Come on!

I drove up to Velocity Sports this morning. I'm still on East Coast time, which is fantastic for my morning schedule, not so hot for my evening schedule (thinking mostly of my 9PM - 11PM women's practice, actually).

When I arrived, I was the first person for my class, which surprised me, as the classes had been becoming full, eight - ten people in the class. Today, without Kris, Heather or Brynne, there were only four people in the class, including me, two I recognized and one I didn't.

The warmup was different than our usual warmup, a different order, but not so different in the exercises. I lined up in the first group for the 40 yard 50% jogs, one guy I recognized, the other I didn't. From previous runs, I knew I was as fast as the guy I recognized. I had no idea about the second guy.

During the 50% jogs, the guy I didn't recognized, ooo, look, he won! During the 75% jogs, hey, what do you know, the other guy won some, too. I was worried about my quad and hamstring, so was using both the 50% jogs and the 75% jogs for what they were: warmups, taking lots of steps, moving my legs in varying stride lengths.

When the 100% sprints came, however, I ran them full out as I was warm. The first run I mis-stepped my first two steps, and finished a half step behind the guy I recognized. The second sprint I finished dead even with him. The third sprint he didn't even try. I had a quick start and lost him around 10 yards.

"AW, COME ON!"

It escaped, I admit. I yelled it as I crossed the 40 yard mark, annoyed that he stopped trying. Sure, I assumed it was because he was about to be beaten by a girl. It wasn't necessarily a correct assumption, but I made it at that moment because I was annoyed.

The guy I recognized approached, and I blurted out, "You can't stop early! Come on! All the way!" Must have worked, as he sprinted the next run. The guy I didn't recognize finally woke up, too, apparently, as on the last sprint he was keeping up with us.

Sprinting all out is a heck of a lot easier when you have someone who runs yours speed when he's going all out, too.

Today's workout was named "Kettle Hell," but was mostly sled work.

With a partner, each pair of exercises were done 4 minutes each, alternating between the two exercises:

Sled Push
Kettleball swings

Sled Push
Kettleball squat to press

Sled Pull
Kettleball figure 8s

Sled Pull
Hand walk out and back

The sled pushes were with 35# plates on the sleds, after the first push with 45# nearly did my hamstrings in. The pulls were similar, but pulling the sled instead of pushing on the sled.

Kettleball swings were squat with the ball between the legs, swinging straight arm up above the head.

Presses started the same in a squat position with the kettleball on the ground between the legs, but ended with a stand up to overhead press with the kettle ball.

Kettle ball 8s where done standing with legs far apart, and weaving the kettleball from the front of one leg, through the legs, to the back of the other leg, around the outside of that leg, and back through the legs from the front, making a big figure 8.

Hand walks were the same as the normal stretching hand walks: starting from a straight leg, almost downward dog pose, walk the hands out to a plant/pushup position, then walk the hands back to the feet, keeping the legs straight, and stand up. This one was done as quickly as possible, in contrast to the warmups slower movement.

What I didn't do after this was more hamstring stretching that the handwalks started. My legs were sore the rest of today.