I took the same route as I did for my "Fast 5" and I swear that my easy pace is only marginally slower than my uncomfortable, heavy-breathing, heart-pounding "fast" pace. In 30 min, I think I might have run 500-750m less on my LSS run than on my Fast 5 run. That's a little demoralizing, actually.
I'm with you on this. I don't feel like I'm moving all that much faster going all out than I am at an easy pace... But my times suggest differently I guess.
I feel like I found a new way to suck this morning. These were hard and I felt slow. It's clear I have neglected HIC and SE-type exercise for way too long. Or I'm just old. Or both.
I came out too fast on my first leg and only got halfway. I walked the last half and resolved to pace myself a little better. I did 3 more legs, took the full 5 minute rest interval and generally was not impressed with myself.
I'm trying to view my vast room for improvement in this area as a positive but it's hard to forget that I suck at this right now. I'm wondering if I'm sucking at this is because I'm undertrained (and improvements will come) or because I'm getting too old to do this (and improvements will not come).
Nice easy run outside. I still haven't found a decent trail yet. I ran on a sidewalk off the main road, which didn't seem as punishing on the knees as the other routes I've taken.
Th 21 Sep 17
SE: Alpha Circuits
3 x 20 reps, 45s between exercises, 2 min and 2:30 min between circuits.
Push-ups
Goblet Squats
1-arm Bent-Over Rows
DB swings
Leg lifts
Same as before: in my room with a 40lb dumbbell.
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I haven't been eating well. I don't think I'm getting as much meat as I'd like, which I think is making me a bit snacky. Plus, being on course and having to concentrate in class all day seems to be sapping any self-discipline I had for eating and drinking, so my snacks haven't been healthy.
I think I am missing the gym. I know I need work on SE and HIC in a big bad way, but I miss pushing weights around in the gym.
These two things have left me feeling soft and weak.
I've got one more week in class, then one week in the field and the course is done. So, I just have one more week of this extended Base Building to go and a week without any workouts (most likely) before I can start a proper continuation protocol.
I took the same route I took on my last LSS run. What took me 30 min on the easy run took me 22:11 on my "fast" run. Progress?
I have also resolved to eat better. I'm going to start tracking again on MyFitnessPal. I know that weight loss isn't a huge topic on these boards but I'd still like to drop about 15-20 lbs. I certainly want to improve my performance across these various 'modalities', however, it's not my only goal.
I started Block 1 (Operator/Black) today - it felt good to pump some iron for a change.
I'm also checking out the local globo-gym because my work gym is kind of a logistical hassle. The new place was pretty busy on a holiday Monday but I'm hoping it's a little emptier when I work out first thing in the morning.
I wanted to do Bench/Trap Bar DL/Pull-ups but the lone trap bar was being used, so I subbed in Squats.
M 9 Oct 17
Operator 70%
Bench: 5/5/5 @ 155# (this felt pretty light but I'm taking J-Madd's AA advice about using a training max)
Squat: 5/5/5 @ 255# (felt not bad. I think it will feel lighter once I'm back in the groove.)
Pull-up: 5/4/4 @ BW (I still suck at these)
Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do for HIC tomorrow.
Tu 10 Oct 17
Fast 5
I didn't run a full 5km, I don't think. I ran on a trail fir just under 21 minutes, which likely left me 200-500m short of the full 5km. Still, I tried to run at a good clip. I recently read that you should try to run with light strides and, if you do, the speed will take care of itself.
So last week was another false start. My girls got sick last week and it really threw off my schedule. I was on perpetual standby, waiting to be called on to do something. As a result, not much of anything happened from Wednesday on. But on the weekend, I went and got my membership at the local gym, so I can work out before my commute and I don't have to pack luggage every day on the bus.
Today was the restart - and I think I'm not going to worry about strictly adhering to the Operator template. I think I'll be doing well if I can get in 4 workouts/week (i.e., 2 days lifting, 2 days HIC or E).
It felt good overall but it seemed maybe a little too fast. I am trying to remember that I don't need to lift all of the weights all at once and that these sessions are about "practicing strength."
M 16 Oct 17
Operator 70%
Bench: 5/5/5 @ 155# (This was easy. I think last week I was actually lifting a little more because my weight plate math was wrong)
Trap Bar DL: 5/5/5 @ 255# (Good)
Pull-up: 5/5/4 @ BW (sucked a little less than last week)
I went outside and ran my “Fast 5” on a standard route. I am not sure how I feel about it. I definitely ran faster than my LSS pace but I might have had more in the tank for a kick at the end. But then again, so what if I did? I don’t think that would have made a significant change in the overall time.
I think the only real progress will be to be able to increase the overall pace throughout the run. That, I suppose, will only come in time and not by trying to squeeze out on e last burst near the end.
I think my "Operator" plan has devolved into an "Operator Perpetual" plan. I need to get back into the groove but it's been harder than usual because my sleep hasn't been great (our twins are up several times/night). Hopefully, they can start sleeping straight through the night so that we can.
I'm also really having difficulty wrapping my head around lifting light. I am afraid I'm getting weaker - or that I have gotten weaker and that I'm not addressing it well.
Come to think of it, I am a little concerned that I'm not going as hard as I should be in general. I'm still not entirely satisfied that I've nailed the balance between training smart and training lazy.
Last edited by B71 on Sun Oct 22, 2017 11:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
I went for an easy run on my nearby gravel/dirt trail and ran for 40 minutes instead of 30. I've been running 30 minutes since I started with TB a few months back. I thought I needed to go a little longer than the prescribed 30 minutes (in AA), since my "Fast 5" is 27.5 minutes. Moreover, I feel like I'm not pushing hard enough and I'm afraid I'm kind of going through the motions.
This week, I noticed my right calf is really seizing up on me when I run and it takes a couple of days for it to loosen up again. I'm wondering if this is the signal that I've already killed by running shoes. I'm going to switch to a new pair (same model) to see if that's the case.
