Haven't checked in for a while. Good to see everyone doing so well!
Been getting back to it for the last several weeks now that my left toe met is pretty much OK.
Basically, I've fallen back into my Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday running schedule, interspersed with strength-training on Monday-Wednesday-Friday. Both are going well.
For running, on Tuesday and Thursday I run between 8-9mm pace (no Garmin, that's just an estimate). When I can't take it anymore, I walk, and then hit it again for however long I can. After a few weeks of struggle, my running fitness is starting to come back quickly now. Next week I'll work in some hills, sprints and maybe some tire pulling, using a harness, an old tire, and some dumbbells inside the tire. On Saturday or Sunday, I do my 'long' run, which is still pretty short. I'm running it more like tempo pace, waiting for my aerobic capacity to catch up. Once it does, I'll start adding mileage. On the non-running days, I still do my easy pace, one-mile run-commutes on the days I don't have to drop off the kids. Not sure if one mile is enough to help build aerobic capacity, but I'm pretty sure it helps keep my legs loose and may help with recovery. It's also a good warm-up right before ST.
Basically, I've adopted a Kenyan, or what I may be misunderstanding as a Kenyan, 'fast first' protocol, taking advantage of my time off to try to rebuild myself as a faster runner. This corresponds to a renewed emphasis on heavy weight/low rep strength training. The basic idea in both approaches is to develop strength before endurance. We'll see how it goes, but I know people like BRS's own ultramiler Zapmamak have had success with it, and it feels like it could be the right approach for me. Nick and I first talked about this about two years ago. Time to put my money where my mouth is.
So, for ST, I've been focusing on the big lifts--Deadlifts and Squats. I never before appreciated how much these 'lower-body' lifts are really full-body movements. Monday is Deadlift day, with Rows and Pullups following. Wednesday is Squats day, with Bench and Overhead Presses afterwards. Then Friday is a combination of lower weight/higher rep Deadlifts, Squats, High Pulls or Power Cleans, and Hex Bar jumps, followed by more Rows and Pullups. So basically two 'pull' days (Mon & Fri) and one 'push' day (Wed), or two max effort days to start the week (Mon & Wed), and then one dynamic effort day at the end (Fri), right before my long run. Each day also has optional assistance exercises but I usually have a hard time getting around to those.
A few weeks ago I got rid of both my bench (with adjustable posts for squatting and dips) and cable station for one unitary rack with built-in cables and then bought a nice, simple, super-heavy flat bench with no posts. I got the rack for 30 dollars on craigslist, the bench at Play It Again Sports for $40. I'm really happy with both. After a few modifications to the rack--attaching my joist-mounted chin-up bar and building a base for it, making a dip station out plumbing pipe, and buying a set of rubberized Olympic grip plates on craigslist as well, I think I've finally got a fully adequate garage gym. The same guy who was selling the rack sold me an Olympic bar for $30, and then a guy who competes in strongman competitions sold me the used grip plates for 50 cents a pound. They have a few cracks in the hub, but otherwise a great deal. Having just a single rack has really opened up floor space in my garage, which is somehow motivating. It doesn't feel so cramped anymore.
I've been a little remiss with my MAPS (Mobility, Agility, Plyometrics, Stability) workouts (formally known as CAMP--Core, Agility, Mobility, Plyometrics). With my stubbed toe, I stopped doing box jumps, and now that I'm going hard at both the st and running, I don't have a lot left over for anything else, but hopefully within the next few weeks I'll work the MAPS back in, when I'm not quite so sore every day.
In general, I've been trying to train as numberless as possible, but I do have a few long-term goals. One is to deadlift 405 lbs--which is four 45-lb plates on either side of the bar. Right now my 1RM is 325. Once I can do that, I'm going to work on my bringing my squats up, to at least 315 (three 45-lb plates on each side), but hopefully more like 345-365. In the meantime, I'm keeping the squats light, between 135 and 225, and working on really perfecting my form, bar position, and bar speed. For running, I'm trying to get my 5K pace down to a consistent 24mins/8mm pace, and would like to build my long run back up to a nice, two-hour half-marathon standard. Hopefully my weekly mileage will be back up in the 25-30 mpw range within a few weeks.
Been running a little in the afternoon, but still mostly early in the morning. I really love it at 2-4am. So peaceful and quiet, and I even see the occasional deer or raccoon here in the middle of the city at that time of day. Still, some nice eye candy down on the river paths on summer afternoons, and the abundant recreational activity is good motivation.
Yesterday afternoon a cyclist pulled up even to me as we were crossing a bridge over the swollen, cresting Mississippi River. So I took out my ear buds (I was listening to a recent jam) and he asked how long I'd been running barefoot. I said three years now. He asked how I did it. I told him just take it little by little. Seemingly unconvinced, he said, "wow, it's really great you can do that." I repeated: "just take it little by little." "Little by little huh?" he asked. "Yep, little by little," I confirmed. "Alright then," he replied, and then rode off as I went back to listening to my jam. I think his intent was to congratulate me on my amazing achievement, but he left with the burden of knowing he too can do it.
Happy trails everyone!