Workout Wednesday

There seems to be a new trend developing on runLBP.com: The Wednesday Post. I guess it’s the day that works best for the working man, so from now on, check back Wednesdays instead of Sundays for new journal entries. Fittingly, I will often times be working out on Wednesdays (hence the name steal from FloTrack), so there can hopefully be a few good posts to check out.

And thankfully…the workouts have begun for me! Last Friday I was able to put my first workout in at the Rutgers Track and drop 4x800 in 2:32, 2:32, 2:30, 2:29 before rocking some strides after. Then yesterday, I was able to hop into some 1ks with Delilah and Frances Koons (one of my new teammates). As chivalrous as I am I led the last two. Then I discarded my gentlemanly ways and tried dropping them…alas, it was to no avail. But I did get in 4x1k at around 3:15 (~2:36 ½ mile pace) before running some 150s and concentrating on form.

On top of getting back into running, I have been doing some more strength-based exercising and trying to get jacked. I am incorporating a lot of hurdle work, drill work, and push-up work so that I can rock that last 120 of a race. Delilah and I were doing some exercises a week or two ago. One in particular proved extremely challenging:

Someone must be sitting in a chair in front of you, their back and the backrest facing you (they are sitting there to anchor the chair). You lie face-down on the ground and reach up with your hands so that you are grabbing the top of the chair, thus your back is arched (kinda like the cobra pose in yoga but your arms are up in the air grabbing a chair). From there, you pull yourself up using your core strength. The book we were using told us that it may feel as if your back was going to break in half. But that you would make it through and then complete the exercise by standing over the chair, it defeated below you.

I got about halfway through the exercise and, sure enough, I thought my back was going to break in half. I stopped immediately and cried out in horror.

Needless to say, I didn’t beat the chair that day. I have always known it, but I am really starting to understand that to be great at this sport, you really have to work your ass off. So keep in touch for when I start beating that chair, and really start to fill out the shirt in the picture below... Let’s Go!

The Gouchers and Amsterdam Musings

Amsterdam...

It came to my attention recently that the Columbia Track Team adoringly called my brother, Will, Adam Goucher. For the non-runner out there, this is in reference to a running couple, the Gouchers (Adam and Kara), who are fairly prominent faces on the USA running circuit. The thing is, Kara is WAAYYYYY better than Adam. She’s a World Championship Bronze Medalist, an amazing marathoner, and, as it turns out, extremely good looking. Nothing against Adam, but Kara is definitely the bread winner in terms of being the better runner. As you can guess, Will was referred to as Adam Goucher due to Delilah being a legit runner. It’s not really fair because Will isn’t trying to be a professional runner, but I thought it a fairly funny nickname nonetheless. Then something terrible happened. I became an Adam Goucher as well.

My girlfriend was a pretty damn good runner, but then she had to go and place higher at NCAAs than I did the year before. I was watching the race in Indianapolis with my brother and Jeff Moriarty (Columbia’s runner who has taken all my school records). We watched nervously – me especially – as Christine rounded the turn and passed two runners to place 5th in the 800 at the National Championships. Pretty cool. I was pumped. Sent her the usual text. Then Moriarty called me Adam Goucher. It was like a knife in the heart.

Christine called and I forgot about it for a sec. Then she said this: “Wait a second…what place did you take at NCs last year?” as she realized that she had placed higher than me and laughed…Classic Kara, always rubbing it in.
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Now just a few musings about Amsterdam…

1. There must be no problem with stage fright here. They have a lot of co-ed bathrooms and also have public urinals that are just out in the middle of the street. I am terrified of them.

2. The street names here are insane and when someone tells me to go towards one, I have no idea where to go. These are some of the street names: We are on Karthuizersstraat, next to us is Lijnbaansgracht, the Ann Frank Huis is on Prinsengracht, and I almost had an accident on Poopinmypantsinstraat. (ahahahaha. Elizabeth has told me I’m funny on more than one occasion on this trip. I always remind her that I’m trying really hard.)

That’s all for today. Had a nice workout with Bumbi and now relaxing on this nice Sunday evening. Last full day in Amsterdam tomorrow, I’ll have a treat on runLBP because of it…Let’s Go!

And for those of you holding your breath in anticipation...I did eat a Pizza Dog. It was awesome/awful all at once.