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I really enjoy reading these articles about how triathletes have pushed themselves to big fitness gains - very motivating. I've been thinking about doing something like that myself and Memorial Day weekend will be the perfect opportunity. I'm going to try to bike 300 miles this weekend.
Anyone else have any "sense-of-moderation-impaired" workouts planned? Anyone have any good stories about huge workouts that they've done?
During my prime swimming days (i.e. before becoming a triathlete), I completed the following set (not huge volume, but very tough):
18x200m LC fly w/ 2:30 sendoff interval
Needless to say I wasn't getting much rest between repeats - approx. 5-8sec.?!?
Also, my coach threatened to make me start over if I broke stroke (i.e. single-arm fly, free, etc.)
2 years ago, on january 2'd, my friend and I decided to get the food and beer out of our system so at 20h30, we started the tour of Orlean island (67 km) (near Quebec city). It was -20 (damn cold and windy). We decided to alternate 10 min run / walk untill done. 9 hours 30 min later, after being arrested by the police who asked us what we were doing? Just running around the island in the middle of the night of course!!! we came back to the car with the feeling of a job well done and, well, no more legs!
I feel that it's good to go over the edge like that once in a while.
Like Nike says...Just do it!
Richard
"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen
This winter, after reading about Epic Camp and an article in Trail Runner about the Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei (who run a marathon a day for 100 days), I decided to run at least a half marathon a day for 30 days straight with no days off. I went from about 40 miles a week to just over 100.
I was half expecting it to be a slow march to either illness or injury, but after the first week I felt better, stronger, and healthier than I have in years. I didn’t get much faster, or waste away; but I did notice that when you take away the inner dialogue (saying to yourself: today I need to go easy, because yesterday I ran hard), running became a simple act and started to feel incredible. All I had to think about was getting in my 13.1 knowing that taking a day off wasn’t an option. I didn’t train, I just ran. And in the process, rediscovered why I started this business in the first place.
Moderation in all things... especially moderation."
-Steward Nisbet : Last Place 1984 Olympics (windsurfing)
Just one question -- why? Kinda like seeing how long how can hold your arms in the air. Or dance marathons.?
Not trying to sound critical -- just curious.
too steel my heart against pure evil and unearthly horror i tied myself to a chair and made my friends play all of third eye blind's cds twice.
the horror, the horror
customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.
I know this pales in comparison to truly legendary workouts, but, in the mid 1980's, we had a few people that would ride from Greenville, SC, to Gatlinburg, TN, in one day...152 miles, 4 climbs of several thousand feet, much of it on busy roads, all of our clothes, etc., carried on the bike. The first time, it was my first ride of over 50 miles...I remember being forced to eat a hamburger and frosty at Wendy's at about 70 miles where I had bonked...wondering how I was going to get someone to come pick up my sorry rear end. My buddies wouldn't allow it, and made me get back on the bike. By the end of the day, I was taking a spirited pull of our small pack of riders up the 14 mile climb in the Smoky Mt. National park before the cold switchback descent into Gatlinburg. I learned a lot about exceeding my perceived limitations on this day. We'd take two days to return. It's hard to believe the Tour de France riders could do this distance and difficulty in a race, and repeat it again the next day. We did this in the spring before the Assault on Mt. Mitchell ride (one of Bicycling magazine's Top 10 Rear-end-kicking rides), and once in the fall...that was a mistake...too many people in the mountains for the peak leaf-color season.
Quid quid latine dictum sit altum videtur
(That which is said in Latin sounds profound)
Back in the early 80's when I was full of fight and tetosterone doing lots of Ultramarathons I had some epic weekends of training. Once in preperation for the Western States 100 miler, another crazy and I ran (on Saturday) from Robinson Flat at the 32 mile point of the Western States course to White Oak Flat a distance of 49 miles with several huge canyons to go through enroute, a total elevation loss, but many many thousands of feet of climb on the way on a rough rocky trail. We CAMPED out that night at Foresthill, then Sunday got a shuttle to White Oak Flat and ran to the finish a total of 25 miles. Then on Monday we ran ten miles on the roads! A total of 84 miles of very difficult running in three days!
Another epic we used to do was run around Mt. Rainier on the Wonderland trail in August. A total of 93 miles. We did this in three days, camping each night and getting our gear shuttled. The total elevation gain and loss was over 100,000' for the three day run. If we went clockwise starting from Longmire Ranger Station, we covered 35 miles the first day to Mowich Lake, then 34 miles day 2 to White River, and finally on day three the remaining distance to the finish. Much of this was at high elevations and it was incredibly beautiful. We did it several summers in a row once going counter clockwise just for kicks!
Oh to be young again!
alpdhuez, the answer is simple : FUN!
there is also mind and confidence builder but the major reason I do it is still Fun.
pdxjohn, wow! seems like a great run! Might try it on day if I go to Washington (with more time(days!) to go around Rainier though!!!)
Congrats to all, it's inspiring and always good to see that some people have the same idea of fun than you.
Richard
"You're only young once, but you can be immature forever" - Larry Andersen
I just got an email from someone who, in the last 3 weeks, just completed over 2500 km on some not-to-be-named training device.
--------------
Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks
As a high school miler I was also interested in what some of the greats had done in training to go beyond:
I read about Peter Snell and Herb Elliot in the late 50’s and early 60’s who would do 60 mile weekends (4 x 15 mile) in the pre season. These were done at pace and were tough. The theory at the time was that while pushing to the limit of exhaustion your body developed a “reserve tank” of energy that they could call on during the tough stages of a mile / half mile race. Must have worked as they each won gold in the 1960 Olympics (OR, WR respectively)
I made my attempts at this training regime but they are far from legendary.