Hump Day - 4/30/14

Special k w/strawberries, honey-roasted nuts
Tabata
   Bench 135lbs(95lbs) 8x20sec/10sec
   800m run at 7.5-8.5 mph pace
   KB swings 8x20sec/10sec
  
  Bench was tough, I had to drop down to 95lbs after the second round.
  All of the fatigue was in the shoulders. My chest was fine.
  The run felt good, great that I only had to do half a mile.
  Back was a little sore after the KB swings, probably due to fatigue affecting my form.

Kick wrap from Carver's, wish I had more mayonnaise, macaroni and cheese, and apple.

Spaghetti, cran-raspberry juice, and some snacks

Tuesday 4/29/14

Special K w/strawberry cereal, green tea
Peanuts, biscuit

Resistance
  Jump squats 3x3x135lbs
  Calf raises 3x20x225,245,245lbs
  Depth jumps 3x6
  Incline dumbbell curls 3x8x30lbs
  Decline sit-ups 3x10 (still sore)

Celery, carrots, biscuit, potato chips

Dialing it back a bit

Monday 4/28/14

Oatmeal w/raisins, one fried egg, cranberry/raspberry juice
Nature Valley Oat's n Honey bar

Resistance training
  Bench 3x135,185,205,225lbs
  Pull-ups 4x6xBW
  Abs still too sore to workout
HIIT on Stationary bike
   17x15sec (45sec rests)

Strawberry yogurt, apple, biscuit, cashews

Sunday 4/27/14

Training on grass at Spring Creek park to help body recover.

Warm-up:
  Jogged one lap
  4x10m of various hops
  4x10m of skips and high knees

Workout;
  4x40m of buildup sprints to 70%

Some soreness in hip, but legs felt great(they like the grass).
Track is cool, but the grass is great for the body.

The kids worked out with me.
Especially Mya, she did all the movements and the buildup sprints.

Discussed training with a new friend, Ken Taylor, on the phone last night.
He's an expert on the west coast, great background and knowledge.
I learned a lot from him.
I read his books, SPEED - How to Run Faster Immediately: The Crucial Steps Every Athlete NEEDS to Know  and You Just Can't Teach That!: Or Can You?

I have read a lot of books and materials on speed training, and now I wish I had read these first.

In the first book, he takes all the technical concepts and vocabulary and boils it down into simple elements necessary to achieve results. This book is perfect for a novice like myself looking for effective methods to improve speed to compete in track and field.

The second book breaks down the sports psychology elements of competing with speed and the benefits of learning how to improve it.

Both were good, quick reads. It takes a lot of intelligence to break all that knowledge down into an easily digestible format like he has done in these books. There are clear instructions and links to video examples of all the techniques involved.
    

Assessment Day 4/19/14

Nice day at the Horace Ashenfelter facility

One mile road warm-up, and drills.

Asics Spikes
Fly 30m's: 4.64, 4.44, 4.18s
Standing 30m: 4.74s
Block Starts 10m: 2.21, 2.15, 2.24s

Still had a lot of soreness in the hip flexor/extensors could not push of very hard from the blocks.
I will take a week off from running to try to recover. I will focus on upper body resistance training and some stationary bike for cardio and jogging.

 

Me with good extension out of the block last month

Poor extension due to hip flexor pain

ACTN3 CC – Origins of a Sprinter?

History is cool. My parents passed away at a relatively early age when I was young so I never got to share with them the things about them that make me what I am. I remember them telling me little snippets of their lives and family stories. They were both athletic. I know my Dad played HS football, and my mom played softball for Galileo high school (our football rival in my days). But I do miss the opportunity to discuss these things with them now.

Socially and culturally we all know who we are. When people ask it is typically a pretty quick response, "I’m black… … from an inner-city… … parents are from the south… ...blah blah blah." But sometimes you may ask yourself "where did I originate… …who am I?"

So a couple years ago I had my DNA tested so I could learn more about my past. The largest portion of my ancestry was 48% West African (68% Sub-Saharan African total), Wahoo! That was followed by 26% European, and 4 % East Asian and Native American. Cool huh?

One of the most interesting findings was that I have two copies of the alpha-actinin-3 gene (CC) which produce protein which means I have one type of fast-twitch muscle fiber. This means my fast-twitch muscles (white muscle fibers) have a very efficient metabolism and require less oxygen for energy production.

Studies of elite sprint athletes show that they have at least one copy of this gene. Absence of two of these genes is an advantage for endurance athletes which allow their muscles to rely on efficient oxygen consumption.  

Now that is just the genetic side of the coin. Environment can then determine the other 40-60% of your abilities. So in an effort to embrace my past I felt compelled to give sprinting a try. Hence, my current quest… …three years to see what is possible.  That is how I am currently choosing to connect with my past.

Belly fat

While I'm in the general physical preparation phase of training I can't help but think about the difficulty of getting the weight down.

My BMI is 27 and I would like to get it down to 24 by the time I get to competition.
That would require me to lose 23 lbs! (or grow to 6'4" - daaah! that's not it.).
Whew, can't imagine what 178 pounds will feel like again.
Timing will be crucial because I don't know how maintenance would effect my competition training.

The training I have down, now it's going to be experimenting with the proper diet.
The challenge is to maintain the muscle and lose only fat. So I will need sufficient protein and fat, but watch my timing on the carbs.

According to my food journal, it's not a quantity problem but a quality problem.
More natural foods; fresh vegetables, and home cooked meals. Keep an eye on the sugars.

Some stats... ...not great but promising

 

Some stats as of December 2013

• 100m               13.77s (14.7s 11/9/13)
• Flying 60m      *7.81s
• Flying 30m      *4.08s
• 30m                 4.46s
• 10m                 2.31s
• Standing long jump     2.6m
• 3,5,10 bounds             6.1m, 11.3m, 22m
• Vertical jump              71cm (excellent!)

*definitely did not give myself enough room to accelerate, nor enough recovery time in between... ...I was nervous about my car getting towed.

I am positive I can make great improvements on these just through fitness and then learning the proper form.