Preparation

Sarah Whiting and I went up to New Gloucester, Maine for the Pineland Farms Trail Running Festival on Sunday.  It was a tough, hilly course, and a hot day.  Sarah did great.  Before we set out she said she wanted to have fun, and finished the race looking strong, with a smile.

This race was a learning experience for me.  It was my first trail run of this distance.  I underestimated the hills and the heat.  I cruised through the first 20k, a little slower than I wanted, but kept moving.  Then it hit me, a wicked cramp in my left calf, and I was down.  I had been feeling some dizziness, and minor cramps up to that point, but nothing unexpected, considering I had run more than 12 miles.  The final 5k took about an hour of mostly walking, occasionally jogging, and recovering.  I tried to jog the final few meters, to give a good show for the finish line, but my legs wouldn’t let me.  I was not prepared.

After getting past the initial frustration, and reflecting on it, neither physical, nor mental fitness was the issue here.  Preparation was the problem.  This appears to be the second consecutive event in which a lack of hydration has wreaked havoc on my body.  Clearly my perception of what my body needs on the day of an event is inaccurate.  Although this was certainly not the way I wanted the day to go, I can take the lessons learned from this experience, and apply them moving forward.  I can’t wait for the next race.

June 1st, 2010

Skills:
Dot Drill
Tabata hollow holds/push-up plank holds
Good mornings

Strength: Deadlift 5-5-3-3-1-1-1

WOD:
4 Rounds:
30 Seconds, max reps dumbbell push press
30 Seconds dumbbells locked out overhead

Use 20% – 30% body weight in each hand.  Score is total reps.  Dumbbells dropped during lockout interval results in a 10 burpee penalty immediately after completion of the fourth round.

The Oakland Athletics are coming to visit the Sox, so there will be no parking during the evening classes on Tuesday.