This morning's butt kicking

Kris had commented to me a couple weeks ago that perhaps the reason I was oddly injured this last month (with the quad pull and achilles strain) was because I didn't have enough fitness base, having missed the first part of the season because of my hamstring injury. Perhaps now that I could run again, most pain free, I should consider putting some miles under my feet to gain some of that fitness I was, perhaps, lacking. Instead of going to track recently, I've been putting those miles under my feet.

Last night, however, I went to track. I had both Megan's keys from Monday night, as well as the team's warmups, and wanted to share the Mischief love with everyone. How could I not go to track. The sub-8 minute mile warmup should have clued me in that this was going to be a hard workout.

My times were consistent in the various sets-of-four we ran, but my effort level to maintain those times went up considerably with each run in a set.

At the end of track practice, my legs were, as Beth described so well, jelly.

My heart rate, however, went from over 180 to around 120 (124) in the minute wait between measurements, though. I might not have been able to catch my breath, but my body was doing its best to recover quickly. Those miles have been helping out more than I realized.

So, with last night's track workout, I was pre-tired this morning. I was so late getting up out of bed that Kris figured I wasn't going this morning. Not that I blame him: jumping out of bed at 6:28 with an "Oh, shit!" for a 6:30 departure (which we missed by 15 minutes) doesn't exactly convey "I'm ready to workout this morning!"

We arrived near the beginning of the warmups, thanks to Kris' drive-like-the-wind (pronounced with a long I) mentality, and mostly warmed up with the group (of all men - what's up with the women in the morning classes? Where did they all go? Almost seems like the only ones coming now are friends with Kris and me).

The workout was 5 rounds of:

5 weighted burpies
10 20 yard shuttles
15 pushups
20 situps
25 kettleball swings

A burpie starts in the standing position. Squat down like a frog to put your hands on the ground in front of you. Thrust your legs out behind you to move into a pushup position. Do a pushup. Thrust your legs back into a tuck position, then spring up into squat jump. The jump isn't a tuck jump, just a regular squat jump from a lower position than normal.

A weighted burpie is one where you hold a weight (a ball with handles, a weight plate, or two dumbells) in your hands and do the pushup off of them. When you stand to jump, thrust the weights overhead as you keep them in your hands as you jump.

The shuttle sprints are down and back is 2 sprints. Work on the first few steps being very aggressive and quick.

Pushups are any way you like them: from the knees or from the toes.

Situps are normal, full situps.

A kettleball is a big lump of lead with a handle on it. They're very popular right now as a workout weight, having a large handle that enables you to swing the thing, killing all small children within your arm's length. A kettleball swing is one done from a slight squat, the weight in both hand, held between the legs near the knees as both arms are straight. Thrusting up from the hips, stand up straight with the weight over your head, then back down to the squat position. That's one swing.

Kris managed all five rounds this morning. If I didn't have a train to catch, and a shower to take before that train ride, I would have gone for five rounds. Instead, I had to stop at four to dash to the shower. The routine seems to suit me well, with the train ride down a nice chance to catch up with writing. I'm enjoying the routine.

If only my laptop would stop freezing up, I'd be more productive.