Team Run

6 miles in less than 52 minutes (I think).
1.5mi splits: 13:45, 12:30, ?, <13:00

My third lap was pretty slow. Next time, I'll bring my own timekeeping device, rather than rely on somebody else's.

I started using some of the mental toughness strategies suggested by Dr. Goldberg at the UCPC. Specifically, thinking about my "why?" and consciousless choosing to keep pushing myself rather than take the easier path. For my last lap, I kept visiualizing a certain opponent running right in front of me, picking up speed at times to force myself to run faster. He also stopped and puked at the (arbitrary) finish line, and I ran a little further. I added that part mostly because I came close to puking myself during the third lap, and even closer near the end of the fourth--coming onto College Ave for the last leg, with bile in my esophagus. In fact, since I'm still battling pseudo-sickness with the runny nose from hell (I blow my nose so often it bleeds), I ended up running with phlegm all over my sleeves. Not pleasant.

Team Lift

Fewer people, but another good workout.

ab crunch on machine: 10 at 70lb
lower back extension (machine): 10 at 70lb
pullups: 8, 5 at +5lb, 3 at +10lb, 6 (top half only)
45degree hyperextensions: 2x10, 10 at +10lb
4x15 supine hamstring curl on exercise ball

My legs are very sore.

Team Workout

Our first coach's workout of the season. What a doozy.

First, we did plyometrics. 3x10 for split squat jumps, wall jumps, squat jumps, step-up jumps, step jumps, and riccochet jumps. Next was stations. Three rounds, with five minutes of rest in between each round, 60 seconds each exercise with 10 seconds in between: pivot lunges, skaters, pushups, plank, single-leg shallow squats, sky humps, superman, wall sits, mountain climbers, and pushups (again).

I couldn't do the side planks, especially after pushups--my shoulders were screaming. Supermans were too tough, I couldn't hold them for long. My middle set of everything was not great, and by the end I felt closer to fainting than I am comfortable being. Being sick and stuffy left me pretty dehydrated, so my mouth was frustratingly cotton-dry. I worked through it, though, as best I could. Dr. Goldberg was in my head, saying "here the road forks. Right or left?"

I choose right.

Team Lift

It feels really good to be in the gym with a bunch of teammates. There was a prescribed workout, which I deviated from on the grounds that I am doing more lifting on my own.

9 pullups
4 pullups, +5lb
4 pullups
BB RDL: 2x8 at 45, 2x8 at 95lb
BB hang pull: 8 at 45, 8 at 55, 8 at 65lb
DB hang pull: 2x8 at 30lb

Lift

First lift of the new season!

16 medicine-ball pushups
32 medicine-ball squat + push press
bench press: 8 at 45, 8 at 95, 6 at 105, 4 at 105lb
8 overhead squat 45lb
push press: 8 at 45, 8 at 65, 4 at 95
abs

Pickup, Game Footage

Pickup in Buccleuch again today. I think I am learning more from pickup these days--partially due to the people at pickup, but also because I seem to be more receptive.

I've been watching a ton of game footage recently. The College '07 Finals, Rhino reels, Ultivillage recordings, and lots of video from Rutgers games. There really is a different pace to club Ultimate, and elite club especially, but after seeing so much action it becomes a little easier to pick out pearls. I've been debating with Ariel the viability of curving throws in offensive systems, their pros and cons and our speculation concerning their frequent appearance in the Buzz-Sockeye games. It isn't easy to learn from the film of elite teams, just because it's an entirely different game at the top and the way they play is pretty different from the way we do, but I've nonetheless tried to absorb some sense of "good Ultimate." The more I watch, the more I hope to be able to pick out good positioning, the way individuals exploit advantages in momentum or space, the habits of strong offenses, etc.

Right now, though, I have found it particularly educational to analyze, with help from others, my own performance: trying to determine where I played good defense, which throwing choices were questionable, whether a turnover was primarily due to my poor execution or my teammate's, when I contributed positively to the offense and where I can improve my game.

Lift

4 handstand pushups (with assistance)
3x8 squat + DB shoulder press, (15, 20, 25lb)
8 squat + BB shoulder press, 63lb
8 DB shoulder press, 25lb
3x8 DB chest press, 25lb
12 bench press, 63lb
1 pushup, +50lb

I need to find some way of keeping additional weight on my back so I can do weighted pushups. The handstand pushups were hard--the assistance was only to make sure I didn't fall over. This workout was mediocre. Not a lot of impetus, wasn't sure what I wanted to do, and my abs still hurt from the Deck of Cards workout on Monday. I'll put this day behind me.

Rutgers in 08

We haven't yet decided which jersey design we will pick, but here are some of the ideas so far. I love the fractal design, but it requires sublimated dye printing, which we do not think is possible to get on Patagonia jerseys, the brand of choice.

Lift

9 pullups
1 chain pullup
2 one-hand (2 arm) pullups, each hand
4 alternate grip pullups
8 DB hang-snatch 20lb
3x12 BB hang pull 62lb
3x12 SL DB RDL 20lb
8 towel-grip pullups

I tried to do a pullup between two swings, using the chains as grips. Chains hurt. I tried later with the towel, and had to adjust my grip in between each rep--I couldn't do more than one in a row. My left wrist actually still hurts from all the pushups I did yesterday, so all the grip stuff today felt good--the pulls weren't too bad, but I could definitely feel it by the end of each set. One other concern is that the left side of my lower back felt tweaked when doing the SL RDL on my left leg. I don't know what that's about, but hopefully some rest and stretching will take care of it.

Deck of Cards

Spades = burpees
Hearts = pushups
Clubs = mahlers
Diamonds = crunches

Do the value on the card. Faces are 10, aces 15. Do the workout for time.

I finished in 34:00. Not awful for my first try, especially considering how terrible I am at pushups. I did the burpees and mahlers the way I figure they ought to be done--each rep with a real pushup, and exploding off the ground for burpees. That's a lot of pushups. By the last couple cards, I could only lower myself halfway, but I made sure to do one for each rep. It was exhausting.

Pickup with Contacts

I recently acquired contacts. I got dailys, and basically they are for days I play Ultimate. I just got to try them out for their intended purpose this weekend.

Buccleuch Park on Saturday had a good turnout, but I showed up late. I threw my cleats on upon arrival, jumped on the line, and promptly contributed to several turnovers--a throwaway or two, a missed catch, and I got handblocked. I beat Dusty to a huck, but the disc bumped off my hand--I could only shake my head. Things got a little better as time went on, and eventually I started playing decent Ultimate--smart throws, etc. It was fun, either way, and the weather was better than I expected it to be. I didn't even need underarmour!

Didn't need it today, either. I played 2v2 on a small field with some of the Watchung players/alums, and the temperature was at that weird level where you just barely don't need underarmour, as long as you're running around. We took a lot of water breaks, but it was fun. Got the body used to moving on the field and hitting cutters in stride. On offense, I mostly focused on my defender's momentum. It's easy to find open space when he's all you have to worry about.

Later on, Thales put together some pickup in the bubble on Busch Campus. Indoors, full-field, no wind, incredible. It was me and a bunch kids from Highland Park, mostly grads. A few others were there, but left shortly after I arrived (maybe it was my fault, ha). We played 5v5 on a full field, and it was pretty chill. Semi-competitive--I tried on offense, and sometimes on defense, but there was definitely some screwing around. It felt good to "play" twice in one day, though, even if neither game was full 7v7. I'm getting more and more excited about the spring season. More running is in order.

Vacation Quickie

50 pushups in 3:15

I did them for time.

Pickup, Lift

Buccleuch Park today was lively. At least 30 people were there, a good mix of high schoolers, college kids, club players, and old dudes. Mostly college players, but the competition was what you look for in a pickup game--strong, not too intense, friendly. I got to put some faces with names I've heard for a while, and that was neat.

I played loose and out of practice, because, well, I am. A few errors here and there--a missed layout goal opportunity, a bad hammer, a throw to the other team, etc. I had at least two decent hucks completed for scores, and I outran/outjumped three defenders for a huck. That felt pretty good. Overall, I wasn't really used to cutting, a problem compounded by the ice field. It was good fun, though, and warm by the standards of January in NJ.

Tabata pushups: 18, 16, 10, 7*, 7*
*girl pushups

Life Sucks in the Metro East

200m in 0:27.54
400m in 1:08.76
200m in 0:29.88
100m in ? < 0:12.74

Unfortunately, I was timing for two people in the last 100m, and I don't know what my time was. It was under 0:12.74 though, I know that.

Also, it is very cold. 34 degrees outside. So running makes me want to throw up. I haven't pushed myself hard enough to actually puke yet, though. Maybe I will, later in the winter. I guess I have unconsciously decided that running a few sprints as fast as I can is better than running more sprints at an easier pace. I'm not sure if science would back me up, but I prefer busting my ass and then going home. It's like flambe-ing a marshmallow--set the damn thing on fire, let it char, blow off the flames and eat the damn thing. No need to sit there browning it for ten minutes.

2x12 high pull 63lb
2x12 curl 20lb

Stretch, Workout

30 minutes stretching lower body
16 pushups warmup (close, med, and wide)
2x16 db chest press on ball, 25lb
rest for ~45 minutes
12 dips
3x12 bench dips
3x12 decline pushups
8 clap pushups
12 db fly 15lb
3x12 single leg calf raise

Lift

8 pullups, 6 pullups
4 parallel grip pullups
16 upright db row 15lb
12 upright db row 20lb
abs