Can you lift a Doug?

Every athlete knows it - hitting a new PR is great

For quite a long time at Pure Athletics I've been stuck in a rut in my Olympic Weight lifting. Truth of the matter is I don't work on it enough to see real improvement (there is this thing called Ironman at the end of August I am training for). However, earlier in the winter I was able to lift and overhead squat 135 lbs, I really did find it weird that a higher One-Rep Max was eluding me.

Then, two pieces came into play that would eventually change this.

One, I set a goal. Lift my bodyweight (150 pounds) from the ground, above my head. I'd use the Clean & Jerk method, which breaks the movement down into two steps.

Here's somebody lifting much more weight with much better technique than I ever will.

Two, our schedule at CrossFit provided the opportunity for me to work consistently at the movement. On the gym's "Rest Days" we started to work on our "goats" - that is, something you're not-so-awesome at. Volume was the key, practicing the movement with perfect technique, getting stronger in small progressions.

Then you work on it. Every minute, for twenty minutes. Maybe 1 rep, maybe 5 (based upon the movement you're practicing).

So for 4 weeks, every 4th day, Elizabeth and I would show up, she would work her Wall Balls, and I my Clean and Jerk.

I started at 95 pounds, 53 reps over 20 minutes.
Then 105 pounds, 51 reps
Then 115, then 125

This week I was slated to do 135 pounds. It was getting pretty heavy, so I decided to just try 1 rep every minute, for 20 minutes.

9 minutes went by, and as I got used to the weight, it became easier. So I added 5 pounds (140 lbs).

Another 5 reps. Another 5 pounds. Now lifting 145 lbs.

Last rep, 5 more pounds. Bodyweight Clean & Jerk, hellz yeah.


Unfortunately, no camera on site this momentus day - here's a picture of me looking awesome

Thanks to Coach Lu & Roe for the motivation, and my wife for encouraging me every rep of the way.

With that goat done, what do I do now? Time to set another goal!

Getting to the Point - April Fool's RR

Nothing quite like a good Point-to-Point race, and the April Fool's half marathon this past weekend is no exception.

I ran this race last year with members of the TriScouts and North Shore Tri Club. A bit of a different turnout this year with different dynamics, but still lots of fun.

Here's the link to my Garmin data (a bit early in the post I know, but it also saves me from tracking down a map of the race).

The Ride
One of the great things about this race is how grassroots it is. Super cheap for a Half Mary, and it's scheduled so that you can take the first ferry over from Horseshoe Bay in the morning, and they even have shuttles to take you to the race start! A bit of a quick turnaround, but kinda fun to figure out how well you can race on minimal warmup.

(If I end up going next year, though, I might run laps around the deck...)

The Lineup
This year the "People that I know at this race" included Rachel, Team Richele & Donovan, Jeff (he's in a rock band!), Trina & Sleevens, and the NSTC crew.

Let the Hurting Begin
The race started out downhill this year, and as usual I had a bit of an problem figuring out whom to run with in the first couple of kms. Do I push it a bit and get with the faster group, or back off a bit so that I don't blow up?

Luckily for me, Donovan was running right behind me the entire race. According to him, I was running really smoothly, would speed down the downhills, but slow up on the uphills (and if you look at the course profile, there are lots of both!) It's not all that often that you get play-by-play feedback on your running form during a race!

Oh, and be sure to always wear cool sunglasses during running races. Spectators will be sure to comment on them, and give you a little boost when you need it most.

Ran through the half-way point at 37 minutes - might have just set a new 10km PB.

With about 5 km to go, the course turned to a slight uphill. I hear a bit of a 'grinding' behind me, and figure for some reason that a mountain bike is coming up on my left. No, a runner. Drops me on the uphill, and continues to run down 2 more racers in front of me. What a final kick for this racer!

Managed to pass one more runner in the final few kilometers of the race, but apparently I also kept hallucinating the race marker signs (didn't I already see the 19 km marker ?!?)

At the 20 km mark, I checked behind me to see if I was going to need to work at the finish. Coast is clear! Running down the finishing shoot - all good! Then I hear the race announcer - "And hear comes Donovan Watts from Vancouver". Apparently wearing a white race shirt makes you invisible to racers infront of you who quickly glance backwards near the end of the race! He almost caught me!

Final time - 1:17:10, 9th overall. (Please do keep in mind that when the race winner crossed at 1:09:59, I still had 2 kilometers to go)

The Cooldown
After a brief respite, Donovan and I decided to do our cooldown opposite the racers who were still coming in. I complained about my calf muscles (from racing downhill), Donovan his quads (from racing uphill). Saw Jeff, Rachel, Richele, Stephen, Katrina, Jonesy, Susie, and others run the final stretch of their races!

It was very important, though, when we turned around from our cooldown to head back to the race finish that we not run faster than runners still finishing their race.

Recovery Meal
Conveniently, right down the block from the community centre where the race bus drops you off is the BlackFish Pub. Good, basic pub menu - a great place for a post-race recovery meal and a beer.

That's all for now kids. Don't really know what race is up next (currently signed up for the Oliver Half-Iron, but that's in June). Will keep you posted

~ liquid

CrossFit & Endurance Training - Liquid's Perspective

This one's been a long time coming, but with the number of articles and forum posts, fB status updates, as well as some recent race results that I can actually pin numbers to, it's time to answer if/how/has CrossFit helped my triathlon training.


The Backstory
Elizabeth and I first went to see Coach Dave in January 2010. My (now) wife wanted to be fit for our wedding in July, and several of her staff had seen great results through CrossFit programs.

I still remember the first "assessment" day and how the Tabata squat set left me crippled for the rest of the weekend. 4 minutes of exercise did to me what normally takes about 3 hours of racing.

Since that first day, we have been doing our daily WODs (that's Workout of the Day) at Pure Athletics / CrossFit North Vancouver. I can do 40 Kipping Pullups before failure, can deadlift over 300 pounds, and am oh-so-close to lifting my bodyweight over my head.

Since then I have been called a running maniac, Ironman, liquid, and stupid


How CrossFit has helped my triathlon training

Time
I am allowed to make every second year an 'Ironman' year. 2007, my first time at IMC. 2009, I raced IM Coeur d'Alene and IM Canada. 2011 Ironman Canada (and the New York Marathon). 2013 Ironman Canada will fall on my 30th Birthday.

This rule exists for a couple of reasons, but mostly because my wife would like to see me every once in a while. And that is the hardest part about Ironman training, especially when one partner can train and race, and the other does not. The time commitment of endurance training can easily take its toll on any relationship (and we all know people for whom this has been the case).

Elizabeth and I cannot go for a run together. I quite literally run twice as fast as her. But at CrossFit North Vancouver, we can share a workout. Yes, she hates to get up for a 7 am class, and yes, I could probably fit in a 2-hour workout in the time it takes to drive to the box, do the WOD, and drive home.

But if 5 hours per week of travel and Crossfitting gives me leave to do my long rides and runs, I'll take it.

Nutrition
If you didn't read my riveting post on the 30-day Paleo Diet Challenge, here's a link.

I'll be honest, I like bread, I like cookies, and I haven't finished reading the copy of The Paleo Solution that I won from the challenge.

But I no longer need cream and sugar to enjoy my coffee.

And I'm drinking as much water every day as I can. And I take a container of homemade trail mix every day to work (Save-On-Foods has an awesome bulk section). Mostly nuts and dried fruit, but there are also some butterscotch chips in there.

Being in an environment that at least gets me thinking about my nutrition on a day-to-day basis helps me make better choices when I'm rushed, exhausted, or just plain lazy.

Technique and Stability

Correct form is an important focus in all my athletic endeavors. I have re-trained my running stride around the principles of evolution/natural running. I took Pilates for 2 years to improve my knee tracking. I've done repeats going down Spanish Banks to improve my descending and corning skills.

When we first started at CFNV, the coaches stressed the importance of proper technique in all the movements, be they Olympic lifts or gymnastics. For some workouts, the best technique is the quickest way to complete the movement, for others, it is not.

It's not that I wasn't strong, but muscling through a movement, I was told, would lead to minimal improvement. Doing a workout at a light weight, with perfect technique, is the only way to eventually improve over the long-term.

You've got to be able to run slowly efficiently in order to run fast. You've got to be able to hold a line at 10 kph before descending safely at 60 kph.

And you've got to be able to deadlift a wooden dowel before lifting 300 lbs.

For the past year, I haven't had to contend with injury or excessive fatigue. I no longer have pain in my hip or knee after a long run. All I need is the occasional icepack and nap, and I'm fine. I don't attribute this entirely to strength training of course. But, my CrossFit coaches and fellow athletes, like my friends in the triathlon community, stress the importance of recovery and understand that consistent quality workouts trump needless volume (define this one as you will - Ironman training still requires a lot of volume!)


But has it made me faster?
Ah, the critical question, and the one that has plagued the internet ever since CrossFit and triathlon met.

Does high intensity anaerobic training actually make an endurance athlete faster? Can one train for an Ironman (and to compete, not just complete) on under 10 hours of training a week? Or would that athlete be better off spending his or her time focusing on more swimming, biking, and running?

Here are my thoughts
I try to run four times a week, bike three, and swim three. Sometimes more, often less. And I'm pretty happy with the duration of each workout (I'll rebel if my coach ever prescribes a 2-hour track workout). For me, I am finding a way to fit in CrossFit workouts around and in addition to my S, B, R responsibilities, and for the time being I'm happy with the balance.

Can an athlete compete at the Ironman distance on the 10 hours / week that is espoused on the net? I don't think so, but if you sponsor an Ironman training year for me I'll sure as hell try. While I'm paying the cash for my races, though, I'll stick to the tried-and-true method of combining endurance and intensity in my training. How many runners have you seen with 10 kilometers to go in a marathon, slowing down because their brain quit before their body did?

All that said, I do actually have 2 data points that I can compare from the April Fool's Half-Marathon, 2010 and 2011.

2010 - Finishing time of 1:22:54. Had been going to CFNV for 3 months; in the middle of training for the BMO Marathon. Purposefully took the second half of the race 'lighter' so as to train my marathon pace of 4:05 per km.

2011 - Finishing time of 1:17:10. Over 5 minutes faster. Raced everything I had, and knew the course. Found that I was well prepared to give a bit of extra gas on the flats and downhills, and recover just below my threshold afterwords. The uphills were not so fast, but they didn't leave me shattered or gassed-out either.

Conclusions
I am truly grateful to the team at Pure Athletics for the part they play in my lead up to Ironman Canada 2011, and for letting me kick some ass whenever there's a run as part of the WOD.

I could easily imagine a CrossFit environment where this couldn't happen, where it was all about the Workout Of the Day and triathletes and other "fringe" athletes were not as "fit" as they thought they were.

I have yet to encounter any fringe athletes at Pure Athletics. Although if they pass me a 20 lb medicine ball at the finishing cute of Ironman Canada (as has been suggested by a few), I will (not so politely) decline.

So, I'll continue to swim, I'll ride long, and I'll run far. And I'll do my wall balls, clean & jerks, and KB swings. I'll let you know how it goes at the end of August.

~ liquid

It's a Big Day for Bloggin'

You know what the internet is missing?

More Doug

That guy is just as interesting as he is good looking. Plus, he's as modest as he is charming.

Well, dear reader, today I bring you joyous tidings of two new blog adventures that yours truly will be a part of.

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First up, I will be contributing to the Running for Wishes blog. This is managed by the BC and Yukon Chapter of the Children's Wish Foundation to promote their Charity Challenge for the Scotiabank Half-Marathon and 5 km race in June.

So if you want to read my thoughts on run training, from initial Goal Setting and early Season Planning, to strategies for surviving Race Week, add it to your RSS Reader.

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As many of you know, for the past year I have been doing CrossFit training at Pure Athletics in North Vancouver. What you may not know is that, since January, I have been running Interval Clinics twice a week.

Well, from this point forward I will be writing on the CrossFit North Vancouver blog about my training there. I'll be writing about specific workouts, what I've learned about training and recovery, and how I balance the very different worlds of CrossFit and Endurance training.

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And, of course, you'll be able to read about my usual crazy adventures in triathloning @ liquidgiles.blogspot.com

If you're not doing so already, be sure to follow me on Twitter @liquid_giles. That way, you'll know when there's a new post to read!

~ liquid