Team Ragan

Beautiful Morning

2010-02-13T18:08:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I woke up for breakfast and saw this outside of my front door. It was a pretty cool way to start the day. Did a chest workout by myself early afternoon. Pretty simple, just Flat Bench, Reverse-grip Bench, Incline Db Flys and Weighted Dips. A few hours later I went back to the gym with Christian just to work on some lifting technique for crossfit. We're calling them skill development days. We worked on different ways of doing weighted pull-ups, dumbell and kettlebell cleans/snatches, and more handstand push-ups, including handstand walks. Nothing crazy, but all that practice helps a lot when it comes time for the actual crossfit workouts.

The Bear

2010-02-12T15:15:00.000-06:00

This wasn't a workout for time, but for max weight. With each round you are supposed to increase the weight so that your last round is about as heavy as you can manage. These lifts in order, seven times: Power Clean, Front Squat, Push Press, Back Squat, Push Press. Then up the weight again for 4 more rounds. During a round, you are allowed to rest anytime you want as long as the bar isn't on the ground. So you basically rest while you're holding the weight somehow. Here's how I did:

Round 1: 65lbs

Round 2: 75lbs

Round 3: 95lbs

Round 4: 115lbs

Round 5: 125lbs -only completed 5 of 7 sets before failure on this one :(

Unfortunately, the good people at Youtube, cut the sound out of my video for some copyright reasons, but it should have been "Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers", and "Final Countdown - Europe". So enjoy the video with no music!

My tummy hurts.

2010-02-11T18:11:00.000-06:00

This crossfit workout simultaneously smoked my core, while reminding me that my core is weak and pathetic. My core bowed down to this workout as its superior. Basically, it was bad. It was me, Jason, Matt and Christian.

For time:

30 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift,

25 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift,

20 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift,

15 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift,

10 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift,

5 GHD Sit-ups, Back Extensions, Knees-to-Elbows, 95lb Straight-leg Deadlift.

Mr. Clean!

2010-02-09T17:51:00.000-06:00

Took me awhile to get the video uploaded, but here it is!

As many rounds as possible in 3min., of:

3 Power Cleans, 6 Push-ups and 9 Squats

Rest 1min., and repeat 4 more times.

My first crossfit video...sort of.

2010-02-06T15:32:00.002-06:00

This is only half of the total workout from he last post. The video only shows the Handstand Push-ups. Every time one of us left the room, we went to complete a set of Pull-ups. There's a video from tonights workout that I'll try to post tomorrow that shows a whole workout with Power Cleans, Push-ups and Squats!

The proof is in the pudding

2010-02-05T16:23:00.003-06:00

The standard 1mi. warm-up run in(10:00) that I've started doing every time.

Crossfit WOD, for time:
30 Handstand Push-ups
10 Pull-ups
20 Handstand Push-up
20 Pull-ups
10 Handstand Push-ups
30 Pull-ups
TIME:10:11, VF:1

Tricep Workout:
Weighted Pull-ups: 12/45, 10/70, 8/90, 10/70
Skullcrushers: 15/55, 15/55, 15/55, 15/55
Overhead Tri Ext: 15/40, 12/50, 10/60, 10/50

We had the whole gang together for today's workout. We knew this one would be awful, considering how hard the handstand push-ups(HSPUs) had been for us the first time we did them. We had a much better experience this time around, but we also knew what to expect and approached it a little differently. I smoked the HSPUs this time and finished first by about 4min., which I was excited about, since I haven't come in first in a while now! After that, Christian and I did our planned tricep workout, and Jason worked back/choulders again. We had Christian's camera this time and took a bunch of funny photos during the workout:

Scar tissue that I wish you saw...

2010-02-04T16:08:00.018-06:00

Jason and Matt pretty much took the day off, but Christian and I decided to make it a light day just to stay loose and work on "the situation" if you habla Jersey Shore, or just abs if not. I don't have much of a situation as yet though. Turned out to be a good idea because we've been pretty tender the past few days, especially in the upper-body region...like, all of it!

Stationary Bike: 10mi. in 30min.

GHD Sit-ups: 15, 15, 15, 15
Kb Side Raises: 15/60, 15/60, 15/60, 15/60
Roman Chair Leg Raises: 15, 15, 15, 15

We finished up with 20min. of stretching and practiced some different techniques for the handstand push-ups we'll be doing with tomorrows workout. Hopefully it'll pay off.

FYI, the post title is from Red Hot Chili Peppers-Scar Tissue

The instruments of my destruction.

2010-02-03T15:32:00.005-06:00

Christian and I started with a one mile warm-up run at 10:00. No problem. Jason met us in time to start the workout of the day(WOD), called "Eva". The workouts with girls names always suck...get it?! (oh, no he didn't! oh, yes I did!) Anyway, the gym was still crowded after the warm-up, so Jason did a shoulder/back workout while Christian and I did a quick bicep workout. No problem:

Incline Bench Db Curls: 12/25s, 12/25s, 12/25s, 12/25s
EZ Bar Preacher Curls: 10/65, 6/75, 3/85, 10/65
Reverse Grip Curls: 12/35, 12/35, 12/35, 12/35

By the time we were done, the gym had cleared out and we got started with the WOD...BIG problem.

For time:
1/2mi. Run, 30 Kettlebell Swings(16kg), 30 Pull-ups
1/2mi. Run, 30 Kettlebell Swings(16kg), 30 Pull-ups
1/2mi. Run, 30 Kettlebell Swings(16kg), 30 Pull-ups
1/2mi. Run, 30 Kettlebell Swings(16kg), 30 Pull-ups
1/2mi. Run, 30 Kettlebell Swings(16kg), 30 Pull-ups
TIME:49:36, VF:5

Here's another link to a video of this workout being performed. The first round wasn't too bad, but the next four were more than just a little challenging. My weak point was the run. Although the swings and pull-ups hurt, I was still able to keep a good rhythm and knock them out quickly. During the third round, Jason hit a 10 on the VF! He really tried to keep going, but his stomach wanted nothing more to do with it. Interesting note- Jason is the first in our group to hit a 10, which speaks to just how hard he was pushing himself. Christian and I went over to the chow hall afterward and got beef stew to take back to the room. Of course, we could hardly eat it because our hands and arms wouldn't stop shaking.

Another victory at the gym!

Humbling experiences...in training AND life.

2010-02-02T15:49:00.010-06:00

Warm-up:
Stationary Bike: 30min. (9.6 miles)

Crossfit routine for time:
15 reps, Thrusters with 135lbs.
15 reps, Weighted Pull-ups with 45lbs.
12 reps, Thrusters with 135lbs.

12 reps, Weighted Pull-ups with 45lbs.

9 reps, Thrusters with 135lbs.
9 reps, Weighted Pull-ups with 45lbs.
TIME: 26:04, VF: 1

Chest workout:
Flat BB Bench: 12/135, 8/185, 4/225, 10/185
Reverse-Grip Bench: 10/135, 10/135, 10/135, 10/135
Flat Db Fly: 15/15s, 12/20s, 10/25s, 12/20s

Here's the link to a video of a huge guy doing this crossfit workout above. I didn't do too when it came to the Pull-ups, but the Thrusters just beat the living hell out of me. The workout said to complete it for time, but I found myself just trying to complete it at all. I wouldn't have felt too bad about Jason and Christian both beating me today, except that it was by A LOT! The only thing I feel particularly good about is that I kept pretty strict form throughout the workout.

So I guess I've been doing crossift workouts for roughly a month now and I'm kicking myself for not having done this all year. You still have to supplement it with regular weight training, but I'm excited to see the kind of impact this is going have on my work goals (PT tests, ruck marching, etc.) and personal goals (runs, triathlon, etc.) after six months of persistence.

-Warning-

The following statements have nothing to do with training. Read at you own risk...of boredom!

I'm going through another one of those sobering experiences as a grunt in the Army right now. I'm doing "headcount" this week in the chow hall for the dinner meal. It's as simple as it sounds...count the heads of the people coming in to eat. It's like making a heart surgeon put band-aids on people all day. Well maybe not that bad, but you get the idea. At some point tonight a Captain came in smiling and asked, "Hey, how's it goin' buddy?". To which I replied smiling, "Oh good, just happy to be living up to my full potential." For some reason he stopped smiling and walked off...oh well. I'll spare everyone the rant that would normally follow about the injustice of it all, because the truth is that it's nobody's fault but my own. Maybe this will be one of those stories I get to tell my kids, about how right after college I took a job as a worthless day-laborer before I went on to do anything of real value!

Burp-tastic!

2010-01-31T14:43:00.000-06:00

150 Burpees for time.
TIME: 18:58, VF: 5

GHD Sit-ups: 20/0, 20/0, 20/0, 20/0
Shrugs: 15/45, 15/45, 15/45, 15/45
Stationary Bike: 30min. (9.1mi.)

We picked this burpee workout since it would be easy for four of us to do it at the same time without pause. Me, Jason, Matt and Christian all hit the gym together for the first time since we started these crossfit workouts. We used the mat room, which is small and has no air circulation, so it got hot as hell after the first couple minutes. It went a little faster than I expected it to, fortunately, and everyone finished in good time.

Here are a few casualties from last week. They will be missed :(

3, 4, PT, some more...

2010-01-30T17:06:00.002-06:00

So my friend Julie ran a "Remission Run 5K" yesterday and totally had my name put on one of the signs there. She posted a picture of the sign on her blog here. Thanks Julie! The workout today:

7 rounds for time:
95lb. Power Snatch, 7 reps
95lb. Balance Snatch, 7 reps
95lb. Overhead Squat, 7 reps
TIME: 22:46, VF:3

30min. Stationary Bike (9 miles)

Snatch is exactly the kind of lift I don't know enough about. I discovered I know enough not to hurt myself, but not enough to make the lift easy. I finshed, but once again, I'm left feeling like I'm going to hurt in the morning. Here's a demo video of the workout so you can see how it looked.

It snowed here a couple days ago and a few of us went a little overboard building a snowman. It was a pretty good time. Plus, I built the little one on the right all by myself!

Threesomes are great!

2010-01-29T13:33:00.000-06:00

If a "Devil's Three-way" is with two dudes and a girl, then what's it called with three guys? Well that's weird, but it's not what you think. I did my crossfit workout tonight with Jason and Christian. The more people the better, since it gets more competitive and pushes you to work harder. They got warmed up with some "wrestling" though...don't know what to say about that. Here was the workout:

10min. of Handstand Push-ups (37)
5min. of Squats (200)
2min. of Pull-ups (40)
1min. of Push-ups (66)
TOTAL REPS: 343

2mi. Run - 22:14 (11:07 pace)

The 2mi. run afterwards felt like a wasted effort considering I had no energy (or blood) in my legs from all the upperbody exercises. I just struggled along feeling like I needed to do a little more since the crossfit workout was only 18min. long. With my traditional lifting routines I would be in the gym for 90min. or more sometimes, so crossfit has been a big change in that aspect.

Gettin' my lift on!

2010-01-27T13:57:00.000-06:00

I did this workout on Monday, and meant to post it then, but things ran late and I needed sleep for a mission the next day. The mission was crap, by the way, and it totally snowed on us while we were out.

Me, Jason and Matt walked into the gym for our second crossfit workout as a group, but it was a little too crowded to get started, so we split up for seperate chest routines first:

Smith-Machine Bench Toss: 12/135, 12/135, 12/135, 12/135
Cable Fly to Dynamite Press: 10/30s, 6/40s, 5/40s, 8/30s
Incline Db Press: 12/50s, 10/60s, 8/70s, 1060s

After the chest workout the treadmills had opened up and we got started!

1/4mi. Run, 7 Thrusters (105lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 7 Thrusters (105lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 7 Thrusters (105lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 7 Thrusters (105lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 7 Thrusters (105lbs)
TIME: 15:39 VF: 4

After the 1st round, Grubb had hurt his shoulder and didn't continue. I was able to keep a much faster pace than usual for the run, but felt guilty afterward for not doing the Thrusters with the prescribed 135lbs. I guess there's always next time.

The G-Man Cometh

2010-01-23T14:03:00.002-06:00

Went a little overboard with the workout tonight. I started with some weights:

Weighted Dips: 15reps/45lbs, 12reps/70lbs, 7reps/9lbs, 10reps/70lbs
Shoulder Shrugs: 15/90, 15/90, 15/90, 15/90
Cable Chop: 15/40, 12/50, 10/60, 12/50
Cable Tricep Extensions: 15/80, 8/100, 5/120, 8/100

Next was a crossfit workout that Jason, Matt and I basically made up and did together. We named it "The G-Man Cometh"...and it sucked:

1mi. warm-up run (10:00)

1/4mi. Run, 25 Box Jumps, 15 Overhead Squats (105lbs), 20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)
1/4mi. Run, 25 Box Jumps, 15 Overhead Squats (105lbs), 20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)
1/4mi. Run, 25 Box Jumps, 15 Overhead Squats (105lbs), 20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)
1/4mi. Run, 25 Box Jumps, 15 Overhead Squats (105lbs), 20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)
1/4mi. Run, 25 Box Jumps, 15 Overhead Squats (105lbs), 20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)
TIME: 35:49, VF:6
1mi. cool down run (10:00)

The VF might have been higher except that I felt like I was more likely to pass out than throw up. I was getting dizzy just trying to catch my breath. I took a few pics this time of Jason(right) and Matt(left) with some of the equipment.

Classical...WTF?

2010-01-21T22:17:00.001-06:00

The Workout of the Day (WOD) was called "G.I. Jane". So we get in the gym, warm-up and start the WOD. It only takes a couple minutes before I'm gasping for air and need a break. This is when I realize that classical music is playing on the gym stereo...what the hell?!?! Crossfit is designed to break you physically and mentally, so I have to admit that classical music wasn't keeping me very motivated (sorry Julie, but I can't bring myelf to say "moti", lol) for this one.

100 Burpee/Pull-ups for time.

TIME:18:37, VF:7

You begin standing, then drop down to the push-up position and do a single push-up before springing back up to the pull-up bar above you. You use your upward momentum to assist you in completing a pull-up before dropping back to the ground. That's one rep. Then you do it 99 more times! I was hurting on this one, but got into a rhythm of doing about 10 at a time from 60-100. I did the workout with Jason, who finished about 30 seconds before me. I suspect he may have had more of an adrenaline rush than than me going into this one, considering he had just been in a fight with our other buddy Matt minutes earlier. They had been at each others throats for a while and after living in the same room for so long, tensions finally boiled over. I had a front row seat for the action and almost caught a stray punch, but fortunately neither of them was badly injured in the scuffle, and they've already made-up since it happened. Actually, this video probably gives an accurate depiction of what the three of us looked like during the fight.

Funny!!! Cat Fight Vs Cat Vomit. Must See!!! - Click here for more free videos

Tomorrow I'm resting. My chest, upper/lower back, and abs are all tender from the past 3 days. Good news is it's only about a month before I'm out of this place and back to Anchorage! Can't wait to get some more snowboarding in with Cherelle before we start enjoying the LONG summer days.

Mr. Joshua

2010-01-20T19:20:00.002-06:00

The title of this afternoons workout...he did not disappoint. Here's how it went down:

1mi. warm-up run (10:00)
1/4mi. Run, 30 GHD Sit-ups, 15 reps Deadlift (185lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 30 GHD Sit-ups, 15 reps Deadlift (185lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 30 GHD Sit-ups, 15 reps Deadlift (185lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 30 GHD Sit-ups, 15 reps Deadlift (185lbs)
1/4mi. Run, 30 GHD Sit-ups, 15 reps Deadlift (185lbs)
TIME: 29:47, VF:6
1mi. cool down run (10:00)

I probably felt the worst just after the 4th round. Fortunately I had a workout partner for this one, which gave me some motivation to keep up my momentum. Jason is also a 250lb. beast, so when it came to the deadlift he was lifting 225lbs. to my 185lbs. A couple great songs from this workout included "Body Language and Bad Habits - Just Surrender" and "I'm Me - Lil Wayne", although at some point the music just got drowned out by the thumping of what I'm sure was blood pulsing in my head...oh, we have fun.

We're planning to workout again tomorrow morning, but we're going to try and stick to the Workout of the Day (WOD) from Crossfit.com. I havent seen it yet, but I'm sure I'm not going to like it. My bet is that it's 7-8 sets of my one-rep-max (1RM) of the clean and press.

Right: Me and my buddy Chris before running the 40th Annual Dallas White Rock Marathon. We were less than prepared, and paid for it...but finished!

A corny joke to leave you with...what's the difference between a snowman and a snowoman? Give up? SNOWBALLS!

Vomit Factor...

2010-01-20T19:11:00.000-06:00

Since I've begun torturing myself with crossfit workouts, it seemed appropriate to assign a Vomit Factor (VF) value to each workout, once completed. This value is intended not only to give the reader an idea of how difficult the workout is in itself, but also the level of effort I gave in completing it. For example, if I ran a mile in 10:00 it might only have a VF of 0 or 1, but if I ran a mile in 6:00 it would have a VF closer to 5 or 6. To further explain, I have included a breakdown of what each value should indicate about a given workout :

10 - Threw up during a workout and called it a day.
9 - Throw up during workout and go right back to kicking ass.
8 - Throw up a little in your mouth, but nothing fancy.
7 - Run to the trash can, but it's a false alarm.
6 - Debating on a pit-stop to the trash can, but decide to see how much more you can take.
5 - You make a mental note of the trash can location in the gym as it taunts you.
4 - Food/fluids feel like they're in your chest instead of your stomach.
3 - Repeated belching.
2 - Occassional belch, allowing you to revisit the taste of your most recent meal.
1 - General discomfort, but nothing serious.
0 - Workout was either, 1) hard but you still owned it, 2) you half-assed the hell out of it, 3) it was just an easy day.

There is always the possibility of an 11+, but those are reserved for the most epic of workouts! Plus, I've only reached a 7 thus far, so I don't know what anything higher than a 10 would look like. Perhaps, throwing up, passing out, and waking up in the medic station.

1st Fail!

2010-01-19T02:31:00.001-06:00

So just back from the 3-day Air Assault yesterday and tried a crossfit workout this morning called "Lynne". It's the first one I had to cut short so far. I wasn't even all that hard, but I really wasn't feeling it. I'm sure it didn't help that I didn't have a partner. Here's the workout:

5 Rounds for max reps:
Body weight bench press (160lbs) / Pull-ups

Here's what I actually completed:
2mi. warm-up run (20:00)
1st round - 19/12
2nd round - 12/11
3rd round - 10/12
1mi. cool down run (10:30)

So I did 3 rounds and decided I had had enough :( On the plus side, I felt very comfortable during my warm-up jog while listening to two noteworthy songs, Better Now - Collective Soul, and Lollipop - Framing Hanley. FYI, if you're a girl and like "Lollipop", you're probably a freak!

Biceps/Abs day, followed by yet another crossfit day.

2010-01-13T02:19:00.001-06:00

Tuesday:
EZ Bar Curls: 15reps/65lb, 10reps/85lb, 6reps/105lb, 8reps/85lb
Hanging Leg Raises: 15, 15, 15, 15
Seated Db Hammer Curls: 12/25lb , 10/35lb, 3/45lb, 10/35lb
Decline Bench Db Twists: 25/25lb, 25/25lb, 25/25lb, 25/25lb
Standing Cross-Cable Curls: 12/30lb, 8/40lb, 4/50lb, 8/40lb
Cable Crunches: 15/80lb, 20/100lb, 20/130lb, 20/100lb
Stationary Bike: 15min./4.75mi.

Wednesday:

1mi. warm-up (10:30)

400m Run, 25 Burpees
400m Run, 25 Burpees
400m Run, 25 Burpees
400m Run, 25 Burpees
400m Run, 25 Burpees
400m Run, 25 Burpees
Time: 31:50
1mi. cool down (10:30)

My normal workout partner Matt opted not to workout with me for the past two days, so I had another buddy come to the gym for day two. After the workout he asked, "Why is it that when I come to the gym with you I always want to kill myself?". I think he was being a bit over dramatic, but after all these crossfit workouts, my old lifting routine is starting to feel pretty bland. It's a trade off though since the old routine definitely puts on size, but crossfit is producing the stronger, leaner muscle I'll need in the long run for triathlons.

Well, big 3-day air assault mission in a few day, so I may take it easy until then...or not. We'll see!

My 1st Fran

2010-01-11T00:28:00.002-06:00

"Fran" is the name of a very popular Crossfit workout that I did with Matt today for the first time. Here's a link to a video of a guy making it look easy. We didn't do so hot. Started with a 15min. warm-up/ab routine just to get the blood pumping, but here's the workout:

21 reps of 95lb. Thrusters
21 Pull/ups
15 reps of 95lb. Thrusters
15 Pull-ups
9 reps of 95lb. Thrusters
9 Pull-ups
Time: 8:00

Matt finished in about 13min, but probably would've been faster if his form had been better on the Thrusters.

I'm back!

2010-01-10T18:29:00.002-06:00

Well I haven't posted on this blog in a LOOONG time, but I think I'm ready to get back to it. It has always helped me to blog when I have particular training goals I need to meet. For those of you who may still be reading after all this time, here are the big things you've missed:

Graduated from Texas A&M (finally).

Enlisted in the Infantry (the airborne variety), and stationed in Anchorage, AK.

Deployed to Afghanistan for the past 10 months.

Ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon in 4:50:00 on R&R Leave.

2 months left in Afghanistan before going back to AK.

Two short-term goals I'm working towards are the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon and a local sprint triathlon. The marathon will be fun, but I've never participated in a triathlon, so I'm pretty nervous about it. Since I'm still in Afghanistan, my posts will be pretty basic and my training hasn't include much more than general muscle strengthening routines with cardio interspersed. Lately I've been trying to get back into crossfit because ideally I'll do it 3 days a week in Anchorage, with 3 days of run/bike/swim training, and one off day. So here's the latest workout I've done:

"Lumberjack 20"

Complete for time:

20 Deadlifts (105lbs)

400m Run

20 Kettlebell Swings (16Kg)

400m Run

20 Overhead Squats (105lbs)

400m Run

20 Burpees

400m Run

20 Pull-Ups

400m Run

20 Box Jumps (24" Box)

400m Run

20 Dumbell Squat Cleans (30lb Dbs)

400m Run

Time: 28:55

Did this workout with my buddy Matt...it hurt. The rest of the day my lungs felt like they'd been burnt. I also need to stop eating a big breakfast before I do these workouts. It's definitely increasing the "vomit factor"!

2008 Grasslands Run 50 Mile

2008-03-29T14:29:00.000-05:00

Held March 22, 2008
LBJ National Gasslands

The race was great this year. The weather was about the same, except maybe 6 or 7 degrees cooler, which was nice because it got very hot last year. I brought sunscreen this year too, which was also helpful. I was worried about my right knee acting up since I've been having a lot of problems with it this past month, but it never gave me any problems, so I was pumped about one less pain I would have to manage!

I enjoyed the course, which is like a cloverleaf, with four loops all starting and finishing in the same central area where the one drop bag is located. The first two loops went quickly, with the third loop being the most difficult. I changed shoes and headed out feeling great at the start of the third loop. I wasn't feeling nearly as good at that point last year. I remember thinking, "Damn, I'm only halfway done, with another 25 miles left to go!" This time, I just pushed it out of my mind and took off. I was tired and ready to be finished by the end of that loop. I had cold beer at two different aid stations on the loop, which was tasty but didn't exactly reinvigorate me. I discovered that I enjoy Pyramid Hefeweizen! I took off on my last loop and a couple miles into it my Ipod died! I had been running by myself for most of the course and there weren't a ton of other runners out, so I hit a mental low shortly after that and started giving in to more walk breaks. I walked the better part of the last five miles except for a couple guys (Rich and Kevin) who were also shuffling along. Their conversation sucked me into staying with them for the rest of the way in.
My friend and roommate Israel, who I convinced to finally run a marathon, completed it in 5:29. He was there at the finish to take some pictures of me crossing, as well as this one of the two of us with Suzie Cope, the race director. After that, we grabbed some BBQ sandwiches and jumped in the car to drive about 5hrs back to the house. We got back at midnight and were exhausted. All in all, it was a pretty good time!

Feb 11 - 24

2008-02-25T23:21:00.000-06:00

2 Races, 1 Weekend

2008-02-25T13:50:00.007-06:00

Saturday-

I ran the special 50K event for the 30th Anniversary of the Fort Worth Cowtown Marathon. 4:59 finish. Here's the race report and some pictures.

Sunday-

The 2nd Annual Armadillo Dash Half Marathon in College Station, Tx. 1:59 finish. Here's the race report and some pictures.

Much to my surprise, I didn't really injure myself this weekend, aside from a little tenderness. Hopefully I'll just be able to train right into my 50 Miler at LBJ Grasslands now in March.

2008 Armadillo Dash Half Marathon

2008-02-25T13:32:00.000-06:00

Held on Sunday, February 24th, 2008

Finish - 1:59:30

Well I just finished my 50K in Fort Worth on Saturday with Israel finishing his half marathon ever, and now he's about to run his second the very next day while I just more painful miles under my own belt. The reason we decided to make this weekend so crazy is because we had already committed to running Saturday's race when we ended up with free entries into the half that Sunday as well. We couldn't pass on a free entry worth $50 so we decided to take on both races.

Not a whole lot to say about this one, just a few notes of interest. Israel and I ran every mile together wearing the awesome finisher shirts we earned from the day before. I wore my Jason mask and carried a knife, as well as two IT Band straps to aid my aching knees in the endeavour. We didn't feel too sore, but I definitely noticed a more strained effort coming from both of us to give the same performance we did Saturday. Our legs may not have been too sore, but they were definitely tired.

We didn't think we had much chance at finishing under 2hrs until we got to mile 9 and I told Israel it might be possible. That's when we decided to "embrace the suck" and give it everything we had left. Unfortunaltey, we were met with horrific head winds turning into the final three miles on a highway frontage road. We all but skipped the final aid station to make our last kick to the finish. Israel could hear me huffing and puffing under my mask and I thought I was going to throw up as I crossed the finish line, but we actually did it. We turned in a negative split for the race and Israel finished several minuted faster than he did Saturday, effectively setting and breaking his Half Marathon PR all in two days!

The medals and shirts weren't bad, and some people wanted their picture taken with me after the race in my Jason mask, so it was a good time, despite my aching knees and tendons.