For those who have been following this blog you have seen a few of my workouts. I love training and challenging myself. I like to work too but I love a vacation. this was about a goal event. This was where we put the training to the test.
This was all about the Hurricane Heat.
This was about teamwork, Joe Desena, Tommy McCormack, and a bunch of other people who wanted to come out and finish the race. There are no clocks. There are no timing chips. There are no losers. At the start there was not any daylight. There are only people out challenging themselves against their mind and body; overcoming that voice that says "STOP". And of course there is always the founder of the Spartan Race, Joe, telling you "30 Burpees" or "Jumping jacks until your team gets here. No standing around."
To start the day off right I woke up 30 min later than I had wanted to, 3:45AM. I grabbed a to-go breakfast and hit the road out to Staten Island, the boro I have been to the least and only for races. I showed up late but in enough time to prepare for the start.
After a final head count and safety check we were instructed to choose a team of 15-20 people we did not know (flash networking) and come up with a team name. There were 18 of us on "Team Badass", so named for the t-shirt I was wearing. 6 active duty military, 2 defense contractors, and 10 crazies started and finished together.
At 534AM the warm up, led by the founder of Spartan and Death Race, began with 30 burpees, 30 walking lunges, 30 Jumping Jacks, 30 pushups, etc. set the tone for the day. With our headlamps on and teams assembled we followed Joe out of the parking lot and on to the beach for the first obstacle, over a low wall and under a low beam thru a net that obstructed our view and sent a large clump of beach sand into my right eye (it would stay there until Tues). After the first obstacle we were tasked with reassembling the team and doing 30 burpees( are you noticing a theme yet?). 400 yrds later we were on to the next obstacle, the mud crawl (6 inches of stinky mud) under barbed wire 2ft above the mud followed by (you guessed it) 30 burpees. Did I mention it had rained quite heavily the night before the event?
The next obstacle was the famous over/under/through walls followed by 30 burpees(we are up to 120 burpees if you are keeping count).
I won't bore you with the details but here is a list of the remaining obstacles (assume 30 burpees after each and 400-800 meter run between):
Cargo net climb
50lb block hoist
Run through fire (Awesome! no burpees)
River run (beginning to wait longer for some team members)
tire drag (we had to press the tires full of water over head)
enclosed space with water/tunnel crawl through water
trail running
back through another tunnel
400m river trudge (I fell once)
Steep hill run (we did not have ropes)
appr. 2 mile trail run
Uneven monkey bars traverse (Collin was cramping really bad about now)
Balance Zig-Zag walk (after the burpees and jumping jacks as we waited for more team mates) We were told the finish line is 40 min away(mindf&$@k)
longer run
Ocean Wade with a 5 gallon bucket 3/4 full of water.
Cinder Bock drag/carry (no burpees, thank god, I hate burpees in the sand)
Spear Throw
Wall traverse
Soap rope wall (a 45/45/90 triangle with ropes that have been coated with dish soap)
No Burpees but 100 situps instead. Those are elbows to knees situps, wimp!
Finish line waitfest(Jumping jacks until EVERYONE finished the wall and the situps and the media got there)
All 160 of crossed the finish line at the same time.
It was one the hardest races I have ever done. Second only to XTERRA National Championship in Lake Tahoe, NV. The NYC marathon is a slog fest. Many other races have been hard; no race is easy(if its easy its a training run). I would not trade it for the world. (Well, maybe for the world).
Get yourself signed up for one of these races. Get yourself to a training session or Spartan Race Bootcamp.
If you are in NYC on a Wed night at 6PM, come to my Spartan Race Workout in Central Park (CENTRAL PARK!). Every Wed at 72nd St and 5th Ave. We workout rain or shine (mud is and only an obstacle). Only $10!
Now shut your computer down and go move your body.
Andy Nelson
917-226-5271
andy@getfitnyc.com
www.getfitnyc.com
myshakeology.com/tricoachandy
teambeachbody.com/tricoachandy
Showing posts with label GetfitNYC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GetfitNYC. Show all posts
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
River Run 15K Race Report
by Andrew Nelson for www.getfitnyc.com
andy@getfitnyc.com
It was COLD on Sun Nov 21. 36F by my thermometer. I had had a rough week but felt ready for a 15K, a distance I like. A 15K is a tough distance in the best of circumstances, longer than a 10K(obviously), harder than three 5Ks, and not a round number like a 10miler. But still short enough to carry my fitness from my last race, a half marathon, over to this race. It would work normally, this day was not normal.
I felt a mostly ready as long I was able to warm up well. With some “help” from my GPS, an error or 2 on my part and going to the wrong entrance of the park we were supposed to run in, we showed up to register and race about 20 min before the start of the race, not enough time to warm up properly. I registered and began some resemblance of a warm up - hurried stretching, some fast leg drills, and rushing out of my warm clothes. A few minutes later the gun went off.
I felt surprisingly good in the opening 2 miles of the race. I hit a wall abut mile 2.5 and felt like there was junk in my legs and chest. Whoa! it was way too soon to feel like this.
Since I had a goal of <1 hour I knew feeling like this so soon was a bad sign but when the clock read 19:37 for the first 5K I knew my goal was still manageable. I had to push to stay ahead of my time and use some will power to make my legs move fast. I focused on lifting my feet quickly and staying relaxed in my upper body, I could feel my feet collapsing in (pronating) when I was not focused on lifting my feet and keeping my cadence high, a sign of fatigue.
I passed the lead runner going the other way at the 5 mile marker, he was crossing the 10K mark and I saw that the clock read 33:30, that meant all I had to do was run 1.2 miles in 6:30 and I would still be on schedule. I crossed the 10K mark at 40:52 and that was a major struggle, I could not believe I still had 5K to go. It was better than having 10K to go.
I tried to make it to mile 7 without stopping but it did not work. I walked the water station at the 7 mile marker and vowed to run to mile 8, again it was hurting too bad and my form was bad so I had to stop and walk to avoid injury. Fortunately there were markers every .1 miles on the pathway so I had short goals to keep me going.
I rallied at mile 8.5 to run the last .8 miles without stopping (I have to look good crossing the finish line). I finished (finally) in 1:03:24, officially.(4th in Age Group, 23rd over all, 22/132 gender) I know that by most standards that is fast, a 6:48/mile average, but I know I am capable of faster.
The message here is modestly simple - When the coach says take the day before the race off of your feet, that is what they mean. When you are feeling tired at the beginning of the race, you will probably feel worse at the end.
On the up side - I have not had a “bad race” in a few years, so you could argue that I was due. Now I will not need a bad race for a few more years.
Go out and enjoy a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving day. Then go home and eat a nice dinner with your family, play a little back yard football, jump in the leaves with your children or grandchildren, and try some small slices of dessert. Enjoy yourself and give thanks for being able to Run, Swim, Bike, walk and be generally active.
-Andy
P.S. My wife Emma (team manager for Team WE Sports) also ran the 15K, her first at that distance and she did and amazing job. She averaged an 8:30/mile pace using a 9/1 run/walk ratio. 1:19:37 official time. Way to go Emma! Her next race is the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, Dec 5th. She will do great.
by Andrew Nelson for www.getfitnyc.com
andy@getfitnyc.com
It was COLD on Sun Nov 21. 36F by my thermometer. I had had a rough week but felt ready for a 15K, a distance I like. A 15K is a tough distance in the best of circumstances, longer than a 10K(obviously), harder than three 5Ks, and not a round number like a 10miler. But still short enough to carry my fitness from my last race, a half marathon, over to this race. It would work normally, this day was not normal.
I felt a mostly ready as long I was able to warm up well. With some “help” from my GPS, an error or 2 on my part and going to the wrong entrance of the park we were supposed to run in, we showed up to register and race about 20 min before the start of the race, not enough time to warm up properly. I registered and began some resemblance of a warm up - hurried stretching, some fast leg drills, and rushing out of my warm clothes. A few minutes later the gun went off.
I felt surprisingly good in the opening 2 miles of the race. I hit a wall abut mile 2.5 and felt like there was junk in my legs and chest. Whoa! it was way too soon to feel like this.
Since I had a goal of <1 hour I knew feeling like this so soon was a bad sign but when the clock read 19:37 for the first 5K I knew my goal was still manageable. I had to push to stay ahead of my time and use some will power to make my legs move fast. I focused on lifting my feet quickly and staying relaxed in my upper body, I could feel my feet collapsing in (pronating) when I was not focused on lifting my feet and keeping my cadence high, a sign of fatigue.
I passed the lead runner going the other way at the 5 mile marker, he was crossing the 10K mark and I saw that the clock read 33:30, that meant all I had to do was run 1.2 miles in 6:30 and I would still be on schedule. I crossed the 10K mark at 40:52 and that was a major struggle, I could not believe I still had 5K to go. It was better than having 10K to go.
I tried to make it to mile 7 without stopping but it did not work. I walked the water station at the 7 mile marker and vowed to run to mile 8, again it was hurting too bad and my form was bad so I had to stop and walk to avoid injury. Fortunately there were markers every .1 miles on the pathway so I had short goals to keep me going.
I rallied at mile 8.5 to run the last .8 miles without stopping (I have to look good crossing the finish line). I finished (finally) in 1:03:24, officially.(4th in Age Group, 23rd over all, 22/132 gender) I know that by most standards that is fast, a 6:48/mile average, but I know I am capable of faster.
The message here is modestly simple - When the coach says take the day before the race off of your feet, that is what they mean. When you are feeling tired at the beginning of the race, you will probably feel worse at the end.
On the up side - I have not had a “bad race” in a few years, so you could argue that I was due. Now I will not need a bad race for a few more years.
Go out and enjoy a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving day. Then go home and eat a nice dinner with your family, play a little back yard football, jump in the leaves with your children or grandchildren, and try some small slices of dessert. Enjoy yourself and give thanks for being able to Run, Swim, Bike, walk and be generally active.
-Andy
P.S. My wife Emma (team manager for Team WE Sports) also ran the 15K, her first at that distance and she did and amazing job. She averaged an 8:30/mile pace using a 9/1 run/walk ratio. 1:19:37 official time. Way to go Emma! Her next race is the Rock n Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas, Dec 5th. She will do great.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Team Lipstick NJ Going STRONG!
The beginner triathlon group for Team Lipstick NJ did their first practice triathlon at Harriman State Park last Sunday. We all arrived safely at the venue by 8:15a, unloaded the bikes and secured an area for our transitions.
Coach Andy Nelson started "The Art of Transition " Lecture at 8:30a while Coach Emma Nelson drove the bike course to make sure all of the roads were open and safe. Following the lecture on transition we discussed getting into and out of a wetsuit, a real time killer when you are trying to transition quickly.
After the lifeguards were in place, we hit the "open water" staying inside the ropes of the swimming area at Sebago Beach. With some members of the Clifton Road Runners Club and 2 coaches in the water we totaled about 14 people; great for a race simulation. The swim went very well with all of the new triathletes doing a great job. All of the coaching from Coach Lisa Picek payed off in spades. A few open water and turning tips from Andy helped to make all of the girls very confident for the swim, great news with the Diamond Girl Triathlon around the corner - August 29.
After a short transition to the bikes, Coach Emma, a former elite bike racer, led the group for all the fun that is Tiorati Dr, 2 miles of uphill 4 miles into the 15 mile bike course. The group stayed together until the first climb, which is generally the case even in the pro peloton, where newer cyclists tend to fall behind. The course was quite a lesson in strengths and weaknesses in climbing, descending and getting used to how ones bike performs at slow speeds.
Having finished the bike it was now out to the run. The more experienced group ran for 4.25 miles and the newer runners, at the coach's suggestion, ran out 12 minutes and back for 12 minutes. Some of the Clifton Road Runners ran for 5+ miles.
The beginner program is coming along nicely. Any concerns that the athletes had at the beginning of their training has hopefully subsided. All of the coaches had a goal and those goals are being met. Some of the girls (women actually) are actually starting to see themselves as athletes; Triathletes.
We have our Weekend Training Camp with the women from Team Lipstick NYC in New Paltz, NY, on the weekend of August 7th and 8th. It will be fun and a real bonding experience for the 2 teams.
Coach Andy Nelson started "The Art of Transition " Lecture at 8:30a while Coach Emma Nelson drove the bike course to make sure all of the roads were open and safe. Following the lecture on transition we discussed getting into and out of a wetsuit, a real time killer when you are trying to transition quickly.
After the lifeguards were in place, we hit the "open water" staying inside the ropes of the swimming area at Sebago Beach. With some members of the Clifton Road Runners Club and 2 coaches in the water we totaled about 14 people; great for a race simulation. The swim went very well with all of the new triathletes doing a great job. All of the coaching from Coach Lisa Picek payed off in spades. A few open water and turning tips from Andy helped to make all of the girls very confident for the swim, great news with the Diamond Girl Triathlon around the corner - August 29.
After a short transition to the bikes, Coach Emma, a former elite bike racer, led the group for all the fun that is Tiorati Dr, 2 miles of uphill 4 miles into the 15 mile bike course. The group stayed together until the first climb, which is generally the case even in the pro peloton, where newer cyclists tend to fall behind. The course was quite a lesson in strengths and weaknesses in climbing, descending and getting used to how ones bike performs at slow speeds.
Having finished the bike it was now out to the run. The more experienced group ran for 4.25 miles and the newer runners, at the coach's suggestion, ran out 12 minutes and back for 12 minutes. Some of the Clifton Road Runners ran for 5+ miles.
The beginner program is coming along nicely. Any concerns that the athletes had at the beginning of their training has hopefully subsided. All of the coaches had a goal and those goals are being met. Some of the girls (women actually) are actually starting to see themselves as athletes; Triathletes.
We have our Weekend Training Camp with the women from Team Lipstick NYC in New Paltz, NY, on the weekend of August 7th and 8th. It will be fun and a real bonding experience for the 2 teams.
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