Another great double.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Though the rains had been falling for 48 hours, I had to go to the park for a Survival Workout.  I had packed my boots that morning figuring the trails would be extremely sloppy...and I was not disappointed.  I pulled on my water-proofed gloves and dropped to the ground for my first set of push-ups...which became my new pr with an 88-count.  I tried for 89 and made it three-quarters of the way up before collapsing back into the mud.

The workout continued at that pace...high numbers at every station.  I tried some picnic table hops in the boots, but by the second trip over, I felt a twinge in the groin and aborted immediately.  I also elected to walk up the hill instead of trying to sprint.  When I reached Clear Creek and found it swollen to impassable, I decided to find and alternative route.  I hiked upstream and found heavy logs on the bank and wrestled them into the water as a makeshift bridge.  It took an extreme effort to lift and roll water-soaked logs in this fashion...making for yet another interesting addition to the Survival Workout routine.

Once over the creek I added another 83 push-ups.  I was now in a position to break my three-set pr if I could manage 70 for my last set.  I continued to do extra lifts along the trail knowing I was hurting my chances to finish with more than 70 push-ups but also acknowledging that I was behind in my workouts and wanting to get the most from this one for every muscle group.

I returned to the car with arms swollen and exhausted with the effort of the workout.  Ignoring this, I dropped in the mud and started counting.  I moved past 70 on wobbly arms and finished with 73 and a 3-set record of 244.  I’m sure I can make it to 100 by the new year now, but I’d like to get a 3-set record of 300 as well.

Once home, I hopped on the trainer and plugged in the movie ‘A River Runs Through It’ for a one hour ride.  I love this movie about two brothers growing up together in Missoula, Montana and fly fishing the Blackfoot River.  The cinematography is amazing with shots of the river with the mountains of Montana in the background.  Makes me want to head west every time I see it.

Survival Workout: 60 minutes.  Bike duration: 65 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100-150 for SW, 120 for bike.
Calories burned:  600 for SW, 850 for bike.