Weekly Log: 8.4.13 - 8.10.13

The running hiatus continues...until the weekend.  Once we hit Saturday, I can lace up again.  It's an arbitrary break but hopefully I'll come back well rested and ready to work.  Looking forward to getting back out there.  Not to mention having a beer.  Sweet, sweet beer.  It's crazy - this has been my longest break from running since March 2011.

Monday - 0 miles

290 push-ups (standard/decline/diamond/wide) 40/30/15/40/40/40/15/40/30

Tuesday - 0 miles

22 pull-ups w/ additional assists (standard/chin-up/close grip/wide) 3/5, 4/6, 3/5, 2/4 , 3/5, 3/6, 2/4, 2/5

Originally I wanted to do another round of Legs & Back this morning but I had neither the moxie nor the time to get it done.  I decided to do a poor man's version, switching between pull-ups and some of the various squat/lunge moves, all the while puttering about the basement.  It worked out well.  I did two rounds of wall squats which truly are the devil.  Altogether I did five leg exercises which I consider to be a good compromise.  I think this is the way going forward - instead of trying to fit in the whole P90X routine, I'll take the choicest bits and make use of them when I can.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Not a damn thing done today.

Thursday - 0 miles

630 push-ups (military/standard/wide)

POWER HOUR!  Suggested by my buddy and fitness guru Ryan, I decided to do a push-up power hour this morning.  10 push-ups every minute for an hour.  I downloaded an interval app which beeped just before and on every minute.  I was doing dishes in between sets which made it hectic but also made the time pass quickly.  Every 20 minutes I switched the style of push-up.  Actually this wasn't that bad and while I was tiring towards the end I was still able to bang 'em out.  I did 'em to exhaustion for the last set and made it to 40.  Guess I should've gone for more - maybe 15 next time.

Friday - 0 miles

18 pull-ups w/ additional assists (standard/chin-up/close grip) 4/6, 4/6, 2/4, 3/5, 3/5, 2/4

At lunch time I did another 45 minute yoga session at Providence Power Yoga.  Good stretchin' for the legs.  They're ready to run!

Saturday - South Kingstown, RI - 3.5 miles

It was our first trip to the beach this summer, which is pretty sad considering we live three miles from the ocean.  But hey we've been busy.  Beautiful day at East Matunuck though.  I threw on the Vibrams and ran down the beach and jumped onto the roads to run past the Ocean Mist and over to S.K. Town Beach.  Legs felt great and the ocean dip upon my return felt even better.

At night we returned to the area to play a gig at Tara's.  The new deck really takes the pub to another level and people kept filing in all night.  Really good crowd and people seemed to like the music which made for a great gig.

Sunday - Charlestown/Westerly, RI - 8.2 miles

Did a loop of the Narragansett trail in the morning with Oliver.  I thought we'd be dealing with some miserable bushwacking off of Black Pond Rd but someone's been working on the trail back there and the going wasn't bad at all.

In the afternoon I went and saw Guardians of the Galaxy in Stonington (it kicked ass.)  Then I ventured over to the Champlin Glacier Park.  I had only been on these trails once before as part of a longer run so I was looking forward to exploring them in more detail.  It was hot and humid and the twisty climbs wore me out quickly.  Between the break from running and my switch to primarily road running I feel like I've lost a bit of endurance in the woods.  I'll need to make sure I hit the trails as often as I can in the weeks to come.

Weekly Mileage: 11.7 miles

Year to Date: 1,168.6 miles

Weekly Log: 7.28.14 - 8.3.14

Now we've come to it: my self-imposed two week hiatus from running.  I decided to up the ante by cutting out alcohol as well.  I don't plan to just sit around and do nothing, rather I hope to get in some cross-training and maybe fire up a couple of the ol' P90X discs.

At the conclusion of this hiatus I will begin to increase my weekly mileage, as I look towards another ultramarathon in the fall.  I had considered the Stone Cat 50 miler but failed to pull the trigger before registration closed.  In the end this was probably for the best as I think a 50 miler would be too much for my body to handle just yet.  So I'm looking at doing another 50k however the prospective dates aren't quite where I'd like them to be.  Most of the races I'm looking at are two weeks after NipMuck.  Another week and I'd be much happier.  Still if I can commit to treating NipMuck as a training run I think it should be workable.  Right now I'm looking at either Bimbler's Bluff or the Big Brad 50k.  Bimbler's a lot of closer but I was just up in Pownal, ME so there's some desire to get back up there.  Then there's the Chatfield Hollow 50k which falls on the right weekend but features five 10k loops.  I've already done the five loop format and not really jazzed about revisiting it.

Monday - 0 miles

290 push-ups (standard/wide/decline/military) 40/30/40/30/40/40/40/30

Tuesday - 0 miles

P90X Legs & Back (60 minutes)

It's been 11 months since threw on this workout.  Legs & Back had been a mainstay of mine for much of 2013 but after NipMuck last year I never revisited it and since then my P90X time has tapered off dramatically.  Part of the problem was that this workout usually leaves me with a serious case of DOMS and as my mileage increased I stopped trying to squeeze it into my schedule.  I figured this morning would be a good change to revisit it.  Definitely a wake-up call and those wall squats were brutal.  Tomorrow should be interesting.

Wednesday - 0 miles

Ab Ripper X (15 minutes)

Welp, I pull the trigger and signed up for Bimbler's Bluff 50k since the price is about to go up.  From the race reports I've read it sounds like it will be a much bigger challenge than the TARC Spring Classic or the Pinelands 50k.  There will be no PR at this one!

I've got a good case of DOMS from yesterday's workout but it's pretty manageable.  I'd love to make this a weekly occurrence again but I wonder if it'd take too much out of me for running.  We'll see.

Thursday - 0 miles

My coworker Blair often goes to a lunch yoga class throughout the week and today I joined her at Providence Power Yoga.  Some of the poses were a challenge but luckily my time spent with P90X Yoga at least made me recognize most of them.  The class was 45 minutes long and quite enjoyable.  I hope to incorporate it weekly into my routine.

Friday - 0 miles

P90X Chest & Back (50 minutes)

Saturday - 0 miles

Sunday - Yep, you guess it.  0 miles

Weekly Mileage: 0 miles

Year to Date: 1,156.9 miles

Fun fact: My last week with 0 mileage was the third week of 2012.