Training 12/17 - 12/23

Monday: Strength : Pull up 5 x 5, Single Arm Row 5 x 10, Step up 2 x 20, Bent over row (straight bar) 5 x 15, Sit up 5 x 25 (circuit style not for time)
Run : 1 mile warm up, 800 in's & out's (Progressive straight away, walk the turn), Technique Drills.  10 x 100 meter run with 100 meter walking recovery.  1 mile cool down & stretch.

Tuesday: Strength : Press 5 x 5, 65# - 5 x's 10 DB Hang Power Clean, 10 DB Front Squat, 10 DB Push Press @ 25#
Run : 4.5 miles along the coast in Encinitas

Wednesday: 1h:43m ride, from Encinitas to San Marcos

Thursday: Strength : Deadlift (DE) 4 EMOM for 7:00 @ 135# - 3 x's 80m Farmer Carry w. 40# DB, 20 Step up 24", 20 KB Swing 53#
Run: 48:00 on the coast in Encinitas, the running legs are coming back, felt good to run again. knee pain was minor. Running slow hurts, simple run faster!

Friday: Strength Front Squat : 5 x 5 @ 155# then Tabata (8x :20/:10) Airdyne rest 4 minutes, Bottom to Top Squat resting in the bottom position.

Saturday: Run : Track 10 x 200 in :36-:34 (fast running = no knee pain)

Sunday: 1h:00m run around Encinitas Ranch (2.2 mile loop in reverse)

All in all it was a good week.  I know my body will thank me down the road but after three weeks off from running I felt pretty shitty running those first few runs.  Glad to be back on it and look forward to the SD Trail Marathon at the end of Jan.  The plan is to use it as a hard long run but you know how the goes once you toe the line and the gun is fired.  My self control will be tested.  Another good opportunity to practice race fueling.  Merry Christmas and here's to a healthy, happy productive 2013!

Training week of 12/10-12/16

With a slight pain in the left knee still,  I decide to hold off one more week before resuming run training.  I figure with the racing I'm planning on for 2013 there's no need to rush back into training.  This also allows me to focus more on strength training as 2012 closes out.

Monday: 90+ minute spin through the hills of San Marcos
Strength: 5 x 20 Russian KB Swing 53# w. 1:30 rest, 5 x 15 Goblet Squat 53# w. 1:30 rest, 5 x 10 Bulgarian Bag Shoulder to Spin (5l/5r) 36# w. 1:00 rest, 5 x 5 Good Morning w. Bulgarian Bag 36# w. 1:00 rest.

Tuesday: Strength only DB Press 5-5-5-5-5 (35# set 1-3, 40 set 4 & 5) rest 5 minutes then, 10:00 AMRAP 10 KB Swing(russian), 10 Burpee, 10 Sit Up (first Met-Con in months) 6 rounds + 3 KBSwing.

Wednesday: 1:40 Ride through Encinitas into Rancho Santa Fe and back.  Tough climbs in these parts. Stretch and ice.

Thursday: Strength : Back to basics Deadlift 5 x 5 @ 155 (first time pulling from the floor since late September or early October).
Conditioning: AirDyne Max Cal 10 x :30/:30 (still trying to wrap my head around 300 cal in 10:00.  How people average 424 watts for 10:00 is unimaginable right now.  Some day!)
Yoga: Yoga Tropics in Encinitas 60 minutes Warm.

Friday: Strength : Thruster (DE) 65# 4 EMOM for 8:00 then 3 rounds 10 Wall Ball 18#, 15 Slam Ball C & J, 20 Push up (hand release)

Saturday: Rest Day

Sunday: 2:05 Ride through Encinitas into San Elijo, lots of climbing fueled by the soothing sounds of Hi-Fi Mystery School.  Definitely felt my knee on some of the steeper climbs today.

All in all it was a solid week of training but after three weeks of from running I'm certainly ready to start logging some miles again.

December is for down time.

Now that the 2012 racing season is over for me, it's time to circle the wagons, regroup, rebuild and gear up for the 2013 season.  After a complete week of rest, post Quad Dipsea I returned to training with a week of light strength work and cycling.  Now into my third week of no running I've upped the intensity of the strength training (Mon, Tue - Thu, Fri) while keeping the time in the saddle about the same (90 minutes every other day).  The goal through December is to rebuild my body and regain strength lost during the last four months of volume training and racing three ultra marathons.  Training and racing really came together in 2012 and although some of the races with be different in 2013 I'm going to use the same template to prepare as I did in 2012.  

Early in the year the focus will be strength and speed specific with lots of focus on heavy lifts and track work with shorter races on the calendar.  As the season progress strength training will transition to Max Effort Black Box approach as well as an increase in volume of my running and the distance of my races.  Finally as race day gets closer on the calendar, strength training will transition into maintenance phase and run training will be very event specific for two months leading in to the start on priority race number 1.

Priority race number 1 will come in July, when I take another crack at running the 20in24 Lone Ranger, in Philadelphia Pennsylvania.  The 2011, 20in24 was my first attempt at ultra marathoning.  84.5 miles in 19+ hours, falling short of my goal of either running 100 miles or completing 24 hours.  Falling short of those goals has stayed with me ever since, so close yet so, so far away.  The need for redemption at the 20in24 burns even more then it did for NC50K or the QD.  Even though both those races broke me I still managed to finish them. The 20in24 forced me into submission after the 10th, 8.4 mile loop.  This years event I will have an added bonus of having my brother as my partner in crime.  Though thick and thin we've been through it all and now were going to run to hell and back, with a smile on our face the whole time.

Mantra: Are you present?

In my Quad Dipsea race report, I touched briefly on how I used my mantras to keep me present throughout the race.  Simple put a Mantra is a sound, syllable, word or phrase that is considered capable of creating transformation.  Mantra origins can be traced back to India and the Hindu traditions and is commonly practiced by Buddhist and others.

When I first started doing this in 2010, I couldn't believe how well it worked.  Some of my first mantras were phrases like "don't force, don't chase" and "smooth is fast". Over and over for miles upon miles these simple things would quiet the voice in my head that told me to slow down because I was hurting.

I've had several mantras since, some worked better then others and some have been more spiritual then others.  Because of the success of using mantras during races, I now find myself using them on a day to day basis.  If my thoughts begin to wander to events of the past or to dreams of the future I refocus on the present by repeating my mantra until my head clears and I'm satisfied that I've returned to the present.  To often it becomes easy to think about good/bad times of the past or to day dream about plans for the future but the only thing that matters is the here and the now.  When you're thinking about the past or the future you're not focused on the present and if you're not present your missing out.  Life's to short to be missing out.  Find you Mantra, stay present and do epic shit!  After all; If not now? Then when? StopMe

Currently I've been using a phrase I picked up from Vietnamese Buddhist Monk, Thich Nhat Hanh; I have arrived. I am home. In the here. In the now. I am solid. I am free. In the ultimate I dwell.

RunningWOD @ Gunx CF

This past weekend I ventured back to the East Coast for my final RunningWOD Clinic of 2012.  On Saturday I spent the afternoon at Gunx CF in Gardiner, NY teaching run technique to a dedicated mix of endurance athletes and crossfitters.  The gym had ample indoor space for drills and allowed use(me) to stay warm!  As we worked through the drills it was great to see the athletes movement patterns improve.  It's never a quick fix or an overnight process and I reminded the group that the drills are something that I still practice on a regular basis.  I usually incorporate the drills into my warm up for interval work and other harder efforts.  Remember  Practice does not make perfect.  Only perfect practice makes perfect.  -Vince Lombardi

Contact RichAirey@gmail.com to schedule a RunningWOD clinic in 2013