The Running Dunk

Monday I was still wrecked from the Saturday night concert, so moving weight was not an option. I found myself instead on a treadmill. This would be my first extended running since the surgery. The Death Machine is an elliptical, and when we play 5-on-5 I typically sprint for a few seconds then maneuver in a small space on each end of the court. So this would be a continual pounding on my joints. And I made it! 30 minutes of jogging (6.1 gradually increased to 7.1 mph - I hate doing "standard" speeds) with no pain, twitching, or aggravation in my joint! I felt pretty cocky after that so I did 3x10 squats of 100# and 3x20 calf raises, which turned out to be brutal after my first run, but I grunted through like a true meathead.

Get it?

Tuesday I took off because I had no time during the day and an after school appointment. Today I went in with the sole intention of moving weight. I warmed up with 15 minutes on the cycle, then 3x10 squats of 110# and 3x20 calf raises, 3x10 bi/tris, 3x20 forearms, and then 3x10 of quads/back of quads (35# each leg). The last set was rough - I had to take a big breath before each movement.

Driving home, I realized completing this resolution requires better gains than 1 inch increase in vertical per month. So I think I'm gonna have to start - and I really don't like this, as I've always been an endurance/slow-twitch kinda guy - making conscious choices to increase my protein intake and therefore speed up muscle recovery and gain. Meathead is not my style by a long shot, and making this decision after just learning I can run makes it that much harder. Not to say I can't keep running, and I plan on it to keep me as light as possible, but I've got to essentially double my vertical and that's not going to happen by running five miles a day. With that, I picked up some Cliff Bars (not super protein-oriented, I know, but gotta start somewhere) and think I'll add a glass of milk with dinner each night. I'd like to avoid supplements like protein powder and the like if I can. I'm not sure when the next time we'll play is either, hm...

Georgia plays at Tennessee tonight! It's free to watch on espn360.com - enjoy the Travis Leslie Traveling Levitating Tremendous Dunk Show!