Category Archives: Running – Training

Across the Years Training Week 3 Recap

So I signed up for my first 24 Hour foot race and detailed my high level training plan and my nutrition plan.

So now I will detail my training from Week 3

across the years calendar week 3

This week saw more improvements, faster walking, heavier leg work in the gym and stair climbing added to the mix. No running yet (it is anticipated that I will start to get that in this week.. we will see) but I am very happy with how things are going at this stage.. and it definitely felt like I was training.

My foot feels better and is allowing me to do faster, longer walks and stair climbing.. so that is all that needs to be written I guess. It is improving and the hope is that it will be almost 100% this week.

Before I write about the specifics of my training week, I want to write that one thing that I mentioned in my nutrition plan that I expected to be the case.. has so far played itself out to be the case. I haven’t been able to get as much food and water in as I like on the weekends. I just get so busy (trying to do the things that I can’t get done during the week) that I struggle to get 4 meals in. I am still getting most of my desired protein in, but am lower on my carbs (which maybe isn’t a bad thing a couple of days a week). I definitely don’t get in the gallon of water a day, but do try and get in at least 2 glasses of Club Soda (I really love the stuff!) when I go out to eat and that is at least another 32 oz. Like I wrote in that post.. it just is what it is but I do try and stay vigilant and get in my calories as best I can. I haven’t really noticed any issues from it, but on Monday I definitely try to be right back where I want to be.

Oh and I added in stair climbing this week (which was exciting and fun.. and reminded me that it will be valuable for this race because it really tires out my legs) because my chiropractor said that it should be ok because there isn’t the eccentric loading that running has (that eccentric loading on my calves is what I am almost ready for and what was hurt with the negative drop spikes that I was wearing for my track series) but that he didn’t want me race walking and then stair climbing the next day. Take a day off in between at this point and so that is why I only got in two race walking sessions. They were much better walking sessions though, so I was pleased.

So onto last week:

Tuesday the 30th: 5 sets of standard 90 degree leg presses. Was happy that I was able to get up to 450X10 for the last one. While not super strong by any means, not super weak either and gives me a good place to start. They felt like work for sure.

3 sets for Abs

17 sets for chest

Didn’t get time to do traps and while I wanted to do them later in the week.. I didn’t. I got in pretty decent rhombhoid work with my lats on Saturday but missed traps. It’s all good.. I will hit them hard this coming week for sure

Wednesday the 31st: 3 miles of walking at a seriously better pace than the week before! They were 12:46, 12:43 and 12:46. Huge improvement and it felt (and it didn’t take many sessions) like I am starting to get my hips back into the race walking groove. Was very happy that I was able to shave a couple of minutes per mile off as quickly as I did.

Thursday the 1st: Walking Lunges using a pair of 30’s (up from 25’s the week before), Side Lunges holding a 45lb plate (up from a 25lb the week before) and 2 sets of of the Life Fitness Glute Press Machine. Was really happy with this volume of work for my glutes and am already noticing the difference in them.

17 sets for Delts

14 sets for Biceps My main movement being one arm preacher bench dumbbell curls… I definitely felt those in the morning!

Friday the 2nd: My first stair climbing session of this Training Plan! Yay! I did 32 floors and I loved it! Felt like a workout for sure. Of note is that I took the side of my building where I climb 4 floors to get to the top (and then take the elevator down). The other side has 5 floors. I thought since it had been a little while since I had climbed that it would make sense to take the shorter distance.. still 32 floors was my goal and I got it.

Saturday the 3rd: Barbell Romanian Deadlifts 5 sets ending with 215X7. Back was engorged. Felt good but relatively tough for sure. Had an impact on my walk on Sunday.

20 sets for Lats

17 sets for Triceps (getting up a 100lb dumbbell for 5 reps on the seated two hand dumbbell french press.. felt good about that)

Only got in Abs/Obliques once this week (once again mostly a time thing) but because of that will work to terrorize them twice this coming week for sure.

Sunday the 4th: 5 miles of race walking! So cool. It was tough from the start though. The main reason I am sure being the impact that the 5 sets of Romanians had on my hamstrings. They had a significant impact and since walking is pulling, your hamstrings are your primary movers (along with your glutes/hips and your shins). Was tough and did feel like walking on tired legs.. I was right on that part of my training plan. I was able to still knock out good walking miles and without a doubt it felt like a workout. I have been walking around slowly today since then. It was work without question. My laps were 12:58, 12:41, 12:55, 13:01 and 13:24. The last mile was hard…

Legs are sore and tired (and so are my shoulders and lats) right now.

That is about it for Week 3 of 24… I would generalize last week as a significant improvement in one week and I am very happy with it. Looking forward to trying to run this coming week and seeing how that feels with the race walking and gym work on my legs.

Best of luck in your training,

Chris