What is Love? Weighty Matters!

There's a fine line between passion, love and insanity, no matter what the object of affection.  Today, mine is resistance.  As always I stumble into new or renewed logic at the oddest times; usually when something jacks with my training plan.  So today I go out to do 10 X 100m on the grass and I find I can't because there is a field hockey match.  OK, so I'll go run 10 X the 40m stadium ramps.  So here we go - mental diversion and vacation from sanity begins.

I talked to my friend and The Woodlands High School coach, Robbie Dueitt today as we discussed how the kids did at today's home invitational.  I remembered that I always ran sleds there because there were no hills.  Now I have a hill but it doesn't quite feel hard enough because there is no weight behind me.  I really doubt that it would be a good idea to drag a metal sled up a concrete hill.  SO, WEIGHT VEST!!  GOTTA get one.  So where did this come from?

My plan to get back to running is to run a lot.  But as I was doing the hills it just felt so much more relevant to my vaulting approach on the runway.  I also remember reading that the fastest way to get into running shape is to run repeated shorter bursts rather than longer and easier intervals.  I also know from my studies on weight training that you can drastically increase the max number of reps you can perform by lifting sets of 3-5, but that by lifting sets of 10 it is nearly impossible to significantly raise your one set max.  Weight vest!!

So my revelation was that 10 X 100m would not have even half of the benefit of 10 X 40m hills at a higher and more explosive tempo.  Adding weight to it, as long as I can maintain a smooth run rhythm, would make me even faster without the hill and the vest.  So the hill for power and rhythm and the vest to give me the weight I'm missing from the sled.  I think every other day until I head to Palo Alto ought to do the trick.

I'm really excited about this because I had so much success bombarding my body with the grass sleds and this is even better - I think.  And to think it's all because there was a field hockey match today and I could not do my 10 X 100s.  On the way home I remembered Gary Hunter telling me that he learned during his rehab for his knee that no matter how many 100s you do you won't get faster on the runway.  Suddenly I felt validated in my seeming insanity.

Have a great evening and thanks for your support!!  The next two weeks look like real training with no schedule misses.  AWESOME!! Bubba

My favorite version of "What is Love?"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gTqJTlR0fk&feature=related