Training Log Archive: kensr

Today I finish my Year of Extraordinary Training Initiative (YETI). Now having available time since I'm mostly retired, the objective was to see how much I could load up on training without doing damage and build endurance and strength. For the year training went up to 570 hours, an increase of 25% from recent times. XC skiing 1366 km, running 855 miles. Lots of strength sessions, 177, working on the core. For what it's worth my Fitness on the TRIMP empirical scale went from 193 to 297 over the year.

A few conclusions:

I don't feel any more sore doing 2 or 3 workouts a day than one every other day. In fact, my knees and hips stiffen if they're idle for a couple days.

It is best to meter out intensity to a couple times a week, plus a few bursts in the middle of easy workouts.

Get lots of sleep -- 8-9 hours.

I can feel the better strength and endurance, but also a need for speed as fast twitch muscles detuned due to age and past injuries. So this next 12 months will be the Year in Pursuit of Speed (YIPS). Track time, hill runs, intervals in the woods and even some spenst, while keeping the monthly training time around 50 hours.

Around Lost Mine and Butternut Hill trails checking trail conditions. Wet as expected and trees down in about 10 places. Clean up work needed.

Arms, legs, balance

Session at the rec center, first on my own and then with the exercise class.
Ab roll x 10 off toes; knees x 15 w/25# added
Pullups w/25# added x 8, 4
On the ski erg 2 x 500m and then a 250m supersprint.
Smith machine squats 50#, dips, rows, skull crushers, crunches, inclined torso rotations, calf raises

Started badly by watching David head up the trail from the start flag and doing the same. That was the wrong trail and I was up 100 m before realizing it. too far to go back, I contoured around the hill and missed the detail above the target reentrant. Actually started down it, had no confidence, went down the one before it and came up from the trail. By then Charlie, starting 3 min behind in the chase, was on me. We both took off to 2. When I crested the hill out of 2 I sprinted to break contact with Charlie and then spotted David, who had started 6 min before me. I was slightly ahead of the other two through 6. Then the rain cut loose and I couldn't keep my glasses clear (got to start wearing my contacts again). Couldn't read the detail to 7 with the rain and Charlie on my heels, and got too high. Knew I had missed it and dropped down to the control, but they were gone. Quick to 8 and then lots of climb to 9. But again I couldn't read the detail and went up the wrong spur. Got to the top, figured out I was at the wrong cliffs and on the wrong spur, looked over and saw my control 150 m off at the same elevation. Fast run over and then the trail to the road to 10, looking for it at the end of the marsh until I realized it was on the little cliff just above.

Turns out Charlie got screwed up on 8 and was behind me and David totally screwed up and came in 20 min later; I was 3rd for M65 moving up one spot. Fun, challenging courses by Phil and lots of tough competition amongst the geezers.

Two trips out picking up controls.

BrownX2 - Splits

Event: Troll Cup and Junior National Champs
 

Ran hard, messed up #5, otherwise okay. Started Left on #1 and had to shift over to the proper hilltop for 40 sec. Then fine, gutting up the hillside to #4 and then across to #5. Got within 20m of that one and then sharply cut L to look around the hilltop for it. Finally shot a bearing to the pond after it and after some further wandering, got to the right spot. The rest were easy and chased Glen in. Nice hard run-in to finish.

Heart rate seems quite quick, but everything felt fine and I was working hard at getting some speed. Certainly above the theoretical max for someone of my advanced age.

Got the snow plow mounting plates welded up and attached to the Bombi. Next sort out the wiring. Then maybe test it on the snow pile out in front of the house.

BrownX1 Day 1 - Splits

Rail trail with Ruthie. Extra trip at far end up into Muckross Park. Couple pickups on the way back. Legs started loosening up nicely.

Warm up body wgt core, then 6 machines hvy wgts 10 reps x 2 sets.
Ab roll 10 x 25# added wgt, 10 pull ups.

Arms with 2 to 12# hand wgts; core

Can I run up as fast as skiing? Looks like it will happen.
4.51, 4.34, 4.31, 4.09, 3.58