team in training

I've had a few friends participate in "Team in Training" marathons before, but it wasn't until recently that I more seriously thought about donating.

I've also been slightly skeptical of long-distance running as a general fitness paradigm, but that might be the strength-athlete and lifter in me worried about arthritis of the heart in marathoning.

On the financial side, while only some 50 cents out of each dollar donated might actually go to The Cause (75% efficiency in the cancer org non-profit, so 25% overhead for org and another estimated 25% for team-in-training), both TNT and the LLS (cancer org) seem like generally good organizations to support.

On the physical side, it may be somewhat dangerous to participate in marathons without proper training, according to recent medical research at Harvard which suggests that running a marathon without proper training (< 35 miles a wk) may lead to "abnormalities in heart structure and function".

On the social side, I've wondered why cancer-related activism gets so much press relative to heart-related health activism, but in talking to my friend Anniemal and seeing her TNT fundraising page, I guess I realize that even though heart disease currently is still the #1 killer (cancer is catching up still), it's not as good a Story as cancer... Cancer is the OMG plot device you throw in bad movies / fiction (& real life), and maybe some good ones too, whereas heart disease is probably what's going to kill you (or rather your parents / grandparents).

So narratively, cancer seems more striking, whereas we sort of know what causes heart disease (lack of exercise, the agro-industrial-food complex, etc.), and also we associate heart disease with old dudes (sad for women who show different signs of stroke), whereas we talk a lot about breast cancer and childhood leukemia.

A better story once again...

Anyway, in spite of the above, I'm still going to donate to help my friend Anniemal out. I don't see myself running a marathon / half-marathon any time soon, although maybe I'll train for a half-triathalon five years from now :)

Still not sure how I'm going to balance my Kettlebell practice, Buddy Lee jump rope training, Lumbar "pre-hab" (following Stuart McGill & Esther Gokhale) and Ultimate conditioning these next few months, but I'll figure something out. I think what I realized is that while intense interval training is great, I actually haven't been able to do truly high-intensity interval training (> 80% HRmax) with my amateur rope work just yet... but hopefully following a more organized rope program will help with that. (Also perhaps that running-for-a-long-time also counts as sports-specific training? Whereas interval cardio training might mainly help you endure more efficiently, you still need to do the sport-specific running-long-time work some of the time as an endurance base.)

Lumbar pre-hab has been a blocker for more intense KB work and conditioning more generally :( but it's getting better and I'm healing faster (more effectively) now that I know more about what I'm doing / treat myself-spine better. Thanks Stuart McGill & Esther Gokhale once more!

rope

This last week:

(a) Mon: 12 min jump rope, new high of some consecutive 40-50 alternate steps. maxHR=160.

(b) Tues: 20 min jog w Anniemal (maxHR=183, probably during faster final lap)

(c) Sat: 15 min jump rope (20-30 max consec. alternate steps)--maxHR=169, 25 min jog/slow run (maxHR=179).

Rope felt really good on (a), probably due to sufficient rest. (b) felt pretty good after warming up, able to run for laps at a time no prob.

(c) not as easy as (a) -- lumbar was lil tight yesterday after 10+ hrs driving in the car.. right achilles still a little cranky from the gas pedal action too, mild weakness in left adductor / gluteal med complex pair.

Foam roller tightness has been in lower quads (mainly), adductors (secondary).

Rx: continue back rehab exercises (bird dog etc.), jump rope practice and light KB tmrw with a focus on sumo DL for adductor/hip endurance and 1-hand 12kg KB swing for glutes!

For Anniemal: NYTimes on Stretching, the Truth

last 4 wks

Week before Thxgiving:

Burned 6000 calories playing Ulty (Mon, Wed, Thu practice, Sat / Sun tourney)

Thxgiving week: 900 calories (back-off)

Week after: 2300 calories

This week: Chill (300 calories).

Today:

Start Buddy Lee jump rope training program. After two shorter sets, did 150 consecutive bounce steps. Start working on "alternate-step" (low knee) sets. Up to 15 or so? Ankles slightly cranky.

3x12 12kg KB sumo DL.

10x8 12kg KB Swing.

Bounce step cooldown.

Later today: Cat/camel, side plank, bird-dog etc.

jump rope

warmup,

jumprope ~10min with 8kg 6x8 swings

invite practice

invite practice @ sand hill.

spaced out during scrimmage :(

conditioning not there! max HR 40bpm lower than usual?!

zone o

a little lumbar tight before practice, foam roll helped that
+jumping rope for a few minutes, felt pretty warm for jogging
max HR=180 for warmup
scrimmage 1, 490 calories, max HR=205
scrimmage 2+sprints, max HR=207

total calories=1,133

Still need work spreading out further. Practiced splitting as wing (watch what deep does).
Running in cup was a workout!
Don't get to close as cup during swing to prevent (I forget)
Keep body up for fh hucks
Abs for rotation side-to-side a lot weaker than front-to-back! Hmm...
Practiced upping intensity as D & handler, seem to be getting slightly better over the weeks (was able to put body to space to block M going for one deep, brushed past J.)
What to do if am handling and D poaches mid (zone)? Hmm....

rope

New Nike non-SPARQ speed rope from Sports Authority -- a little heavier in the rope, easier to maintain momentum. It does coil a bit as they said in reviews... might still buy SPARQ? Dunno.

15min light jump rope (max HR=153)
10min miracle ball (supraspinatus slightly tight)
15min foam roll (muscle opp. of inner hamms are knotty)
15min stretch (work on left hamm vs right hamm flex)

cycling

Instead of a regular workout, I decided to bike about 30 mi. (to Menlo Park then to Sunnyvale and back, tho not all in one continuous trip).

Max HR ~ 160?

About a thousand calories total.

15min foam roller (red from GoFit)

12min stretch (left hamm still slightly tighter than right)

training log, day zero

My old training log may have just been deleted...? I didn't get to save a copy of it, but in the grand scheme of things that's okay--polarpersonaltrainer has the long term view--and in any case I'm about to start a new training cycle so to speak.

Today:

8x10 12kg KB Sw on-the-minute (jog for some intervals, that def. kept HR high)
21 min jump rope (max HR=166)
13 min foam roller
15 min stretch

Overall not bad, although wish I could get my HR higher during rope work--do I need to do more power jumps? Have better form? Perhaps I need a new speed rope to adapt to once more (not the reg Nike one, but the uh what is it yea SPARQ.)

Oh well, it's the beginning of a new mini-cycle then of training. Back to leveling up with KB swings and snatches, working on conditioning / strength-endurance, flexibility work too.