Sandbag at the ready

Workout of the Day:

20 minute AMRAP:

Sandbag run for meters (30 kg)

Well it was another long night of Olympic hockey. After an utterly incredible game and disappointing ending, I stayed out and drank a few more with the victorious Canadian fans in Paris. It was a show of good sportsmanship, I thought, but it kept me from my bed until after 3 am. Needless to say, running with an extra 30 kg was not exactly what I felt like doing this morning.

However, it didn’t wind up being so bad. The real challenge was fatigue in my arms (from holding the bag on my shoulder) and lower back/obliques (from supporting the lopsided weight). I did this on the track behind my apartment, so my distance was as accurate as one can expect. In 20 minutes I was able to carry the bag 3400 meters, or just over 2 miles. Honestly, I never felt out of breath, meaning one of two things: I wasn’t running fast enough, or the weight was light. I really don’t think the weight was too light, so I have to assume that I could have gone a little faster on the run.

The biggest surprise was 5 minutes after I finished. I had sat down to rest for a few breaths, and when I stood up my calves were locked in cramps. I had felt them a little during the run, but nothing like this. It happened a few more times throughout the day as well. This was not an expected effect of this workout, but it makes sense in retrospect.

This evening I was all set to do a great workout in tandem with some friends back in Washington D.C., but my gym threw me a curveball. It closed. It seems to be closed all week, in fact. I think it has something to do with a holiday for the students (not me), but I’ve learned that no one ever truly knows the reason for anything that happens in France. Sadly, the workout will have to be postponed until I regain access to the facility. Not sure what this means for my week, will have to just take it as it comes…