November 22, 2010

Dreadmill, 45 minutes, 3.25 miles, 556 calories, 4.5 mph

3 rounds
Standing cable crunches, 150#x30
hyper-extensions, 20

Novmeber 19, 2010

GENERAL MOBILITY

Forward skip w/backward arm circles
High knee walk, quad stretch
Backward skip w/forward arm circles
Crucifixion
Carioca
Scorpion
Forward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Knee out walk quad stretch
backward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Inchworm
Hips in shuffle
Lunge walk Double Twist
Hips out shuffle
walking Reverse overhead lunge
Backward Push
Sit and Reach
Backward Run
Butt kicks
Kick walk

Dumbbell Circuits
2 rounds
lunge walk dumbbell in each hand, 8
push press, 4
dumbbell high pull, 4 on a side
lunge and reach, 4 on a side

2 rounds
1 dumbbell lunge walk on one side, 8 reps

3 rounds
Goblet Good mornings
Bent over rows
run 10 yards
1 burpee

QUAPRUPED MOVEMENT

• Ninja Get Up, Lope (right-right, left-left), jog Burpee
• Ninja Get Up, Alligator (right-left, left-right), jog, burpee
• Ninja get up, Gallop (front, back), jog, Burpee
• Ninja Get up, Chimpanze (hand hand, foot foot), jog, Burpee

Tabata Core circuit
cross lateral v ups
ankle touches
cross lateral superman
twisting toe touches
lunge and reach
crunches
bicycle crunches
good mornings

November 18, 2010

Dreadmill, 2 miles, 340 calories, hills @ 4.5 mph

Beastmaster, 1 mile, 100 some odd calories, 12:32 minutes

Cable Crunches and Good mornings

November 17, 2010

Dreadmill, 25 minutes, 1.75 miles, 285 calories

popcycle, 20 minutes, 5 miles,

3 rounds
Good mornings, 95#, 10, 10, 10
cable crunches,150# 30, 30, 30

November 16, 2010

Introductory workout group.

GENERAL MOBILITY

Ankle Circles
Knee Circles
Hip Circles
Waist Circles
Arm Circles, Backward and Forward
Shoulder Corkscrew
Neck Circles

Forward skip w/backward arm circles
High knee walk
Backward skip w/forward arm circles
Crucifixion
Carioca
Scorpion
Forward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Backward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Inchworm
Hips in shuffle
Lunge walk Double Twist
Hips out shuffle
Big Knee Circles to a squat
Backward Push
walking quad stretch to lunge
Backward Run
Superman Walk
Crazy legs
Sit and reach
Butt kicks
Kick walk


Pre-work. 8 rounds, 20 seconds of work 10 of rest
Jump Circuit
Squat Jump, box hop left, box hop right, Rocket girls, f/b line jump, speed skaters, lateral line jump, Squat Jump

Barbell instruction leading into some fun with weights.

Five deadlift on the tennis sideline, suicide to mid-court and back, 5 deadlift run to far side line, lather rinse repeat with front squats.

November 12, 2010

I led the introductory workout group today.

GENERAL MOBILITY and DYNAMIC FLEXIBILITY

Ankle Circles
Knee Circles
Hip Circles
Waist Circles
Arm Circles, Backward and Forward
Neck Circles

Forward skip w/backward arm circles
High knee walk
Backward skip w/forward arm circles
Crucifixion
Carioca
Scorpion
Forward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Backward shuffle, 2l, 2r
Inchworm
Hips in shuffle
Lunge walk Double Twist
Hips out shuffle
Big Knee Circles to a squat
Backward Push
Lunge with a double twist
Backward Run
Superman Walk
Crazy legs
walking Reverse overhead lunge
Butt kicks
Kick walk

Work 20 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest, 1 round
Up-Downs
Push ups
Inverted Rows
Squat
Mt Climbers

20 seconds of work, 40 seconds of rest, 1 round
Ninja Get ups
Bench Dips
Inverted Rows
Compass Lunges
Cross lateral supermen

The group was asking for longer work and shorter rest, so next time we will try 30x30

Clock Face Lunges, 5 rounds

Hurdle Work
Cross Steps
Rotational walk
Walk Overs
Scissor Walk
Over Under

2 minutes of continuous movement,
2 push-ups
3 inch worms
4 walking lunges

November 11, 2010

Popcycle, 33 minutes, 10 miles, 275 calories, Dreadmill, 25 minutes, 1.75 miles, 280 calories

3 Rounds
Standing Cable Crunches, 150#, x25
hyper-extensions, 20

Work out #2

45 minutes on the Beastmaster, 3.1 miles, 500 some odd calories

3 Rounds
Standing Cable Crunches, 150#, x25
hyper-extensions, 20

November 10, 2010

Dreadmill, 4.5 mph, hills, 25 minutes, 1.75 miles, beastmaster, "aerobic" (basically hills), 20 minutes

Cable Crunches, 150#, 12, neutral stance 10, left forward, 10, right forward

Followed MWOD dude, and supine on the floor, held a 50# dumbbell at full extension, 2 sets about 3 minutes each



internal and external rotations with 2.5 plate, and beer pours just weight of the arm

November 10, 2010

Working with A to get a work out group started. These folks have in the past been in good condition, but, have let it go for various reasons. Good group of folks.

Warm up of general mobility and dynamic flexibility.

Taught 8 movements for a circuit. 20 seconds of work and 40 seconds of rest. One time through.

Finished with over and under forwards and backwards with the hurdles.

Stay safe, stay friends and go like hell!

Another element, is team, or no team? The sport privileges coed teams, and I really admire that. The sport also honors “Master” teams and that intrigues me too. Both team and solo offer advantages and disadvantages that must be weighed, but, in the end practice like you play, make a commitment and stick with it. Training with a partner and then running an event solo, is, a real strain on ones mettle, for example, and that will impact ones physical performance.

8 Essential Elements of Human Synergy:

T -- Total commitment
E -- Empathy and awareness of teammates
A -- Adversity management
M -- Mutual respect
W -- "We" versus "I" thinking
O -- Ownership of the project
R -- Relinquishment of ego
K -- Kinetic leadership

Tips:

• Be the teammate you would want to race with.
• Be cognizant of the fact that, due to the intensity of the emotions generated in this sport, the way that you treat people (especially during their lowest moments) will always be remembered.
• In the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make (for you Beatles fans).
• Try to "coach" versus criticize. Extending a hand always has more impact than pointing a finger.
• Remember your priorities. Our team's priorities, in order, are to: stay safe, stay friends and go like hell.
• Check your ego at the start line.

NYRAR -- Teamwork Page

Self Assessment

So, to begin, I have to acquire that that I lack. What skills or disciplines do I lack? What equipment do I lack? Is my level of fitness sufficient (henceforth, fitness is inclusive of GPP and mettle)? Do I have a team? One way to determine this would be to dive in and attend an event, “assessment”, as it were. But, I’d be wasting me entrance fee and probably, damaging my mettle, with such an approach.

I know nothing about ropes and I have none of the equipment. I’m not much of a runner nor do I enjoy it -- though I used to.

Otherwise, I’m not too bad off. I’ve both a bike and a boat. My bike is broken and old, but adequate, too, I need to practice bike repair, so that, is a virtuous cycle, yet, the parts cost. My boat could stand some pimping, but, as it is it is adequate, and I’m comfortable in it. I’ve done a lot of open water paddling and little bit of white-water up to class lll rapids, solo and tandem. I have skis and poles but no boots or bindings. I have snowshoes and I’ve experience with both. I have basic first aid and CPR training and that is probably adequate – for anything serious the event organizers are going to intervene anyway. I’m above average at reading a map, but, my compass skills are not sufficient for these kinds of events, and particularly not at night. My fitness is above average, but, it isn’t specific to some of the disciplines. That hasn’t really been a problem in my experience. Perhaps for events less than 8 hours my fitness is adequate. I know this from weekend backpacking and canoeing trips. Too, I’ve other friends and family members that might also have an interest. From a comment on the blog, I’ve got a team, though I’m not sure M wants to hold himself back by partnering with me. Because I already camp and boat I’ve much of the required gear and clothes, so, that is just a matter of fine tuning the kit.

Preliminary research shows that stealing from the Triathlete makes sense. Indeed one article indicates that for an Endurance event, training plans between an Olympic or half-Ironman are about right. Oddly, boating is the step-child of training, with just enough for basic familiarization being represented in AR training plans. Weird -- perhaps an opportunity for me since boating is a love.

Currently, I'm training 5-9 hours per week. My emphasis in the last couple of years has been GPP with a strength emphasis. Half-Iron-man training programs call for 7-10 hours per week of training. So, I have the time, it is rather a matter of focusing the training. Now, given my experience with weekend canoeing and backpacking trips, I know the training I've been doing is more than adequate for these activities, distances roughly 10 miles per day, but, only a single discipline. Too, my "core" strength has served me well, so, I want to keep a couple GPP workouts, and several "core" routines per week. Otherwise most plans call for 2 discipline workouts per week, i.e. 2 bike, 2 run, 2 swim. Swimming isn't a regular discipline, but, it is a really valuable exercise, so, perhaps 1 a week: so, 2 bike, 2 run, 1 swim, 1-2 paddle. If I add 2 GPP workouts, and finish the run and swim with 15 minute "core" circuits, I'm at 8 hours. In the fall and winter running might look like snowshoeing or skiing and perhaps for winter events, switching a bike ride for a run would be a better balance.

Green Mountain AR Association offers 2 events per year: Bitter Pill in early August, and Frigid Infliction, in late February. It is important, I think, to identify events in order to build the periodization of the training cycles. Plus, I'm not sure I want to afford lots and lots of entry fees, and travel expenses, at least right out of the box. However, it is worth the energy to locate local sprint events and use them as workouts and a way to gain experience. For a start:

Pineland Farms Winter Triathlon & 5K snowshoe race, Sunday, March 07, 2010

East Grand Adventure Race (5th season), Saturday, May 08, 2010

The Great Adventure Challenge Saturday, August 20th, 2011

Where do I begin?

Adventure Racing can be analyzed in several ways. I start with duration. How long is the event: sprint, endurance, 24 hours, or multi-day? For me, 6 hours or less feels like a workout rather than an event. Since I need experience, and workouts, then it is worth my time to enter these events, particularly, local ones. Yet, endurance events, 8-12 hours hold my interest just now. The tipping point for me on 24, and multi-day events is knowledge I’m not that good at orienteering or a bike repair and I have no experience to make decisions about, or during such an event, so for now they are out of reach.



That introduces another way to analyze the event: skills. It is not a clean distinction between what AR folks call “disciplines” and “skills”, but, for someone starting out it is worth the effort to keep them separate. Skills needed: orienteering/navigation, first aid, bike repair, and ropes. The issue is not can you do these in your cellar, or in the classroom. Rather, can you do them at night, in the rain, when you are exhausted? My honest answer to that is not reliably, not yet. In particular I know nothing about ropes. I know a little about the other skills, more perhaps than the average Joe, but, not enough to call myself competent to face a 24 hour event.







Returning to “disciplines” these are: trekking, mountain biking, and boating. A lot more can be extracted from these categories trekking for example might include swimming, cross country skiing, or obviously cross-country running; boating, includes kayaks, canoes, and rafts. I have enough experience with these to understand, that an above average level of fitness, and regular practice, is enough to manage an endurance event. But, that does introduce the matter of “mettle”. We are all capable of far more than we know but our lack of mettle prevents us more than our physical fitness in discovering these real outer boundaries. The difference in physical fitness required to run a 24 hour event as opposed to a multi-day event, is, probably imperceptible, the notable difference is in ones mental fitness.








Another element, is team, or no team? The sport privileges coed teams, and I really admire that. The sport also honors “Master” teams and that intrigues me too. Both team and solo offer advantages and disadvantages that must be weighed, but, in the end practice like you play, make a commitment and stick with it. Training with a partner and then running an event solo, is, a real strain on ones mettle, for example, and that will impact ones physical performance.

Costs are another element that one has to take seriously: education, equipment, travel, entry fees, and use of vacation time are all limiting factors. There is a semi-professional aspect to this sport, but that is really not even worth speculating about for most of us. Rather, most folks will have to make budgets and compromises. That isn’t all bad, indeed that is where the art, and the super-human are displayed. When a competitor on a $500 dollar bike finishes on skill, exertion, and mettle, ahead of better equipped teams, well that is subtle, beautiful, and to my mind what these events are about.

So, duration, skills, disciplines, team/solo, and cost are my starting point, first, in my decision to play, and for making a training plan.

• Adventure Racing 101 Quick Start Guide
• Training for an Adventure Race
• NYARA, Tips and Techniques

Adventure Racing

Summarized from Wikipedia:

Adventure racing is a combination of two or more endurance disciplines, including orienteering (if an orienteering map is used) and/or navigation (when non-orienteering maps are used), cross-country running, mountain biking, paddling and climbing and related rope skills. An expedition event can span ten days or more while sprints can be completed in a matter of hours. There is typically no dark period during races, irrespective of length; competitors must choose if or when to rest.

Adventure racing historically required teams to be of a specified size and to include both men and women, but many races no longer restrict team size and include single-sex divisions. Some also include age-based categories.

The vast majority of adventure races include trail running, mountain biking and (ideally) a paddling event. Navigation and rope work are also featured in all but the shortest races, but this is only the beginning. Part of the appeal of adventure racing is expecting the unexpected. Race directors pride themselves at challenging racers with unexpected or unusual tasks.

Races often feature:
Paddling: kayaks, canoes, out-riggers, rafts and tubing;
Traveling on wheels: Mountain Bikes, kick-scooters, in-line skates, roller skates;
Beasts of Burden: Horses and camels;
Catching Air: Paragliding, hang-gliding;
Covering Terrain: Orienteering, mountaineering, coasteering, swimming, canyoneering, riverboarding;
Learning the Ropes: Ascending; rappelling, traversing (including via zip-line).

So, I'm afraid this is completely, crazy, COOL! It opens up an amazingly rich and complicated thought process about how to train for such events. But, because of the demands of the events it is not possible to get fixated and abstract with the training, rather, everything has to be efficient and relevant. Moreover, it is as much a mental game, both sharpness of skills, navigation and orienteering for example, but, managing fatigue in order to respond to the high skill demands of the activities.

The Canadian Association has this tremendous resource: Adventure Racing 101

Shoulder Impingement

I can say that I'm happy not to have to deal with a rotator cuff tear. That said, shoulder impingement is painful enough on its own.

This is a handy resource generally, and specifically it offers a good description of Shoulder Impingement


This explains my hiatus from workouts. But, I should be able to start working my way back now.