Wow - over 50 days of training. Kind of hard to believe. That's 7 weeks so far (well 6 because of a week I took off due to injury).
Today was a 4 mile run. I've pretty much decided to use these shorter days as HIIT runs - not only for the cardio building but also for the fitness aspect of it. HIIT has been proven to really help in fat burning.
Overall - today's HIIT went really well. I did 3 circuits of 1 minute sprints with 30 second jogs. My right leg didn't fatigue nearly as bad like previous occasions, so there's some hope there.
I may have to lay off lunges though for a week. I don't think I've gone a day yet without stiffness in my thigh - which makes things a bit difficult when stretching. Oh well - no pain, no gain right?
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Monday, July 11, 2011
Day 48, 49 and 50
Day 48 was a workout day again. I've been increasing the weights somewhat, but nothing too crazy. Barbell lunges, while providing many benefits, are still an exercise I'd rather do without. Oh well.
Day 49 - 10 mile long run. Also a day of craziness of getting setup for Craven. Luckily, I was able to get to the gym to do my long run. I'd rather not do long runs on treadmills, but if it's going to save my knees/legs, then it might be a necessary evil.
For the run, I also decided to cut breaks down to 30 seconds, but also increase breaks by walking at half distance between aid stations. So, for example, the first aid station is at 1.12 miles and second one is at 2.67 miles. I put a break in of 1.89 miles. I found that by the end of 10 miles, I wasn't nearly as winded and my right leg and groin wasn't in nearly as much hurt as before. I was about a minute slower than the last time I ran 10 miles, but some of that is because of the treadmill and my watch having a discrepancy about how fast/far I ran. I had the treadmill set at 7.3mph pretty much the whole time, but my watch liked to show 7.1mph instead.
Either way - it was a good run overall. I even did some stretching before and after, which I suspect also helped quite a bit.
This morning I did another strength workout again. Still unsure how I'm going to fit in a 15 mile run this weekend. At least after this weekend, I don't have anything major until we go away in August.
Runs this week will consist of 4 miles (Tuesday) and 7 miles (Thursday) with the long run being 15.
Day 49 - 10 mile long run. Also a day of craziness of getting setup for Craven. Luckily, I was able to get to the gym to do my long run. I'd rather not do long runs on treadmills, but if it's going to save my knees/legs, then it might be a necessary evil.
For the run, I also decided to cut breaks down to 30 seconds, but also increase breaks by walking at half distance between aid stations. So, for example, the first aid station is at 1.12 miles and second one is at 2.67 miles. I put a break in of 1.89 miles. I found that by the end of 10 miles, I wasn't nearly as winded and my right leg and groin wasn't in nearly as much hurt as before. I was about a minute slower than the last time I ran 10 miles, but some of that is because of the treadmill and my watch having a discrepancy about how fast/far I ran. I had the treadmill set at 7.3mph pretty much the whole time, but my watch liked to show 7.1mph instead.
Either way - it was a good run overall. I even did some stretching before and after, which I suspect also helped quite a bit.
This morning I did another strength workout again. Still unsure how I'm going to fit in a 15 mile run this weekend. At least after this weekend, I don't have anything major until we go away in August.
Runs this week will consist of 4 miles (Tuesday) and 7 miles (Thursday) with the long run being 15.
Friday, July 8, 2011
Day 36 to Day 47
Well - I decided after that bad run to listen to my body. It was really on the right leg for a few days following. I started doing some stretching, but it wasn't healed enough to do a run on Day 37, 38 or 39. By that point, I figured it was best to scrap the week, enjoy the weekend coming up (Centennial birthday for the town I grew up in) and re-focus.
I also decided to focus on running three times a week. Tuesdays would be the "short" run, Thursday's would be the "medium" run and Saturday or Sunday would be the "long run". To start off the new week, I did a 4 mile HIIT run. I have to say it felt excellent. It felt great to get back to running.
To help supplement my running, I've also started doing strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's. It consists of:
Bench Press
Seated Rows
Bar Curls
Pushdowns
Crunches
Lunges
Let me tell you - that Monday workout hurt. I stretched something in my right leg (imagine that!) doing lunges. I was freakin stiff for the next three days. And I am DAMN glad I am doing strength training again. It just feels good to be doing it.
I've started off at around 50-60% of weights I know I can do and I'm doing 2 sets of each exercise at 12 reps. I'm also doing a set of prescribed stretches during the rest periods.
These same stretches I'm doing on the off days for strength training in addition to some other stretches.
On Day 46, I completed a 7 mile run. My right leg stiffened up a bit, but unsure if it was due to the fact of having 3 pints of beer first (not a smart idea) or from travelling 500km that day. I know that I definitely have to focus more on my hydration during the day.
Long run is to be a 10 mile run. I think that this is a good number to reach this week. My concern is the 15 that I'm supposed to hit the week after (Craven Jamboree Weekend), so we'll see. Any which way, QCM is coming fast. I still believe I'll be ready, but unsure if I'll still be able to hit my aid station distances with 1 minute breaks. I put in some extra breaks last night to help lessen the distance I'm running between breaks, but I also shortened the breaks to. I think the 10 mile long run will be a good indicator if this is working.
I also decided to focus on running three times a week. Tuesdays would be the "short" run, Thursday's would be the "medium" run and Saturday or Sunday would be the "long run". To start off the new week, I did a 4 mile HIIT run. I have to say it felt excellent. It felt great to get back to running.
To help supplement my running, I've also started doing strength training on Mondays, Wednesdays and Friday's. It consists of:
Bench Press
Seated Rows
Bar Curls
Pushdowns
Crunches
Lunges
Let me tell you - that Monday workout hurt. I stretched something in my right leg (imagine that!) doing lunges. I was freakin stiff for the next three days. And I am DAMN glad I am doing strength training again. It just feels good to be doing it.
I've started off at around 50-60% of weights I know I can do and I'm doing 2 sets of each exercise at 12 reps. I'm also doing a set of prescribed stretches during the rest periods.
These same stretches I'm doing on the off days for strength training in addition to some other stretches.
On Day 46, I completed a 7 mile run. My right leg stiffened up a bit, but unsure if it was due to the fact of having 3 pints of beer first (not a smart idea) or from travelling 500km that day. I know that I definitely have to focus more on my hydration during the day.
Long run is to be a 10 mile run. I think that this is a good number to reach this week. My concern is the 15 that I'm supposed to hit the week after (Craven Jamboree Weekend), so we'll see. Any which way, QCM is coming fast. I still believe I'll be ready, but unsure if I'll still be able to hit my aid station distances with 1 minute breaks. I put in some extra breaks last night to help lessen the distance I'm running between breaks, but I also shortened the breaks to. I think the 10 mile long run will be a good indicator if this is working.
Monday, June 27, 2011
Day 32, 33, 34, 35
Day 32 was a 3 mile run. This was a nice easy run. A friend was in town so we went for the run together. A bit slower of a pace than myself, but it was great to run with someone and just shoot the shit instead of listening to music.
Day 33/34 were rest days. I contemplated doing my long run on Day 34, but just couldn't get the energy to do it along with some concerns about weather/time/fitness/etc.
Unfortunately, Day 35 didn't fare much better. It was to be a 12 mile run, but from around 4 mile mark on, my right leg just didn't feel right. It seemed to come back down sooner than it should and towards the end, my groin was really starting to feel it. I'm unsure if it was due to the fact that I was doing the run in the Fieldhouse (which means I was running loops), or if it was dietary/sleep/strength/etc. Either way, I only reached 8.32 miles before I called it quits. As I remember reading somewhere, you have to have bad runs to appreciate the good runs. Right now, I'm going to focus on getting a stretching regiment together and also start doing some strength training again (squats for sure) to try and steer off this problem. I'm confident I can still complete the marathon, but I'm concerned on how much my long runs will be affected.
Day 33/34 were rest days. I contemplated doing my long run on Day 34, but just couldn't get the energy to do it along with some concerns about weather/time/fitness/etc.
Unfortunately, Day 35 didn't fare much better. It was to be a 12 mile run, but from around 4 mile mark on, my right leg just didn't feel right. It seemed to come back down sooner than it should and towards the end, my groin was really starting to feel it. I'm unsure if it was due to the fact that I was doing the run in the Fieldhouse (which means I was running loops), or if it was dietary/sleep/strength/etc. Either way, I only reached 8.32 miles before I called it quits. As I remember reading somewhere, you have to have bad runs to appreciate the good runs. Right now, I'm going to focus on getting a stretching regiment together and also start doing some strength training again (squats for sure) to try and steer off this problem. I'm confident I can still complete the marathon, but I'm concerned on how much my long runs will be affected.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Day 29, 30, 31
Day 29 was rest day! Woohoo! Overall - legs felt pretty decent. Not much to really talk about.
Day 30:
3 mile run. Did this one outside and did the first 1.5 miles at a steady pace. After that, I did intervals of 1 minute fast running and 30 second rests. Without a doubt, I was huffing and puffing at the end.
Day 31:
6 mile run. Did this near end of the work day. Weather outside was very nice. My legs felt a bit "block-y" and stiff at the beginning but I pushed to get my speed up. I ended up finishing just over 50 minutes. The big shock came when I looked at calories burned. 800 vs 940 three weeks ago. Crazy.
Day 30:
3 mile run. Did this one outside and did the first 1.5 miles at a steady pace. After that, I did intervals of 1 minute fast running and 30 second rests. Without a doubt, I was huffing and puffing at the end.
Day 31:
6 mile run. Did this near end of the work day. Weather outside was very nice. My legs felt a bit "block-y" and stiff at the beginning but I pushed to get my speed up. I ended up finishing just over 50 minutes. The big shock came when I looked at calories burned. 800 vs 940 three weeks ago. Crazy.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Day 25, 26, 27 and 28
Day 25:
3 mile run again. Decided to do it after work and go on the treadmill and do HIIT again. Didn't feel the dead leg syndrome until much later on in the session, so I think Tuesday was a consequence of not doing HIIT in a while.
Day 26/27:
Rest days. Well - Saturday (Day 27) was either to be a long run or 60 min cross training day, but due to weather and garage sale, there was no way. Knees also felt a bit tender, but hoping that it is related to the pounding of HIIT.
Day 28:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! Very humid day today from all the rain. Thankfully, when I went, the breeze was enough to keep the sweat down a little and the sun was hiding. It was a 7 mile run day (it seems on Hal Higdon's program that you go 2 weeks of increasing long runs and then a 1 week decrease - I'm ok with this). Overall, the 7 miles went by nicely. My knees, specifically my right one, seemed to be a bit more pained than usual, but I'll wait to see what happens. My TFL/outer right thigh behaved quite well, so I have hope for it.
I also decided to put in a break at around the 5.5 mile mark. The distance Between the two aid stations of 4.53 and 6.71 is greater than two miles and I'm worried that I'm fatiguing my leg to much early on. Therefore, if I throw in an additional break, it should help lessen the strain. Not to mention, it's a nice mental break, knowing that I only have to run a mile instead of two until my next break.
As a compromise, I've set my 4.53 mile and 5.5 mile breaks to be 30 seconds. This kind of offsets the extra break.
One other very interesting thing to note is that on May 30 (3 weeks ago), I completed a 6 mile run. This was after one week of training. Here are some stats:
Distance: 6 miles
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph
Calories: 947
Peak BPM: 194
Avg BPM: 179
Time: 51:50
So - basically about 158 calories per mile.
NOW - here's after today's run:
Distance: 7 miles
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph (same speed basically)
Calories: 982
Peak BPM: 186
Avg BPM: 168
Time: 1:00:50
Look at the calories. Very interesting. Back in the beginning, it was approx 158 calories per mile. Today was 140! My body is now burning less calories per mile.
I think the true tale though is Peak and Average BPM. Both have dropped but average BPM has dropped significantly. I'm running further, but working my heart less.
Although - a more efficient running body means that I can't simply run for an hour to burn off an Applebee's dinner. Now I need to run for an hour and a half. D'oh!!
3 mile run again. Decided to do it after work and go on the treadmill and do HIIT again. Didn't feel the dead leg syndrome until much later on in the session, so I think Tuesday was a consequence of not doing HIIT in a while.
Day 26/27:
Rest days. Well - Saturday (Day 27) was either to be a long run or 60 min cross training day, but due to weather and garage sale, there was no way. Knees also felt a bit tender, but hoping that it is related to the pounding of HIIT.
Day 28:
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!! Very humid day today from all the rain. Thankfully, when I went, the breeze was enough to keep the sweat down a little and the sun was hiding. It was a 7 mile run day (it seems on Hal Higdon's program that you go 2 weeks of increasing long runs and then a 1 week decrease - I'm ok with this). Overall, the 7 miles went by nicely. My knees, specifically my right one, seemed to be a bit more pained than usual, but I'll wait to see what happens. My TFL/outer right thigh behaved quite well, so I have hope for it.
I also decided to put in a break at around the 5.5 mile mark. The distance Between the two aid stations of 4.53 and 6.71 is greater than two miles and I'm worried that I'm fatiguing my leg to much early on. Therefore, if I throw in an additional break, it should help lessen the strain. Not to mention, it's a nice mental break, knowing that I only have to run a mile instead of two until my next break.
As a compromise, I've set my 4.53 mile and 5.5 mile breaks to be 30 seconds. This kind of offsets the extra break.
One other very interesting thing to note is that on May 30 (3 weeks ago), I completed a 6 mile run. This was after one week of training. Here are some stats:
Distance: 6 miles
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph
Calories: 947
Peak BPM: 194
Avg BPM: 179
Time: 51:50
So - basically about 158 calories per mile.
NOW - here's after today's run:
Distance: 7 miles
Avg Speed: 6.9 mph (same speed basically)
Calories: 982
Peak BPM: 186
Avg BPM: 168
Time: 1:00:50
Look at the calories. Very interesting. Back in the beginning, it was approx 158 calories per mile. Today was 140! My body is now burning less calories per mile.
I think the true tale though is Peak and Average BPM. Both have dropped but average BPM has dropped significantly. I'm running further, but working my heart less.
Although - a more efficient running body means that I can't simply run for an hour to burn off an Applebee's dinner. Now I need to run for an hour and a half. D'oh!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Day 24
5 mile run was scheduled. It was a beautiful sunny day outside, but again, my legs just didn't feel "up" to it. Around the 3 mile mark I could feel my right leg not extending all the way. It wasn't a cramp feeling, but more like it was not wanting to do what it's supposed to. Very similar to the way I felt on the treadmill the day before.
I'm hoping that it's due to lack of stretching I've been doing. I'm going to be putting a more concerted effort into taking a tennis ball to my right thigh and using the foam roller on my legs. It hurts. A lot. But if 15 min of pain means being able to run farther/faster, then I'm all for it.
I'm hoping that it's due to lack of stretching I've been doing. I'm going to be putting a more concerted effort into taking a tennis ball to my right thigh and using the foam roller on my legs. It hurts. A lot. But if 15 min of pain means being able to run farther/faster, then I'm all for it.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Day 22/23
Day 22: See yesterday's post. APPARENTLY, I'm not so good at counting days. I snuck Day 22 into yesterday's post, but forgot to update the title. Oh well.
Day 23:
3 Mile run today. I decided it was time for some speed work again. Speed work equals HIIT. HIIT equals sweat. Sweat = water loss. Water loss = weight loss. In reality - HIIT is one of the best workouts you can do - it gets you going and keeps you going even after you've stopped.
I went with a 2 min warm up, followed by 1 min 8.5 mph runs with 30 sec 7.0 mph "rests". I got I think 7 of them done before it felt like I was swinging a club of a leg. My right leg didn't feel cramped, but it just didn't feel "right". I stopped and stretched the calf a bit and it seemed to help, but I had to be cautious finishing off to the end.
Overall - the run was mediocre. I was disappointed I couldn't keep up the 1 min on / 30 sec off pace, but at the same time, it felt great to have sweat absolutely POURING off me. I bent over to grab something off the treadmill, and there was a puddle in about 5 seconds. Beautiful? Too me it was.
Day 23:
3 Mile run today. I decided it was time for some speed work again. Speed work equals HIIT. HIIT equals sweat. Sweat = water loss. Water loss = weight loss. In reality - HIIT is one of the best workouts you can do - it gets you going and keeps you going even after you've stopped.
I went with a 2 min warm up, followed by 1 min 8.5 mph runs with 30 sec 7.0 mph "rests". I got I think 7 of them done before it felt like I was swinging a club of a leg. My right leg didn't feel cramped, but it just didn't feel "right". I stopped and stretched the calf a bit and it seemed to help, but I had to be cautious finishing off to the end.
Overall - the run was mediocre. I was disappointed I couldn't keep up the 1 min on / 30 sec off pace, but at the same time, it felt great to have sweat absolutely POURING off me. I bent over to grab something off the treadmill, and there was a puddle in about 5 seconds. Beautiful? Too me it was.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Day 18, 19, 20 and 21
Wowzers. Looks like I've been a bit lax in consistent posting. Life has gotten really busy over the last bit, but thankfully I've been able to keep up training.
Day 18:
5 mile run today. Felt pretty good overall, but my thighs seemed stiffer than I would have liked.
Day 19:
Was supposed to be a 3 mile run. However, decided to take it as a rest day due to the 10 mile run I would be doing the next day. My legs had felt a bit stiff during the 5 mile run on Day 17, so I figured it best to just give this day up.
Day 20:
10 mile run day. Finished this run in 1 hour 26 minutes, which isn't too bad overall. The first couple of miles were tough. I was tired and just overall stiff. Once I got going, it wasn't too bad. Wind was a bit more than I would have liked, but, one never knows what the weather will be like come race day.
Around mile 7, I felt my groin start to ache. By the time I was done, it was definitely sore. I tried to stretch it out some, but unfortunately we had to go to oldest son's flag football game and then off to MJ for a golf outing and supper.
At the end of 10 miles, I was definitely wiped. I suspect this might be due to 2 factors: early morning run that I'm not used to and not eating/drinking properly the night before. I need to make sure I start bringing gel packs with me for these long runs so try and hopefully avoid "hitting the wall" so early on.
I also kept up with the aid station stops. There's a couple of early legs where the distance is almost 2 miles in between stations, so I may have to add in breaks if I find I'm still petering out near the end. Then again, as I continue on this training, maybe it'll become a non-issue.
Day 21:
Rest. Rest. Rest. From running, weekend and life. Groin was definitely sore. To the point, that I had to use momentum at times to swing my foot up to put on socks.
Day 22:
Groin is feeling better today. Will do some stretching after work and may even think about hitting the gym and going on the elliptical for a bit. Don't hold me to it though.
Day 18:
5 mile run today. Felt pretty good overall, but my thighs seemed stiffer than I would have liked.
Day 19:
Was supposed to be a 3 mile run. However, decided to take it as a rest day due to the 10 mile run I would be doing the next day. My legs had felt a bit stiff during the 5 mile run on Day 17, so I figured it best to just give this day up.
Day 20:
10 mile run day. Finished this run in 1 hour 26 minutes, which isn't too bad overall. The first couple of miles were tough. I was tired and just overall stiff. Once I got going, it wasn't too bad. Wind was a bit more than I would have liked, but, one never knows what the weather will be like come race day.
Around mile 7, I felt my groin start to ache. By the time I was done, it was definitely sore. I tried to stretch it out some, but unfortunately we had to go to oldest son's flag football game and then off to MJ for a golf outing and supper.
At the end of 10 miles, I was definitely wiped. I suspect this might be due to 2 factors: early morning run that I'm not used to and not eating/drinking properly the night before. I need to make sure I start bringing gel packs with me for these long runs so try and hopefully avoid "hitting the wall" so early on.
I also kept up with the aid station stops. There's a couple of early legs where the distance is almost 2 miles in between stations, so I may have to add in breaks if I find I'm still petering out near the end. Then again, as I continue on this training, maybe it'll become a non-issue.
Day 21:
Rest. Rest. Rest. From running, weekend and life. Groin was definitely sore. To the point, that I had to use momentum at times to swing my foot up to put on socks.
Day 22:
Groin is feeling better today. Will do some stretching after work and may even think about hitting the gym and going on the elliptical for a bit. Don't hold me to it though.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Day 16/17
Ahhh Day 16. A day of rest. My legs actually felt really good too, even after the 9 Mile Near Death Experience run. I thought maybe I might have more pain in my groin or wicked stiffness, but apparently this whole training thing is working.
Day 17 was a 3 mile run. My thighs felt a bit tight, so I suspect it could be related to Monday's run. I decided to do away with the aid station breaks on this and just run it. Finished that around 24 min I believe. Pushed myself an extra min and completed 5K (3.11 miles).
Tomorrow is a 5 mile run followed by a 3 mile run. Again, still not sure if I'll drop the 3 mile run and than complete the 10 miles on Saturday. Rest is important, but I think because I'm early on in the training that I should be able to get away with 5 miles tomorrow, 3 miles on Friday and 10 miles on Saturday.
When I think about it, that'll be a total of 30 miles I will have ran in one week. Wow.
Day 17 was a 3 mile run. My thighs felt a bit tight, so I suspect it could be related to Monday's run. I decided to do away with the aid station breaks on this and just run it. Finished that around 24 min I believe. Pushed myself an extra min and completed 5K (3.11 miles).
Tomorrow is a 5 mile run followed by a 3 mile run. Again, still not sure if I'll drop the 3 mile run and than complete the 10 miles on Saturday. Rest is important, but I think because I'm early on in the training that I should be able to get away with 5 miles tomorrow, 3 miles on Friday and 10 miles on Saturday.
When I think about it, that'll be a total of 30 miles I will have ran in one week. Wow.
Monday, June 6, 2011
Day 12, 13, 14, and 15
This'll be an abbreviated post due to not much happening and because it's four days worth.
Day 12:
Friday was a 3 mile run. No lies - it was hard to do this run. Why? Something called Mosaic Festival here. Basically, it's a festival for celebrating multiple cultures. There's different pavilions setup at different venues and you visit the venues and can buy drinks and eat food related to that country and watch dancing or listen to music of that culture. It's actually a very entertaining and, at times, educational experience.
Unfortunately - when you start drinking beers from around the world, the next day doesn't treat you as well.
It took a while, but I finally got myself to the gym to do the 3 mile run. Mix in the fact that the treadmill I was on didn't have a working TV and it was a 3 mile run from hell.
Day 13/14:
These ended up being rest days. I was in a first aid course from 8am to 5pm and then both night we ended up having plans that just didn't allow enough time for a 1+ hour run. As Sunday (Day 14) came to a close, I wondered if I would have to skip the long run. It was to be a 9 mile run and farthest I would have ran since the half marathon on Good Friday. However, the wheels started turning...
Day 15:
Travel. Yet. Again. I played with the idea of doing my run in the morning before having to take off, but decided that I didn't want to be tired for 2+ hours of driving. Things ended up working out quite well though in the end. I went into work for half the day, and then hit Track & Trail on the way out and picked up a running water belt. There was one of those Groupon type deals of $40 for $20 for Track & Trail a few months ago, so I used my certificate to get the water belt/bottle. Basically $44 for $24. Not bad at all.
Once I got to my destination, I got ready and went out for my run. I am starting to really enjoy training outside of the city at times, because it's different scenery and poses different challenges. Take for example the valley I encountered on my run. It occurred at about the 1.5 mile mark. This would mean I would encounter it with approx 1 mile left to go on the run. Ouch.
Overall - the run went well. For the most part, vehicles were respectful in slowing down as they met me. At about the 5 mile mark, it felt like my right food had gone numb or asleep. Not sure if it was my socks to tight (had them folded down) or from running on gravel. I stopped a couple of times and removed my shoe and adjusted my socks and also moved further left on the road, more off stones, and eventually it went away.
The next interesting event was almost something out of a movie. Listen to this song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh2jWWYMJMs
It comes on just before the hill on my way back in. I'm also nearing the 8.32 mile mark which means another "aid" station break. As I'm descending the hill, the tempo is picking up with the music. My heart stops a little. I see a semi coming down the other side. The valley is steep enough that he won't want to reduce his speed to much. Curses fly in my head. Song tempo picking up more. I look behind. Another vehicle. Are. You. Kidding. Me?
I keep going, wondering what my options are. As I get nearer to the bottom of the hill, it hits me - the semi is going to meet me pretty much the same time as it's going to meet the other vehicle. He won't be able to move over to be on the safe side. Oh. Shit. The song is at it's highest moments now.
Just as the semi gets closer, I hop off to the left and crouch and throw my shirt up to protect my face and head. Now the music starts to let off, and everyone is ok. As I continue up the hill, the music fades off (along with my energy) and eventually I reach the "aid" station. It really felt like a tense, dramatic scene from a movie.
Anyways - I eventually reached the end of 9 miles in 1 hour 18 min 50 seconds. I plugged that pace into a pace calculator and it says I would finish in 3 hours 47 mins. As I go further and further, I'll continue to check. I really hope to be able to finish in less than 4 hours.
As I look at the rest of the week, it consists of a two 3 mile runs, one 5 mile run and one 10 mile run. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), there's a work golf tournament on Saturday. Due to today being the long run day, this would mean that Saturday would be a rest day and Sunday a long run day. Not going to happen. I will have no desire to long run on Sunday. I'm thinking I'm either going to skip the 3 mile run I'm supposed to do on Friday or complete it and then do the 10 mile run on Saturday before the tournament. 3 mile runs are pretty short and mix it with the fact that I'm still early on in the training program and I think either option shouldn't affect the end result.
Day 12:
Friday was a 3 mile run. No lies - it was hard to do this run. Why? Something called Mosaic Festival here. Basically, it's a festival for celebrating multiple cultures. There's different pavilions setup at different venues and you visit the venues and can buy drinks and eat food related to that country and watch dancing or listen to music of that culture. It's actually a very entertaining and, at times, educational experience.
Unfortunately - when you start drinking beers from around the world, the next day doesn't treat you as well.
It took a while, but I finally got myself to the gym to do the 3 mile run. Mix in the fact that the treadmill I was on didn't have a working TV and it was a 3 mile run from hell.
Day 13/14:
These ended up being rest days. I was in a first aid course from 8am to 5pm and then both night we ended up having plans that just didn't allow enough time for a 1+ hour run. As Sunday (Day 14) came to a close, I wondered if I would have to skip the long run. It was to be a 9 mile run and farthest I would have ran since the half marathon on Good Friday. However, the wheels started turning...
Day 15:
Travel. Yet. Again. I played with the idea of doing my run in the morning before having to take off, but decided that I didn't want to be tired for 2+ hours of driving. Things ended up working out quite well though in the end. I went into work for half the day, and then hit Track & Trail on the way out and picked up a running water belt. There was one of those Groupon type deals of $40 for $20 for Track & Trail a few months ago, so I used my certificate to get the water belt/bottle. Basically $44 for $24. Not bad at all.
Once I got to my destination, I got ready and went out for my run. I am starting to really enjoy training outside of the city at times, because it's different scenery and poses different challenges. Take for example the valley I encountered on my run. It occurred at about the 1.5 mile mark. This would mean I would encounter it with approx 1 mile left to go on the run. Ouch.
Overall - the run went well. For the most part, vehicles were respectful in slowing down as they met me. At about the 5 mile mark, it felt like my right food had gone numb or asleep. Not sure if it was my socks to tight (had them folded down) or from running on gravel. I stopped a couple of times and removed my shoe and adjusted my socks and also moved further left on the road, more off stones, and eventually it went away.
The next interesting event was almost something out of a movie. Listen to this song: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh2jWWYMJMs
It comes on just before the hill on my way back in. I'm also nearing the 8.32 mile mark which means another "aid" station break. As I'm descending the hill, the tempo is picking up with the music. My heart stops a little. I see a semi coming down the other side. The valley is steep enough that he won't want to reduce his speed to much. Curses fly in my head. Song tempo picking up more. I look behind. Another vehicle. Are. You. Kidding. Me?
I keep going, wondering what my options are. As I get nearer to the bottom of the hill, it hits me - the semi is going to meet me pretty much the same time as it's going to meet the other vehicle. He won't be able to move over to be on the safe side. Oh. Shit. The song is at it's highest moments now.
Just as the semi gets closer, I hop off to the left and crouch and throw my shirt up to protect my face and head. Now the music starts to let off, and everyone is ok. As I continue up the hill, the music fades off (along with my energy) and eventually I reach the "aid" station. It really felt like a tense, dramatic scene from a movie.
Anyways - I eventually reached the end of 9 miles in 1 hour 18 min 50 seconds. I plugged that pace into a pace calculator and it says I would finish in 3 hours 47 mins. As I go further and further, I'll continue to check. I really hope to be able to finish in less than 4 hours.
As I look at the rest of the week, it consists of a two 3 mile runs, one 5 mile run and one 10 mile run. Unfortunately (depending on how you look at it), there's a work golf tournament on Saturday. Due to today being the long run day, this would mean that Saturday would be a rest day and Sunday a long run day. Not going to happen. I will have no desire to long run on Sunday. I'm thinking I'm either going to skip the 3 mile run I'm supposed to do on Friday or complete it and then do the 10 mile run on Saturday before the tournament. 3 mile runs are pretty short and mix it with the fact that I'm still early on in the training program and I think either option shouldn't affect the end result.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Day 11
Apparently today is 100 more days until QCM. I'm sure that time will fly quickly, and in some ways, I can't wait. During my runs, I envision crossing that finish line. I temporarily feel the emotion that will come with it.
Today was 4 mile run. Nothing to fantastic to note about this. The weather was cooler and windy (surprise surprise), but overall it felt pretty good. The top of my right knee seemed to have a weird kind of pain to it. I'll have to ice it for the next little while and do some research.
Sunday is long run day again and is scheduled to be 9 miles. Right now I have trouble conceiving in my mind that one long run will consist of 20 miles, but I'll get there.
One song that came on during my run was Hair by Lady Gaga. I chuckled at the song, only because I'm bald. I realized though, that in her song, she talks about changing her hair to reflect her personality. I suppose I do the same by keeping mine shaved, that it's a reflection of my personality. Clean cut, smooth and alien-ish.
Today was 4 mile run. Nothing to fantastic to note about this. The weather was cooler and windy (surprise surprise), but overall it felt pretty good. The top of my right knee seemed to have a weird kind of pain to it. I'll have to ice it for the next little while and do some research.
Sunday is long run day again and is scheduled to be 9 miles. Right now I have trouble conceiving in my mind that one long run will consist of 20 miles, but I'll get there.
One song that came on during my run was Hair by Lady Gaga. I chuckled at the song, only because I'm bald. I realized though, that in her song, she talks about changing her hair to reflect her personality. I suppose I do the same by keeping mine shaved, that it's a reflection of my personality. Clean cut, smooth and alien-ish.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Day 9 & 10
In retrospect, it was a great idea taking Tuesday off. By the time I got done work and into the hotel, I was bushed. I didn't feel guilty one bit having this as a rest day.
Day 10 was a 3 mile run. I knew it'd be no problem completing a 3 mile run, but the question was going to be when could I do it? Oldest boy had football practice pretty much as soon as I would get home. This means, not being able to get out until around 7 or 7:30, and I know that by then, I'd be struggling to find the energy.
Idea bulb! Running stroller + youngest one loves being outside + wife taking oldest to football = me getting 3 mile run in right after getting home and leaving evening open to do other things! Beautiful!
So that's what happened. The youngest and I went out for a run with him in the stroller and we did the 3 miles. Surprisingly, I was able to maintain the same pace as I usually do on the treadmill.
Overall, the run wasn't too bad. Had to make extra stops because of lights and traffic, but overall, it was still a great run and I got to do it with the little one.
Day 10 was a 3 mile run. I knew it'd be no problem completing a 3 mile run, but the question was going to be when could I do it? Oldest boy had football practice pretty much as soon as I would get home. This means, not being able to get out until around 7 or 7:30, and I know that by then, I'd be struggling to find the energy.
Idea bulb! Running stroller + youngest one loves being outside + wife taking oldest to football = me getting 3 mile run in right after getting home and leaving evening open to do other things! Beautiful!
So that's what happened. The youngest and I went out for a run with him in the stroller and we did the 3 miles. Surprisingly, I was able to maintain the same pace as I usually do on the treadmill.
Overall, the run wasn't too bad. Had to make extra stops because of lights and traffic, but overall, it was still a great run and I got to do it with the little one.
Monday, May 30, 2011
Day 8
Today was supposed to be a rest day, but I as I posted earlier, it turned into a long run day. I won't lie - it was a struggle to actually do it. I was tired from being at work all day, full from supper and just overall wanted to lay on the couch. However, I knew that if I did that, I was only going to be failing myself.
So, I dragged my arse to the gym. Within the first 1/2 mile I had a stitch in my side. Lovely.
Thankfully, the "first" aid station was at the 1.12 mile mark, so I was able to swig some water, and then continue on my merry way on the treadmill to nowhere.
Next aid station was at 2.67 miles. The run "between" the two aid stations actually wasn't that bad. My right knee kind of had this weird tightness/pull to it, but nothing major. I found that if I changed my stride a bit, it helped.
However, the run between second and third aid station (4.53 mile mark) was brutal. I made it, but it was a huge struggle. However, I made it and realized I only had 1.5 miles to go! Only 12 minutes approximately!!
8 minutes later I was walking. My right leg had, what I term as, dead leg syndrome. It just didn't feel like a full extension. Not quite a numb feeling, but not quite "right". I walked for a minute, and then finished off the last 1/2 mile with no problems.
My right groin area was sore again, so I hit the mats and did some stretch and hit the area with the foam roller. There is nothing soft about that foam roller. In fact, I think it should be used as a torture device. That being said - it was effective. It seems to have really helped.
I keep thinking about what song I want to have playing when I cross the finish line in September. I really enjoy the song by Shakira (It's Time For Africa) as it talks about picking yourself up off the ground and continuing on.
Akon's One More Time song is good as well - it talks about what if this was your last moment and would you be proud of what you have done.
Maybe I'll make future blog posts about songs that have meaning or that I use while running. I try to have upbeat bpm songs to keep me moving - and so far it has worked.
A lengthy post this Day 8 one has been. Good thing tomorrow is a rest day.
So, I dragged my arse to the gym. Within the first 1/2 mile I had a stitch in my side. Lovely.
Thankfully, the "first" aid station was at the 1.12 mile mark, so I was able to swig some water, and then continue on my merry way on the treadmill to nowhere.
Next aid station was at 2.67 miles. The run "between" the two aid stations actually wasn't that bad. My right knee kind of had this weird tightness/pull to it, but nothing major. I found that if I changed my stride a bit, it helped.
However, the run between second and third aid station (4.53 mile mark) was brutal. I made it, but it was a huge struggle. However, I made it and realized I only had 1.5 miles to go! Only 12 minutes approximately!!
8 minutes later I was walking. My right leg had, what I term as, dead leg syndrome. It just didn't feel like a full extension. Not quite a numb feeling, but not quite "right". I walked for a minute, and then finished off the last 1/2 mile with no problems.
My right groin area was sore again, so I hit the mats and did some stretch and hit the area with the foam roller. There is nothing soft about that foam roller. In fact, I think it should be used as a torture device. That being said - it was effective. It seems to have really helped.
I keep thinking about what song I want to have playing when I cross the finish line in September. I really enjoy the song by Shakira (It's Time For Africa) as it talks about picking yourself up off the ground and continuing on.
Akon's One More Time song is good as well - it talks about what if this was your last moment and would you be proud of what you have done.
Maybe I'll make future blog posts about songs that have meaning or that I use while running. I try to have upbeat bpm songs to keep me moving - and so far it has worked.
A lengthy post this Day 8 one has been. Good thing tomorrow is a rest day.
Day 4-7
Day 4:
As mentioned on Day 3, decided to take this run outside and enjoy the nice weather. Overall, it was a good run. I seemed to taper off a bit at the end, but that could have been from running into a wind at the start.
Running around Wascana only reaffirmed my love for outdoor training in NICE weather. A bit of a wind I can handle. But when there's days where it's 40km/h winds mixed with +2 temperature? Pass.
Day 5:
Day off!! Well - day off from running anyways. Spent the day getting ready for a Scouts camping event.
Day 6:
Day off!! According to Hal Higdon's plan, this should be a long run day. I knew going into the weekend I wouldn't be able to do this, as I was out of town and wouldn't be able to escape for the hour required to run the 6 miles. However, Sundays (Day 7) are supposed to be cross training days, so if necessary, I can complete my long run on those days.
Day 7:
No long run. We got home from camp around noon and I was absolutely exhausted. You may be thinking, "Well - you should have had a nap and then got it in that night!". Yes, I agree, I could have had a nap. Except my daughter came over for a bit, so no rest.
As a recap of the 1st week of training, it started off well, but the camping trip really threw a wrench into my plans. I woke up this morning, contemplating disregarding the long run that I was supposed to do. I thought, "It's only 6 miles". This is dangerous thinking. To start missing training so early on, I believe, really sets the tone for the whole training plan - and in my eyes, it's not a good tone.
I've examined all my options (miss the training run, make the Tues/Wed/Thurs runs longer) but I think I found one that should work. I'm going to complete the long run tonight, take Tuesday off, run Wednesday, Thursday,Friday and then take Saturday off. Sunday should then be a long run and will put me back onto schedule.
After coming to this solution, it's the best solution overall, as I have to head out of town on Tuesday/Wednesday, so not having to run on Tuesday should be a big benefit.
As mentioned on Day 3, decided to take this run outside and enjoy the nice weather. Overall, it was a good run. I seemed to taper off a bit at the end, but that could have been from running into a wind at the start.
Running around Wascana only reaffirmed my love for outdoor training in NICE weather. A bit of a wind I can handle. But when there's days where it's 40km/h winds mixed with +2 temperature? Pass.
Day 5:
Day off!! Well - day off from running anyways. Spent the day getting ready for a Scouts camping event.
Day 6:
Day off!! According to Hal Higdon's plan, this should be a long run day. I knew going into the weekend I wouldn't be able to do this, as I was out of town and wouldn't be able to escape for the hour required to run the 6 miles. However, Sundays (Day 7) are supposed to be cross training days, so if necessary, I can complete my long run on those days.
Day 7:
No long run. We got home from camp around noon and I was absolutely exhausted. You may be thinking, "Well - you should have had a nap and then got it in that night!". Yes, I agree, I could have had a nap. Except my daughter came over for a bit, so no rest.
As a recap of the 1st week of training, it started off well, but the camping trip really threw a wrench into my plans. I woke up this morning, contemplating disregarding the long run that I was supposed to do. I thought, "It's only 6 miles". This is dangerous thinking. To start missing training so early on, I believe, really sets the tone for the whole training plan - and in my eyes, it's not a good tone.
I've examined all my options (miss the training run, make the Tues/Wed/Thurs runs longer) but I think I found one that should work. I'm going to complete the long run tonight, take Tuesday off, run Wednesday, Thursday,Friday and then take Saturday off. Sunday should then be a long run and will put me back onto schedule.
After coming to this solution, it's the best solution overall, as I have to head out of town on Tuesday/Wednesday, so not having to run on Tuesday should be a big benefit.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Day 3
Got in the 4 miles today and decided to do it on the treadmill. Toying with the idea of doing the Tues/Wed runs on the treadmill and then Thurs/Sun runs outside. Guess we'll see how it plays out. 99% of the time I'm going to attempt my long run outside, although, the way the weather is here that could prove very challenging at times.
I also worked in the aid station breaks into today's run. So, I ran for 1.8 km, walked for a minute, ran until I hit the 4.3 km mark, rested for a min and then finished off the rest of the run.
Overall - it felt pretty good. The time between the two "aid stations" seemed to be a bit of a stretch. I'll have to review the course and see what the layout is like between stations. I'm used to running a mile, resting for 30 seconds, and then repeating so having to run extra distances in between is definitely pushing me, but I think that's a good thing.
Tomorrow is a 3 mile run again. Mix that with a supposed high of 18 degrees and I think I will be for sure running outside.
I also worked in the aid station breaks into today's run. So, I ran for 1.8 km, walked for a minute, ran until I hit the 4.3 km mark, rested for a min and then finished off the rest of the run.
Overall - it felt pretty good. The time between the two "aid stations" seemed to be a bit of a stretch. I'll have to review the course and see what the layout is like between stations. I'm used to running a mile, resting for 30 seconds, and then repeating so having to run extra distances in between is definitely pushing me, but I think that's a good thing.
Tomorrow is a 3 mile run again. Mix that with a supposed high of 18 degrees and I think I will be for sure running outside.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Day 2
Today was a 3 mile run. According to the training plan I'm using (Hal Higdon Novice 1), if you do a run/walk, you're supposed to try and "time" it so that you're walks are at aid stations. Thankfully the QCM website has the distances posted (in addition to thankfully they are really on top of the social media game and are quick with responses - something other organizations could learn from *cough* *cough* Craven Jamboree *cough* *cough*).
3 miles is less than 5K so it flew by. I have decided to run a pace of 7.3mph for marathon pace with max of 1 minute break when walking. It was a nice quick run and felt pretty good.
Tomorrow is a 4 mile run and then another 3 mile run. I think this will be a bit of a test on the right leg, but it should easily hold up. Stretching will be key this year, I believe.
3 miles is less than 5K so it flew by. I have decided to run a pace of 7.3mph for marathon pace with max of 1 minute break when walking. It was a nice quick run and felt pretty good.
Tomorrow is a 4 mile run and then another 3 mile run. I think this will be a bit of a test on the right leg, but it should easily hold up. Stretching will be key this year, I believe.
Monday, May 23, 2011
QCM Marathon
Well - again I start my journey to running the Queen City Marathon (QCM). I'm going to be utilizing Hal Higdon's training plan this time. I was able to complete a half marathon on Good Friday in 1:49:51, which was a personal best.
I have concerns, mainly my right leg. The TFL muscle has proven problematic at times and after the Gopher Attack Half Marathon, my inner right groin area was very sore as well.
To accomplish this marathon will be a huge testament - not only to my desire to succeed, but also a testament to my family and friends, who will have to put up with me talking about running lingo (fartleks, long runs, etc) and the obsession that will consume me.
I ran 10K yesterday (May 22) and during that run, I thought about the question I get asked when I say I'm going to run a marathon: Why do such a thing?
I thought about it while running and had to go back in time to answer this question. I have to go back to when I was my oldest son's age (7/8) and when I would have a hard time even playing outside because of my asthma. We would have the Terry Fox Run around town, and to even complete that was only with the assistance of ventolin and somebody carrying me.
I had to back and remember during some fitness testing before Grade 7, that during a run (I think it was 1600M) that I couldn't finish 800M without being stricken with an asthma attack.
I remembered about when Grade 7 came along. Track and Field starts up. Long jump? Not a chance. I'm short. Shot put? Not a chance. Way to weak. High Jump? LOL. 50M running? Too slow. 400M, 800M & 1600M running? Now we're talking. But why is that we can talk about that? The medication I was on combined with growing up was starting to diminish the problems asthma posed.
I remembered that running those events allowed me to feel like I belonged and to feel like i was doing something I WASN'T supposed to be doing. I had severe astham and was running! Two things that I was always under the belief didn't belong in the same sentence.
I also remember when Grade 11 comes. I've been doing the track and field running for a bit. Then someone (I don't remember who) suggests cross country running. I'll be honest - I did that because really - not many people would do it, which makes reaching provincials pretty easy.
I look back though, and think of running it and how awesome it was. The courses, the scenery, the experience of it all. I think at that time it was 6KM and if I remember correctly, my times for those events would be 45 minutes.
Unfortunately, I also remember that after high school, running became a non-factor. Post secondary and defining a path in life was first and foremost. Fast forward approximately 6-7 years. Instead of a lean, non-muscular 130lb frame, I'm just shy of 200lbs and still non-muscular. Asthma still poses issues, but I won't lie - smoking was not helping.
I eventually quit smoking and in May 2009, I keep hearing ads for Queen City Marathon and I've also started doing HIIT at the gym to shed fat. I've heard of the QCM somewhat - that it's a Boston Marathon qualifying course and people of all shapes/sizes run it.
I remember that as I've been doing my HIIT, I've noticed my cardio improving. Lung capacity is improving and I just feel BETTER. I start training for the QCM half marathon and finish in 1:56:51. I run a 5K in December as the running bug is more than that now. I am starting to LIVE for running.
I decided in 2010 to train for the QCM Full Marathon. Unfortunately, due to injuries I'm relegated to watching friends start and finish along with watching oldest son run his mini marathon. I ran the last 100M with him, but all in all, I remember how soul crushing that day was. It was depressing watching all these people take off and all I could do was watch.
I laid off running for a while and during the winter started doing some strength training on my knees/legs and started doing 5KM HIIT sessions. In March 2011, I decided, to run the Gopher Attack Half Marathon and finished it with a personal best.
I remember during my run, that I run to not only stay fit, but because it't something I grew up with the impression that I shouldn't be doing it. I wasn't supposed to be able to run long distances. I run because during those times, I feel free and I feel great.
So why do I want to run a full marathon? Because when I was smaller, I couldn't run and now I can. I want to not only prove to my children that if you work at something, it can happen, but I want to complete my ultimate test - going from not being able to run 400 metres to finishing 42194.89 metres.
There will be people running the QCM to be the fastest or to win a bet. They may be trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon or looking to say they did it. I won't be running for any of those reason. I'll be running for me. I'll be running for my younger self that couldn't even play at recess.
I have concerns, mainly my right leg. The TFL muscle has proven problematic at times and after the Gopher Attack Half Marathon, my inner right groin area was very sore as well.
To accomplish this marathon will be a huge testament - not only to my desire to succeed, but also a testament to my family and friends, who will have to put up with me talking about running lingo (fartleks, long runs, etc) and the obsession that will consume me.
I ran 10K yesterday (May 22) and during that run, I thought about the question I get asked when I say I'm going to run a marathon: Why do such a thing?
I thought about it while running and had to go back in time to answer this question. I have to go back to when I was my oldest son's age (7/8) and when I would have a hard time even playing outside because of my asthma. We would have the Terry Fox Run around town, and to even complete that was only with the assistance of ventolin and somebody carrying me.
I had to back and remember during some fitness testing before Grade 7, that during a run (I think it was 1600M) that I couldn't finish 800M without being stricken with an asthma attack.
I remembered about when Grade 7 came along. Track and Field starts up. Long jump? Not a chance. I'm short. Shot put? Not a chance. Way to weak. High Jump? LOL. 50M running? Too slow. 400M, 800M & 1600M running? Now we're talking. But why is that we can talk about that? The medication I was on combined with growing up was starting to diminish the problems asthma posed.
I remembered that running those events allowed me to feel like I belonged and to feel like i was doing something I WASN'T supposed to be doing. I had severe astham and was running! Two things that I was always under the belief didn't belong in the same sentence.
I also remember when Grade 11 comes. I've been doing the track and field running for a bit. Then someone (I don't remember who) suggests cross country running. I'll be honest - I did that because really - not many people would do it, which makes reaching provincials pretty easy.
I look back though, and think of running it and how awesome it was. The courses, the scenery, the experience of it all. I think at that time it was 6KM and if I remember correctly, my times for those events would be 45 minutes.
Unfortunately, I also remember that after high school, running became a non-factor. Post secondary and defining a path in life was first and foremost. Fast forward approximately 6-7 years. Instead of a lean, non-muscular 130lb frame, I'm just shy of 200lbs and still non-muscular. Asthma still poses issues, but I won't lie - smoking was not helping.
I eventually quit smoking and in May 2009, I keep hearing ads for Queen City Marathon and I've also started doing HIIT at the gym to shed fat. I've heard of the QCM somewhat - that it's a Boston Marathon qualifying course and people of all shapes/sizes run it.
I remember that as I've been doing my HIIT, I've noticed my cardio improving. Lung capacity is improving and I just feel BETTER. I start training for the QCM half marathon and finish in 1:56:51. I run a 5K in December as the running bug is more than that now. I am starting to LIVE for running.
I decided in 2010 to train for the QCM Full Marathon. Unfortunately, due to injuries I'm relegated to watching friends start and finish along with watching oldest son run his mini marathon. I ran the last 100M with him, but all in all, I remember how soul crushing that day was. It was depressing watching all these people take off and all I could do was watch.
I laid off running for a while and during the winter started doing some strength training on my knees/legs and started doing 5KM HIIT sessions. In March 2011, I decided, to run the Gopher Attack Half Marathon and finished it with a personal best.
I remember during my run, that I run to not only stay fit, but because it't something I grew up with the impression that I shouldn't be doing it. I wasn't supposed to be able to run long distances. I run because during those times, I feel free and I feel great.
So why do I want to run a full marathon? Because when I was smaller, I couldn't run and now I can. I want to not only prove to my children that if you work at something, it can happen, but I want to complete my ultimate test - going from not being able to run 400 metres to finishing 42194.89 metres.
There will be people running the QCM to be the fastest or to win a bet. They may be trying to qualify for the Boston Marathon or looking to say they did it. I won't be running for any of those reason. I'll be running for me. I'll be running for my younger self that couldn't even play at recess.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Post Title Here
Well - through all the craziness of the past weekend, I was able to stay on target for my workouts. Eating plan pretty much went out the windows on Friday, but only in that I didn't eat at scheduled times or even eat at all. I think on Saturday I ate twice.
I had "good" news in that when I did my measurements I didn't have a huge change anywhere, except that my weight was 169.5 lbs. This is heavier than two weeks ago HOWEVER I was still at 12.34% body fat. How can this be good news? When figured out, my lean mass was up to 162 lbs. This means I've gained muscle. If I can ever break the 165 barrier, I'll be very close to 10% body fat. I'm hoping I can really smash through the barriers before I leave on my Florida trip.
Sunday I was doing good until that evening. I gorged on a big bag of chips though that evening. The scale showed me my wrong doing on Monday. This morning, though, it had dropped a bit so it looks like the Sunday gain was temporary. As long as I can stay on track for eating and workouts (and I can't really foresee a reason not to), I should be good to be under 170 by Sunday again.
One thing that worries me is that there's a local beer festival called Festiv-ale on Friday. I have no allusions of being a "good boy". There will be high quantities of carb inducing beer consumed. But I also know that I'll have a good time which makes it even easier to stay in this restricted diet program for right now.
I hope to hit 160 in 3 months though. That way, I can bulk a bit before Craven / summer.
I had "good" news in that when I did my measurements I didn't have a huge change anywhere, except that my weight was 169.5 lbs. This is heavier than two weeks ago HOWEVER I was still at 12.34% body fat. How can this be good news? When figured out, my lean mass was up to 162 lbs. This means I've gained muscle. If I can ever break the 165 barrier, I'll be very close to 10% body fat. I'm hoping I can really smash through the barriers before I leave on my Florida trip.
Sunday I was doing good until that evening. I gorged on a big bag of chips though that evening. The scale showed me my wrong doing on Monday. This morning, though, it had dropped a bit so it looks like the Sunday gain was temporary. As long as I can stay on track for eating and workouts (and I can't really foresee a reason not to), I should be good to be under 170 by Sunday again.
One thing that worries me is that there's a local beer festival called Festiv-ale on Friday. I have no allusions of being a "good boy". There will be high quantities of carb inducing beer consumed. But I also know that I'll have a good time which makes it even easier to stay in this restricted diet program for right now.
I hope to hit 160 in 3 months though. That way, I can bulk a bit before Craven / summer.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Reset (Again)
I see my last blog post was Tuesday. It seems so long ago. Between work, classes and extracurricular volunteering, I've had little time to even think about keeping this up to date.
And as indicated, I had a weekend of training that meant throwing out the meal plan and no workouts. Take into account I didn't get back home until late Sunday afternoon and workouts for last week, we're toasted.
I did get in a Triceps workout on Wednesday, but that was it.
So yesterday it was a reset (sort of). My meal plan wasn't fully planned but I did get in my shoulder workout (using same numbers as week previous). It felt really good if not a bit tough.
I also got my run in today. It was one of those runs where as soon as I took a couple of steps, it just felt RIGHT. And it was. I did one of my usual "interval" sessions, but with a tweak at the end:
1/2 mile warmup
1/4 mile sprint / 1/4 mile jog (5 times)
1/8 mile sprint
The difference with the above is that usually it's 4 times for the intervals and this time I went to 5. By doing this, I was able to complete my fastest 5K. The time was 24 min 23 sec.
I won't do each interval breakdown, but my avg speed worked out to be 7.7 mph with 403 calories being burned.
And as indicated, I had a weekend of training that meant throwing out the meal plan and no workouts. Take into account I didn't get back home until late Sunday afternoon and workouts for last week, we're toasted.
I did get in a Triceps workout on Wednesday, but that was it.
So yesterday it was a reset (sort of). My meal plan wasn't fully planned but I did get in my shoulder workout (using same numbers as week previous). It felt really good if not a bit tough.
I also got my run in today. It was one of those runs where as soon as I took a couple of steps, it just felt RIGHT. And it was. I did one of my usual "interval" sessions, but with a tweak at the end:
1/2 mile warmup
1/4 mile sprint / 1/4 mile jog (5 times)
1/8 mile sprint
The difference with the above is that usually it's 4 times for the intervals and this time I went to 5. By doing this, I was able to complete my fastest 5K. The time was 24 min 23 sec.
I won't do each interval breakdown, but my avg speed worked out to be 7.7 mph with 403 calories being burned.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
OK Go
Hopefully I'll remember and post my Monday workout results soon. However, I wanted to quickly blog while things were fresh in my regarding the last couple of days.
On Sunday, I did Legs again. It felt great. I bumped up my leg press to 230 lbs and was able to complete 12 reps. I'm definitely feeling stronger in my lower half and the leg presses seem to be doing wonders for stretching out my knees.
Monday was shoulders and I did them first thing in the morning. My work required me to travel out of town for the night so I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a workout in. Unfortunately, when I travel, it tends to mean really crappy eating habits. Yesterday was no exception.
I had an omelet in the morning (good). I got to my work location and by the time lunch rolled around I was starved. That meant Subway. Tasty but carb-y Subway. So I gorged there. Then supper. Gorge yet again.
Today I had a breakfast omelet wrap at Subway and lunch there again. I decided when I got home that I would go for a run as Tuesday's are normally my running day.
I figured with all the carbs I had ingested I should be good to go for a long run and I had been wanting to do a long run for a bit now but never had the time. Tonight worked out perfect and I got in 10K run in just over 53 minutes. It broke down to the following (approx):
1 mile warm up
1/4 mile run
1/2 mile jog
I did the 1/4 mile - 1/2 mile segment 6 times in total, jogged again until I had .1 mile left and then "sprinted" that one. I put quotations because I was gassed. However, considering that in August 2010 I couldn't even run 2 miles, this is huge for me. I'm very happy - especially when I seen that I had burned 900 calories.
However, that high was dropped a bit when I stepped on the scale at home AFTER the run. 172.5 lbs. Dammit. And I have a training event that starts on Friday and goes until Sunday. This week is not going to be a good one for muscle build / fat burn. Such is life I guess. At least after this weekend, I don't foresee travel that will interrupt my workout schedule / eating plan as much.
On Sunday, I did Legs again. It felt great. I bumped up my leg press to 230 lbs and was able to complete 12 reps. I'm definitely feeling stronger in my lower half and the leg presses seem to be doing wonders for stretching out my knees.
Monday was shoulders and I did them first thing in the morning. My work required me to travel out of town for the night so I was pretty sure I wouldn't get a workout in. Unfortunately, when I travel, it tends to mean really crappy eating habits. Yesterday was no exception.
I had an omelet in the morning (good). I got to my work location and by the time lunch rolled around I was starved. That meant Subway. Tasty but carb-y Subway. So I gorged there. Then supper. Gorge yet again.
Today I had a breakfast omelet wrap at Subway and lunch there again. I decided when I got home that I would go for a run as Tuesday's are normally my running day.
I figured with all the carbs I had ingested I should be good to go for a long run and I had been wanting to do a long run for a bit now but never had the time. Tonight worked out perfect and I got in 10K run in just over 53 minutes. It broke down to the following (approx):
1 mile warm up
1/4 mile run
1/2 mile jog
I did the 1/4 mile - 1/2 mile segment 6 times in total, jogged again until I had .1 mile left and then "sprinted" that one. I put quotations because I was gassed. However, considering that in August 2010 I couldn't even run 2 miles, this is huge for me. I'm very happy - especially when I seen that I had burned 900 calories.
However, that high was dropped a bit when I stepped on the scale at home AFTER the run. 172.5 lbs. Dammit. And I have a training event that starts on Friday and goes until Sunday. This week is not going to be a good one for muscle build / fat burn. Such is life I guess. At least after this weekend, I don't foresee travel that will interrupt my workout schedule / eating plan as much.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Keep Rollin Rollin Rollin
A week ago, my workout was as follows:
Squats 200x9 (4 min rest)
Squats 195x12 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x11 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x9 (3 min rest)
Leg Extension 110x3 (3 min rest)
Leg Curls 100x12 (4 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x12 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x10 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x8 (Done)
As I mentioned before, I was really worried about this workout, but it went really well.
It was also a day of garbage eating. Arby's gorging among other things. Not pretty.
Monday rolled around I had a lunch meeting to go to. Gorging event #2.
Workout day as well - Shoulders. I did this at home due to multiple things going on. Because of this, I substituted Cable Shrugs with EZ Bar Upright Rows.
Overhead Press - 105x12 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x11 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 9 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x9 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 95x7 (4 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x12 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x10 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x8 (done)
Tuesday was gorging event #3. I believe at this point I was sitting around 172. Keep in mind, on Saturday I had weighed in at 167.5. Not good.
I got in a 15 minute run outside that evening (-20 weather). It felt really really good, both legs/knees wise and just overall physically.
Wednesday was back to clean eating and Triceps day.
French Curls 65x12 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x10 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x8 (4 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 85x8 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x10 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x8 (Done)
Thursday was supposed to be a run, but didn't get it in. Too much going on to head down to the gym and it was bloody cold outside.
Friday was Chest and Abs. This particular area has been very troubling for me. Before Christmas, I could bench 160lbs. Now, I have problems benching 150lbs.
Anyways, here was the workout:
Barbell Bench Press: 150x6
Pec Deck: 95x10
Pec Deck: 90x10 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x10
Pec Deck: 90x6 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x8
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x12
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x10
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x8
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
Saturday was Back and Biceps.
Deadlift: 195x9
Deadlift: 190x12
Barbell Row: 120x12
Barbell Row: 120x10
Pullover Machine: 140x10
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x12
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x10
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x8 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x9
Barbell Curls: 70x11
Barbell Curls: 70x9
Workout went fairly well. Had to laugh because there was two guys there that I'm not sure what their goal is. If it's being douchebags in a gym, they're succeeding. They basically would do cable curls and it would be rapid fire reps. Not the best way to build muscle or anything. Looks retarded to.
The best news was that I was down to 167lbs on Saturday. After 3 days of pure crap eating at the beginning of the week, I was able to get back down in weight AND still be at the same body fat percentage (12.34). Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday this week are going to consist of travelling, which means the tendency to eat like crap increases and energy levels decrease due to stress and travelling. Oh well - onward and upward - or I guess in this case, it's outward in muscles and downward in fat!
Squats 200x9 (4 min rest)
Squats 195x12 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x11 (4 min rest)
Leg Press 190x9 (3 min rest)
Leg Extension 110x3 (3 min rest)
Leg Curls 100x12 (4 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x12 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x10 (2 min rest)
Seated Calf Raises 80x8 (Done)
As I mentioned before, I was really worried about this workout, but it went really well.
It was also a day of garbage eating. Arby's gorging among other things. Not pretty.
Monday rolled around I had a lunch meeting to go to. Gorging event #2.
Workout day as well - Shoulders. I did this at home due to multiple things going on. Because of this, I substituted Cable Shrugs with EZ Bar Upright Rows.
Overhead Press - 105x12 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x11 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 9 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x9 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 95x7 (4 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x12 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x10 (2 min rest)
EZ Bar Upright Rows - 65x8 (done)
Tuesday was gorging event #3. I believe at this point I was sitting around 172. Keep in mind, on Saturday I had weighed in at 167.5. Not good.
I got in a 15 minute run outside that evening (-20 weather). It felt really really good, both legs/knees wise and just overall physically.
Wednesday was back to clean eating and Triceps day.
French Curls 65x12 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x10 (3 min rest)
French Curls 65x8 (4 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 85x8 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x10 (3 min rest)
Tricep Pushdowns 80x8 (Done)
Thursday was supposed to be a run, but didn't get it in. Too much going on to head down to the gym and it was bloody cold outside.
Friday was Chest and Abs. This particular area has been very troubling for me. Before Christmas, I could bench 160lbs. Now, I have problems benching 150lbs.
Anyways, here was the workout:
Barbell Bench Press: 150x6
Pec Deck: 95x10
Pec Deck: 90x10 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x10
Pec Deck: 90x6 immediately followed by Bench Press: 115x8
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x12
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x10
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x8
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
Saturday was Back and Biceps.
Deadlift: 195x9
Deadlift: 190x12
Barbell Row: 120x12
Barbell Row: 120x10
Pullover Machine: 140x10
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x12
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x10
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x8 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x9
Barbell Curls: 70x11
Barbell Curls: 70x9
Workout went fairly well. Had to laugh because there was two guys there that I'm not sure what their goal is. If it's being douchebags in a gym, they're succeeding. They basically would do cable curls and it would be rapid fire reps. Not the best way to build muscle or anything. Looks retarded to.
The best news was that I was down to 167lbs on Saturday. After 3 days of pure crap eating at the beginning of the week, I was able to get back down in weight AND still be at the same body fat percentage (12.34). Unfortunately, Monday and Tuesday this week are going to consist of travelling, which means the tendency to eat like crap increases and energy levels decrease due to stress and travelling. Oh well - onward and upward - or I guess in this case, it's outward in muscles and downward in fat!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Long Long Ago In A Galaxy Far Away
It's been a while since I posted. Not for lack of anything going on though. Thursday I did pretty good for sticking to meal plan:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Lunch: Mushroom Soup
Snack: Pepperoni sticks
Supper: Crusted salmon and broccoli
Friday was a workout day (Chest & Abs) along with being a day off of work (yay!).
Barbell Bench Press: 160x5
Pec Deck: 95x9
Pec Deck: 90x11 immediately followed by Bench Press: 135x6
Pec Deck: 90x9 immediately followed by Bench Press: 4
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x11
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x9
Seated Crunch Machine: 120x12
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
My meals were:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: Cucumbers and dip
Lunch: Cheeseburger Quiche
Snack: didn't happen
Supper: Sloppy Joe Pie
Saturday was a workout day (Back and Biceps) and measurements day. I'll post the measurements later. We were supposed to travel to my best friend's house but weather decided otherwise. I ended up playing soccer that night, so I got some good cardio in. Unfortunately, we went out for drinks later and this caused a late night which caused some unhealthy eating late at night.
Deadlift: 195x8
Deadlift: 190x11
Barbell Row: 120x11
Barbell Row: 120x9
Pullover Machine: 130x12
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x11
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x9
Cable Preacher Curls: 50x12 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x8
Barbell Curls: 70x10
Barbell Curls: 70x8
Meals:
Breakfast: Omelet
Lunch: Sloppy Joe Pie & Cheeseburger Quiche
Supper: Steak and Mashed Cauliflower with Carmelized Onions
Sunday was workout day (Legs). I was a bit worried about this workout as my knees were feeling very very sore. However, I felt much better after doing the workout and was happy with what I ended up squatting.
I will hopefully be posting more later that will detail Sunday through to today.
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Lunch: Mushroom Soup
Snack: Pepperoni sticks
Supper: Crusted salmon and broccoli
Friday was a workout day (Chest & Abs) along with being a day off of work (yay!).
Barbell Bench Press: 160x5
Pec Deck: 95x9
Pec Deck: 90x11 immediately followed by Bench Press: 135x6
Pec Deck: 90x9 immediately followed by Bench Press: 4
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x11
Seated Crunch Machine: 125x9
Seated Crunch Machine: 120x12
Reverse Crunches: 20 reps x 3 sets
My meals were:
Breakfast: Omelet
Snack: Cucumbers and dip
Lunch: Cheeseburger Quiche
Snack: didn't happen
Supper: Sloppy Joe Pie
Saturday was a workout day (Back and Biceps) and measurements day. I'll post the measurements later. We were supposed to travel to my best friend's house but weather decided otherwise. I ended up playing soccer that night, so I got some good cardio in. Unfortunately, we went out for drinks later and this caused a late night which caused some unhealthy eating late at night.
Deadlift: 195x8
Deadlift: 190x11
Barbell Row: 120x11
Barbell Row: 120x9
Pullover Machine: 130x12
Pullover Machine: 140x8
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x11
Cable Preacher Curls: 55x9
Cable Preacher Curls: 50x12 immediately followed by Barbell Curls: 75x8
Barbell Curls: 70x10
Barbell Curls: 70x8
Meals:
Breakfast: Omelet
Lunch: Sloppy Joe Pie & Cheeseburger Quiche
Supper: Steak and Mashed Cauliflower with Carmelized Onions
Sunday was workout day (Legs). I was a bit worried about this workout as my knees were feeling very very sore. However, I felt much better after doing the workout and was happy with what I ended up squatting.
I will hopefully be posting more later that will detail Sunday through to today.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
5K
Got in a 5K run just now. Really nice out with it being -6 Celsius. Did the following today:
471
5 min run (.58 miles @ 7mph)
.25 mile run (1:35 @ 9.4 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:13 @ 6.7 mph)
.25 mile run (1:43 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:10 @ 6.8 mph)
.25 mile run (1:45 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:09 @ 6.9 mph)
.25 mile run (1:41 @ 8.8 mph)
1 min walk (.06 miles @ 3.7 mph)
5:12 jog (.62 miles @ 7.1 mph)
.125 mile run to finish off (49 seconds @ 9.2 mph)
The 5K took a total of 25 min 21 seconds and burned 471 calories. I had an average heart rate of 180 bpm with a peak of 198 bpm.
I actually feel pretty good after doing the sprint intervals. My lungs are on fire a bit, but that's a combination of cold weather, asthma and cardio fitness.
471
5 min run (.58 miles @ 7mph)
.25 mile run (1:35 @ 9.4 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:13 @ 6.7 mph)
.25 mile run (1:43 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:10 @ 6.8 mph)
.25 mile run (1:45 @ 8.7 mph)
.25 mile jog (2:09 @ 6.9 mph)
.25 mile run (1:41 @ 8.8 mph)
1 min walk (.06 miles @ 3.7 mph)
5:12 jog (.62 miles @ 7.1 mph)
.125 mile run to finish off (49 seconds @ 9.2 mph)
The 5K took a total of 25 min 21 seconds and burned 471 calories. I had an average heart rate of 180 bpm with a peak of 198 bpm.
I actually feel pretty good after doing the sprint intervals. My lungs are on fire a bit, but that's a combination of cold weather, asthma and cardio fitness.
Thirsty Thursday
I only say that because there's a local bar that has a promotion of $1 draft little cups of beer and they call it Thirsty Thursday. Mmmmmmmmm beer. *Drool*
Anyways, yesterday's menu was...challenging to say the least.
I was supposed to have a salad with chicken and cheese on it for lunch. Turns out there was no salad left. Ended up having homemade butternut squash soup instead. Unfortunately, because of this, it threw my carb targets right out the window as I also had a smoothie in the morning. I also was supposed to have tuna muffins, but hadn't prepared those yet. So this was my final menu:
Breakfast: PB & J Smoothie
Snack: Pepperoni sticks & cheese sticks
Lunch: Butternut squash soup
Snack: Cheeseburger quiche
Supper: Low carb pizza (yes - there is a way to do this!)
I also had a soccer meeting and once I got home from that, I cracked and munched on a bunch of chili lime peanuts. They...were...so...good.
Unfortunately - the scale reflected that poor choice this morning. It told me that I had been naughty by showing a number of 168. However - this scale has been known to fluctuate a bit, so we'll see what it shows tomorrow with the Wii Fit scale having the final say.
Yesterday was also a workout day - Triceps. This consisted of:
French Curls: 65x10
French Curls: 65x8
French Curls: 60x11
Pushdowns: 90x6 (target was 8)
Pushdowns: 80x11
Pushdowns: 80x9
I also did 20 reverse crunches, 20 regular crunches and 20 side crunches (each side).
Anyways, yesterday's menu was...challenging to say the least.
I was supposed to have a salad with chicken and cheese on it for lunch. Turns out there was no salad left. Ended up having homemade butternut squash soup instead. Unfortunately, because of this, it threw my carb targets right out the window as I also had a smoothie in the morning. I also was supposed to have tuna muffins, but hadn't prepared those yet. So this was my final menu:
Breakfast: PB & J Smoothie
Snack: Pepperoni sticks & cheese sticks
Lunch: Butternut squash soup
Snack: Cheeseburger quiche
Supper: Low carb pizza (yes - there is a way to do this!)
I also had a soccer meeting and once I got home from that, I cracked and munched on a bunch of chili lime peanuts. They...were...so...good.
Unfortunately - the scale reflected that poor choice this morning. It told me that I had been naughty by showing a number of 168. However - this scale has been known to fluctuate a bit, so we'll see what it shows tomorrow with the Wii Fit scale having the final say.
Yesterday was also a workout day - Triceps. This consisted of:
French Curls: 65x10
French Curls: 65x8
French Curls: 60x11
Pushdowns: 90x6 (target was 8)
Pushdowns: 80x11
Pushdowns: 80x9
I also did 20 reverse crunches, 20 regular crunches and 20 side crunches (each side).
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
No Sleep And No Beer Making Me Go Something Something
Last night was a bit of a late one - and for all the wrong reasons. Between trying to fix a laptop, attempting to do web programming (attempting is the key word as I locked out the account), and a Deadmau5 performance on Much Music (apparently they've given up on the rap genre?) sleep was not forthcoming until close to midnight. Mix that in with a 6AM alarm clock and well, I'm a bit tired today.
As for no beer, that's kind of true. I haven't had anything alcoholic recently as I'm trying to keep that out of my diet as much as possible. However, after stepping on the scale this morning and seeing myself at 166.5, I think I may partake in a few beverages and tasty treats this weekend. My goal was 160 by middle of February, so I wouldn't want to get there too quickly!
Now - there is one thing to note. A drop of 3.5 lbs is a bit drastic. Keep in mind that I ran yesterday which would have aided me as that would have gotten rid of excess water weight. Combined with the fact I didn't get my protein shake and that explains the drastic weight dip. We'll see what the numbers say on Saturday morning. One good thing though - it's nice to be back at 166 again. Most of December was spent at 170-173 and honestly - if I can spend a month like December where I'm eating a lot more "bad" stuff and get rid of it in a month or two - I'm ok with that. It makes life MUCH more enjoyable.
I have a triceps workout scheduled for tonight so I'm looking forward to that. There's also some other items on the agenda for tonight (bed time by 9:30 maybe? lol), but I'll see about getting my menu up for today.
As for no beer, that's kind of true. I haven't had anything alcoholic recently as I'm trying to keep that out of my diet as much as possible. However, after stepping on the scale this morning and seeing myself at 166.5, I think I may partake in a few beverages and tasty treats this weekend. My goal was 160 by middle of February, so I wouldn't want to get there too quickly!
Now - there is one thing to note. A drop of 3.5 lbs is a bit drastic. Keep in mind that I ran yesterday which would have aided me as that would have gotten rid of excess water weight. Combined with the fact I didn't get my protein shake and that explains the drastic weight dip. We'll see what the numbers say on Saturday morning. One good thing though - it's nice to be back at 166 again. Most of December was spent at 170-173 and honestly - if I can spend a month like December where I'm eating a lot more "bad" stuff and get rid of it in a month or two - I'm ok with that. It makes life MUCH more enjoyable.
I have a triceps workout scheduled for tonight so I'm looking forward to that. There's also some other items on the agenda for tonight (bed time by 9:30 maybe? lol), but I'll see about getting my menu up for today.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Run Forrest Run
During my previous THT Volume Cycle workout...oh yeah - guess I should explain the workout regiment I'm utilizing!!
A few years ago, I discovered www.musclehack.com. Through progressive overloading and other articles, I've been able to transform a 5'6" 200lb frame into 5'6" 170lb frame that is approx 12% body fat.
This is huge for me. I was skinny growing up and got fat when I went to college and entered the workforce. Since using Mark's techniques and programs, I've been able to build muscle, drop fat and even got myself in enough shape to run 2 half marathons.
So back to my original starting line. One of his programs is the THT Volume Cycle. It is basically working out a set of body parts on a day. For example, yesterday was shoulders.
ANYWAYS, previously, Tuesday's were a nothing day. However, because I really like running I brought my gear to work and did an outside lunch run. No big deal right? Except it's -10 CELSIUS here (-16 with the windchill) (14 Fahrenheit and 4 Fahrenheit for non-canucks) and snow is on the ground. I was still able to complete a 5K run in 27:16. Not bad for not running in over a month.
The run felt pretty good all things considered. Here was the format I used:
5 min warm up
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
1 min walk
Remaining time jogged
I'll switch it up next time though. I might go 1/4 mile sprints with 2 min rests, etc. Hard to say until that day. HIIT is one of the best methods for losing fat and quickest as well. In 27 minutes I burned 450 calories.
I guess I should also mention my meals for today:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, sweet red pepper, chipotle mayo
Snack 1: cucumbers, chipotle mayo
Lunch: Homemade mushroom soup, pepperoni sticks
Snack 2: cottage cheese, peanut butter, 1/2 banana
Supper will be a chili lime pork steak and salad.
My energy levels feel quite low right now. Some of it is because I'm back at work today, so that meant getting up at 6AM. Some of it is going low carb. Some of it is also from the run. Oh well - that's fine with me.
My shoulders are a bit stiff as well. I actually enjoy that as it means two things: 1) I should not have slacked from working out and; 2) I'm back working out
A few years ago, I discovered www.musclehack.com. Through progressive overloading and other articles, I've been able to transform a 5'6" 200lb frame into 5'6" 170lb frame that is approx 12% body fat.
This is huge for me. I was skinny growing up and got fat when I went to college and entered the workforce. Since using Mark's techniques and programs, I've been able to build muscle, drop fat and even got myself in enough shape to run 2 half marathons.
So back to my original starting line. One of his programs is the THT Volume Cycle. It is basically working out a set of body parts on a day. For example, yesterday was shoulders.
ANYWAYS, previously, Tuesday's were a nothing day. However, because I really like running I brought my gear to work and did an outside lunch run. No big deal right? Except it's -10 CELSIUS here (-16 with the windchill) (14 Fahrenheit and 4 Fahrenheit for non-canucks) and snow is on the ground. I was still able to complete a 5K run in 27:16. Not bad for not running in over a month.
The run felt pretty good all things considered. Here was the format I used:
5 min warm up
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
30 second sprint
2 min jog
1 min walk
5 min jog
1 min walk
Remaining time jogged
I'll switch it up next time though. I might go 1/4 mile sprints with 2 min rests, etc. Hard to say until that day. HIIT is one of the best methods for losing fat and quickest as well. In 27 minutes I burned 450 calories.
I guess I should also mention my meals for today:
Breakfast: 3 eggs, sweet red pepper, chipotle mayo
Snack 1: cucumbers, chipotle mayo
Lunch: Homemade mushroom soup, pepperoni sticks
Snack 2: cottage cheese, peanut butter, 1/2 banana
Supper will be a chili lime pork steak and salad.
My energy levels feel quite low right now. Some of it is because I'm back at work today, so that meant getting up at 6AM. Some of it is going low carb. Some of it is also from the run. Oh well - that's fine with me.
My shoulders are a bit stiff as well. I actually enjoy that as it means two things: 1) I should not have slacked from working out and; 2) I'm back working out
Monday, January 3, 2011
Food For Thought...Actually For Eating
Today's menu consisted of the following:
Breakfast: 3 large eggs + green peppers + chipotle mayo
Snack 1: Cottage cheese + banana + peanut butter
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup
Snack 2: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Supper: Eye of round roast with chipotle mayo
Today was interesting because:
1. I got to try out the homemade chipotle mayo. This is right now one of my favorite dips. Chipotle is a nice slow burn.
2. I finally found something to mix with cottage cheese that made it enjoyable.
3. Butternut squash was something we had never had before. Making the soup was a bit more work than I like, but in the end it turned out to be a huge bowl of win.
A majority of the recipes I use will come from Linda's Low Carb - http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/. Thanks to her trial and errors, we have been able to adjust to a low carb lifestyle and enjoy it.
I also use AllRecipes.com for some of the carb-y recipes. They have a low carb section, but it doesn't compare to Linda's recipes.
I should mention that the cake found on Linda's website is probably one of the best low carb desserts ever - along with being the healthies. Using my numbers, it works out to 236 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs (!!!) and get this - 24 grams of protein!! That's absolutely outstanding.
Breakfast: 3 large eggs + green peppers + chipotle mayo
Snack 1: Cottage cheese + banana + peanut butter
Lunch: Butternut Squash Soup
Snack 2: 3 Minute Chocolate Cake
Supper: Eye of round roast with chipotle mayo
Today was interesting because:
1. I got to try out the homemade chipotle mayo. This is right now one of my favorite dips. Chipotle is a nice slow burn.
2. I finally found something to mix with cottage cheese that made it enjoyable.
3. Butternut squash was something we had never had before. Making the soup was a bit more work than I like, but in the end it turned out to be a huge bowl of win.
A majority of the recipes I use will come from Linda's Low Carb - http://www.genaw.com/lowcarb/. Thanks to her trial and errors, we have been able to adjust to a low carb lifestyle and enjoy it.
I also use AllRecipes.com for some of the carb-y recipes. They have a low carb section, but it doesn't compare to Linda's recipes.
I should mention that the cake found on Linda's website is probably one of the best low carb desserts ever - along with being the healthies. Using my numbers, it works out to 236 calories, 12 grams of fat, 9 grams of carbs (!!!) and get this - 24 grams of protein!! That's absolutely outstanding.
Head and Shoulders
Well - actually today was a shoulders workout. It consisted of:
Overhead Press - 105x8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x10 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x8 followed by Overhead Press - 95 x 7 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 85x7 (4 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 60x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 70x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 90x12 (done)
The overhead presses were tough today. I haven't worked out since about 2nd week in December and since then was hit with the flu and Christmas baking.
It felt great to be back at the gym although there were some trouble spots. First up was my inability to hit a minimum of 8 reps on the overhead press during two of the sets. Second was trying to find the appropriate cable upright row weight. I'll have to go to 110 next time and see what happens.
The third trouble spot? People!! So many people there. Thankfully I was still able to get access to my equipment that I required but wow. I have to laugh a little though - some people definitely need it but are hitting it hard. Been there done that. Doesn't work. Reintroduce yourself and then kick some ass. Don't try and kick some ass but instead end up kicking your own ass and doing away with your New Year Resolution within the first month. Oh well - their problem I guess.
Later on tonight or tomorrow I'll post what I had to eat today. So far, it's been going great!
Overhead Press - 105x8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x10 followed by Overhead Press - 100 x 8 (4 min rest)
Dumbbell Lateral Raise - 20x8 followed by Overhead Press - 95 x 7 (1 min rest)
Overhead Press - 85x7 (4 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 60x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 70x12 (2 min rest)
Cable Upright Rows - 90x12 (done)
The overhead presses were tough today. I haven't worked out since about 2nd week in December and since then was hit with the flu and Christmas baking.
It felt great to be back at the gym although there were some trouble spots. First up was my inability to hit a minimum of 8 reps on the overhead press during two of the sets. Second was trying to find the appropriate cable upright row weight. I'll have to go to 110 next time and see what happens.
The third trouble spot? People!! So many people there. Thankfully I was still able to get access to my equipment that I required but wow. I have to laugh a little though - some people definitely need it but are hitting it hard. Been there done that. Doesn't work. Reintroduce yourself and then kick some ass. Don't try and kick some ass but instead end up kicking your own ass and doing away with your New Year Resolution within the first month. Oh well - their problem I guess.
Later on tonight or tomorrow I'll post what I had to eat today. So far, it's been going great!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Numbers Numbers Numbers
Today is the day to get the baseline on everything. Weight, measurements, etc. What I found interesting is that compared to last September when I first did the Six Pack Abs Furnace program, my body composition appears to have changed.
For example, my daily calorie requirements was 2068. Today, it is now 2189.
Here's my measurements to start off with:
Weight: 170
Stomach: 35
Hips: 38.625
Waist: 33.5
Thigh: 22.875
Right Bicep: 13.75
Left Bicep: 14.125
Chest: 39
Neck: 15
Also, using body fat calipers, we calculated my body fat to be 12.49%.
Now, you might be reading this and thinking "wow, 2189 seems like a lot of calories". In reality, it's kind of not. A can of ravoli is 400 calories. Now, I don't know about you, but that barely fills me up. So, maybe a person has some other food to go with it. Milk, juice, pop, etc. Now that meal is approx 800 calories - and that's just lunch. Once you factor in supper, it's no wonder people are obese.
Next step is to take some pictures as well. I'll try and get those up later.
For example, my daily calorie requirements was 2068. Today, it is now 2189.
Here's my measurements to start off with:
Weight: 170
Stomach: 35
Hips: 38.625
Waist: 33.5
Thigh: 22.875
Right Bicep: 13.75
Left Bicep: 14.125
Chest: 39
Neck: 15
Also, using body fat calipers, we calculated my body fat to be 12.49%.
Now, you might be reading this and thinking "wow, 2189 seems like a lot of calories". In reality, it's kind of not. A can of ravoli is 400 calories. Now, I don't know about you, but that barely fills me up. So, maybe a person has some other food to go with it. Milk, juice, pop, etc. Now that meal is approx 800 calories - and that's just lunch. Once you factor in supper, it's no wonder people are obese.
Next step is to take some pictures as well. I'll try and get those up later.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Year, New Blog Content?
Well - 2011 is now upon us. I'm going to try and do more blogging. Why? I don't know. Pretty sure not many people are even aware of this blog. However, I'm going to try and use it as a way of journalizing my goals of weight reduction and marathon training in addition to journalizing my weight reduction and fitness progress.
I'm going to publish body stats, workout stats and my food menus that I will use to achieve these goals. Who knows - maybe it will inspire someone else!
Monday January 3 will be my first day back at true healthy eating and strength training. Follow me will you?
I'm going to publish body stats, workout stats and my food menus that I will use to achieve these goals. Who knows - maybe it will inspire someone else!
Monday January 3 will be my first day back at true healthy eating and strength training. Follow me will you?
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