Day 28: Week 4 Summary

                I’ve officially made it 4 weeks into my training journey & the progress remains steady, even if it’s a little slower than I would like. I wrote a 25-day review a few days ago where I discussed what I’ve learned, what I’ve done successfully, & what has challenged me over the first quarter of my journey, however I still want to take time to reflect on my progress in week 4 itself to remain consistent with the previous weeks.

                As always, I’ve discussed the good, the bad, & the ugly from week 4 below:

The Good

1. Completed my first set of 30 burpees: on Saturday I was finally able to complete my first set of 30 burpees, for a total of 70 across 3 sets. Then on Monday I improved further, increasing my first set to 32 & completing a total of 79 burpees across 3 sets. I am quite proud of this feat considering I was only able to do 39 burpees across 3 sets when I first started, a challenge that I documented in my day 15 post on burpees. My goal will be to complete 3 sets of 40 burpees comfortably to ensure that come race day I can attack each obstacle confidently without fear of the infamous burpee should I not be successful. 
    
2. Shaved 30 seconds off my average KM time: I got out on the trails twice this past week & was able to shave 30 seconds off of my average KM time on a 7KM run from 5:44 to 5:08. I will look to continue to cut this time to 4:30, at which time I am going to start to ramp up the distance closer to the 15KM mark while attempting to maintain pace. Around the 50-day mark, my plan is to begin incorporating burpees during my runs to better simulate race day conditions, however currently I am just looking to increase my running & burpee endurance separately to establish a baseline level in both exercises.   
    
3. Completed a set of 25 pull-ups: I was happy to achieve my goal of 25 pull ups in a single set, for a total of 49 repetitions across 3 sets. Although I was happy to complete 25 on my first set, a big focus moving forward will be to improve my performance on the secondary sets where I was only able to do 14 & 10 reps. Since the Spartan Race is an endurance event involving many different obstacles that utilize the back, grip, & biceps, I must ensure to build my muscular endurance in these areas which will more be useful than 'one-time' strength. I am going to stay at 25, smooth, good-form reps on my first set, & shift the focus to improving my performance on sets 2 & 3. Eventually I will incorporate weighted pull ups once I can improve the secondary sets to over 20 repetitions each.

The Bad

1. Two ‘nights out’: I wrote about my nights out in detail in yesterdays’ post about setbacks. This weekend I had two separate nights where I enjoyed a few adult beverages & a few cheat meals with friends. Although I detailed in my post how to overcome such setbacks, moving forward I want to ensure I am limiting the amount of ‘nights out,’ especially as I draw closer to race day.
    
2. Muscle soreness: as I discussed in my 25-day review, muscle soreness became a recurring challenge in week 4. Generally, I push through muscle soreness, however this past week my legs were sore to the point that I felt my performance was being diminished, so much so that I skipped my elliptical HIIT after I was only able to complete 16, 14, & 14 burpees on Tuesday (about 50% of what I did after a few days off). To combat this, I am increasing my protein intake, spending more time on the foam roller after each workout, & attempting to get 8-hours of sleep per night, however I will continue to monitor the muscle soreness to see if I need to make adjustments to my training schedule. I am all for ‘pushing through’ where possible, but only to the point that I do not diminish the efficacy of my subsequent workouts, because ultimately I am looking to maximize my performance on the workouts that I have chosen.  

The Ugly

1. Naked Sauna Sessions: evidently I spoke too soon in my day 22 post on sauna use where I quipped “When I think of saunas, I think of old, sweaty men sitting around naked.” This week in the sauna there was one gentleman who insisted on laying down, completely naked, in a sauna fit for 5-6 people that at the time was crowded with at least 10. To add to the scene, the gentleman also insisted on performing breathing techniques that mimicked what I would guess a woman in labour would sound like. You do you sauna guy, you do you.

Week 5 Goals

1. Increased Sleep: as I documented in my day 26 blog post, one major area of opportunity for me is increasing the amount of sleep that I’m getting. Currently I’m sleeping on average 5 hours per night, which I believe is contributing to the amount of muscle soreness that I have been struggling with. My goal for this week is to get 8 hours of sleep each night & to monitor how it effects both my performance in training, & the amount of post-workout muscle soreness that I experience.
    
2. Clean diet during Easter: with this upcoming weekend being Easter, there is a real risk of a repeat of this past weekend, at least as far as the unhealthy eating goes. Although I want to make sure I enjoy myself with family & friends this weekend, my goal is to stay away from any sweets or junk food & opt instead to indulge in lots of ham, turkey & vegetables. That said, I will make a small exception by having a few beers on Saturday night when my beloved Leafs take on the Washington Capitals in game 2 of their series.
     
3. Easter trail run: my family is located a few hours north of Toronto, where there is an abundance of running trails. My goal will be to get out on the trails at some point & complete a longer distance run (10+ KM) since I will not have access to a gym on Saturday or Sunday. I have already augmented my training schedule to ensure that I get in all of my workouts prior to leaving for the weekend, but want to take advantage of the fresh air & nice trails when I can get it. 
   

                 With that another week has flown by in this Spartan journey, presenting me with a new set of wins, setbacks, & unique challenges to face. It’s hard to believe I’ve already made it 4 weeks, now it’s just over 10 weeks to go until race day & I’m confident that if I continue on the path I'm traveling, I’ll be ready.

Aroo!

100 Day Spartan

Day 5: Supplements

                Yesterday I touched on my diet, but omitted any discussion of the supplements that I will be taking on this journey. Supplements are yet another area where there is a dizzying amount of information available, & without doing your research, you can end up with a hefty bill & a cupboard full of supplements that don’t work.

                To me, there are 3 staple supplements that I have used for a long time that seem to work well for me, & I have introduced two new supplements into my repertoire as I continue this journey towards the finish line.

Multivitamin

                 The simple fact is; we do not get all of the essential vitamins & minerals that we need from our diets. Even if you plan & track everything you eat, hitting all of your daily vitamin requirements can be a challenge.

Although a multivitamin is certainly not a replacement for a healthy diet, adding one daily is a great way to ensure you are getting the vitamins that your body requires everyday, especially when you are adding in strenuous exercise. 

                A multivitamin can help boost your immune system, increase recovery, oxygen intake, & brain function, & has also been shown to help combat stress & fatigue. The use of a daily multivitamin is easy, inexpensive, & in my opinion – a no brainer.

Fish Oil

                 In my opinion, fish oil is one of the most important, yet overlooked supplements available on the market today. Fish oil can help deliver the omega 3 fatty acids that many of us lack in our diets, which have been shown to help improve brain function, bone density, cholesterol levels, & even your mood!

                From personal experience, I find that as I increase my supplementation of fish oils, my skin feels a lot softer & smoother. Beware though – use of too much fish oil can result in a fishy smell in your sweat. If this happens, it is probably best to cut back on the amount of fish oil you are consuming!

Creatine

                Multivitamins & fish oils are widely endorsed by health professionals as positive additions to (almost) everyone’s diet. A third supplement that I would add to this list is creatine. For me, creatine has been incredible in helping me increase my energy, strength & muscle mass, all while speeding up my recovery times.

                  These muscular benefits are widely known, causing creatine to be considered a ‘bodybuilding’ supplement meant for those muscle heads hogging all of the benches. What is significantly less reported, is the positive mental benefits that supplementation with creatine can provide.       

                Creatine has been shown in studies to act as a neuroprotectant that can reduce the risk of neurogenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s & preliminary research also shows that creatine may have a positive impact on brain function & short-term memory. 

                In short, creatine is a great supplement that can provide benefits both physically & mentally, which is the reason it has become a staple in my diet.

Branch Chain Amino Acids (BCAA’s)

                 Branch chain amino acids are a new supplement that I have added to my repertoire over the past few weeks. The first benefit? It is by far the most delicious thing that I drink. I am currently taking the Icy Rocket Freeze brand from Muscletech, which miraculously has 0g of sugar despite tasting like a soft drink.

                It is too early for me to speculate on the positive benefits, however a couple cited by medical professionals include increased protein synthesis (which leads to greater muscle growth), increased fat burning, & improved muscular endurance.

Glutamine

                Glutamine is another supplement that I have added to my cupboard in preparation of the Spartan Race. Similarly to BCAA’s, glutamine has been shown to increase protein synthesis, muscle growth, & muscular endurance. Most important to me, & the reason I have started to supplement with it, is that glutamine has been shown to improve recovery times.

Vege-Greens

                Vegegreens is a supplement that I have taken for years, however I would consider it optional, provided you are taking a daily multivitamin. Vegegreens claims to pack the nutrient equivalent of 6 to 8 servings of fresh vegetables & surprisingly it tastes great.

Beware however, this is one supplement that is quite expensive at upwards of $80 per bottle, & you can go through one in less than a month. My strategy is to wait until Popeye’s or GNC sends me a 50% off, or a 2-for-1 offer, & I go scoop up a couple bottles.   

Whey Protein

Whey protein is another supplement that I consider optional. I try my best to get all of my protein from whole foods, but when in a pinch, I will supplement with a whey protein shake to fill the nutritional gap.

                In conclusion, there are literally thousands of different types of supplements that you can take, however in my opinion there are really 3 staples; a multivitamin, fish oil, & creatine. As I gain more experience with BCAA’s & glutamine, I may add them to the list. 

100 Day Spartan.