The challenge of obstacles

Since I have been competing in obstacle course races (OCR's) it has given me new ideas for training.  Mostof the races consist of 3-6 mile distances, and take anywhere from 26 minutes to an hour.  Running for 3 or 6 miles is not too challenging, especially if the course is flat that you run on.  Add some hills and it can change everything

However, running for a 1/4 mile, stopping and doing several exercises (or an obstacle) can make those 3 or 6 miles seem much more challenging.  This is what I have been working on the last few weeks is the non-steady (start and stop) running.

As a former ultra-endurance mountain bike racer, I have been accustomed to getting into my "tempo" during an event and trying to maintain that for 6-24 hours.  I became very good at controlling my HR and stabilizing my energy levels.  Nutrition was a huge factor in that, but I also trained my body and muscles to push a certain pace for hours on end (without going over my threshold).

The break in rhythm of running takes a toll not only on the cardiovascular system but also the muscular system.  Besides, most of the running is not at a "tempo" or controlled pace.  Because of the short distances between obstacles I am running at or near my threshold.  Then when navigating an obstacle I try to conserve energy and not expend too much.  Sometimes this can be very difficult and then as a result the running will slow down to try and recover.

A few of the obstacles that seem to effect the flow of flow of running during an obstacle race are the following:

     Repeated wall climbs - four to six 8 foot walls spaced 10 feet apart from each other.  This really takes a lot of energy to get your body up and over the walls and when you go to run to the next obstacle it can take a while to get back up to race speed.
     Short mounds of mud/dirt - this may not seem challenging to those watching, but having to run up short mounds of man-made hills (10 feet tall) breaks the running rhythm and can use lots of energy doing so, especially if the mud/dirt is wet and slippery.  Lots of stabilizing muscles will be called on to help get you over them and can zap the needed energy to sprint to the net obstacle.
      Over/Under Hurdles - If there are several of these in a row, these can completely slow down your running.  Most races will have a section of logs that you have to hop over and crouch under for several yards.  Doing this effectively will use lots of core strength and requires lots of jumping, which will always tire the legs.

The list could go on, but these are just a few of the one's I have experienced recently that have altered my running in between each obstacle.

When having to navigate an obstacle, you want to go as fast as you can, but you also have to take your time as in some races it could cost you many burpees if you don't complete the obstacle (fall off the balance beam, hopping from one log stump to another, etc).  And, going to fast when your shoes are wet over an A-Frame wall could cause you to fall and result in a pretty serious injury.

Obstacle course races are a great way to help develop mental toughness, how to overcome fears, how to accomplish something you may not have thought you could, and to get a good workout in.  It can be a great way for a team or company to help teammates/employees work together and build a better bond between each other.  

Rugged Maniac 5k Obstacle Race - Portland

The event was held at the Portland International Raceway, just 10 minutes from downtown Portland, OR.  With amazing scenery and a raceway that had me itching to come back to watch a car race, I was ready to compete in my 3rd obstacle race this year.   The Rugged Maniac events are one of the more popular race organizers (behind only Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, and Warrior Dash).  

The weather couldn't have been any better; sunny skies, 70 degree temps and no wind.  By the looks of things at the start, I would guess there were about 2,000 participants all together.  In the competitive category there were a total of 175 (broken into 2 separate heat waves).  One of my clients/friends from Anytime Fitness - Bend, Dave Forbes, also came along to compete in his first obstacle race.  He is a strong runner and I have been training him to prepare for this event.  I think he has a slight addiction to these already.

Dave and I at the finish...2 Rugged Maniacs

My strategy was to start fast but still conserve some energy in the beginning.  The first 3/4 miles were all running (through a grassy area and 2 muddy ditches filled with water).  Dave and I were quickly in the lead and by the first obstacle - 2 big walls to climb - had a comfortable lead. More running for the next 3/4 miles on gravel road led us to a 30' water crossing (named their "surprise obstacle").  At first it was shallow, but by the last 5 feet it dropped significantly and I found myself completely submerged underwater.  I knew something like this was coming, just didn't know when.  I guess I got "surprised".  

Dave and I in the lead heading to the "surprise obstacle"

Another racer had slowly started to catch up to us and after more running, jumping over 3 foot-wide ditches, and a couple dirt mounds to run up we were all together.  Then we arrived at the balance beam crossing.  There were 5 beams (each 4 feet apart from each other) that were 20 feet long above water.  The beams were only about 6" wide.  I started across the beam and began to lose my balance and a foot came off.  However, I quickly regained my balance and continued forward not long before losing my balance again, and again saving myself from falling into the water.  I finally made it across to the other side but now had to chase to catch up to the leader.  Dave got a little stuck behind a woman on the balance beam but he too shortly caught back up. 

Just finished a mud crawl under barbed wire and heading to more walls to climb

3rd to last obstacle, The Rings

The three of us stayed together most of the race changing leads periodically through different obstacles.  I noticed that on the tall wall climbs that both Dave and I lost a little time to the other guy, but on the running and water obstacles that we both gained a little time.  Dave started to fade back a little as we neared the finish.  With only about 1/2 mile to go to  the finish there were six 6-foot walls to go over, a ring crossing over water, a cargo net to climb and a 50' water slide to go down.  I lost a little time through the 6' walls even though I felt like I was going fast through them.  

In the end, I finished with a time of 29:43 and was 2nd in my heat wave.  Dave finished in 3rd with a time of 30:14.  Overall I finished 7th out of the 175 competitive racers and Dave finished 9th.  

Running with a bunch of maniacs

One of the more popular obstacle race venues, Rugged Maniac, will be making it's way to Portland next week for an obstacle race event.  Held at the Portland International Raceway, it should ,make for an interesting and "rugged" event.

Rugged Maniac is well know for having the highest number of obstacles per mile, so there won't be much time to get into a running rhythm.   The course is only 5k, but having own several 5k obstacle races, I know that although it;s only 3 miles (I mean 3.1 miles) it will be anything but easy. 

I have been putting in lots of training the past 6 weeks to prepare my body for non-stop demand.  A typical workout will last for 1-1.5 hours with very minimal rest.  This week, for instance, I will be doing 6 sets of four exercises for 1 min. each, followed by only 5 sec of rest.  I will be repeating this sequence with 3 times with four different exercises each time.  I have a strength group, a power group, and a core group.  I use DB and KB mostly for my strength group to help prepare for better grip strength and unilateral movements.  I use the TRX and plyo boxes for most of my power group, and a combination of Swiss ball and TRX for core exercises.

To add an extra challenge, I have been using my weighted vest (15 lbs) while performing the workouts.  The most challenging group is the core group.  Having the extra weight when doing planks or mtn. climbers makes a huge difference and adds quite a bit of difficulty to the exercises.

I am excited to compete in this race and will also have a good friend competing as well.  With a bunch of maniacs running around in an International Raceway who knows what will happen.  One thing is for sure,  we'll all have a big smile on our faces as we fly down their infamous 50 ft. water slide.

NSCA Oregon State Clinic

Today I had the opportunity to visit the Oregon State University and learn from some of Oregon's best strength coaches and an Olympic weightlifting coach.  NSCA (National Strength and Conditioning Association) offers many State Clinics to strength & conditioning coaches, personal trainers, and coaches on their training philosophies and Oregon's was held on the OSU campus.  Bryan Miller, OSU's head s&c coach was the facilitator for the clinic.

Oregon State's strength and conditioning facility

The day kicked off with the legendary University of Oregon's Jim Radcliffe talking about U of O's training principles.  Lots of his talk was about how to improve hip mobility with athletes and getting their muscles to work in synchronicity to be able to generate power.

 Jim Radcliffe, University of Oregon

Then US Weightlifting coach, Michael Conroy, talked about how to properly teach and perform the snatch and clean exercises.  These two explosive movements that can be very beneficial to athletes but can also be difficult to master.   The most beneficial thing I took from this presentation was how the barbell "should" move during the exercise.  A few great power point slides showed how some of the best Olympic weightlifters lifted the bar; keeping it behind an imaginary vertical line using some video analysis.

We were able to practice both exercises, and since I don't practice the snatch at all, I discovered that I don't have the shoulder mobility to execute it properly.  Some of the University of Oregon's strength coaches demonstrated the exercise with perfect technique and made it look simple.

Next we learned from Partick Ward how to properly collect data and how to utilize it with your athletes.  He has worked with many professional teams and has been able to help coaches get the most out of their athletes.

The University of Portland basketball coach, Brad Scott, shared his training principles and how he and he training staff lay out their off-season programs.

To wrap things up, Kyle Holland, Team EXOS - Special Operations, talked about how he trains his MMA athletes and some of the exercises he uses.

4 creative ways to "Spring Clean" your workouts

As we roll into the month of May we tend to focus on "spring cleaning"; such things as fertilizing the lawn and laying down some fresh dirt around the flowers, cleaning the garage, dusting the house and washing the windows.  Sound familiar?

The same should be said for your daily strength workout routine.  Have you been doing them same workouts for the past month or two?  If you have, it's time to spring clean your workout and give it a fresh look. Spring cleaning your workout/s can add some motivation that may have been lost, or prevent strength plateaus that may have occurred.  It's time to transform your body so that when summer rolls around you can feel good about participating and performing well in your sporting events, or even feel good about taking your shirt off (if you're a man) or wearing your bikini at the pool (of course if you're a woman).

Now I'm not saying that you have to completely change your workout.  All I am saying is slightly add some new variety to your workout; and that can mean many different things.  An example of this would be something as simple as switching the days up that you do certain workouts on.  For instance, if on Monday's you always do Legs, change it up and do upper body that day instead.  Or, if you normally do your weights routine and then cardio afterwards, change it up and do your cardio before your weights workout.  Now these are very simple changes that can be made, but will make each week feel a little different.

 

Here are 4 creative ideas to spring clean your workout.

1.  Instead of always using machines or the barbell for your exercises, switch to using Dumbbells or Kettlebells

2.  Instead of performing all bilateral exercises (using both legs or arms during the movement, switch to unilateral movements (using only 1 arm or leg during the execution).  An example of this could be performing a single-leg squat vs. a traditional squat.

3.  Try to incorporate supersets into your routine.  Supersets are 2 exercises performed back to back without rest, followed by a short rest, then repeated for "X" number of sets.  Try this superset pair...
15 KB Swings and 10 Pushups - 3 sets of each (a great push and pull combo)

4.  Perform some cardio/plyometric exercises in between your strength exercises.  This is a great way to keep the HR elevated and reduce rest periods and is a great addition to those who already have good fitness.  Try mixing in Jump Rope, Jumping Jacks, Box Jumps or High Knee Runs for 20-30 sec. in between each exercise.