THU SEPTEMBER 01, 2016 | THREE-MINUTE ROUNDS
3 pull-ups
6 pushups
9 squats
From 3:00-6:00, perform 3 rounds of:
4 pull-ups
8 pushups
12 squats
From 6:00-9:00, perform 3 rounds of:
5 pull-ups
10 pushups
15 squats
From 9:00-12:00, perform 3 rounds of:
6 pull-ups
12 pushups
18 squats
…
Continue for as long as possible until you cannot complete 3 rounds within the 3-minute window. Every 3 minutes add 1 additional pull-up, 2 additional push-ups and 3 additional squats.
For this first time since a WOD has been offered at 6 Thursday mornings, I didn’t coach! Yay! Coach Evelyn led the session and did an awesome job doing so.
My goal was to make it through round 15 and I did so, with all of 2 seconds to spare!
I completed unbroken pull-ups and air squats all rounds and unbroken pushups through round of 12 reps. I broke pushups into sets of 3 for remaining rounds, and pushups were definitely the most challenging of the three activities. On a positive note, my shoulder feels much, much better.
During the round of 7 pull-ups, 14 pushups, and 21 air squats I made sure to occasionally glance at the clock to ensure that I had enough time to complete all three sets of all three activities. I finished first round in about 50 seconds, second round in 55, and completed very last air squat with just 2 seconds remaining on the clock. I yelled, “Yes!” and didn’t attempt rounds of 7, 14, & 24.
There was much counting involved, so I had a cheat sheet beside me to remind me how many pull-ups, pushups, and air squats I needed to complete each round. I also completed 1st and 3rd rounds facing 7303 and the 2nd round facing the blue wall. I recorded the times it took me to complete each of the 3-minute rounds: 1:09, 1:26, 1:51, 2:18, and 2:58.
That’s 75 pull-ups, 150 pushups, & 225 air squats.
As always, Luke and Stevie were by my side at all times.

I took Luke and Stevie for a long walk, ate a bowl of oatmeal, rested (even taking a catnap) and met Mac, Jen G., and Susie at the American Tobacco Trail the day’s endurance WOD.
Max Effort 800m Run
Repeat 5 intervals, resting 3 minutes between runs.
Record your fastest time.
Odd-numbered rounds were slightly uphill. Yup, even-numbered rounds were slightly downhill. The key was establishing and maintaining proper and effective breathing, and I experimented with this today.
My 400m split for interval 1 was 1:24 but I slowed down a full 6 seconds. Dammit. Round 1 time = 6:01. I took a breath every 4th step and then eventually transitioned to taking a breath every 3rd step.
Interval 2 went slightly better and I finished in 2:57, slightly faster than a 6 mpm pace. I slowed down again for uphill interval 3, finishing in 3:03.
Interval 4 was my fastest, as I expected it would be, and I finished in 2:53. I focused on breathing every other step the last 200m. And it nearly killed me.
Interval 5 was my slowest. Yup, my slowest. How slow? I finished in 3:06. That’s a 6:12 pace, and that’s slow. And this is even with a strong finishing kick!
The 3-minute rest was just enough to recover and reset the watch.
Jesus, my programming is difficult. 🙂
FRI SEPTEMBER 02, 2016 | RASSLIN’
50c Row (Time)
I hate rowing. I didn’t go all out because, well, I didn’t go all out. Time = 2:33. I hate rowing.
Sumo Deadlift (Establish baseline 5RM)
I enjoy deadlifting, although I prefer conventional over sumo. After warming up, I completed sets of 5 reps @ 305, 315, & 325#. Shit got heavy!
I enjoy creating memes, and this may very well be my favorite! Darren is an all-around good guy, and I truly enjoy his sense of humor.
I once again visited Bull City Running, the best running store in the Triangle, this time to purchase a GPS-enabled watch. Jason (owner) and I had exchanged messages regarded the best watch for my needs, and my needs were basic: track distance and pace.
No bells and/or whistles for me! (As a quick aside, an acquaintance recently posted that her husband was her “knight and shiny armor.” Uhm, that’d be knight in shining armor.) I purchased a Garmin Forerunner 25. And I like it!
I also reconnected to Garmin Connect and spent time reminiscing about previous races run, e.g., Wrightsville Beach Marathon, Uwharrie 40-mile Ultra, etc.
And I’m seriously considering running another marathon, perhaps revisiting the very first marathon I ran: The Richmond Marathon. Or maybe the Flying Pig in Cincinnati.
As any faithful or even casual reader knows, I love running! I’ve been enjoying training for the upcoming Tuna Relay, and the mileage I’ve been putting in would be a good base to start focused training in January. Should I?