training week 4.2 and 4.9

Happy Birthday Roman!  We are so blessed and thankful for a safe arrival.

What a crazy couple of weeks around here with Easter last weekend in the middle.  From a training standpoint, it’s a good thing I took notes this last week.

I’ll do 12m tomorrow.  I think the speed has finally kind of caught up with me a bit.  It’s been a lighter week with Thursday off and Well Wave today at Back In Line @ Hopkins Crossroad.  That machine is a great tool for recovery, especially with acute injuries (I had some ligament damage in my right foot last fall) and it had flared up a bit this week because of the INSANE ViPR workout from Tuesday.

Two weeks:

Tuesdays are ViPR reconditioning days for me with core, foam roll, and movement prep for Wed, Thurs, and Friday.  Sauna, Hot tub, shower and back to work

Wednesday-6-.5 mile repeats at Lone Lake.  It has been beautiful weather these last couple of weeks.  That’s supposed to change tomorrow with some thunderstorms.  Speeds for Wednesday

·         345

·         344

·         329

·         333

·         323

·         307

I’ll attach pictures of the track below next week.

Thursday was sprints out back of LTF CRT -83 paces x 4 after my test.  I did my Heart Rate Efficiency Test (cardio point) this morning and learned that I can actually train faster on my long runs in particular and burn the same amount of fat for fuel.  AB=155/AT=165  This is great information to have.

Friday Hills.   

Brent and I took a trip to Hyland for some ski jump repeats.  I’d done this once last season and really enjoyed it, then in talking to a few of our members at the club, this hill came highly recommended once again.  We had a great time and it was nice to have some company.  Our last of 8 today was up the hill directly under the ski jump.  That hill is a beast (probably 70 degree incline on all fours for sure) Speeds for Friday

·         109

·         116

·         116

·         113

·         115

·         126 more walking

·         114

·         Over 2 minutes up the ski jump hill

Saturday off, then Easter Sunday.  What another beautiful day.  I got 10 miles in before 11am service, then headed out to Mom and Dad’s for a great Easter feast.  With the speed work I’ve been doing, this is the first time in weeks I have been full.  A 5 pound plate of meat and potatoes followed by a food induced slumber for a couple of hours, another round of grub, and a ultra exciting finish to the Masters. 

Next week

Tuesday was a tough workout.  Once I get going with that ViPR its capabilities are endless.  The one that got me was anterior transverse bounding with x over ViPR press with a 10kg ViPR.  So much onto the anterior lateral foot just where I turned it last year at Wild Duluth.

Wednesday-6-.5 mile repeats again today.  Faster though and I really started feeling my foot from Tuesday when I got going on the repeats.  My thought today was get to the top as fast as you can, and figure it out from there.  That might be my philosophy on race days this summer too, at least on some of the mild to moderate hills.  Some of those suckers are beasts up there on the SHT.  Power walk is the only sensible way.  Times for Wednesday

·         336

·         320

·         314/ those three to the right

·         317

·         309

·         300/ to the left

The thing about the direction is that if going to the right it is about .25m uphill and the rest coasting and a more aggressive down on the other side, while it is the opposite to the left.  The previous few weeks I have attempted my fastest run to the right and that’s part of the reason I think I was a bit faster this week to the left.  I felt this workout on Thursday though and actually took the day to bike and actively recover instead of doing sprints.  I knew that Friday was going to be a killer.  It was!

Friday Hills-It was windy and a bit drizzly.  

from the start

 I knew going into Friday having taken Thursday off, I would have more energy than usual.  I worked the morning and I was off to Hyland about 3pm after doing Whitney’s Heart Rate Efficiency Test (cardio point) and picking up Bob Seebohar’s book “Metabolic Efficiency Training, teaching the body to burn more fat”.  I’ll start that tonight and read a bit each day.  I’m also reading the second in The Hunger Games threesome as well.  It’s just getting good.

Anyhow, back to hills.  If you have ever been to Hyland you may know what I’m talking about here so try to formulate a picture in your mind.  I’ll try to help with some pictures, the only thing I didn’t take pictures of is the rolling hills between the hills.  It’s probably just about .75 miles or maybe a little bit more between the two.    Got that?  I did that 4 times with 4 minutes of light walking recovery between sets.  I didn’t need EFS until the last when I really just used it as a substitute for a Nitrous Oxide boost.  It worked.  Here are the times for Friday Hills:

·         1607

·         1642

·         1707

·         1542

I did more walking up the hills, but power walking gets more efficient with practice and I was super aggressive on the downhill.  My legs actually felt better and more loose even on the flats when I let them stretch out on the downs.  I thought I was going to loose it on my last down to the drainage grate though.  I don’t think my legs could have turned over any faster without actual motors. 

Just as I finished my last repeat and looked up into the sky a giant Hawk flew overhead, riding the wind, as if to say, “good work, you were really moving there.”  Workouts like today give me such a sense of accomplishment.  I’m motivated by letting it all hang out and giving it everything I’ve got on the trail. 

If anyone wants to do a training at Life Time Crosstown, come on over and ask for Jon in PT.  I’d be happy to take you through a 30 minute ViPR workout or if you just want some exercises to supplement your running and keep you on the trail, let me know and I can sure help you out.

Happy Birthday Baby Smith!!  You are blessed to be born into a family who loves you very much!