Endure. Adapt. Evolve

2012-01-30T10:27:00.002-05:00

I recently read a blog taking a jab at CrossFit Endurance. I was going to let it be, but I find it difficult to sit back and let someone talk about something that they've never done or really researched. As a life long runner, running coach and fitness entrepreneur, I have spent a great deal of time and energy to learn the in's and out's of CrossFit Endurance. Why? Because as a running coach I am constantly looking for the most effective way to build the strongest, fastest, healthiest runner possible. To the outsider unwilling to try something new or do a little research, the blog linked above is a common reaction or response I hear from people when the topic of using the CFE protocol to train for endurance events come up in conversation. Most people never get past the reduction of volume in training or the use of power lifting and olympic lifting movements to really find out what CFE is all about. These are also the same people who are continually injured and continually training the same way when they return from injury hoping for a different results... In the end if you've never tried it and or never really researched it, can you really have an opinion?

First and foremost CFE promotes running as a skill and teaches a technique that promotes a more efficient running style. The fact of the matter is that a large percentage of the running community both elite and recreational incur some sort of running related injury each year. Why is that? Have you ever seen someone running and thought OUCH!, that looks like it hurts? Chances are it does. There is a right way and a wrong way to run and CFE teaches the right way. Had the author of the blog taken the time to do a little research he would have found that teaching running as a skill is the foundation of CrossFit Endurance. Learn how to run properly and you'll greatly reduce injuries, period. As a competitive runner in both high school and college the amount of time my coaches spent on technique and mechanics was ZERO. CFE has helped me change my perception while running. Now when I run I am aware of how I am moving, there's more to it then left foot, right foot. And yes, heel striking is bad and yes it does lead to injuries, FACT.

Unfortunately most don't have the strength to maintain good technique and the faster and further you try to go the quicker you revert back to moving poorly. This is were the need for strength training comes in. By building a stronger runner we improve the ability to maintain efficient mechanics and greatly reduce the amount of injuries. Most runners and endurance athletes idea of strength training isn't really strength training, it's just muscular endurance. Light weight and high repetition working the same energy pathways they use while running. CFE allows you to develop all energy pathway at all times. By developing these other energy pathway we also see an increased improvement in are aerobic system.

Another area of neglect in the above blog is the topic of nutrition. CFE teaches it's athletes about proper nutrition for day to day living as well as in race fueling. CFE gives insight to the hazards of traditional carb laden endurance diets and race fueling strategies. Having been addicted to sugar and processed carbs for a very long time, I'm thankful for all that CFE has taught me about proper nutrition. Not to mention I'm way more stoked everyday when I look in the mirror, skinny fat and frail isn't cool.
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Finally, CrossFit Endurance isn't opposed to volume, it's opposed to over training. When I started I was a skeptic just as much as anyone else. I mean after all I'm a runner, I do it because I love it, it brings me piece of mind and allows me to escape from the stress that life can bring sometimes. Why would I buy into something that only suggest I run 3 times a week? At no point in time have I ever been told not to run more then that. What I have been told is be aware of recovery and overtraining. Be aware of what you're doing to your body when you run countless miles with improper technique. You're not recovering properly and you're moving like crap. When you don't recovery and you move like crap, you will inevitably get injured.

Fear and Loathing in Canadensis

2011-08-22T10:57:00.008-04:00

For the past three summers in the middle of August I have ventured into the hills of Pennsylvania to coach high school aged athletes as they prepare for their upcoming cross country season. This year was different, I'm currently living and coaching in California so I flew in specifically for Running Works (AKA RunningDUBS). Yes it's that much fun, that I spent money on a plane ticket to leave So-Cal to spend a week in a cabin in the woods in PA. For me camp is all about renewing my love for running & cross country and even though I may leave physically exhausted, mentally I am recharged ready to take on new goals and challenges. Camp is a throwback, a nostalgic reminder of how simple life was as a high school kid going to Colt Camp. It's a reminder to chase dreams and live life to the fullest

I've been apart of a running camp in every capacity; athlete, college counselor, and coach. The goal is always the same; to pick up new things to add to my toolbox of treats. Even as an 85lb freshmen, I went to Colt Camp to learn what it was that made CBA so good. As it turns out they train hard and at the time it was really hard for me. I ran my PR for 5 miles the first run of camp (true story) and by the end of the week I was walking up and down the stairs of my cabin and the mess hall backwards. It was also the first time I met future Monmouth teammate Dicky Corcoran. We were on our long run together and as the faster group rolled by us he encouraged me to go with them and try to finish the last few miles with them. Already hurting I gave him some lame excuse about being a freshman and as a freshmen I didn't need to attempt to prove myself with the faster group. Without directly calling me a P@ssy he called me a P@ssy and he set me in such a rage that I took off, caught up to the group and finished the run with them. Dicky helped me realize that I was capable of hurting far more then I ever though I was capable of. As a freshman I was the #2 for most of the season. Dicky also introduced to Ramble On by Led Zepplin a song that continues to be a mantra today

In college as a counselor the rumor was that the campers had a goal to break all the counselors on the runs. As it turns out they were successful in dropping all but one, me. Fortunately one of those dropped counselors would go on to be a part of NCAA DI podium team that same year. Unfortunately I did not nor did I ever come close. Looking back I now know that I could have put in a little more effort, been a little smarter, had a better diet, maybe got more rest, I might have. It really is true, that you can be whatever you want to be. Whether do or not is completely up to you, how much are you willing to suffer and sacrifice to achieve your ultimate goals. At camp your surrounded by like minded people all working hard to improve as runners.

Nows as a coach, I get to have a small hand in helping these athletes. There really is no better feeling then watching a group of athletes transform right before your very eyes and over the course of only 6 days no less. Some kids are teammates but for the most part the groups are made up of kids that have never met, yet they come together as a team. As coaches we take pride in how well our groups come together. In addition to helping out young runners, camp is a time for the coaches to have a reunion of sorts. Old friends telling war stories from their "Glory Days". Now that I'm living on the west coast this reunion was even more special as I haven't seen most of the coaches since camp last year.

For me it's no different, camp is timeless. Regardless of my role at camp I will always be brought back to a simple time when life didn't cause stress, bills didn't exist and all I had to do was lace em' up and go hammer. Camp is a place where you can put on a song from back in the day and everyone will sing along. It's my reminder to continue to live life to the fullest, chase dreams and do it my way, even if it means going against the grain sometimes. As I head back to California I have a new list of goals and challenges ahead of me. Only time will tell where those goals bring me as 2012 approaches. One thing is certain, I will be at camp in 2012. In fact I wouldn't miss it for the world!

Don't talk about it, be about it...

2011-03-20T21:04:00.003-04:00

That's how the saying goes. It's a big reason why, at the end of November I packed my car and drove to California. It is a saying used at CrossFit Counter Culture . "Don't think about it, don't talk about it, be about." It's also motivation to follow through with your goals. The other night I decided stop talking about it and to start being about it.

In January I decided one of my goals for 2011 was to do an ultra endurance event of some kind. Last week I registered for the 20in24 Lone Ranger Ultra. On July 16 & 17, I will try to run as many miles as possible in 24 hours. A 24 hour AMRAP, 8.4 miles around the Schuylkill River in Philadelphia. Over the next few months I plan to document my preparations.

Disney Marathon Weekend - Goofy Challenge

2011-01-10T16:45:00.004-05:00

Over the weekend I returned to the east coast to run the Goofy Challenge in Disney World. I had several reason for taking on the challenge of running 39.3 miles over the course of one weekend; 1. how tough am I mentally, 2. how hard is it physically to run a half marathon and then follow it up the next day with a marathon, 3. could this all be done following CrossFit Endurance training, running only 3 days a week and running less than 15 miles a week. Here's a look at how the weekend went and the answers to those questions.

Back in September when I made the decision to switch my training full time to CrossFit and Crossfit Endurance I entered the Goofy Challenge to put the methodology to the test. Only after a month of CFE specific training I ran an 8 minute PR in the marathon and was completely sold. 39.3 miles over two days would be a new test, not only of myself but again of CFE v LSD. My goal was to try and run under 1:20 for the half and under 3:00 for the full. With no specific event programming this would certainly be a test of my GPP (general physical preparedness) During the last month I spent more time focusing my CrossFit training than I did on my running. I did still continue to do three run specific workouts a week but I can honestly say over the last month I averaged less than 15 miles a week and my longest run was a 7.5 mile time trial.

Now that I'm living in California, travel and time change would add another element of endurance to my race. On Thursday I spent most of the day on an airplane, leaving my house at 4:30 PST and arriving at Fort Wilderness around 6:30 EST. It was a scheduled rest day so there was no stress of trying to find time to workout. After we checked in and grabbed a quick bite it was off to bed. Friday came quickly and at 5:30 it was off to the park to support some family members who were running the 5k as a warm up for their half marathon. From the 5k it was over to the race expo to pick up our packets and grab a few gels for sundays 26.2 jaunt. In the afternoon I did an easy 20 minute shake out run followed up with drills, calisthenics and strides. I had hoped to eat dinner a little early then I did but some times things don't goes as planned. By the time we returned from dinner it was 9pm and with a 3am wake up call it was pretty close to bed time. Being on west coast time my body was a little out of whack to say the least. At 3am my alarm sounded and after a quick WTF, I was up getting ready to be out the door by 4 am. Traffic getting to the start was pretty bad and although everyone in the car was on the verge of panic I tried to relax. Luckily we made it and after a few good lucks and fist pounds I headed to the the start to warm up.

At 5:40am the half started I and spent the first 2 miles weaving my way through the crowd running splits of 6:58 and 6:23. Having run as long as I have, I know my best races come when I run progressively and the goal is always to run faster at the finish then at the start. The opening 6:58 dodging traffic didn't bother me at the time but looking back it was certainly a factor in me not breaking 1:20, such is life. From the start at Epcot the the race heads down World Drive towards the Magic Kingdom and into the park. Through miles 3-5 I split 6:17, 6:17, 6:02 and by 5 miles I was in my groove and rolling. Once in Magic Kingdom you run through Tomorrow Land and Cinderella's Castle and at this point I was reminded how awesome it must be to run a major marathon like NYC, Chicago or Boston. The people and the energy at the Castle was awesome, it gave me chills. I clicked off a 6:05 at 6 miles and split 38:47 for 10k. Mile 7 was run in 5:59 and you can see that the energy of the crowd at the castle got me a little excited. After leaving the Magic Kingdom it was back toward Epcot and I reminded myself of two very important things "don't force, don't chase" and miles 8 and 9 were split in 6:07 and 6:05, passing 15k in 57:43. By 15k I was feeling great and the miles were flying by. With 26.2 on the horizon I continued on with the mantra "don't force, don't chase and miles 10 and 11 were split in 6:05 and 6:03. With 2 miles to go there were runners strung out as far as I could see and at that point i decided to force and to chase a little. The mantra had switched from "don't force, don't chase" to "unscared," "firebreather," and "compete." As I headed into Epcot I passed mile 12 in 5:52, mile 13 in 5:59 and the last .1 in :34 to break the tape in 1:20:21 finishing in 31st overall. Although I wanted to break 1:20, I was still pumped with the race as a whole. 1/3 down, 2/3's to go. Poor planning on my part and poor communication with my pit crew left me wondering around in a mylar blanket far longer then I would have liked but again, such is life.

After some food and R&R I spent some time on calisthenics, mobility and rolling out. Overall I was feeling pretty good and ready for the following day. I cooked an early dinner of steak and veggies and made every attempt to be in bed and asleep by 9pm. At 10pm I received a text message from Orbitz saying my flight to Atlanta after the race was cancelled. Seeing as I was scheduled to start my first CFE class at CrossFit Counter Culture on Monday I was a little worried about getting home on time. After a 30 minute phone call with Orbitz I had my flights fixed and I would actually be home an hour earlier then my original flight. Needless to say I got another restless night of sleep and when my alarm sounded at 3am again it was an even bigger WTF! A little before 4am we headed out to the start to try and beat the traffic. Traffic was minor and we made our way to the start at Epcot with ease. By this time I was a little nervous and decided to head to the start a little earlier then I probably should have. The temperature was much cooler the it was on Saturday and sitting at the start as long as I did only made my nerves worse. Looking back I should have waited in the van and stayed warm for a little longer.

Around 5:40 we started and again for the first two miles I worked my way through the crowd trying to ease into a comfortable pace that would allow me a chance of hitting my goal of sub 3. Miles 1-3 were splits of 7:36, 7:10, 7:03 as I headed towards Magic Kingdom. At mile 4 I split 6:48 and thought here we go, get into that rhythm and roll. If I could run 6:48 pace for the next 22 miles I'd run under 3 hours for sure. Mile 5 clicked off at 6:54 and I thought, just keep the next 21 under 7 minute pace and you can still be pumped. My plan was to fuel every 5 miles with a GU and hydrate at every rest stop but by 9 mile a pit stop was needed. Unfortunately my pit stop resulted in my 9th mile spilt of 7:25 my first split over 7 minutes since mile 3. Having run Disney last year I had a feel for the course, which parts would be lonely and which parts I struggled with. Those parts were coming. I ran miles 10-14 in 6:49, 6:55, 6:52, 6:57, 6:55. Last year at mile 15 heading toward the Animal Kingdom the wheels started to come off and at mile 15 I split 7:03 and suddenly running wasn't as effortless as it was at mile 14. At mile 16 for the first time in the race someone passed me and I thought this isn't a good sign but at the same time thought there's still a lot of running to do don't panic you'll see them again. Mile 16 and 17 run through the Animal Kingdom where there are lots of twist and turns and little ups and downs that made running not as much as it had been the day before. Although I was starting to hurt I still split 7:06, 7:03 and the miles were still clicking off relatively speaking. By 18 the only thing I could think was that I still had 8 to go. If I could get to 20 I could digest 6 to go. Mile 19 was 7:23 and I really was in need of a bathroom and I guess I'm just not hard core enough to piss my pants. After another pit stop I split a 7:59 for mile 20, which thankfully would be the slowest of the race. Between mile 20 and 21 there is an out an back turn around and I noticed a few blue bib numbers (blue numbers are issued to Goofy Challenge runners). I was at a crossroads at 20.5 miles I could pack it in and cruise in or I could snap out of my funk and rally. After I hit the turn and headed towards mile 21, I suddenly heard someone cheering for me. I looked up and realized it was my little brother Jim (also did the Goofy) who I hadn't seen since the start. At that point I decided I'd better rally if I wanted to hold him off because he looked like he was moving a lot faster then I was. Mile 21-24 were run in 7:35, 7:28, 7:24, 7:42. With 2.2 to go I could see SpaceShip Earth and a rage came over me and my brain gave my body a big F-U. I could see the all the people who had passed me over the last few miles and I found my mantra again, "FU", Unscared", "compete", "pull". One by one they were coming back to me and the more I caught the faster I went. I ran mile 25 in 7:02, mile 26 in 6:39 my fastest of the race and my last .2 in 1:20. I ended up running 3:07.18 finishing 116 overall. When it was all said and I hadn't hit either of my time goals but was extremely pleased with the weekend and my overall performance. I had run 39.3 miles in two days and the last time I ran anything close to that distance was in October when I ran the AC Marathon. In fact since November I haven't run over 70 minutes and I did that only once. Does CrossFit Endurance work? I think we all know the answer to that. HELL YEAH IT DOES!

goodbye 2010, hello 2011

2010-12-28T01:49:00.002-05:00

What a difference a year can make. At the end of 2009 I was heading into my first marathon battling injuries and lacking confidence in my preparation to be certain I could run 26.2 miles successfully. As I'm starting to understand more and more if you think it enough it will probably come true. After all, if you build it they will come. As I head into 2011, I am a few days away from returning to Orlando, Florida, this time to take on the Goofy Challenge. On Saturday January 8, 2011 in will run the half marathon and on Sunday I will tackle my second Disney Marathon. I haven't done the traditional mega mileage nor have I done any 20+ mile long runs. In fact I probably haven't run more then 20 miles in one week of training since September or October. Instead my training has consisted of things like muscle ups, cleans, dead lifts, squats (front, back & overhead) and everyone's favorite snatches. In addition I have also been doing 2-3 specific interval and time trial efforts. If anything has come from using CrossFit Endurance it's that my confidence is at an all time high and if you're from the "Jersey Shore" you know what happens when your confidence is high. Since my last marathon my strength has improved and my intervals have have gotten faster. Here's a look at my training two weeks out from race date.

Sunday December 26: 60 minute time trial covering as much distance as possible. Finished between 10 - 11 miles (I sure do wish I still had my Garmin).

Monday December 27: 1 RM Overhead Squat 135# - Acacianator 3 rounds for time of: 27 Pull-ups, 12 Power Cleans 115,
27 Over Head Weighted Sit Ups 45, 12 Shoulder to Overheads 115: 32:06
This workout completely smoked me and took a little longer then it should have. I probably should have scaled the weight a little more and went with 110 or 105.

Tuesday December 28: Row 500m then 7 rounds for time of: 3 Back Squats 80% max 165#, 7 Jingle-Jangle Sprints 10 m (shuttle run), Burpee Broad Jump back to bar: 11:45
All in all it was a pretty solid WOD and considering I've only been squatting with weight since September I was pretty pumped with 21 reps @ 165#. There's a saying on one of the lifting platforms at Counter Culture and it says "Stronger than yesterday" it has become one of my mantras.

PM Intervals of 10 x 1:1 - leg were a little sluggish from the squats but I felt pretty smooth considering the WOD I did in the morning. Due to my work schedule I wasn't able to give myself the recommended 3 hours recovery between workouts.

Wednesday December 29: 7-11-21 reps of: Deadlift 185, sots presses 45, between sets of 7 and 11 complete 50 double unders, 50 mt. climbers, 15 parallette pass throughs: 12:14
Today I learned what sots press are and boy are they hard. A sots press is a snatch grip shoulder press from the bottom squat position. The great thing about CrossFit is not only am I doing things I never thought I could do, I'm even doing things I've never heard of!

Thursday December 30: gymnastic warm up consisting of 4 rounds of Handstand Hold 30 seconds, 30 Hollow Rocks , L Sit Hold 30 seconds on rings
Then
5 rounds for time of: 7 Burpee Box Jumps, 30 Double Unders , 7 Overhead Squats (95#)
Unfortunately I didn't log my time on this WOD so I have no idea have long it took to complete. I do remember being very frustrated with my double unders especially because I did them so well in the WOD the day before.

Friday December 31: Early AM did 4 x 1 minute hill repeats with jog down recovery. During the warm up I developed a nasty calf crap that I attribute to dehydration.

WOD: 1 RM Squat Clean in 5 minutes 135# - for time complete 20 shoulder to overhead 115# / 40 lateral burpees followed by max wall ball shot (35)
After today I can be sure that 5 on 2 off is not the training schedule I need to follow. This was the first WOD I've done in a while that I wasn't pleased with my performance and I was because I was beat up and tired. The key to better performance is recovery.

Saturday January 1, 2011: No training - Rest and Recovery. Bring on 2011!

Sunday January 2: Do to my calf issue from Friday's workout I decided to take today's run fairly easy. 45 minute progressive run and although my calf was still noticeable I was able to increase my pace throughout the run even with the hills here in Oceanside.

Monday January 3: 1 RM Dead Lift 275# - For Time: 50 Wall Balls, 5 Rounds Cindy, 40 Wall Balls, 4 Rounds Cindy, 30 Wall Balls , 3 Rounds Cindy, 20 Wall Balls, 2 Rounds Cindy, 10 Wall Balls, 1 Round Cindy: 20:42
What a way to start the week! 150 wall balls in total leaves the legs smoked for sure but after finishing a WOD like this I know i'm ready for the Goofy Challenge!

CrossFit Endurance State of the Community Event

2010-11-14T08:14:00.010-05:00

It's been almost a month since the AC Marathon and it's been quite a ride since. After my 8 minute PR I decided to send Brian Mackenzie from CrossFit Endurance an email detailing my experience and success with CFE. The response I got was far more then I could have ever imagined. Brain was getting ready to launch his new site and he wanted me to do an interview detailing my experience with CFE and and my back to back endurance weekends of 18 and 26.2 races. I was able to recruit some help and an HD camera and the result was sent off to Brain. When Iamunscared.com launched my interview was the opening post.

Brain had also mentioned the CrossFit Endurance State of the Community Event in Costa Mesa and without hesitation I said I'd be there. The event would be a great opportunity to network and meet many of the California affiliates as well as many of the big guns in the CrossFit community. The event did not disappoint and was well worth the trip.

I started off the day spending some time with Newman from Rx Jump Ropes working on my double under skills or the lack there of. Newman and his crew spent 5 minutes working with me, filming and reviewing my form. I picked up some really good tips and some gnarly bruises. I'm looking forward to getting home and getting more practice on my Rx Rope.

Through out the day WODs were being thrown down and the 1st WOD consisted of 1k row taking 15 pulls, then 10 burpees until the 1k was completed. It took me a little over 7 minutes to complete and I was completely spent. My lungs were stinging, my back was cramped and my leg were like jello. As I sat down to regroup, Kelly Starrett Aka KStar from CrossFit San Fran and the MobilityWOD gave my some pointers on improving my rowing/burpees technique and reducing some of my Piriformis discomfort. As it turns out not only is Kelly a genius when it come to the human body and mobility but he's pretty funny as well. After a quick exchange I walked to my car to drop off my new Inov-8 and on the way I almost met pukie for the first time. Luckly I was able to maintain my composure and pukie left me alone. Better luck next time.

I made my way to the Stronger Faster Healthier to see if I could get a sample of some of their flavored fish oil. I had never dared to try anything other then fish oil in capsule form. The burps alone make me cringe at the thought of gulping down a few ounces a straight fish oil. Patricia Leighton from SFH spent some time explaining the specifics and enlightened me as to why SFH oil is the sickest. SFH offers 5 different flavors; lemon, tangerine, mint, vanilla and chocolate. All surprisingly were realy good and had not one bit a fish taste at all. The best part no fish burps either. I opted for a 10 oz. bottle of tangerine and look forward to no more fish burps.

The panel discussion included Olympic Lifting experts Mike Burgerner and Josh Everett. Fire Breathers like Greg Amundson, Becca Voigt, Kristan Clever and mobility expert Kelly Starrett. Each talked about how they became involved with CrossFit and some stumbled upon it the way I did, through a simple Google search looking better way to enhance their fitness. The family feel of the CrossFit community was something that each touched upon and its that same thing that keeps me coming back day in day out. In high school and college being a part of a team was an amazing experience and left a void in my athletic pursuits once I graduated from College. There’s something about shared suffering that brings people together and every time I step into a box to do a WOD I get the same feeling I used to get when I competed with my teammates when I competed in high school and college.

The second panel, Lisa Lugo, Dave Castro, Jimi Litchford, Brian Mackenzie, Greg Glassman talked about CrossFit in 2011 and beyond. The new partnership with Reebok and potential monetary incentives for the CrossFit Games Champion. The potential of a possible TV deal to air the CrossFit Games. The possibility of a new twist in the works for the 2011 gamse with the hint of swimming being a new skill that will be required in order to claim the title of the worlds fittest human. I was amazed to learn that CrossFit is adding 70 new affiliates each month with no signs of slowing down any time soon. Some of the highlights can be found at SicFit compliments of Jermey Thiel out of CrossFit Central in Austin, Texas. The continued theme was the value of the community within CrossFit and I couldn't agree more. When you enter a CrossFit box you are brought in like you are one of the family even if your're from the other side of the country. It's because of this that the CrossFit community like no other then I've ever been a part of.

The 52nd Atlantic City Marathon

2010-10-24T19:53:00.014-04:00

Some time in September I got the crazy idea that I wanted to run the Atlantic City Marathon the week after the LBI 18 Mile Run. Even though LBI didn't really go as well as I would have liked I told myself if the weather forecast looked good, go for it. The first thing I did the Monday morning after LBI was get the weekly weather forecast. The second thing I did was register for the 52nd Atlantic City Marathon, the third oldest running marathon in the country. "America's First Festival of Running." Who knew?

I limped away from LBI disappointed in my performance but was confident that it wasn't my best effort. The early changes in pace as well as poor nutrition did me in yet again. Would AC offer me redemption? The plan was to go and run a PR and considering my PR was 2:59, I felt confident it could be done. I took the Monday after LBI relatively easy running just a few miles and strides in the evening to shake my legs out. I was surprised at how good I felt with no real soreness that one would expect the day after an 18 mile race. As was the case of my two previous marathon outings, I was completely wrecked right after the race but the next day I felt fine. I attributed this to poor nutrition during the race and was determined not to let that be the reason for poor performance again. With that in mind I tried to pick a few different flavor gels that I thought I could stomach on race day and opted to go with GU; strawberry banana, Roctane pineapple and tri-berry w/caffeine. Would they work on race day would be another story... Here's a look at my training the week before the marathon.

October 12, 2010
Snatch Grip Push Press 4,4,3,2,2 with 90 seconds rest between sets followed by Back Squats 3,3,2,1,1 also with 90 seconds rest between sets.

October 13, 2010
AM. WOD: 10 x 1:1, one minute on, one minute off x 10. The main focus when I do a 1:1 is form and technique. I felt like my form held together pretty well during the LBI race with no hot spot issues with my feet.
PM. WOD: 20 minute row on the C2 (no info because the computer is broken) followed up with 60 walking lunge and 60 air squats.

October 14, 2010
12 x 100 Hills Sprints with 10 squat jumps at the top of the hill after the last 6 repeats. The workout called for 30 second hill sprint but the hill I used didn't quite cut it so in order to get a little more out of the workout I decided to throw in some squat jumps to add a little more effort to the workout.

October 15, 2010
Speed development and technique work on the track, 6 x 150 with 150 walking recovery, 5 x 30 and 6 x 120. I tried to keep everything comfortably fast and focused on keeping my feet under my general center of mass.

October 16, 2010
Not your normal typical pre-race shake out. 30 Muscle Ups in 12:55. Did the first 7 unbroken and continued to do 3 - 4 unbroken until I got to 25. From 25 to 30 it was one at a time. After my muscle up WOD I did some light running with my XC team as they warmed up for their hill workout. After practice I headed over to the Power Center in Red Bank for some yoga with Lauren Brunelli

When my alarm went of at 4 a.m. I asked myself am I really going to run a marathon in a few hours?!? The answer was yes but I will admit I was a little nervous after last weeks 18 mile implosion. After a quick shower and WAWA stop I headed south for Atlantic City AKA the "City of Broken Dreams." As I drove down the parkway I reminded myself to relax, have fun and enjoy the experience. I knew if I could do those things I would walk away from a positive experience. An hour later I was rolling into AC still nervous but confident it was going to be a good day.

Packet pick was at Boardwalk Hall and when I opened my packet and saw that my race number was 7, I knew for sure it was going to be a good day to run a marathon. With my packet and shirt in hand I headed back to my car to relax and eat a little before it was time to warm up.

A little before 7 I left the parking garage to head over to the start to warm up. At the 18 miler my warm up was lacking and half-assed. I wasted time talking to friends and didn't warm up the way I knew I should have. Regardless of what pace you are running or how far you are running I still feel going through some range of motion is the key to a good performance. So, one hour before the start I started moving my body and didn't stop until 10 minutes to gun time. After some easy running on the boardwalk I found a place away from the start but near a bathroom to do my drills. As I did my drills I saw a few of my Running Works friends warming up and we wished each other good luck on the days endeavors. One thing I happened to notice as I continued to warm up and this I believe was a first for sure, was another runner smoking a cigarette. Yes I'm sure he was a runner, he had a number on. Two things instantly popped into my head when I saw this; 1. I thought I had done some crazy shit before some of my races and 2. I have to remember to put this in my blog. When it was all said on done I had put in a good hour of active movement and I felt much better about my warm up then I did the week before.

Race time had come and I was about to find out if it was really possible to run an 18 mile race and then a week later run a marathon all on less then 30 miles a week. It took me 45 seconds to get to the starting line and another mile to weave my way in and out the traffic of three races starting at once. At 5 miles I took my first GU (strawberry bananna) and surprisingly I had no problem getting it down. I also made sure that I grabbed water/Gatorade at every aide station in order to avoid the cramping issue that did me in at LBI. I rolled through 5 at sub 3 hr pace feeling relaxed and comfortable, 5 down 21 to go. Some where around 6 miles I found myself running with a gentleman who was running the half-marathon, unfortunately I neglected to catch his name. I was reluctant to strike up a conversation because I was so focused on sticking to my plan and I didn't want to be distracted or end up running faster then I wanted. After a mile of one word answers I gave in, figuring it would help pass time. We talked about the marathons that we had run, injuries, nutrition, training and coaching. At 10 miles I downed my Roctane Pineapple and again had no problems getting it down and almost instantly it seemed like I could feel it take effect. I passed the 10 mile mark still under my goal pace still feeling comfortable and relaxed but I noticed that my quads weren't feeling great. Was I coming unglued already or was I just sore from the hills and squat jumps?

At 12 miles my new running buddy pealed of to finish the Half and I pressed on southbound towards Ventnor and Margate on Atlantic Avenue. From miles 8 to the 15.5 the race ran into a head wind and around 14 it started to get a little annoying. At this point I started to talk to myself, coaching myself to stay positive and not let things I had no control over bother me. At 15, I downed another strawberry banana GU and again didn't have much of an issue getting it down. At the turn around at 15.5, I was reminded that I should have looked more closely at the course map. I can't even begin to stress how important it is to know the course you are running. I assumed that after the turn I was headed back to the boardwalk to finish and in a way I was. Just not directly. When I was directed inland it dawned on me the I still had some running left to do and heading straight back to Boardwalk Hall would have left me a few miles short of 26.2 miles.

By the time I got to 18 miles I was still feeling strong but knew a lot could go wrong if I tried to force. Although I had been doing it the entire race from 18 on I really did a lot a self coaching and I began to get tunnel vision. Not the type you get when you're about to fall out but the type you get when you're in the zone. I repeated over and over to myself "don't force", "don't chase", "keep it up", "you've got a good one going." At 20 miles I took my last gel, GU tri-berry with caffeine and I felt great. Mentally I was dialed into my mantra and physically although my quads were sore I new I wasn't about to let another one slip away. I knew I was feeling great because I was still thanking the people on the course who where telling me that I looked great. At LBI I had stopped thanking people at mile 10.

When I hit the boardwalk to head to the finish I was 11th and I had number 10 in my sights. Even though I only had a little over 3 miles to go, I still didn't want to force the issue "don't force, don't chase" I repeated over and over. Sure enough around 25 miles I moved into 10th and with a little over a mile to go the fear of blowing up no longer existed. I ran my last mile in 6:08 to finish with a chip time of 2:51.11 over and 8 minute PR on less then a weeks notice and off of less then 30 miles.

Jersey Shore

2010-10-11T22:18:00.009-04:00

CABS HERE!!!

IT'S T-SHIRT TIME!!!

The Real Jersey Shore, the One and Only LBI 18 Mile Run. October 10, 2010, the 38th Memorial and my third attempt in as many years. But, before I get in to the gory details of the race, here's what my training has looked liked since the 4th.

October 5, 2010
I headed up to CrossFit Morristown for a 6 a.m. WOD. Yup Pt. Pleasant to Morristown for a 6 a.m. workout. As crazy as it sounds I don't mind the alarm or the commute because it's a great BOX with great coaches and athletes. The original WOD called for 4 rounds of row 500, 9 ring dips, 12 shoulder to overhead Rx #135 (my weight #85), 15 box jumps. Unfortunately there are only 4 rowers and 15 athletes. Mike D, staggered us and alternatively planned to do a 400 (more like 300) run if the rowers got backed up. I started in the first wave and was 3rd off the rower. Which means I need to add that to my list of skills that needs improvement. I was also planing on not running but as it turns out after the first round I was out the garage door hammering a 300. Interesting who's on the streets in Morristown at 6 a.m. I was only able to get on a rower for the first round and I'm pretty sure a row, ring dip transition would have sucked way more. I finished in 18:38, rowing and lifts need improvement. In the afternoon I headed up to RBR to do a CF Mainsite WOD : 10 x 2 Bench Press w. 60 seconds rest. I was really sure where to start off but I know I haven't really bench pressed in a long time. So I opted on the lighter side; #115, 120, 125, 130, 135, 140, 145, 150, 155, 160. With a spot I'm pretty sure I could have gotten #175.

October 6, 2010
10.5 mile run with Craig Segal, ran 10 x 1 minute on w. 2 minutes recovery over the last 30 minutes. Feeling a bit run down in the afternoon I opted to bypass the afternoon strength and conditioning session.

October 7, 2010
A.M. WOD: I headed up to Morristown again and the WOD consisted of; 10 rounds for time: 10 MB clean #20, 5 HSPU (handstand push ups), 10 pistols (5 each leg). I completed the WOD in 14:33 and walked away pumped about the ease in which I did the HSPU. I also noted that I need to work more on my weakness and I added pistols to the list.

P.M. WOD : 5 x 40 : 20. This was a complete burner consisting of 40 seconds of all out sprint with 20 seconds rest. I warmed up with and easy mile of running followed up with 15 minutes worth form drills and active warm up. I finished up my warm up with 4 x 100 progressive sprints with full recovery. 5:40:20 was another WOD that appeared on paper to much easier then it actually was. Each 40 second interval I covered around 275 meters. I'm not sure if it was the wind or the workout or both but this one had my lungs burning.

October 8, 2010
Rest day : Spent some time working on the Snatch and did some easy running with the team during practice.

October 9, 2010
A.M. WOD : 7 muscle ups, 6 rounds of Cindy (5 pull ups, 10 push ups, 15 squats), 5 muscle ups, 4 rounds of Cindy, 3 muscle ups, 2 rounds of Cindy, 1 muscle up. Still a relative novice on the ring I moved through the first round of muscle ups dropping down to the ground to re grip each time. When I jumped back up on the rings a light bulb went off and I suddenly knew how to do a kip on the ring. Just like that I did 4 unbroken muscle ups and I almost got the last one too. I finished the WOD in 15:32. At practice with the team I ran 9 x 300 uphill. Probably not the best idea with an 18 mile race the next day but I figured why not. I made sure I ran at least one hill with each group or individual. After we finished practice I received some praise from the RBR Maintenance Staff. They were very impressed with how hard my team works day in, day out, rain or shine. It's moments like this, that make it all worth it and it's moments like this that reassure you that what your doing is the right thing. I had a similar feeling after I left Running Works in August.

Since I forgot to pick up my chip last year, I decided I would make the trip down to LBI to pre register so I wouldn't have to stress about it in the morning. In 2009 I signed up early, had my number but decided to bypass the t-shirt pick up to avoid the hassle at St Francis the morning of the race. As I was changing my shoes for the race my brother asked me if I had my timing chip. At that point it was to late to do anything to correct my stupidity and I ran without a chip. I ended up running a huge PR and finished 5th but the results of the 2009 race will never show that. Lesson learned, always pick up your t-shirt!

October 10, 2010
Race day was here and questions would finally be answered. How would my new training program translate to race results? The goal was to run 6:30 pace and be as comfortable as possible. Fellow MUXCTF alum Pat Dalessandro was also running as he preps for his first marathon in December. We talked a few days before and we both had a similar race plan so we agree to meet up and give it a go together. I didn't really warm up as well as I would have like and Pat was even surprised that I mentioned warming up. I usually spend the hour leading up to a race going through range of motion and form drills but only managed to squeeze in 20 minutes before the race. This was by no means my downfall.

We headed out at the start and I felt pretty comfortable and even though I was faster then I wanted to be through the early miles I still thought I was going to be able to maintain my pace the entire race. Through the early miles Pat and I clicked off splits in the low 6:20's. At some point Pat and I gained a third member of our group and this is when things took a turn for the worse for me. It started to bother me that mile after mile this guy was content to sit in and let Pat and I do all the work. Eventually I moved behind him and forced him to the front to to some work and with that he took off and Pat followed. The next mile split ended up being 5:22!?! I knew that paced had picked up but 5:22 was ridiculous. The mile mark must be off but even if it was, it wasn't that off. So, because I stopped racing myself and started racing people around me my race was completely shot and we hadn't even hit the half was mark.

At that point I realized I need to get back to my game plan which was to run 6:30's and be comfortable. I settled back into a rhythm and I tried to not think about the fact that I still had 9 miles to run. I had been taking Accelerade every 3 miles but looking back I probably needed another fuel source because somewhere around mile 13 my calfs began to severely cramp. At this point Pat and I had moved into the top 10. Unfortunately, I had started to do damage control and suggested to Pat to go for it. Pat continued on and ended up running a great race finishing in 6th. I on the other hand went in the other direction going from 7th to 11th finishing in 1:56.50. Of the 3 races I've run on LBI this was the slowest and I felt absolutely wrecked. I was flat backed for at least 10 minutes and was shoveling anything I could get my hands on into my mouth (oranges, potato chips, birch beer, gatorade) On top of it all I had to get in my car and drive to Toms River to train a client. Luckily I snapped out of it pretty quickly and by the time I arrived in Toms River I was feeling pretty good. My stomach was hurting but that was because of all the crap I ate when I finished.

The next day when I woke up I decided to enter the Atlantic City Marathon. The question many asked was why and the answers are to follow in my next update coming shortly.

LBI 18 Mile Run

2010-10-03T19:31:00.004-04:00

It's almost time to run the LBI 18 Mile run and this years build up has taken a completely different path then the previous two years. The first year, the goal was to finish and see if I'd be interested in running a marathon (I think I finished 9th in 2008). In 2009, I new a was running a marathon and used the race as a check point in my build up. I finished 5th but neglected to pick up my chip the morning of because I already had my number. My last mile was in 5:30, one minute faster than what I started at. Two days later I couldn't run without being in pain and had to take a month and a half off. All of which led to a sub par 2:59 debut 26.2. This year's build up has been filled with lots of strength training, improved nutrition, faster more intense running and more efficient running mechanics. Since June I have been adding more and more CrossFit and CrossFit Endurance programing to my training to see if my racing would improve. In june I ran a 5k in 17:30 last week I closed out a 90 minute run with Craig Segal in 5:47, 5:37, 5:31. Yesterday I ran a 2.6 mile TT and averaged 5:20. What will this all mean on Sunday October 10, 2010? Beats me, I'm still not sure if I'm going to try to go out and kill it as I may have another surprise planned for the following Sunday. Regardless I'm going to go out and enjoy it. Here's a look at what I'll been doing since the CFE certification at CrossFit Morristown There are a few days missing here and there. Some of the days missing have either been Tabata Sprints or 2 x 1200 hill runs @ Hartshorne.

September 13, 2010
A.M. WOD : 10 x 1:1 @ Boro Track, light jog, active warm up, form drills followed with 4 x 100 meter sprint w. full recovery.
P.M. Overhead Squat work. 10, 10, 10, 10, 8, 8, 6, 6, warm up sets starting very light. 5 - 3 - 2 - 1 maxing out at 105.

September 14, 2010
10 : 30 second hill sprint w. 90 second recovery @ Hartshorne Woods w. 90 seconds recovery. Tried to run as fast as possible while maintaining proper running mechanics. Easy mile cool down, 4 x 30 walking lunge

September 15, 2010
A.M. WOD : 1:1, :45, 1:00, 1:30, 3:00, 6:00, 3:00, 1:30, 1:00, 45
P.M. S&C WOD : Every minute on the minute for 8 minutes 3 : push press. Rest 3 minutes, then every minute on the minute for 8 minutes, 5 x DB swing (no KB) #50, 5 x squat w DB, 5 clapping push ups.

September 16, 2010
A.M. WOD : 2 x 5:00 w. 2:00 rest, 5 x 1:00 w. :30 rest. Ran on the roads and had no problem with my feet. Focused on keeping my feet under my general center of mass.
P.M. S&C WOD : 5 x 5, Squat Clean #95, Bench 135

September 17, 2010
Awesome trip to the dentist for 3 fillings!!! No training

September 18, 2010
6 x 800 w. 90 seconds recovery : 2:28, 2:25, 2:26, 2:29, 2:32, 2:29 - Warm up easy mile jog, active movements, 4 x 100 meter sprint w. full recovery. Cool down easy mile.

September 19, 2010
40 minute TT

September 20, 2010
7 Rounds
7 Squat Clean Thruster #95
7 Chest to Bar Pull Ups
rest 5 minutes
12 minutes AMRAP - 6 rounds 3 Power Cleans
8 Hang Power Cleans
8 Wall Ball Shots
8 Knee to Elbow

September 24, 2010
100 Pull ups
100 Lunges
100 Burpees
100 Squats
100 Push ups
100 Sit ups
100 Double Unders
30:31

September 25, 2010
Rest Day - Six Flags!!!

September 27, 2010
WOD : CrossFit/USAW Triplet
10 Minutes AMRAP
6 x Squat Clean #80
12 x Chest to bar pull ups
24 Double Unders
5 rounds 12 pull ups

September 28, 2010
A.M. S&C WOD @ CF Morristown
7 rounds for time
14 x roll outs
5 x thruster
finished in 8 minutes give or take, didn't have my glasses on and never bothered to check the clock.

P.M. 1 :1 - 3 : 3, Covered 970 meters on each 3 minute interval.

September 29, 2010
A.M. WOD : 90 minute run in Holmdel closed the last three miles in 5:47, 5:37.5:31
P.M. Oly seminar @ CF Morristown. First ever Snatch with weight! Also, spent most of the day in the dentist chair having my implants put in finally!

September 30, 2010
2 x 1200 hill run with full recovery @ Hartshorne Woods. Mouth was sore from yesterday's 4 hour dentist ordeal but at least I can smile now!

October 1, 2010
5 x 2 Shoulder Press w. 2:00 rest
5 x 3 Front Squat w. 2:00 rest

10 Rounds for time
Dead Lift #135 x 15
Push ups/hands up x 15
20:31

October 2, 2010
A.M. WOD: Muscle up and Double Under practice. Double Unders are harder with RX Rope.
P.M. WOD 1:1 - 12 x 1:00 w. 1:00 rest @ Holmdel Park, felt good running fast on the hills.

October 4, 2010
A.M. WOD : 4 x 5 minutes w. 3 minutes rest in the wind and rain. Felt pretty good considering the conditions. I hate running in the rain.

P.M. WOD: Tried to complete the Rx CFE WOD but after 5 x 15 knees to elbows w. :20 rest the 5 x 20 chest to bar pull ups was all but impossible. Bagged the pull ups rested a bit then did 5 x 25 med ball slams w. :20 rest. I almost knocked out my new grill when I grabbed the wrong MB to slam and took the first slam in the face.

CFE Certification

2010-09-21T10:16:00.007-04:00

On Saturday September 11, I traveled up to CrossFit Morristown, to attend a two day CrossFit Endurance certification course. Before the weekend started I had a few specific goals that I wanted to accomplish in order consider the weekend a success. First and foremost I wanted fix my form and the form of my clients and athlete. The other was to gain a better understanding of the CFE programing. CrossFit Morristown is a great box with a great team of coaches and immediately I felt welcome and at home.
At 9:00 we started our course and we met our instructor Max Wunderle and he informed us that Brian Harkins would be joining us the following day to help with the certification. Right off the bat we got right into running mechanics and started with our initial form analysis. As I suspected, over striding was the root of all my running problems. We spent the next few hour working on drills to fix our form. At first I had a difficult time getting some of the drills as many of them go against many of the concepts I've been practicing for years. The more I relaxed the more the drills starting to click and now after a week of practice I seemed to have fixed my foot problems. I certainly have to concentrate a lot more now while running but a least it keeps my mind off the discomfort I'm feeling from the workout. Finally at the end of the first day we did the WOD(Workout of the Day) "Death by 10 meters." What that meant was every minute on the minute we would run 10 meters and the remainder of the minute would be your rest period. Each additional minute we were to add 10 meters. Each round that you add 10 meters you lose a few ticks off your rest period. In the end you eventually run out time before you complete the round. Max had suggested that we not kill the early rounds, in order to make it through as long as possible. Early on the rounds were pretty easy and I was able to focus on my new and improved running form. After the 10th round I started to realize why this workout was called "death by 10 meters" and the death part started to kick in. Max had informed us before we started the longest he had ever seen anyone go was 23 minutes and that was by Austin Malleolo , how close am I to a CF games competitor, I wondered. Lungs and legs were burning like never before but thinking I was in the lead I backed off the gas and and didn't make it to the 19th minute. When I realized there was still one guy going I was pissed that I hadn't given it everything that I had. Note to self never let up!!! Although it only lasted 18 minutes it was one hell of a WOD. After day 1 I stuck around for a bit and chatted with some of the other athletes and trainers who were attending the certification. I also noticed that they were having an Olympic Lifting seminar at CrossFit Morristown and decided to sign up. I'm looking forward the 29th.

On Day 2 I headed up early to CF Morristown and was lucky enough to get in a WOD, my third ever WOD in an Affiliate. My first two coming at CrossFit Reston, when I did my Level I certification. The majority of my WOD's taking place in my backyard or at RBR. It's my hope to one day open my own Affiliate so it's great to see how top notch facilities look and operate. With that being said I decided to stick with the CFE strength and conditioning WOD of 16 minutes AMRAP, 8 Dead Lifts @ #155, 8 chest to bar pull ups, 8 burpees. When I read the Rx I figured I'd have no problem doing 8 DL @ 155 but as usual I was wrong. After 6 rounds I looked at my timer and I still had almost 10 minutes to go I knew the DL's were going to kill me. Pull ups and burpees I have all day, throw a little weight lifting in a watch me squirm. Some where after 10 rounds I stopped counting and just focused keeping my body in motion.

Karianne Dickson, head coach of CF Morristown gave me some help on my DL form mid workout as she cued me to move my feet closer and to stick my chest out more. Having coaches around is a big help and especially when it comes to weight lifting, where poor technique can lead to injury. As I finished up, Max and Brian were starting to set up for day 2 so I cleaned up and got ready for more CFE goodness. As we headed outside for drills and filming it started to rain and within 10 minutes of being outside it was pouring out. In order to avoid the rain we headed to the parking garage next store. Unfortunately the parking garage didn't offer much room to really accomplish what we needed to do. In any case we made the best of it, got our filming down and headed back inside. After a quick lunch break we spent some time talking about the programing of workouts. Max even got into programing for high school cross country and track & field teams. My biggest concern when it comes to programing is when to know enough is enough. I will continue to use myself as a guinea pig and look forward to some up coming races to test my fitness under these new training methods.

All in all it was a great weekend of learning and I've already started to notice an improvement in my form as well as drops in times during my interval training.

9/8 - 9/10 Workouts

2010-09-10T08:30:00.005-04:00

9/8 : Hills, hills and more hills. Wednesday's workout called for 2 x 1200 uphill then 2 x 300 uphill and that means Hartshorne Woods. The one bright spot was that I didn't have to run hills weighted. I was a little pressed for time and cheated the warm up at little and left out the form drills. In retrospect I had plenty of time, I really just didn't feel like running back to the parking lot and the footing at the base of the hill isn't the place I want to be working on my form. The 1200's are only hard the last 300 and the 300 are hard because your running at least a 12-13% grade. After each interval I gave myself 1 minute recovery before a made my way back down the hill. After the hills and cool down I spent some time in the parking lot doing some general strength (air squats, walking lunges and lateral squat walks). From Hartshorne I headed over to Thompson Park to meet with one of my clients and then off to practice with my xc team. After practice I did my strength workout at RBR, 40 x squat clean thrusters w. 95 lbs. Tough strength work but I'm committed to improving my lifts even if that means being extremely uncomfortable. Learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.

9/9's workout only called for strength training, consisting of 3 x 3 front squat w. 2 minutes recovery between set. After my third set I took 5 minutes recovery before I started 4 rounds for time of 10 x 55 lb dumb bell swings, 25 double unders. My double unders are getting better but still need to work on my technique in order to do them unbroken. It was a solid effort and I feel like I'm making gains in strength.

9/10's focus was on long intervals of 4 x 10 minutes w. 2 minutes recovery. I've never been a fan of long interval, mainly because they hurt and hurt for a long time. Before I started I knew there was a good chance I was going to have some problems and sure enough my foot was smoking half way through the first interval. My foot problem is definitely caused by my over striding, good news is with a little work and a little concentration I can fix this problem. Unfortunately my foot wasn't the only discomfort I experienced during the workout. It's definitely a gut check for me when I do long interval but I've come a long way since my early running days but at the same time if you're not thinking about quitting you're probably not going hard enough.

Weekend Workouts

2010-09-08T06:37:00.003-04:00

Here's what my training has looked like for the last few days. Again I've been trying to stick to the prescribed workouts of Crossfit and Crossfit Endurance as much as possible. On Friday I did one of the bench mark Crossfit WOD's called "Linda" aka three bars of death. The workout calls for dead lift, bench press, and squat cleans completing sets of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 with no rest between sets. The prescribed weight is 1.5 body weight for the DL, body weight for bench and .75 body weight for the squat cleans. Since I'm still a relative newcomer to many of these lifts moving the prescribed weight can be a little difficult so I scaled the weight to 185 DL, 125 Bench, and 80 SC. Even with the scaled weights this WOD presented a challenge and took 27:47 to complete.

When I got up Saturday morning I could barely move from my Friday evening date with "Linda" and I found out that I had muscles in places I never knew. Shaking off the morning stiffness I headed up to Monmouth University to get in a workout before meeting with one of my athletes for their training session. 10 x 100 w. 90 seconds rest was the workout. The main goal was to run as fast as possible while staying as efficient as possible. Even with the focus on my mechanics I still managed to beat up my foot pretty good. I'm starting to think my foot problem comes from over striding. I'm going to figure this running stuff out some day. After I finished up my workout I headed out for my training session with on of my athletes, Craig Segal as he makes his final preparations for the Chicago Marathon in early October. Craig ran an 18 mile marathon simulation while I rode my bike to hand off, water, gatorade, & gels along the way. All I can say is Craig is fit and ready to run a great race in just about a months time.

Sunday workout out called for 4 DL's @ 70% of my 1 max rep, every minute on the minute for 8 minutes. Since I'm not really sure what my 1 max rep is I figured I could pull 250 from the floor once and decided to go with 175. After 8 minutes I took 5 minutes recovery then hit the C2 rower for 10 minutes. Unfortunately the rower I have access to has a broken computer so I just set my watch and pull. after the row I took 3 minutes recovery then did 2 minutes max rep push ups. All in all it was a great session considering I was still sore from "Linda" on Friday.

Is there any better way to start off your Labor Day then with a workout with your cross country team at Holmdel Park!?! Knowing that I have such a young group with the majority having never run at HP, I decided to keep the workout short and manageable. After 20 minutes of active warm up, I split the guys up into small groups and sent them on their way. 1 on 1 off, through 5k was their workout and the guys killed it. After our run we did a mini body weight circuit consisting of push ups, squats and burpees in sets of 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 with 60 seconds rest through 6 and 30 seconds rest from 5 - 1 . from Holmdel I headed of to meet with a few of my clients for their Monday sessions. I love when people don't let the holidays interfere with their training schedules!!!
After I finished with my clients I headed home to do some overhead squat work. Still only able to move small amounts of weight overhead I focused on stabilization and moving the bar up and down as comfortably as possible. 10 x 10

Tuesday intervals of 5 x 800 with 90 seconds rest and amazingly I had no foot problems. I started the session with a light 5 minute run then followed up with a 1600 m, active warm up and 3 x 100 meter progressive runs. I averaged 2:35 per 800 and not once did I feel like I was over extending myself. Each interval was faster then the previous finishing up at 2:32. After walking a lap I cooled down with an easy 1600 m run.

9/2 : Workout

2010-09-03T05:51:00.003-04:00

When will the heat end?!?! I think at this point I may be over it. No I know I'm over it. At 6:30 am. I headed over to the Brick Reservoir for my interval work. Today's plan was to run timed segment intervals of 4 minutes, 5 minutes, 6 minutes, 5 minutes, 4 minutes all with 2 minutes recovery and the goal was to cover as much distance as possible. I started off with a light jog of 5 minutes and from the first step I could immediately feel the effect of yesterday's heavy lifts. Having heavy legs is no way to start a workout but you have to do what you have to do, so that's what I did. After about 10 minutes of form drills and strides I set out on my first interval. The first interval was a little faster then I would have liked it to be but a little nervous energy will do that. As the pace picked up so did the discomfort of the hot spot on my right foot which is usually an indicator that I'm pushing to hard and over striding. After the first interval I reigned it in a bit and tried to run as comfortably fast as possible. For me the key to long time interval is not looking at my watch to soon. There's nothing worse then running a 6 minute time segment and checking your watch every 30 seconds. For each interval I was able to make it to the last minute before I checked my watch. I'm amazed at how much will power it takes to resist the temptation of checking your watch to early but for me it really makes a huge difference. After getting over the hump of the 6 minute segment I reminded myself that I only had 9 minutes of hard running remanning and that I've done that plenty of times before. Fatigue started to set in a bit toward the end but I managed to run a consistent workout and left the reservoir pleased with the work I had just completed. Unfortunately due to some time constraints I was unable to get my strength session in today.

Olympic Lift : 9/1

2010-09-01T15:20:00.000-04:00

I can't believe it's September already!?! One of my main goals this year was to start incorporating more olympic lifting into my training. Little by little since obtaining my Crossfit Level I certification I've become more and more comfortable with the movements of the olympic lifts. My main concern first and foremost is the movements, the weight is secondary. Today's plan was to focus on the clean and jerk. The workout today called for 6 C&J every minute on the minute for 10 minutes. Unfortunately because I'm still a novice at these lifts, it took me almost 1 minute to complete a set of 6 reps. After my first set I decided to scale the workout down a bit to allow me to still focus on the technique and I took 1 minute recovery after each set of 6 and went for a total of 25 minutes. I ended up completing 13 sets of 6 reps of the clean and Jerk. All in all it was a great training session and I walked away from todays session much more confident in my ability to clean and jerk. Next olympic lift that I need to work on is my snatch, and the snatch is a lift and movement the scares the hell out of me. I once read that in order to feel alive you should try to do something every day that scares you, does it count if you try to snatch everyday?

After my last set I cleaned up my mess and headed out to meet with the RBR boys XC team for their last summer practice. School starts tomorrow and my work and training schedule will change again now that practice will move from the mornings to the afternoons. We had another great session as a team and I think things are finally starting to come together. The guys are buying into the system and it's starting to show in all aspects of their training. The goal everyday is to improve by 1% from the previous day. I love it when a plan come together! After our run we headed into the weight room to do some general strength work (bench press, push offs and dips 3 x 15) and then the guys were off to enjoy their final hours of summer vacation.

After practice I hit my second strength session focusing on the squat. I warmed up with three light sets of 10 rep back squats. After my warm up I threw some weight on the bar for 5 x 5. My recovery after each set was the time it took to add more weight to the bar. Squatting with weight is another skill set that I hope to improve on in the next few months. The up side to this is that it is all so new, that there is only one way to go and that's up. Up in weight that is...

Tuesday 8/31 workout

2010-08-31T16:42:00.002-04:00

6:30 am. I headed over to the local track to attack my schedule workout for the day. Today's workout again came from the Crossfit Endurance site but today I decided to combine both WOD's into one session. Again like yesterday my handy Suples Bag was used as a substitute, today it took the place of a 1.5 pood kettle bell. I also upped the bag size from 26 lbs. to 36 lbs. Push offs were subbed in for the pull ups because there is no pull up, set up at the track. I started with 15 minutes of active warm up that included various form drills mixed in with 100 meter strides picking up speed as the warm up progressed. After 15 minutes my sweat was rolling and the heart was pumping time to get after it. The first part of the workout consisted of 3 rounds of run 400 meters, 21 power snatches w/ 36 lb. Suples Bag, 12 push offs, continuos and as fast as possible. Total time for 3 rounds was 8:57, the hardest part being the 21 power snatches . I took equal time on my recovery before I started the second part of the workout, which was a Tabata sprint. Without getting to off track, Tabata intervals are 20 second periods of intense work (in my case today it happened to be a run some days it can be body squats) followed by 10 second periods of rest, done eight times. Its the most intense 4 minutes of exercise you'll ever experience. The CFE site recommend 3+ hours of recovery in between these session but because of my time constraints today I decided to do them both in one session. I am now fully aware as to why they recommend this practice. Right from the first 20 second interval I could feel how taxed my legs and knew it was going to be a painful 4 minutes. The great thing about a Tabata session is that it only takes 4 minutes and I know I can suffer for 4 minutes. After I completed my last 20 second sprint I walked 400 meters and followed that up with an easy 1600 meter jog to complete my cool down. Feeling good I headed off to meet my morning clients.

After finishing up with my clients I had some free time so I decided I hit another quick workout. The workout consisted of 3 round of 10 burpees, 20 box jumps, 40 double unders. When the smoke had cleared and the clock was stopped, it read 9:16. All in all it was a solid day of training and I'm looking to what tomorrow has in store.

Monday, Fun-day: 8/30 workout

2010-08-30T13:53:00.009-04:00

Just like every Monday this summer I headed up to Red Bank Regional to workout with the boy cross country team. I usually try to get there early so I can get my training in before they arrive. I found over the years of coaching that training with the kids although fun and convenient is not always what's in the best interest of the kids or the program. I've also found the less you run with them the more they appreciate it when you do. With the team having their time trial today I wanted to get in some light strength work before practice and then I planned to head over to Hartshorne Woods to run some hills with a little bit of a twist. My morning strength work consisted of three super sets of bench (15), dips (10) and push offs (5) moving from exercise to exercise with as little rest as possible then taking two minutes between sets. Since I don't have access to a GHD machine I did 3 x 25 sit ups on the roman chair set up.

At 7:30 I briefed the team on how the time trial would be run and what my expectations were. At 7:35 they got their game faces on and got ready to bring their A-game. Although we had some promising things happen this morning it's very clear that we have our work cut out for us this fall if we intend to turn some heads. Win, lose or draw if the kids can work their butts off, give 100% everyday and understand the value of hard work, I will be a very happy individual at the end of the season.

After practice I headed over to Hartshorne Woods for a little hill training. Today's main workout came from the Crossfit Endurance site and consisted of a 1 mile weighted uphill run. If you've ever run at Hartshorne you know exactly where this run is headed!

Since I know longer have a Garmin 305 I decided I would run for 10 minutes just to be on the safe side and not miss any distance in the workout. Since I don't own a weight vest I decided to use my 26 lb. Suples Bulgarian Training Bag. I figured I can use it for everything else I might as well use it for my weighted hill run.

I did my normal 8-10 minute easy jog just to get a sweat going and then completed the warm up with a few form drills. Today's drills consisted of; skips, a-skips, b-skips, high knees and a few body squat with some stride outs after each set of squats. From there I grabbed my bag and headed to the start. Running on the hills at Hartshorne can be brutal enough but when you add 26 lbs. on top of that you're dealing with an entirely different animal. As I made my way up the climb I passed a few runners going in the opposite direction and the looks they gave my were priceless. Towards the end of the run all I could think about was the fact that I would have to run back to my car with the extra 26 lbs. on my shoulders. I knew the way back down would be easy running so I tried to focus on the discomfort and pushed through until my timer went off. I took 5 minutes dropped the bag and gathered my marbles for the run back down to the parking lot. After I dropped of the bag I continued on for another 10 minutes of easy running to cool down. After my cool down I did some light kb swings (25) and SDLHP (25) to finish up the days training.

8/29 workout

2010-08-29T17:02:00.003-04:00

This morning I attended a free hour yoga class at lululemon athletica this am. That's right I said FREE! If you are into yoga and into things that are free I would highly recommend you check it out. You may also want to check out some of their gear. Clothes made for working out but also functional as lifestyle wear.

After yoga I headed over to Holmdel Park to do my run. Today's workout consisted of 12 x 1 minute hard running w. 30 seconds recovery. The goal was to consistently cover the same distance during each and every interval. I would say I was successful in reaching my goal, 11-12 stung but I got through it. Most of the time when I run fast I try to focus on my form and my mechanics, it helps take my mind off how crummy I feel. The only thing I can't seem to get a hold of is the way my right foot strikes the ground. No matter what shoes I have on. The second I start to move the pace along I get the worst hot spot on the outside of my forefoot. I've gotten a few new shoe suggestions to try so hopefully one of those will help my problem. I warmed up with a light 8 minute jog followed by a few form drills to help activate my hamstrings and finished with an easy 2 mile cool down. After my cool down I completed a few of the Mobility WOD I picked up from Kelly Starrett's blog.

Feeling a little beat I decided to postpone this afternoons strength session until tomorrow morning before practice.

8/28 PM. Workout

2010-08-28T17:31:00.002-04:00

Easy 6 mile run at Holmdel Park w. 25 push-ups and 25 squats every mile and 10 burpees at 1.5 and the finish. Nice easy recovery workout. Did not time, just enjoyed the park!

8-28-10, AM. workout

2010-08-28T08:33:00.004-04:00

Death by pull-ups: 15 pull-ups every minute on the minute until failure. Failure is taking the entire minute to complete 15 pull-ups. Once failure is reached take one minute rest and start the next minute with 10 pull-ups. Hit failure today at the 7 minute mark. This type of workout is way harder then it appears.

NYC LIVE

2009-11-01T09:54:00.001-05:00

NYC MARATHON

LBI 18 Mile Run

2009-10-11T17:00:00.003-04:00

Since I never wrote a report for the Liberty Half Marathon I figured I better do one for the LBI 18 miler. So it's 3 days after the fact but better late then never.

You would think by now, at 33 that I wouldn't still be doing stupid things and if one of my athletes did it, forget about it. Being that I was pre-registered I had my number, I thought do I really need another race t-shirt. I opted for no an skipped the race headquarters and headed right to the start. Problem was in the process of skipping the t-shirt I also skipped getting my timing chip, FML. Looks like I'm really doing a training run today I said to my brother Jimmy. Regardless my game plan was to run as relaxed as possible for as long as possible. I did my normal 2 mile warm up run followed by my active warm. 20 minutes from start time I changed into my race gear and made my way to the starting line. Thanks to Rob at Runner's High I was able to rock my new EPT gear.

Even before I forgot my timing cheap I new I wanted to approach this as a progressive Sunday long run. I decided I was going to wear my ipod in hopes that my soundtrack would keep me relaxed early and positive and mentally tough over those final hammer miles. I am continually intrigued by the effects music has on the brain while working out and it's ability to allow one to push at such a higher intensity. The night before I searched through my itunes (had I put in a little more effort I could have planned the whole effort song for song) and dropped about 60 songs into my ipod and hit shuffle. All in all it turned out pretty good, I was relaxed in the beginning and positive and strong at the finish. The follow is the playlist of the tracks that kept me focused for 18 miles in a straight line; 1. days go by - dirty vegas, 2. the sky is not crying - john digweed, 3. arcadia - gabriel & dresden, 4. louder than boom - tiesto, 5. organ donar - dj shadow, 6. afrika shox - leftfield, 7. when the levee breaks - led zeppelin, 8. boogie down - atomphunk, 9. kan kan - spanna, 10. fresh fruit - tiesto, 11. move - christian smith, 12. in white rooms - book shade, 13. charlotte - booka shade, 14. rhythm your life - calling the freak, 15. gravity - grayarea, 16. going down - freddie king, 17. narkotic blue - sasha, 18. big love - pete heller, 19. mandarine girl - booka shade, 20. your are my diamond - tiesto, 21. gebrumn gebrunm - paul kalkbrenner. With my soundtrack in place here's how my run played out.

After averaging 5:56 for 13.1, two weeks ago and not felling comfortable after six miles, I figured 6:00 minute pace was a little over my head for 18. Knowing how I felt last year's 18 and at Newport I knew I didn't want to feel uncomfortable to early and decided that 6:15 pace was a reasonable goal for 18 miles. Early on I may have been a bit to relaxed and opened up with mile splits of 6:25, 6:22, 6:38 passing three miles in 19:26. Not exactly 6:15 pace but I knew I would get there and I knew I was feeling good. Miles 4-6 were 6:13, 6:28, 5:53 running the next three miles 18:34. At the time I thought 5:53 was way to fast and put the brakes on, covering the next mile in 6:33. Turns out the mile markers where off a few times which lead to a few wtf spilts along the way. By 6 miles I was feeling really good but continued to remind myself that 18 miles is a long way and 6 miles in, is way to early to be pulling the trigger. From 6:33 at 7, I went 6:15, 6:04, 5:44 (wtf split), again feeling good but still thinking it's a little early for 5:44 pace (10 miles in 1:02:39). Again, putting the breaks on a little but also off markers leads me through mile 11 in 6:35. At this point I had decided I was close enough to make a run for home and really see what I had in the tank. Miles 12 - 18 were 5:45, 5:54, 5:51, 5:44, 5:40, 5:36, 5:34, running my last 3 miles in 16:50 finishing unofficially in 6th place stopping my garmin at 1:49:22 (starting/stopping as I crossed over the line) averaging 6:04. Besides totally blowing it by not getting my chip I ran what I would consider a great race maybe even one of the best I've ever run in terms of effort both physically and mentally. Looking at my average pace per mile you can get a better look at the progression of my run; 6:22, 6:27, 6:19, 6:22. 6:15, 6:14, 6:14 6:02, 6:00, 5:58, 5:54, 5:50, 5:46, 5:38, 5:39, 5:30.

I think the biggest key to my effort today was the ability to have proper nutrition the entire race. Many thanks to my brother Jimmy for being my pit crew. Jimmy had HEED by Hammer Nutrition for me every 2-3 miles through 10 miles and then switched to Accelerade by PacificHealth Labs. from 11 - 18. Between 10 - 13, I started to get a little reflux but nothing to bad. The only other downer of the day was my continued blistering of my outer right forefoot. It is something that has plagued me throughout my running career. It gets to the point where my foot just burns and become even more painful once you stop and the adrenaline wears off. A blister under calloused skin makes for many uncomfortably runs following hard efforts .

Recovery has been good. Nothing you wouldn't expect from running 18 on the road. I'm keeping my milage low this week to recover from the effort but also to recover from August and September. Thankfully I do have a day off scheduled this week and I'm looking forward to taking it.

Marathon Debut

2009-09-16T19:41:00.002-04:00

On January 10, 2010 I will take my first crack at the marathon. That's right 26.2 miles. Yes all at once without stopping. I've talked about it for long enough now it's time to put up or shut up. My plan is to keep everyone informed of how my training is going as I build toward January 10. Stay tuned for more as the weeks progress.

Joint Mobility Video

2009-09-16T18:54:00.002-04:00

Check out Evolution Performance Training videos on youtube. Click here Evolution PT training videos.

Pier Village5k

2009-09-11T10:58:00.004-04:00

Race Report for 9/7/09

Here it is, the long awaited race report from the Pier Village 5k. The day started out like most race days do, with nerves and butterflies. With my ipod jamming to Radio 538's DJ Dennis Ruyer I made my way to LB trying to enjoy the music and just relax. Once in LB I made my way to the registration table got my number, checked out the course map and headed back to the car so I could start my warm up.

The course was a simple out and back along the beach. The conditions were great with a constant 10 mph wind out of the northeast. I did my warm up on the course because I wanted to check out the impact of the wind running in both directions. I knew the wind would be at my back for the first mile and a half and wanted to run as controlled as possible on the way out. Finishing up my warm the wind didn't really seem to be much of a factor but I still wanted to stick to the plan and run controlled through the turn around. As always I finished up my warm up with 2 x 30 second pick ups, I do these just to remind my mind and body that were here to race. On the warm up I felt about I good as I've felt in a long time and knew I was ready for a god performance. After a quick pit stop I headed to the car to finish with an active warm up and some strides.

I decided that to ensure a controlled opening mile, I would start a few rows back of the front line. I got a good laugh when two women standing in front of me at the line chatted about hopes of breaking 24 minutes. Shouldn't people know better? If you're not fast don't start in the front! After about ten minute of standing around not being able to hear the race director we finally got going. As I started to get rolling a gave a quick look at my Garmin to check my pace, saw I was dead on and just tried to keep my eyes up and be patient. As I approached the first mile it appeared I was a little fast but the mile mark was a little sort (.98) and I cruised through at 5:17. As I headed to the turn around, I prepared myself for the wind on the return to the finish. The wind hadn't pick up since the start but it certainly seemed as if it did once I made the turn. As I got to two miles (1.02 in 5:21) the wind was starting to beat me up mentally a little. Luckily, some of my former MU runners and current RBR team was there for support and I got the boost to keep me tough through the rest of the race. As the finish approached I could see the clock and new I had a good one going. I reminded myself to stay loose and focused on running fast not hard. I crossed the line in 10th with a time of 16:40 (1;13 in 6:05). It was 14 seconds faster then my last 5k in August. Going in I told myself I could be pleased with 16:45 so for now 16:40 is a very good day. Although I was very happy with my time improvement I was most pleased with how even a pace I ran the entire race averaging 5:20 per mile.

Next up will be the Newport Liberty Half Marathon in Jersey City, September 27.

IAAF update on Caster Semenya

2009-09-11T10:56:00.002-04:00

Read about it here.

WTF!!!

2009-08-25T17:19:00.003-04:00

I just returned home from 10 days of running camps in Pennsylvania which I will fill you in on later. Once I unpack I fill you in on my 10 day journey.
Early on I had heard reports that the winner of the women's 800 meter's gender was in question. Could it be? A male trying to pass as as a female. It has happened before but as the winner of women's IAAF Worlds?!?! Having now just seeing them, ( photos ) all I can say is WTF!

Jersey Runner Blog

2009-08-06T19:07:00.004-04:00

About ten years ago I met Craig Segal. He was a high school junior developing into one of New Jersey's elite distance runners. Craig's senior year he was the New Jersey State 3200 meter champion running 9:17. After high school he attended Villanova where he ran for legendary Irish miler Marcus O'Sullivan. In the fall of 2006 I returned to my alma mater, Monmouth University as an assistant cross country coach and Craig was enrolling as a graduate student, completing his fifth year of eligibility as a Hawk. Over the next year we spent many hours training, racing and traveling around the northeast. During the outdoor track season he broke my school record for 10,000 meters. Upon completing his eligibility Craig asked me if I would be interested in coaching him in his post colligate endeavors. I excepted and Evolution Performance Training was born. His goal was/is simple. Run the marathon and run it as fast as he possibly can. On November 23, 2008 at the Philadelphia Marathon, Craig ran 2:25.09 to finish 4th overall. On November 22, 2009 he will be toeing the line again in Philadelphia. Through out the fall Craig will be blogging for all to see his build up to the Marathon. Click here to see how Craig's training is going.

Core Strength

2009-07-20T13:51:00.004-04:00

Have you been keeping up with your core strengthening? Hopefully you have and are ready for something new. If you feel comfortable doing you general core poses then you may want to try adding something new to your daily routine. Many of these poses are minor variations of the originals.

3 point prone hand stand
Start in the prone handstand pose. Once in a prone handstand pose bring your knee toward your elbow.
Try alternating knees every 5-10 seconds to start off. Remember to focus on you posture keeping your shoulders and hips inline.

Quote of the Day

2009-07-20T13:33:00.000-04:00

When you actually do what you say you're going to do, you will, gratify some people and astonish the rest.
-Mark Twain

Bolt, Bekele, Lagat and more

2009-07-17T13:50:00.001-04:00

IAAF Grand Prix from Paris, France 2 p.m.

Live Track & Field from Paris

2009-07-16T13:00:00.003-04:00

Live Track & Field from Paris Friday July 17, 2009 at 1:50 p.m. Click here to watch.

Quote of the Day

2009-07-09T07:59:00.001-04:00

"If the word quit is part of your vocabulary, then the word finish is likely not."
- B.G. Jett

Bislett Games Live from Oslo Norway 2 p.m.

2009-07-03T14:08:00.001-04:00

Watch the Dream Mile from the Bislett Games in Oslo.

Quote of the Day

2009-06-29T18:12:00.004-04:00

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right.
Henry Ford

Evolution Nutrition Tip

2009-06-26T11:07:00.003-04:00

Want a quick and easy way to lose weight and save some money?
Stop and for a minute and think about your daily fluid intake. Better yet write it down. Keep a daily journal of your fluid intake for one week. You might be a little surprised at the amount of calories you consume through fluids. Recent studies show that the average adult american consumes over 21% of all total calories from fluids, double of what is was in the 1960's. According to the USDA General Survey of 2008 - 2009 the average American eats 4,270 calories a day. Thats 897 calories from fluids.

While you're keeping your journal make sure to make a note each time you stop at a convenience to get a drink even if it's a bottle of water. Were you surprised at the amount of calories and money you were wasting on your fluid intake? It adds up and fast. Here's Evolution Nutrition Tip #1 Get yourself a reusable water bottle, start drinking more water, and cut out the convenience store stops. I guarantee you'll notice a difference in your waistline and your wallet.

Quote of the Day

2009-06-26T10:48:00.001-04:00

I like running because it's a challenge. If you run hard, there's the pain - and you've got to work your way through the pain. You know, lately it seems all you hear is? Don't overdo it' and? Don't push yourself.' Well, I think that's a lot of bull. If you push the human body, it will respond."
- Bob Clarke, Philadelphia Flyers

Live Track & Field

2009-06-25T22:01:00.001-04:00

USA National Track & Field Championships Thank You FloTrack!

Suples Training

2009-06-24T18:05:00.003-04:00

Suples Training Bag are designed by Bulgarian Olympian Ivan Ivanov who now lives in the United Stated training U.S. Olympic hopefuls. Don't be fooled by all the wrestlers, Suples Bags can be used by all. Suples range in size from 11 lbs. - 50 lbs. I highly recommend that if you're looking for a change of pace from the gym that you try a Suples workout. Stay tuned I'll be posting Suples Training tips all summer.

Quote of the Day

2009-06-24T10:02:00.001-04:00

“Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started.”

Quote of the Day

2009-06-23T06:58:00.000-04:00

There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There's no such thing as a life in-between.
Pat Riley

Quote of the Day

2009-06-22T05:59:00.001-04:00

“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.”

Quote of the Day

2009-06-20T15:30:00.002-04:00

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up.
It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed.
Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up.
It knows that it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve.
It doesn't matter whether you're a lion or a gazelle
when the sun comes up you'd better be running.
-Anon

Ab Circuit

2009-06-20T13:13:00.013-04:00

The following is an Ab Circuit that I picked up about a year ago. I like it because it's quick, simple, can be done anywhere and most important you'll see results. If your just starting out I would recommend doing each exercise for 20 -30 seconds. As you progress and adapt increase 5 - 10 seconds every three to four weeks. Focus on full range of motion and go slow.

Navy Seals

Crunches

Recliners

Heel Touch

Finish of the circuit with another set of the Navy Seals

Quote of the Day

2009-06-19T06:58:00.000-04:00

They can because they think they can.
Virgil

Push-Up Variety

2009-06-18T17:27:00.011-04:00

After you've mastered the Vern Gambetta perfect push-up you may want to try some different variations of hand and feet placement.

Decline Push-Up

Incline Push-Up

Race Report

2009-06-18T07:17:00.004-04:00

Evolution trained athlete Craig Segal recently finished 2nd at the George Sheehan Classic. Below is Craig's race report.

George Sheehan Classic – June 13th
Red Bank, NJ
Overall time: 25:27
2nd place overall
Coming off of a solid effort at the Spring Lake 5 miler, I had high hopes for the George Sheehan Classic. Prior to the race, I had similar expectations as I had before Spring Lake – break 25 minutes and/or win the race. I have had a solid 3 weeks of training since the last race, and believe that these goals were well within reach. That said, as all long distance/endurance athletes know, not every race will go as planned, nor do you always feel your best at every race. This unfortunately was the case with Sheehan this year.
Prerace:
After a 5:30 AM wake up, I had my regular English muffin with peanut butter and a cup of cereal, along with my Multi V vitamin. After finishing up breakfast, I mixed up some Gatorade Endurance, and sipped on it up until the race. I headed over the Nick’s place at around 6:15 and we got in to Red Bank around 7:00. After meeting up with coach and friend Rich Airey, the three of us headed out for an easy 20 minute warm-up. Throughout the warm-up the three of us noticed how humid it was, and that it was getting hotter as the start time approached. After finishing up the warm-up, both Nick and I did some stretching and strides in a parking lot before heading over to the start.
Race:
After a short jog over to the starting line, both Nick and I were ready to go. As is the case with many of the local races, you are never 100% certain about who is going to show up. As the race got under way, the front lead pack was narrowed down to six competitors, two of which were Nick and I. Both of us sat off of the pace for the first mile or so, feeling out the other runners in the pack. We came through the first mile in about 4:58 or so.
As we headed towards mile 2, Nick went to the front and started to gap the field a bit. Although the pace was not fast at all, I felt as though I couldn’t get into a groove, nor could I really respond. This early on, my legs felt a bit sluggish, and fatigued. As we rolled through two miles in 9:58, the race looked as follows – Nick a bit out front, with myself and two other runners in the chase pack. I knew I was not feeling my best, but I wanted to make sure I put forth an honest effort, and stick with the chase pack.
The race stayed pretty much the same as we came through mile third in around 15:10 and mile forth in 20:20, with Nick out front, and myself and one other competitor a bit behind. Running this course a number of times, I wanted to sit with the chase pack until the forth mile and the make a surge up Tower Hill, the only real challenging hill on the five mile course. Even though I was not having a good day, I still stuck to this plan and made a move up the hill and gapped the other runners in the chase pack and finished the race up in 2nd place (25:27).
Post Race:
After taking in some water, and a short walk back to the car, Nick, Rich and I headed out for an easy 30 minutes around Red Bank for our cool down. Once we got back, I took in a mix of orange Endurox R4 and water and we finished up with some easy stretching.
Reflecting back on the race, I am extremely pumped for Nick and how his race panned out. He has battled injuries for the past four years, and has been on and off with consistent training over that period of time. I am glad to see that he is back on course.
As for how my race went, while although I am disappointed with the race itself, and how I felt during it, I still can take away positives from the effort. Even though I did not feel my best, and probably ran about the worst I could have run for my fitness level, I was still able to run sub 25:30 (faster than I ran to win this race last year). Looking forward, I am still confident in my fitness and the direction it is going. This race has shown me that even though you can prepare to the fullest, you can still going to have “off” days. That said, the great thing about our sport is the ability to walk away from a disappointing race, and start the next race with a clean slate. Every time you step to the line, you have the chance to forget about previous races, good or bad, and focus solely on the immediate opportunity to excel.
-Craig

Quote of the Day

2009-06-18T07:00:00.001-04:00

Qui audet adipiscitur - Who Dares Win

The Real Perfect Push-Up

2009-06-17T19:11:00.011-04:00

About ten years ago I was fortunate enough to attend a clinic that Vern Gambetta spoke at. At the time I had no idea who Vern was. Lucky for me the person I was with did. I learned a great deal in that hour, some of which I still incorporate into my daily training. One of those was his explanation on how to do a proper push-up. To often I see people doing improper push-ups, so I figured I pass along what I learned from Mr. Gambetta.

The key is hand placement, try to keep your hands as close to your body as you can.

Start in a Prone Handstand.

Remembering not to compromise your plank pose on the way down

Or on the way back up.

And always strive for full range of motion!

Quote of the Day

2009-06-17T08:04:00.000-04:00

Remember yesterday and hope for tomorrow but live for today.

Core Strength

2009-06-16T10:17:00.019-04:00

I hear more and more people talking about core strength everyday. I am firm believer in core strength and all its benefits. The key to developing a strong core is proper posture in all poses. The longer you can hold each pose the better. If you are just starting to build your core I would recommend you try to hold each pose for 15-30 seconds. Remember the key is good posture.

Prone Handstand

Supine Handstand

Lateral Handstand

Prone Elbowstand

Supine Elbowstand

Lateral Elbowstand

Welcome to Evolution Performance Training

2009-03-05T21:45:00.000-05:00

Please stay tuned for training tips and workout ideas.