Hit another solid upper body session targeting back with 4 x 30-45 sec pullup isometric holds, pulldowns, reverse flyes, overhead dumbbell pullovers:
Also side and front fly and a new PR dip set of 32 reps. Followed with another at 24 reps then did this:
I followed that up by going to the beach with my 6 year old where basically I was in a constant state of motion in the water, on the shore, digging holes etc. Pure serenity haha
I also pulled a couple 1/2 hour stints in the cold Atlantic Ocean battling big waves. It’s something I really love to do. Always have! Water was around 67 degrees, up 3 or 4 from last weekend, it made a big difference.
Prepping for a super long run I took in very light protein sources, low fat. Had insane raw bar at Matunuck Oyster Bar in RI and had a bunch of rice crackers (2 servings Trader Joe’s mini rice crackers), granola (1/2 cup Purely Elizabeth orginal) ahead of sleeping to make sure I have gas in the tank.
I’m experimenting with less carbs than I have done in the past, 150grams per day for a few days ahead rather than the 200-250 the previous 2. 100 grams the morning of and will have 100 grams IN run. Let’s see.
I had hoped for a long run today but I had some issues with gear. This is the topic of my next marathon tips video. Getting your gear right. No race day surprises or last minute changes!
Today I had a few issues:
My tank top not fitting right and constantly having to adjust it during the run
This is an odd one but it also had a bit of a print and that alinged with my nipples lol and was starting to shear one off UGH
My bandanna wasn’t my cotton red one, it was nylon or some other nasty synthetic material that didn’t absorb sweat and it was flopping around on my head.
Sweat then trickled into my ears causing my headphones to get weird, which is weird because I never have headphone issues.
Training time was off. I do my long runs on Sunday. The marathon will be on a Sunday. I tried to go out on a Monday. Too much pressure to get back to life, it was pulling at me mentally too.
I got in this position because of training in hot weather, which I don’t like. That and breaking my routine, which I shouldn’t have done. I’ll work it out but it’s 99% chance heat wont be a factor Nov 3 in NYC, but you never know. And, from now on, long runs are on the empty streets Sunday am.
With that said I did do a 9 miler at 7:51, on track for my 3:30 pace. I’ll do my really long bomb run this coming Sunday.
I also did around 2 more miles of natural movement taking my steps up to 17,000 on the day.
Had a really powerful strength session focused on upper body in the am. Went flat up to 225 for 2 doubles, dropped to 185 for 8, 135 til failure. I finished it with incline dumbbells 50lbs x 20ish. I’m nursing a bit of a weird forearm thing hindering my full power. I think I did it dismounting 105 lb dumbbells, but not sure. No worries. When 1 part is broken, there’s 100 that aren’t!
With that said I did hex bar shrugs 275lbs x 3 sets. 10, 8, 7 reps
Went into back with pulldowns, iso holds and biceps using the straight bar attachment avoiding my forearm.
Followed this with a 45 min stretch routine in the sun similar to this:
Took in 230g protein, 100g carbs and only 50g fat. Repair and muscle retention is my focus. I got my gear kinks worked out looking ahead to the weekend long run.
Normally on Wednesdays I do some form of insane squats. Air squats, barbell squats heavy and moderate weight. But I want to let my legs fully repair ahead of this weekends run. It’s often I still hold on to some soreness by Sunday and this week, I want to be all run.
Only did Bikram yoga, nothing else. 112 degrees. I know also that saying I only did Bikram is insane too. At one point in my life a Bikram class would be the most difficult thing I ever did, not it’s simply recovery. As much as it may have fallen out of fashion and the name is associated with the weirdo who invented it, I swear by it’s healing power. I still do it 1-2x per week, every week.
Awesome 5 mile hike it was a cool am 55 degrees, made it just perfect. Did 12-15 sprints, one Bring Sally Up and went almost to 4th and final round! I did almost another 4 miles in movement in addition to the hike. Great day for natural movement.
Began carb loading with bananas, honey, watermelon, 365 “O’s”, grapes. Took macros to around 200g protein, 200g carbs and limited fat to 60-70 on the day. Just to make sure my calories don’t spiral out of control. Still hit my RDI 2100 cal or so because I was mindful of fat.
Upper body strength session. Notable mention is I went up to 80lb flat dumbbells for 13 reps. This is pretty wild considering I picked 80’s back up for the first time during COVID 5 or so years ago and maybe hit 2 or 3 and felt so strong. Muscle memory is so crazy!
It’s even weirder that I hit this during marathon training.
Spent the rest of the afternoon doing house work, 3 or 4 hours of garage cleanout. Moved 10000 steps naturally and got something done.
Ramped up carb intake and even made my own granola to help fuel a longer training run.
Hit a 15 miler with a very consistent 8:30 pace. The big issue is Summer training and very hot, swampy days. I got out at 7am sharp and it was too late to avoid the extreme heat and sun. The heat ultimately got me into my 3rd hour. I felt I could keep going but it began to feel dangerous.
87 degrees and very high humidity. One of those just nasty days.
So I wound it out with a 3 mile walk totaling 18 miles on the day. Given the conditions, very happy with that effort.
Focused on upper body and active recovery today. With all of the run fuel carbs in my system I attacked a new PR of 90lb dumbbells on incline x 9 reps. I just can’t believe it.
50x20, 70x12, 90x9
Flat barbell 185 x 8, 135 til absolute failure, 50lb dumbbells on floor also to failure
2 isometric chinup holds for biceps / back up to 45 seconds 1st set, 30 sec 2nd set
Followed with arms on cables ultimate drop set. I’ll film this very soon it’s really helped to sculpt my arms.
Followed with a chill yoga sequence outside similar to this:
I am not really damaged from the 15 miler at all which is also freaky. I’m really building up my base now.
Severe strength session, then went on a 3 mile hike. Walking only.
Weights: Barbell squats 135 x 10, 135 x 10, 185 x 8, 225 x 20
Flat Dumbbells: 50 x 20, 80 x 12, 100 x 7, 80 x 10, 50 til failure
Dumbbell overheads like this:
6.3 mile steady training run. Leg soreness from previous day barbell squats had not kicked in yet. Went on to play with my 6 year old and ended up moving an extra 3 miles. That kid keeps me going!
In this video, I discuss the importance of testing all your marathon gear before race day to avoid any unexpected and painful issues or energy draining annoyances. I share a personal story about how a new Summer tank-top fabric caused severe nipple chafing, which turned my run into a nightmare, and how using the wrong bandana caused additional annoyances. The key takeaway is to never try anything new on marathon day and always stick with what you know works for you. Test, test more and test even more!
Also, I give a breakdown of some essential gear I use for marathons, from my Brooks Glycerin GTS 20s to my Jabra Elite Active headphones. I also talk about the essential items I carry with me, such as honey drops, energy chews, and electrolyte chews. I can’t say enough about the need for reliable and comfortable gear to ensure your energy is focused on the marathon, not on dealing with gear malfunctions. Watch to learn how to prepare your gear for a smooth and successful marathon experience.
Fully tested Gear mentioned in this video:
Jabra Elite 8 Active - Sports Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds:
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets
Runhit Compression Shorts (Best large phone holder)
I am also there to answer any questions or help in any way. This is video one of a lengthy series, stay tuned and good luck with the running! Ultimately, I am training for life or as Peter Attia calls it the “centenarian decathlon”. Every day, working toward a goal of enhancing and maintaining strength, muscle mass, endurance, mobility and flexibility to be a kick-ass 85+ year old.
Michael Baker e-RYT Yoga Teacher, CHC, 25 Year #WFH Digital Pro Actively training for the NYC Marathon & “Centenarian Decathlon”
Key Moments:
00:00:00 - 00:01:11 Nipple Chafing Disaster: Runner shares a story about new gear causing problems.
00:01:37 Sweaty Bandana Catastrophe: Another story highlights the importance of testing gear.
00:02:51 Don’t Introduce New Gear on Race Day: Emphasizes using familiar equipment during races.
00:03:15 Head-to-Toe Race Day Gear Breakdown: Detailed explanation of the speaker’s preferred running gear.
00:04:01 Comfortable Socks are Important: Mentions well-broken-in socks to avoid blisters.
00:04:48 Compression Shorts for Phone Carry: Explains how compression shorts aid in carrying a phone.
00:05:53 Jabra Elite Active Headphones Recommendation: Praises specific headphones for their features.
00:06:12 Be Prepared for Race Day: Final tips on charged devices, backup gear, and overall race day readiness.
00:07:00 Essential Edible Items: Discusses the importance of carrying honey drops, energy chews, and electrolyte chews.
00:08:00 Overall Preparation: Recap of the importance of thorough preparation and testing of gear before marathon day.
Hit a very swampy 1/2 marathon run. It was really gross out and again. I started around 6:45am and ended around 8:40am. When I began it was still a bit cloudy and 77 degrees and at the end around 85 degrees with full sun. I was so sweaty my shoes filled with my sweat making them weigh 5 pounds each and literally squishing on every step. Nasty. I followed this with a 2 mile walk.
Hit a great SHORT upper body strength session. Flat barbell bench up to 225x4 (getting there!) and a nice back sequence. The sweaty half marathon really hurt, so I kept it short (30 min) and then did an outdoor passive yoga sequence similar to this:
Also, dude to the smashing of my body the day before I took in around 250g protein from varied sources including 4 cups of chicken bone broth (my secret recovery weapon). Kept carbs and fat lower to reduce the bloat I always get from carb loading for a long run.
Today I hit a 4 mile hike with one Bring Sally Up and 7-10 light sprints. I didn’t go all out to make sure I didn’t pop something as I ran a 1/2 marathon 2 days ago.
Followed this with a short yoga sequence and short deadlift shrug trap & tricep workout.
Deadlift 350lbs and shrugged it 5x, twice.
A lot of exercise today, felt great.
Another day of amped up protein low fat, low carbs. Repair my muscles, shed some more fat. Still have a goal of overall body fat reduction down to the “150’s” for marathon day. I’m in the low 160’s now.
I hit a new PR for air squats today. I’m really gonna feel this tomorrow: 750 in a row in 85 degree heat. I started dry, 22 minutes later in a full body dripping flop sweat!
I followed this with a short powerful weight session working up to 90lb dumbbells for 9 reps on incline! Also, a PR! I also hit biceps but not as hard because I’m nursing a weird forearm pull. All good.
Remember this: If you have 1 broken part you still have a 100 others that you can work out. People stop working out because they have one issue. Work around it! Usually, you can walk or do yoga if all else fails and when you get to that place - you probably need to be there.
Protein high everything else lower. Hold on to muscle, lose fat, get lighter.
Did a muddy, sorta rainy, sweaty, swampy hike with some slower uphill sprints, still nursing sore air squat legs. It all felt great minus those stupid flies that just buzz in my eyes and ears and drive me insane. Added on more movement with my kid totaling 15,000 steps on the day. Nothing super high impact, just a lot of low intensity movement.
On the hike I threw in a Bring Sally Up too. The buzzing flies in my ears really spiced that up lol ugh
Made my granola and began to load up some carbs for a long Sunday run. The weather is just not playing nice and even at 6am, it’s 75 degrees and swampy as all hell. Really can’t wait for some cool, dry winds to blow in. It makes going past 13-15 miles really miserable.
Food = Fuel
Carbs up around 150-175g on the day. Will go as high as 250g tomorrow. WIll chill out with fats and mega high protein and focus on carbs, salts, electrolytes to hit my long sweaty Sunday run goal of 20 miles. I must say how unnatural I find carb loading to be, but it’s clear and obvious that it’s necessary.
Also noting I am doubling down on electrolytes and bone broth for a solid run day foundation. See below for bone broth endurance benefits.
I want to make a note about treating food as fuel specific to any type of endurance work, especially in the heat, and it’s absolute importance.
I follow Nick Bare on YouTube and he is a hybrid trainer like me. Hybrid meaning he’s not a lifter or a runner or strength trainer, he’s all of them. He goes beyond what I’m doing so I consider him inspiration.
Food intake and what you have in your “gas tank” is beyond important for training. Whether it’s just getting over 2 miles for the 1st time or going for a marathon. If you run out of gas, just like in a car, the whole thing stops. It’s happened to me many times.
As I evolve and learn more and more I tailor my diet to the activity that lies ahead. It is a lot of work but it’s necessary. Take a listen, this is fantastic advice:
He talks about going as high as 500g carbs a day leading up to endurance work. It’s so hard to do. But the concept of reducing fat, keeping protein similar and amping up carbs is what I’m after. He talks about this specifically at the 35 min marker.
These are some of my run supplements on Amazon. I make bone broth homemade now but Kettle and Fire or Costco/Kirkland is great if you don’t want to make it.
I take 2 of these electrolyte tabs pre run and on run day:
Nuun Sport Electrolyte Tablets
I chew these in my run:
Skratch Labs Energy Chews
SaltStick Electrolyte FastChews
Bone Broth:
Hydration and Electrolyte Balance:
Sodium and Potassium: These electrolytes help maintain fluid balance and prevent cramping during long runs.
Hydration: The high water content helps keep you hydrated, especially when consumed before and after runs.
Joint and Connective Tissue Health:
Collagen: Supports the health of joints, ligaments, and tendons, reducing the risk of injuries common in endurance running.
Gelatin: Can help maintain the integrity of connective tissues and may reduce joint pain and stiffness.
Muscle Recovery and Repair:
Amino Acids: Provides essential amino acids like glycine and proline, which are important for muscle repair and recovery.
Protein: While not as high as in other protein sources, the protein in bone broth can still contribute to overall protein intake for muscle maintenance.
Digestive Health:
Gut Health: Gelatin supports gut lining health, which can improve nutrient absorption and overall digestive function.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties: The amino acids in bone broth can have anti-inflammatory effects, aiding in recovery and reducing inflammation from intense training.
Immune Support:
Nutrients: Vitamins and minerals in bone broth can support the immune system, which is crucial during heavy training periods when the immune system can be taxed.
Anti-Inflammatory Effects: Certain compounds in bone broth can help modulate the immune response, potentially reducing the risk of illness.
Energy and Endurance:
Minerals: Calcium, magnesium, and phosphorus are important for muscle function and energy metabolism.
Balanced Nutrition: Consuming bone broth can complement a balanced diet, ensuring that runners get a broad spectrum of nutrients.
Practical Benefits:
Easy to Digest: Bone broth is gentle on the stomach, making it suitable for pre- and post-run nutrition without causing digestive discomfort.
Versatility: Can be consumed on its own or used as a base for nutrient-dense soups and stews, providing flexibility in meal planning. @TerryA
