Back at the gym.....

Its good to get the juices flowing again.  I always miss training with a purpose.  I need a big goal in front of me to really push.  I have lots of little things coming up like spartans, gorucks, death race training, etc...but its the big events like the Death Race or my cross carry that really keep me moving forward.  I am already trying to figure out the next...and Damion has me thinking hard about it.  Ill probably do some ultras, but most things that are real extreme are costly!  I am probably a death racer for a while, finish or not....just seems to really fit my identity. Feel like I have found my tribe. 

So I am starting to get back to my crazy gym WO's.  I am at about 60% of where I used to be.  Now that i have 4 gym memberships and Cross Fit I seem to bounce all over.  yesterday while I was doing my training I had a bunch of people stop me, try to figure out what I am doing, tell me "dude you move to slow" as I take over a area, etc.  I actually want to bounce around to keep people from asking me too much.  I need to move fast and I am not at the gym to talk.  However a nice person stopped me yesterday to ask about spartan.  She saw my towel and she and her brother had done Malibu. Her brother was a trainer and was asking if I could help him with his training for obstacle runs.  When I brought up the DR, they said... "oh, you are one of those crazies...i figured...i read  about you nuts".  Too funny.......  Its always good to meet fun and like minded people.  This year seems to be different as there are more great people to share this years journey with and its made it fun.   I have so many great ideas for our death race training circuits, cant wait to share it with my crazy friends...Temecula is going to be insane. 

So yesterday I only had a hour and half to get something done before I had to be at class.  Since Hobie has issued me a bunch of challenges I figured its time to start training with weighted packs.  I grabbed my osprey pack and loaded it with about 35-40 lbs and worked out with that on.  Below was all done with my osprey pack and my shoulders feel it today!  Ill try and stop by cf today to get a quick one in.  I will probably try to do one of the benchmark workouts see how it goes.....  Harder than I thought to fit in both gym and CF.....


With Weighted Pack
Targeted Muscles - Shoulders, Legs (quads, calves)

First Circuit
Squats (155 lbs) 10x
75 lb. DB Shoulder Shrugs 12x
Lunges (95 lbs) 12x
BB Shrugs (95 lbs) 12x
Pull Ups 12x
Seated Calve Raise 135 lbs. (20x)
Standing Calv Raise 230lbs (15x)
10 lb DB Shoulder Raise (12x)
60 Mountain Climbers
30 Jumping Jacks

3x on this Circuit

Versa Climber - 5 minutes
    25 Inverted Situps
Elliptical - 5 Minutes
   25 Inverted Situps
Stair Master - 5 Minutes
   25 Inverted Situps


Leg Extension (130 lbs. both legs 7x, 70 lbs. each leg 7x each)
Rotator DB Shoulder Raise 15 lb (15x)
Rotary Calv (220 lbs. 20x)
Military Press DB 35 lbs on ball (8x)
Front Power Squats (125 lbs) 12x
Shoulder Raise 70 lb - 8x
Shoulder Press 130 lbs - 10x
Seated Leg Press 180 lbs 20 x
Seated Leg Press on Calv 180 lbs 20x
8 lb. Med Ball Throw Squats - 12 x
30 sec. Plank

3x on this circuit

Ran out of time had to go home :) 

Hope all my DR friends are finding time to have fun!

Well....got past the holidays and ready to step to this thing..... This past Friday I met up with some awesome people.  Lots of Cross Fiters, Spartans, and Death Racers came out to Arcadia High School.  Our WOD was 20 laps of 1/4 mile, 25 situps, 25 pushups, 25 burpees, 25 squats....which came to 5 miles and 500 each.  3 of us finished it RX style and everyone got their burpee on!  I felt like I could have done more, I would like to try to do this as 40 laps.....  It has been a lot of fun having others to train with and keep the motivation up.  Damion is a great person for me to pace with.  I am noticing with age, a few more bumps and bruises than before, but I am certainly feeling my DR stamina coming back.....  I feel a new energy this year with new faces and reasons to be excited both personally, emotionally, and physically.  I feel so much smarter this year.  I only hope it leads to a finish...that DNF has really fucked with me from last years death race.  Sometimes I feel like people don't know how punishing it is until they do it.  I can remember both Yesel and I feeling ready.....everyone there is in shape.  Its not about how much you do...this race is more about a spiritual and emotional journey one that breaks the most elite athletes.  An ironman is way to straight forward...this race is different and I respect the hell out of it. 

I am really looking forward to training on the 21st bringing back some old school McFadden stuff, some new ideas, things I learned at the death race, and some fun.  Most excited to share it all with my new friends and faces who keep me personally motivated. 

I don't need to train as hard this year...just smarter.  I am training my ass off, and pushing through what most people wouldn't and shouldn't, but I am not going to overdrive it again.  CF has added a new dimension as have the people around me. 

Really glad we did the wod on Friday.  Joei and I worked out on the following day and we really didn't have much in the tank.  Then last night I got bored and decided to go up Canyon Park.  Wow, was I surprised how bad my legs hurt.  So instead of pushing a run I decided to go up the creek in the cold water.  My shoes proved to be awesome.  I have found the best shoes out there for the DR.  Wow are these things going to kick ass.  Then I waited till it got dark to head back down.  I grabbed the biggest log I could find and the two of us made it down in the dark.  I really enjoy the cold and late night training this year....

Looking forward to hearing your wod!!!

I have started training but seem limited on time.  I can remember feeling this way last year.  It is very easy to get caught up reading what everyone else does and give you some anxiety like "damn am i doing enough?"  I have to remind myself that its a marathon not a sprint, relax, enjoy it all, do what you can, and most of all don't overtrain! 

Joe DeSena told me he thought I trained too hard last year and he would only train for 3 months if he was doing the death race...something to think about.  I am hitting the gym and Crossfit, but need more long distance weekend things.....  have not done much running.  But I am back to my crazy circuit training (about 50% of where I want to be), eating, and have gained about 5 lbs which is a good thing.  This year I am much more concerned with a little size.  Joe gave me some great tips and I figure if he runs the thing he must know. 

Most upset that my back is  in killer pain right now.  I want to do the Arcadia workout tomorrow, Ill see how it goes..... really looking forward to next month where I have the super Spartan (with weighted vest), and the Seal Beach Death Race training...cant wait to break out the fun toys for the DR crew to play with......

Its all about balance..... I'm spending more time this year focused on my daughter.  Just signed up to coach her all stars, so that takes more....i think it will be that balance and family spirit that will give me the best chance of finishing this year...not the mileage, but the heart.....

Holiday Yule Log Run

So, this pas weekend I went on several training runs up in Griffith Park. This place is an excellent training ground because of the terrain, the hills, and the endless marked and unmarked trails. The first run I did with on Saturday I did with my rucksack loaded with 4 bricks and water. Total weight is just over 20lbs. Not a lot but it does wear on you particularly on really long runs like the one we did up in Henniger Flats some weeks ago. That ruck sack felt like 60lbs after 16 miles :) Anyway, I did a short 3-4 mile run (need to get my iPhone GPS app going so I can get actual distances covered)with my ruck and bricks including 20-30 yard wind sprints up a steep 1/2 mile incline. My legs were on fire! But I managed to make it to the top with gas to spare. On Monday I did the same trail but this time I picked up a nice log that I carried on my shoulder. Large and awkward was the name of the game. Only about 25 lbs but weight was not the goal. That thing dug into my shoulders something bad. Good lesson, though. Must think about some sort of small protective cushion/pad to have at Death Race for carrying large and awkward objects on my shoulder. It can't absorb water and it can't take up space. I thought of using a small inflatable pillow but that idea quickly went out the window when I realized it would get quickly punctured by a gnarly log. I have some other ideas, though ;
Last week I did the same trail with the ruck/bricks AND a 50lb sandbag on my shoulder. That was tough! But great practice for Death Race and the first train race in the King of The Hill series (sponsored by Joe Decker and Gut Check Fitness)!

welcome

Last year I had a blog and kept a lot of my workouts in it.  This year I thought if you all want to join in and write some of your workouts, it might help keep everyone motivated!  Im not sure how much time I or any of us will have to blog...but if you want to start using this, lets do it.  I have just gotten back to lifting and working out.  My plan now is to gain about 5-10 lbs..... hard for a squirrel like me.  I have memberships to Ballys, 24 hour, CrossFit, and LA Fitness now so I have lots of resources.  I can feel myslef starting to come back.....im still a ways a way from where i was last year, but this year I will train smarter.  I feel much more prepared and much more motivated with the great group of people around this time.  I probably wont train as much as I did...but since I have done one of these a lot of the anxiety of not knowing has left.  So i feel much more relaxed, and I have a good base to work from.  I was very excited to meet some great people last month when we did the Henninger Flats run.  Very cool to meet so many like minded animals.... Erika, Tom, Yesel, Joei, myself, Omar, Edgar, Tramp, Michelle, Damion.  Also cool to catch up with Lisa and I cant wait to train with my friends Laura and Jeff soon.  So lots of death race support this time around!

Feel free Death racers to blog, keep this as a community journal of motivation, post pictures, etc.  See you all on the 30th and happy holidays!!!

I need to get back to it!!!  I ran my first Ultra and finished.... over 7 hours later!  I was proud that i muscled through it, but I really need to find time to train and get back to it.  Jeff and Edgar motivated me, as did talking to Andy...i am tired of being uncomfortable in my skin which in this case is feeling skinny and not in the shape I want.  I am doing Cross Fit, but I need to get back to the gym and weekend workouts.  I also know how to pace myself after doing last years DR, and know where i am at for this time of year is fine.....

Working for Spartan has been fun, finishing the ultra is good, ill start to get motivated to train hard soon.  I always feel like people don't really understand what I mean when I say "train"..... My death race training is not about going to cross fit 4xs a week or going to the gym, or flipping some tires....my death race training will take me to a new place emotionally, spiritually, and physically.  I try to train harder and now that i am older and DR experienced...smarter..... everything will improve, and this is the year that I am on a fucking mission......i will hold a skull

Constant hunger

OMG!!! My entire blog entry disappeared and then auto-saved while the page was blank! Sorry, I'm venting my frustration right now, especially after crystallizing some inner-thoughts about motivation and where I am personally. Anyway, if you ever feel the desire to run in the rain, just come to Raleigh, I have plenty that I would love to share.

I have reached a few mile stones recently.

I have been existing in a state of constant hunger of late, both literally and figuratively.

Literally, I cannot seem to get enough to eat, ever.

Figuratively, My inner drive is once again awakening. The force that pushes you to become a better person in all aspects of life, to give your best effort today, and each day, and then tells you that tomorrow's performance will be better than the one turned in today; the feeling that whatever barriers or obstacles may come are of no consequence; the belief that nothing can stop you from attaining your goals and dreams.

I have harnessed that inner drive before and excelled. And I have lost it. That drive has been noticeably absent for a number of years whether others had noticed or not. I have looked for it, feeling the pangs of knowing that I was constantly performing far below my abilities, shared with a feeling of wandering with no real direction or focus. Truth be told, that is what pushed me over the tipping point to register for the Death Race. I needed something to focus on, a commitment, direction. And I believe it is working. I can feel the drive growing, pushing me toward my goals, professionally and personally, where I have refocused my life. That is what the Death Race has become for me.

As for my training, I remember in high school, running on the cross-country team (granted I was JV every year, Wrestling was my focus) thinking anything more than a 5k was a monster waiting to snack on my legs/lungs. Recently I have been running anywhere from 5 to 8 miles as training on a regular basis. I think back to my high school perspective and shake my head in disbelief. Disbelief that I didn't suck it up, as well as disbelief that I am now looking at registering for a marathon and a 70.3 tri only to use each to prepare myself for the Death Race!

I've always had a little desire to complete one of each, but I had long since scratched them of as the great white buffalo that would never materialize. However, with the way my training has progressed I see no reason why the once far-fetched dream shouldn't soon come into fruition.

I also did my first rock run yesterday :) 4 miles with 15/15/15 burpees/push-ups/squats each mile on the mile. I don't have a name for my rock yet, I'm not sure if it is a guy or a girl. But it is waiting for me by the entrance to the Crabtree Creek Greenway.

Two a days are a regular occurance in my routine; usually consisting of a CrossFit workout paired with either a run with 15/15/15's or wrestling practice at Dynamic Wrestling.

Today was the first day I turned in the best performance across all classes at CrossFit. I completed 8 Rx rounds of Mary (5 handstand push-ups, 10 pistols, 15 pull-ups) in a 20 minute AMRAP. My scores are going to be the ones to beat from now on.

Looking forward to the tough mudder!