Catholic Endurance Protocol
Catholic Men: Train Through Blood, Breath, and Silence in Week 3 of CEP
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TUESDAY 041525: TEMPO INTERVALS – GETHSEMANE ON THE TREADMILL
Format: 5x3min @ 7.0 mph / 5% incline
Strength: Post run
3x rounds:
5 Pull-Ups
10 DB Press (35s or 40s)
10 DB RDLs (same weight)
1 TGU per side
Status: Completed, barely — with rest breaks, but finished every rep. Dragged through strength, only did 2 sets. CNS got hole punched.
Tactical Debrief:
Set 1 hit like a brick.
I’ve felt it before—2012 competition, PUMP Games. No gas, no mercy. Redlined instantly. It’s what helplessness under pressure feels like. I still moved. No excuses.
Rested mid-rep on Sets 2 and 3, but always got back on the belt
Postural collapse, diaphragm overload, CNS fatigue confirmed
Called on St. Moses during final rep: not motivation — invocation
Formation Takeaway:
This surpassed conditioning. It was a practice in cruciform obedience. Tuning out the will. Every second was silent martyrdom. No spectators. No fanfare. Just me, the incline, and the Cross.
"He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth." —Isaiah 53:7
WEDNESDAY 041625: EZ ZONE 2 ENDURANCE RUN
Distance: 2.97 miles
Time: 31:47
Average pace: 10:42/mi
Tactical Debrief:
Fatigued from Tuesday but executed clean
Daily dad-ruck (1.5–3 mi w/ son in front carrier) preloaded fatigue
Nutrition: minimal food all day; halloumi pizza 1.5hrs before run.
I chose to eat. Not because I was weak. Because I was spent—and obedience meant feeding the weapon.
I hit pace. No theatrics. Just precision.
I was fasting all week. My body hit a wall. Not out of piety—out of fatherhood. Sometimes I forget to eat because I’m carrying my son, not scrolling recipes. This was one of those days.
Run: Final burst broke protocol, but no system collapse
Formation Takeaway:
Posture locked. Mechanics consistent. Mentally clear. Breath stable. More practice in obedience and execution under significant fatigue. No emotions. Just motion.
THURSDAY 041725: STRENGTH (STRUCTURE-SPECIFIC, HYROX-TARGETED)
Sight Incline DB Press: 3x12 @ 80lbs
DB Thrusters: 3x12 @ 40lbs
Bulgarian Split Squats: 3x12 @ 40lbs per leg, forefoot-loaded
Tactical Debrief:
DOMS in groin/adductors confirmed high stimulus
No fluff work: all movements tied to HYROX carryover
Every rep was war prep: press = sled, thruster = wall ball, Bulgarian = lunge fatigue sim
Formation Takeaway:
Not a pump session. This was loading weapons, not flexing ego.
No curls. No raises. Only war-ready strength. I'm as strong as I need to be. I focus on movements that I need/that work with my body.
FRIDAY 041825: INTELLIGENT WITHDRAWAL
Skipped AirBike 30-30s
Reason: Adductor DOMS, CNS recovery priority, prep for Saturday track, went to dinner with my wife and son instead.
Tactical Debrief:
Walked 2.5 mi w/ son + groceries in rain (loaded ruck + asymmetric carry)
Recognized risk: pushing would degrade Saturday execution and invite injury. I was having a nice afternoon with my family. Weekends belong to the vow. I chose presence over panic. The AirBike isn’t going anywhere. But my son’s childhood is. My vocation comes first. I bled into the family.
Formation Takeaway:
No flinch. No excuse. Just battlefield judgment. Weapons sheathed to protect the war.
SATURDAY 041925: HOLY SATURDAY 6x400M VIGIL RUN
Warm-Up:
800m jog + drills (calf raises, skips, sprint starts, internal rotations).
I was locked in for this.
I love track days, honestly. The quiet, the cloudiness, the smell of the trees, and it was icy cold out.
Rep Times:
1:47.5 – Hot open, recalibrated mid-rep
1:49.0 – Controlled throttle
1:55.0 – Surgical. Pacing perfection.
1:56.0 – Slight underpace, course-corrected
1:52.0 – Locked cadence, hybrid breathing engaged
1:42.3 – Flow state. Resurrection pace. Closed with silence and fire
Tactical Debrief:
No music: ran in Holy Silence as vigil and penance
Breathing pattern evolved: nasal start → hybrid override under fatigue
Post-run: “Blessed be God forever."
I whispered it after rep six because no other words belonged in that silence.
Formation Takeaway:
This felt like liturgy with the lungs. The tomb was sealed. I ran as vigil. And I didn’t run for data. I ran because He died.
OPERATIONAL STATS + ADAPTATION STATUS
Trait | Status |
|---|---|
VO2Max Estimate | ~50.4 ml/kg/min (Top 10% for your weight class) |
Zone 2 Engine | Solid. Efficient. Rising. |
Tempo Threshold | ~2:00 at 7.0mph / 5% incline, post-break fatigue onset |
CNS Load Management | Strong. Intelligent withdrawal confirmed |
Tactical Strength | High-output, low-friction. Movement pattern aligned with HYROX demands |
CARRY THE FIRE
I didn’t log Week 3 to show off. I logged it because too many men fake the work and hide behind aesthetics.
This week I:
• Suffered through incline brutality
• Fasted unintentionally due to fatherhood
• Rucked every day with my son strapped to my chest
• Governed training while husbanding a household
• Prayed on a track as the Church lay in the tomb
No one clapped. No one watched. Heaven saw it. Hell feared it.
This is the Catholic Endurance Protocol.
Blessed be God forever.
Week 3 complete.
Next Objective:
• Tuesday: Refined tempo intervals (4x2:30, same incline)
• Wednesday: Zone 2 run (governed, same route)
• Friday: Return of the AirBike (low volume, high intent)
• Saturday: 800m Repeats
If you’re still watching, you’re wasting. The crucible waits
Stay deadly. Stay silent.
Rest ends. The war resumes.
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Built in the Desert. Covered by Mary. Forged in Fire.
☩ Sans Peur
– Emmanuel
