Short Trail Run, Squats, Pullups, Bench Press

Early afternoon


3.5 miles in about 36 minutes (most trails)

Late afternoon


Strength
Squats 5, 5, 5, 3, 3, 3
Loads: 155, 175, 195, 215, 235, 255


Strict Pullups 4 X 15

*Pullups were done intermittently between sets of squats to reduce workout time. All of the pullups sets were broken.


Bench Press 5 X 3
Load: 205

Workout comments: A short, spontaneous trail loop in Malvern through the rock quarry and part of the nature conservancy. The group was made up of Paul R., Chris R., and myself. Paul was joining us for the first part of our run as part of a larger 10K loop he was doing. The weather was hot, humid, and almost unbearable. The 70+ inches of snow we got this year really took a toll on the area and caused a lot of downed trees and shrubbery to block many of the trails, essentially turning the area into a sauna. Still, it's better than running on the roads solo and as soon as the sweat seal was broken, it was envigorating.

Chris and I weaved our way in and out of the already woven thickets that lined some of the trails and climbed and crawled our way up and down slopes. At one point, Chris asked me if I'd rather take a path that involved crawling on hands and knees under a few fallen trees, or if I'd rather claw my way up a few potential mudslides. A typical decision that needed to be made. Chris did a much better job at giving me a break making my way through everything and not ditching me. Of course, I was pushing like mad up most of the hills to keep up. Days like today really are just money in the bank. They either prepare you for the worst of race conditions, or they make race day feel more like a stroll in the park. So long as you don't subject yourself to heat exhaustion, it can really help your performance in the long run.

For the second workout in a row, I've hit 255 as a 3RM for the squat. This is pushing my 1RM of 265 pretty close, and if I keep up this programming, hopefully I'll be able to move my 1RM up to 275 in 2 weeks. That's just wishful thinking, however.