2006 

Dear Comrades:

This year I have undertaken a less conventional challenge in allowing the entire month of April for me to attain personal best records in running the mile and pull ups within one hour.  Consider April "race month".  During the month of April I must:

- Complete 700 pull ups in one hour

- Run a mile in 4:45 or less

And, because I am turning 34 years, I shall on completion or failed completion of the last event:

- Drink 3.4 bottles of wine that day

Vaya con Dios, mis amigos,

Todd

(Scroll down to begin his diary of the quest)

March 10

This afternoon I finally broke the 700 pull up barrier.  I managed 707 pull ups in 60 minutes.  The pull up portion of my challenge is completed, though I am still wondering if I should contact Guiness and go for an "official" attempt.  The breakdown:

minutes/pull ups

1-30 / 11 per min

31-50 / 12 per min

51-60 / 13 per min (within the last 15 secs I did 7 additional pull ups).

Brian says it was the Beethoven he was playing in the background.  I feel like I had a finishing kick like Roger Bannister in the home stretch.
 

March 6,

Well, the owners of the rubber track -- Mind and Body Gym -- asked that I pay the 2.50 pounds per use fee which I can't really afford at twice per week.  I asked the manager if we could work something out but she wasn't game.  I asked her to at least look at the bday website.

So, I'm going to have to be more like John Landy.  I'm going to find a stretch of dirt somewhere so I can run intervals.  What happened to the days when you could run for free?  I guess that's in America for cyring out loud!

Lickety Split
 

Feb 7, 2006

Jan 24, 2006

So, chaps, I managed 660 pull ups this morning in 60 minutes.

The last 20 mins were very ugly, though.  I couldn't manage more than 4 in one go so I had to rest and for a split second and then do 1 or 2 more.  This decreased rest time and by the end of the 60 mins it was like I was sprinting.

That puts at 21 over the current world record, but I would like to improve my form in trying to reach 700.  Some of the pull ups were down right ugly, but in checking with Guinness Book I think all they really care about is starting the rep from a dead hang and then coming down to mostly straight arms.

I'd give it all up though to be able to run a sub 4 mile... or be Rex Kwan do...

The Spitfire

Jan 22, 2006

Gentlemen, I think peanut butter may qualify as dope.  It's been my training supplement.  It's the poorman's creatin.  I'll be pushing my body harder come these next few weeks.  My running will be moving from speed to a mixture of speed and power endurance while my pull up level will continue to push towards two goals: 700 in one hour and 400 in 30 minutes.  My body craves the peanut butter.

Tomorrow is a day of touching God's earth.  I'll be running on the track trying to remind myself that when I've got nothing left inside the shell of my body, to hold my shoulders high and square and keep kicking . . .

"A man who sets out to become an artist at the mile is something like a man who sets out to discover the most graceful method of being hanged.  No matter how logical his plans, he can not carry them out without physical suffering."
-- Paul O'Neil

Who do you think you are Landy!?

The Miler

B's back.  He looks a bit refreshed.  Glad to see his mountain bike came with him.  I may get a basketball so we can shoot some hoops.

Size 8 for the spikes.  I was on the track the other day.  I warmed up by stretching here at Patty's and then did some dynamic stretching after jogging a mile to the track.  My first 200m felt easy and nice.  Hit 30 secs which had been my fastest on previous attempts.  So I followed my routine of kicking a bit harder with each one in order to peak at interval 3-4.  Well, I kicked a bit too hard and on the 2nd interval I ran about 27, though when I hit the stop watch button there was a delay and it registered 28.  I don't think I rested enough and had kicked a bit too hard.  My next times got worse until I plateaued at 31.  My 400m was poor.  I hit 33 secs at 200m and thought I was striding faster in the home stretch but actually was 6 secs slower.  I ran 1:09.

But then later that I day I left an application on a table at a cafe on campus.  So I had to run back to get it.  It's about a mile to campus and I ran at a very fast clip.  I felt good almost the entire way.  The last bit is uphill.  I thought I timed myself but my watch is very touchy.  It didn't get past .03 secs.  Shame... I think I ran it pretty fast.

But I'm not running miles for time... Just like Landy and Bannister, I'm just running to see where I can get, how good I can feel.  Still taking it easy this month since I want to increase my raw speed (fast twitch).  Did 45 mins of plyo the other day and was sore.  Didn't think I would be.

Pull ups are going well.  I think I can get to 700 no problem.  It's all about not getting tired (lactic acid), as you say.  I think alternating 6-7 reps in a 30 min workout per 30 secs and 5-6 in a 60 min workout will get me there.  Only drawback is that my back and neck get tight and I feel that hinders my running.

I've never enjoyed running so much.  Forget about distance.  It's all about the mile.  And you can't replace it.  As Landy said, the 1500m race is awkward; everything is awkward about it, especially because you start in one place and finish in another.

Glad to hear you're setting your mind to PhD work.  You could always go for the Don Johanessen workout.  Train for the mile while smoking 25 cigarettes a day.

That reminds me: I will do one week of each person's workout in this order: Santee, Landy, Bannister.  Santee, well he had that 5 day schedule (Tues - 2 mile warm up; 1 mile, 3/4 mile, 1/2 mile, 1/4 and then back up; Wed - 2 mile, fast 1/2 miles followed by sprints; step downs from 1/2 to 600 to 1/4 to 200; Thurs - spee 8 1/4 miles or 12-16 220s).  I can manage this with pull up training and 1 day rest in between.

I mentioned Landy's run one lap fast and run the next slower for about 2 hrs;

Bannister if I recall did 10 440s at one point at 63 secs and 2-3 mins of rest.  Christ that's a second slower than my best time and as much rest as I take between 200m intervals!

I may hit Santee's training as early as late February since it's pretty broad.  Landy and Bannister's training ought to give me that focus.

Only two more sessions of long endurance (16 miles).

The Canterbury Cannon

Jan 12, 2006