You know there’s nothing quite like Cindy…
Saturday 23.6.12
“Cindy”
20 min AMRAP:
- 5 pull-ups
- 10 push-ups
- 15 squats
Post rounds, scaling and training notes to comments.
Tough Mudder Training
3pm Tough Mudder run session @ the Pinnacle.
We’ll be bringing some baby seals on this trip so it should be good. The weather’s great so it’s time to get outside and enjoy it… Be there plenty early because we’ll head off at 3pm on the dot.
–
Ben
Tough Mudder Tips: Humans Were Made for Running
Guest Post by Michael Honey
As some of you know, before Karina and I started at Adapt we had been doing adventure races for almost ten years: typically they’re 3-5 hours long, with around 15km of rogaining (long-distance orienteering) interspersed with kayaking and mountain biking. We’ve also done some longer 12-hour races, a couple of 24-hour races and one particularly ‘enjoyable’ 100km run-only race in the Blue Mountains. So while I’m pretty bad at the strength stuff, we have plenty of experience (if not much game) at running around outside.
A lot of people are worried about running. Don’t be. You have until September to get in shape, and it’s not going to be that bad. Well, maybe just a bit bad. The course is around 19.3k long and there are 27 obstacles, so there’s an *average* distance of 700ish metres between each obstacle (some are twice as far apart, some half as far). Then you get a refreshing mud pit or other challenge!
700 metres is less than two runs around the block at Adapt. The main difference is that it’ll be on dirt tracks (so a bit slippery/gravely, with small stones, uneven footing and maybe erosion) and, more importantly, there are some hills. Looking at the map, there are some longer running sections (1.5-2km) which involve hills (they’re the ones which wander off into the bush). Running uphill is, well, hard: your heartbeat skyrockets and your breathing quickens to supply more blood to your glutes and quads. You need to train for hills, and the way to do that is to run on hills.
Fortunately, we in Canberra are blessed with fire trails around and over all the hills in our lovely city and there’s ample opportunity to train. If you can work up to running a hilly 5km on dirt without stopping (which we can totally do as part of our Adapt Tough Mudder team training), at a reasonable pace (say 10km/h, or 6-minute per kilometre – so half an hour for the 5km), then you’re fit enough to do the Tough Mudder. Ideally, up the distance to 8km – doable in under an hour on a sunny winter lunchtime – and fit in some other challenge every km or so. I’d be disinclined to run much further on a regular basis – I’d rather get comfortable with running 8km strongly than wear myself out on running 15km slowly (save your 20km for the day of the Tough Mudder).
Ben in his trail running days…
All the lakes around town have nice tracks with exercise stations scattered around, so that’s another option. And hill running’s a great way to wake up: seeing the sun rise while you’re high above the city, mist in the valleys below, is a magical feeling.
As in our workouts, some of us will tire out faster than others during the Tough Mudder. One way to deal with this is to walk (fast) up hills, then run on the flat or downhill. If you’re worn out, your running speed uphill won’t be much faster than a brisk walk anyway, and you’ll recover some energy. Then when you hit the top of the hill, step it up. Watch yourself going downhill if it’s steep: a gradual downhill is easy and (almost) fun, but a steep downhill can be dangerous: stay in control. The most likely injury will be rolling your ankle from stepping on uneven ground: watch where your feet go. Concentrating on footing is particularly important when you’re going downhill and when you’re distracted: I’ve rolled my ankle in maybe 1/2 the races I’ve ever done, and it sucks, and I feel like an idiot every time I do it.
`So: (1) don’t be too scared, (2) train for hills, and (3) pace yourself and watch your feet. Go team!
Wait out for Mikey’s next thrilling article: What to Wear
Wednesday 21.3.12
A: 12 min to find 1RM snatch
B: For time (10min cap):
- 50 lunges (1+1=2)
- 40 KB swings (OH CrossFit standard/24/16kg)
- 30 push-press (40/25kg)
- 20 ring dips
- 10 HSPUs
Post loads and times to comments.
This is important in understanding some of the changes from the start of the year