Toughman Workout
Every summer I like to come up with at least one “Toughman workout.” My definition of of a “Toughman” is a workout that is so extremely hard and difficult that it is of questionable training value. However these workouts do have the clear benefit of making nearly all other workouts seem easy in comparison.
In the past I have done double century rides on my road bike or set out on a 42 mile run that summited four mountains. This year I decided to do a shorter workout with an increase in intensity. I started at the Franconia Falls trailhead and ran the Franconia Trail to the Garlfield Ridge trail. This was about 12 miles of gradual uphill on increasingly rough terrain. When I turned left on the Garlfield trail I increased my intensity to Level 3 and ran, bounded and ski walked to the Summit. The effort took 20 minutes. From Garfield I descended towards Mt Lafayette and once again increased my intensity when the Ridge started to gain elevation. I followed this routine over Mts Lincoln, Haystack, Liberty and the flume before descending back to my starting point.
View Of The Ridge From Mt Lafayette
Half Way Through
The loop took me 4:58 to complete with 1:20 minutes of level 3 exertion. Following the workout I went to Cape Cod for two days on the beach to ensure full recovery
