There’s Always a Way

You can always get to the start line.

Reflecting

Not everyone finishes.  But everyone can get to the start line.  For marathons, Boston is a challenging course and the race can be hard to get in.  But the same club runs the same distance with the same medal earlier that week for military, LEOs, and anyone else that wants to run with a ruck sack.  I ran it with 55 lbs. and my 10-year ran it with 20.  Want to earn a Boston Athletic Association medal?  Registration opens up on Saturday November 11^th.

You think ultras are better (because they are)?  Then you can race the world’s best at UTMB in Chamonix – 106.2 miles and 32,687 feet of elevation gain against the toughest competition.

Anyone who wants (and is willing to donate 2k €) can take one of 190 charity bibs. 

Want to test your strength as well as speed?  Compete in the CrossFit Games.  Sure you can work your way up from the CrossFit Open though the competitive process of making it there or…  You can be a CrossFit National Champion.  They’ve tightened the eligibility for National Champions to compete in the Games, but some countries are far more competitive than others.  Canada is challenging.  The Commonwealth of Dominica?  Not so much.  And they have an economic citizenship that comes with buying real estate there. 

Sometimes the front door is locked, so you occasionally need to kick in the side door.  There’s always – always – a way. 

Training

Yesterday was a brutal but great day of boxing.  In between rounds on the heavy bag, speed bag, and mitts, we did minute rounds on the 12 lbs. spinning burn, one of my favorite tools for shoulders and forearms.  I keep one on my desk and often use it during calls when I’m on mute (30 seconds on / 30 seconds off for 10 minutes). 

This morning’s white board —

As many rounds as possible in 15 minutes of:

• 10 55 lbs. plate ground to overhead

• 200 meter run

• 30’ handstand walk

Next 5 AM run:

Fueling

I almost never eat out at restaurants but occasionally take lunch meetings, so it is great to have at least a few I like and trust.  In New Canaan, it is Elm.  I order off menu but they make for me a very rare steak with bone marrow and garlic; I had it today and will have it again tomorrow.  It is a great way to end my eighteen hour fasts. 

Supplementing

Gatorade is massively too sugary and unnecessary for >99% of athletes.  Just drink water.  But for some added magnesium and potassium, occasional coconut water is fine, too.  This is my favorite brand. 

Measuring

Weight has been fairly stable; I’d like to get it up over 200 lbs. if I can do so keeping my percent body fat in the single digits.

Recovering

Is it worth sacrificing sleep for training?  This is a false dichotomy.  We all have enough time for hard training and adequate sleep if we prioritize them.  But for me, in the rare cases when they conflict, I start with sleep.  I love starting the day ready to work and workout and don’t enjoy anything if I’m sleep deprived.  This past weekend, we had an earlier than usual contingent start running at 3 PM but I stuck to 5 AM to get my full eight hours.  Here’s the crew that slept in before we headed off into the woods.

Closing

Thanks again for your kind generosity to my favorite cause.