly, but got it up there. Still no tall box in the gym, so box jumps have been thrown off a little recently.
• Body: Good. Calves still sore and a little tightness here and there in my hips but overall solid. 
• General: Resting tomorrow. Planning on deadlifting and doing some hills on saturday and then getting in a nice long run up at altitude on sunday. 

Track intervals, hollow rocks

0930

Short intervals @ track
3 x (100m, 200m, 400m)

double recovery after each (1:2)
aimed for 85-90% intensity - averaging 0:14, 0:35, 1:14

jogged a few laps barefoot on the turf

hollow rocks
2 x 30

• Notes: Short and intense today. Didn't go in with a set pace in mind, just wanted to go by feel and push it. 
• Body: Calves, glutes, neck/shoulders sore. Good amount of sleep and good eating lately has me feeling really solid.

CJ, WCU, jumps

0930

Clean and jerk
2 x 133#, 138#, 143#, 148#
2 x 3 x 133#

Weighted chinups
5 x 25#, 35#, 50#, 60#

Single leg box jumps
Medium box + 3 plates

2x
50 calf raises
super frog stretch, L/R

• Notes: Pretty good day, I got some doubles in at what I was clean and jerking singles at a week or so ago and they felt pretty good. Finally have a solid setup that works well for me. First time pushing weight on the chinups and it felt good. I can tell I favor my right shoulder though instinctively. They took out the tall box from the gym so had to do single leg jumps.
• Body: Got really sore midday yesterday...glutes and hip flexors mostly. Also have a decent amount of shoulder and chest soreness. 

BxS, BP, assistance

1000

Box squat
1 x 210#, 215#, 220#, 225#, 230# (pr)

Bench press from 2 plates
5 x 135#, 155#, 165#, 175#
3 x 5 x 155#

2x
15 bar dips
7 box pistols, L/R

3 minute plank circuit

• Notes: 10# pr on the box squat from this depth. Felt pretty strong overall; I think I need to focus on keeping knees out more and not rocking back as much when the weight gets heavy. Didn't go too crazy with the assistance work since we will be doing a lot of sprinting today.
• Body: Great, no soreness. It's really good to know that I can knock out a steep 8 mile run and then be able to squat heavy with no soreness the next day. Body is definitely adapting to what I have been doing recently.

Long run

1200

Run/hike 1:33:30 up from South Mesa Trailhead, Mesa to Bear Canyon
Terrain - dry, rocky, very steep
Distance - 8.37 miles

3 x L-pullups

• Notes: Great run today in some beautiful weather. Taking mesa from the south is much hillier than my normal route, first 2 miles is straight up but then it starts rolling as usual. Didn't get too far up Bear, I just wanted to check it out since I have never been up that way. Much more hiking oriented. 
• Body: Everything felt perfect today. Little hamstring and upper body soreness, but I should be fine for tomorrow.
• General: Adding a new challenge to my list - running the entire Mesa trail, south to north end and back. Should be around a 12-13 miler, but the elevation change would make it a great training run for Leadville. Putting the walking lunge challenge on the backburner, as I would prefer to not wreck myself with a weeks worth of soreness right now. Have a good chance to get some good long runs and some lifting PRs under my belt in the next month or so, so that's where I am going to put my effort.
• Tomrrow: Heavy box squats and some benching before the games.

HC, speed pulls, row

0930

Hang power clean
1 x 143#, 148#, 155#, 160#, 160#

Speed deadlifts w/ purple band, conventional stance
10 x 1 x 165#

3x
12 ghd situps
15 bb bent over rows, 95#
15 single leg calf raises, L/R
10 back extensions

Tabata row
20:10 x 8
distance - 902m

• Notes: Not too impressive on the hang cleans, footwork still needs improvement. Lot of hamstring work today. I have done about a 3 week wave of speed pulls, now I am going to remove the band, reset weight and switch to sumo speed pulls for another 3 weeks and see what happens. I like them a lot and have been very sore after every session I have done.
• Body: Shoulders are a little sore. Feeling great overall
• General: Lots of intramural games coming up in the next week, so won't be spending as much time at the track. Saturday is going to be a lift and Sunday I'm going for a long easy run either up at Mesa or Wonderland.

bodyweight

0900

easy bodyweight work

1-2-3-4-5
HSPU
toes to bar from L-hang

pushups
1 x 40

hollow rocks
1 x 30

5 minute squat

• Notes: Planned on going for an easy run this morning but I am dealing with some administrative crap with school and needed to finish up some work. Next couple of days are intramural playoffs for soccer and ultimate so will be doing a lot of sprinting anyway. 
• Body: Glutes are still sore.

FS, PP/pullups

0930

Front squat
3 x 175#, 185#, 195#
3 x 3 x 175#

5 rounds, 90s rest in between
1 push press, 95#
1 chinup, strict
3 push press
3 chinups
max push press
max chinups

• Notes: Great day. Planned on going pretty easy but just went with how I felt and pushed it a little bit. Legs were a little weaker today so I didn't have the juice to go for 200#, but I'm pretty sure this is a PR. Last time I did doubles I tapped out at 185#. Push presses were tough.
• Body: Calves and glutes are sore. Calves were the only thing sore from the race, everything else is good to go. Oddly enough, my shoulder still doesn't feel right with the standard overhand pullup grip, but chinups are completely fine. Gonna have to work that out at some point.

12k trail race

Saturday

0800

12k trail race @ Cheyenne Mountain State Park
time - 53:11
4th place overall, 1st place in 20-29 age group

• Notes: Probably the most fun I have had on a trail in a long time. Lots of switchbacks, steep climbs, rocky terrain and unpredictable footing....everything I wanted in a race. Well put together course and I will definitely be back to Colorado Springs for this race series. Apparently this trail system also offers a marathon/half marathon and a 25/50k, so definitely getting in on that. 
• Body: Calves are getting a little sore but I was feeling great, probably won't be too sore. 
• General: Going to take tomorrow and monday off, aside from playing ultimate. Back to training on Tuesday. This was a good tune-up race for Leadville, and now I will start shifting my training towards longer, steeper efforts.

rack & speed pulls, HS/ring rows

0930

Rack pulls
3 x 275#, 305#, 315#, 315#

Speed pulls w/ purple band
10 x 1 x 155#
0:45 rest in between

10 inch worms

5x
max handstand hold
max ring rows, feet elevated (minimum 10 reps)

• Notes: Pretty easy day. Took it easy on the pulls and just went for a decently heavy weight. I am digging inch worms lately...good substitute for evil wheels.
• Body: Legs are a little tired but everything feels good overall. Glutes are sore. Feeling good for saturday.

run

0900

Run 60 minutes easy @ wonderland trail + north single track trail
distance - 6.57 miles
terrain - dirt, gravel, rock, relatively flat

2x
30 pushups
25 hollow rocks

• Notes: Tried to keep it slow and easy today, felt good overall. Nice to have a flatter long run for a change.
• Body: Glutes are sore from yesterday. Upper back and traps are really knotted up right now, but shoulder feels normal again. 
• General: Lighter lift tomorrow and then easy jog friday before the race.

Pr, BS, hills

0930

Press
2 x 105#, 115#, 120#, 125# (pr?), 130 (x 2nd)

Back squat
6 x 3 x 185#
0:45 rest in between

hills @ rec center hill, emphasis on form
7 x uphill, downhill walk recovery
0:33, 0:29, 0:27, 0:25, 0:24, 0:23, 0:24

• Notes: Press was strong even though I haven't done much recently. The 2nd rep at 130# barely got off my shoulders. Squats were good, I was getting gassed though with the short rest. 45s rest meant I was getting back under the bar at 45s and setting up. 
• Weight: 165#
• Body: Shoulder was giving me a little grief today. Felt like I was missing some external rotation because it was really tight when I was squatting. Think it's just sore from the jerks the other day, as my neck and upper back are really tight over in that area as well. No other issues. 

long intervals

Saturday

1700

Long intervals @ track

3 x 800m @ 0:42-0:43 per 200m

2 minutes rest in between

barefoot strides

planks

• Notes: Had to stretch the stride out a little bit on these so I wasn't pulling as well as I wanted, but felt good overall. 

CJ, box jumps, FS

1100

Clean and jerk
1 x 133#, 143#, 143#, 143#, 148#, 148#, 148#, 148#

Max height box jump singles
Tall box + 8 plates + 1 small plate

Front squat
5 x 135#, 155#, 175#
2 x 5 x 165#

• Notes: Pretty good day. Jerk wasn't feeling strong as I always struggle with it. Kept working at 148# until it felt solid. PR on the box jumps, they felt amazing today. 8.5 plates is around sternum height on me. Squats were fine, but my front rack was kinda weak today. It's kind of hard to get the bar racked well on my shoulder since the injury because my clavicle is sticking up so much...gets in the way a bit.
• Body: Great. Some lingering upper body soreness but that's about it.
• General: Not going to taper like I usually would the week before a race since I am pretty much training through it. Not going to do a long run this week, but lifts will stay the same. 

OHS, speed DLs, WCU

0930

Overhead squat
3 x 65#, 85#, 95#, 95#
10 x 95#
10 x 45#

Speed deadlifts w/ purple band resistance
10 x 2 x 135#
45 seconds rest in between

Weighted chin-ups w/ 25#:
on the minute ladder - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 + 5 chin-ups

Inch worms

• Notes: Overhead squat felt amazing today for some reason...haven't done them in forever. Went conservative on the DLs since I have never used a band before. Definitely added a whole new element...had to use my abs way more. From now on I am going to do singles though - doubles make it pretty hard to keep everything together with the band. 
• Body: Still sore as shit, but good other than that.
• General: Tomorrow is a much needed rest day. 

run

1000

Run 1:24:25 on Mesa trail from Chat., turned around at the lookout after fern canyon juncture
distance - 7.24 miles
terrain - muddy, rocky; much more technical now that snow has melted

• Notes: Felt great. Conditions were a little harder today without the snow pack but it was a lot of fun. This will be my last long-ish run before the race, and after that I am going to need to kick my long runs up to about 10-12 miles to get ready for Leadville. Still mostly doing hilly terrain. Hills will also be my weekly short interval from now on. 
• Body: Still really sore. Entire posterior chain is wrecked, along with abs, shoulders, and elbows. Feeling better now that my diet is normal again, think I need to eat a little more though. Joints felt 100% at the end of the run.

BxS, BP, assistance

0930

Box squat, low box + 2 plates
1 x 200#, 210#, 215#, 220#, 220#

Bench press
5 x 135#, 145#, 155#, 165#
3 x 5 x 150#

3x, 2 minutes rest in between
12 ghd situps
10 reverse hypers, no weight
6 seated box jumps, low box to +2 plates
12 bar dips

• Notes: Pretty good day, felt good all around. My squat form felt pretty good, although my knees may have been coming forward slightly from off the box. Bench form feels the best it has ever been, I'm just weak.
• Body: Fucking sore. Lunges and pullups destroyed me from sunday. Surprised the posterior chain could handle squatting today.

Deck of cards

1000

Deck of cards PT:
hearts = burpees
diamonds = pullups
clubs = lunges, 2-count
spades = leg levers
jokers = 800m run

time - 46:25

• Notes: Good day. Like always the order of the cards sucked ass and finished up with a healthy dose of burpees. Got what I wanted out of the past two days...yesterday got in a run to get my legs back under me and today was just meant to get some conditioning in after the break. Starting tuesday I will be back at my normal schedule of strength training and running. 
• Body: Feeling great, just need to work on some mobility, especially in my hips which are crazy tight.
• General: Signed up for the Leadville heavy half marathon last night. 15.5 miles up at altitude with about 4,000 ft. of vertical gain and supposed to be awesome. Pretty pumped. The 12k race will be a nice little tune up training run and that's what I am going to treat it as. Hopefully my next entry into a race will be a 50k.

long hills

1400

hills @ Longhorn trail mesa

20 minute jog to the hill
4 x uphills, walk down recovery
1:18, 1:03, 0:57, 0:58

walk/jog back

• Notes: This hill is a cruel mistress. Lights almost went out at the top of the last one, but its one of my favorite hills. Form got ugly on the last one.
• Body: Hips are really tight from lots of sitting in the car.
• General: After a nice long spring break and a steady diet of booze, peanut butter, and bread, I'm ready to get back at it. 2 weeks until the trail race in the springs. Really excited to train. 

DL/HC, speed deads, WCU, long intervals

0930

7 rounds
3 deadlifts + 3 hang cleans
111#, 121#, 133#, 143#, 143#, 143#, 143#

Sumo speed deadlifts
10 x 2 x 160#
45s rest in between each

Weighted chin-ups
5 x 10#, 25#, 35#, 35#, 35#

Track intervals
6 x 600m @ 0:42/200m
90 seconds rest in between

• Notes: Awesome day. Ripped my hands up on the hang cleans. 600s were at the perfect pace and I nailed each one at around 2:07. Note - for my running intervals I have been using a pacing chart that paces off of a target 18:30 5k and 3:00:00 marathon. 18:30 is around where I want to be for a 5k, and the pacing has been pretty spot on so I think I am around there.
• Body: Glutes, hams, triceps and some other upper body areas are pretty sore, as well as my abs. Probably gonna be pretty sore everywhere tomorrow.
• General: Last training day before I leave for spring break. Will be back next Friday. Plan on doing some beach runs and keeping up bodyweight work as much as possible, but I will be doing a fair amount of resting as well.

Skills day

0930

Rings
Front levers w/ band assistance
Back levers w/ band assistance

1-2-3-4-5
HSPU
Pistols, L/R

3x
max L-sit hold
10 toes to bar
20 hollow rocks

• Notes: Worked the levers pretty hard. First time trying HSPU since the shoulder incident and they felt great. Easy day.
• Body: Hamstrings, upper back, and shoulders are a little sore but hardly noticeable.
• Tomorrow: Lifting and then hitting the track for some 600s.

CFFB total

0930

"crossfit football total"
1 RM/heavy single, 3 attempts at each:

Power clean - 165#, 175#, 182#

Back squat - 215#, 225#, 230#

Press - 125#, 125#, 135# (x)

Deadlift, conventional - 295#, 305#

• Notes: Pretty solid overall. I went into this going for heavy singles, not all out maxes. I am still a pussy when it comes to singles just to be safe, but I pushed pretty hard. Clean felt awesome - last one was a little ugly but I can do more. Squat felt good as well, a little weaker than usual but my form was good. Screwed up on the press...accidentally did 125# twice when I thought it was 130#. Haven't pulled conventional in a long time and it kinda showed today...I was a little out of my element, but the last pull was smooth. Overall: need to keep working, but my technique is more sound on all these lifts than ever before, so that's a start. 
• Tomorrow: Gymnastics work and either run intervals or a swim. 

hills, ring pyramid

1700

hills @ wonderland trail

warmup jog around the lake
6x uphills: 0:45, 0:40, 0:38, 0:36, 0:36, 0:49

Ring dip/ring row pyramid
2-4-6-8-10-8-6-4-2

• Notes: Good day. Did the hill until I couldn't do it any faster, and then finished up with a cooldown ascent. I am going to start a hill routine now that the weather is getting awesome...pick a different hill every 3 weeks or so and just work on doing that one as fast as possible. Varying the lengths and grades as much as possible.
• Body: Feeling good and rested. Lower back is a little tweaked from ultimate yesterday, not sure how but its not a big deal.
• Tomorrow: Big day, hitting all of my lifts for a heavy single. I don't expect to be 100% since today was pretty intense but that's fine. Looking forward to it. 

sprint/pushup/du

1100

8 rounds for time:

100 yd sprint, 100 yd jog back

10 clapping pushups

30 double unders

time - 19:35

• Notes: Took a week off. Happy drinking day.

BP, FS/burpee

1230

Close grip bench press
3 x 115#, 135#, 155#, 155#

6x, 2 minutes rest in between, maximal intensity
3 front squats, 155#
5 burpees

Bar dips
1 x 20