Rain

What is it about rain that turns an average run into an Epic Adventure? Today's run was a perfect example.

The plan:

Run to Highland Park, and run 2 miles worth of hill repeats (about 20 hills), doing 10 push-ups at the bottom and 10 sit-ups at the top of each repeat. There was some dread about running through the long grass that we jogged through yesterday. On the way to the park, the humidity was very high, it was going to be a sweaty run to say the least.

The reality:

We got there to find the grass very freshly mowed (the mowers were parked at the top of the hill, taking a lunch break). Good, but the grass was about 10 inches tall, so what's left was a wet, green, shirt staining mess.

Oh well. 3, 2, 1, let's go!

Just as we started the workout, the sky opened and the rain started to fall. The temperature probably dropped 10 degrees almost instantly. A few minutes into the workout, it really started pouring. I mean torrential.

It was beautiful.

We found ourselves laughing like children running up and down that hill. We were blinded by the huge summer droplets, making the pot holes hard to dodge. Still, the kid in us ran, as hard he possibly could. It turned into an epic workout that we will remember for some time. Somewhere along the way I told Sammy that I hoped we never got tired of working out like that, and that I hoped we never said, "Not today, it looks like rain."

And I mean it.

On the way back downtown, the rain stopped. It's funny how things work out like that.

Run hard out there.

Fog on Fulhardt Knob

It's amazing what a difference one day can make in the weather.

Friday it was in the 90s, sunny and hot. Then a front moved in.

Saturday we ran in temperatures in the high 60s, low 70s in the hottest part of the afternoon. Here is a pic from the top of Fulhardt Knob, in a thick fog.


Then today, it was back in the upper 80s again.

What will tomorrow bring?

Run hard out there...

Mountain Running

What a way to end the week: three days in a row of mountain running.

Thursday we ran up Mill Mountain. Not a mighty mountain, but also not a bad start to the weekend. 6 miles.


Friday evening we ran up and over McAfee's Knob. That was a fun run finished off with a good (late) meal with BBQ and (some new) friends. 8 miles.


Saturday Jay and I ran the AT from 220N to Fulhardt Knob Shelter and a mile beyond before turning around and running back to the car. The humidity had to have been 111%, but the temperature was comfortable for the first time in weeks. The mountain was covered in a heavy fog which collected in the webs of the orb weavers, decorating our path along the way. It was the most beautiful run I've had in some time. A bit challenging too. 14 miles.


Sunday will be a day of rest, before getting into another week of fun.

Run hard out there...

Run the mountain

(Sandbag Hillclimb, 2009 CrossFit Games)

Today we run the mountain at lunch. How high can you get on your lunch hour?

Run hard out there...

Dedication

So here's what one of my lunchtime running friends told me this morning:

"I washed my running clothes last night and forgot to get them out of the dryer. I remembered when I was about half way to work this morning (he has an hour long commute). So I stopped by Walmart and bought a pair of shorts and a shirt. I hope they fit!"

That's what I call dedication. What's your excuse for not running today?

Run hard out there...

Is sitting bad for your health?

Some people think it is.

Run hard out there...

Crossfit Endurance WOD review 7/20/2010

Today I did the Crossfit Endurance WOD as prescribed.

One Minute Ladder:

Warmup

All Out Efforts.

1min on, 1 min off, 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on, 40 sec off, 1 min on, 30 sec off, 1 min on 20 sec off, 1 min on, 10 sec off, then go back up the ladder until you finish with 1 min on, 50 sec off, 1 min on.

Cooldown

Timing this workout can be difficult, especially in the later intervals when the mind gets a little fuzzy. I programmed the workout into my Garmin Forerunner, and it worked beautifully. It even features a 5-second countdown timer as each interval is about to end.

The recommended warm-up is an 800m easy jog followed by a few short sprints to prepare the legs for hard running.

This workout definitely got harder as the rest periods got shorter. But I was surprised to find that my distance covered on the run intervals was consistently 0.18 miles. My average run pace was around 5:30/mile. I think I was being conservative, but I won’t know until I try it next time.

The total workout was 2.35 miles, just over 16 minutes. 1.8 miles of hard running.

Give it a shot sometime, and let me know what you think.

Run hard out there...