281.2 – Day 23
Thursday is usually a rest day for me. Since I took last Sunday off after the half marathon, I decided to work out this morning. I took it relatively easy, focusing on core strength exercises and some rowing. Using the rowing machine isn’t something we do usually but I recommend it at least twice a month if you have access to one. It provides a break from the routine and utilizes a different set of muscles than you might normally use. Rowing is also a big part of any crossfit program. You can check out the program we did below.
Warm Up as many rounds as possible in 10 minutes of:
- 10 Wall Ball Toss
- 10 Push Ups
- 25 Sit Ups
Core Focus: 300 Crunches
CFE Conditioning four rounds of:
- Row 400 Meters
- 20 Squats
- 20 Dips
Having completed the run portion of my goals this month I will not be doing a long run this weekend. However, I will go for exactly a 6.5 mile run the middle of next week to try and get to a total of 60 miles for the month. I still have about 70 miles left of cycling to complete in the next 7 days. So, my task this weekend will be to try and tackle a 50 mile bike ride and take a big swipe out of that remaining balance. As for swimming, I should be done with it as of tomorrow since I only have a mile left of swimming to do.
Not sure if I will blog my way through that effort, but I may keep a running journal and post it all at once in a single post at the end of the month. I also went running shoe shopping today, for Tyler, and below is a list of my top 3 running shoes I recommend for everyone. Most of these are transition/minimalist style shoes, so they come with a learning curve. Don’t just buy them and expect to run a marathon the next day. Start with a couple of miles and build up your endurance and correct your form and then you will see the benefits from them in the long run.
- Nike LiveStrong Free 4.0 V2 (Road) – OR – Nike Free Run + 3
- New Balance MT 110(Trail) –
- NOTE: The MT 101’s are even better, with a stronger rock plate, and cheaper, if you can still find a pair.
- Saucony Hattori (Road)
All in all, I am feeling pretty good. This third attempt at 281.2 has been the charm and I think the idea of competing in an IronMan is not so daunting anymore. I feel especially motivated, knowing that a friend will be entering an IronMan race next June and this is a guy who used to swear off anything longer than a 5K race. The swim portion still remains the skill I need to work on the most and I already know that next month’s attempt at 10 miles will be truly exhausting but I have to do it if I am to get better.
Lastly, the picture below is of the party at Oglethorpe University tonight commemorating the destruction and replacement of our million old student center. The new building will have a bowling alley, Starbucks, and lots of other bells and whistles. I may enroll again and use that final year of NCAA eligibility.
