50 back extensions (I subbed in 50 KB swings, you can also do good mornings)
I ended up doing the workout at a local soccer field, so I'm not sure the field was 100 m. I think it was closer to 80 m. Anyways it was really tough workout, the squats were particularly grueling. My time was 18:52.
Today I found a pretty brutal workout called the 300 Meltdown Workout. I gave it a try and it was pretty tough. It took me around 17 minutes to finish and I was pretty beat when I was done. All you need is a kettlebell. Here is the workout:
I'm going to start posting some good primal workouts that involve little to no equipment. Here is one that I will call the 500 rep workout. Here it is:
Yesterday I discovered a track/soccer field literally a few hundred yards from my apartment. I decided to head over and do a Crossfit type workout. One of my favorite exercises to do is the burpee. For those of you that don't know what a burpee is check out this video:
So my goal was to do 10 burpees than sprint 100 yards. Than repeat for a total of 10 rounds. So I would be doing 100 burpees and 10 100 yard sprints. I only made it to 75 burpees and gave up at that point. But it was a hell of a workout. And the best part is no equipment was required.
This past Saturday, March 19th, I ran the Shamrock Run in Bristol, CT with my brother-in-law. As I am originally from Bristol, it was nice to run a course that I was very familiar with and see many people that I know. The race course was actually the same route where I trained for my first half marathon a couple years back. It is right down the street from my parents house.
The race features both a 2 mile and 5 mile course. I competed in the 5 mile race and finished at 37:42. I was aiming for closer to 35:00, but I was satisfied with my time. My brother-in-law did a great job competing in his first race, finishing at 43:00. It was pretty chilly and windy out on the course and I think that slowed me down a little. My energy levels were also a bit lower than normal. I'm not sure if this has to do with my recent change to a primal diet. I didn't eat any grains (pasta,oatmeal, bread) leading up to the race, so I am thinking maybe my body wasn't used to the adjustment. Hopefully I will post some pictures from the race website (although they charge $6 for each pic you download).
Here is a video from the race website:
I'll soon be planning my next race. I'm not sure whether I'll stick to a shorter distance (5k or 10k) or do something longer (half-marathon). I think I prefer shorter race due to the fact that I am running pretty hard the entire race. I also prefer the training for shorter races which eliminates long runs, or what Mark Sisson might call "Chronic Cardio."
Here are some pics of my home gym. As you can see all I have is a pullup bar, Olympic rings, kettle bells, a band and mat. Pretty basic, but I can get in a good variety of kettlebell, crossfit and body weight workouts in.
After some reconsideration, I will be moving my blog in a slightly different direction. As I was thinking of topics to post about, I realized that running was only a fraction of the blog, and many of my posts were more geared toward nutrition. While running was a major part of the blog, it was not necessary the focal point.
I have long been contemplating make the jump to a paleo/primal lifestyle. I already pretty much train primal. I no longer have a gym membership. I run, do body weight exercises and kettlebell workouts. I eat a somewhat primal diet. However, I do eat a decent amount of processed foods (protein bars, yogurt, grains, etc.) I am going to slowly try to ease myself into a more primal diet, not sure how it will go. I recently ordered a couple books from Amazon I am anxiously awaiting on:
Deadly Harvest: The Intimate Relationship Between Our Health and Our Food, by Geoff Bond
The Primal Blueprint: Reprogram your genes for effortless weight loss, vibrant health, and boundless energy, by Mark Sisson
I like to mix in a Crossfit workout now and again. Yesterday I did a workout called Murph, which is a:
One mile run
100 pull-ups
200 push ups
300 squats
One mile run
I have to admit it was pretty brutal, especially the 300 squats. Towards the end I could barely squat down farther than a few inches. The final one mile was also tough as my arms were throbbing due to the pull-ups and push ups.
Went out for a test run of the Shamrock Run I will be running in Bristol, CT. I felt pretty good, ran it at a 7:23 pace. I struggled at about the 2.5 to 3.5 mile mark following two hills, but finished pretty strong. I'm hoping to finish a little close to a 7:00 pace.
Does anyone have any suggestions for tracking my training runs in the blog. I use a Garming Forerunner watch and was wondering if there was any way the runs would automatically be programmed into the blog?
So this will officially mark my first of many posts.
A bit about me: I have lived in Connecticut most of my life. I will soon be graduating law school and begin working as an attorney (hopefully) in Bridgeport, CT. I played pretty much every sport you can imagine growing up. But as I got older, my skills started to decline and I didn't have the time to play as much as I would like. I therefore took up running to fill my competitive drive and to stay in shape. I still do not consider myself a runner. I consider myself an athlete that runs. If that makes any sense?
So why am I starting this blog? I started this blog for a few reasons. First, I often run to clear my head. I like being out in nature and simply listening/observing my surroundings. I often see many interesting things while out on my runs, so I will try to capture them in this blog (not sure how it is going to work out taking pics on the run, but we will soon find out). Second, when I first started running, many cites/blogs I read fell into one of two groups: either people that have been runners for most of their lives, or people who have never ran or done anything athletic in their lives. I fall somewhere in the middle, I am an athlete but new to the sport of running. I thought this blog would be a good way to provide my insight about how to get into the sport of running. Finally, I am a gadget/clothing junkie. I will use this blog to provide reviews of running gear. So that is about it for now, I am actually about to go out for a run. Cheers!
