Power 90 Spring 2013 Day 1

 Power 90 (Spring 2013), Uncategorized  Comments Off on Power 90 Spring 2013 Day 1
Apr 282013
 

The last time I checked in on my weight loss log was August 2012.  At that time I was 168 pounds and 20 percent body fast measured using the US Navy Body Fat calculator at a height of 5’9, weight 168, neck 15 inches and waist at belly button of 35.  Since that time I have lost a half inch around my neck and gained an inch around my belly and gained 7 pounds, three of which are muscle.  That brings my current stats up to 22% body fat.  Needless to say this is not making me very happy, especially considering the effort I expend on a daily basis to attempt to remain fit.

So in the last few months I’ve embarked on a couple of different experiments in order to push my body fat percentage down.  I know of course that I can apply the techniques used in Lyle McDonald’s body recomposition.com and push my percent body fat down, but that technique does not support a lot of aerobic activity and since that is an important part of my life I’d rather not go that road.

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Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-28

 Training Log  Comments Off on Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-28
Apr 272013
 

Workouts 6
Time 287 min
Running 18.0 miles
Core Fitness 50 min
Weights 35 min

  • tue: Lynnfield 3 mile route. Ran 3.0 miles. easy low heart rate run to start the week off.
  • wed: Locksley-Essex out and back. Ran 5.1 miles. A little faster run today, but still keeping HR below 150
  • thu: Power 90 Day 1 : sculpt workout. Lifted for 35 minutes . My first Power 90 workout. Mostly I spent this time learning the routine, which I think will take a few iterations. I think I got the weights wrong for a few exercises… to high for some and too light for others. The routine still kicked my ass. Lunge-Squats? ick.
  • thu: Lynnfield 3 mile route. Ran 3.0 miles. A bit tired after my first Power 90 workout so I took this jog extra slow.
  • sat: Lynnfield 6.81 mile loop. Ran 6.8 miles for 74 minutes at 10:52 pace. Great long run this morning. My average HR was 138 for this run and I ended feeling full of energy. This is a cut back week on the distance. next week will be 11 miles. 30 days until Boston’s Run to Remember.
  • sun: P90 Cardio and Abs. Exercised for 50 minutes . Good workout with my first P90 cardio / abs routine. Both workouts took a combined 40 minutes and burned 323 calories with an average HR of 120. It didn’t raise my HR anywhere near how I can push it when running, but I feel like I worked my whole body in the process, not just my legs.

    I am beginning a new 90 transformation which you can read about here: http://overthehill.me/2013/04/28/power-90-spring-2013-day-1/

 Posted by at 8:00 pm

Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-21

 Training Log  Comments Off on Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-21
Apr 202013
 

Workouts 5
Time 258 min
Running 21.7 miles
Weights 20 min

  • tue: Upper body workout. Lifted for 20 minutes . I used the weight room at the resort and got a pretty good upper body workout before I needed to head back to the room.
  • tue: Vero Beach Trail Run. Ran 3.8 miles. Great day for a run in sunny florida. I am on vacation to Vero Beach, Florida and decided to brave the 80° heat for a run outside the resort. I stumbled upon a nature preserve with trails and decided to do my first trail running ever. I am glad I did! I wore my heart monitor and kept my heart rate low for this job through the scenic countryside.
  • wed: Vero Beach Trail Run. Ran 3.8 miles. I got a late start and the sun was already pretty high in the sky before I got going. It hit about 80° and humid, but because much of this run is either on trails or on the beach I felt pretty cool the whole way. I tried mightily hard to keep my heart rate in the 130s, but the heat definitely makes that difficult and it hovered around 144 for most of the time.
  • thu: Vero Beach Trail Run. Ran 3.8 miles. Sadly this will be my last run down here in Florida. We head back home to Massachusetts tomorrow. I so much enjoyed running the trails near the resort here that I am motivated to find a similar situation back at home. It was about 85° here and pretty humid, but the cool shade of the trails and the breeze off the ocean made it manageable. My heart rate still was about 10 beats higher because of the heat so it was a little difficult to keep it in my zone. But I am pretty happy with how it turned out.
  • sat: Lynnfield 10.4 mile loop. Ran 10.3 miles for 102 minutes at 9:53 pace.
 Posted by at 8:00 pm

Trail running in Florida

 Running  Comments Off on Trail running in Florida
Apr 162013
 

Trail running in the Captain Forster Hammock Preserve near Vero Beach Florida. I found the trailhead by accident and decided to follow it. I’m glad I did, although the run was longer than I had planned. It was sure is nice to running in the shade though!

20130416-103327.jpg

 Posted by at 10:32 am

Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-14

 Training Log  Comments Off on Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-14
Apr 132013
 

Workouts 4
Time 204 min
Running 17.7 miles

  • mon: Recovery run. Ran 3.0 miles. Feeling very tired after my efforts yesterday. I kept this nice and easy with my heart rate in the right zone and just tried to shake out the pain from yesterday.
  • tue: Lynnfield 3.63 out and back. Ran 3.6 miles. Another blah sort of day. Can’t seem to muster much energy or wind. Still, I was able to get the job done and in the end that is what really counts.
  • wed: Locksley-Essex out and back. Ran 4.2 miles. Easy run keeping my heart rate low. I just feel so tired… So very, very tired. This seems to be a trend, for three days after my long run I’m a wreck and then slowly I get my energy back.
  • sat: Lynnfield 6.8 out and back. Ran 6.8 miles. I cut back my long run miles from last week to see if I can avoid the 3 days of recovery I have been suffering in recent weeks. Nice and easy out and back run. I used my new Polar heart monitor instead of my usual Garmin GPS/HR monitor combo. Very comfortable chest strap and very responsive monitor. I am very happy with the device so far.
 Posted by at 8:00 pm

Spring training, regaining your mojo

 Running Information, Training  Comments Off on Spring training, regaining your mojo
Apr 112013
 
Worn out

Worn out

I guess this is technically the first normal spring training season I have had since I started running in 2010.  Spring of 2011 I was finishing up my Boston Marathon training and was running 40 miles a week and getting ready to taper, hardly a normal situation to be in on ordinary year. Spring of 2012 I was recovering from my Achilles heel injury and was basically starting over from scratch, also not (hopefully) a normal spring training season.

So here we are, spring of 2013. I had a successful fall spate of half marathons and then a very pleasant late fall early winter running schedule.  But as the winter progressed and the weather worsened I was forced to spend more of my running time on the treadmill then I’d like.  Although my monthly running log looks reasonable, there is no doubt to me that I did not maintain my fitness from the fall.  Perhaps it is the fact that I run in the Chi running style, but a treadmill run for me just isn’t the same as a run outside.  I don’t find it is interesting, and that results me being less motivated to run. Maybe I’ll run a little less one day or skip a day, or cut my long run short. So in the end, I have to admit that going into spring I have some catch-up to do.  I don’t think this is at all unusual, in fact if anything I am guessing this is very usual.  One of my running buddies doesn’t even run it all during the winter time and I hear that story quite a bit.

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 Posted by at 12:24 pm

Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-07

 Training Log  Comments Off on Weekly Training Report for 2013-04-07
Apr 062013
 

Workouts 4
Time 218 min
Running 18.8 miles

  • wed: Lynnfield 3 mile route. Ran 3.0 miles. Really felt like I had no energy and no wind. This was an attempt at a HR training run, but it went badly. My HR was up 15 beats before I even started.
  • thu: Lynnfield 3.63 out and back. Ran 3.6 miles. Another horrible run. My HR was up and I was extremely low energy. Suck.
  • sat: Lynnfield 3 mile route. Ran 3.0 miles. Slightly better run today but HR was still elevated and I felt weak. I followed this with a 3 hour nap and I felt better. I must either have a bug, be suffering allergies or perhaps even recuperating from over doing it last weekend.
  • sun: Lynnfield 9 mile out and back. Ran 9.1 miles for 102 minutes at 11:17 pace. After the horrible running week, this was a pleasant surprise. I kept my heart rate very low, around 138 for most of the run. I did not experience any of the symptoms that I had during the week, and I am forced to conclude that the problems I had all week long were due to overdoing it last weekend.
    Anecdotally I believe that all the low heart rate training is paying off. Prior to starting this extended multi-month experiment I would have been running 13 and 14 minute miles to keep my heart rate in this range, especially for this distance.
 Posted by at 8:00 pm