Run In Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/29/16

Ab workout and run

20 v ups
20 flutter kicks
20 v ups
20 flutter kicks
20 v ups
20 flutter kicks

1.5 minute plank
10 side planks each side

1 minute plank
10 side planks each side

10 dumbbell curls
10 dumbbell overhead presses
10 pull ups

10 dumbbell curls
10 dumbbell overhead presses
10 pull ups

10 dumbbell curls
10 dumbbell overhead presses
10 pull ups

Run 5 miles

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/28/16

I needed a rest and a few hours more recovery, so I did not run this morning. However, I did run at lunch time to get in my hours for the week. Still trying to stay sharp and focused on my running goals, while preparing for the Mud Run Nashville in just 9 days. Training within balance of those two goals is very difficult.

20 push ups x 5

10 chin ups x 5

Run 4.75 miles

Walk 1 mile with 30 pounds (I carried a small backpack on my back and bear hugged it intermittently).

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/27/16

www.cafepress.com/redbikepublishing

I tried, I really tried to run 7 miles. However, I could not manage more than a 5 mile trot. I hope that still counts for training and that it helps my performance later. Perhaps I'll file it under endurance.

Run 5 miles

Carry heavy object for .33 miles (bucket of gravel, sand bag, water jug, you choose)

10 leg lifts

11 dumbbell curls

11 dumbbell overhead presses

10 leg lifts

10 dumbbell curls

10 dumbbell overhead presses

10 hanging leg lifts

10 dumbbell side arm lifts with light weights (arms at side, lift keeping elbows straight until weights touch overhead)

10 v-ups

15 flutter kicks

20 v-ups

10 flutter kicks

10 dumbbell front arm lifts with light weights palms facing up (arms in front, lift keeping elbows straight until weights touch overhead)

10 dumbbell front arm lifts with light weights palms facing down (arms in front, lift keeping elbows straight until weights touch overhead)

Plank for 1.5 minuts

10 left side plank lifts

10 right side plank lifts

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/26/16

I was not ready for the alarm clock to go off. 5 am came too soon, but I took the advice of MSN.com articles and just got up; no need hanging in bed.  I began on a 10k quest, but remembered the promise to myself during my 9 mile run, "wouldn't it be cool to do a nine miler and then three sevens followed by a 5?" I was not feeling it, but it was the only option if I'm going to make the 30-35 mile mark this week. It was a weak run, but I made it none-the-less.

What motivates you to do more?

Warm up:

Stretch and rotate

Main set (Morning):

Run seven miles

10 push ups

20 push ups

20 push ups

30 push ups

20 push ups

10 push ups

10 pull ups

10 pull ups

10 Romanian squats (I used 65 pound barbell)

5 squats with (65 pound barbell)

10 pull ups

Afternoon:

10 pull ups

10 Romanian squats (I used 65 pound barbell)

5 squats with (65 pound barbell)

10 pull ups

10 Romanian squats (I used 65 pound barbell)

5 squats with (65 pound barbell)

Rope climb x 2

Nun-chuck practice (platinum rig version-not Bruce Lee)

Farmer walk .2 miles with water jugs or equivalent 45 pounds in each hand

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-Weekend Edition

I made some nun-chucks out of PVC pipe. They aren't perfect, but they get the job done. I ran these many times over the past few days.

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/25/16

I just registered for the Mud Run Nashville. It's touted as the original mud run and the competitive heat requires participants to wear "utes" and "boots". The utes are any type of loose fitting utility cargo pants. I'm going to wear my battle dress uniform pants from my army days. The boots can be any leather/mesh combination boots that go over the ankle. I will not be wearing my old combat boots for this event. Instead, I'm wearing my Columbia all terrain medium length boots. I'm looking forward to running the 10k with lots of obstacles.

Today's Monday morning run is a long slow distance:

Run 9 miles (I ran in 1:12:30)

Plan for 1 minute

20 leg lifts

15 flutter kicks

Plank for 1 minute

20 leg lifts

15 flutter kicks

Rope climb x 2

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/22/16

I slept in this morning. I heard a little rain hitting the roof and the distant roll of thunder. Nothing serious, just another lame excuse to forgo the day's training. Plus, I felt my body needed rest. I had run a total of 26.4 miles since Monday, more than I have ever run in a week. 

As I mentioned in an earlier article, I am transitioning to longer runs to better prepare for recent and upcoming obstacle race changes. I foresee more strength sapping, technically challenging obstacles and rugged terrain over more miles. The rolling 5k terrain with climbing and crawling obstacles of old is slowly being replaced with greater distances and technically difficult obstacles requiring strength and endurance.

Do the following x 3

 34 push ups 

14 dumbbell curls 15 pounds each

14 dumbbell presses 15 pounds each

10 Romanian squats 60 pounds

5 floor squats (squat, lift barbell to standing position, return to squat) 60 pounds

Run 5.6 miles at a moderate pace (7-8 minute miles).

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/21/16

Run 6.2 miles

Ab day:

Do the followin:

20 v-ups

20 flutter kicks

Plank for 1.5 minutes

20 v-ups

20 flutter kicks

Plank for 1 minute

20 v-ups

20 flutter kicks

Side plank hip lifts-10 each side

20 v-ups

20 flutter kicks

Side plank hip lifts 10 each side

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training - Battle Frog Greater Nashville Review.

BattleFrog Series Greater Nashville race review, April 9, 2016 

I went into the race with more trepidation than anticipation. This was entirely my fault as I set myself up for a harried experience during the Atlanta event in November 2015. You might have read my in my review of that race that I arrived an hour late and started the elite heat 20 minutes after the official start. That's because I stayed on the Alabama side of the Central / Eastern time zone. The less than 25 minute drive crossed that time zone and thus, set up for failure. I entered the November event harried and blind; not knowing what to expect. I just want to reiterate that the experience in November was completely of my own making, but it informed my opinion of what to expect. I was completely and pleasantly surprised with my latest BattleFrog experience.

My initial trepidation slowly melted away as I was expertly guided into the parking area and shuttled to the festival area where the crew welcomed me. They pointed out the posted heat paperwork to identify my bib number and handed me my packet. The instructions were clear and the festival area and race course were well laid out. Arriving an hour early allowed me to casually get directions, check my bags, get dressed out, talk to others and even get the motivational speech by Coach Pain.

One more shout out; the facilities. A great crew of volunteers manned the toilettes. I have never seen a more attentive crew that cleaned each time someone exited. Clean and freshly scented toilettes are pretty awesome, ALL DAY LONG.

I went to the start line on time and after getting pumped up with the others, we were off.  Then entire course went up and down steep hills. The physical area was so tough that event some of the terrain features became named obstacles. I wore my new obstacle race shoes (Reebok Terrain Series) and though I felt they gripped the ground well, they lacked much needed cushion. I was ready to trade the great traction for some relief from the pounding. I'll have to be fair though. The ground was bone dry and the trail packed solid with loose rocks along the way. Probably no amount of cushioning could help. My decision to wear compression pants and a compression shirt paid off. Though cold and windy, there was plenty of sun, bushes and thorns to cure the hide.

  

The most difficult personal challenge for me was the cold. 7:15 am, the sun was barely over the hills. The cast shadows offered no warmth and the new metal obstacles retained the cold. The water obstacles, though few and relatively shallow, were freezing. I remember my hands hurting from the cold most of the first lap. I figured the more I ran, the more I would warm up; not so much. The warmth never really settled in until the second lap.

The biggest change I noticed was that the obstacles are now mostly metal. The walls are still made of wood and were challenging as ever. Well, just a little less challenging as there was not much slippery mud to add to the technical difficulty. Rain had not fallen in a while so the trails were very dusty and dry. The other obstacles are now made of aluminum. The aluminum is squared instead of rounded which makes it more difficult and a bit painful. They also soaked in the ambient temperature, adding to the cold effect.

The lack of rain not made the obstacles and course less slippery. It also impacted the wreck bag's weight. Pure sand here and not the added water retention. The wreck bag route was intense with a steep hill at the end of a long carry.

Once we completed the carry we continued up hill to the first platinum rig.  I attempted it and kept slipping off. I know I am pretty strong, but I have not figured out how to conquer the repeating line of nun chuck after nun chuck. It was insane and the lines were increasing, even in the elite heat.  After a few attempts I turned in my coveted orange band on the platinum rig. The line was huge and after two attempts and lots of time waiting. A new item of note is the addition of a "novice" lane. That was great. After I turned in my band I moved to the intermediate lane and completed the rig. While others work all day at one obstacle, I choose to complete the two laps and 56 obstacles. I was able to complete the intermediate lanes of the two rigs and on the last lap, was able to complete the elite lane for the second platinum rig. My training since the November Battlefrog has been intense and the results show it. Still, more training to follow.

Yep, 45 pounds each...

The Jerry can carry was quite insane. The course was long and true to the area, involved very steep hills. I know this is one area I need to practice. In fact, I've just ordered a few Jerry cans for home use.

The monkey bars were very challenging as the bars actually twisted as we moved along them. Our weight caused the loose bars to turn in their sockets, adding to degree of difficulty.  Talk about hard to hold. 

My wife and children showed up just in time to see me finish the tip of the spear and head to the finish line. I was so happy to see them that I stopped to hug them and then took on the last obstacle.

I was surprised to find that there was no third place finisher in the master's heat. Oh if only .... I can dream. Maybe next time.

My children signed up for the BullFrog mile. I loved how Coach Pain led off with a motivational talk for girls and boys to respect their mothers and fathers. Thanks for the teamwork coach, that helps our parents out tremendously. I also was happy to see elite athletes assisting the children through the obstacles with pep talks of their own. My daughters both lost their shoes in the thick mud, but these awesome folks helped dig the shoes out.

Before I left, I spoke with some race winners and picked their brains for training advice and trade stories.  They gladly shared laughs and training ideas. I now have some new ideas and will write about them later; thanks guys.

BattleFrog Greater Nashville blew me away. They laid out over 5 miles of the most challenging obstacles; very impressive. The course is laid out in the boonies with four wheeler and truck trails with exceptionally steep rock filled inclines. How they did it, I'll never know. I believe they probably had help with a flight of helicopters from Ft. Campbell, Ky, just up the road. 

Setting up the venue is something I realize required a huge amount of logistical planning, volunteer recruiting, and tireless effort. I appreciate the amount of work and sleepless days and nights the race director and crew must have gone through to make this a success. Though only a few miles off I-65, it was totally in the middle of nowhere.  I mean there are a limited number of hotels and restaurants or other forms of support. I get the challenge of the setup, as I've both lived in the area for a while and I have experience as a logistics officer in the army. Getting the obstacles and assembling them in their locations must have been a nightmare. 

Thanks BattleFrog for a great event.

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/20/16

This is a repeat workout. I've been putting in more run distance to improve my race time and meet the growing technical difficulty of the race courses. It seems that the courses are getting longer, so therefore must my distances. That leaves less time for integrating obstacles during my training runs. These will have to come later in the day.

Stretch and rotate muscles and tendons.

Run a 10k at a moderate pace

Do the following 3 times:
10 pull ups with leg lifts
10 dumbbell curls
10 dumbbell presses
33 push ups
10 Romanian squats with a 65 pound barbell
5 squats with a 65 pound barbell (not really a squat, just the opposite. With legs bent, grasp barbell and rise to standing position and return).

Carry 5 gallon bucket of gravel for .1 miles.

Run In Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/19/16

I picked up some good training tips at the last race event. For certain, I need to increase my run distance. I've consistently run between 20 and 25 miles. I'm trying to increase to 30 miles.

Stretch and rotate 

Run 8 miles

Plank for 2 minutes

Do the following 3 times:
10 v ups 
20 flutter kicks
10 side plank lifts each side (bring hips from floor as high as possible and return)
Monkey bars x 2
Carry 2 5 gallon jugs of water or equivalent (45 pounds each) for .1 miles

Run In Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/18/16

This is my first workout since my BattleFrog race. It's been over a week and my legs feel ready to run. 

Stretch and rotate muscles and tendons.

Run a 10k at a moderate pace

Do the following 3 times:
10 pull ups with leg lifts
10 curls
10 dumbbell presses
33 push ups

Carry 5 gallon bucket of gravel for .1 miles.

Run in Mud obstacle Race training-4/5/16

 I'm continuing to whittle down my training to prepare for the Greater Nashville Battlefrog. A short easy run and a few pushups should do the trick.

Run 1.5 miles

30 close hand push ups

Run 1.5 miles

30 close hand push ups

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/4/16

 Big race on Saturday. I am concerned about the challenges of the long distance, strength sapping competitive heat during the BattleFrog event this weekend. As I've lamented many times over, I've fallen several times and have yet to successfully negotiate the platinum rig. I've been practicing though. Since I've fallen, I've logged almost 10,000 pull ups, hundreds of runs on the monkey bars, lugged thousands of pounds of heavy weights to various locations, and practiced grip strengthening recommendations. I'm ready, not because I'm fully trained, more that the clock has run out. It's time to rely on training and opportunity to get me through. It's time to and back off the  intensity and rest for the big day.

Run 2.25 miles

Walk .5 miles

Light workout on monkey bars and platinum rig attachments (just enough to keep confidence) Stretch

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-4/2/16

Today's focus is on completing my goal of running 25 miles. I've run a little over 23 this week and am going to run two miles.

Run 2 miles a fast as possible

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training 4/1/16

Got a massage today and that's probably it. My therapist says massage should be part of the workout. So, I'm working massages in. 

The deep tissue massage helps relieve stress, but also works the muscles hard and is equivalent to a strenuous workout. In fact, she advised me not to get the massage within 48 hours of a race.

I'm preparing for the Battlefrog series event taking place near Nashville, TN. Next week I'm tapering my workout and thought that this would be a great time to work the massage in.

However, before going, I wanted to get some exercise in:

10 pull ups x 5

33 push ups x 3

150 air squats

Deep tissue massage-The massage was great and she recommended soaking in Epsom salts to relieve muscle pain from the massage and drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration and flush out impurities that the massage released.

True to her word, the massage proved to be relaxing, exhausting, pleasurable and painful. Kind of like some of the Battlefrog course charactoristics.

Run in Mud Obstacle Race Training-3/31/16

Run 4 miles at a moderate pace.

10 pull ups x 5 on various hanging surfaces Monkey bars as many times as possible

10 Romanian squats x 2