35, 5, and 2

Here's the link from the Houston Chronicle
http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2013/07/video-j-j-watt-pulls-off-near-5-foot-box-jump/

And when I wrote "media darling", that was supposed to have been 'local media darling', as I don't know how he is received in other parts of the country.

And, yes, it's a 24" high, trapezoidal box.  When I started CrossFit in 2011, I could jump about 8" or to less than mid-calf.  Back then, 24" was as tall as 48" for all I could think to do.  This year, I started at 18", then 20", then 24", last week.  When box jumps are on the WOD, I do it with a 20".  I can jump over an 18" box without touching the box.  Might could do a 20" jump over, now.

Now, I feel like I've got the "last-day-of-school" itch.  I know I have about 7 more workouts over 2 weeks of CrossFit left before running.  And I'm so getting the itch to start running full time.

This morning, my BK level was 0.2, which is not too surprising.

CrossFit this morning was some technique work on snatches and conditioning WOD "Helen".  Named WOD's are more intense than non-named and WOD's named for a dead member of the military are ball busters.

Skill: 15 min Snatch Technique Work
Four Sets of:
3 Hang Snatch High Pull (demo is from the ground but these should be from mid thigh)
3 High Hang Power Snatch
3 Snatch Balance
3 Hang Squat Snatch (Above Knee)
*Keep the weight light and work on technique, bar path, and speed under the bar. Beginners use a bare bar or PVC pipe.
Conditioning: “Helen”
3 Rounds for Time:
400m Run
21 KB Swings (35 lbs)
12 Pull-Ups

my time was 12:11.  I like the ones that have running in them.  After the first run, I was in last place of 5.  At the end of all three rounds, I was 2nd.  The stamina from running is the reason.

Ah, the BK level was stable at 0.2.  >0.5 is good, but 1.0 - 3.0 is optimum.

I had some residual tightness from yesterday's CrossFit, so I wasn't looking forward to today's WOD because on paper, it looked like a ball buster.

Strength: Turkish Get-Ups
2-2-2-2 R/L  (30 lb kettlebell)
*Try to use a heavier KB each set
Conditioning: Partner WOD
20 min AMRAP:
200m Farmer’s Carry  45 pound kettlebell
200 Single-Unders
20 OH Squats (95/65 lbs)
200 Single-Unders
20 High Box Jumps
200 Single-Unders
20 Hang Clean and Jerks (95/65 lbs)
200 Single-Unders
20 Deadlifts
200 Single-Unders
*Split all reps evenly throughout the WOD

Now when I saw the above as a Partner WOD, I thought the partners were going to be doing the WOD in tandem.  IN other words, I was going to be tired after 20 minutes and wouldn't be able to run tomorrow.  But it turned out that while one partner is doing 100 single unders, the other partner is resting.  Whew.  That's a relief.

So it ended up not being too bad at all.  I could only use 1 bar with weight on it.  My overhead squat is  my weakest of the three.  For something like an overhead squat in a timed WOD, I like to select a weight where I can get through it.  35 pounds.  My deadlift 1 rep max is 215.  So doing 10 deadlifts at 35 pounds is a piece of cake.  The booger was carrying a 45 pound kettlebell in each hand and going 100 meters.  I tend to run a farmers carry because I can get it over sooner, rather than walking/plodding.

Bottom line, I didn't do so much that I can't run in the morning.  It was a fairly intense CrossFit, this week.  5 more workouts before I dedicate full time to running.

Blood ketone level was 0.7, an increase from yesterday's 0.2.  I can tell the difference in cravings when the BK level is below 1.0 vs. greater than 1.0.  This weekend, I have to make two of the family's favorite chocolate dishes.  The trials of being the dessert chef.

Okay, so I got up this morning figuring my legs would be in pretty good shape after yesterday's jumping fest of 500 single under jump ropes and 10 box jumps.  And I wanted to try to start out at a quicker pace than usual on the front end, then either be a little faster or the same pace on the back end.  Because I think (rightly or wrongly) that due to how much quicker I have been running during the 2nd half of the run that I might could run faster on the front half to get the body used to it.  Comments encouraged.

It was 78 degrees with a dewpoint of 76.

6.72 miles, 1:29:58, 13:22 pace, 134 avg hr, 154 max hr during mile 6, 1st half pace 13:31, 2nd half pace 13:29.

1. 13:52, 123 bpm
   
2. 13:02, 131 bpm
   
3. 13:43, 127 bpm
   
4. 12:58, 133 bpm
   
5. 13:46, 107 bom
   
6. 13:38, 132 bpm
   
7. 13:36 pace, 132 bpm
   

I started out slow for the first half mile to get the legs loosened up, then sped up some.  There was some residual stiffness from Wednesday's CrossFit and it was with me the whole run.  My mile 4 was faster because there was a girl that passed me, but not going so fast that I couldn't keep up with her.  Then, she sped up some and we were shoulder to shoulder until I had to break it off and go back home.
That was rather fun.

Tomorrow will be a longer run of an unknown distance.  Eating low-carb doesn't seem to affect anything in my running.  Thanks for reading.

I also need to note that I've gained 2-3 pounds, this week.  I believe it to be all water weight because the area on my ankle between the ankle bone and the achilles on both the medial and lateral sides are bigger than last week.  I've been doing some moving, this week, in the heat.  Therefore I believe it's my body's "wtf!?" reaction to sweating in the daylight.

Wel, I have plenty of room for improvement, as today's run will show.  Oops.  Forgot the BK level.  It was 0.4, which is below yesterday's 0.7.  It does appear that when I have non-leafy or true vegetable carbs for dinner or later (like bread), that my BK level will go down no matter how well I have done during the day.  Because I know I had a great percentage of consumed fats yesterday.  And I made some chocoloate fudge this morning to test that theory.  It's some really good and quick fudge.  Four ingredients of which salt and vanilla are two of them.

14 miles was the upper limit of the running distance for today.  And I decided to run that distance over doing another 12 miles just to see what would happen.  Well, it wasn't a pretty run, but I did the distance with grace and panache.

It was 77 degrees with a dewpoint of 75 degrees with no wind.  This was the first run of the summer where I got squishy shoes from the sweat.

13.95 miles, 3:16:25, 14:04 avg pace, 129 avg HR, 152 max HR during the last mile, 1st half pace was 14:25, 2nd half pace was 13:43.  Actually ran a half mile farther, but forgot to hit the start button after a drink of water.

1. 14:10, 115 bpm
   
2. 14:09, 119 bpm
   
3. 14:33, 120 bpm
   
4. 14:31, 123 bpm
   
5. 14:34, 122 bpm
   
6. 14:25, 119 bpm
   
7. 14:15, 125 bpm
   
8. 14:30, 126 bpm
   
9. 13:33, 137 bpm
   
10. 13:31, 138 bpm
    
11. 14:06, 140 bpm
    
12. 13:33, 140 bpm
    
13. 13:37, 140 bpm
    
14. 13:28 pace, 144 bpm
    

I was not lacking for an energy supply to run and I wasn't having any lack of clarity during the race.  I just couldn't shift to a faster gear.  It just goes to show that some days are diamonds and some days are coal.

As I was running the course, I realized that I haven't been saddled with any running-related injuries since 2011.  So, I want to thank the Lord for Him blessing me with a lot of durability on this 56 year old body.

Finally got around to watching that video. Dang. I'd hate to be a QB opposite that guy!

You're doing a great job with this training, so days when you're more sluggish are to be expected. Think of it this way: it's stimulating your body to continue adapting, which will pay off in the long run. 

Mark B wrote:Finally got around to watching that video. Dang. I'd hate to be a QB opposite that guy!

You're doing a great job with this training, so days when you're more sluggish are to be expected. Think of it this way: it's stimulating your body to continue adapting, which will pay off in the long run. 

 Thanks, Mark.  Yeah, I'd forgotten about the continued adaptation.  That's why we don't make big jumps in mileage either by week or by long run.

J.J. Watt is a special football player.

This morning's blood ketone level was 0.3, which is not bad considering all of the fudge I quality controlled.

Good golly, I'm just catching up on the blogs here.  You're workouts are AMAZING!  After reading this week's blogs...I've got to take a nap.  Truthfully, way to go.  I wish I had your energy.

Paula Sue wrote:Good golly, I'm just catching up on the blogs here.  You're workouts are AMAZING!  After reading this week's blogs...I've got to take a nap.  Truthfully, way to go.  I wish I had your energy.

 Thanks, Paula Sue!  I really enjoy doing CrossFit.  The middle of next week, I'll be stopping it for marathon training.  And thanks for stopping by, too.

This morning, my blood ketone level was 1.5, which was a large increase over yesterday's 0.3.  Saturday's level was lower as a result, in my belief, of me eating a moderate amount of carbs in the evening on Friday.  So, I thought to myself, what would happen if I moved the carbs eaten to Saturday morning, instead of the evening?  I ate the same carbs for breakfast, then ate normally with the usual emphasis on consuming fats.  This morning's 1.5 is the result. 

As an aside, I have gone from purchasing pint containers of heavy whipping cream to purchasing quart containers.   The expiration date on heavy whipping cream I bought last week was September 16.  With that kind of shelf life, I could buy a gallon and use it up before Sept 16.

0.4 was this morning's blood ketone level. 

I am not surprised considering Sunday was chocolate cream pie day at my brother's place.  This is a recipe that dates back to the 1940's in our family.  I have been making it for about 15 years and lightly tweaking it by adding a bittersweet 53% to 60% chocolate, instead of semi-sweet.  I also make the pie crust from scratch, as well.

So, one slice of pie couldn't screw up the blood ketone level from 1.5 to 0.4, you might be thinking.  Well, when we slice up the chocolate pie, it is divided up by the number of people.  4 people = 1/4th of the pie for each.  A few years ago, I calculated the calorie content for the whole pie to be 2,700 calories.

Separately, I went to CrossFit, this morning.  The conditioning piece was not pleasant.

Skill: Snatch Technique Work
3 Rounds of:
3 Hang Snatch High Pull (demo is from the ground but these should be from mid thigh)
3 High Hang Power Snatch
3 Snatch Balance
3 Hang Squat Snatch (Above Knee)
*Keep the weight light and work on technique, bar path, and speed under the bar. Beginners use a bare bar or PVC pipe.
Conditioning: EMOM for 20 minutes
Odd Minutes: 3 Position Squat Snatch @ 50% 1RM (High Hang, Above Knee, Floor) for me 47 lbs.
Even Minutes: 10 Burpees

At the end, it was taking me almost the full minute to do 10 burpees.  HR was up in the 85% of max range.  I probably chose a weight that was too light, but I thought we were doing more snatches than we ended up doing.  It was a reasonable way to do 100 burpees.  I hate burpees.

BK level was 0.9, this morning, which is up from yesterday's 0.4.  Pleased with this and I think I'm getting more comfortable with what I can eat, and almost when I can 'be bad.'

This morning's CrossFit WOD

Skill: Max HSPU in 60 seconds.  I can't do those, so I did 20 lb dumbell lifts 18 times.
Strength: Back Squats
5 x 45%, 5 x 55%, 5 x 65%
3 x 70%, 3 x 80%, 3 x 90%
*Base percentages off of 1RM + 10 lbs
I tried to squat 165 pounds, but it was too much.  My 1 rep max is 205 back in June.
Conditioning: 5 Rounds for Time
200m Run
20 Sit-Ups
Rest 30 sec
11:40 was my time and I finished last.

Blood ketone level is 1.2 on 18 grams of carbs of which 14 was spinach.

With 3 CrossFit workouts remaining, this morning's conditioning workout (no strength on Wednesday's) was intense for something lasting 20 minutes.

Skill: 1 Attempt at Max Reps Dead Hang Pull-Ups
Conditioning:

3 min AMRAP:
5 High Wall Ball Shots 10 pound
5 Wall Ball Sit-Ups (throwing the 10 pound against the wall during a sit up)
Rest 1 minute
3 min AMRAP:
5 Toes to Bar (I was knees to chest.  In May, it was knees to waist)
5 Stone to Shoulder
Rest 1 minute
3 min AMRAP:
5 Heavy Ball Slams  20 pound
5 High Box Jumps 24 inch box.  First time doing more than one jump at this height
Rest 1 minute
3 min AMRAP:
5 Ground to OH w/ Plate (35 pound plate)
5 Burpees to Plate  (ended up being just a burpee_
Rest 1 minute
3 min AMRAP:
5 Heavy Russian KB Swings 45 pound KB
5 Hollow Rocks (or V-Ups) laying down rocking with your core engaged

Just Monday and Tuesday left to go before a 21 week marathon training session.

My 305 stopped communicating with my computer.  So after chatting with Garmin, I have sent my 305 back to Garmin for another 305 for $79 plus tax.  It lasted 2 or 3 years, which is a VERY long time for the ones I've owned.  I've had 4 or 5 of them over the past 5 years.

Separately, I'm testing the influence of a cheeseburger and fries on my blood ketone level.  So, I had that for lunch because it seems carbs early in the day with fat in the evening does not materially affect the BK level.  But having non-vegetable carbs late in the day does materially affect the BK level.

I don't have any cravings for a cheeseburger and fries, but it's a reasonable food choice to have, if I want to deviate or have to deviate.  Post-cheeseburger did create a desire for additional carbs.  I tempered it with a square of 84% chocolate.  I'm trying to develop a taste for it.  I have a taste for 60% chocolate.  From the documentation I have read, there is a health benefit to eating 80% or greater chocolate.

Early start to the day, tomorrow.  It's raining outside, right now, so there will be some mud in Mudville for my morning run.

Sorry, Doug, but your blog just makes me hungry and crave for foods I don't think I should be eating   I now want a cheesburger and fries - badly.  Glad it is working for you, but I still can't digest the science.

Mmm. Cow.

If you were wanting to shave off some blood-sugar-jacking starch, you could always take your burgers bunless. That's worked well for me in the past. Throw on some sugar-free ketchup (we still use it - it tastes better than the "real" stuff to us now) and eat it with a salad rather than fries and presto: an easy, healthier choice.

Enjoy the mud!

I can't imagine a cheeseburger and fries could be good for any reason.

I eat 90% choc with cereal almost every day & sometimes a little latter in the day with all natural pb or almond butter. - mmmm!

Hope you find the answers to your food issues Oz.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Sorry, Doug, but your blog just makes me hungry and crave for foods I don't think I should be eating   I now want a cheesburger and fries - badly.  Glad it is working for you, but I still can't digest the science.

Really.  Well, how about this recipe:  2 tbsp bacon fat, 1 tbsp butter, 5 oz spaghetti squash, 1 clove garlic.  Saute squash until warm, then add 3 oz heavy whipping cream and some nutmeg.  Salt and pepper to taste.  659 calories, 70 grams fat, 12 grams carbs, 2.7 grams protein.  This is slurpin' good.

So, what's holding you back? (speaking respectfully)  There's a triathlete that does it (www.bengreenfieldfitness.com).  Some of the top 10 finishers in the Western States Endurance run do LC/HF (low carb/high fat), I'm told.

Let's say you weigh 110 pounds and have 3% body fat.  So, that's 3.3 pounds of fat times 3,500 calories per pound = 11,550 fat callories to burn.  And if you burn 100 calories per mile, that comes to 2,620 fat calories burned in a marathon.  Your body can't store enough carbohydrates as glycogen for a race.  So do you want to start a race with a half tank or a full tank, when it takes more than a half tank to run a race?  That's the math.  You won't be able to run out of fatty acids during a marathon.

I know this is a completely different method and goes 180 degrees about what we, as runners, have been told that works.  And you've been very successful and durable under the present system, so I totally understand why you don't want to give it a whirl.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

On the other hand, I had nothing to lose and the science makes sense to me.  It's logical to me.  And the best thing is that if LC/HF doesn't work, then I can always go back to carbs who will embrace me as if I was the Prodigal Son.  I'm a curious person, though.  I want to get lighter and I want to get faster.  I'm tired of running 6 hour marathons.  I'm tired of doing different training and getting the same time.

And I'm not trying to convert anyone to this method.  I'm documenting what is happening.  The idea is not easy to execute, but there are a lot of websites that do low carb that have recipes and I'm pretty creative on recipes, too.  Time will tell.

Mark B wrote:Mmm. Cow.

If you were wanting to shave off some blood-sugar-jacking starch, you could always take your burgers bunless. That's worked well for me in the past. Throw on some sugar-free ketchup (we still use it - it tastes better than the "real" stuff to us now) and eat it with a salad rather than fries and presto: an easy, healthier choice.

Enjoy the mud!

Mark, this morning I had a leftover hamburger pattie that I used 2 romaine lettuce leaves as the bun.  I don't miss fries, since going LC/HF, but I had to try the combination as the experiment.

My blood ketone level was 0.2, down from 1.2 yesterday.  So, a burger and fries is worth a 1.0 point decline in BK.  Good to know. 

I had an early appointment, so I couldn't run this morning.  The extra sleep was nice.

Thanks for dropping by, Dave.  Yeah, I enjoy a little real peanut butter, too.  And now that I know the boundaries for maintaining nutritional ketosis, I'm trying to push them out a bit.

Well, Friday's BK level was 0.1 and was not unexpected.

After that, I went out to run 14 miles, which was the same distance as last Friday.  I wanted to see how much different the same distance was week over week.  I didn't have a working watch (shipped my dead FR305 back to Garmin for a replacement). so it was a little freeing to just run.  I didn't run hard, I just ran at the pace my legs wanted to run.  The weather was 76 degrees witha 72 degree dewpoint.

Yesterday at rush hour, a upper level disturbance brought some rough weather through Houston and surrounding communities.  This brought us a north wind which blew in some drier air for the weekend.  Right now, it's 72 degrees with a 66 degree dewpoint. 

I don't know if I should be concerned that I don't naturally want to run faster, but I have always ran with the end distance as the main influence of pace.  In other words, I want to be upright at the end of the run.  I didn't re-start running 10 years ago after a period of time, as I never was a fan of physical exertion.  I do know that I want to run much faster, once the weather cools off.

This morning's BK level doubled to 0.2.  I had a lot of BBQ yesterday, but I didn't feel hungry for the rest of the day.

ounce wrote:

I don't know if I should be concerned that I don't naturally want to run faster, but I have always ran with the end distance as the main influence of pace.  In other words, I want to be upright at the end of the run.  I didn't re-start running 10 years ago after a period of time, as I never was a fan of physical exertion.  I do know that I want to run much faster, once the weather cools off.

Try this experiment....for a couple of runs, pick a faster pace.  12:00 or 12:30.   Yes, you are going to end up running  a total of 6/8/14 miles at that pace but anytime you need to, stop the watch and get your HR back under control.  But while on watch, keep it at the faster pace.  Your legs and mind need to get used to running slightly faster turnover.  Your body will catch up over time and you'll soon find you are doing the 6-8 milers at that pace with no issue and eventually the 14s  and longer runs as well.  Might only be 1.5 miles you do at 12:00 before you need a break off-watch.  So what?   Then when you are ready to go again, back on at 12:00 pace for as long as you can "comfortably hard" hold that pace.  Its like dipping your leg into hot hot water, taking it out, putting it back in ...repeat....and before you know it, you are soaking in a 105 degree hot tub loving life.

EDIT - whoa, I found this from earlier in your blog.  You've already DONE this!   And at a much faster pace than I said.  THIS is what you should be doing!

[*]Jan 23 4 miles, 11:21, 149 bpm

[*]Jan 25 5.28 miles, 14:13, 130 bpm dead legs

[*]Jan 27 5.76 miles, 11:22, 145 bpm

[*]Jan 31 8.07 miles, 12:14, 142 bpm

[*]Feb 3 8.09 miles, 12:11, 142 bpm

[*]Feb 7, 8.03 miles, 11:54, 143 bpm

[*]Feb 8, 4.01 miles, 13:04, 133 bpm

[*]Feb 13, 8.08 miles, 12:25, 141 bpm


Temperatures were usually seasonal in the 40's to 50's. It would seem a 71% HR gets me a 12:10 pace. I like that because my pace at Houston was 13:09 at 75%. So, I'll be working on getting my HR down and stay at the same pace.

Today's run was 4 miles with the objective of seeing how far I could go at a pace of 10:xx. My son gave me the idea.

1. 10:20 pace & 144 bpm. And that was as far as I could go at that pace.
   
   
2. 11:38 pace and 137 bpm
   
   
3. 11:34 pace and 143 bpm
   
   
4. 11:19 pace and 148 bpm
   

Chris, thanks very much for taking the time to write and to look back to earlier in the year to see my past runs.  I truly appreciate it.  

I believe it was last week or the week before when I wrote that I was going to try to run faster in the heat in order to begin an early start to running faster.  The mind needs to be strong to execute the plan, when the weeds of doubt are in seed.

One other thing I failed to mention on Friday's run was that I didn't start to sense any tiredness until about 13.5 miles, when my hip joints were politely whining.  MUCH better than the prior Friday, so Mark's adaptation remark after last Friday's post played out.

Y'all are so smart.

You know what the best thing about your adaptation observation is? It's that you still have room to improve, and your body's still in the mood to be improving. That's exactly where you want to be right now.

And I also agree with Chris: Doing some of your runs at a higher effort level might be a good idea. I like how he suggests doing them like interval training. That sort of higher intensity on top of your big aerobic efforts might yield some pretty nifty results.

Thank you, Mark. 

I have incorporated in my marathon schedule on every other Tuesday some interval training.  Then on the other Tuesday each week, hill training, which in Houston is either running a parking garage or some hill routine on a treadmill.  Also one day of weights, 2/3rds above the waist, 1/3rd below the waist.  Then running 3 or 4 days in the week, which includes the interval or hill running.

Now that I've been doing keto-adaption for 10 weeks, I have a much better grasp of how to get into Nutritional Ketosis (NK) and stay there...or fall out.  I don't want to stay out of NK too long at all, lest I have to go through keto-adaption again where my body has to drain any carbs so the body will access fatty acids.  I can't do that again because it'll delay the training.

This morning, my blood ketone level was 0.2, the same as yesterday.  Tomorrow's will be 'Lo' because this was my premeditated 'screw the BK level' day.  I've found that weekends are difficult to stay in NK.