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Trail running with a group of fellow runners from the Hamilton Township area has introduced me to many new people. One of those is Nate Ribiero, who is a physical fitness trainer/instructor, and has worked at local area gyms. He invited me, along with many other people, to attend a special “training camp” he is hosting. The agenda is simple: meet for an hour each week over five weeks to train as a group, and train HARD. His mantra: “Bring your inner monster”. The class meets 7pm on Tuesday evenings at the Robbinsville Indoor Soccer Field (with an exception that the first week’s meet was at 4:30pm due to a scheduling conflict).

One of Nate’s rules that must be kept: Everyone must either jog or run from place to place during training. No walking is permitted.

The first week was indeed challenging, but I found the inner strength to complete it in style. Here is the routine we followed:

– Warm Up: Jogging in circles on the soccer field, followed by a few minutes of thorough stretching.

– Routine 1: We repeated this routine ten times
1. Sprint at top speed across the width of the soccer field.
2. Jog back to start
3. High-knees across the width of the soccer field (not to be confused with skipping across the field).
4. Jog back to start
* Nate didn’t like the intensity of some people’s sprints, so we repeated a few here and there. (I’m growing to like Nate more and more.)

– Routine 2:
1. Sprint to 1/4 field
2. Hot feet in place for about 30 to 60 seconds (I’ve never done this before, and noticed it becomes more and more difficult to keep your legs in a wide stance while doing this)
3. Drop and roll to left into a push-up position
4. Mountain climbers for about 60 seconds
5. Crab crawl to half-field, making sure to keep the back parallel to the ground.
6. Push ups until entire group arrives at the line (approximately 15 push-ups)
7. Hot feet in place again for another 30 to 60 seconds
8. Drop and roll to the right into push-up position
9. Mountain climbers for about 60 seconds
10. Sprint to 3/4 field
11. Drop down into push up position and hold, waiting for the entire group to get on the line.
12. 25 push ups
13. Jog back to the start

– Routine 3: (we repeated this routine three times)
1) Side to side ski jumps to 1/4 field, using the while line to zig-zag across (don’t land on the line)
2) A low side-to-side shuffle across 1/4 field (with your back to the starting line)
3) Warrior lunges to 1/2 field (a very low lunge, holding your hands above your head the whole time)
4) Another low side-to-side shuffle in back to the line where ski jumps were done.
5) Sprint back to the center line, turn abruptly at the first cone, and repeat making sharper and sharper turns around the cones, shortening the sprint distance each time (zig zag)
6) jog back to start

Finished.

At lunch today, I repeated the circuit I first tried last Wednesday. I ran through it three times, each time completing it in under 15 minutes.

– 0.5 mi sprint on the treadmill (at a 6:58 pace)
– 10 plyometric push-ups on a step with two risers
– 15 star hops (aka squat jumps)
– 500 meters on the rowing machine
– 1 length of frog hops (down the long hallway)
– 1 length of walking lunges with two 35lb dumbbells
– 1 mile on the bike (~135 rpm)
– 10 step-ups with each leg on the large metal stand.

In the evening, I went to the gym 40 minutes before the pool closed and did part of my swim workout. Unfortunately the workout wasn’t very good because I felt rushed and had just eaten dinner an hour before the swim:
– Warm-up freestyle for 6 minutes
– 3 x 100 kicks: freestyle with fins and board
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 10 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 20 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 30 seconds
– 100 more meters freestyle

After church today I put in my first long run of the season. It’s only ten miles, but I have to start somewhere. Jeannie and Peter met me along the course on the canal path. Peter rode his bike beside me for a half-mile and on my return, Jeannie provided me with gu and water. That was nice since it was pretty hot and I started my run at 12:30 in the afternoon.

Long run; out and back from home, along Olden ave., Parkway ave., Lower Ferry rd., and the D&R canal path (technically the feeder canal).
10 miles.
Mile 1: 7:51
Mile 2: 7:52
Mile 3: 8:40 – stopped to put Pete’s chain back on his bike 🙂
Mile 4: 8:27
Mile 5: 8:19
Mile 6: 8:32
Mile 7: 8:24
Mile 8: 8:43
Mile 9: 8:34
Mile 10: 8:17

I trained for an hour before the Diana 5k Run:
– repeats of gyakuzuke in place (x60 each side)
– repeats of mai geri ushiro in place (x60 each side)
– basics, combinations
– 5 attack sparring
– Striking force training (kicks and punches)

Diana Run 5k race in Plainsboro – 21:52 (7:02 avg pace):
Mile 1.0: 6:35
Mile 2.0: 7:12
Mile 3.0: 7:20
Mile 3.1: 0:44

I finished in 32nd place; not my best 5k time but I’m pretty sore from my first week of marathon training, a new circuit routine on Wednesday, and lots of kicks this morning right before the race. Congratulations to Jen Liney who took first place in the women’s category with a time of 19:49. The course was great – slight decline in the first mile, then back up the same path in the last mile. The course was laid out in a very simple way, which was nice.

I’ve actually run near this course before. When I run eight miles at lunch I do an out-and-back starting at Dow Jones in South Brunswick and turn around at the parking lot of the middle school in Plainsboro (which is four miles each way). The parking lot is where the 5k began. Now if I’m feeling adventurous and have an extra 20 minutes I can add three more miles of familiar territory to my eight mile run.

I took a 30 minute abs class at DJFC today. My marathon schedule called for a five mile run at 8:07, but since I plan to run a 5k tomorrow, I just did a three mile run after abs.

30 minutes of abs, instructor led:
Plank routine:
– Plank position with feet on disc sliders: 20 sideway slides with each foot
– 30 second plank hold (on hands, not elbows)
– Plank position with feed on disc sliders: 20 forward slides with each foot to opposite arm
– 30 second plank hold
– short stretch and rest
(Repeat plank routine two more times)

Body bar routine:
– Laying on floor, legs straight, 18 lb body bar extended overhead, sit up with bar, holding overhead extending to ceiling (repeat 10 times); on last one lay back one vertebrae at a time.
– Holding legs straight up and body bar straight over chest, crunch up to touch shins with the bar (repeat 10 times)
– Extend legs toward floor with knees straight, curl legs back toward bar and lift hips to have legs touch the bar (repeat 10 times)
– 10 sets of bicycles while holding the bar
(Repeat body bar routine two more times)

Side planks:
– On right arm with left arm staight to ceiling, legs parallel to each other; hold 30 seconds
– Bend top leg so foot rests on lower calve; hold 15 seconds
– Lift top leg and hold straight in the air over the lower leg; hold 15 seconds
– Switch and repeat with the other leg.

Easy 3.1 mile run after abs (~24 mins)

Today marks the second day of my scheduled marathon training. Sure, I’ve already run three times this week (four if you count the sprints I did yesterday as part of the circuit), but I don’t count those toward my marathon training. Today calls for 5 miles of running with three of those miles at tempo pace. The pace should be 6:45, which is a bit aggressive right now. I know my tempo pace is slower than that so I’ll be working up to it. I ran from the house to TCNJ and around the campus, then past Parkway Elementary school and back home.

Stats:
5.17 mi run (3 mi at tempo pace):
Mile 1: 8:36
Mile 2: 6:58
Mile 3: 7:30
Mile 4: 7:28
Mile 5: 8:34
Mile 5.17: 1:33

In the evening, I went to Gold’s to put in another swimming session (still training for the NYC Nautica triathlon). I need to be able to swim by the end of July so I don’t drown in the Hudson river.
– Warm-up freestyle for 6 minutes (completed 5 laps)
– 3 x 100 kicks: freestyle with fins and board
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 10 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 20 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 30 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle
– 3 x 100 pulls, freestyle; breathe every 8 strokes, with paddles and buoy
– 300 free – swim down

A trainer at the DJ Fitness Center showed me a new training routine (listed below). It was tough, but I plan to repeat it next week. In the morning I did a warm-up run before karate.

– Run 3.1 miles (1 mile barefoot)
Karate:
– 70 reverse punches each arm
– 70 front kicks each leg
– freestyle basics
– sparring: double jodan attack to jaw
– sparring: 5 attack sparring full length of floor

At lunch, I did a free 30 minute training session with a trainer at Dow Jones’ Fitness Center, Lisa Curtin. It was a tough workout; here’s what the circuit involved:

– 0.5 mi sprint on the treadmill (ran 0.15 at 10mph, 0.15-0.40 at 11mph, last 0.10 at 12mph)
– 10 plyometric pushups on two risers
– 15 star hops (reaching to the ceiling)
– 500 meters on the rower
– 1 length of frog hops (down the long hallway)
– 1 length of walking lunges with two 35lb dumbbells
– 1 mile on the bike (~135 rpm)
– 10 step-ups with each leg on the large metal stand.

Repeat one more time.

I didn’t fit the second circuit into the half-hour of the trainer-led session since I burned a few minutes at the start on a warm-up. I did finish the routine on my own though. It was awesome and challenging. I recommend trying it out.

Today is officially the first day of my scheduled training for the Steamtown Marathon. My schedule includes 16 weeks of running, the distance of which totals 604 miles. The maximum distance I’ll reach is 40 miles in a week.

At lunch today, I was supposed to run six miles at an 8:07 pace. Here’s what happened:

– 6 mile run, ~7:30 pace
Mile 1: 7:33
Mile 2: 7:35
Mile 3: 7:36
Mile 4: 7:46
Mile 5: 7:50
Mile 6: 7:08

Later in the day, I repeated my swimming routine from Memorial Day, but added a few more laps here and there:
– Warm-up freestyle for 6 minutes (completed 5 laps)
– 3 x 100 kicks: freestyle with fins and board
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 10 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 20 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 30 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle
– 3 x 100 pulls, freestyle; breathe every 8 strokes, with paddles and buoy
– 300 free – swim down

Happy Memorial Day. Thank you to all those who serve and who have served in the U.S. military.

I had to work today, although it is a holiday today at Dow Jones. Fortunately, I didn’t start until noon, which gave me time to get in some training. I swam and ran today at Gold’s. I couldn’t get started early though since Gold’s didn’t open until 7am.

Swim led by instruction (distances in meters):
– Warm-up freestyle for 6 minutes (completed 5 laps)
– 2 x 100 kicks: freestyle with fins and board
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 10 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle, rest 20 seconds
– 1 x 100 freestyle
– 2 x 100 pulls, freestyle; breathe every 8 strokes, with paddles and buoy
– 200 free – swim down
Focus on keeping body “long”; don’t touch walls (no push-offs) or floor during laps.

After the swim I did a leisurely 3.5 mile run in about 25 minutes.

On February 28, 2009 a group of us from Gold’s Gym in Lawrenceville who train in karate together plunged into the Atlantic Ocean.

The goal of the Seaside Polar Bear Plunge is to raise money and awareness for the Special Olympics of New Jersey. Our team was comprised of 22 members and together we raised $5,787 to benefit the Special Olympics of New Jersey (SONJ). We’ve done this event about six years running and each year is more fun than the previous. Overall, the event raised more than 1.1 million dollars for SONJ. Donations continue to be accepted; please help support the individuals who compete each year: sconzo.com/plunge

At 1pm, 22 of us and about 4,000 other brave souls ran into the water. Some ran in and sprinted right back out. Others lingered for a bit longer. Personally, I lingered, trying to keep people from leaving the water 🙂  I ran into the ocean four times, each time trying to bring more people back into the water. The first time in, I waded around for a bit, capturing video of the other plungers from the ocean.

I used my Canon SD850 IS with its underwater waterproof case (WP-DC15) to capture the video and photos from the ocean.

Each year, our group secures five or six rooms at the Aztec Hotel, which is situated right in front of the plunge spot. They party the whole weekend and they really know how to throw a party. They have food catered, lots to drink and parade as a group out to the plunging area about 30 minutes prior to plunge time. Here’s our group photo from last year:

I didn’t stay long to enjoy the three-day party though, since I’ve got lots of work to do. I arrived a few hours before the 1pm plunge time, so I went for a run along the boardwalk and on the beach. I only put in about three miles. While on the beach, I imitated the scene from Rocky where he runs on the beach with Apollo; of course they ran on the beach on a warm day. My socks and shoes got soaked from the cold water as I was right where the water ran up the beach. I returned to the hotel and left my shoes and socks behind so I could return to the beach for a barefoot run. I headed back along the boardwalk and made my way to the ocean. This time I decided to be crazy and run in the water. The water was cold, but it felt great.

I ran back to the hotel again, and was able to convince Marci to come for another run with me on the beach, barefoot. If you know Marci, then you would be surprised to hear that she agreed to do this. This time, during my run I hit a pothole in the water and took an early plunge — and this was right in front of some spectators. It was pretty funny.

Fun was had by all and we’re anxiously looking forward to next year.