Concurrent Strength Training & Running 2015: Eight-Week Workout Cycle V

Squats - 20 x 2 @ 75kgs

I turned my feet out a little more than normal and that seems to have fixed the knee issues. Weight felt relatively light so next week I'll up them to 80kgs. The press was a bit difficult with a 5kg increase, so increases will have to be small I think. I wonder If I can just use one of my cankle weights for each increase instead of two, and if it will be a noticeable difference on one side.
I've been working more on making the squat deracking ritual automatic, now that the loads are getting up there. If I can get the ritual down, make the movement automatic, at my current loads, that should help me when I'm 40-50 pounds heavier. Lately I've been spacing my feet slightly wider, and not worrying about knee tracking, which seems to help. Just going by feel and then when it feels good and natural, trying to recreate that feeling every time. Basically one step back with my right foot, then left foot to position, then right foot to its position. With lower weights it's easy to fidget and shuffle, but with heavier weights I want to maintain good balance throughout with minimum movement.

I don't think lifting unbalanced is a good idea, but it would be interesting to hear how it works for you. I think you should just spring for the fractional plates. I balked at first too, because 40-60 dollars is a lot for simple metal rings, but the convenience and ability to properly microload is worth it. Especially for a lighter lift like the press, it's nice to get down to .25 or .5 kilo increments.
I keep picturing you riding this this.

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I was hoping to hear about your 267 deadlifts today!

I'll take a picture of my ridiculous bike when I get the handlebar mount for my phone tomorrow. Luckily, with today's technology, my set-up is a lot smaller than that guy's, but I did have a motorcycle battery on my bike in Japan, for the horn.

I should also weigh the thing to see how much I'm pulling along. It's tempting to fix up my old road bike from high school, to ride a lighter bike once in a while. But I like my tank.

Yeah, I wanted to give the deadlift a try, even just one set, but my mind wasn't there. I was preoccupied with finding the horn's usb cord, which seemingly had disappeared but it's just that I was looking for something black, and it was orange and mixed in with all the other junk on top of the Jaccuzi.

I might give it a try on Friday if the knee is feeling good. It would be nice to know where I stand on that. In general, I'm gaining confidence daily in my ability to manage the knee issue successfully. It seems to be becoming bulletproof to squats and cycling. So deadlifts and a bit of running are the next tests.
 
A couple of middle-aged cyclists in full racing gear passed me up, but then couldn't maintain the pace so I tried to put some distance between us so I we wouldn't be playing that game repeatedly, and found myself pedaling at a tempo pace most of the way. Felt good.

there is something pridefully satisfying in being able to surpass those with all the fancy equipment when you're on a lead-framed suck-cycle wearing street clothes (and i'm assuming, no shoes, either...). keep pedaling.
 
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there is something pridefully satisfying in being able to surpass those with all the fancy equipment when you're on a lead-framed suck-cycle wearing street clothes (and i'm assuming, no shoes, either...). keep pedaling.
Yah, I know, I've always liked that low-tech aesthetic, but I'm a bit of a sell-out now. Even when I first started traveling by bicycle, I tried to make do with a 10-speed Peugeot, but with a full touring load, I opted for a Raleigh cross-trainer, and then, when that began to breakdown a lot in Africa, I finally sprung for a proper mountain bike, under protest of course.

I also started out riding in swimming shorts, because they were easy to wash each day and dried quickly, but proper cycling shorts are more comfortable. I always thought it would be funny to exercise in a dark suit.

Still, no one beats my spoke reflectors. Yesterday, as I was putting on new tires, my son asked me why his bike didn't have any spoke reflectors. Done! With the magic of Amazon and its hapless warehouse minions, I'll have them on his bike Thursday.

I think the barefoot cycling works the same as barefoot running, other cyclists figure this guy can't be serious, and it miffs them if I pass them despite all their racing gear and high-tech road bikes. Of course, most guys in full racing gear pass me. I only get to pick off a few of the stragglers. Still, after another six months or so, I should be able to give a few more a run for their money. The aerobic conditioning is starting to return. And I just put on new road tires, which inflate to 180 psi, so I should have less rolling resistance now. It was kind of silly to be biking in a straight line on good asphalt with mountain bike tires.

When is your race btw? Two more weeks? It's funny to think my weekly mileage on a bike is still less than yours running.
 
When is your race btw? Two more weeks? It's funny to think my weekly mileage on a bike is still less than yours running.

my race is in two and a half weeks (the 17th). now i am into the phase of trying to figure out how to balance doing enough that i don't forget how to run but not so much that i get inadvertently hurt or overtired. but apparently all that slow running over the last two months hasn't screwed up too many things. i managed to crank out a top-5 fastest mile on both friday and today.

i have an idea to try to go running early in the morning in order to get used to the "cold". we'll see if it happens, though. and i need to maintain/enhance the sole strength. maybe prayer and meditation? oh, wrong soul.... perhaps i should keep doing fast-ish running along with some heat treating.
 
Gravel tray?
i have one under my desk that my feet are sitting in as i type. but that is really just a comfort thing: it is better than the hardwood floor. :) but that does remind me to hit the chip-n-seal some. thanks! i've been taking my kids to the park every day and walking around on the woodchips which don't seem nearly as bothersome as they used to, so i guess i'm getting a little bit of the desired effect.