Block 8: Half-marathon training
Week 2
Body weight: 163 pounds
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
FHNB= first half nose breathing, NB = nose breathing, DH = dead hang, BW = body weight, KB = kettlebell, MIN = minimalist shoes, TM = treadmill, BB = barbell, DB = dumbbell, KB = kettlebell, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Recovery Run TM 5.3 mil 45:03 HR1 101
Day 2: Intervals Run 2 x 1-mile (6:32, 6:31) with 800-meter jog in between; total 5.0 mil; HR1 130 HR2 111
Day 3: Lower body rest; OHP 1x3x95 (=101 1RM), 2x2x95, 1x5x70; pull-ups (various grips) 9x2xBW; URRow 3x5x50-BB
Day 4: Easy Run 7.5 mil 57:22
Day 5: Recovery Run TM 4.0 mil 34:21 HR1 104
Day 6: Long Tempo Run 7.5 mil 51:58; total 9.0 mil
Day 7: Recovery Run 5.8 mil Undulating 47:27 HR1 114
Sprinkled in throughout the week: sets of pull-ups, push-ups, and URRows here and there
Mileage for the week: 36.6
Hey, that day 6 long tempo was a decent workout for you! Why’s it on day 6 instead of day 4, though? Easy answer: travel. I’m in a different location for the next few weeks, and I was planning on hopping in a 5K on day 6. But due to various circumstances, I decided against it; I may hop into a 10K instead late next week. In any case, I started day 6 as a standard long run but then just let ’er rip. Not having done a second running workout in the middle of the week meant my legs were ready to go. It was exhilarating. Sometimes you just have to do that—let it all go—but I do have to be very careful not to overtrain, as that’s my tendency.
Hmm…the day 7 recovery run looks like a fail in that regard. Right you are. Normally I do recovery runs on treadmills, if possible, so as to keep the speed low and the “terrain” as soft as possible. However, again due to some circumstances, there was going to be no way to make it to a treadmill on day 7, so I had to pick a “lesser of two evils” route, given where I am. Despite my constant reminders to myself to keep it slow, I ran it faster than I should have, which you can see in the elevated HR1 reading. So, logical consequence: second recovery day tomorrow.
What’s with the 2 x 1-mile intervals on day 2? That’s classic dumbas* FortyPlusRunner for you. The plan was to run 4 x 1-mile intervals at somewhere between half-marathon and 10K pace, but when I got to the track, I decided to do them “by feel.” Bad bad bad idea for me, because 99% of the time “by feel” for me means “let ’er rip.” I should have known better. As the repeats I ended up doing are slightly faster than my current 5K pace, I could tell by the beginning of the second repeat that it was going to be my last if I didn’t want to venture into overtraining territory. So I pulled the plug and gave myself a good ol’ knock upside the head. Maybe I should try nose-breathing intervals, lol.
What in the world is a single Max Strength session doing there on day 3? That was part of the travel day, but the real reason is as follows. Sometime in the next couple months I’m going to throw a Fighter or OP I/A block into my training. I want to do that at least twice a year in order to maintain some basic strength. It’ll probably be uber-simple—something like OHP, Front Squat, and Pull-ups. I wanted to start to get an idea of where my 1RMs are for something like that, which is why I did the OHP test.
Speaking of that, here are a couple of interesting comparisons.
Earlier this year I was 198 lbs, and my 1RM for OHP was 132. The Intermediate strength standard is 145, so I was 91% of the way there.
Now I’m 163 lbs, a body weight drop of about 18%, and my 1RM is 101, a drop of about 24%. The Intermediate strength standard adjusted for my new weight is 130, so I’m 78% of the way there.
I haven’t been doing this long enough to draw any decisive conclusions, but I will say that keeping up with sets of pull-ups, push-ups, dips, upright rows, and the like have probably prevented my OHP 1RM from dropping farther than it would have had I not done them.
The Mouse King was misunderstood. Bullsh*t. He was an evil rodent who needed to have a close encounter with an AA-12. I suppose a ballet shoe would have to do.
FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Week 3
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Easy Run 5.9 mil One Long Hill 45:29 HR1 114
Day 2: Lower body rest; upper body SE 1x20 @ 12 exercises
Day 3: Stamina Run 5.7 mil 41:17 HR1 128; 6.7 mil total
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 42:12 HR1 104
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Race: 10K Undulating in 39:54; 8.2 mil total
Day 7: Recovery Run 5.8 mil Undulating 46:36 HR1 99
Mileage for the week: 31.6
Hey, that's not a bad 10K for you! Thanks! It's actually a big improvement over the 5K from a month ago, where my pace was 6:34. The pace here was 6:26 for twice the distance. To put it another way, the 5K I ran a month ago predicted a 10K of 42:18--almost two and a half minutes slower than what I actually ran.
Of course, the first thing you ask when you see such an improvement so quickly is whether the course was properly measured. A course at 6.15 miles is NOT a 10K, which in practice is supposed to be 6.21 or 6.22 miles to make sure it doesn't run short. I checked several things to make sure the course wasn't short. First, in my conversations with more experienced runners after the race, they expressed no concerns about the length of the course; in fact, some of them thought the course was challenging because of its multiple turns and sudden hills. Second, I knew ahead of time that the course would be chip-timed by a professional company that's timed hundreds of races, including this same race before. Third, the miles themselves were all marked, and my mile splits do correspond nicely with my final time. So, while none of that is conclusive evidence by itself, it is, in sum, reasonable to conclude that the course was accurate.
It was a small race--less than 100 runners--so it wasn't especially meritorious that I finished in the top 10 overall, and that I won an age group award. A sub-40 10K will sometimes get you that at a smaller event; you really need a sub-38 in a bigger race to be competitive. The national-class folks are all sub-30, of course.
Looks like that full rest day before the race helped. That's a very controversial topic among runners. In fact, I'd say the tendency nowadays in coaching is to advise a short "shakeout" run the day before the race--nothing more than 3 miles at a very slow pace. I've done that myself in the past and found it to be beneficial.
This week, though, I woke up on day 5 feeling horrible. It was allergy sickness: fatigue, pressure, and a general malaise despite the "ready to rip" sensation in my legs. I was seriously considering not running the race. I fought off that temptation and instead did my emergency diet protocol: I avoided everything I'm even remotely allergic to that day, which made the day's meals a bit challenging (since I'm away from home). When I got to the race the next morning and did my 1-mile warmup jog, I could sense that I was ready to let 'er rip.
That Stamina Run three days before the race was a bit of a risk, wasn't it? Yes indeed; in fact, it was kinda stupid and probably made the full rest day on day 5 inevitable (despite the allergy sickness). But at no point during that run did I sense that I was "pushing it." It was somewhere between comfortable and "comfortably hard." In any case, yes, one must be very careful in the few days before a race. It was a risk that paid off--but, by their very definition, risks can sometimes cost you.
So, what's next? The general advice is to take it easy for as many days as miles you raced. So, after a 10K, take the next six days easy--and after a marathon, a minimum of a full three weeks. In light of that, I'll probably go for higher mileage / easier paces this coming week.
Week 3
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Easy Run 5.9 mil One Long Hill 45:29 HR1 114
Day 2: Lower body rest; upper body SE 1x20 @ 12 exercises
Day 3: Stamina Run 5.7 mil 41:17 HR1 128; 6.7 mil total
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 42:12 HR1 104
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Race: 10K Undulating in 39:54; 8.2 mil total
Day 7: Recovery Run 5.8 mil Undulating 46:36 HR1 99
Mileage for the week: 31.6
Hey, that's not a bad 10K for you! Thanks! It's actually a big improvement over the 5K from a month ago, where my pace was 6:34. The pace here was 6:26 for twice the distance. To put it another way, the 5K I ran a month ago predicted a 10K of 42:18--almost two and a half minutes slower than what I actually ran.
Of course, the first thing you ask when you see such an improvement so quickly is whether the course was properly measured. A course at 6.15 miles is NOT a 10K, which in practice is supposed to be 6.21 or 6.22 miles to make sure it doesn't run short. I checked several things to make sure the course wasn't short. First, in my conversations with more experienced runners after the race, they expressed no concerns about the length of the course; in fact, some of them thought the course was challenging because of its multiple turns and sudden hills. Second, I knew ahead of time that the course would be chip-timed by a professional company that's timed hundreds of races, including this same race before. Third, the miles themselves were all marked, and my mile splits do correspond nicely with my final time. So, while none of that is conclusive evidence by itself, it is, in sum, reasonable to conclude that the course was accurate.
It was a small race--less than 100 runners--so it wasn't especially meritorious that I finished in the top 10 overall, and that I won an age group award. A sub-40 10K will sometimes get you that at a smaller event; you really need a sub-38 in a bigger race to be competitive. The national-class folks are all sub-30, of course.
Looks like that full rest day before the race helped. That's a very controversial topic among runners. In fact, I'd say the tendency nowadays in coaching is to advise a short "shakeout" run the day before the race--nothing more than 3 miles at a very slow pace. I've done that myself in the past and found it to be beneficial.
This week, though, I woke up on day 5 feeling horrible. It was allergy sickness: fatigue, pressure, and a general malaise despite the "ready to rip" sensation in my legs. I was seriously considering not running the race. I fought off that temptation and instead did my emergency diet protocol: I avoided everything I'm even remotely allergic to that day, which made the day's meals a bit challenging (since I'm away from home). When I got to the race the next morning and did my 1-mile warmup jog, I could sense that I was ready to let 'er rip.
That Stamina Run three days before the race was a bit of a risk, wasn't it? Yes indeed; in fact, it was kinda stupid and probably made the full rest day on day 5 inevitable (despite the allergy sickness). But at no point during that run did I sense that I was "pushing it." It was somewhere between comfortable and "comfortably hard." In any case, yes, one must be very careful in the few days before a race. It was a risk that paid off--but, by their very definition, risks can sometimes cost you.
So, what's next? The general advice is to take it easy for as many days as miles you raced. So, after a 10K, take the next six days easy--and after a marathon, a minimum of a full three weeks. In light of that, I'll probably go for higher mileage / easier paces this coming week.
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
sub 40m 10k is awesome!
It ain't what you don’t know that gets you into trouble.
It's what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
It's what you know for sure that just ain’t so.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Thank you, godjira1! Next goal: sub-39. (Give me a couple years, ha ha!)godjira1 wrote:sub 40m 10k is awesome!
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Conditioning: Week 4: Recovery / Deload week
Max Strength: Week 1: OP I/A
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Run 6.7 mil One Long Hill 51:17 HR1 117
Day 2: Easy Cruise Intervals, 3 x 1-mile (6:38, 6:41, 6:56) with 800-meter jogs in between (4:04, 4:13), HR1 128; total 7.6 mil
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Run 5.1 mil Undulating 38:56 HR1 120
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Run 6.2 mil Undulating 46:21 HR1 126
Day 7: Max Strength 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups (various grips) 10x2xBW, URRow 3x5x55, various core
Mileage for the week: 25.6
How did you make sure your cruise intervals on day 2 were "Easy," as you call them? I held my breathing pattern to 3-3 or 3-2, which prevented me from going faster. You could wear one of those masks, I suppose, that restricts airflow, or you could do nose-breathing, but following a limited breathing pattern works just as well, I find.
To be specific, a 3-3 breathing pattern means the following. Breathe in, run three steps; breathe out, run three steps. 3-2: breathe in, run three steps; breathe out, run two steps. You could do 2-3, as well, if that works for you: Breathe in, run two steps; breathe out, run three steps.
You can see there that by limiting my breathing, my third mile was significantly slower than the first two. That could mean a few things: I went out too fast (which means I should have done a 4-4 or 4-3 breathing pattern), or my "endurance-speed" training could use some work. Or--most likely--I was still tired from last week's 10K. That's why I took the next day completely off.
Why so many hills this week? I couldn't really escape them given my current location. I probably should have taken some easy recovery runs on treadmills this week, but I didn't plan my time very well. Nor my recovery. Thus...
Even by day 6, the numbers seem to indicate that you were still recovering from last week's race. You got it. An HR1 reading that high on day 6 was a big red flag: time to rest--not just for a day, but for a week. I haven't taken a week off from running in at least six months, so it's time. That's what'll happen next week. Which means...
Hey, you started an OP I/A block! Yes. You can see I'm not doing anything direct for legs. Honestly, my legs need to rest. There may come a time when I do front squats or something, but as of right now they need to calm down. So, OHP, pull-ups, and upright row it is.
Why the various grips on the pull-ups? Until a few months ago, I was never able to do a genuine pull-up (palms facing away from me, relaxed at the bottom, pull all the way to over the bar). I can do a few now, but I can do more volume if I switch up the grips. I still haven't been able to do a set of 10 pull-ups yet; that's a long-term goal. The way I'm getting there: volume. If I can't do 2 sets of 10 reps, well, I'll do 10 sets of 2 reps! (Which is what I did on day 7.)
Also, doing pull-ups with the "palms facing each other" grip (like you're going to clap your hands) puts your arms in the same position as when you're running, so I like the specificity of that grip for runners.
Why upright rows (URRow)? It trains many of the upper-body muscles one uses while running, from the neck all the way down to the wrists. There's a lot of synergistic movement going on there. And you don't want your anterior and posterior delts overpowering your medial delts; you need to do something specific for those medial delts if you're going to be doing OHP, and URRow fits the bill nicely.
Merry Christmas! Thank you. Happy Epiphany, when it comes. It's always neat to see those guys diving for the cross.
Conditioning: Week 4: Recovery / Deload week
Max Strength: Week 1: OP I/A
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Run 6.7 mil One Long Hill 51:17 HR1 117
Day 2: Easy Cruise Intervals, 3 x 1-mile (6:38, 6:41, 6:56) with 800-meter jogs in between (4:04, 4:13), HR1 128; total 7.6 mil
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Run 5.1 mil Undulating 38:56 HR1 120
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Run 6.2 mil Undulating 46:21 HR1 126
Day 7: Max Strength 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups (various grips) 10x2xBW, URRow 3x5x55, various core
Mileage for the week: 25.6
How did you make sure your cruise intervals on day 2 were "Easy," as you call them? I held my breathing pattern to 3-3 or 3-2, which prevented me from going faster. You could wear one of those masks, I suppose, that restricts airflow, or you could do nose-breathing, but following a limited breathing pattern works just as well, I find.
To be specific, a 3-3 breathing pattern means the following. Breathe in, run three steps; breathe out, run three steps. 3-2: breathe in, run three steps; breathe out, run two steps. You could do 2-3, as well, if that works for you: Breathe in, run two steps; breathe out, run three steps.
You can see there that by limiting my breathing, my third mile was significantly slower than the first two. That could mean a few things: I went out too fast (which means I should have done a 4-4 or 4-3 breathing pattern), or my "endurance-speed" training could use some work. Or--most likely--I was still tired from last week's 10K. That's why I took the next day completely off.
Why so many hills this week? I couldn't really escape them given my current location. I probably should have taken some easy recovery runs on treadmills this week, but I didn't plan my time very well. Nor my recovery. Thus...
Even by day 6, the numbers seem to indicate that you were still recovering from last week's race. You got it. An HR1 reading that high on day 6 was a big red flag: time to rest--not just for a day, but for a week. I haven't taken a week off from running in at least six months, so it's time. That's what'll happen next week. Which means...
Hey, you started an OP I/A block! Yes. You can see I'm not doing anything direct for legs. Honestly, my legs need to rest. There may come a time when I do front squats or something, but as of right now they need to calm down. So, OHP, pull-ups, and upright row it is.
Why the various grips on the pull-ups? Until a few months ago, I was never able to do a genuine pull-up (palms facing away from me, relaxed at the bottom, pull all the way to over the bar). I can do a few now, but I can do more volume if I switch up the grips. I still haven't been able to do a set of 10 pull-ups yet; that's a long-term goal. The way I'm getting there: volume. If I can't do 2 sets of 10 reps, well, I'll do 10 sets of 2 reps! (Which is what I did on day 7.)
Also, doing pull-ups with the "palms facing each other" grip (like you're going to clap your hands) puts your arms in the same position as when you're running, so I like the specificity of that grip for runners.
Why upright rows (URRow)? It trains many of the upper-body muscles one uses while running, from the neck all the way down to the wrists. There's a lot of synergistic movement going on there. And you don't want your anterior and posterior delts overpowering your medial delts; you need to do something specific for those medial delts if you're going to be doing OHP, and URRow fits the bill nicely.
Merry Christmas! Thank you. Happy Epiphany, when it comes. It's always neat to see those guys diving for the cross.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Conditioning: Week 5: Vacation
Max Strength: Week 2: OP I/A 75%
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Rest
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: OP I/A 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups 6x4xBW (various grips), URRow 3x5x55, various core
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: OP I/A 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups 10x3xBW (various grips), URRow 4x5x55, various core
Day 7: Rest
Good to see you taking a week off, man. And boy did it feel good. I needed it.
Can you explain the different repetitions you used for your body weight pull-ups? If you look at last week's first 75% session, I did 10 sets of 2 reps, for a total of 20, which was pretty easy even during the tenth set. I recovered well from those, so I decided to double the reps without going completely overboard on the total volume. Six sets of four reps gave me a 20% increase in volume (20 to 24). By that sixth set, though, I was sensing the difficulty from the increased number of reps. So, for the third session, I dropped the reps back a little bit and increased the volume further: now 10 sets of 3 reps for 30 reps total, an increase from the last session of 25% (24 to 30 reps).
My plan for the first 80% session next week is to increase the reps again. After all, the long-term goal here is to do a set of 10 pull-ups, which I haven't been able to do yet.
Well, uh...not much else to say this week, is there? I guess not. I'll just reiterate what both KBlack and J-Madd say in their books: know when to take a week off a couple times a year, and do it. It's easy to forget how much you need that recuperation, especially at our age.
Conditioning: Week 5: Vacation
Max Strength: Week 2: OP I/A 75%
Body weight: ? (no scale in my current location)
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate
Day 1: Rest
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: OP I/A 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups 6x4xBW (various grips), URRow 3x5x55, various core
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: OP I/A 75%: OHP 5x5x75, Pull-ups 10x3xBW (various grips), URRow 4x5x55, various core
Day 7: Rest
Good to see you taking a week off, man. And boy did it feel good. I needed it.
Can you explain the different repetitions you used for your body weight pull-ups? If you look at last week's first 75% session, I did 10 sets of 2 reps, for a total of 20, which was pretty easy even during the tenth set. I recovered well from those, so I decided to double the reps without going completely overboard on the total volume. Six sets of four reps gave me a 20% increase in volume (20 to 24). By that sixth set, though, I was sensing the difficulty from the increased number of reps. So, for the third session, I dropped the reps back a little bit and increased the volume further: now 10 sets of 3 reps for 30 reps total, an increase from the last session of 25% (24 to 30 reps).
My plan for the first 80% session next week is to increase the reps again. After all, the long-term goal here is to do a set of 10 pull-ups, which I haven't been able to do yet.
Well, uh...not much else to say this week, is there? I guess not. I'll just reiterate what both KBlack and J-Madd say in their books: know when to take a week off a couple times a year, and do it. It's easy to forget how much you need that recuperation, especially at our age.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Conditioning: Week 6
Max Strength: Week 3: OP I/A 80%
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1: Easy/Stamina Run 5.4 mil One Hill 40:11
Day 2: 80%: OHP 4x5x80, pull-ups 6x5xBW, URRow 3x5x60, various core
Day 3: Easy/Stamina Run 5.4 mil One Hill 40:22
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 4.0 mil 33:04 HR1 103
Day 5: 80%: OHP 4x5x80, pull-ups 2x7xBW + 6x3xBW (various grips), URRow 3x5x60, various core
Day 6: Progression Run TM 5.0 mil, including 4.0 mil in 28:00, HR1 123
Day 7: "Long" Run 8.1 mil Snowy 1:00:39
Mileage for the week: 27.9
Hmm, that's not as much mileage as you've been doing this block. True. I'm taking it a little easier because of the OP I/A sessions. The last thing I need to do is burn myself out right after taking a week off. That's also why the "long" run on day 7 is pretty short by long run standards...that and the snowy conditions (which made the run rather pretty, truth be told).
What happened on day 5 with your pull-ups? I decided to see how many reps I could comfortably do at once--not an all-out max reps test, of course, but a trial to see how they were coming along. The first set of 7 definitely took some doing, and the second set was very difficult, so I just backed off the reps on the following sets to make up some volume. I recovered from them just fine.
What's a progression run (day 6)? You simply increase the speed as you go along. It's easy to accomplish on a treadmill for obvious reasons--and it's one of the few workouts I think actually works best on a treadmill until you've had a lot of experience at pacing yourself. My body seems to respond well to progression runs, so I like to throw them in when I want a not-too-exhausting workout. It's a staple workout among marathoners (who like to do at least a few of their long runs as progression runs ending at marathon pace).
Why four sets of OHP on both days? Set three on both days was the easiest set up to that point, but set four was markedly more challenging. Since I know that I'm taking two days off between these sessions, and that I likely won't do another OP I/A block until the summer, I'm willing to push things just a bit. In other words, if I were running OP I/A continuously, and the third set were my easiest, I'd just stop it there and move on (i.e. mission accomplished; next task).
So, what are you reading right now? The original Frankenstein (the edition published in 1818). For all the silliness that the book has inspired in popular culture, the original novel is amazingly profound--and to think that Shelley was 21 years old when it was published! That's some kind of genius.
Conditioning: Week 6
Max Strength: Week 3: OP I/A 80%
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1: Easy/Stamina Run 5.4 mil One Hill 40:11
Day 2: 80%: OHP 4x5x80, pull-ups 6x5xBW, URRow 3x5x60, various core
Day 3: Easy/Stamina Run 5.4 mil One Hill 40:22
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 4.0 mil 33:04 HR1 103
Day 5: 80%: OHP 4x5x80, pull-ups 2x7xBW + 6x3xBW (various grips), URRow 3x5x60, various core
Day 6: Progression Run TM 5.0 mil, including 4.0 mil in 28:00, HR1 123
Day 7: "Long" Run 8.1 mil Snowy 1:00:39
Mileage for the week: 27.9
Hmm, that's not as much mileage as you've been doing this block. True. I'm taking it a little easier because of the OP I/A sessions. The last thing I need to do is burn myself out right after taking a week off. That's also why the "long" run on day 7 is pretty short by long run standards...that and the snowy conditions (which made the run rather pretty, truth be told).
What happened on day 5 with your pull-ups? I decided to see how many reps I could comfortably do at once--not an all-out max reps test, of course, but a trial to see how they were coming along. The first set of 7 definitely took some doing, and the second set was very difficult, so I just backed off the reps on the following sets to make up some volume. I recovered from them just fine.
What's a progression run (day 6)? You simply increase the speed as you go along. It's easy to accomplish on a treadmill for obvious reasons--and it's one of the few workouts I think actually works best on a treadmill until you've had a lot of experience at pacing yourself. My body seems to respond well to progression runs, so I like to throw them in when I want a not-too-exhausting workout. It's a staple workout among marathoners (who like to do at least a few of their long runs as progression runs ending at marathon pace).
Why four sets of OHP on both days? Set three on both days was the easiest set up to that point, but set four was markedly more challenging. Since I know that I'm taking two days off between these sessions, and that I likely won't do another OP I/A block until the summer, I'm willing to push things just a bit. In other words, if I were running OP I/A continuously, and the third set were my easiest, I'd just stop it there and move on (i.e. mission accomplished; next task).
So, what are you reading right now? The original Frankenstein (the edition published in 1818). For all the silliness that the book has inspired in popular culture, the original novel is amazingly profound--and to think that Shelley was 21 years old when it was published! That's some kind of genius.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Conditioning: Week 7
Max Strength: Week 4: OP I/A 80% - 90%
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1 I: 80% OHP 3x5x80, pull-ups 3x6xBW + 4x2xBW, URRow 3x5x60
Day 1 II: Recovery Run TM 4.2 mil 34:50 HR1 101
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Tempo Run 5.65 mil 40:05; total 6.15 mil
Day 4 I: 85%: OHP 4x3x85, pull-ups 5x3x(BW+10), URRow 3x3x65
Day 4 II: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 41:00 HR1 95
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Progression Run TM 8.08 mil 60:00 HR1 124
Day 7 I: 90%: OHP 3x3x90, pull-ups 6x3x(BW+15), URRow 1x5x60
Day 7 II: Recovery Run TM 6.0 mil 48:00 HR1 102
Mileage for the week: 29.4
Hmm...I see what you did with your full rest days there. Pretty obvious, right? By doubling up the max strength and running sessions a few days, I got to take a couple days fully off. There's nothing unorthodox about that, but honestly my schedule this week was the deciding factor: I knew I was going to be very busy on day 2, and the weather turned horrendous for pretty much the rest of the week (below zero with the wind chill), so I tried to make the most of my time in the gym. As KBlack has written, doubling up sessions is "a great way to free up your time."
I've noticed something: the pace of your recovery runs has slowly but surely been getting faster, yet your HR1s remain consistent. Good pickup. Seeing how your recovery runs are doing is actually one of many reliable indicators of your overall fitness. Yes, how fast you can run a 2-mile is a very good indicator of your fitness, but so is your recovery pace, since it tells you the obvious: how well your body is responding to stress. McMillan provides (for free on his website) some suggested recovery run paces based on your current fitness, which I generally follow. When I saw the very low HR1 on day 4, for instance, I knew I'd probably be able to "uptick" my next recovery run, which I did on day 7.
You're doing weighted pull-ups now?! Gasp! Imagine that! It's only 10 or 15 lbs, and it's only three reps per set, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Seriously, I made this change for 85%+ week based simply on a calculation: I did a set of 7 reps at body weight last week, and plugging those numbers into the one-rep max calculator suggested adding weight for 85%+ sessions. So I did, and it worked very well. Day 7, in particular, was invigorating.
You dropped the upright rows significantly on day 7? Yes: the sets on day 4 went fine during the session itself, but I found myself still recovering from them on day 7. Thus, I did a basic maintenance set.
I'm not planning on "one rep max" testing my URRow, by the way; I know it's not really a "max strength" lift, though I've been treating it that way this block. Going through these motions with it has shown me how it's useful as an accessory exercise, and at what weight.
Conditioning: Week 7
Max Strength: Week 4: OP I/A 80% - 90%
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, HR2 = 2 minutes after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1 I: 80% OHP 3x5x80, pull-ups 3x6xBW + 4x2xBW, URRow 3x5x60
Day 1 II: Recovery Run TM 4.2 mil 34:50 HR1 101
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Tempo Run 5.65 mil 40:05; total 6.15 mil
Day 4 I: 85%: OHP 4x3x85, pull-ups 5x3x(BW+10), URRow 3x3x65
Day 4 II: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 41:00 HR1 95
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: Progression Run TM 8.08 mil 60:00 HR1 124
Day 7 I: 90%: OHP 3x3x90, pull-ups 6x3x(BW+15), URRow 1x5x60
Day 7 II: Recovery Run TM 6.0 mil 48:00 HR1 102
Mileage for the week: 29.4
Hmm...I see what you did with your full rest days there. Pretty obvious, right? By doubling up the max strength and running sessions a few days, I got to take a couple days fully off. There's nothing unorthodox about that, but honestly my schedule this week was the deciding factor: I knew I was going to be very busy on day 2, and the weather turned horrendous for pretty much the rest of the week (below zero with the wind chill), so I tried to make the most of my time in the gym. As KBlack has written, doubling up sessions is "a great way to free up your time."
I've noticed something: the pace of your recovery runs has slowly but surely been getting faster, yet your HR1s remain consistent. Good pickup. Seeing how your recovery runs are doing is actually one of many reliable indicators of your overall fitness. Yes, how fast you can run a 2-mile is a very good indicator of your fitness, but so is your recovery pace, since it tells you the obvious: how well your body is responding to stress. McMillan provides (for free on his website) some suggested recovery run paces based on your current fitness, which I generally follow. When I saw the very low HR1 on day 4, for instance, I knew I'd probably be able to "uptick" my next recovery run, which I did on day 7.
You're doing weighted pull-ups now?! Gasp! Imagine that! It's only 10 or 15 lbs, and it's only three reps per set, but hey, you gotta start somewhere. Seriously, I made this change for 85%+ week based simply on a calculation: I did a set of 7 reps at body weight last week, and plugging those numbers into the one-rep max calculator suggested adding weight for 85%+ sessions. So I did, and it worked very well. Day 7, in particular, was invigorating.
You dropped the upright rows significantly on day 7? Yes: the sets on day 4 went fine during the session itself, but I found myself still recovering from them on day 7. Thus, I did a basic maintenance set.
I'm not planning on "one rep max" testing my URRow, by the way; I know it's not really a "max strength" lift, though I've been treating it that way this block. Going through these motions with it has shown me how it's useful as an accessory exercise, and at what weight.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 8: Half-marathon training
Conditioning: Rest / Low-level maintenance
Max Strength: Week 5: Testing & Recovery
Body weight: 164 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1: Recovery Run TM 4.0 mil 31:09 HR1 98
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Snow shoveling, moderate intensity; basically an SE session
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Testing: OHP 1x3x105 (=111 1RM); pull-ups (palms facing each other) 1x9xBW (=210 1RM); URRow 1x4x70
Day 6: GC 1
Day 7: Rest
Looks like you gained about 10 lbs on your OHP and 15 lbs on your pull-ups? That's about right. I've never been able to do a set of nine pull-ups before, so that's a PR; the next goal will be to do that in a traditional pull-up position (both palms facing away). I'm definitely a hard-gainer when it comes to pull-ups, but that's partly because I've got a pin in one of my shoulders, and I'm loathe to "push it" at all. Thus, I'm generally very conservative with the pull-ups. I'm happy to see progress in any case.
You took the week off of running, mostly? For a few reasons, yes. First, it's been deadly cold here--wind chill numbers in the -20F range, and there's only so much treadmill running I can take (especially when I get a decent workout shoveling snow). Second, I've got a side project I'm working on that's taking a lot of time, which I'm enjoying and, frankly, prioritizing. Finally, the 85%+ week kinda caught up to me in terms of fatigue--not in my legs at all, which felt fine, but just in terms of overall weariness.
That day 6 GC 1...is that the "beat your face" session, with all the burpees? Yes! If you've been following me for a while, you know that I never do burpees for a simple reason: I'm very much at risk for plantar fasciitis, and burpees by their nature can easily aggravate it. Once or twice a year, though, I do this GC 1 session just to see how things are going.
Ten months ago, I did 43, 29, 17 in round one; then 38, 26, 16 in round two. Compare that with this week's: 51, 34, 18; then 49, 34, 19. Those are by no means impressive numbers, but the progress is significant, especially since I've been doing almost zero max strength work for legs since I started running seriously again. Not surprisingly, I felt the effects of the burpees mostly in my hip flexors / psoas, which would definitely be stronger if I were doing any squats, deadlifts, etc.
What's the plan for next week? It's going to be mortally cold here again for much of the week, but my legs are beginning to itch for a good run. I'll be playing it by ear.
Who's going to win the Super Bowl? It's a tight spread--anyone's guess, really. Let's say Rams by 3.
Conditioning: Rest / Low-level maintenance
Max Strength: Week 5: Testing & Recovery
Body weight: 164 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, AHR = average heart rate, BW = body weight
Day 1: Recovery Run TM 4.0 mil 31:09 HR1 98
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Snow shoveling, moderate intensity; basically an SE session
Day 4: Rest
Day 5: Testing: OHP 1x3x105 (=111 1RM); pull-ups (palms facing each other) 1x9xBW (=210 1RM); URRow 1x4x70
Day 6: GC 1
Day 7: Rest
Looks like you gained about 10 lbs on your OHP and 15 lbs on your pull-ups? That's about right. I've never been able to do a set of nine pull-ups before, so that's a PR; the next goal will be to do that in a traditional pull-up position (both palms facing away). I'm definitely a hard-gainer when it comes to pull-ups, but that's partly because I've got a pin in one of my shoulders, and I'm loathe to "push it" at all. Thus, I'm generally very conservative with the pull-ups. I'm happy to see progress in any case.
You took the week off of running, mostly? For a few reasons, yes. First, it's been deadly cold here--wind chill numbers in the -20F range, and there's only so much treadmill running I can take (especially when I get a decent workout shoveling snow). Second, I've got a side project I'm working on that's taking a lot of time, which I'm enjoying and, frankly, prioritizing. Finally, the 85%+ week kinda caught up to me in terms of fatigue--not in my legs at all, which felt fine, but just in terms of overall weariness.
That day 6 GC 1...is that the "beat your face" session, with all the burpees? Yes! If you've been following me for a while, you know that I never do burpees for a simple reason: I'm very much at risk for plantar fasciitis, and burpees by their nature can easily aggravate it. Once or twice a year, though, I do this GC 1 session just to see how things are going.
Ten months ago, I did 43, 29, 17 in round one; then 38, 26, 16 in round two. Compare that with this week's: 51, 34, 18; then 49, 34, 19. Those are by no means impressive numbers, but the progress is significant, especially since I've been doing almost zero max strength work for legs since I started running seriously again. Not surprisingly, I felt the effects of the burpees mostly in my hip flexors / psoas, which would definitely be stronger if I were doing any squats, deadlifts, etc.
What's the plan for next week? It's going to be mortally cold here again for much of the week, but my legs are beginning to itch for a good run. I'll be playing it by ear.
Who's going to win the Super Bowl? It's a tight spread--anyone's guess, really. Let's say Rams by 3.
-
FortyPlusRunner
- Posts: 184
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2017 12:19 am
Re: FortyP's 9 sets of Deadlift per week log
Block 9: Winter maintenance
Conditioning: Basic maintenance
Strength: Heavier SE progression
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, BW = body weight, KB = kettlebell
Day 1: SE 3x12 with 50-lb KB: Swing, Row, Goblet SQ; also body weight push-ups
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Progression Run TM 5.0 mil 37:32 HR1 122
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 40:41 HR1 103
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: SE 3x15 with 50-lb KB: Swing, Goblet SQ, Single-arm Rows; also body weight push-ups
Day 7: Long Run 9.0 mil One Very Long Hill 1:06:54
Mileage for the week: 19
A fifty-pound kettlebell is a little heavy for you, isn't it? Yes indeed, which explains the DOMS I experienced on days 3 and 4 this week. Still, keeping the reps very low allowed me to complete some basic workouts with it, and the idea is to see if I can do some kind of "heavy SE progression" with it. I'm noticing a few "good old" aches and pains coming out, which is actually a good sign that I'm pushing things a bit, but of course I have to be careful not to step over the injury line.
Running only three times a week counts as maintenance? It can, as long as you're doing at least one uptempo workout (day 3 progression run) and one 60+ minutes run (day 7). I also made my long run a hill workout, knowing that I'd have some recovery after it. Normally, doubling the intensity of a workout that way is a bad idea, as doing so compounds your recovery time, but it works out fine during a maintenance block. I was also pretty psyched to be able to do that run outdoors, even though there were 25+ mph wind gusts.
Looks like your body weight has pretty much stabilized? Seems so--plus or minus a pound, yes. I'm still following a moderate carb diet, but I'm not being as strict about it during this maintenance time. While that means I may eat more carbs from time to time, it also means I may restrict calories or intermittently fast every now and then; it just depends on the day.
You were wrong about the Super Bowl. Tell me about it: it was even worse than most anyone expected. Even my die hard New England friends were yawning most of the time.
Conditioning: Basic maintenance
Strength: Heavier SE progression
Body weight: 163 lbs
Notation is sets x reps x weight in lbs
TM = treadmill, HR1 = heart rate 1 minute after stopping, BW = body weight, KB = kettlebell
Day 1: SE 3x12 with 50-lb KB: Swing, Row, Goblet SQ; also body weight push-ups
Day 2: Rest
Day 3: Progression Run TM 5.0 mil 37:32 HR1 122
Day 4: Recovery Run TM 5.0 mil 40:41 HR1 103
Day 5: Rest
Day 6: SE 3x15 with 50-lb KB: Swing, Goblet SQ, Single-arm Rows; also body weight push-ups
Day 7: Long Run 9.0 mil One Very Long Hill 1:06:54
Mileage for the week: 19
A fifty-pound kettlebell is a little heavy for you, isn't it? Yes indeed, which explains the DOMS I experienced on days 3 and 4 this week. Still, keeping the reps very low allowed me to complete some basic workouts with it, and the idea is to see if I can do some kind of "heavy SE progression" with it. I'm noticing a few "good old" aches and pains coming out, which is actually a good sign that I'm pushing things a bit, but of course I have to be careful not to step over the injury line.
Running only three times a week counts as maintenance? It can, as long as you're doing at least one uptempo workout (day 3 progression run) and one 60+ minutes run (day 7). I also made my long run a hill workout, knowing that I'd have some recovery after it. Normally, doubling the intensity of a workout that way is a bad idea, as doing so compounds your recovery time, but it works out fine during a maintenance block. I was also pretty psyched to be able to do that run outdoors, even though there were 25+ mph wind gusts.
Looks like your body weight has pretty much stabilized? Seems so--plus or minus a pound, yes. I'm still following a moderate carb diet, but I'm not being as strict about it during this maintenance time. While that means I may eat more carbs from time to time, it also means I may restrict calories or intermittently fast every now and then; it just depends on the day.
You were wrong about the Super Bowl. Tell me about it: it was even worse than most anyone expected. Even my die hard New England friends were yawning most of the time.