August 10, 2009 - Intervals and Endurox R4

Even though I am training for long distance events (marathon, Ironman triathlon) I am still in the phase of developing explosive strength and a strong core. The best way to do this through olympic lifting, a ton of pullups, situps, pushups and squats, and of course interval training. While it's great to go out and hit a 7 mile run hard, it's equally important to mix it up with fast, 100-400 meter repeats to develop speed and burn fat. Another great way to accomplish these results is through hill runs. Find a 200 meter hill with a reasonably steep incline. Run up it hard, then jog down. Repeat as many times as you can!

I've been doing this type of interval training 2-3 days per week on top of the Crossfit.com workouts and daily running the the huskies. Since I began I've seen great results.

Today's workout was repeat 800 meter runs. Seeing as it was 100 degrees out today I decided to do the workout indoors at Merritt Athletic Club. My friend Dan joined me and we pushed each other pretty hard. To avoid cheating, I ran an extra 5 seconds each 800. Giving up that last few meters is cheating, so I wanted to make sure I finished strong.

Crossfit.com Workout of the Day:

Four rounds, each for time of:
800 meter run

I began with warmup mile at 7:30 then ran each 800 meters at a 6:00 minute mile pace with around 2 minutes rest in between each set. I finished with another 800 meters (8 min mile pace) and some core training which included 3 sets of:
7 L-Pullups
15 back extensions
15 side extensions each side
Then for good measure I did 12 Burpees.

After 10 minutes in the sauna I felt great. I finished up with a serving of Endurox R4 Recovery formula which is basically a bunch of vitamins, carbs and antioxidants that enhance muscle recovery after a intense workout. I generally take Endurox only after sessions of 1 hour or more, but these intense interval sessions are very draining!

Another great day that's finishing with some husky time! Life is good.

Photo: From wikipedia.com commons: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ireland_cliffs_of_moher2.jpg