It’s been my pleasure, Stef!
EDIT: I would be cautious with changing surfaces in general and with plyos from now on, as we’ve discussed before.
I can definitely related with you here. I’m on a track club that loves running long, slow intervals. But there are points where I can cross my workout with theirs (in a very creative way). For example, last night, the club ran a 300, 250, 250, 200, 200 with 7 minutes of rest between the intervals. Now of course the “quality” of any of these runs was definitely skeptical. So while they were still warming up and running the first two intervals, I ran 3x50m on 5 min rest. I then joined them on their second 250, which I treated as a special endurance run by running all-out. I love being a part of a team, but I just can’t get myself to train in a way that I completely disagree with. So this approach has seemed to work the best for me; however, I still get that look from the others that says, “What, do you think you’re better than us?” What can you do?
and that’s the issue, especially when in my case they are some of the best athletes in the country and I suck … :rolleyes:
Ok !!
Yes exactly =))
And sometimes with these guys it’s not like I don’t WANT to do their 600 reps with 2’ rests… I just CAN’T :o (I used to, but now I train differently). They are very cool about it, to my delight. Most of it comes from respecting each other 
I’ve also experienced being in a different group here in the same city, and I know what that “look” feels like, that you are talking about.
I guess it builds character. 
Thursday, Dec. 23rd, 2010.
Things hurt today (body in general from a virus, shin splints from sudden change of surfaces … ) I took it very easy >>
- 5 laps with sister (on track)
- few dynamic stretching
- 3 x 20m A skips
- 1 x 20m running A skips
- 3 x 20m low skips
- 2 x 20m B skips
- 3 x 60m RRLL plyos
- 1 x 70m stride (or so)
EMS
- 20min active recovery on hamstrings
- 2 x 20min relaxing massage on calves
That is awesome that they’re cool about it. I still catch quite of a bit of junk for my speed-focused approach to training for the 400. The head of our club is extremely old school, and most of the runners have come from that type of training in college. I came back to track at age 25 (now 27) to break 50 seconds in the 400 for the first time. I was at 50.8 or so in high school and have gotten my time down to 50.22 last year. So I’m getting close! But of course, our club’s top 400 runner (48.8) throws his jabs in here and there with comments like, “Maybe if you’d stop being such a Sally and run some intervals with us, you could finally break 50.”
Alright, I’ll stop thread-hijacking. 
No problem! I enjoy hijacking…
Best of luck with your training along the way =))
Strange last days… sister’s wedding and preparations for it, personal drama, and generally, off-schedule.
Friday, Dec. 24th, 2010
15min run (wow)
Saturday, Dec. 25th, 2010
-
20min warm up
-
7 x 100stairs (doubles)
Sunday, Dec. 26th, 2010
sister’s wedding (> dancing)
Monday, Dec. 27th, 2010
wedding recovery and sleeping
Tuesday, Dec. 28th, 2010
-
5 laps warm up, quick stretching
-
5 x 100stairs (doubles-doubles-doubles-singles-doubles)
-
5 x 100m hill (walk back recoveries)
Dear god…
Tomorrow may be normal again
Wednesday, Dec. 29th, 2010
(all indoors) > cold out
-
15min warm up
-
static/dynamic stretching
-
long circuit (kind of fast with slightly longer rests)
100+100+100+
100+200++100+100+
100+200++200++100+
100+200++100+100+
100+100+100
Gym
- numerous abs
- 2 x 10 leg curls
- 2 x 15 slow hamstring drops (where you sit on your knees - on a matt - with feet locked, and slowly drop forward into a push up hand position, then slowly back up)
- 3 x 8 back squats
- 3 x 8 deadlifts
is that the order? Why curls and natural Glute Ham Raises before squats and deads? 
How was your sisters wedding?
I was going to ask “how come the weights?” But I won’t…
Purely due to bar availability… Room was packed when I got there.
Sister’s wedding was a day and night of joy. My favorite part was seeing all of our friends and relatives in one big room and drinking sips of wine on each table while chatting with them
(John there’s an album on fb… you got my account!)
But since you did… : I found myself training in a building with a weight room, once again :o
But I must say… perhaps back squats and deads are no longer suitable for me… my lower back bothers me when I do them, and the last thing I want is that horrid paid I had last summer when I went to see Jamirok…
But I do need a glute-alternative of such intensity that those exercises create… Open to suggestions.
I wonder if it is actually more a case of not doing squats or deads for ages (couldn’t see any for a while) and then doing them both in the same session and after the other stuff you did. That would knock anyone around, even SuperStef .
Excuse the pics but check out
I alternate between GM & RDL for 4 weeks and on the other day Glute Bridge & Hip Thrust.
Checked out the pics, looks like a fun time all round
Thanks John !!
Also, check this out
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/dispelling_the_glute_myth
Nick had sent this to me about a year ago, (he reminded me), and I searched for it today and it’s a really great article.
Perhaps you are right about the lack of squats/deads, but when it bothers even with warm up bar-weight, I’m really hesitant… (when pain hits sharply, I can’t even walk properly, so I really don’t want that back… :eek:)
Thursday, Dec. 30th, 2010
(2 degrees out !!)
(track)
-
3 laps warm up
-
very few stretching (training partner got there earlier and I was trying to catch up :rolleyes:)
-
2 x 70m strides w/ trainers
-
2 x 70m strides w/ spikes
(partner was doing 500s, and I stood at his 200m mark and did the last 300 with him)
- 300m (48secs) , 7’ rest
- 300m (47secs) , 10’ rest
- 300m (46secs)
(… ouch)
I think these were good, under the circumstances. I love training with company…
fair enough, pain with bar only isn’t good! While I recall you doing all those iso’s, sorry I can’t recall where the pain is. Lower back, knees or elsewhere?
To be that consistent I’m guessing they were fast relaxed (closer to 95%) than flat out?
Pain this week with the bar (I put weights later too) >> always low back. No issues with knees for a long time now =)
The only other niggle are shin splints, which I take care with EMS’ing calves and stretching, and my bunion pain, which goes away if I’m not on hard surfaces every day =) So things are going well for me, relatively speaking!!
300s were fast and relaxed, yes. I usually never drop times like that (historically, they increase by 1" each rep, with short rests like that), but my friend was ‘pulling’ me. (Although he claims I was pulling him, complaining about the pain I caused him by the end… :rolleyes: )
p.s. John, I’m not sure i’m capable yet of running a 300 ‘flat out’ (I always have to pace myself to make it). My ‘flat out’ would be at 95%, so this was at about 90, I suppose.
Friday, Dec. 31st, 2010
-
2 laps warm up, quick stretch
-
incomplete long circuit (signs of shin splints)
100+100+100+
100+200++100+100+
100+200++200++100+
100+200++100+100+ -
abs/donkey kicks/fire hydrants
Well, Happy New Year !!!
I’d ramble on and on now, but this thread is lucky I decided to curl my hair (what the heck) and then go wandering out with my sister, enjoying the city’s festivities and meeting up with friends
Thanks for the link!
I wonder if the glute guy would consider EMS as an option. I find that after using EMS it feel like I am activating my glutes better. I feel a stronger contraction when doing quadrapeds…
No problem!
After EMS’ing your glutes specifically? Or anything in general?
Saturday, Jan. 1st, 2011
-
4 laps warm up
-
stretching
-
6 x 100 stairs (double-double-single-double-double-single)
-
2 x 100m hill
Sunday, Jan. 2nd, 2011
active OFF (1.5hr walking)
Glutes specifically. I think that you could get some decent activation using ems on the glutes as compared to the exercises on the tnation link. I improved my standing broad jump by 4-6 inches. My med ball feels stronger too. My form is a little off but i feel it’s stronger since I have been stimming more often.
Here’s a quick vid from yesterday. My form is off but PJ gave me a few pointers on how to fix it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=1EKdj8uhurE