Today was definitely a change of pace from the usual, I don't think you can even really call it a workout but I walked 60km with a few friends, mostly on train tracks, and it took about 13 hours including frequent stops including an hour and a half for lunch. It was definitely a unique experience, last summer I walked 50km so this kind of 1-up'd it.
   The walk started at the track in Lower Sackville, went into Fall River, Bedford, Halifax, Dartmouth, and where I live right on the Cole Harbour border. I was pretty tired upon finishing but to be honest I definitely could have gone a lot farther. I have always wanted to do 100km so maybe that will be a project for next summer.

Not even comparable to last Tuesday, 1000 times better.
Today was the first hard workout of "medium" week and it wasn't nearly as bad as I was expecting. I pretty much breezed through the circuits even though I did four instead of three. The only negative was my calf started to feel kind of sore, I was worried I wasn't going to be able to do tempos afterward but it refrained from getting any worst.
The length of the tempo runs increased today too, up to 45s. They were... Hard... But in a good way, when I finished I was exhausted but refreshed.
Weights were great, last week when I did hang snatch I was losing my balance and couldn't straighten my arms under the bar but today I felt like I found the sweet spot, where I felt like I locked my shoulders into place. If it was later in the season, where snatch is a relevant exercise, I probably would have upped the weight but where it was about learning the lift I left it at 115lb's. Romanian deadlifts felt good too, no lower back discomfort and a good pull in the glute-hamstring area.

TODAY'S WORKOUT
Warm-up
4 circuits--
15 burpees
20m bounding
15 pushup's/crunches
3 pop-up's
20 bicycles/15 wall touches
10m left hops
10 rotational pushups
10m right hops
15 tuck jumps
20m bounding
20 crunches
Tempos--
5 sets of: 45s on/90s off
6 hill runs (up only)
Weights--
Hang snatch 4x3@115lb's
Romanian deadlifts 4x10@179lb's
Bent over rows 4x10@40lb's
Pull-up's 1x6, 3x3

I also made a visual representation of training since last March, it seems to be fairly sporadic, but now that I have a better understanding of periodization this season should have a more noticeable pattern.

 Green is general prep, blue is specific prep, red is a competition week and orange is competition phase.

Wow I can't believe there are only two days left in August, after Juniors the summer seemed to pass unbelievably slowly but overly the last few weeks it has picked up again; August has flown by! Maybe it's because of the weather, most of July was overcast and rainy while pretty much all of August has been sunny and nice.
Anyways, I went for a 3km run this afternoon to try to loosen up. My legs are unbelievably sore for yesterdays workout and I know exactly what it is from, the single-legged squats I did yesterday. I didn't even put that much weight on for them but still my legs are destroyed. I'm hoping they feel better tomorrow and I'm definitely hoping they are fine for Wednesday's 60km walk haha.
Today was the first day I have done a weighted core circuit since I have started back up again and it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I got through it.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Light 3km jog
Leg raises 4x10@15lb's
Side crunch 4x10@33lb's
135 degree pike 4x10
Standing twists 4x10@33lb's
Reverse crunch 4x10@33lb's
Ab pull downs 4x15@160lb's, 1x10@170
Front throws 1x5@8kg
Back throws 2x5@8kg
Side throws 2x5@8kg (each side)

Woww... I am not used to getting up this early, I woke up at 5:40am so I could get to Goorsebrook Field by 7:00am. It was pretty hard at first starting that early and being motivated but by the time I finish the circuits and tempo runs I started to get into it and by the time I made it to the weightroom I was feeling pretty good. I'm not going to lie though, I did dog it a bit in the circuits--I feel like I'm physically getting more fit but mentally they are getting tougher. This was the last workout of easy week, now the intensities and extensiveness will increase slightly.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
Circuit (3 times through)--
15 burpees
20m bounding
15 pushups/crunches
3 pop-ups
10 rotational pushups
10m Left hops
20 bicycles
10m right hops
15 tuck jumps
20m bounding
20 crunches

Tempo: 5x(30 seconds on, 60 seconds off)
Hill runs 5 times up (grass was to slippery to go down)

Weights--
Squats 2x10@225lb's, 1x10@245lb's (65%, 70%)
Bulgarian Split Squats 3x8@135lb's
Back Extensions 3x10@60lb's

It's funny how every training week I look forward to having an off day on Saturday but then when it comes I just want to go out and start training again. Rest today was definitely needed though, my calves are still a little tight (I'm expecting them to be 100% by tomorrow) and my overall energy level is way down. I worked today (am still working I suppose) from 2:00pm-11:00pm so I wouldn't be able to do much today anyway even if I wanted to. I work tomorrow from 12:00pm-9:00pm but I don't want to disrupt this week's microcycle so that means a 6:00am workout it is! It's not ideal but I still think it's better than trying to move everything around.
I'm going to be having an interesting "workout" on Wednesday too, instead of running 5km as originally planned I am going to be walking 56-60km. It is the third time I have done such a walk, they are always a good time so it will be nice to mix things up. It's certainly not something I would want to do every week but once a year shouldn't hurt

Wheeew, I'm starting to feel the accumulative effect of this week's training. I am very glad that tomorrow is a rest day, I definitely need it. I went for a run this morning and I was laboring, it was only 3km but my lower legs are still tight from sand running on Wednesday. I just feel flat overall, which is to be expected. I am in a two week phase of pre-general prep right now and then the third week is a transitional phase into the season's main prep phase; a full weight program will be implemented during this block as well. The next three weeks are where most of the hypertrophic gains will be made and will lead into a fourth unloading week consisting of testing. That's everything until October 9th. Here's a graphical representation:

On a side note I will be doing a brief core circuit. I am not starting a weighted core program until the end of this two week phase.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

3km run
20 Crunches
40 Bicycles
20 Crunches
20 Bicycles
3x10 Seated twists
3x10 Pikes
3x10 Scissors
3x10 V-sits
2 two minute planks
1 minute plank left/right

This was a sloppy workout, in the weight room in particular. I had three exercises to complete, deadlifts, front squats and incline dumbbell press.
Front squats were... Well it was pretty obvious that it has almost been a year since I have last done them. The problem was the same problem everybody has with front squats, the grip. The bar was slowly slipping through all ten reps. I think that this will be easy to fix for next week but it was just pretty frustrating for today.
Deadlifts were a mess, I don't know why I can't get the hang of this lift. Every time I try doing them I end up straight legging them. I felt like I was starting to get the hang of them when I phased them out last season but today, with pretty much no weight on the bar, my form was terrible. I will definitely have to spend some more time studying.
Incline dumbbell press, well my arms with just dead from all the pushups in the circuits. I got ten reps for the first set, six for the second and five for the third. I was too off mentally from the deadlifts at this point I didn't care.
The circuits/running actually went pretty well, it felt easier than it did on Tuesday, I believe I'm getting more fit. My stride felt good too, nice and relaxed.
Tomorrow I am measuring my body weight, last week I was 161.4lb's so I'm guessing I'm slightly less this week from all the fitness work.

TODAY'S WORKOUT

Warm-up
3 times through circuit--
15 burpees
20m bounding
15 pushups/crunches
3 pop-ups
10 rotational pushups (5L/5R)
10m left hops
20 bicycles/ 20 wall touches
10m right hops
15 tuck jumps
20m bounding
20 crunches

Tempo runs--
Five sets of 30s on/60s off
3 Hill runs (up and down)

Weights--
Front Squats 1x10@168lb's, 2x10@177lb's
Deadlifts 3x10@179lb's
Incline dumbbell press 1x10@50lb's, 1x6@50lb's, 1x5@50lb's