Nugent Coaching Systems

First off – great race.  Well organized, aid stations and volunteers were stellar.  Highly recommend running this event if you have the chance.

Key take-aways:

• This HURT.
• I’m in better shape than I thought I was, but not as good as I want to be.
• Find a new pack that doesn’t rub the back raw.
• Pacers make all the difference.

Pacing strategies:

• 5 minutes on, 1 minute off worked great.  Ran with another racer (Mike Arena) for the first 22 miles and had to let him slip away.
  • this pacing strategy lasted until mile 36, then it was pure survival.  Run when I could, walk when I had to.
  • (For 2011, I will be using a Gymboss Timer)

Gear options:

• The CWX Compression tights probably helped minimize a substantial amount of fatigue, but then by mile 26, the chaffing reached the saturation point.  I switched to Zoot tri-shorts and had zero issues.
• The Inov-8 shoes are great.  I used the Lite-220′s and my only complaint was that my feet haven’t been conditioned enough to get that much ‘textural’ information from the ground.  My feet , while they only swelled minimally, did get pretty sore.
• Socks – Smartwool all the way!

Training

• If I had more time I would add a few more 10-mile time trials
• More hills or parking lot tire dragging
• More double-unders and ankle strength work
• Everything else the same (strength and speed WODs), low volume run mileage.

Interesting notes:

• Cramping:
  • Calves seized at mile 36, slowly taking over forward progress
  • Upper right leg completely seized from knee to groin, pulling me ram-rod straight on an incline (Ryan handed over his Gatorade (undiluted) and I drank half of it.  From that point (around 36 miles) I started doubling the salt intake (two salt sticks every 30 minutes).
• No blisters!
• I’d do this race again.  Totally.
  • [Update: as of Jan 10th, 2011, I am signed up and ready to do this again!]

Race Site

I’ll definitely be using a GymBoss as I won’t have Mike Arena around for pacing

This last Sunday I did it.

Stats

Proved to myself that I could slog it out for 30 miles.  While it wasn’t exactly running the entire time, it was however forward progress in a consistent direction.

Training mileage has been at a record low.  Honestly, maybe 10 to 12 miles a week, tops.  Most of my training has been centered around concepts borrowed from CrossFitEndurance (CFE).  I would call it CFE except for the fact that even with that I am not as consistent as I should be.  I cherry pick what I feel are suitable endurance-friendly strength and metabolic conditioning workouts from CrossFit and RKC kettlebell training.

Strength is important to me, partly as a hobby and that I like setting PR’s, but also because I recognize the value strength plays in endurance events, particularly events like adventure racing.  You never know when you need to portage a boat full of gear across what you thought was just one sand dune, which later turned into 20 sand dunes.

So this weekend my wife Darcy said, “You need to get ready for the American River 50, you at least need to do a marathon! ”

So I did.  She and the kids went to church, and I put on my Merrels.

Couple lessons learned:

• Feet swell around mile 23.  I will need a pair of shoes larger than my current size.
• Run-walk pattern will happen, either I embrace it, or succumb to the inevitable
• I can subsist on peanuts  oranges and jerky for “event food”
• I love running

Seriously, I can see why people would get hooked on this.  Already I am looking forward to the next time I can ‘Go Long’.

Happy Training!

-Brandon

San Jose RKC Weekend –

After a grueling weekend of learning, re-learning, applying, and re-applying techniques to put all of the RKC candidates onto the road of proficient, safe, and highly effective kettlebell training I almost didn’t want to look at a kettlebell.  Ever.  Again.

Pavel is a commanding dude.  Sticks to what he knows and gets it to hit home with just about anyone he trains.  I have to say, thinking back to the weekend after a week and a half, I’m ready to pick up the kettlebell again.  This is also happens to have coincided with my hands healing up.  Yep.  Ripped four callouses in the first 5 minutes of the weekend.

Format:

The format of the weekend started with a test.  One that I had mistakenly considered to be one of the hardest things I would have to do for the entire weekend (or ever).  Not true, there was much more than just a test and watching technique demos.  We were expected to learn.  Throughout the entire course of the weekend the candidates were being evaluated.  Start on one side of the kettlebell curve of proficiency (in my case, poor) to the other side (moderately better).

Here’s the snatch technique I only slightly improved on just before the RKC snatch test:

Friday:

• Snatch test: 5 minutes of 100 kettlebell snatches (for me it was a 24kg bell)
• Swings and Get-ups

Saturday:

• Cleans and Presses
• Snatches

Sunday:

• Technique Review and Testing
• Grad Workout

There was SO MUCH information that this outline is just a gloss-over.   Nothing was as simple as I thought it was going to be.  My swing took a lot of refinement and over the course of the weekend I imagine it looks better than when it started.

The biggest take-away for me was the coupling of performance excellence and safety.  There’s no reason why safety should be thrown out when you’re pushing yourself hard to achieve your goals.  Safety and performance do not have to be mutually exclusive.

The other big component for me was learning to detect and correct basic movement patterns in people through simple, effective techniques.  Learning to squat correctly is hard for a lot of people, if you can cue them successfully, you can prep them to be safe and enable them to push past performance barriers.  It’s a good feeling.

Team Whitley

The best thing about the whole experience was the people part.   There were approximately 6 teams of 10 to 12 people led by RKC Team leaders.  My team was lead by David Whitley of irontamer.com. Dry, cutting humor, to the point. There is no glossy with this dude. Either you have it… or you don’t, and here’s what you need to get there.  If you have an opportunity to train with this guy, TAKE IT!

RKC was a great weekend and if you are contemplating training anyone in kettlebells, stop here first: Dragon Door Kettlebells

Thanks to Jordan Vezina RKC II for the help on getting me to the door – I would have preferred to spend more time on my technique (my hands wouldn’t have been as destroyed from the snatch test!!)

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

WOD: Wagon Run!

Results:

Compare to: 17SEP2009:

From Drop Box

Zero Day:
15 minute AMRAP:

• 10 KB Swings (RKC Style)
• 10 Jumping Pull-ups
• 10 Thrusters
• 100 meter sprint

More Info:  www.adventurefittraining.com/zero-day