Which athlete is using gravity to their advantage?
Click HERE to read a great article by Nuno Costa of Crossfit Invictus about the Essential Concepts of Efficient Running.  It all makes perfect sense, the hard part is retraining the body to run efficiently.  Don't get frustrated, keep drilling and working on posture, lean, and pull.

If you haven't noticed yet, the treadmills are in and working!  We will test them out Tuesday in class with Tabata runs.  

SATURDAY ENDURANCE CLASS - "Training Helen" - Brandon will be subbing for me and has lots of fun in store, hope you can make it.

SUNDAY RUN - Sleeping in and meeting at 8AM at Al Foster Trail - Directions in post below, hope you can make it!!

GOOD LUCK ON YOUR BURPEES THIS WEEKEND - Make sure you give it a try even if you are not registered for the Open - 7 min AMRAP of Burpees - 321go!

UPCOMING  RACES

Good luck to CFVP Endurance Team members Timothy Reinwald, Susan Richmond, Bob Taylor, and Stephanie Teague who will be participating in the Castlewood Cup 15K trail run this weekend and to any of you who will be tackling the Sand Mine Challenge in Crystal City.  Make sure to post results and pictures to our facebook site.







UPCOMING GROUP RUNS

We had a great turnout at the Valley Park Trail head on Sunday for our group training run.  We are venturing out of Valley Park next Sunday the 26th and will be meeting at either 7am or 8am at the Al Foster Trail. Come join us and feel free to bring a friend - the more the merrier!  Pick your distance and your pace and chances are there will be someone with the same plan.  Longer runners will start at 7am. Directions: 44W to HWY 109 Eureka exit. Turn right and take 109 to Old State Road. Turn right and then an immediate right on Washington. Parking lot is about a half mile down on the left.

We have been drilling Pose Running form for the past couple of weeks.  Here is a very straight forward demonstration of Posture, Lean and Land/Pull. (Looks like this runner could use a little crossfitting - reminds me a little of Mike Myers as Dieter with the Sprockets!)


Make sure to listen to your body as you add intensity to your workouts.  Don't be afraid to reduce the number of intervals or reduce your speed slightly if you are excessively sore.  We want to ease into this program and for many of you it will take time for your bodies to adjust to maximal effort runs.  Make sure you go through a full dynamic warm up and start with a warm up lap or two before going all out.  Stretch afterwards and take extra time with your hamstrings, hips, soleus and calves.

If you are interested in participating as part of CFVP Endurance Team at the City Mayhem Obstacle Course Challenge on April 21st contact Stephanie@crossfitvalleypark.com and sign up by clicking through to their website.  This would be a great event for our Crossfit Crew!

The City Mayhem Obstacle Course Challenge presented by Lift For Life Gym, 101 ESPN & WIL 92.3 offers a unique run along the city streetscape of downtown St. Louis. The 4 mile run starts near the Soulard Market and winds through industrial settings and urban landscapes toward the riverfront near the landmark Saint Louis Arch and back. There are a number of gut-busting obstacles and station challenges along the route. All runners must complete each station challenge and overcome each obstacle in order to contend for the Mayhem Muscle Awards.

General Race Information

Registration - $40 adults 14+, $10 Mini Mayhem (5-13yrs)
Start Time and Location:
Participants will line up at the starting line at approximately 9:00 AM, which is located at the corner of Lafayette and 3rd Street in Soulard. In order to avoid major bottlenecks on the course, athletes may start in waves of runners, at established intervals, based on our final number of participants the day of the race. Athletes are required to complete all of the official obstacles and follow the established, marked course. Skipping or not properly executing any of the obstacles may result in a time penalty or disqualification.
The Course
The 4 mile course begins in Soulard, along 3rd street. It heads north toward Downtown St. Louis for approximately a half mile before encountering the first obstacle.
Below is a tentative list of some obstacles and/or challenges that runners might encounter during the City Mayhem Obstacle Course Challenge, in no particular order. Expect some surprises!

1. Tire Hoop
2. Barricade Crawl
3. Push Up Challenge
4. School Bus Situation Station
5. Stacking Station
6. Squat Walk
7. Tire Flip Challenge
8. Rapid Speed Recycle
9. Dumpster Push
10. Cross Train Pain Station
11. Riverfront Anchor Chain Carry
12. Mayhem Maze
13. Military Combat Crawl

Finish & Post-Race
One of the highlights of the City Mayhem Obstacle Run is the post-race celebration. Toast your accomplishment with a complimentary Kraftig beer, watch the Mini Mayhem Obstacle course for kids (ages 5-12) and enjoy live entertainment.

Endurance Classes - What are you looking for?

CFVP had 17 amazing athletes compete at the 6th annual Battle for the Cup this weekend - Congratulations to all of you for your hard work and accomplishments over the two day event. I spoke with many of you about your biggest challenges and it seems like a common thread is endurance. We all reach a point where we become "gassed", the lungs can't seem to take in air fast enough and doubling over while the heart rate recovers is about the only thing you can do. If you have been crossfitting long enough you may also have noticed that as you perfect your skills and become more efficient with the movements your capacity for work increases and you are able to go longer and harder without hitting that wall.

SO, I think what many of us are looking for with Endurance Training is to be able to perform longer, faster, stronger without getting gassed. While we are concentrating on endurance with running, the principals of what we are trying to accomplish carry over into any activity that gets your heart rate up. The three steps to better endurance are:
 1. improving technique so you perfom more efficiently
 2. adding intensity so you can train in all three of your energy system pathways, not just the   aerobic or oxidative pathway.
 3. adding volume once technique is improved and you are comfortable with intense efforts. 

Click HERE for a great article explaining what cardiovascular endurance is and the benefits of endurance training.

If you are training for the Go St Louis marathon or another endurance race keep coming to class to get your Pose technique down and get more comfortable with interval training.
Not training for a running race? Come any way and learn how to run better, chances are you don't like running because you are not doing it efficiently.  WORK ON THE WEAKNESSES!

 

Endurance Classes are back in session this week so don't forget to sign up on Mind/Body. We will be continuing Pose Running progressions and focus on the foot/ankle/calves for prehab/mobility. This week's workouts are posted to the side if you cannot make it to class. NO CLASS on Saturday at 10am - 6th Annual BATTLE OF THE CUP at TNT - if you are not participating try to come out and watch or follow the live feed.