Rest Day: Training Goal Problems & Yoga

Training Goal Problems

So for the better part of the past 40+years I have been small and weak compared to my peers. This always put me in the position of needing to be smarter and faster to counter the bigger kids. Thankfully, both came easily. First, I was pummeled a lot by uncompromising bullies. To counter the big kids, in the crucible of athletics,  I learned to love the  bliss of physical conditioning through exertion while failing to learn to wrestle in the 8th grade. Indelibly, the pleasure of calisthenics and running were cast. Second, a few years later I started a lifelong pursuit of martial  arts where technique trumps strength and discipline was  highly valued, which in my case was very much needed. My self confidence was strengthened and the bullies were no longer a threat, but as I've grown older and my tastes waxed and waned, I never was able to fulfill the one desire: to be strong.

About 2 years ago I started training for the Beast Spartan Race using body weight conditioning and running plans found in books and on the internet. I had been training consistently in Aikido for several years and felt in fair shape. Using a Higdon plan and the Spartan Races' own training plan,  I got fast and somewhat endurance strong keeping in the top 3% of the finishers. Then about 8 months ago I was gently coerced into trying out Crossfit. I learned quickly my state of physical condition was not nearly as great as I had once thought. Humble pie was eaten.  Less a breath of fresh air, the experience has been more akin to a gasping fish on the beach being tossed back into the ocean. Olympic Lifting,  body weight calisthenics, diet, attitude adjustment, deep anatomy analysis, self maintenance, new modalities of training, community support,...the list goes on and on. A flood of knowledge coupled with strong instruction now provided strength gains unlike anything I have ever experienced.  Suddenly, things began to gel into a new lifestyle & as a result I'm the strongest, fastest most agile I have been in my entire life. Now the problem is where to go from here? What goals should one make for the next year? 

Some appear easy with practice and persistence through training; muscle-ups, 350lb HBBS,  freestanding handstands,  etc...but what about competitions and runs? Finish a marathon for certain. An Ultra, definitely on the books for this fall, but what else? Then, the rational mind kicks in and here comes the problem. To plan to run long distances is a different plan than big strength gains. Getting really strong, usually means putting on some mass which is antithetical to leaning out to run fast in a race. Getting older means a plan must not only be productive it must prevent injury and accommodate the rest of ones life(kids, marriage, career, etc..). So what do we do? How can I get stronger and faster at the same time? Currently its CFE(Crossfit Endurance) endurance twice/week and as many regular CF classes as I can possibly handle physically, usually 4-5. This recipe is working to get strong and fast under 'the programmer''s tutelage.  But what else should be added? How should it be added? When am I going to be able to carve out some mat time?What shall the gauge of success be? Looks like we are going to have many more blog posts.

My stunning wife with rippling muscles in front!

1 st formal yoga class at NCCF today. Felt good. Need to work on balance and holding poses longer. The teacher gave an good explanation of how to get in and out of the poses as well as choosing a well rounded set of techniques that were beneficial to the stresses and strains from regular CF. All those years at ACV really helped expose me to various basic poses thus, most were not new, but after a long absence, welcome movements. All good stuff. Gina commented, we needed music. I disagree, the quiet was a welcome relief to the usual cacophony and allowed one to concentrate on the breathing.