There are so many reasons to go Primal! Personally, I made the lifestyle shift in March of 2009 and have yet to find anything that works better or makes more sense to me! Rather than convince you why it’s the best, I recommend giving it a try!
The 21 Day Primal Challenge is not a weight loss challenge (although chances are you will shed a few). The goals of these three weeks are to:
If I keep this up I’m not going to be able to classify myself as a “non-runner.” From the “seemed like a good idea at the time” file, late last week I found myself packing for a weekend of running, driving, spectating, beer-drinking, and power-napping that was the Massachusetts Reach the Beach Relay! It had its ups and downs but overall was a good time and I’ll probably do it again.
Reach the Beach (RTB) is a relay race from Wachusett Mountain to Horseneck Beach. I was part of a team of 12 members responsible for 36 legs of the 200 mile relay. As I’ve mentioned here before, I don’t really run that much. I feel I’ve almost met my lifetime running quota thanks to the ole’ triathlon days. So my running training consists of (mostly) weekly hill repeats (2-3 miles) and one (mostly) weekly 1/2 mile time trial. That’s it, no moderate pace jogging to report. So this event turned out to be the equivalent of approximately 5-6 weeks of running in less than 24 hrs.
Here’s how it went down:
RTB Eve
One thing I kinda forgot about was how beer is such an integral part of the running culture. After learning the hard way a few times, I now cut out alcohol and caffeine in the days leading up to any event. However, during the team dinner I did not want to be “that guy,” so I threw back a few with my crew. The two Johnny Walker Blacks after the beers were my decision though; can’t chalk that up to peer pressure. Still, I was in significantly better condition (assuming BAC and running performance have an inverse relationship) than some of my teammates. Some of these guys got after it!
Rtb Day 1:
0700 dip in the outdoor pool (pretty surprised it was open) and some coconut water alleviated the minor grogginess and dehydration. My 1st leg started around 1000. I cruised through 3.22 miles of big hills by Wachusett in 21 min. It was a solid start to the day and besides a little tightness in my calves, I was feeling good.
Several hours of spectating, a late lunch at a former Worcester stomping ground, The Boynton, and a mini nap followed until leg #2 at approx 1900. This was less steep but longer. I felt pretty smooth, paced myself well, and got into a “race within the race” when a fellow participant challenged me for the last 200 yards. He’s more of a runner. I’m more of a sprinter. I left him pretty far behind as I crossed my 6 mile leg in about 45 min. The rest of the night was spent cheering people on, driving, and setting up my sleeping bag in a cold field somewhere in south central mass.
Rtb Day 2:
0000 to 0245 I estimate I slept about an hour. It was intermittent and of low quality thanks to the 40 degree temps and snoring symphony put on by a few of my camping neighbors. I was not too excited to get up and change into my third running outfit in 18 hrs, but put up and cheered on some other half-miserable runners (I’m pretty sure I wasn’t the only one) as they plugged away in the darkness. At 0400 I headed out for leg #3 which turned out to be an 8.34 mile personal battle. The first mile just didn’t feel right and unfortunately, it was probably the best one. I couldn’t get myself going, couldn’t see where I was going (even at a slow speed), my calves were extremely tight which led to significant foot pain, and I got passed by 2 guys on the ultra teams (6 members instead of 12). Not at all fun is the best way to describe the last 5 miles. Still, I caught up to one person and finished my last leg in 65 min. I was happy and relieved as I watched the rest of my team grind out the last 60+ miles to Horseneck Beach.
Overall I am pleased with my performance – 17+ miles at a 7.5 min/mile pace avg. I’m also happy to have participated in a cool event with some really cool people. I’ll (most likely) see them again next year!
I’m not really a couch person but you get the idea…a while ago Ryan asked me if I would participate in a 5k. I’m not into events – they’re just not my thing. Not to mention I hate running. I DO NOT RUN. I HATE RUNNING. Anyway, he wanted me to be his guinea pig; to run a race without actually doing much running at all to get ready for it. I eventually caved.
This “race” called Warrior Dash is now three weeks away and I really have done nothing to prepare for it (aka “sticking to the plan”). It’s similar to Tough Mudder but not as long and not as tough (thank god!). Ryan thinks that I will be good to go in three weeks! AHHH!!! The plan is that I will work out with him twice a week doing either a kettlebell class, or the Tough Mudder training class at Neuty and stick to the primal ways of clean eating. I am not sure (well I KNOW) I will not be able to make it completely clean for the next three weeks because wine and sweetened coffee are a big part of my routine but I am going to try! Last night was my first real training session and I left there sweating and again this is something that I HATE doing (sweating that is, the classes are actually fun)! Wish me (and him) luck and I’ll keep you posted!
Thanks to the success of LbF’s first ever Tough Mudder Training Program, we’re launching another (albeit abbreviated) program on May 24th!
What is Tough Mudder? It’s a 10-12 mile obstacle course designed by British Special Forces that takes place at 20+ locations worldwide. It’s also dubbed as “Probably the Toughest Event on the Planet!”
Can you do it on your own? Probably. Will you enjoy it more if you train with me? Definitely!
Check out how me and my fellow teammates made out at TM New England #1 on 5/5/12 and 5/6/12!
Here are the details:
SUMMER TRAINING PROGRAM
TOUGH MUDDER
NEW ENGLAND #2 MT SNOW VT 7/14 + 7/15
8 WEEKS OF HILLS AND OBSTACLES TO GET YOU READY FOR THE TOUGHEST EVENT ON THE PLANET!
TRAIN WITH A FOUR-TIME ORANGE HEADBAND RECEIPIENT!
DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS EVENT – ESPECIALLY THE VERMONT COURSE!
Sessions held every Thursday 6:30pm RAIN or SHINE at either:
Neutaconkanut Hill Park in Providence or
Bain Middle School in Cranston
8 WEEK PROGRAM RUNS FROM 5/24/12 – 7/12/12:
$145 (INCLUDES WICKING T SHIRT)*
*Previous Tough Mudder Program participants get $25 off!
SPACE IS LIMITED! CALL OR EMAIL NOW TO RESERVE YOUR SPOT!
YES… I have been a slacker for this past month and have not posted anything! Lately Ryan has been cooking most meals and when I do make a meal it’s probably boring or something that you have seen before! So I figured I would make it up to everyone by posting one of the most delicious meatballs recipes I know!
What you will need….
1 pound pork
1 pound bison (or you can use lamb)
1 pound beef
3 cloves garlic
1 medium onion (chopped fine)
3 eggs
¼ stick butter
Salt, pepper, basil, parsley and oregano (usually about 1 tsp each)
As far as the meat goes, if you cannot find bison or pork or lamb you can use all beef. Just make sure whatever you use is from your local farm or grassfed. Once you are ready to go mix everything but the bacon fat together in a large bowl. Melt the bacon fat in a large skillet on medium high heat. Make small round balls from the meat mix , place in the skillet, and occassionaly roll them around so they are browned but not cooked all the way through. Once they’re browned up place them in the gravy!
GRAVY
Note: it’s not sauce because it’s made from scratch. RI rule of thumb – if it’s made from scratch or is served at your grandmother’s house then it’s called gravy!
1 tablespoon Olive oil
1 med onion (chopped fine)
3 cloves garlic
¼ tsp of all the spices from above
¼ stick butter
(sautee the garlic and onions in the butter/oil mixture in a large pot for 5-10 minutes or until onions are translucent)
1 jar while peeled tomatoes (28 ounces)
1 jar tomato sauce (15 ounces)
1 jar tomato paste
I like to take the gravy recipe and double it so this way I have extra to freeze!
If you would like to add some more meat flavor to your gravy you can cook some sausage and pork in the same pan that you cooked the meatballs. Then add this to the grazy and let it all float together for most of the day! Then once its time for dinner one would have to think…. What the heck do I serve with meatballs that is primal and is going to fulfill my need for pasta!?!?! Spaghetti squash! It’s a great primal option for pasta and provides a nice crunch to the meal! Drink some vino and enjoy!
Cinco de Muddo weekend was the greatest in LbF’s storied history!
Starting 4 months ago, about a dozen aspiring Mudders met weekly at the hills and playgrounds of Providence. In the end, the survivors of the program all successfully completed Tough Mudder New England #1!
I had already signed up for Saturday’s event prior to starting the training program, and prior to Saturday selling out. As luck had it, most of Los Neuty Osos (our team name dedicated to the park we trained at and the bear crawls that prepared us) were unable to sign up for Saturday. So, in the spirit of leadership and being a little messed up in the head, I signed up Sunday too so I could join my fellow Osos! Here’s what went down during an action-packed weekend:
Saturday was beautiful! 50+ degree temps and mostly sunny skies made for the coziest TM experience I’ve had! The course was completely different from last year, but as I have previously written, so was I! Last year I went in untrained (due to injury) and under-hydrated. That will never happen again (well at least the under-hydrated part)! I felt quite comfortable at the front of the pack of a fit group of experienced mudders (Team Sofa King). Although Sunday was “in my head” a little during the event Saturday, I decided to take advice I heard several years ago at a Triathlon clinic…a coach was asked if one should do shorter races (i.e. sprint or Olympic distance) at a slow pace ( i.e. 1/2 iron or iron speed) to prepare for a longer event. The coach put it simply – IF YOU’RE GOING TO RACE, THEN RACE! So, I cruised through TM Round 1 without holding back! Here are a couple highlights from day #1:
Dong Dangler:
Everest (not as smooth as Day 2):
Team Sofa King Just Before the Finish Line:
Sofa King Done with Everest!
Then came the recovery strategy…
After the Dos Equis at the finish line (not passing on that one) and one more celebratory beverage at the official Sofa King team cabin, I started preparing for another day of (hopefully) cramp-free and injury-free muddin with mis Osos. Featured on the menu – lots of coconut water, glutamine, pears, bananas, then Los Neuty Osos’ last supper that featured healthy portions of cabbage, sweet potatoes, chicken, steak, parsnips, more fruit, and my secret indulgent health weapon – Dark Chocolate! While digesting I spent some time on a foam roller and a lacrosse ball. Although I was pretty tired, I woke up around 3 am anxious for round 2. Some yoga and deep breathing took me until daylight (although the moon that night was like a spot light). After a brief early am nap, I took down two bananas (of the approx. 2 dozen that weekend), a glass of emergencee, chased it all with coconut water, and took the Moover to the base of the Mountain.
Round 2 could not have gone any better!
Feeling surprisingly fresh, I hiked along with a fantastic group of clients/friends to victory! I’m proud to say we all passed through the electrical wires at the finish line injury-free! There are plenty of reasons for this but the most significant ones are as follows (in no particular order):
Doing the right thing before the event – I personally did a two-week taper and most of Los Osos did a one weeker to ensure muscles were fresh. We also reduced caffeine intake, ate clean, and increased our water intake in the days leading up to the event.
Appropriate gear – we all rocked some sort of minimalist shoe (I believe vibram 5 fingers are made for TM), wore stretchy board short bottoms, and topped it off with a sick wicking LbF T shirt!
Technique – all obstacles were approached with safety and efficiency as the primary goals.
Grit and balls – there are times when your training and preparation don’t make a difference anymore, when you need to dig deep and put your inner badass on display. We all had moments like that on Sunday. For me, I slipped off the monkey bars about half-way through and took a bath. After a cold swim, I ran back like a pissed-off beast and dominated them. The picture below captures those feelings pretty well…
Nobody makes me bleed my own blood!
In conclusion, once again the LbF approach proves to be effective! Approx time investment leading up to TM New England #1 = 2.5hrs/week. Approx time on course = 9 hours in 2 days! Get good at muddin without muddin!
Here are some video highlights of day #2:
Electric Eel (I shock my own teammate right off the bat! Listen for the pops and screams from other fellow mudders):
Everest (although it’s a longer video, it’s worth it to watch Big Dave Decamp conquer the wall! He was either getting up or knocking down that ramp on his last attempt at 5:08. My attempt 0:29, Brian 1:33, Jim 2:23, Dawn 1:58, 4:30):
Oh and we never practiced cold water obstacles. That’s just grit and balls!
Los Neuty Osos After:
Los Neuty Osos al Fin!
Also, big shout out to the First Laidy for all her culinary and videography contributions!
Akin to the NFL these days as the passing game now sets up the run…
While I cannot attribute all of the recent gains I’ve experienced to hard activity, I believe playing in my backyard and in the woods of Neuty have made me stronger. Another reason to implement the conjugate method I’ve alluded to before, originally read by one of my idols in the blogosphere.
Here are my conclusions based on the latest and greatest stats put up at the LbF Human Skill and Strength Development Center.
Rope climbing leads to improved chinup performance.
Not exactly ground-breaking news, but without having done the actual movement in months (chinups that is), I’ve gotten significantly better by doing something similar, and in my opinion, more fun! In lieu of a bar, I’ve been pulling up a rope a few different ways (standard, sans legs, with 40lb weighted vest, etc). The results…
Max chinups (dead hang) – up to 21 from 18 in 1 month! I’ve never been really good at these but finally broke the 20 rep barrier.
Weighted chinup – bw + 101 lbs x 2. Up from 90lb x 1 in 4 months!
Hill climbing leads to improved deadlift/squat performance.
Now this one may be a little more of a reach, but I’ve been feeling significantly more comfortable moving heavier weights around since fighting gravity at the slopes and trails at Neuty.
Deadlift milestone – 400lb x 3 at 165 bw! Up 24 lb in approx 6 weeks! .
Back Squat – 319 x 4. Seeing gains here thanks to hill climbing and the fact that I just don’t do it often.
So there you have it, the old shotgun-formation-on-1st-down-setting-up-the inside-handoff-on-3rd-down version of getting stronger without ”exercise.”
Notes:
I have a couple events in May that will keep me from any structured programming, but once that passes I’m planning on more squats (front and back) and a little less deadlifting. Not that I’m completely satisfied, but for now, I’m strong enough (in my personal opinion) when it comes to deadlifting especially compared to the squatting #’s.
Other key ingredients:
Clean fuel – these workouts were done in a fasted state (16-22 hrs) and after a few consecutive days of healthy eating.
Sleep - 7 hr minimum before a workout. Quality of sleep has been high due to the clean fuel above.
Rest – it’s easy to be fresh when you don’t exercise much. Lifting sessions are a once/week event.
Technique – whether on the hill, on the rope, or under load, technique (and the resulting efficiency) is the #1 concern!
So like most people who like any type of taco I was looking to find a primal way to have one while still getting the same satisfaction out of it! Friday I went with fish (but you can use any type of meat that you would like).
1lb wild caught white flaky fish (I used Haddock)
1 head of cabbage
1 avocado
1 white onion
Salsa
Old bay seasonings and Olive Oil
Cook the fish in the oven with the old bay and olive oil on 375 for about 20 minutes. While the fish is cooking I sautéed the onions in my cast iron skillet until they were caramelized. (You could also add any other type of veggie you would like on top of your taco in the skillet at this time too). Now peel off a bunch of the cabbage leaves and steam them until they have wilted, this is what you will be using as your taco shell! Once my fish and cabbage are all done cooking it’s time to put it all together! I put slices of avocado and added a little salsa on top in the wrap for a little more flavor! I really enjoyed this one with a beer (Blue Moon Spring ale) and the rest of the cabbage and onions as a side! This is by far one of my new favorite dishes and now will be a staple in meals for the week!! Hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!!
This weeked I did something that goes against everything I believe in, and wouldn’t do even if I did…run a long distance at a moderate pace in the snow during the morning hours of a day I did not have to work! As I was yogging away I wondered how many of the paid participants truly enjoyed this…about 45% was my estimate.
I think I figured myself in? The motivation was not enjoyment but experimentation; to prove a point for my cousin’s high school project. Her project was to develop a product or service. Her choice - Road Race Training Plans for efficiency seekers! The plan was to take the average training plan and develop one that only requires half the time and less than half the mileage commitment. Instead of spending training time on the road, the plan recommends training in the gym, on the hill, and practicing the skill of running.
I volunteered to be one of the guinea pigs for the project. Leading up to the event I would classify myself a fit non-runner (0-2 mi/week), who does sprints if the energy’s high and it’s nice out. Over the last 12 weeks I averaged approximately 0.5 hrs/week kettlebelling, 0.5 hrs/week heavy lifting, and 1 hr/week run training (practice, hills, intervals). You’ve seen the formula before (here and here). Except during this period running time was higher than normal thanks to Tough Mudder training at Neuty (worked out to 50 min/week). The result – comfortably finishing a hilly 15k (or a month’s worth of mileage) at our goal time of 1:20. Mission Accomplished!
ROI, more free time, joint preservation, a balanced body, etc. Those are among the many reasons to try getting Good at Running Without Running! If you happen to find yourself in the truly-enjoy-running minority, then you can get Great at Running with just a Little Running! Here’s an example of how we practice at LbF – kinda similar to Christopher MacDougall from “Born to Run.”
It’s smoothie time! For one reason or another we got away from blending them up for a while, but now we’re back at it with a delicious new recipe. I know when you read one of the ingredients you may be grossed out but TRUST me it tastes sooooo good! Add these ingredients in this order for smooth mixing:
4 raw egg yolks (make sure they are from the farm or organic)
¼ cup coconut milk (I found it easier to split up the can all at once and put the portions in smaller containers)
1 cup frozen organic berries (we’ve used strawberries and blueberries so far)
1 ripe banana
About 4-6 ice cubes
2 scoops vanilla protein powder
This makes 2 servings. Each contains about 388 calories, 27g carbs, 20g fat and 29g protein. Yours may be a little different based on the kind of protein powder you use. We used 365 organic whey protein from Whole Foods.
This delicious smoothie is packed with vitamins b-6, b-12, A, C and D, as well as choline, omega 3′s, iron, phosphorus, selenium, magnesium, lauric acid, potassium, fiber, and amino acids! I hope that you enjoy it!
Note: There is information out there that suggests eating whole eggs raw could lead to biotin deficiency. So that’s why we chose to use just the yolks to the smoothie and will be using the whites later…We’ll be posting egg white recipes soon!
