ZOOT Product of the Week
ZOOT Thermo Tight
This tight has been my "go to" for brisk NorCal runs, Crossfit sessions, jogs to the pool, and I have even felt comfortable enough to throw them under jeans during chilly outdoor coaching situations.
They provide extreme warmth paired with extreme mobility. They also maintain a flattering appearance with Zoot's high grade material and no male endurance athlete should be bashful to rock these in training or in the coffee shop. Get them while it's cold!













Training

1/3 – 1/9


Monday - AM – Warmup run to TJ’s Crossfit, about 1 mile.
5:15 AM class – Stretching, Conditions, Strength –
A1. DB Split Squat rear foot elevated; 30X1 x 4-6 reps per leg; 4 sets; rest 30sec….40lbs dumbbell
A2. Overhead Walking Lunges; 12 steps @ 20X1…..30lbs overhead
WOD - 100 KBS for time (53lbs)
*start every minute with 4 burpees
Then into a 1.5 mile run to the pool.
Quick/HARD 1500yd Swim Set
1 mile run home.
8 Mile Bike Commute to work
PM – 8 mile bike commute home

NOTE: Trying to think of an all-inclusive name for the workout I did… Any ideas? It would save a lot of typing for the future, as I am making this a 2x per week thing…
















(TJ Belger, owner of TJ's CF...cool dude)


Tuesday – AM – 9 mile run with Jake
- 8 Mile Bike Commute
PM - @ Home CF WOD – 100 Burpees, 100situps…Ramsey tried to join in several times.

Wednesday – AM – OFF
PM - “Work out Wednesday” w/ a good crew. Warmup, Drills/strides then…Mark and I did a 12x400m set with 100m jog recovery between the intervals. We avg. about 71sec per quarter and it felt very relaxed.

Thursday – AM – Warmup run to TJ’s Crossfit, about 1 mile.
5:15 AM class – Stretching, Conditions, Strength –
WOD A. Hollow Holds 30sec/30sec x 5sets
B. 2:30 x 3 sets 25 Double Unders (tuck jumps for sub)
AMRAP Front Squat (155/105) No racks
25 Double Unders
Rest 2:30
C. Tabata Push Ups
Quick/HARD 1500yd Swim Set
1 mile run home.
8 Mile Bike Commute to work

Friday – AM – Warmup run to TJ’s Crossfit, about 1 mile.
- Good warmup then the WOD
- 4 Sets: 5min Each
- Run 600m
- AMRAP
- 10 Box Jumps (24in)
- 10 Wall Ball (20lb)
- Rest 5 minutes (Practiced OH Squats)
I really enjoyed this workout and was happy to see fast splits on the 600, despite the workload and the fact it was 5 in the morning.
- Cool down mile home.


Saturday –AM –Dropped into SF Crossfit because I slept in until 9:30!!!! This caused me to miss the open times at TJ’s. I guess my body decided it wanted 12 hours of sleep…cool with me on the weekend.
In SF I did some warm up running and drills, then decided to work on my dreaded Overhead Squat. Kim, from SF CF, had be do 7x3 OHS with increasing weight. We really worked on form and I appreciated her help in trying to sort out this difficult exercise. We followed it up with 3x weighted situps and “good mornings”
PM – Crossfit Endurance, Bike WOD – 3x7mins best effort each time on the bike trainer w/ 3min recovery between each. Gotta admit, the legs are feeling stronger than ever. My friend Rich Airey, big CF/CFE dude and good guy, put it best after time trialing one of his fastest runs at the 13.1mi distance – “Get stronger = get faster…” I believe!

Sunday – PM - Long Run with some friends in SF – Clara & Ramsey for a bit, Scott, Aaron and Curt. Good route which included the “Escape from Alcatraz” run course…about 100 mins of running. Longer than the prescribed CFE workout but it was too nice to pass up.
PM - 30min Standup Paddleboard session off Chrissy Field in San Francisco. Finally got out on one of the coolest Christmas presents that I have ever received. Thanks Clara Babe!




(Carrying "the beast" with Bruncle Evan)


Review/Looking Ahead – So, it was back to the grind this week. I had to say goodbye to the long mornings of waking up slowly, watching cartoons, and general relaxation before heading out for a workout. I welcomed back the sight of 4:45am on my alarm clock, a preset coffee machine, a sleeping family as I creep out the door, and the smiles of over 400 kids that I teach and coach. I must say that I was pretty tired by Friday but I also recognize that I truly love what I do.
This week was enlightening in the sense that I am starting to TRULY believe in the training and lifestyle I have set for myself. I am not just having a blast and hoping for the best. I am having a blast but I am now starting to think that Glassman, Mackenzie, TJ Belger, and the Crossfit community really have it right. I started Crossfit with the hope that I would have some fun, use it as a supplement to my run/triathlon training, gain more time to spend with family/friends, and compete OK. Now, I am really starting to get excited about the positive developments happening with my training. This week I have completed some pretty challenging WODs, hard swim/bikes/runs, and have recognized that I am as strong and if not stronger than I was last year (while training 20+hours and being super anal). I am feeling strength throughout my whole body that I have not felt before. My 400s on Wednesday evening felt REALLY comfortable to the point that I think I could have done 30 of them at the same pace. Then Friday morning came and during my WOD, which included 600s, I felt fresh and was running them with ease at a fast pace. I am also seeing positive effects in the pool and on the bike. I am taking fewer strokes, getting more distance per stroke, and hitting times that I thought would be unattainable for a while after the swim strike I went on this fall. During single leg drills on the bike I felt like my mechanics are for superior to any pedal stroke I have ever taken. Another thing that I have noticed is that my energy is higher and my recovery is more efficient. This all could also be to the diet makeover that I’ve had in the last month. Following the paleo diet is very tough in the beginning. When you have been fed pizza, pasta, bagels, etc. your whole life and have been told that it’s good energy then it extremely difficult to convert. However, if you can get through the first couple weeks ,without cheating too much, then you start to adjust. Right now, my body and mind cannot handle the thought or input of any of the foods I listed.
Sample diet: Breakfast – 4 eggs, ½ avocado, green smoothie, and 1 cup of coffee.
Snack – Banana or orange with sunbutter.
Lunch – Salad greens with lean turkey, assorted veggies, sirachi* sauce
Snack – “Core” bar (thanks Magdalena!)
Dinner – Sautéed veggies, chicken –steak or fish
Guilty pleasure – Glass of red and some dark chocolate
In the words of a good friend of mine, and fellow crossfitter, Richard Airey, “get stronger=get faster”.
I am trying to commit to a strict protocol of 4-5 CF WODs, 2 CFE bike, 2 commuter bikes, 2 CFE swims, and 3 run workouts. Luckily, I am attending a Crossfit Endurance seminar next Saturday and I hope to piece this together with BMack’s help. The seminar is at SF Crossfit next Saturday, come on out!


















I’m already getting an antsy feeling to race! This is cool….

Train hard!!!

JP