Running on Different Terrain - Sand

With so many folks traveling and taking on new adventures which often involve more than just road running, it seems like a good idea to do a series about running technique on differnt types of terrain. Given this weekend is the unofficial start to summer it seems most fitting to start with a post about running on sand. Take a look for some good tips on how to best run in the sand, avoid injury and enjoy the experience.

BTB Endurance Programming: Week of May 27

Group workouts will only be Tuesday & Wednesday evenings this week, back to regular schedule on June 4th. AM crew, try to get these in next week on your own.

Tuesday 6:30 PM @ Ponce: 3 x 1200m, rest 3:00, hold splits within 3-5 seconds

Wednesday 6:30 PM @ Buck: 1:00 on, 1:00 off, 0:50 on, 1:00 off, 0:40 on, 1:00 off, 0:30 on, 1:00 off, 0:20 on, 1:00 off: 0:10 on

Stamina: 60 minute TT

Goals

Goals - we all want 'em, we all got 'em....or do we? The CrossFit definition of a “Goal” is: A specifically desired end-state, expressed in the positive tense, that provides motivation and direction on the path to achievement.

Why are you running? What are your goals? Post to the comments below what your current goal is and for a little motivation to set a goal, check out this video.

BTB Endurance Programming: Week of May 20

Monday 6AM @ Ponce: 3 x (100m + 200m + 400m), 1:1 work:rest ratio

Tuesday 6:30PM @ Ponce: 10 x 100m, rest 0:45, hold splits within 2-3 seconds

Wednesday 6AM @Ponce; 6:30 PM @ Buck: 6 x 600m, rest 90 seconds, hold all splits within 3-5 seconds

Why Sprint?

A few interesting articles about sprinting came my way this week so thought it would make a good blog post, especially for all the newbies joing the Endurance workouts. Mark's Daily Apple decries that one of the major deficits in our modern lives is a lack of sprinting. Key benefits of sprinting include:

• Sprint intervals improves insulin sensitivity
• Sprinting doesn’t just make you better at sprinting, it increases the oxidative (fat burning) potential of muscle and improves endurance capacity and improves the efficiency of muscle during exercise, so you can conserve more glycogen and rely on more fat, instead of using up the former right away (perfect for fat-burning beasts). Incorporating sprint training with jump training improves both speed and vertical leap in handball players better than jumping alone.
• It’s an effective way to improve agility and speed
• Best of all, sprinting is the best bang for your buck exercise around. It’s over quick, you’re not in agony for hours at a time (and for more hours after the workout), and it gets the job done.

Read the whole article to get some quick motivation for some good sprints this week.

BTB Endurance Programming: Week of May 13

Monday 6AM @ Ponce: 4 x 600m TT, work:rest 1:3

Tuesday 6:30 PM @ Ponce: 5 x 800m, rest 2:00, hold splits within 3-5 seconds

Wednesday 6AM @ Ponce / 6:30 PM @ Buck: 8 x 200m, rest 1:00, hold splits within 2-3 seconds

Tempo: 10K TT

Rules of the Road

Ever drive past a group of runners that seemingly have NO IDEA what the rules of the raod are? This week's post is all about the etiquette of running - there truly are do's and don'ts of road running. Check out this article from Fitbie/MSN. If you think these rules are silly, or you don't have time to read them, read this....and then you'll realize why the rules of the road are important. Be safe out there!

BTB Endurance Programming: Week of May 6

Monday, 6AM @ Ponce - 5 x 800m, rest 2:00, hold splits within 3-5 seconds

Tuesday, 6:30 PM @ Ponce - 6 x 400m, rest 90 seconds, deviate no more than +/- 2-3 seconds

Wednesday, 6AM @ Ponce / 6:30 PM @ Buck -  8 x 20:10, Group WODS will incorporate hill work; if doing on own use treadmill set at 12% grade, 0-30 seconds slower than 5k pace per mile, do not reduce the speed.

Tempo Run -  5k @ 90% of 5k TT (don't know your 5K TT? Do that instead so you have the baseline for next time)

CrossFit Endurance. Suck Less.

Because I think this is funny...and true...this week's post is about why CrossFit Endurance makes you suck less. Enjoy. :)

“This is really what CrossFit Endurance is designed to do: it’s to make you suck less,” says John McBrien, a CrossFit Endurance coach. “Find the area where you suck, and then make it suck less. That’s the goal, right?”

According to McBrien, traditional endurance training focuses on volume and intensity, with technique training only as a “last resort.” However, CrossFit Endurance programming, like CrossFit itself, starts with technique, then adds intensity and volume only after the technique is sound.

“One of the reasons we came up with CrossFit Endurance was to help the CrossFit athlete develop a bigger gas tank; that is, develop stamina,” McBrien explains. He says CrossFit Endurance seeks to replace cardiorespiratory endurance with stamina.

“Think about stamina as gears on a car—you want to use all the energy systems effectively. If we can teach the athlete to use all of them effectively, it’s not only going to help their anaerobic capacity but it is also going to help their cardiorespiratory endurance,” he says.

For the CrossFitter, CrossFit Endurance brings pacing, and for the endurance athlete, it brings intensity with interval training.

BTB Endurance Programming: Week of April 29

Monday 6AM @ Ponce: 10 x 100m, rest 0:45, hold splits within 2-3 seconds

Tuesday 6:30 PM @ Ponce: 9 x 60:60 (9 rounds of 1:00 on/1:00 off) at 95% effort

Wednesday 6AM @ Ponce & 6:30 PM @ Buck:  3 x 1200m, rest 3:00, hold efforts within 3-5 seconds