Adarq.org

w/r/t "trying to run slower": like you i'm still very much at the beginning of running training. the best thing for me is, at least 80% of the time, to not think about pace at all. settle into a comfortable cadence, whatever that means that day, and go with it. i don't try to run at any particular speed. if my experience is any indication, you'll speed up over time without meaning to. i started out in august/september at 5:12/km for 4 km as a natural pace on the roads and last night ran 4:34 for 5 km. that's a nearly 40-second improvement, with little noticeable difference in workout-to-workout effort,* in three months.

so my recommendation is just not to fuss about pace at all while you're running. it'll take care of itself.

*i did kick a bit at the end of the run last night, when it was clear that i could get under 23:00 if i wanted to. but i wasn't gassed, still very much a training run.

This is pretty much exactly what I did for that run. I had the watch running but just put it back on on the time and didn't even look at it for the first 20 mins. My natural pace is quite fast and I'm trying to stay in that 120-150 bpm zone so I keep talking to myself every now and then to make sure I'm not going to fast. If I can hold a conversation with myself then I'm ok haha. If I ran 7k at 6m/km pace then I'm pretty happy as I wasn't pushing it.

I am noticing that squatting 3x per week, swimming, riding and running definitely leave the legs in a fatigued state though #captainobvious

Some things (quotes/mantras etc) i've been thinking lately.

If someone were to ask me why I approach races the way I do: "I don't care about losing, only about winning"
- ie, take risks & don't worry about failure. losing is overrated.
- so I take a huge risk, achieve it or not, burn out and perform worse overall than expected .. who cares?
- so I take a huge risk, achieve it, maintain a respectable level of performance, and perform better than expected -> break mental and physical barriers, set new limits, gain more confidence .. boom.
- so i plan on taking a huge risk, wimp out, fail miserably .. worse case.

Running is actually easy. All you have to do is slowly conquer fear & doubt head on. The only way to do that is to not back down.

I'm trying to focus more on the skill of racing, than the physiology of running. The former is more about rising to the occasion, no matter who shows up. Not limiting yourself to numbers/predictions based on workouts, past races, or what you think you are capable of, but more about finding out on race day -> it's more of a fight/combat approach than it is a strict formula. For fighters, this is an easy analogy: no matter who you are in there with, you try to win, survive, etc - no matter how much more accomplished/skilled/experienced your opponent is. For dunkers, this is analogous to throwing a high lob, going up and trying to get it. It's not precise, even if you want it to be. Sometimes the ball bounces higher than expected, and somehow you still get up there and get it, even if it's just a hard miss.

Finally the idea of inhibition: I tend to already think of myself as someone who could run some insane times/do some sick performances. I think you have to believe that if the mindset above is to be executed properly. I feel like i'm trying to remove inhibition, rather than gaining fitness. By simply removing inhibition, i'll go faster, because i'm already capable of maintaining faster speeds physiologically. So by stripping away layers of inhibition, i'll be able to utilize higher levels of my current fitness, and at the same time, create a stronger stimulus for improving fitness. The circle of PR life.

This prefontaine quote is perhaps the best quote i've ever read, because i've actually used it recently in a few training sessions & in my last few races: “Something inside of me just said ‘Hey, wait a minute, I want to beat him,’ and I just took off."

I've actually thought about it, and then gone faster. I think it resonates with me so much because, I can imagine myself being that guy that someone took off on, and not fighting for it. So, that quote is the only one i've ever used in competition of any kind, as far as I can remember.

Obviously there's a legit physiological component to all of this, but I find the mental components to be most challenging (evidenced by this & many of my previous posts).

There's probably some more but i'm forgetting them right now.

First and foremost though: need to stay healthy, not do anything stupid!

pc!

Brilliant! So many runners I know have that fear of not finishing a race, or finishing in such a fatigued state that they don't even race and run completely within themselves.

We all know that it's 90% above the shoulders and I would think that by removing those barriers to performance you will by proxy remove some physiological barriers at the same time.

I actually watched the Prefontaine movie last week with Jared Leto. Ashamed to say it's the first time I've actually heard of him too. Absolutely incredible story.

16/12/17
LISS (30-120mins)

Strava says- 7.6km @ 5:21 /km
Garmin says- 6.49km @ 6:28 /km

Not sure which one to believe. I tried to replicate the run on mapmyrun and it was somewhere inbetween so idk.  I did run fairly quick but was never really out of breath. It was hot though and the legs gave out first. Still finding my feet with running and trying to maintain a steady pace. I find the slower I try to run the harder it is and the worse my legs feel. Getting there though.

Quote from: Coges on December 14, 2017, 03:02:19 pm

15/12/12
Strength session- 75% week

Basically no warm up.

Squat-
bar x 10, 60 x 5, 75 x 5, 5, 5

Bench-
bar x 10, 40 x 5, 62.5 x 5, 5, 5

Wide grip RDL- 60 x 10
DL- 80 x 5, 5, 5

Got out of bed and to the gym ok this morning but pretty much phoned it in. Got all the mandatory stuff done then got out. I'm operating at a pretty easy level right now as I build this base but I'm looking forward to testing my maxes after the next two weeks to get a proper idea of where I'm at. The consistency has been good this week as I haven't missed a session but now need to add back in a proper warm up and my stretching/SMR too.
 
Funny how much my squat form improved though when the two crossfit chicks in booty shorts turned up during my second set 

hah. 100%.

happens with running too.. posture improves instantly and you run faster, always worth taking note when that happens too, so you know what to do when the females aren't around. lmao!

Haha the ego is a beautiful thing isn't it. Now only if we can harness it's powers for good.

Quote from: adarqui on December 13, 2017, 01:35:13 pm

Quote from: LBSS on December 13, 2017, 12:02:51 pm

if that dude is legit built and lean, then haters gonna hate, lol 

yup..

Quote

it's like adarq driving internet people insane with quarter squats back in the day. it was working for him, so he gave no fucks.

yup x 2

there's some beauty in being 'dumb' and simply training hard/heavy.. IMHO, it's a decent recipe for success. Another reason I wouldn't knock partial ROM routines, especially if it looks like it's working for someone. There's even more beauty in being intelligent and training hard/heavy using ROM's that give you the most results.

People hated my half squats with a passion.. my 225 x 45 off pins @ ~150 lb has tons of dislikes, r u kidding me? LMFAO. That's impressive AF and that's a fact. But the ROM really annoys people. I think if you find yourself genuinely annoyed with someone elses ROM, you need to "realize it" and then try to snap yourself out of letting it get to you. I mean my brain does stuff like that all the time and I tell it to STFU.

5 plates without a warmup sounds like a bad idea, but maybe he watched my "resting max" training videos? I'd never do that stuff again, that's for sure.. it was a combined success/failure experiment, just too mentally taxing to go from 0 to max (5RM) on squat.

The walking into the gym smoking thing is pretty funny tho.. tons of water fountain breaks sounds like a good thing, guy is recovering and getting in some h2o.

Gyms are great.. Haven't been to one in a long time but, really feels like you are out on a safari watching animals do weird shit.

Anyway, giving no fucks is great. Props to any1 who gives no fucks.

I don't watch much bodybuilder videos because bodybuilding isn't my thing. Personally I believe if you ever want to be a successful bodybuilder you've got to juice. I see natural bodybuilders that are meticulous with their training/diets and honestly with a shirt on they barely look like they lift because they don't have size. Without getting side tracked when I do watch bodybuilders train all the top ones are using heavy weight. Look at a Branch Warren video. His form is far from textbook but probably just the sheer power that you need to produce to move those weights is what produces the muscles (aside from the pharmaceuticals and CNS).

As for the water nothing wrong with drinking it but surely he'd think maybe it's easier just buying a 2 Litre bottle of water for $1 and using that as a drink bottle instead of always coming to the gym with nothing. Not a hater just an observer 

I love watching people train whether they're bodybuilders or not. Don't watch any bodybuilder vids though as it's not my thing either. Like Adarq said though it's a pure safari experience which is the best part. 

Ate a ton of food last night. Felt lethargic and a bit low on energy and I've been on lower cals this week (between 2,000-2,500 depending on the day). Figured a day of higher wouldn't hurt. Woke up this morning at 90.3kgs so should end the week sub 90.

14/10/17
30 minute cardio

28mins swimming- 500m total at conservative pace with plenty of rest. Two 25m sprints to finish which were dead on 15s each.
Made use of the steam room and alternated between cold showers and sitting in the steam room for about 15 mins. Steam room felt so fricken good when you can actually just sit there and let the heat soak into the muscles. Unbelievable.

30 min bike to come later today. 20 min bike instead. Got up a good cadence but stopped at 20m. I know it's all been light cardio but I'm still wary of overdoing myself

All forms of whey including WPI?

Yeah idk. It seems to be pretty much any dairy based protein which would include wpi. I haven't had straight up wpi for a while but do know that when I did the first week of that whole 30 diet my skin cleared up and I felt amazing. I was only taking egg white protein then.