Adarqui's Journal

Thanks man! Yea, building my work capacity has always worked well for me. With dunking, got to the point where i could dunk+squat pretty much every day for a month (and squat multiple times per day, mostly moderate intensity/high rep single sets, or singles). It was nuts and that was my peak. Did it for about 3 months IIRC. Took like 2 years of training before i was capable of dunking/jumping/lifting that much. Was just nuts at that point. Definitely hit my peak ability during that time.

same dunk alert:

That was a “mix” video from may 2011. My favorite dunks from that month (that I didn’t put in other mixes by themselves). Also, hundreds of dunks didn’t make the cut. As far as tricks go, I personally think I make up for it a bit because of the variety of courts I dunked at :smiley: Most video dunkers drop videos of themselves at the same court, for the majority of the vids. That’s cool, but I personally hated doing that. I liked going to new courts, new rims, new environments etc and dropping my same-old-dunks. lmao.

I feel like i’m getting back to that level with running. Though, need to be more careful with running - seems it’s easier to accumulate injuries with high frequency/high mileage training, even if intensity is mostly kept low to moderate.

peace!!

2 Likes

Big post, combines the previous post and my daily journal into one.


Crushed it today … long story short:

Was in a 3 person pack (top3) for nearly 10 miles before I couldn’t hang anymore. Nearly hit 10 miles in 1 hour, which is close to sub6 pace for 10 miles!! Fell off after an hour as expected, just don’t have the fitness for 13.1 hard.

Was on 1:18:XX half marathon pace up until 10 mi … then faded and entered safe mode, ended up getting 1:21:40 official (1:21:24 watch).

3rd overall !!!

1st finished with 1:18:48, 2nd with 1:19:28.

It was a real race. The 1st place guy (someone i’ve trained with a few times recently), said we pushed him hard. I was expecting him to slow up at some point, but he just kept his foot on the gas and got it done. This was the 2nd place guy’s first half marathon, so he had no idea what to do either. He’s a former D1 collegiate runner (5k specialist). So the 1st place guy literally lead for the entire race. Props to him, that’s a serious performance.

Oh also, I ran without looking at my watch until I faded (around mile 10) … that’s pretty awesome. I just said, no reason to look and even know how fast i’m running, just stick to them like glue and that’s all you worry about.

The lead cyclist took this photo (with a potato-cam) at mile 8 with the caption: “Mile 8 from the lead and the front 3 racers are battling it out!!”

I’m third from the left.

Then he replied with: “I was driving the lead out car and thoroughly enjoyed watching your race! The race radios were buzzing about the pace being kept by you guys!! Congrats!”

haha!!! sick!!

edit: I made a decisive move about 0.5 mi in that probably changed this race a bit… We had been a 5 person pack for about 0.4 mi, then the guy who won 1st just surged out (probably got to like 20 ft ahead), and no one followed. I stayed, 2nd place guy stayed, 4th/5th place guys stayed. I eventually ditched the idea of sticking with the 2nd pack, and went around them and surged up to hang with #1. Then 2nd/4th tagged along. 4th eventually dropped off fairly early. Then it was just us (1,2,3) for the rest of the way. That first mile was way too fast. So it makes sense that they would refuse to go with him. But I just didn’t want to get dropped by #1 so early so, I said F that and caught up & stuck to him. That move probably changed the race considerably. Had I not done that, might have been a slower battle for #2/#3 via #2/#3/#4. Interesting how that stuff works. I guess I had some inside info tho, knowing who that guy was, I knew he wasn’t going to hold that initial pace for the whole way. I mean I wasn’t looking at my watch but you could just feel it was a major pace shift into something “too fast”.

Also, a little running battlescar from clipping myself with my sharp af tread shoes:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BguB5HihJjk/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

^^ Strongman style!! lol.

Oh, and my previous half marathon PR was 1:27:11 … So, 1:27:11 - 1:21:40 = nasty PR. lmao.

When you really care about a competition though, you can dig deeper. That was this race for me. You can’t do it all the time, it’s too draining. But for those competitions that are most important, hitting an entirely new level is possible. I entered that next level and tried to stay there. I mean, my 10k PR from 2 weeks ago was 37:13 official (37:04 watch), and today I hit 37:21 official (10k split) and kept going. It was absolutely brutal but I just kept thinking about what I was running for (my mom who passed from cancer last year, and this was a women’s cancer support race, which I told her I wanted to win for her when she was still alive & enjoying my race results).

2 days rest works great for me before big races!

03/24/2018

bw = 145
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = none!
aches/injuries = right big toe/PF microscopic barely
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = excellent!
hours sleep: 6.5

wakeup = 04:15 AM

log:
04:30 AM: food: GU with 40mg caffeine, oatmeal + TONS of honey + TONS of pink salt, water
05:35 AM: workout: w/u @ race event for 20 minutes
06:00 AM: race!
race for women’s wellness half marathon: 3rd OA!!! 1:21:40 official :personal-record: (1:21:24 watch) :personal-record: ::: ran this for my mom who passed away last year, after a long battle with CLL (leukemia)
07:30 AM: food: 2 x rxbar, GU, tons of water
10:00 AM: food: rxbar, GU
10:30 AM: March For Our Lives Rally/Protest/March (some miles: 4)
01:30 PM: food: burger fi: fried chicken sandwich, cheeseburger, water
02:00 PM: food: kilwins: double peanutbutter milkshake with whipped cream
05:00 PM: food: black tea
06:00 PM: food: 3 x banana, water
08:00 PM: food: 3 x toasted sourdough rye w/ red pepper hummus, prunes, cashews, water

race:
race for women’s wellness half marathon: 3rd OA!!! 1:21:30? ::: ran this for my mom who passed away last year, after a long battle with CLL (leukemia)

  • official results: 2018 Race For Womens Wellness Half Marathon and 5K
  • 14.5 mi Run Activity on March 24, 2018 by Andrew D. on Strava
  • previous half marathon PR: 1:27:11 !!!
  • half marathon official: 1:21:40 :personal-record:
  • half marathon watch: 1:21:24 :personal-record:
  • 20k effort (1:16:47) :personal-record:
  • 10 mile effort (1:00:32) :personal-record: so close to 10!!!
  • 15k effort (56:09) :personal-record:
  • official 10k split: 37:23 !! close to my official 37:13 10k haha.
  • miles in one hour: 9.92 :personal-record: almost got 10!!!
  • vo2 max on my watch: 65!!! (+3, from 62) :personal-record:

will write more later.

jeff kahn, a volunteer on a bike, stuck with me when i died at mile 9.5. greatest sports experience of my life. we talked, he gave me support etc. he did this for all of us, but when i got dropped he stuck with me, other volunteers stuck with the top 2. just an incredible experience. also his son is a top triathlete! thanks so much man.

^^ great pacing by the winner hahaha!!

^^^ 4:09 min/mi kick at the end!! :smiley:

:ibrunning: :ibrunning: :ibrunning:

Some more photos I posted on IG:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BguB5HihJjk/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

https://www.instagram.com/p/BguC1cVB6bX/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

lol ^^

anyway… :personal-record: city!!!

a few people i rarely talk to, reaching out to say congrats on my race & express their happy-shock about how I dropped that result. :smiley:

lots of people I frequently talk to, reaching out to say congrats and let me know this is just the beginning!! hah

but ya interesting stuff, people emailing me, somehow hearing about my result. IMHO, it’s a bit watered down given how I finished … but, just a sign of things to come hopefully … and I think people see that. kinda cool.

Oh also someone yelled “LETS GO ANDREW!!!” at mile 8… someone I know from IG. First time I ever heard someone yell support for me during a race. That felt awesome!!!

:ibrunning: :ibrunning: :ibrunning:

i’m up way too late. GN!!

4 Likes

Do you notice any improvements in performance/endurance when consistent with beet juice?

1 Like

Hey man!

Yea I feel a little boost from it. I mean, anything that makes me feel “lighter” & “cleaner”, gives me a boost. I don’t necessarily notice any specific quality that it improves, but I do like how I feel after drinking a bunch of it one day, and running the next. The first time I did it, I noticed I had a great session the next day. Then I did it several days later, with the same result. It could just be coincidence but, I definitely feel good when I drink beet juice.

I have a few things like that which help me run/race better:

1. morning of: eating light, with tons of salt and sugar

  • oatmeal (gluten free + flax) + tons of pink salt + tons of honey
  • this meal tastes very salty & extremely sugary, really seems to help prepare me for a long hard effort, and seems to be the easiest pre-run meal on my stomach. I’ve had much less stomach issues since adopting this pre-run meal.

2. lots of water

  • making sure to stay properly hydrated the day before, and drinking a few glasses of water in the morning before racing/hitting an intense session
  • ie, my oatmeal meal + 1 glass of water, and another glass (in a bottle) on the way up

3. prunes the night before (around 7 PM or so, if i’m waking up at 4-5 AM):

  • to help clean me out & lighten me up
  • usually I eat: 10 or so prunes, with salted cashews, and water

4. large protein meal the morning & afternoon before a race/important session

  • ie my usual egg breakfast (4 eggs plus other stuff) + chicken wings (or something high in protein) for lunch

5. caffeine:

  • occasional caffeine with my oatmeal pre-race/important-session meal
  • i’ve been getting my caffeine from a GU lately: it has aminos + ~40-60mg caffeine
  • i’ve been doing that occasionally before races only … sometimes it feels like it backfires, sometimes it feels like it helps considerably
  • I used to get that caffeine from a cold brew coffee drink etc, which has like ~250mg caffeine in it, but I had some very bad stomach issues from that occasionally → became too risky. Got me crazy amp’d up but, sometimes my stomach would “fail” (cramp, become wrecked, etc). Once that happens, my performance is gone.

6. two days of full rest before important races:

  • nothing but just walking/relaxing, while focusing on race strategy/mindset/goals/visualization etc
  • i’ve done that 3 times, and those 3 times I had amazing races: my first sub 18 5k, my first sub 5 mile, and now a massive half marathon PR & more impressive 10 mile PR (almost sub5 for 1 hour).
  • It also helps me re-affirm my training. It gives me the ability to trust my training, know i’ve already put in the work, and just relax, getting ready for the real battle.

7. beet juice the day before

  • so in addition to the high protein meals early on, I like to drink beet juice for lunch and later in the evening with the prunes/cashews etc.
  • funny how I left this out, given it was a response to the initial question.

8. leg drains

  • if you ever see me refer to a “leg drain”, it’s simply lying down on a bed, near the wall, with my legs propped straight up against the wall, and just relaxing there for 30-40 minutes. A technique I learned at a performance institute - can work (make legs feel very fresh and/or reduce inflam etc) very well.

Can’t think of anything else right now… Those are the most important things i’ve utilized/adopted that seem to give me a legit boost.

peace man!!!

3 Likes

03/25/2018

bw = 144
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = quads major soreness
aches/injuries = right big toe/PF slightly
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = excellent!
hours sleep: 9

wakeup = 06:30 AM

log:
07:15 AM: food: oatmeal + honey + pink salt, water
09:30 AM: workout:
very light recovery (thick grass) walk (legs sore af - quads especially): ~1h20m ::: the sorest i’ve been after a race
11:00 AM: food: rxbar, water
01:30 PM: food: jerk chicken, water
04:00 PM: food: two chocolates
08:00 PM: food: cashews, oatmeal + pink salt + blueberry honey (got it at the farmer’s market, ridic), a few pieces of sourdough rye, water

1 Like

03/26/2018

bw = 144
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = quads major soreness
aches/injuries = right big toe/PF moderately (fu*k)
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = excellent!
hours sleep: 9

wakeup = 07:00 AM

log:
07:15 AM: food: 2 x banana, water
08:30 AM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on toasted sourdough rye, blueberries, raspberries, water
12:30 PM: food: chicken sandwich, a few fries, water
03:30 PM: food: zona fresca: steak quesadilla w/ guac/sour cream, chips/hot salsa, water
04:15 PM: food: peanut butter cup
07:00 PM: water
08:30 PM: food: my favorite beet juice, yogurt covered almonds, prunes, 3 x cranberry walnut sourdough, water

toe is being annoying.

if it feels ok tmw morning, might do a light “below tweak threshold” easy run. Already canceled out of track tmw.

if it’s bugging, won’t do anything. will at least walk to the field first … if it’s bad, will just keep walking.

need to heel this “turf toe” up.

asy run day.

03/27/2018

bw = 144
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = quads moderate
aches/injuries = (right big toe fine wtf?), left medial ankle
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = excellent!
hours sleep: 9

wakeup = 06:30 AM (slept in again!)

log:
06:45 AM: food: oatmeal + pink salt + honey, water
07:30 AM: workout: very relaxed/easy morning trot (grass, quads sore, beautiful day out, forefoot dominant for some reason): 1.5 hours @ {9:XX-8:XX} ::: right big toe felt fine, left ankle was bugging a bit ::: watch has been saying my vo2max is higher lately (64/65)
09:15 AM: food: rxbar, banana, water
10:30 PM: food: bananas, yogurt covered almonds, cranberry walnut sourdough, water
02:00 PM: food: 4 river smokehouse: brisket sandwich, pulled chicken sandwich, fried pickles, water
05:00 PM: food: banana, water
08:00 PM: food: oatmeal + honey, yogurt covered almonds, 3 x banana, water
08:45 PM: leg drain: 45 minutes

workout: very relaxed/easy morning trot (grass, quads sore, beautiful day out, forefoot dominant for some reason): 1.5 hours @ {9:XX-8:XX} ::: right big toe felt fine, left ankle was bugging a bit ::: watch has been saying my vo2max is higher lately (64/65)

left ankle (medial/instep side) has a few things going on: a bunch of cuts/bruises from clipping myself with my RC5000v2’s (sharp tread), some aches from that lame jump rope session two weeks ago, etc.

some video clips, one old, one new.

from the half marathon:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg2RHjBHIh2/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

from the boca 5k on 12/31/2017:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg2RoTHHslv/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

a photo from the half:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg12psBh0Bo/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

pc!

3 Likes

Did you say a casual trot was an hour and a half?? Haha man… You’re something else :muscle:

2 Likes

Hah ya. Thanks alot man!

So much work to do :smiley:

For the last month or so, my easy runs have mostly been about an hour long. And, I notice I definitely start “fading” after an hour. So, i’ve been programming myself to relax after about 60 minutes of work, no matter the pace. That’s fine though, i’ve made considerable progress (aerobically) in the last few months. But, i’d like to set a new “bar” at 90 minutes instead of 60.

I hit a new gear during & after that half. These last few runs (yesterday’s and today’s) feel very different. My lungs feel “huge”. 7:XX pace is definitely a jog for me now, it’s nuts considering how much harder it was (to maintain for a long time) say, 3 months ago.

One significant factor for these runs is: i’m running on grass. For these easy long runs, it feels way different on grass than it does on roads etc. Roads would beat me up much more. I don’t think i’d be able to do several days in a row of 90 minute runs on roads… but I can easily do it on grass. It’s remarkable tbh … This is definitely a critical component of how Kenyans/East Africans train in general. They do most of their runs on dirt/clay/grass.

I do have several nagging tweaks/injuries though that I have to be careful with. Very annoying, wish they would just disappear. Need to be careful :confused:

peace!!

2 Likes

^^ When I was typing that, I knew i’d have to take a week off… so, committed to it yesterday. :frowning:

yesterday’s post & today’s post will follow!

SHUTTING IT DOWN FOR A WEEK! (well almost a week … until next wednesday)

These tweaks just aren’t disappearing … need them to vanish. Also, right knee ITBS came back today (felt it during my run, potentially after going fast on a downhill, but after a few slow miles it disappeared). Was just a tiny bit but, got annoyed with it and stretched off & on throughout the day … no real problem but, then when I was walking the dogs, I straightened my knees really hard, and it really made it scream. Could barely walk home. Baseball bat rolled & iced it afterwards → helped alot.

anyway… back off mode initiated.

easy run day #2

03/28/2018

bw = 145
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = none
aches/injuries = left medial ankle slightly, right big toe moderately
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = good
hours sleep: 8

wakeup = 06:00 AM

log:
06:15 AM: food: oatmeal + pink salt + honey, water
06:59 AM: workout:
light relax morning trot (grass, legs ok, a few nagging issues): 90 minutes @ 7:XX pace :: lungs/heart/legs feel great other than a few small tweaks that need to disappear already
08:30 AM: food: rxbar, beet juice
09:15 AM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on cranberry walnut sourdough, 2 x banana, water
11:00 AM: food: work life: coffee + 4 cream + 4 sugar, water
03:00 PM: food: le macaron: gelato milk shake, milk chocolate almond bark, water
05:30 PM: food: whole foods: beet juice, rxbar
06:30 PM: stretching: lots of bottom of feet, quads, glutes, TFL
07:30 PM: baseball bat rolling: itb, peroneals, calves
08:30 PM: food: 3 x banana, water

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg4R1DcnXiI/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

workout:
light relax morning trot (grass, legs ok, a few nagging issues): 90 minutes @ 7:XX pace :: lungs/heart/legs feel great other than a few small tweaks that need to disappear already

went fast on a small downhill, a bit afterwards my right knee started bugging, slowed down alot, went away, got back to running. bugged me off and on during the day. made it worse during a dog walk when i extended my knees HARD. just caused it to freak out.

the icing I did really helped alot, but still painful.

going to ice a ton, and just do some light walking etc.

i’m now in backoff mode so, when I eventually get back to running: no pushing through tweaks.

2 Likes

last night:


about to sleep but had to post this quick status update:

knee feels incredibly good. feels like I can go race. kinda nuts considering I could barely walk home during my dog walk, knee was in alot of pain after I maximally extended them.

anyway, after baseball bat rolling, very tight/restrictive icing (ace bandage wrapped crazy tight), and then a hot shower … knee feels 100%.

i imagine my knee will get back to feeling a little weird tomorrow, but it’s very surprising how good it feels right now.

anyway, the plan from 03/29/2018 to 04/03/2018 is:

  • light walking, morning & afternoon or early evening (doubles): ~1 hour max each walk in order to not “tighten up”
  • occasionally follow one of the walks with some bodyweight exercises: pullups/dips/single leg raises+abductions/calf raises
  • ice my knee alot
  • keep digging in with the baseball bat
  • keep stretching lightly

going to use this opportunity to incorporate some other things back into my routine (baseball bat, light stretching).

03/29/2018: 2 x walk + 1 x bw exercise
03/30/2018: 2 x walk
03/31/2018: 2 x walk + 1 x bw exercise
04/01/2018: 2 x walk
04/02/2018: 2 x walk + 1 x bw exercise
04/03/2018: 1 x walk
04/04/2018: 30 min light running (grass) + bw exercise
04/05/2018: 2 x walk
04/06/2018: 1 hour light running (grass) + bw exercise
04/07/2018: rest
04/08/2018: 10k race
04/09/2018: rest
04/10/2018: light running in the morning, 1 mile race in the evening

motivating myself to rest/recover ^^ :smiley:

gn!

1 Like

rest/recovery/heal up.

Felt incredible this morning … good thing I committed to shutting it down last night. I’d have definitely done my track workout this morning, which would have just continued to kick these tweak cans down the road. Need to get rid of these nagging issues so I can get back to work. I have a really great idea of what I need to do now to get to the next level & stay there (before attempting to level up again months later).

03/29/2018

bw = 143
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = none
aches/injuries = left medial ankle slightly, right big toe slightly, right knee (ITBS) slightly
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = great
hours sleep: 8.5

wakeup = 07:00 AM

log:
07:15 AM: food: rxbar, water
08:00 AM: workout:
relaxed morning walk: 1 hour barefoot on grass (feels amazing, too scary to run tho) ::: 1 WEEK OF NO RUNNING (until 04/04) - need to heal up some nagging issues → tons of races coming up
09:30 AM: workout: bw
10:00 AM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on toasted cranberry/walnut sourdough, water
11:00 AM: ice: right knee, 30 minutes
11:30 AM: ice: bottom of right foot, 30 minutes
12:00 PM: ice: left ankle, 15 minutes
01:00 PM: water
03:30 PM: food: whole foods: tons of orange chicken, some cashew chicken, water
04:30 PM: food: 2 x white chocolate peanutbutter cups, some slices of fresh multigrain sourdough, water
06:15 PM: workout: relaxed evening walk: 88 minutes @ 4.8 mi {19:XX-17:XX pace} ::: 1 WEEK OF NO RUNNING (until 04/04) - need to heal up some nagging issues → tons of races coming up
07:45 PM: some light stretching in the backyard while throwing dog toys
08:15 PM: baseball bat rolling: it bands/lateral quads, calves, peroneals
08:45 PM: food: oatmeal + pink salt + blueberry honey, 10 prunes, 2 organic peanut butter cups, water
09:00 PM: ice: right knee, 30 minutes
09:30 PM: ice: bottom of right foot, 30 minutes

workout:
relaxed morning walk: 1 hour barefoot on grass (feels amazing, too scary to run tho) ::: 1 WEEK OF NO RUNNING (until 04/04) - need to heal up some nagging issues → tons of races coming up

  • https://www.strava.com/activities/1477997817
  • vo2max: 64
  • i wonder if i can keep it at “64” until 04/04 … if so, awesome. would be great if it went up :smiley: taper/deload style.
  • how hilarious would that be if it went up to like 70 and I destroyed that 10k (04/08) and mile race (04/10) lool.

man i love walking on grass. would love to run on it too but, during my walk i found a sharp chicken bone & a sharp piece of plastic. If I had landed on that while running, foot = wrecked.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg6iitanYOH/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

workout: bw

S1: 3-5sec paused dead hang ng pullups: BW x 10 (strong)
S1: full dips: BW x 12 (strong)
S1: single leg standing raises: x 20
S1: single leg standing abductions: x 40
S1: single leg lean-against-something hip extension: x 40
S1: toe extensions: x 20
S1: calf raises: BW x 20

felt strong!

workout: relaxed evening walk: 88 minutes @ 4.8 mi {19:XX-17:XX pace} ::: 1 WEEK OF NO RUNNING (until 04/04) - need to heal up some nagging issues → tons of races coming up

still surprised not to see it drop back down to 61 etc. i’m liking the vo2max measurement, even if it’s not entirely accurate, if it’s relatively accurate (to me), that’d be a nice measure to keep my eye on, especially since it’s measuring it the same during relaxed walks: it’s using pace & heart rate to somehow calc it.

2 Likes

Sorry to hear about the injuries man.
Wise though to commit to a week of healing.
The Vo2 thing doesn’t matter if it’s accurate, what’s important is that it’s consistent and not going up an down like crazy.
Happy recovery week :slight_smile:

2 Likes

Thanks man! They are getting better by the day, and i’ve had all of these before so, not really worried about them (yet). I was very worried about my left knee injury that I suffered early 2017, and that one proved to be a bad one, was out ~6 months. Damaged something under my left patella. But I just knew that one was serious. Shut it down within a week of the issue surfacing. Should have shut that one down immediately though. Anyway, had to take a ton of time off before that healed up. Thankfully it did heal though… that one was scary :confused:

Yup! Health #1. Tried to work around the injuries and pretty much did for the most part. But that half marathon race was too intense for them I think. The two days rest prior to that race, had me feeling 100% on race day - well 95%, left ankle was bugging a little during the race then it disappeared. But right big toe (turf toe) and right knee (ITBS) were non-existent. The days following, turf toe came back significantly. Right knee was still fine until yesterday when it just re-surfaced out of nowhere. So at that point, shut it down mode.

Yeah exactly! If it’s consistent, which it seems to be, then it becomes a pretty solid measurement of how recovered I am and what my current state of “performance” is. I really like it. The fact that the previous measurements for the last ~month have all been between 60-62, and then my half was 65, and then my easy runs & walking sessions since then have been 64’s, seems look a potential “performance level change”. Hope so ;d I didn’t expect my walking sessions to be 64’s… but my HR is really low for these walks. Today I did ~5 mi @ ~77 BPM avg HR… that’s pretty low. Felt great.

Thanks man!!! Yea, enjoying it so far. Needed it. :smiley:

peace!!

2 Likes

rest/recovery!

left ankle/right knee feeling way better today … barely felt right knee at all. right big toe however, moderately hurting all day. should be alot better by sunday i think.

03/30/2018

bw = 144
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = none
aches/injuries = left medial ankle barely, right big toe moderately, right knee (ITBS) barely
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = great
hours sleep: 7

wakeup = 06:00 AM

other: Low HR all day

log:
06:45 AM: food: rxbar, water
07:15 AM: workout: morning relaxed walk: 96 minutes @ ~5 miles (4 miles grass, barefoot) ::: heart rate was crazy low this morning (77 avg), feel great
08:45 AM: food: rxbar, water
09:00 AM: workout: bw
09:30 AM: food: chicken wrap, water
09:30 AM: icing: 30 minutes: left ankle, right foot pad
12:00 PM: food: work life: coffee + 5 cream + 1 sugar (ran out of sugar lol)
02:45 PM: food: kapow: big juicy cheeseburger, fries, 2 x water w/ lemon
07:30 PM: food: rxbar, water
08:30 PM: food: 2 x pizza slices, some sourdough multigrain, prunes, beet juice, water

  • the beet juice tasted even more amazing to me tonight
    09:00 PM: leg drain: 45 minutes

workout: morning relaxed walk: 96 minutes @ ~5 miles (4 miles grass, barefoot) ::: heart rate was crazy low this morning (77 avg), feel great

when i’m finished walking barefoot on grass, and i put my shoes on/walk on road/concrete, man i feel so damn good. it’s insane. similar feeling to running on grass then going on roads, but even more awesome.

workout: bw

  • strong!!

S1: 3-5sec paused dead hang ng chinups: BW x 10 (strong)
S1: full dips: BW x 14 (strong)
S1: single leg standing raises: x 30
S1: single leg standing abductions: x 40
S1: single leg lean-against-something hip extension: x 40
S1: toe extensions: x 20
S1: calf raises: BW x 20

2 Likes

Posted this on IG yesterday: (removed the emoticons from this post, since they are enormous)

I pushed myself hard in this race (Race for Women’s Wellness / Coral Springs Half Marathon). There was alot on my mind while i was running. Even though this was my first time doing the event, it means alot to me. I told my mom (Karen @karendarqui) that i would try to win it for her, since it benefits those battling cancer, and my mom had been battling it for 9 years (CLL, Leukemia). She benefited from similar funds early on, diagnosed with CLL and having no health insurance etc. Anyway, she liked the idea and loved seeing me bring her the hardware, trophy’s and such. Came somewhat close to winning it, but lost to some better athletes. It’s already on my mind for next year though, and sometimes some crazy fast people show up (sub1:10), so you won’t catch me slacking. It would have been great to see her get up on that stage with the rest of those cancer survivors and fighters. She lost the battle last April (2017). #keepfighting. Will keep trying to win it for her. Time is not guaranteed tho soo… go get it.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg81C8rn0Oc/

3 Likes

enjoyed the non-stop basketball dribbling. felt great during and afterwards. i’ve wanted to bring this back into my routine a few times but it’s hard when you’re locked in … that’s one of the good things of taking time off from your primary training, can use it to incorporate some accessory tools that may be very beneficial eventually.

new tools:

  • basketball dribbling!
  • barefoot walking!

when I was younger, playing basketball probably 3 hours a day on avg, I rarely had any tweaks/issues. Only stuff I had was more significant injuries from contact (broken fingers, wrist, thigh contusions etc). But in terms of simply just breaking down on my own, it didn’t happen like it does now. Sure I was younger but, those movements I do when i’m dribbling hit so many different joint angles & offer a ton of variety neuromuscularly. it’s good stuff. With running, it’s just the same movement pattern over and over and over, which is fine but if you overdo it or just tweak something minor, it takes forever to heal. Would be nice to incorporate basketball dribbling as a cross training tool on some off days (instead of an easy run day, or in addition to it, to decrease the amount of time spent easy running etc).


03/31/2018

bw = 145
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = none
aches/injuries = left medial ankle barely, (right big toe = NONE, right knee (ITBS)= NONE)
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = great
hours sleep: 9

wakeup = 07:30 AM (slept in)

other: Low HR all day (mostly 40’s-50’s, low 41)

log:
07:45 AM: food: rxbar, water
10:00 AM: workout: what 3 miles of non-stop backward/forward (full-court) basketball dribbling looks like 8| - HR got up into the 140’s at times, nice.
12:15 PM: food: rxbar, water
12:30 PM: workout: bw
01:30 PM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on toasted sourdough multigrain (with spanish oil, pink salt, black pepper), 2 x banana, water
02:30 PM: ice: left ankle: 30 minutes
03:00 PM: ice: right knee: 30 minutes
03:30 PM: ice: bottom of right footpad: 30 minutes
07:00 PM: food: oatmeal + blueberry honey, prunes, banana, water

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bg_vvWQHxlu/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

workout: what 3 miles of non-stop backward/forward (full-court) basketball dribbling looks like 8| - HR got up into the 140’s at times, nice.

right knee (ITBS) / right big toe (turf toe) tweaks were non-existent today. left ankle was bugging slightly at times but has improved alot.

think these things are almost gone.

also, barely sweat in this session & it’s hot as hell out, and I had a hoody on + compression pants + shorts. lol. i’m in good shape. need these things to heal completely so I can get back to work.

workout: bw

  • strong even after all of that “upper body work”

S1: 3-5sec paused dead hang semi-wide pullups: BW x 8 (strong)
S1: full dips: BW x 12
S1: single leg standing raises: x 40
S1: single leg standing abductions: x 40 (hard)
S1: single leg lean-against-something hip extension: x 40
S1: toe extensions: x 20
S1: calf raises: BW x 20

1 Like

rest/walk day.

can’t wait to do some hard basketball dribbling tomorrow morning… :smiley:


04/01/2018

bw = 144
bw before bed last night = ?
soreness = hamstrings barely, traps/shoulders barely, calves barely
aches/injuries = left “achilles” occasionally (just a weird feeling, kinda tight), right big toe = slightly, (left medial ankle = NONE, right knee (ITBS)= NONE)
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = great
hours sleep: 9

wakeup = 07:30 AM (slept in)

data collected throughout the day when I have my watch on:
HR low: 44
HR high: 104

log:
07:45 AM: rxbar, water
08:00 AM: workout:
morning speed walk: 3 mi progression @ {16:XX → 14:XX → 13:XX, grass, barefoot}
09:00 AM: food: banana, water
10:30 AM: food: grande luxe cafe: MASSIVE BREAKFAST: huge egg sandwich with bacon/ham/tomatoes/cheese, incredible massive hash brown (OMG), english muffin with a ton of butter, orange juice, water
11:00 AM: food: grande luxe cafe: DESERT: large vanilla sundae with hot fudge/nuts/whipped cream
^^ so full.
03:00 PM: food: banana, water
08:30 PM: food: oatmeal + pink salt + blueberry honey, 2 x banana, water

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhCrksjnAIf/?taken-by=andrewdarqui

workout:
morning speed walk: 3 mi progression @ {16:XX → 14:XX → 13:XX, grass, barefoot}

felt great.

HR crazy low for that walking.

2 Likes

felt great today! all of the tweaks responsible for this off-weak, were gone!


04/02/2018

bw = 143 (nice!)
bw before bed last night = 149 (lol)
soreness = forearms (basketball dribbling!)
aches/injuries = none!
cramping = none
morning quad flexibility = loose
morning hamstring flexibility = loose
morning calf flexibility = loose
feel = great
hours sleep: 8.5

wakeup = 06:30 AM (woke @ 5:30, but then went back to sleep)

data collected throughout the day when I have my watch on:
HR low: 35
HR high: 140 (bball)

log:
06:45 AM: food: oatmeal + pink salt + honey, water
07:30 AM: workout:
morning basketball dribbling (cross training): 1 hour non-stop ::: mostly in-place drills
08:45 AM: workout: bw
09:15 AM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on toasted multigrain sourdough (with blueberry honey all over it), banana, water
11:30 AM: food: work life: coffee + 5 creams (lmao), water
03:15 PM: food: le macaron: strawberry + vanilla thick gelato milkshake, 1 carrot cake chocolate
04:00 PM: water
08:00 PM: food: 4 x egg sandwich on toasted multigrain sourdough (with blueberry honey and lots of pink salt), water

https://www.instagram.com/p/BhFJIvolCd-/

workout: morning basketball dribbling (cross training): 1 hour non-stop ::: mostly in-place drills

the HR data is cool. towards the end, lots of intense stationary drills… so HR going up, 0 pace. can see it nice in the first image.

tough session … HR doesn’t go up as high when i’m stationary, have to work hard to get it to jump.

workout: bw

  • strong after lots of dribbling

S1: 3-5sec paused dead hang ng pullups: BW x 11 (strong)
S1: full dips: BW x 14 (strong)
S1: single leg standing raises: x 45 (strong)
S1: single leg standing abductions: x 40 (hard)
S1: single leg lean-against-something hip extension: x 50
S1: toe extensions: x 20
S1: calf raises: BW x 20

3 Likes