Zugzwang Mark VII: Become a pro ellipticaller

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The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > You Look Like Shit > The Fitness Log Cabin > Zugzwang Mark VII: Become a pro ellipticaller

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Hi. I'm Zugzwang. I run a lot. Also do some lifting here and there. I used to lift lots and never run (see old logs below), but ah, things change. My goals are currently to become a good distance runner while not looking like poo poo and not becoming pathetically weak. I think that's doable. Wanting to have at least some muscle as a runner means I'll never be quite as fast as I possibly could be, but I can live with that.

I ran my second marathon in November and took over 65 minutes off my time from 2011, and now I'm gunning for some longer races. I plan to run a 50-mile ultramarathon this July and get even faster at the 2013 Outer Banks Marathon. I'm also lifting 3x/week because having muscle owns.

Oh yeah, and I'm trying to squeeze in finishing a Ph.D. on top of all this, too.

With that said:

Short-term/medium-term goals (by the end of the year):
- Break 4 hours in the marathon in May
- Run a 50-mile ultramarathon
- Go sub-3:30 in the marathon in November
- Work up to running 70 miles/week or more consistently

Long-term (whenever I get there) goals:
- Break 3 hours in the marathon
- Qualify for & run the Boston and New York marathons
- Run a 100-mile ultramarathon

2013 race schedule (thus far):

May 5: Potomac River Run Marathon
June 1: North Face Endurance Challenge 50k (possibly)
July 6: Finger Lakes 50-Miler
November 10: Outer Banks Marathon

Various routines I do to help my running
Cannonball warm-up: http://www.runnerspace.com/video.ph...w&video_id=8468
ITB rehab routine: http://strengthrunning.com/2011/02/...-demonstration/
Standard core routine: http://strengthrunning.com/2012/01/...-demonstration/
Standard warm-up: http://strengthrunning.com/2011/07/...-demonstration/
Myrtyl routine: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GLrKr54yA0

Old logs:
Talk is cheap - Zugzwang's 2009 Cut Thread
Zugzwang breaks 1000
Zugzwang meets the runner's high: a love story

Zugzwang fucked around with this message at Jan 8, 2013 around 03:54

# ¿ Dec 13, 2011 05:20

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# ¿ May 18, 2013 21:29

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

I did an easy run this evening to test out my new winter running gear. I gave myself extra incentive to do this by intentionally leaving my car at my work building, in a spot where it'd be towed/ticketed by the morning if I didn't drag my sorry rear end up there and fetch it. Great success.

quote:

Running:
0:29:59 || 3 mi (+308 pts)

# ¿ Dec 13, 2011 05:25

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Okay, first time logging a lifting session. I had a mild stroke when I couldn't find weighted chin-ups under the main exercise list, but then I found them under "Advanced Options." Phew.

quote:

Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 4 reps (+83 pts)
215 lb x 3 reps (+94 pts)
235 lb x 4 reps (+106 pts)
210 lb x 5 reps (+98 pts)
190 lb x 6 reps (+91 pts)

Chin-Up:
3 reps (+14 pts)
3 reps || weighted || 30 lb (+22 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 20 lb (+28 pts)
5 reps || weighted || 10 lb (+32 pts)

Barbell Incline Bench Press:
155 lb x 12 reps (+70 pts)
155 lb x 12 reps (+70 pts)

V-Bar Pulldown:
150 lb x 10 reps (+40 pts)
135 lb x 10 reps (+36 pts)

Triceps Pushdown:
80 lb x 15 reps (+12 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
30 lb x 12 reps (+12 pts)

# ¿ Dec 13, 2011 18:05

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

# ¿ Dec 13, 2011 23:54

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

It's kinda sad that 3.5 miles is the farthest run I've gone on since the marathon, but ah, what are ya gonna do:

quote:

Running:
0:33:14 || 3.5 mi || 162 bpm || light hills (+444 pts)

My brain tried to find reasons for me not to go as usual, but I'm glad I did, because after runs, I always feel GREAT. Like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JC2gIPnUCgw

YEAH!

# ¿ Dec 15, 2011 03:03

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

I love the smell of deadlifts in the morning.

quote:

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
275 lb x 4 reps (+124 pts)
250 lb x 5 reps (+116 pts)
225 lb x 6 reps (+108 pts)

Leg Press:
315 lb x 10 reps (+50 pts)
405 lb x 10 reps (+64 pts)
585 lb x 5 reps (+81 pts)
405 lb x 10 reps (+64 pts)
315 lb x 5 reps (+44 pts)

Seated Leg Curl:
152 lb x 10 reps (+20 pts)
199 lb x 10 reps (+26 pts)
246 lb x 8 reps (+31 pts)
199 lb x 12 reps (+27 pts)
167 lb x 8 reps (+21 pts)
Ow. My hamstrings were really fried after deadlifts, leg press, and then this.

Standing Calf Raises:
10 reps || weighted || 230 lb (+6 pts)
6 reps || weighted || 285 lb (+3 pts)
10 reps || weighted || 230 lb (+6 pts)
5 reps || weighted || 210 lb (+3 pts)

I don't think I've deadlifted in about 10 months, so I got off to a rough start. My body always needs a few weeks to re-acclimate to this exercise. The fact that I've taken enough hiatuses from deadlifting to know this also explains why my numbers on it aren't very high for a guy my size. Yet.

# ¿ Dec 15, 2011 14:23

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Yesterday's lifting session:

quote:

Dumbbell Bench Press:
50 lb x 5 reps (+48 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+62 pts)
80 lb x 5 reps (+77 pts)
95 lb x 8 reps (+99 pts)
90 lb x 6 reps (+89 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+82 pts)

Seated Cable Row:
70 lb x 10 reps (+20 pts)
100 lb x 7 reps (+26 pts)
130 lb x 6 reps (+33 pts)
120 lb x 6 reps (+30 pts)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
60 lb x 10 reps (+33 pts)
50 lb x 8 reps (+26 pts)
I need to do these at a different time. My shoulder strength is nuked after benching and rowing.

Lat Pulldown:
150 lb x 10 reps (+30 pts)
135 lb x 10 reps (+27 pts)

Triceps Pushdown - V-Bar Attachment:
90 lb x 10 reps (+12 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
35 lb x 9 reps (+13 pts)

This will be my last proper lifting session until next weekend; my campus gym is closing for winter break and I'll be traveling to boot. I'll still be running, and I'll do some bodyweight exercises for yuks.

Today's quick run:

quote:

Running:
0:16:43 || 2 mi || 8:30 min/mi || 162 bpm || light hills (+255 pts)

# ¿ Dec 17, 2011 21:51

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

quote:

Running:
0:57:29 || 6 mi || 9:34 min/mi || 162 bpm || light hills (+835 pts)

Tonight, I met a man who's completed twenty 100-mile (or greater) ultramarathons, including one of the most difficult ultras of all, the Hardrock 100. He's also done thirteen Ironman triathlons (that's a 2.4-mile swim, followed by a 112-mile bike race, followed by a full marathon). His thoughts?

"It's not that difficult. You just have to keep going."

And his further thoughts on completing one of those hundred-milers with a freshly broken arm?

"As long as a bone's not sticking out of your leg, you might as well finish."

Words to live by.

# ¿ Dec 19, 2011 04:34

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Absurdly expensive jacket, gloves, a beanie, etc.

TheShineNSB posted:

A car imo

You don't even have winter in Vegas, do you?

# ¿ Dec 20, 2011 02:12

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

TheShineNSB posted:

It's like 50° out, which actually feels kinda chilly after several months of 105°. I still have thick northwest/northeast blood, so I'm that weirdo who is still wearing short sleeves, but I'm sure I'll be spoiled by next season and wear a coat when it's 75° vv

Eh, it's peaking in the 50s here and it's somewhere in the 30s or 40s in the morning. Great running weather.

Firebatgyro posted:

Don't you live in NC?

The jacket is a bit excessive, but I'll allow it since you are still wearing shorts at least.

Heh, yeah. I'm a transplant from northeast PA, too, so "winter" here is hilarious to me.

I did in fact wear shorts when I ran the other night (it was about 30�), along with my jacket, a base layer, and gloves/the stupid beanie. It was more than enough. The really nice thing about the jacket is its ability to break wind. Read that however you like. My legs were beet red when I got home, though, so maybe I should invest in some proper leggings.

Speaking of investments - new shoes! I've been using Vibram Five-Fingers, but for now, I want something that's better for roads and sidewalks (read: roads and sidewalks are grinding my VFFs' trail-oriented soles into dust) while still being minimalist/lightweight:

They have a nice neutral sole and low heel, so it's easy to midfoot strike. I'm taking these babies on a test run in the morning.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2011 05:46

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Wore the new shoes on a run yesterday morning - they are everything I hoped they'd be. This is A Good Thing. I didn't run today and won't tomorrow either due to travel, but I'll be back at it on Friday. And I'll be back at lifting on Saturday, since I can re-join my old home gym for a week. Gotta keep the holiday weight off somehow.

Speaking of which, I'll now contribute my own "EAT A CARB" image - here's some killer loving latkes with applesauce:

Must've had 20 or more of these today and yesterday. I'm, uh, carb loading. Yeah, that's it.

# ¿ Dec 22, 2011 02:00

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

So, it's Christmas eve. Do low-carbers leave out cookies and milk for Santa? Maybe it's beef jerky and bacon instead.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1054 points for:

Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
215 lb x 3 reps (+94 pts)
235 lb x 3 reps (+103 pts)
210 lb x 6 reps (+100 pts)
210 lb x 5 reps (+98 pts)

Seated Cable Row:
75 lb x 10 reps (+21 pts)
105 lb x 8 reps (+28 pts)
140 lb x 8 reps (+38 pts)
140 lb x 8 reps (+38 pts)
140 lb x 8 reps (+38 pts)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
50 lb x 10 reps (+28 pts)
50 lb x 7 reps (+25 pts)

Lat Pulldown:
160 lb x 10 reps (+32 pts)
160 lb x 8 reps (+30 pts)
Underhanded, close-grip, like a chin-up

Triceps Pushdown:
95 lb x 8 reps (+12 pts)
80 lb x 10 reps (+10 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
35 lb x 8 reps (+13 pts)

Running (treadmill):
0:18:30 || 2 mi (+197 pts)
Varied the speed a lot over the course of this workout, peaking at a 6:40 min/mile for the last few minutes.

Back to the gym I went to in college for the next week. It's absolutely amazing how much bigger the guys are here than in my campus gym.

Did a short run on the treadmill at the end to get some cardio in and test my shoes more. Conclusion: they own. Long run tomorrow.

# ¿ Dec 24, 2011 22:51

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Welp, my diet goes to poo poo on vacation, so it only makes sense that my athletic abilities should as well. Monday's exercise:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 408 points for:

Running:
0:38:00 || 3.8 mi (+408 pts)

Tuesday's workout:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 673 points for:

Dumbbell Bench Press:
50 lb x 5 reps (+48 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+62 pts)
85 lb x 3 reps (+77 pts)
100 lb x 4 reps (+94 pts)
95 lb x 4 reps (+89 pts)
90 lb x 5 reps (+87 pts)

Chin-Up:
3 reps || weighted || 30 lb (+22 pts)
3 reps || weighted || 20 lb (+19 pts)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
50 lb x 10 reps (+28 pts)
50 lb x 7 reps (+25 pts)

V-Bar Pulldown:
165 lb x 10 reps (+44 pts)
165 lb x 10 reps (+44 pts)

Triceps Pushdown - V-Bar Attachment:
80 lb x 12 reps (+11 pts)
80 lb x 10 reps (+10 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
35 lb x 8 reps (+13 pts)

# ¿ Dec 28, 2011 05:35

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

wasianchickn posted:

Your bench seems like where it used to be, or is it different since you're doing DB more now?

Bench has been stable, other things like shoulder press are in the shitter.

Yesterday's workout, mild cardio:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 217 points for:

Walking (treadmill):
0:27:00 || 4 mph || 3 % (+81 pts)

Elliptical Trainer:
0:18:00 || Moderate (+136 pts)

Today's workout - very little time to do anything, so I did a 5/3/1 "I'm not doing jack poo poo"-style day:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 609 points for:

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
285 lb x 3 reps (+125 pts)
255 lb x 6 reps (+122 pts)
225 lb x 6 reps (+108 pts)

It occurred to me that my form is probably terrible, but now that I have a working digital camera again, I can hit y'all up for a form check next week.

# ¿ Dec 29, 2011 18:59

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Last lifting session of 2011. It was a good one. Some of the weights are little off (namely in the cable row) because I'm at a different gym and am using different machines. I also haven't done DB incline bench in probably a year or more, so my body didn't even remember how to do the movement at first. Fun times.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 916 points for:

Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
215 lb x 3 reps (+94 pts)
235 lb x 6 reps (+112 pts)
210 lb x 6 reps (+100 pts)
200 lb x 6 reps (+96 pts)

Seated Cable Row:
90 lb x 6 reps (+23 pts)
120 lb x 6 reps (+30 pts)
165 lb x 6 reps (+42 pts)
165 lb x 6 reps (+42 pts)
165 lb x 6 reps (+42 pts)

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press:
70 lb x 6 reps (+52 pts)
60 lb x 6 reps (+45 pts)
I haven't done this exercise in so long, I didn't even remember what it felt like.

Lat Pulldown:
165 lb x 10 reps (+33 pts)
150 lb x 10 reps (+30 pts)
Underhanded.

Triceps Pushdown:
85 lb x 12 reps (+11 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
40 lb x 8 reps (+15 pts)

# ¿ Dec 31, 2011 15:42

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Alright. I'm back at home base, back at my usual gym, and I opened the 2012 lifting season with a kickass workout.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 755 points for:

Dumbbell Bench Press:
50 lb x 5 reps (+48 pts)
65 lb x 5 reps (+62 pts)
85 lb x 5 reps (+82 pts)
100 lb x 8 reps (+105 pts)
95 lb x 7 reps (+97 pts)
90 lb x 7 reps (+92 pts)

Chin-Up:
2 reps (+8 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 20 lb (+14 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 10 lb (+17 pts)
4 reps (+20 pts)
drat, have I lost strength on this exercise.

Machine Incline Bench Press:
205 lb x 12 reps (+51 pts)
205 lb x 9 reps (+47 pts)
Hammer Strength machine.

V-Bar Pulldown:
165 lb x 10 reps (+44 pts)
165 lb x 8 reps (+41 pts)

Triceps Pushdown:
95 lb x 10 reps (+12 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
40 lb x 8 reps (+15 pts)

I went out and bought some decent tights so that I can run in the morning. I only had skimpy compression shorts up to this point; if I wore those during a winter long run, my schwantz would freeze by the time I finished.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2012 03:36

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

One good workout deserves a terrible one, I guess.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 475 points for:

Running:
0:57:21 || 5 mi || 148 bpm || flat (+475 pts)

This was a mix of running and walking; my heart rating when I was running was in the 160s. I need to revert back to heart rate zone training for a while to rebuild my aerobic capacity, because that's seriously in the shitter now. Oh yeah, and I have a 10-mile trail race next Saturday. Hoi.

# ¿ Jan 5, 2012 01:32

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Two workouts today.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1338 points for:

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
295 lb x 4 reps (+133 pts)
265 lb x 5 reps (+123 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)

Leg Press:
315 lb x 10 reps (+50 pts)
405 lb x 10 reps (+64 pts)
605 lb x 6 reps (+87 pts)
405 lb x 9 reps (+63 pts)
315 lb x 6 reps (+45 pts)

Seated Leg Curl:
152 lb x 10 reps (+20 pts)
199 lb x 10 reps (+26 pts)
262 lb x 5 reps (+30 pts)
199 lb x 10 reps (+26 pts)

Standing Calf Raises:
10 reps || weighted || 230 lb (+6 pts)
8 reps || weighted || 290 lb (+5 pts)
8 reps || weighted || 230 lb (+5 pts)
6 reps || weighted || 210 lb (+3 pts)

8 hours or so later -

quote:

Running:
0:33:58 || 3 mi || 11:18 min/mi || 154 bpm || light hills (+293 pts)

Looks like I'm going to have to be content with running slow for a while, for whatever reason.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2012 04:27

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

I felt like poo poo on just the second set of bench press (although I've been feeling like poo poo in general lately) and considered quitting then and coming back tomorrow. But, I hunkered down, put on some extreme metal (stereotypical, I know), quit being a little bitch, and set recent PRs* in every lift:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 931 points for:

Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
215 lb x 3 reps (+94 pts)
240 lb x 6 reps (+115 pts)
215 lb x 5 reps (+100 pts)
200 lb x 6 reps (+96 pts)

Seated Cable Row:
90 lb x 5 reps (+22 pts)
140 lb x 5 reps (+35 pts)
190 lb x 2 reps (+43 pts)
210 lb x 5 reps (+52 pts)
190 lb x 6 reps (+49 pts)
170 lb x 6 reps (+43 pts)
Hammer Strength iso-lateral row, not seated cable row. This is the closest thing I could find in the exercise list....

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press:
65 lb x 10 reps (+36 pts)
55 lb x 11 reps (+31 pts)

Lat Pulldown:
170 lb x 12 reps (+35 pts)
155 lb x 10 reps (+31 pts)
Underhanded close grip.

*I say "recent PR" because I'm not going to compare myself now - that is, me in weird quasi-runner quasi-lifter limbo mode - to when I was 45 pounds ~~fatter~~ heavier and focused just on powerlifting.

# ¿ Jan 6, 2012 22:06

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1156 points for:

Trail Running:
1:36:50 || 8 mi || 12:05 min/mi || 156 bpm || moderate hills (+1156 pts)

This was a nice workout. It was my longest by 2 miles since the marathon, and the terrain was much more challenging. Trail running owns, though, and on the more difficult trails, you're so busy working not to trip over a rock or tree root/stump, you don't even notice the time going by.

I did, however, notice when I stubbed one of my toes really hard on a root. I noticed plenty. loving ow.

# ¿ Jan 8, 2012 18:10

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Another great workout. Now that my diet doesn't suck and I'm training upper body 2x/week, my strength is coming along nicely. Imagine that.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 799 points for:

Dumbbell Bench Press:
50 lb x 5 reps (+48 pts)
70 lb x 5 reps (+67 pts)
90 lb x 5 reps (+87 pts)
110 lb x 5 reps (+106 pts)
100 lb x 5 reps (+96 pts)
95 lb x 5 reps (+91 pts)
I skipped straight to 110-lb. dumbbells because my gym doesn't have 105s.

Chin-Up:
2 reps (+8 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 30 lb (+32 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 10 lb (+24 pts)
5 reps (+27 pts)

Machine Incline Bench Press:
215 lb x 10 reps (+51 pts)
215 lb x 8 reps (+49 pts)
Hammer Strength machine.

V-Bar Pulldown:
170 lb x 10 reps (+45 pts)
160 lb x 8 reps (+40 pts)

Triceps Pushdown:
100 lb x 10 reps (+13 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl:
45 lb x 5 reps (+15 pts)

Firebatgyro posted:

If it ever snows down there you should go trail running in the snow. It is pretty much the greatest thing ever.

I'd definitely like to. Seems like this would be pretty challenging to do on technical trails, though, since I would have difficulty seeing roots/rocks/etc. Or perhaps I should just HTFU.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2012 17:54

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

nickhimself posted:

Where at in NC are you? I too am a PA born fellow who finds these "harsh NC winters" hilarious as gently caress.

People go nuts when they HEAR snow might happen down here in NC, whereas up north no one blinks until it's a level 2.

I'm in Chapel Hill.

A corollary of the hilariously mild winters here is that nobody has any equipment for dealing with snow/ice on the rare occasion that it does show up. When it dumped a bunch of wintry mix on the same day that I had a date a few years ago, I had to furiously dig my car out with a teeny gardening implement that was like 3" wide. Someone should have filmed that poo poo and set it to Yakety Sax.

# ¿ Jan 10, 2012 19:13

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Easy run this evening after a loooong day at work. I was caught in a torrential downpour for a few minutes - feels good man.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 367 points for:

Running:
0:31:35 || 3.2 mi || 9:58 min/mi || 160 bpm || light hills (+367 pts)

This'll be my only run during the week since I have a 10-mile trail race on Saturday.

Speaking of trail running, elite ultrarunner Anton Krupicka is coming to my local running store tomorrow to give a talk and mingle, so that should be cool.

nickhimself posted:

Oh, nice. I'm moving to Jamestown in March from Winston. House mode go!

I lived in Ohio for about 7 years, those guys are pro at moving snow. Coming here a couple years ago I witnessed 3 trucks trying to plow out 52 in a staggered formation. There was MAYBE 1" of snow on the ground, and they had to make three passes to clear the road. It was pathetic.

I used to have a scraper and poo poo in my car, now if it snows or there's any formulation of ice on my windows in the morning I have to wrangle together whatever I have laying in my back seat to scrape off enough to get out of the driveway. This place is garbage for bad weather... but it was 60 degrees today...so what do I care?!

Sgt. Hartman would have some good insults for that plowing crew.

# ¿ Jan 12, 2012 04:39

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Thursday's workout:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 768 points for:

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
275 lb x 4 reps (+124 pts)
275 lb x 4 reps (+124 pts)
275 lb x 4 reps (+124 pts)

Seated Leg Curl:
152 lb x 10 reps (+20 pts)
199 lb x 10 reps (+26 pts)
246 lb x 8 reps (+31 pts)
214 lb x 10 reps (+28 pts)
183 lb x 6 reps (+21 pts)

Standing Calf Raises:
10 reps || weighted || 240 lb (+6 pts)
7 reps || weighted || 300 lb (+4 pts)
9 reps || weighted || 240 lb (+6 pts)

Today - 10-mile trail race!

quote:

Zugzwang earned 2002 points for:

Trail Running:
1:56:45 || 10 mi || 11:46 min/mi || 169 bpm || moderate hills (+2002 pts)
Little River Trail Run

This was my 4th or so trail run in my life. The terrain had lots of winding paths, steep hills, and places to trip and take a faceplant. I'm glad as poo poo that I wore my proper shoes this time instead of Vibrams, because I accidentally kicked a rock really hard at one point and that would have really loving hurt if it were my toes contacting the rock instead of a thick piece of rubber.

I went into this race thinking I was in poor shape for it, but I ran with two people who are considerably better runners than I am and did my best to keep up with them. I ended up finishing just a few minutes after they did.

Shine posted:

Trail running sounds fun. Lemme borrow your IT bands so I can try it, ktnx.

Sure, swap for your quads?

# ¿ Jan 15, 2012 02:01

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

CoffeeIsForClosers posted:

You are strong and you run a lot. That's my goal. Can you post a pic

Here I am with elite ultrarunner Anton Krupicka:

Shirtless pics will wait 'til later, as I've entered the 2012 Transformation Challenge and I don't want to give anything away just yet.

Umbriago posted:

How heavy/tall are you? We're roughly the same strength but your running is definitely better than mine. Nice to see someone else who wants to be strong but also run long distances.

I'm 6', about 200 pounds. (I was lighter, but man, holiday cookies...) I'm aiming for 175-180 in the coming months, since I figure that will give me a nice balance of musculature, strength, and speed.

# ¿ Jan 15, 2012 17:20

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

So, speaking of running long distances, it's time for me to go for broke and do an ultramarathon. It's the whole reason I got into running in the first place. Today, I started training for the 50-mile Iron Mountain Trail Run that's tentatively going to be held on September 1. Or, more accurately, I'm training for the training program for this race. The actual ultramarathon training won't start until April. I can't officially enter the race yet because registration doesn't open until June, but I gotta get in shape now.

The IMTR is a tough race with 8,000 feet of climbing, but I'm going to bust my rear end and train as hard as I can. Even if I can't finish the drat race (time limit: 12 hours), I'll be a much better runner when all is said and done. And if I do finish the drat thing, I'll have qualified for a 100-miler that's held nearby me in Raleigh, NC, and you bet your rear end I'm entering that. Also, the 310-feet-of-climbing Outer Banks Marathon in November will be hilariously easy after training for a mountain ultra.

On to the workout - today was just testing my heart rate zones. The pace is a bit misleading because I did 20 minutes slow as gently caress, 1 mile as hard as I could, then 20 more minutes slow as gently caress. I managed an 8:08 min/mile, which is faster than I thought I could do, considering I ran a hard 10-mile race yesterday. Still slow, but it's progress. I should be able to chop 1 min/mile off of that solely by losing 30 pounds

quote:

Zugzwang earned 503 points for:

Running:
0:45:01 || 4.3 mi || 10:25 min/mi || 158 bpm || light hills (+503 pts)
HR zone testing

Zugzwang fucked around with this message at Jan 15, 2012 around 23:18

# ¿ Jan 15, 2012 23:15

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Umbriago posted:

Haha, I guess we both have work to do -- I'm 5'11" and 165lbs. I'll trade you some of my strength-to-weight ratio for a bit of your split time.

At your size, you shouldn't have much trouble blowing past my split times with enough training. How long have you been running?

Firebatgyro posted:

Yeah, especially since you do a lot of hills, losing 30 pounds will definitely help you out. I really miss being 130 when I go running these days.

Yeah but I bet you don't miss it when you go lifting these days, judging from your log.

Bluff posted:

My pops runs ultras, I think he's
on his eighth Wasatch. Cool goal!

Asked him about it and he said to go run a shitload of trails, steepest elevation you can find until you feel like dying. He also said to focus on downhill. Everybody is gassed during the actual race on the uphill sections (besides the genetic monsters) so the guys that can go relatively fast downhill without falling are the ones that end up doing disproportionately well.

He also says that the race is entirely mental, and to bring twice the calories that you think you're going to need.

Wow, eight Wasatch runs? That's badass. That's also great advice, thanks!

# ¿ Jan 16, 2012 15:25

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Okay, I owe you people some updates. I had to unexpectedly travel due to a death in the family, so I didn't lift weights this week, but I've kept up with my running.

Monday:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 376 points for:

Trail Running:
0:51:11 || 4.2 mi (+376 pts)
Warm-up, six 30-second hill repeats, cool down

Wednesday:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 244 points for:

Running:
0:40:03 || 3.2 mi (+244 pts)
Very slow workout focusing on running cadence.

Thursday:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 504 points for:

Running:
1:00:00 || 5.2 mi (+504 pts)
Warm-up, 20-minute tempo run, cool down

Today:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 666 points for:

Running (treadmill):
1:30:00 || 7.4 mi (+666 pts)
Warm-up, three 6-minute hill repeats, lots of time at a slow endurance pace, cool-down

Total mileage this week: about 24. 21 last week. Not too shabby; I should be building a nice base for my 50-mile training program with this.

Rogue posted:

Hey man when I first saw your username I should have guessed this, but I saw you posting in the A/T thread for chess, let me know if you ever want to play some games on chess.com and teach me how to be good because I'm awful!

Sure, add me (handle: corp_por) if you like.

Umbriago posted:

A little over a year. But in mitigation the first half of that was running the C25K and then building the stamina to run a 10km (never training for speed), and the second half was hardly bothering to run at all.

I need to sort myself out really...

I think you should have plenty of "newbie gains" left in you after that...

# ¿ Jan 21, 2012 19:22

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 373 points for:

Running:
0:45:00 || 4 mi || 145 bpm (+373 pts)
Warm-up, steep hill repeats, cool-down

These were supposed to be brief repeats on a steep hill. I don't think the hill was quite steep enough. On the other hand, it will serve as a great site for longer repeats on a more moderate hill...

# ¿ Jan 23, 2012 04:12

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

In the interest of maintaining a decent lifting schedule while shifting the focus to my running, I'm switching my lifting routine over to a slightly modified minimalist routine that Martin Berkhan posted a few months ago. Aaaand this routine includes squatting, which I haven't done in far too long. Gotta have strong quads if I'm going to do an ultra with 8,000 feet of descent. I'll be interested in seeing how far my muscle memory goes during the coming months. My bench is still increasing nicely, and I certainly hope that keeps up.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 732 points for:

Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
215 lb x 5 reps (+100 pts)
245 lb x 4 reps (+111 pts)
220 lb x 5 reps (+102 pts)
200 lb x 6 reps (+96 pts)

Chin-Up:
2 reps (+8 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 30 lb (+32 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 10 lb (+24 pts)
4 reps (+20 pts)

Leg Extensions:
91 lb x 5 reps (+10 pts)
138 lb x 5 reps (+16 pts)
173 lb x 8 reps (+21 pts)
173 lb x 8 reps (+21 pts)
184 lb x 7 reps (+22 pts)

# ¿ Jan 24, 2012 04:34

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Two proper runs today, plus a bonus mile!

AM:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1098 points for:

Running:
0:45:17 || 4 mi || 11:27 min/mi || 140 bpm (+359 pts)
Slow, easy run focusing on cadence.

PM:

quote:

1:01:31 || 5.8 mi || 10:40 min/mi || 149 bpm (+620 pts)
Warm-up, 4x6-minute intervals just under LT, cool-down.

Bonus mid-day run! I needed to have my car towed from my place to a mechanic, and the guy got there much earlier than he was supposed to, so I ended up just running home in street clothes.

quote:

0:09:00 || 1.1 mi (+119 pts)
Ran home to meet tow truck dude.

Again, the overall pace is a bit misleading with things like intervals; I was doing somewhere in the 8:xx range for each 6-minute interval, and taking it easy otherwise. Feels good man.

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 03:22

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

KBD posted:

Man I want to be able to run like you. drat you ran almost two goddamn hours

Keep training; anyone who doesn't have a prohibitive medical condition can easily work up to two hours (and way more).

# ¿ Jan 25, 2012 15:49

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

AM:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1195 points for:

Barbell Squat:
45 lb x 5 reps (+21 pts)
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
205 lb x 5 reps (+95 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press:
45 lb x 5 reps (+23 pts)
75 lb x 5 reps (+39 pts)
100 lb x 5 reps (+52 pts)
120 lb x 2 reps (+57 pts)
125 lb x 7 reps (+69 pts)
115 lb x 6 reps (+62 pts)
100 lb x 7 reps (+55 pts)

I haven't done squats in ages. I'm a mere shadow of my former squatting self.

Felt soooooo good though. I was going to do lunges as well, but my hamstrings were screaming at me, so I didn't. I figure they'll get hit hard enough during deadlifts and hill repeats anyway. That's my rationalization and I'm sticking to it.

Also, my OHP doesn't suck as much as I thought it did. Hopefully that will go back up quickly.

PM:

quote:

Running:
0:51:54 || 4.3 mi || 11:56 min/mi || 141 bpm (+382 pts)
Warm-up, slow cadence work, cool-down

I really really didn't want to run this evening, but I did it anyway dammit. I hate these boring-rear end cadence runs, but my reward is getting to do some hill repeats tomorrow. Oh god I'm insane

# ¿ Jan 26, 2012 01:50

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

AM:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1273 points for:

Barbell Deadlift:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
275 lb x 5 reps (+128 pts)
220 lb x 5 reps (+102 pts)
My form is still godawful. Blahhhhhh

Bent Over Barbell Row:
135 lb x 5 reps (+35 pts)
165 lb x 3 reps (+40 pts)
165 lb x 3 reps (+40 pts)
165 lb x 4 reps (+42 pts)
Form needs work, but not too bad.

Machine Incline Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+28 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+38 pts)
225 lb x 3 reps (+44 pts)
265 lb x 7 reps (+58 pts)
255 lb x 6 reps (+55 pts)
245 lb x 7 reps (+54 pts)
Hammer Strength incline bench.

PM:

quote:

Running:
0:19:31 || 1.8 mi || 11:09 min/mi || 149 bpm || light hills (+155 pts)
0:14:52 || 1.4 mi || 11:02 min/mi || 157 bpm || steep hills (+144 pts)
0:11:13 || 0.9 mi || 12:23 min/mi || 151 bpm || flat (+56 pts)
Warm-up, 8x30-sec hill repeats, cool-down

The running above was all one workout. Ima start dividing my runs up into sets when I log them to separate out the warm-up and cool-down. These hill repeats hurt so good. Also, it looks like I'm going to run over 30 miles this week.

Firebatgyro posted:

Horribly boring runs like this are definitely worth it though. I spent an entire summer doing nothing but running 4-10 miles down this completely flat trail just cleaning up my form/breathing.

Getting your form correct is really important and really difficult. I also just spent like 15 minutes trying to find the clip from 'Without Limits' where Bowerman is telling Pre to 'keep his hips thrust forward like at the moment of greatest penetration'.

Yeah, I know. Not every run can be hard and exciting anyway, else I'd burn out fast.

And that clip sounds great, but I think if I took it too literally and ran like that at the track around the student-athletes, I might get arrested. Then again, getting chased might make for a nice fartlek.

Buzkashi posted:

That shoulder press

Clarify: I come in here and think of this as "run log" and then I see you put up numbers like those and I'm like good god

I try.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2012 02:18

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Friday's workout:
NOT A drat THING. DAY OFF.
I did do a bit of walking though:

quote:

Zugzwang earned 53 points for:

Walking:
0:20:00 || 1.3 mi (+53 pts)

Today was supposed to be a long-ish run, but I've been having stomach issues, and I ended up turning back after the feeling that I need to barf kept intensifying and intensifying. gently caress it; I'll redo this workout tomorrow and add tomorrow's scheduled hill repeats to the end of it.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 192 points for:

Running:
0:15:01 || 1.3 mi || 11:32 min/mi (+93 pts)
Walking:
0:32:35 || 2.1 mi || 15:12 min/mi (+99 pts)

This does mean that I can't claim I ran over 30 miles this week, though.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2012 02:33

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

Did my weekend endurance run just now. I was supposed to add steep hill repeats to the end of it, but I couldn't find an appropriate hill in time, so gently caress it, I'll just go out again later.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1448 points for:

Trail Running:
1:50:32 || 9.7 mi || 11:27 min/mi || 152 bpm || moderate hills (+1448 pts)

# ¿ Jan 29, 2012 16:53

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

TODAY'S BRUNCH, called "The King":

Bottom layer of French toast, central filling of bacon, banana slices, and peanut butter, top layer of French toast, all baked together in a French onion soup-sized crock pot. I added maple syrup, of course.

Aaaand this evening's workout:

quote:

Running:

0:06:10 || 0.6 mi || 10:14 min/mi || flat (+43 pts)
0:08:21 || 0.7 mi || 12:53 min/mi || steep hills (+59 pts)
Short warm-up, 12x15-sec hill repeats on steep hill

I still haven't found a hill steep enough for my needs, so I went ahead and did twice as many repeats as my program called for. Good times.

# ¿ Jan 29, 2012 23:27

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

KBD posted:

DID YOU ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO POST THAT PHOTO. Go to effin hell Zugzwang!!!

Yes. Yes, I did.

Rogue posted:

That rules

It was yummy, though it wasn't nearly enough food. Elvis was fat, so you'd figure the dish named after him would be more filling.

In other news, I've been going through my records, and in the months I was doing my marathon training program (July 1, 2011 - November 8, 2011), I only ran 222 miles - that's an average of under 12 miles per week. Much of that was concentrated on a few weekend long runs.

No wonder my marathon time sucked so much. By contrast, I did 21, 24, and 24 miles these past three weeks, and 11 miles alone today. I'm feeling pretty good about not sucking as a runner now that I'm actually goddamn running.

# ¿ Jan 30, 2012 01:52

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 771 points for:
Barbell Bench Press:
135 lb x 5 reps (+63 pts)
185 lb x 5 reps (+86 pts)
225 lb x 3 reps (+99 pts)
250 lb x 4 reps (+113 pts)
225 lb x 5 reps (+105 pts)
205 lb x 6 reps (+98 pts)

Chin-Up:
3 reps (+14 pts)
5 reps || weighted || 30 lb (+43 pts)
4 reps || weighted || 15 lb (+26 pts)
5 reps (+27 pts)

Leg Extensions:
91 lb x 5 reps (+10 pts)
138 lb x 5 reps (+16 pts)
184 lb x 8 reps (+23 pts)
195 lb x 8 reps (+24 pts)
205 lb x 6 reps (+24 pts)

My goddamn loving alarm didn't go off this morning, so I overslept and couldn't lift before work. Had to go this evening instead, when my university gym is full of mostly clueless college bros doing dumbbell bench press on bosu balls and aerially humping the dip machine. I didn't use a spotter on bench, since being surrounded by neckbeards with the worst haircuts ever was enough. I just internally screamed "YOU CAN. NOT. FAIL. (in front of these people)" on the last rep of each set. Worked like a charm.

# ¿ Jan 31, 2012 02:49

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# ¿ May 18, 2013 21:29

Zugzwang: Jan 2, 2005; I look like you wanna look, I fuck like you wanna fuck, I am smart, capable, and most importantly, I am free in all the ways that you are not.

quote:

Zugzwang earned 1142 points for:

Running:
2:01:11 || 10.5 mi || 11:34 min/mi || 150 bpm (+1142 pts)
This included a long slow warm-up, three 8-minute climbs up a big loving hill, some horribly boring cadence work at a slow pace, then a cool-down

I combined two hour-long workouts here; the first half was a warm-up and then three 8-minute hill repeats just under my lactate threshold, while the second was slow, horribly boring cadence work. Come to think of it, most of my runs lately have been intentionally slow. I can't wait to get back to tempo runs.

Edit: total miles ran in January: 99.11.

And I'm entirely too lazy to go run 0.89 more within the next 90 minutes.

Zugzwang fucked around with this message at Feb 1, 2012 around 03:28

# ¿ Feb 1, 2012 02:56

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