8/17/08

I’m a few days behind. On Friday the guys had BLACK and BLUE FRIDAY. It looked like this:

1 mile run

10 minutes grappling changing opponent every 2 minutes

5 minute Fight Gone Bad circuit: (shoulder press, situp, upright row, pushups, situps)

1 mile run

10 minutes grappling

That was fun!

Saturday morning Bruce, Brett, and I set out for a long ride in the rain. About 1 hour in we decided it was a bad idea to do the big climbs as planned. The roads were like glass and none of us were interested in meeting the pavement in our cycling get-ups at 45 mph on the descents. We opted for a safer ride on the Natchez Trace. Bruce and I ended up with 3:40 in the saddle. Brett went a bit longer. Average HR was 138.

This morning Brett and I went for a short recovery ride. Man, was it cold! It’s August and I could see my breath! We went 1:30. Average HR 121.

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8/13/08

Loving the cooler weather, especially in the mornings. 50s and 60s are the best running temps. Yesterday I ran 27 minutes in the morning and then ran another 23 minutes during lunch – 50 minutes total y’day.

I swam a 1000 yards this morning – proving that if you want to do something bad enough you’ll find time. I trained the guys from 6-7:05. Left Bill’s house for the Franklin YMCA. I arrived at 7:15 – hit the water at 7:20 – swam 1000 (10 x 1000) – hit the shower by 7:40. Here’s the bottom line when people say “I don’t have time to exercise” – bull. Yes they do – they just choose not to.

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8/11/08

Yesterday: 1:30 on the bike including an ascent of Pulltight Hill. I did a 3 mile (22 minute) BRICK run immediately following the ride.
Today: I spent 35 minutes stretching this morning.
For the heck of it, here’s a pic of me near the top of Pulltight (climbing old school with no helmet):

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8/9/08

Here’s what a Saturday morning in my world looks like:

5:30am-Wakeup, get dressed, start boiling water

5:45am- Eat a bowl of oatmeal while preparing water bottles, etc

5:55am – Swallow 2 SPORT LEGS tablets

6:00am – meet Brett Lanham at the corner to begin a 4 hour ride

6:50am – Rendezvous with Marshall Walker on Carters Creek Pike riding North towards Franklin doing a fast pace line approx 25mph

7:30am – Half a powerbar and 2 peanut butter crackers with Gatorade

8:00 am – 3 Endurolytes before beginning the 1st of 5 big climbs

8:30 am – stop for refueling: Redbull, Almond Snickers, half bottle of Gatorade “Tiger”

9:45am – arrive at home feeling great.

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8/8/08

H.I.T. workout followed by a 25 minute run.

8/7/08

Todays workout: 35 minutes on the virtual race bike – average watts was 166 today. I followed the ride with a 5 minute transition run on the treadmill at a 7:30 pace. That’s the first brick of the season and I felt it. My calves were tightening up nicely. I then did some medicine ball exercises: slams, overhead throws, launches, etc. I also did some plyo box work – 20 HIGH box jumps.
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8/7/08

Yesterday: I ran for 25 minutes and did the following workout:
10 minutes warmup – about an 8:00 pace
30 seconds FAST / 30 seconds easy / one minute FAST
2 minutes easy
30 seconds FAST / 30 seconds easy / one minute FAST
2 minutes easy
30 seconds FAST / 30 seconds easy / one minute FAST
2 minutes easy
30 seconds FAST / 30 seconds easy / one minute FAST

I’ll that the 30/30/60 workout. Good stuff!
During lunch I did 35 minutes on the virtual bike racer at the YMCA. I did the “Wicked Workout” route. My goal was to beat my pacer by 1:30. I beat him by a little over 3:00. Average HR – 170 / Average Watts – 165

The girls workout group did an awesome job doing the 6-minute format this morning! That was a tough one. Ya’ll are awesome!
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8/5/08

I did 30 minutes during lunch yesterday on a virtual bike racer stationary bike. Man, what a blast!!! I’m hoping the YMCA buys it. It’s being demo’d right now at the Seaboard Lane Y. It’s like playing a Playstation game…but you’re actually working really hard. Fun stuff.

There’s a great article in this month’s issue of Runners World about Ryan Hall. He’s America’s best hope for a medal at the Olympic Marathon. He’s a devout believer and talks alot about his faith in the article. Here’s what he says about his gift:

“You gotta have confidence. The question is, what are you putting your confidence in: your own ability? And what do you believe about your ability? Do you believe you’ve done something to deserve it? Or is it a gift? I believe I have a gift from God. But then I also have to train really, really hard. So I see it as being a good steward of the gift God’s given me…it’s my obligation to God to develop this talent the best I can. So, I try and make that my focus rather than wanting to beat people. Not that it’s not fun to win, because it is…I think part of it too is just being content with whatever the Lord has for my life.”

Good stuff, Ryan. I agree 100%. Although I’m not personally anywhere close to Ryan’s ability I feel the same way when I don’t want to get out of bed at 5:00 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings to ride or run. That little voice in my head telling me to get up is my gift. All of us have our own gift. Make sure you’re true to yours.
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8/4/08

Took a solid week off from exercising. I can’t over emphasize how important that is to do sometimes. When you start really dreading fitness it’s time to rest. Listen to your body. That said, I’m back in the saddle and feeling strong.

I did 1:45 on the bike Saturday morning, including a climb of Lynnwood Way. That climb has gotten much easier. Sunday morning we did 3:30 on the bike including lots of big climbs. I swam 1000 late Sunday afternoon. This morning I kicked the guys butts with a tough workout and then did it myself…and capped it off with a 3 mile run. It’s time for me to start losing a little bit of the muscle that I’ve put on before my triathlon and my fall century ride through the mountains.
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7/26/08

pic1: Matt Hughes with Coach Chad

pic 2: Top Step Men’s Conditioning group after taking a butt kicking from H.I.T. Squad owner and 9-time UFC Champion Matt Hughes.

MORE
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7/24/08

Rough day yesterday…I did a High Intensity Interval workout in the morning and felt pretty weak. During lunch I went and simulated a long climb on the spin bike. Shortly after lunch time I felt horrible…I mean horrible…so bad that I started thinking about going home for the day. I was certain I was coming down with a summer flu or something. I ended up leaving about an hour early. I went home and slept for 45 minutes and then when to my chiropractor to see if that would straighten out my headache, neck pain, etc. Once I got home, and started watching Carlos Sastre tear Alpe d’Huez to shreds, I started thinking about my day. Did I drink water during my morning workout? Nope. Did I drink while I was on the bike? Nope. Wait, I didn’t even drink with my lunch! Looks like I dehydrated myself…hope that’s all it was. I have a big day coming up tomorrow. We’re headed to Granite City, IL to train with Matt Hughes at 2pm. I definatley don’t want to be feeling puny.
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7/22/08

Here is the copy of an email Karen sent me this morning:
Izzy has been looking at the back of the frosted flakes box while she was eating (it talks about RDA’s, etc.) and she said she had to have a glass of milk, and an orange with her cereal because that is what is healthy. She said she has to eat like that because it will make her strong.
That’s my girl. She’s already insanely competitive…so much so that she won’t even let you walk in front of her – she has to be “winning”. I have no idea where she gets it.
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7/21/08

I had a great weekend. Friday night Karen, Izzy, and I went to the pool with some friends. Izzy wore herself out and went to bed early. That was a good thing since I had to be up at 5:00 on Sat. morning to meet Brett at 5:30 for a 3 hour ride. We did 3750 feet of climbing over the course of 45 miles. Not too shabby. Average HR was 141 and max was 185. For those of you who live in Williamson County; you have no idea about some of the places I see on my bike before most people wake up. There are beautiful hill top views and there are also small pockets that look like dirt poor West Virginia coal mining towns. It’s like another world…only a few miles from normal “glitz” of Williamson County.
We had a cookout on Saturday nigth with a houseful of friends, neighbors and kids. At dark the ladies took the kids to an outdoor movie at the park. The guys hung out in my backyard in adirondacks drinking Stella Artois, Landshark, and various coctails. Went a little too late, so Brett and I pushed our Sunday ride back from Sunday morning to Sunday afternoon. We hooked up with Bruce out in Bethesda at the base of Pulltight Hill. We did another 3000 feet or so of climbing over 30 miles including trips up both sides of Pulltight. I hit 191 on my heart rate monitor on the steep side of the climb. Bruce decided to test my climbing capacity by attacking half way up. The test didn’t last long. I shot up the hill while laughing (love ya Bruce).
Lifted this morning and swam 1000 during lunch.

7/18/08

Been super busy lately, so training has been pretty minimal. I took Tuesday off from training, lifted and ran a bit on Wednesday, and then wrestled some last night. I lifted and ran a little this morning and I’ll hit the spin bike during lunch. Tomorrow morning I’ll ride long and do some tough climbing.

Here’s a link to my personal blog if you want to keep up with my general thoughts on life and espcially the Tour de France:

www.thefigurehead.wordpress.com
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7/14/08

I forgot to mention something about yesterday’s time trial effort: I usually only train when Izzy is still asleep or at least very distracted by something else. Yesterday she seemed content enough for me to sneak out for the short one hour ride. I had to sneak back into the house because I forgot my hr monitor. Izzy met me at the door and was very excited to see me wearing my full bike gear – helmet and shoes included. When I stepped back out the door she stayed on the other side of the glass yelling “You’re awesome daddy!! You’re awesome!!” I thought about that everytime my legs and lungs started burning on the bike. I think I’ll keep that memory with me everytime I set out the door to train. My kid thinks her daddy is “awesome.”

7/14/08

I ran 40 minutes in an easy drizzle yesterday morning. Late in the afternoon I did a one hour time trial effort on my bike. I’ve been doing alot of climbing for the last 8 monthes or so, but I haven’t done much fast riding. It was tough. My heart stayed in the mid-170’s on a very hilly route. The best I could muster was an 18mph pace. While 18 mph is far from flying it’s not bad at all considering the difficulty of the route I followed.

I lifted chest this morning and did some high intensity intervals. I got a 1000 yard swim in during lunch.

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Saturday (what’s the date? JJO pointed out to me that I’ve been a day ahead lately)

Brett and I logged 2:40 in the saddle this morning at 6:00am. We did several good climbs including: Sugar Ridge (178 heart rate), Les Robinson (182 hr), Ragsdale (184hr), and Knob Creek (178 hr). Averge HR for the ride was 141.

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7/10/08

I lifted shoulders this morning and felt pretty weak after wrestling last night. During lunch I went and rode the spin bike for 30 minutes. Average HR – 151 / High HR – 181

7/9/08

Sorry for the delay in posting. I rode my bike up to Hamptons house on the 5th and then we drove over to Percy Warner and ran the RED TRAIL. It was an awesome run. It had rained overnight, so the trail and the trees were still wet and cool. All in all I ended up with about 25 miles on the bike followed by a 4.5 mile trail run. Not a bad days work.

I took Sunday off. Monday I lifted and did the High Intensity Interval thing with the fellas. I just returned from running 3 with Bruce during lunch. Its 90 out today, so I tried a few new strategies for keeping my internal temp down.

1. I wore a white moisture wicking tee shirt instead of running shirtless.

2. I put Ice cubes under my hat before I left. They felt great and had almost completely melted by the time I finished.

3. Most importantly, I ran slower than usual.

Normally after a hot run I feel terrible. Today I feel great though.

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7/4/08 -HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I did 1:40 on the bike this morning. We climbed Arno Allisona in about 5 minutes. My heart rate hit 180 near the top. After an descent that lasts about 1 minute we hit the backside of Pulltight Hill. That climb also last about 5 minutes. I pegged out at 185 about half way up. This was a good exercise in restraint for me. I was able to bring my heart rate back to 180 by staying seated, but would rapidly jump back to 184/185 when standing. I stopped at the top to enjoy the beautiful view of the valley below. The parking area at the top of Pulltight is one of the most beautiful views in all of middle TN. Brett arrived 4 minutes behind me and we started for home. That’s it for today. We’re headed to a potluck/fireworks show this afternoon if the weather holds off.

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7/2/08

I did a High Intensity Interval session with the fellas this morning. We started with a warm up mile then did 2 x 6 2:00 minute stations and 1 x 6 1:00 stations. We lifted back and biceps, ran on the mill, did the eliptical, hit the bag, and did plyometrics.

During lunch I did 40 minutes of intervals on the spin bike and then capped it off with a 5 minute transition run on the treadmill at a 6:45 pace.

Not a bad day’s training…and I have one more session to go this evening. I might run a warm up mile with the wrestlers and that’s it.

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6/29/08

Did the first BRICK (two sports back to back) of the season this morning. I did 1 easy recovery hour (avg. HR 128) on the bike immediately followed by a 3 mile moderate pace run (20:58 – avg HR 175).

My new favorite cool down song is Elysium from the Gladiator sound track.

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6/28/08

We had a great week of workouts. Monday, the guys raced this: 1 mile run / the 500 / 1 mile run. Congrats to JK for coming out on top. Everyone impressed me though. On Thursday the girls did this: the 500 / 1 mile run. Congrats to Lara J. for being the champ! Again though, I was more than impressed by every single person. Think back just a few month to were you were. I’ll use Bil as an example just because I know he won’t care…6 months ago it took Bill 27 minutes just to do the 500. On monday it took hm less than 25 minutes to run 1 mile then do the 500 then run another mile. Wow!

I rode for 2 hour this morning at 6am. That was a nice break after spending 6 hours in the saddle last weekend. We’re going to be gradually ramping up the distance and climbing the next couple of months leading up to the 6 gap century ride in the North GA mountains. Brett and I climbed both sides of pulltight hill today. The front side took 2:30 minutes with a HR of 178. The backside which is longer, but not quite as steep took 5:00 minutes with a HR of 179. My goal is to get my power to weight ratio to a 6-7 before 6 gap on September 28. Right now it’s a 4.4. That means I can generate 4.4 watts of power for every kilogram of body weight.

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6/25/08

Bill and I grappled some this morning before I did a back and biceps workout. I rode the spin bike for 40 minutes during lunch.

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6/24/08

Read about my day at the Harpeth River Ride HERE

If you enjoyed that you can read about last Novembers adventure on the Nantahala Nightmare HERE

PowerBar’s website has all kinds of cool stuff on it like personalized training plans for runners, cyclists, and triathletes. I like this Myth vs. Truth page.
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6/19/08

Great workout by the ladies this morning! Keith and Jeff came in next and pushed it too. Awesome job fellas!
Today is another rest day for me with the Harpeth River Ride coming up on Saturday morning. I’ll do no exercise today at all and I’ll start carb loading. Spaghetti for dinner tonight!
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6/18/08

Yesterday was an official rest day, so I didn’t do any exercise. This morning some of the guys were out, so I did the workout along with CT, Bill, and JK. We did 6 stations at 2:00 each focusing on back and biceps totalling 3 rounds. Inbetween rounds we did 5 minute live grappling sessions.

6/16/08

I rode 2:00 yesterday morning. That’s the last “training” ride before the Harpeth River Ride this coming Saturday. I don’t think I’ve been less prepared for anything since the 2001 Marathon when I did it with ZERO training. I’ll be fine though.

I lifted chest and tris this morning along with a good mix of H.I.I.T. I also did 2 x 5:00 rounds on the standing heavy bag mixing punches, kicks, and elbows from the clinch. I swam 1000 during lunch.
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6/14/08

It was raining this morning, so I skipped the bike ride. I ran 3 miles at noon. That’s probably it for today since I have a bunch to do around the house. I’ve started publishing itunes imixes of the M, W, F workouts. go to Itunes – click music – click imixes on the left sidebar – search Top Step Fitness.

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6/13/08

Lifted shoulders and triceps today. I also did some plyo and 3 rounds on the heavy bag. I didn’t do much cardio today after running 3 seperate times yesterday. I’m assuming Brett and I will get our final long ride in tomorrow morning.
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6/12/08

The ladies ran a mile and then did a couple of 2 minute rotations through 7 different stations. Great job on the roll ups ya’ll! Heather is the master!

I ran a mile with Keith this morning. During lunch I did a 15 minute run (about 2.25 miles) and then cranked out 800 yards in the pool. I did another 2 miles late that afternoon with Zack. Keeping it short and ramping up slow.
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6/11/08

I did a Back and Biceps workout with the guys this morning along with a few rounds on the heavy bag and some plyometrics. I also spent 35 hard minutes on my bike on the fluid trainer.

Bruce and I ran 3.25 miles during lunch in 23:00. I did 4 x :30 second intervals w/ equal recoveries. Time to start easing into speed work. I’ll do a short tempo run next week sometime.
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6/10/08

I stumbled upon the site I set up in 2005 to update friends and families on my trip to the world championships in Honolulu. Ok, so I wasn’t a great “blogger” back then, but I’m glad I preserved the memory HERE
6/10/08

Good workouts this morning by the girls and Keith E. It’s humid first thing in the morning already!
Tuesdays will be my new “off day” from working out. Izzy’s gymnastics class at Let It Shine is every Tuesday at 11:30 so I’ll be spending my lunch break there watching her do her thing.

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6/9/08

I took Sunday off and enjoyed a nice day at my parent’s house in Hendersonville. We got to see Izzy perform a couple of her VBS songs in front of their church. We spent the rest of the day lounging around in their back yard and on the patio.

This morning I lifted CHEST and did a few rounds on the heavy bag. I ran 4 miles with the following splits:
Mile 1: 8:30
Mile 2: 7:00
Mile 3: 6:45
Mile 4: 6:50
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6/7/08

Started turnin’ the pedals at 6:00 am this morning. Brett and I went 3:30 (approx 55 miles) today. Just one more training weekend before the Harpeth River Ride Century. I ran 2 miles late this afternoon.

Headed out to meet my buddy Moebes in a few minutes at Dan McGuinness Pub in Cool Springs. Come say Hi.

6/6/08

Swam 1000 during lunch including a 500 time trial. 500 time was 7:01. Not too bad considering the ever decreasing frequency with which I swim. A few years ago that time wouldn’t have been adequate for me. Today I’ll take it.
6/6/08

Here’s a good one for the Coach Chad “do as I say not as I do” chronicles. After posting two days ago about beating the heat on your summer time runs I personally made a huge rookie mistake yesterday. Bruce and I set out for our lunch hour run. We decided to go 4.5 miles at a comfortable pace. What we didn’t bother to consider was the 93 degree temp. Considering 4.5 miles is the farthest I’ve run at once in about 6 months – coupled with the fact that it basically went from 75 degree high temps to 90’s in about a weeks time – I deserved what I got. No more than 20 minutes into the run I knew we were in trouble. My head was pounding already and my stomach was twisting. Bad omens when you’re only half way through a run. By the time we finished I had been dropped by Bruce who is just coming off marathon training. My brain felt like it was on fire. I simply could not bring my internal temperature down. Bruce wasn’t in good shape either after our 37 minute 4.5 mile run. I stayed in a COLD shower hoping to bring my temp down and not to get sick. I only vaguely remember the next few hours of sitting at my desk at work trying to drink as much water as my stomach would hold. I’d lost 4.2 pounds during that 37 minute run and couldn’t get enough water to fix the problem. Bruce, Daniel, and I have agreed to hold each other accountable on days that are simply too hot. The last 3 years (since I turned 30) I haven’t been able to tolerate heat the way I did before. If you must run outside in the heat of the day keep it short…very short. I’ll be doing alot of my lunch time running indoors this summer after this debacle.
I wrestled for 30 minutes last night with Caleb and Zack and feel back to normal this a.m.
Brett and I have another long ride to do tomorrow morning. Scheduled for 60 miles. We’ll see.
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6/4/08
Beat the Heat! Here are some great tips and articles for running during the summer months:
CLICK ME!
6/4/08

The guys had a tough workout this morning. They did a 12 minute High intensity interval round followed by a 5 minute round of live grappling, then another 12 minute HIIT round, followed by another 5 minute grappling round, then a 6 minute HIIT round, and finished it off with a final 5 minutes of grappling. Great stuff. Lots of submission attempts, but not much success. We’ll chalk that up to “good defense” and positional awareness.
I’m personally still feeling a little tired, so I skipped the cardio portions and just lifted Biceps and Triceps. I’ll take the normal lunch time workout off today in hopes of having more energy tomorrow.
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6/3/08

Nice workout this morning by the girls group. We went pretty heavy on the cardio. Rollins came in and did a nice job at 7:00.
I got a 3 mile run in during lunch – 23:30. It’s hot! These first few days of hot weather running are tough.
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6/2/08

Brett, Marshall, and I got 50 miles in at sunrise on Saturday morning. Two more training weekends left until Harpeth River Ride. The plan is to go 60 this coming Saturday and then 60 again the following weekend.

I took Sunday off from exercise. Today I lifted chest this morning and did 40 minutes on the spin bike during lunch.
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5/30/08

Ok, now for a revelation…I’m not superman. That’s actually harder for me to admit than it is for you to believe. I get tired. Sometimes I even get “whipped”. Yesterday was one of those days. I was scheduled for a 4.5 mile run during lunch with Tardy. I just couldn’t do it, so I had to bail on him. Learning to listen to your body is a HUGE part of the fitness journey. Honestly, as an internally motivated and driven person, I’ve often not been very good at it. It took me a couple years of Overtraining syndrome, chronic injuries (IT Band Syndrome, Plantar Fasciatis, Achilled Tendinitis, frequent upper respiratory infections including pneumonia) to understand that enough was enough. When you’re dreading your next workout there’s a reason. I don’t think any of you that train with me could be at risk for overtraining since you generally train 2 or 3 times per week, but you should at least be aware of the dreaded overtraining syndrome. Google it. Times of high stress are NOT ideal for continuing to build on your fitness base. It’s better to do easy, short, sanity workouts. Other factors can include sleep deprevation, travel, and work commitments. Simply put…don’t overtax yourself with 6-7 days a week of tough workouts on top of all of the other junk in life. If life is good slowly build your workouts. If life is bad…just chill and maintain. My life is GREAT right now, but I was whipped yesterday nonetheless. Despite planning ZERO exercise yesterday I still ended up doing some drilling and live wrestling with my wrestlers last night. When it comes to wrestling I just can’t help myself. I can pass up a run or bike ride anyday, but not a chance to wrestle.

I lifted back and shoulders this morning. I have a swim planned for lunch time. Brett and I are planning a 3 hour + bike ride for tomorrow morning.
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5/28/08

It was a nice surprise to have Blake T. back with the guys this morning. Go easy BT … take care of that neck! The boys did high intensity intervals today combined with bicep and tricep work. I did the same workout afterwards.

I went and did 40 minutes on the spin bike during lunch: 5 minute warmup – 2 minutes seated – 1 minute standing, etc.
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5/27/08

We had a “back to reality” workout this morning with the girls group. Sometimes it’s tough getting back into the swing of things after a holiday weekend. The girls did great though – with only minimal whining.

I did a brief chest workout this morning along with some abs. I’ll get in 30-40 minutes of running during lunch. I’ve been pretty fatigued since my long Saturday bike ride. I decided to reread “Uphill Battle” to get me motivated to ride my bike seriously again. I’ve gotten side tracked with all of the lifting, but the reality is I’ll be riding 100 miles on June 21 and then 106 miles through the mountains in late October. Trying to be a fitness “jack of all trades” right now, but I’ll pay for that dearly on Wayah Gap in October unless I back off the weights and start riding hard again soon.

Here are the most recent 1-mile time trial results for the conditioning groups along with their original times from when they started their workouts (Guys in December / Girls in March):
Christy Maynard: 7:42 – 8:37
Suzanne Simms: 8:27 – 9:10
Lara Johnson: 8:39 – first time
Jennifer Jones: 8:55 – 10:36
Amanda Hampton: 9:36 – 10:56
Heather Williams: 10:15 (March 27) – original time
Tanya Thompson: 10:56 (March 27) – original time
Bill Hampton: 5:47 – 7:52
JK Simms: 6:13 – 8:30
Joe Leavitt: 7:52 – 11:25
Blake Thompson: 7:13 (February 25) – 8:27
Brian Williams: 7:40 (February 25) – 9:35
Chris Thomas: 8:58 (January 22) – 10:33
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5/26/08

The guys did a chest workout mixed with some MMA sparring this morning. Bill and Brian hung around and took turns sparring with me afterwards. I went for 25-30 minutes at about 75%. I’m starting to believe that I could honestly compete in MMA at 135 or 125 pounds. I don’t go 100% percent during our sparring sessions, but when I do open it up in short bursts I feel very confidant. With guys my size I think I’d be fine. MMA is now legal in TN, so we’ll see if I have the guts when a real opportunity pops up. The one thing holding me back is how sleezy the small local events feel.

I still have a hour or 1:30 bike ride to get in today sometime.

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5/25/08

Brett and I logged exactly 3:00 as planned on the bike yesterday morning. We rode out to Santa Fe, climbed highway 7, rode to Theta, climbed Snow Creek, and then headed back to Spring Hill. It was probably close to 45 miles. We’re up against the wall trying to get ready at the last minute for the June 21 Harpeth River Ride Century.

I ran 31 minutes today in the heat of the day. My running has gotten pretty bad by my standards. I’ve gotta start logging more miles as August and September approach.

I’m training like a triathlete on the weekends like a fighter/wrestler during the week. It’s an odd balance and seems to be effecting my running the most – presumably because I”m putting muscle back onto my frame.

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5/23/08

Lots of wrestling the last couple of days. Caleb and Ben are adjusting well to the high intensity interval training I’m putting them through along with the drilling and live wrestling.
The girls ran their mile time trial on Thursday and the guys ran theirs on Friday. I’ll post some of the results soon. They were pretty amazing – including one of the girls breaking 8:00 and one of the guys breaking 6:00.

I’ve got a 3:00 hour ride planned for tomorrow morning, a longish run for Sunday, and another ride/lift/grapple planned for Monday. This is an interesting time for me trying to gain some mass before doing more MMA stuff at the same time I’m trying to maintain some semblance of cycling/triathlon shape. Two totally different energy systems that enable success. Can I train for both? We’ll find out.
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5/21/08

Sorry I’ve slacked on the blog updates recently…been busy. The guys conditioning group did biceps and triceps this morning plus the usual array of plyometrics and cardio. I did the same workout afterwards and then did 3 miles during lunch plus some medicine ball work.

The girls do the MILE tomorrow and then the guys do it on Friday. It’s been awhile since we’ve timed it so I’m expecting some improvement.
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5/18/08

Rode my bike up to the gym yesterday morning at 6:00am. We were supposed to train some jui jitsu at 7:30. I got there in 50 minutes, so I stretched the ride out a little. I continued on up Hillsboro Rd. I spotted a group of riders about a quarter mile ahead of me turning right towards “The Mountain” Lynewood Way. I knew that’s where they were headed, so I decided to give chase. I thought if I could just maintain the gap they had over me (quarter mile) until the climb started I might have a chance to catch them on that mile long climb (obviously, I’m pretty confidant in my climbing ability on the bike). They came back into site when I got to the base of the climb…their lead on me had actually shortened a bit. I noticed they were all wearing some sort of team kit and thought “maybe I can’t catch them. These guys are some sort of cycling ‘team’”. I cut into their lead going up that 9% grade quickly though. I was wearing my polka dot KING OF THE MOUNTAINS kit and imagined how it might freak them out when I came blowing past them on that climb. I decided I’d just catch up and grab the last wheel on the train and let them pull me the rest of the way up. The guy on the back noticed me right as we got to the top, turning and looking at me. I smiled and did a u-turn back down the mountain towards Hamptons house. I can imagine that guy asking his buddies at the top of the mountain “did you guys see that dude in the KOM kit catch up to us?” I’m pretty sure he’s the only one who saw me, so the others probably thought thehard effort made him see things.

We did an hour of hard wrestling/brazilian jui jitsu at Bill’s after that. I’d planned on riding home, but opted to have Karen come and pick me up instead. We went over to Let It Shine gymnastics to check out the place where Izzy will start gymnastics next week. I kept fighting back tears as I watched the gym full of little girls working out. Izzy was SO EXCITED. She’s been doing gymnastics now for about a year and has freakish ability already. We get lots of comments about her muscularity. She’s only 4! I’m thrilled we’ll be able to give her opportunities to train at such an elite facility. As with everything in life though, it costs money. That’s the number 1 reason I’m cutting back on my triathlon racing this season – so we can afford things for Izzy instead. We went to Target and bought her the cutest gymnastics singlet. She starts with regular gymnastics on Tuesday and then rhythmic gymnastics on Thursday.

I’m headed out the door now for another bike ride.

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5/16/08

Did some wrestling last night with Caleb and Zack. They had their first conditioning workout and then spent some time going over the core takedowns of my wrestling system.

This morning the guys conditioning group did a back and shoulders workout combined with a good amount of BJJ grappling.
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5/15/08

The ladies did a total body workout this morning with a short crew. Great job ya’ll! Bill came down and he and I did a short chest workout. I squeezed in a 3 mile run during lunch.
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5/14/08

A grueling Biceps and Triceps workout with the guys today.

5/13/08

Big Congrats to Top Step Multisport athlete Tracey Zastrow who finished 6th overall (out of 99 competitors) over the weekend at the Siren Triathlon in TX. Way to go Tracey!

Ladies conditioning workout went well this morning. They did biceps/triceps and abs…along with the usual high intensity interval training. Rollins came in at 7 for his workout and did great also.

The ankle kept me awake last night, but I popped 4 Advil as soon as I woke up and that’s numbed the pain so far. I’ll probably skip the run I had planned for lunch and just lift instead. We’ll see how I’m feeling in a few hours.

Here’s what I did at lunch:
3 sets of low cable rows (12, 10, 8 reps w/ 90, 100, 110lbs)

5 sets of pull ups (pullups 8 and 6 chin ups 6 and 6 commando pull ups 6)

3 sets of lat pulldowns (12, 10, 8 w/ 80lbs)

2 sets of one arms bent over rows x 10 w/ 60s

20 medicine ball slams 18lb

20 overhead med ball throws 18lbs

10 one arm med ball slams 18lbs

20 side twist med ball wall slams 18lbs

Check out the site of a friend who’s trying to drop some weight: www.getfitbigguy.com
Great job KC! Good luck! Maybe I’ll hook up with him for some training sessions.
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5/12/08

The guys conditioning group did a killer chest workout today along with some more grappling. I did the same. I went and swam 1000 yards during lunch, just to maintain. I’m not planning any triathlons until August so I dont’ need many yards at this point.

Sprained my ankle late this afternoon when I carried the trash out into the garage. Karen and Izzy took care of me quickly though and got an ice pack on it. It’ll be okay – the swelling isn’t that bad.
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5/11/08

The ladies conditioning group had a great workout yesterday. Lara J. is doing a great job jumping right into the swing of things! The new Wave Master XXL heavy bag is nice; perfect for combining punches with kicks.

After the ladies workout Bill H., B-Dubs, JK, and I worked for about an hour and a half on our Brazilian Jui Jitsu. We’re starting to make alot of progress with our ground fighting. I also went over a couple of takedowns – the double leg and the outside single.

This morning Brett and I did 1:45 on the bike. Very windy…and a horrible pollen day. My eyes were blood red when we finished.

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5/9/08

Finally back to training this morning after a great vacation on Seabrook Island, SC. The guys conditioning group had a “black and blue Friday” workout this morning. A little bit of wrestling/bjj instruction and alot of live grappling. We’re getting geared up for a trip to train with Matt Hughes in July. Can’t wait! Matt seems like a stand up guy and a real cool dude. More on Matt HERE

I’ve changed my goals for the summer. I won’t be doing as many triathlons this year – just a couple in August and September, along with the big climbing event The Nantahala Nightmare in October. My goal by July 25 is to put on 5-10pounds and drop from 9% to 6-7% body fat.

Our buddy the Scolai got in touch and wants to partcipate in the SOG Summer Fitness plan. Here are the events Scolai. I’ll have to fax you the scoring system…shoot me your fax number:

MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam Studies and Oberservations Group) TOUGH:

SOG was a top secret clandestine unit (which my father belonged to in ‘Nam) made up of Navy Seals, Army Green Berets, and other special forces units. Are you tough enough to meet the requirements of the Seals or the Rangers (Green Berets)?

These are bare minimum requirements (actually pretty easy) in order to stay in the contest. We have a scoring system that will crown one of our members as the fittest of the fit.

SEAL FIT (are you tough enough?)

Complete the Physical Screening Test Requirements. The program is as follows:

* Swim 500 Yards within 12:30

* Rest 10:00

* 42 push-ups within 2:00

* Rest 2:00

* 50 sit-ups within 2:00

* Rest 2:00

* 6 pull-ups (no time limit)

* Rest 10:00

* 1.5 mile run within 11:00

GREEN BERET FIT

Push-ups – 49+
Sit-ups – 59+
Chin ups – 6+
2 mile run in running shoes in 15:12 minutes or less
Complete a 5 mile run averaging under 8:00 per mile
Complete combat water survival challenge (1500 meterss
Complete one road march in excess of 10 miles
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Date unknown

Sorry for the long delay between posts and responses ya’ll. I’m relivin’ the past this week at my old home on Seabrook Island, SC. I’ve lifted a couple times this week believe it or not. I did the IC3 on the beach early one morning too. Man, that was awesome. An empty secluded beach…just the sound of the waves and my labored breathing, and my heart beating in my ears. I’ll be back with you soon.

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4/28/08

Great workout this morning with the guys conditioning group. I briefed them beforehand the SOG FITNESS program they’ll be working towards in the next 60 days. They’ll be asked to compete (and meet minimum requirements) in pushups, pullups, situps, 2 mile run, 500 yard swim, 1500 meter survival swim, and a 10 mile road march.

They started their workout with a little race I call the IC3 (interval challenge x 3):

Repeat this cycle 3x:

12 Burpees / 24 pushups / 36 squats / 48 bicycles

Congrats to JK Simms who won the race! (just 43 seconds slower than Coach …wink wink)

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4/27/08

Sorry for the delay in new postings: Here’s a quick catch up for you:

Thurs night – Thadd and Caleb trained with me in the TP. We worked on a few basic takedowns, drilled hard, and then wrestled live for 12 minutes solid each (24 minutes for me as I wrestled with each of them). They also did some conditioning with the weighs and cardio equipment.

Fri morning – The Guys conditioning group did a scaled back version of “Black and Blue Friday”. I noticed more submission attempts than usual, so we’re all starting to learn a little more of the Brazilian Jui Jitsu.

Sat – not much time today so I did 50 minutes on the Fluid trainer in front of the TV. I watched the Alpe D’Huez stage of the 2001 Tour De France while I road. Average HR – 140. Later that morning I delivered about 300 pair of shoes to Soles 4 Souls at the Pay It Forward Festival in Spring Hill.

Sun – long ride this morning with Brett. We did 2:30 out through Leipers Fork. Average HR – 140.

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4/24/08

I was so excited to get back into the gym this morning for the first time in a month or so. The renovations are awesome! I can say this with all honesty – it’s one of the premier personal training facilities in town. We used to call it the Turkish Prison…now it’s more like the West Palm, Palm Springs, or Scottsdale Prison. Very nice…thanks AC.

The ladies where the first to get to workout in there (thanks to the guys moving everything in and cleaning on Wednesday morning). Great workout! There’s a new stuffiness to the room with double insulation. More sweat! I’ll have Thadd and Caleb in there tonight cutting weight for a weekend tournament.

I got a workout in during lunch: ran 3 miles slow trying to stay under 160bpm. Then I did this little round of torture x 3: 6 pullups – 12 burpees – 24 pushups – 36 squats with no rest. It’s tough! Try it.

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4/23/08

Thadd, Ben, and Caleb did the 500 plus some running last night and did a great job! I’ll be getting them on the mat Thursday.

I swam 1000 yards yesterday morning and then ran 4.5 miles in 32 minutes during lunch.

The guys group cleaned everything up this morning and got the gym ready for action tomorrow morning. Gang, don’t forget to thank Bill for being so good to all of us and giving us a great, top notch place to work out!

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4/22/08

Nice work out this morning ladies! They had their first experience with the Fight Gone Bad Circuits this morning.

Below is an article that will be published today on the Endurance Geeks website:

THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE: Unlocking the mystery of motivation and visualization

By Chad Nikazy

www.topstepfitness.com

4/22/08

Motivation. It’s a tricky concept when it comes to sports performance and even more so when it comes to general fitness.

For athletes it shouldn’t be hard to find your motivation. The great ones are internally motivated and seldom have trouble finding new motivators even once they’ve accomplished their initial goals. I’m certainly not lumping myself into that “great ones” category, but I’ve always fit into the internally motivated category. I just don’t have trouble finding ways to get motivated. I learned as a young teen to practice visualization with regard to my sport at the time – wrestling. There was a legend that went around about my coach that he could take us “down the spiral staircase”. During that mythical trip we could lose 5 pounds and become champions in our minds. Although we never went “down the staircase” we learned the principles from him and practiced them on our own. I spent hours in quiet meditation – staring a hole through the wall or the ceiling – visualizing success in competition. I saw it, felt it, heard it, smelled it all in my head. When the real thing came around I had already been down that road and was well prepared. I won my state championship 1000 times by the time I actually won it on the mat.

Visualization practice not only applies to wrestlers though, triathletes, runners, cyclists, and certainly mixed martial artists can apply the principles as well. If you’re competing in anything – regardless of what the sport may be – someone out there is training to beat you. They honestly believe they will beat you. And they’re training to do so – training hard. How hard (smart) are you training? I trained myself and I train my athletes so hard that it’s inconceivable that anyone is working harder. Understand, I’m not suggesting overtraining. Part of training “hard” is training smart. Enlisting the help of a good coach (E-geeks / Top Step Fitness) will make training hard and to your limit a successful endeavor.

Now for the tough part. What if you’re just a regular guy/girl who wants to shed a few pounds and live a little longer? Motivation tends to run out easier for these folks. I’ve been training people for nearly 10 years now and I see it all the time (seeing it now as a matter of fact). Enter the mental reset button; THE SPIRAL STAIRCASE. Visualize yourself at the top of a long and winding spiral staircase. At each descending floor are the obstacles that have held you back from reaching your potential. You’re going down those stairs and you’re going to confront them – and win. These obstacles are your own and everyone’s are different. Get a notepad out. Write them down. Really think about your life. What are the things that have kept you from achieving the fitness you desperately want? You can’t say you don’t “desperately want” fitness or you wouldn’t still be reading this. So what are they? No time? Fear of failure? Fear of the unknown? Bad past experiences? Bullying? Name calling? For athletes it can be specific opponents, our athletic limiters, fear of failure, or even fear of success (believe it or not, this enemy lived on my own stair case). It’s dark going down the Spiral staircase, but for the first time in your life you’re headed down those stairs with the light of hope following you – floor by floor. Now spend quiet time practicing the spiral staircase in your mind. You’ve named your enemies. Now ask yourself why you can’t defeat them? On the spiral staircase there are no answers to those questions, because you CAN defeat them. Visualize it. Nothing can hold you back. You’re strong and resolute. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.- 2 Timothy 1:7

Set goals for yourself. Work with your coach to figure out how you’re going to achieve them. When you start questioning yourself it’s time for another trip down the staircase. Each time you become stronger as your enemies become smaller and weaker.

Visualize success. Understand though, that there is no instant gratification on the stair case. It’s an exhausting process just like exercise itself. Try it. It will pay off.

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4/21/08

Tough Tough Tough chest workout this morning with the guys. Great job fellas! We did 3 round by 3 minutes each for 6 stations.

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4/20/08

Just got back from a short bike ride. I hadn’t done a time trial / lactate threshold field test in a while so I went to my normal course at Thompson Station Road. The time trial took 12 minute 9 seconds (21.4 mph average) with an average HR (lactate threshold) of 172. I think the last time I did it months ago it was 11:57 and 177. I think I was slower today than last time due to the 2 and a half hour ride yesterday. Total ride time today was 1:06.

Good fights last night. Mac Danzig was impressive. GSP is untouchable (except for maybe a dream fight against Anderson Silva).

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4/19/08

Brett and I went for a ride this morning at 6:00am. We rode for 2:26 today. I’m still slowly working myself back into “century fitness”. I’d forgotten how rough that “hollow” feeling is in your gut when you run out of fuel. I guess I’ll have to start getting up early and eating before my rides again. Average HR 137 / High 175. We climbed Pull Tight Hill today. I’d heard alot about it, but had never climbed it until this morning. It’s a good climb, but not as tough as it looks as you approach it. The climbs out in Theta are steeper, but a bit shorter than Pull Tight. It’s a slightly easier version of Lynwood Way (aka “The Mountain”).

I did a conditioning session at 10:00am for Thadd, Ben, Caleb, and Seth. They did a good job, but I’m still trying to get them to grasp the concept of INTENSITY. They’re all just nice kids. You can still be a good kid and “train like a madman” though. We talked a bit about training with a chip on your shoulder and how that’s a good thing today. I’ll get them there. Maybe I’ll do an article soon about training with a chip on your shoulder.

I’m going to Jonathan’s Bar and Grill tonight to watch the Serra vs. St. Pierre UFC event. Should be interesting as no one is giving Serra a chance even though he won decisively over St. Pierre last time. I’m really looking forward to seeing Mac Danzig fight too. I lump him in with a small group of fighters (along with Uriah Faber) that I wouldn’t want any part of. Tyler and I should be at Jonathans by 8:30 or so. Come and see us.

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4/18/08

I did another conditioning session with some wrestlers last night. Good session…lots of running and a couple of FIGHT GONE BAD circuits. Those FGB circuits are a great way to prepare for a 6-minute match. It’s constant pressure on your system – just like a wrestling match. Here’s a mental trick for you to keep in mind while training this way; remind yourself that in a wrestling match (or a fight) if you let up for even a second you’ll get scored on. Apply that kind of thinking to your FGB sessions. That’s intensity! That’s TOP STEP CONDITIONING.

We did a similar session this morning with the guys conditioning group. Here’s the Friday freebie workout:

1. Run 1 mile

2. FGB circuit as such: 1:00 Alternating Shoulder Press / 1:00 Body weight Squats / 1:00 Upright Rows / 1:00 Jump Rope / 1:00 Swimmers Press

3. Run 1 mile

4. FGB circuit as follows: 1:00 Hammer Curls / 1:00 Burpees / 1:00 Pushup Rows / 1:00 Bicycles / 1:00 Burpees

5. KILLER AB CIRCUIT: :45 plank / 40 crunch / :45 plank / 40 bicycle / :30 plank / 30 crunch / :30 plank / 30 bicycle

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4/17/08

Not much to report. All of the workout groups are hanging in there great and working hard while we wait on the gym renovations to be completed. Big thanks to Tanya T. for always keeping the mood light.

I got in a workout at the Seaboard YMCA yesterday morning: 2 minutes x 5 stations x 3 rounds. It’s funny, when you workout the TS way at a gym people look at you like you’re crazy…and keep their distance.

Skipped my swim this morning. Ran 3 miles during “lunch” with Tardy. Then we did 2 x 5 minute fight gone bad circuits as such: 1 minute wall ball, 1 minute jump rope, 1 minunte burpees, 1 minute bosu ball pushups, 1 minute bicycles,1 minute rest – repeat in reverse. DANG!

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4/15/08

Sorry no post yesterday. Not much to report; I lifted some weights. I did some push pull supersets at the Y:

Flat Dumbbell Bench – low cable row / Flat Dumbbell Bench – low cable row

Incline DB Bench – Lat Pulldown / Incline DB Bench – Lat Pulldown

Med Ball Slams – Med Ball Sprawls – Med Ball Twist throws

Abs

This morning I got 1000 yards in at the pool (4 x 250 swim). I did 37 minutes of running at lunch with Tardy. Average HR – 166 / High – 188

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4/13/08

Another 6:15 am ride. We went 2:04 out to Bethesda. We came out at the Williamson County Ag Center and headed back down 31 and then 431. Average HR 137 / High 166

Hit the heavy bag (plus a few straight bar curls and super slow knuckle pushups) late this afternoon for 15 minutes. Average HR 147

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4/12/08

Just sat next to Cheryl Crow and had lunch … I mean right next to her. She was with her parents, Sister (?), and baby (adopted?). She must have sensed my superhuman VO2 max (she knows these things after going to France a few times), because of all the people in the place I”m the only one who got the smile with a “Hi.” Actually, it’s probably because my kid is cute and was rambling on in her raspy voice about Cheetos and hot Cheetos. Cheryl looked great in person and seemed to be a great mother. She spent most of their time feeding her son his lunch. Seemed like a nice lady…and she can sing.

Sorry I didn’t get around to posting anything yesterday. I did another 1000 yard swim yesterday. This morning I rode 1:36 with Brett out toward Bethesda at 6:15am. It’s beautiful out there in the country in the early morning. We did a (mostly) flat ride this morning to protect my injuries. Average HR – 133 / High – 166

Karen and I went to the Y with Izzy for “Healthy Kids Day”. Izzy did her thing while we worked out. I did a pretty serious circuit (didn’t bother putting on the monitor because I knew it would be off the charts). This was a “fight training” kind of workout:

2 Minutes Rowing Machine (RM) – 2 Minutes Hand Bike (HB) – 12 Low Cable Rows (100lbs) – 1 min RM – 1 min HB – 12 low cable rows (100lbs) – 1 min RM – 1 min HB – 2 x 8 pullups (wide then neutral) – 1 min RM – 1 min HB – 12 high cable rows – 1 min RM – 1 min HB – 2 x 12 Bent over Dumbbell Rows (55lbs) – 1 min RM – 1 min HB – 24 alternating shoulder presses (30lbs) – 2 min RM – 2 min HB

After my ride this morning I spent a little time in the Word (after eating the eggs and waffles that Karen had prepared for me and Izzy).

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Kind of puts a new level of importance on taking care of yourself, doesn’t it? I’m not being self righteous in this regard, because I’m far from perfect. I eat alot of junk food simply because I think I’ve earned it through hard work. We can all do better with our exercise (be it too little or too much) and with our diets.

This afternoon we drove Izzy out to see Hannah Montana’s house. She was impressed.

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4/10/08

Another outdoor workout for the ladies this morning. They did 2 rounds of 3 minute stations – 6 stations per round. I’ve added more running to their workouts lately since we’ve been outdoors and they’ve adapted great. GREAT JOB LADIES! Every single one of you did awesome this week.

I’m still lame with my calf muscle and my glute. I did get a 1000 yards in the pool this morning. I did a 600 at pace (8:51) and then 100 pull, 100 swim, 100 pull, 4 x 25 glide swim. I used to log 2 and often 3 3000+ yard workouts a week in the pool. I’ve backed that down over the years; first I backed off to 2 x 2000 yard workouts. No noticeable difference in my times. Then 2 x 1500-1650 workouts per week. No noticeable difference. These days I do 1-2 x 1000 yard workouts per week. No difference at all in my times. This decreased volume in the pool allows me more energy for my bike, run, and conditioning workouts. Don’t overtrain your strengths!

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4/9/08

The guys conditioning group worked outside today; it’s great working out in the spring time as the sun is rising. The did some running and few FIGHT GONE BAD circuits. All in all another good one.

Personally, I’m struggling; I’ve been taking an antibiotic and prednisone for an upper respiratory infection for the last week. Monday I pulled a glute – today I strain a calf muscle. I’m done with the prednisone! It can cause weak muscles, cramps, etc. Sounds like that’s whats going on with my backside and calf muscle.

I added a new endorsement to the “Wow” page and the “Wrestlefit” page. Joe Blair of Brentwood High School, one of the top wrestling coaches in the state, now endorses my wrestling program. Thanks Joe! The program is now endorsed by two of the best in Frank Simpson (MBA) and Joe Blair (Brentwood).

In case you missed it or didn’t click over to the article I wrote last for Endurance Geeks here is the text as it appeared on the Endurance Geeks Site:

Resistance Training for Athletes