Today's workout was...

[John Rauch]

Last hard workout before the race, I think.

5 rounds w/90 second rest between:

200 lb. back squat -10 reps
800 meter run (very hilly)

Round 1 -3:53
Round 2 -3:50
Round 3 -3:55
Round 4 -3:58
Round 5 -3:56

[Ryan]

Friday: 5k run // Shoulders, chest and upper back weight lifting.

Saturday: 2 mile run // 15 min of jump rope and other stuff (burpies, jump squats, etc.)

Sunday: 16 miles on the recumbent bike while finishing Mass Effect 3

Monday: Rest day

Tuesday: 5k run // Biceps and triceps weight lifting

Timed my 5k today and only did 24:12, almost 2 and a half minutes longer than what I was doing last fall. Ah well, after the 5k I'm running officially this Saturday morning, I'll probably lay off the sustained running for a while anyway. My legs did feel better though, left knee was a little janky half-way through.

[Laura]

After that big speech about how I was doing things half-assed, I ended up with a bad back spasm that started Tuesday night and hasn't let up. It's moved to my right side now, and I feel it when I breathe or walk. So exercise is out until this thing goes away.

[John Rauch]

Ryan: Did you run through the winter or are you getting back to it? If you took a break, I'd think a couple minute difference would be expected.

Laura: Sorry to hear that. I hate back problems.

[John Rauch]

Did a little vanity lifting today. 10 sets each of lateral shoulder raises, curls, and tricep extensions with homemade fat grips on the dumbbells. I probably did more isolation work today than I did the past month.

[Ryan]

After that big speech about how I was doing things half-assed, I ended up with a bad back spasm that started Tuesday night and hasn't let up. It's moved to my right side now, and I feel it when I breathe or walk. So exercise is out until this thing goes away.

That stinks, hope you feel better soon!

Did you run through the winter or are you getting back to it? If you took a break, I'd think a couple minute difference would be expected.

A ran a little in the Winter, but not consistently enough. Sickness screwed me over in Nov. and Dec. It just sucks feeling like you're working your way back to what you've already accomplished, but such is life at times.

Today:

Ran 2 miles in 15:30.

Interval Training:
1 min x Jump Rope
1 min x Explosive Burpees
1 min x Jump Rope
1 min x Explosive Burpees
1 min x Jump Rope
1 min x Jump Squat » Walk Out to Plank » Reptile Crunches » Push-up » Walk Back to standing » Repeat

Weight Lifting concentrating on Chest, Shoulders, Upper Back and Gluts

[John Rauch]

You'll get back there with your 5k time. I'm a firm believer in the train low method. Focus on distances that allow you to run the pace you want or faster, then build up.

[Ryan]

Thanks for the encouragement, John!

Today I decided to run a timed 5k on a path very similar to the one I'm running Saturday. Pushed myself and got 22:05, so very happy with that. Maybe I can get sub 22 at the 5k on Saturday.

After my side stopped feeling like it was going to erupt, I did a little more cardio to keep my heart rate up a bit longer:

1 min of Jump Rope
1 min of High Knees
1 min of jump Rope
1 min of High Knees
1 min of Jump Rope
30 sec of Mountain Climbers
30 sec of Jump Squats

Tomorrow I'm probably just going to walk a couple of miles and rest up for the Skeeter 5k on Saturday.

[John Rauch]

Ha@Skeeter 5k! 22 min isn't a bad 5k time at all. I have a little circuit I do now and then that seems like something you might like. Give it a try if you're bored:

50 jump rope double-unders (you can sub squat jumps if you prefer)
10 sit-ups

then 40-20, 30-30, 20-40, 10-50

I'm doing a Spartan Race this Saturday as well, in Indiana. It's supposed to be about 4 miles and supposedly around 30 obstacles. I'm skeptical about what constitutes an obstacle, but excited none the less. I even grew a mustache for it and I'll be cutting off some super short jean shorts. I think they'll go really well with my aviator sunglasses.

I kind of wish there were shorter running competitions available. Unless you're in college or the olympics, running seems to turn into an endurance sport if you want to compete as an adult. I don't mind 5k. I can handle a 10k. I'd even do a half marathon if it wasn't too far away, but I hate the idea of training specifically for a marathon. It just seems like something you can't do without complete disregard for other aspects of fitness.

Anyway...I jogged an easy 2.5 miles today, with no regard for pace at all. I just kept my heart rate from spiking too high and tried to get rid of some lingering soreness from Tuesday's squat/run workout. Tomorrow is a planned rest day, but if I'm still feeling iffy, I might do some walking around the neighborhood just for good measure.

[Ryan]

The Spartan race sounds like fun, the mystery of the "obstacles" is intriguing. And mustaches make everything better.

I walked 3 miles today and also scoped out the route for the 5k tomorrow. It's literally incline the entire distance, so... yay? I've been running in that neighborhood for the past decade, though, so it is familiar territory. We'll see how it goes!

[John Rauch]

No workout for me today, but I have added to my mustache, a mowhawk. And now I'm going to bed early, since I have to leave for Indiana at 5 am and I only slept 4 hours last night due to deadline nonsense.

[Ryan]

I exceeded my wildest expectations, and finished with a time of 20:00:7. One second away from breaking sub 20 minutes! I really pushed myself, finished strong and my legs felt great afterwards. I was 5th overall, and the 1st place time was 15:45, sooooo... not beating that EVAR, haha.

Tomorrow I'm going to start doing more weight lifting and high intensity, short burst cardio and take a break from the long distance running.

Let us know how the Spartan race went, John.

[Laura]

JEEZ!! Congrats, Ryan! Nice job!

Woke up with no back pain, so I did Couch to 5K week 5 day 3...or, in other words, the dreaded 20-minute run. Got 14 minutes into it, lost my breath on a hill, and had to walk for two minutes. Then got back to jogging and finished the last six minutes. Will try again for 20 minutes in a few days.

I have to wait a few days because, a few hours after the run, I was at the dog park, and a pack of running dogs crashed into me, hyperextending my knee. It's sore. Yay.

[John Rauch]

Well, the Spartan Race was fun. Weather wasn't cooperative at all, and apparently, this was what they called a "Founder's Race" and they wanted to make it more difficult and old school than usual. There was very little running as the terrain was muddy, slick, and constant climbing. We went just over four miles, including two swims (43 degrees outside!), two rope climbs, two cargo net climbs, a seemingly endless stretch of army crawling under barbed wire, and dozens of mud pits to get through. My final time was 1:19 and I placed in the top 7%. I feel like I could've done better if I had pushed my way to the front of the pack at the starting line, rather than starting at the back and waiting in line for the first several obstacles. Also, not knowing what was ahead caused me to pace myself probably more than necessary. But, it was a very successful first race and I can't wait to take what I've learned and do another.

Today's workout was one I borrowed from CrossFit.com with sets of 21, 15, and 9 back squats at 225 lbs. and dumbbell swings. The squats were really heavy for me and I had to break them up into smaller sets to make it through. After that, I did some heavy bench press and weighted pull-ups for 8 sets of 3. Challenging, but good.

[Laura]

Yesterday:
Loads of yard work, including heavy stuff like shoveling and pushing around a big wheelbarrow. Knee was no problem at all; just the expected stiffness from running.

Today: Base phase Workout B...three sets instead of two! 10 reps each. New weights in blue.

1A Russian Twist with med ball (12, 12, 15)
1B Prone Cobra (90 sec, 90 sec, 95 sec)

2A Overhead Squat (5s, 5s, 6s)
2B Lateral Raise with External Rotation (10s, 10s, 12s)

3A One-Leg Romanian Deadlift (20, 25, 25)
3B Standing One Arm Cable Pulldowns (20, 20, 20) -- kinda went backward on this; at 25 lbs, I could only manage 3 pulldowns on the right side and 5 on the left side, so I switched back to 20.

4A DB Bulgarian Split Squats (12s, 15s, 15s)
4B Standing Cable Rows (40, 45, 45)

Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can get through this week with five workouts, no injuries, no crazy-ass deadline crap, and enough sleep to manage it all! I NEED to have a complete week of workouts.