How Are You Preparing? (Update and a Look Ahead)

The first month of the year has passed by quickly and I wanted to provide a quick update to a previous post "How Are You Preparing?" .  I also wanted to publish the training schedule I have mapped out for February.  The combination of publishing January's training plan and writing down the results of all the workouts has yielded some pretty amazing results.  I have been able to set personal bests (PB) in all facets of the workouts.  I can do more crazy pull ups and push ups while running farther and faster than I could at the beginning of the month.  I've also almost reached my fighting weight with just under a month to go.  I'm excited to see how all of this plays out in Miami but I still have work to do in February.

February's plan picks up where January left off and also takes me in a slightly different direction.  January was mostly about building strength while February will focus on improving performance through explosive, obstacle specific exercises.

The intent is still to run on back to back days with an additional short (5-7) mile run on Wednesdays.  I never thought 5 miles and short would be in the same sentence one year ago.  Well, I could see me being short of breath just thinking about traveling 5 miles a year ago.  This plan incorporates a higher volume of running into the routine and honestly the running has become a bit monotonous.  DC and I have plans to change that up a bit.  Yesterday we completed a 6 + mile run on a mountain bike course which ended up being a lot of fun.  My plan will remain the same in terms of writing down the results of each workout.  This simple strategy easily demonstrates progress on a daily basis.  There is no better feeling in a workout than to establish a PB and realize that you've just completed something you couldn't do before.

The countdown clock shows that the Miami Mudder in 26 short days away.  The clock serves as a constant reminder that every moment is an opportunity to prepare and improve.