Monday, October 15, 2012
GOMAD Diet
Today is Day 1 of my GOMAD Diet:
For the next week I will be drinking a gallon of organic whole milk a day in addition to eating 3 meals following the paleolithic diet. This weekend I started drinking whole milk and worked up to 3/4 a gallon on Sunday. I plan to follow this diet for 4 weeks stopping only if I reach 20% body fat or 190 pounds.
My last weekly weigh in was on Thursday, 171.4 pounds 14.4% body fat, and I will considering this my starting stats.
Today's food intake:
9:30am
1 Quart of Whole Milk
11:30am
9 Hardwood smoked baby back ribs from Kroger Deli
1:30pm
1 Quart of Whole Milk
3pm
Carrots and Quacamole
4:30pm
1 Quart of Whole Milk
8pm
1 Quart of Whole Milk
I had planned to start the StrongLifts 5x5 tonight but when I got to the gym it was one of those "bring your friend" appreciation day with a live DJ and I could not use anything. I walked out and headed home determined to use my barbell in the garage but it was already almost 8pm.
It is a VERY simple program. There are two workouts you do alternating and you lift 3 days a week.
Workout 1:
Squats 5 sets 5 Reps
Bench Press 5 sets 5 Reps
Barbell Row 5 set 5 Reps
Workout 2:
Squats 5 sets 5 Reps
Overhead Press 5 sets 5 Reps
Deadlift 1 set Reps
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
The Big Picture
Sometimes it is nice to slow down and just enjoy life. Reign in the tunnel vision focus on goals and deadlines and really see they big picture. Take a moment to look back and reflect on the past and the progress or direction life is going. Rethink your goals to better align with your passions and values. Ask yourself if the things in life that take lots of time and effort reflect your personal beliefs. What are your long term future goals? Have you lost touch with your younger idealistic self? Are you sacrificing your time on this earth towards something you believe in?
Before I finish this chapter of my life I want to make sure I am not straying from my values and the original motivations that got me to this very moment in my life. Every action and choice and brought me to today. Where will my future actions take me and where do I want to be?
All these questions can be asked spiritually, romantically, physically, and financially. I can feel myself change with time. I have made alot of personal changes in the past 6 years. I changed alot in the 4-5 years before that when I completely let myself become an open book to explore who I was and what I experienced. Going back even further was the transition from child to adult. There are the changes that seem to naturally come with age and there is the personal evolution that happens over time while at the core staying the same basic being.
All my life I have let the numerical count of the number of trip on this earth around the sun rule what I thought I should be doing. I used it as a barometer of where I should be. For the first 18 years of my life everything felt like it was already planned for me and my goals were as much my decisions as they where social expectations. Once I got to college decisions about life were still guided but the amount of the decision making process that was purely up to me greatly increased. I had a finite amount of time/money to complete my education. It took me 2 years to find what I wanted to study while at the same time discovering who I am and what my limits might be. Once I graduated and got my first job I was allowed even more control over my life and decisions. I went thru a tough transition period where I felt lost and depressed because I had no clear direction and or exceptions from myself or externally. This lasted almost 2 years until I took time to sit back and look at the big picture. I was not a failure but there were goals and desires I had for over a decade that I had been ignoring. I used turning 25 as a big stressor and motivator to re-align my life with what I was passionate about, and my personal values, while finally reaching my long term goals and burning desires.
I feel like I am nearing the end of my current chapter and, although I have evolved and grown, it is time to re-align, or better yet fine tune, my goals and actions to better fit my passions and desires. The best thing to happen to me was meeting my wife Ellen. Now as I reflect, plan, and focus I do so with two lives as one.
Spiritually we both want to be part of a community to share our faith. Earlier this year we tired out a few churches. After going to my friend Nick & Keri's wedding a few weeks ago we really like the preacher that married them and are planning to go to church with them soon. I know how Nick feels about spiritual/religious things and it is similar to my own beliefs/values.
Romantically I want to be better in tune with my wife's passions and desires. I also need to learn to be a more helpful roommate and husband. Part of this means adjusting my behaviors and goals in a more harmonious and less selfish way.
Physically the majority of my goals in the past 4-5 years have been health and fitness related. I finally shed my excess weight and for the past 2 years I have been focused on running to maintain my fitness. I need to let go of my age based goals. When I set the goal of running a marathon by the age of 30 it was to keep myself going so I would not fall back into old habits and gain back my weight. It was also part of reaching a goal and then setting a bigger goal. I have been reading more and more recently that cardiovascular endurance reaches a point of diminishing returns. Running more than 45-60 minutes and more than 20+ miles a week leads to muscle breakdown, joint stress, and hurts the immune system. Back in November I was running off the high of completing my first Half Marathon. A month later I started training for a full marathon but the training took it's toll and I got injured. After re-training myself to run in minimalist shoes I set off to reach my goal again but without the passion and drive I had before my injury. I eventually dreaded the long runs and for the first time in a long time I gave up and quit. Today I saw a friend post on facebook that today is her last training run before her big race and she is going to miss the training. I do not feel that same passion anymore. At this point I am dropping my marathon before turning age 30 goal. Never say never but not right now. I still have unfinished business with the goal I set in October 2009, get back to 160 pounds lean body mass and 12-10% body fat. I really enjoy running 5k and 10k races and they are alot cheaper than half and full marathons with less recovery and training time.
Financially I have goals but I have not been taking enough action or making the right decisions to move towards them. After the wedding and before Ellen got her first post college job I was in a negative budget and building up debt. The week Ellen started her new job she broke her wrist. Medical bills piled up and we balanced our budget and slowed down and eventually stopped the accumulation of debt. This week she started a new position with better pay. Now it is time to take more action to eliminate the debt.
For the past 3 weeks I have been slowing down and bringing the bigger picture into view. Everything seems to be falling into place and I want to make sure I am taking the right actions and moving in the right direction. With the changing of the season, the ongoing political chatter about the upcoming election, the new job, the change in focus of physical goals, and a desire to find a church and spiritual community I feel an optimistic about the future.
Before I finish this chapter of my life I want to make sure I am not straying from my values and the original motivations that got me to this very moment in my life. Every action and choice and brought me to today. Where will my future actions take me and where do I want to be?
All these questions can be asked spiritually, romantically, physically, and financially. I can feel myself change with time. I have made alot of personal changes in the past 6 years. I changed alot in the 4-5 years before that when I completely let myself become an open book to explore who I was and what I experienced. Going back even further was the transition from child to adult. There are the changes that seem to naturally come with age and there is the personal evolution that happens over time while at the core staying the same basic being.
All my life I have let the numerical count of the number of trip on this earth around the sun rule what I thought I should be doing. I used it as a barometer of where I should be. For the first 18 years of my life everything felt like it was already planned for me and my goals were as much my decisions as they where social expectations. Once I got to college decisions about life were still guided but the amount of the decision making process that was purely up to me greatly increased. I had a finite amount of time/money to complete my education. It took me 2 years to find what I wanted to study while at the same time discovering who I am and what my limits might be. Once I graduated and got my first job I was allowed even more control over my life and decisions. I went thru a tough transition period where I felt lost and depressed because I had no clear direction and or exceptions from myself or externally. This lasted almost 2 years until I took time to sit back and look at the big picture. I was not a failure but there were goals and desires I had for over a decade that I had been ignoring. I used turning 25 as a big stressor and motivator to re-align my life with what I was passionate about, and my personal values, while finally reaching my long term goals and burning desires.
I feel like I am nearing the end of my current chapter and, although I have evolved and grown, it is time to re-align, or better yet fine tune, my goals and actions to better fit my passions and desires. The best thing to happen to me was meeting my wife Ellen. Now as I reflect, plan, and focus I do so with two lives as one.
Spiritually we both want to be part of a community to share our faith. Earlier this year we tired out a few churches. After going to my friend Nick & Keri's wedding a few weeks ago we really like the preacher that married them and are planning to go to church with them soon. I know how Nick feels about spiritual/religious things and it is similar to my own beliefs/values.
Romantically I want to be better in tune with my wife's passions and desires. I also need to learn to be a more helpful roommate and husband. Part of this means adjusting my behaviors and goals in a more harmonious and less selfish way.
Physically the majority of my goals in the past 4-5 years have been health and fitness related. I finally shed my excess weight and for the past 2 years I have been focused on running to maintain my fitness. I need to let go of my age based goals. When I set the goal of running a marathon by the age of 30 it was to keep myself going so I would not fall back into old habits and gain back my weight. It was also part of reaching a goal and then setting a bigger goal. I have been reading more and more recently that cardiovascular endurance reaches a point of diminishing returns. Running more than 45-60 minutes and more than 20+ miles a week leads to muscle breakdown, joint stress, and hurts the immune system. Back in November I was running off the high of completing my first Half Marathon. A month later I started training for a full marathon but the training took it's toll and I got injured. After re-training myself to run in minimalist shoes I set off to reach my goal again but without the passion and drive I had before my injury. I eventually dreaded the long runs and for the first time in a long time I gave up and quit. Today I saw a friend post on facebook that today is her last training run before her big race and she is going to miss the training. I do not feel that same passion anymore. At this point I am dropping my marathon before turning age 30 goal. Never say never but not right now. I still have unfinished business with the goal I set in October 2009, get back to 160 pounds lean body mass and 12-10% body fat. I really enjoy running 5k and 10k races and they are alot cheaper than half and full marathons with less recovery and training time.
Financially I have goals but I have not been taking enough action or making the right decisions to move towards them. After the wedding and before Ellen got her first post college job I was in a negative budget and building up debt. The week Ellen started her new job she broke her wrist. Medical bills piled up and we balanced our budget and slowed down and eventually stopped the accumulation of debt. This week she started a new position with better pay. Now it is time to take more action to eliminate the debt.
For the past 3 weeks I have been slowing down and bringing the bigger picture into view. Everything seems to be falling into place and I want to make sure I am taking the right actions and moving in the right direction. With the changing of the season, the ongoing political chatter about the upcoming election, the new job, the change in focus of physical goals, and a desire to find a church and spiritual community I feel an optimistic about the future.
Tuesday, October 9, 2012
Chest/Back, Shoulders, and Bicep/Tricep Supersets
I have cut back my running recently. Last week ended a 28 week streak of running 3-4 days a week. This is the first time I have quit training or cut back that was not due to injury.
My goal marathon was causing more stress than excitement so I quit my program training in week 8 of 18 weeks. I have 14 days to relax and focus on lifting weights before I start training for the Cowtown Marathon. It is in my hometown and is more special to me. My parents ran the 10k back in the early 80s. Ellen and I did the 5k together 2 years ago and I limped thru the Half Marathon earlier this year a week after I injured my knee.
Thurs night we went out for dinner and I left my car at the restaurant so I would be motivated to run on Friday morning (my day off). When Ellen left for work I ran the long way (4 miles) to pickup my car. A couple hours later I had my most intense strength training work in about a year. A year ago I was doing alot of low rep superset workouts. On my way into the gym I got on my blog and downloaded my logs from 8-3-11 and 8-6-11 and combined them (minus burnouts and Abs) into 66 minutes on "torture." I was able to lift the same amount or more on everything except shoulder shrugs. Saturday morning when I woke up I said to Ellen. "My everything hurts."
My DOMS lasted 3 days and I am looking forward to going back for more "torture" tomorrow. Also, I am considering doing the GOMAD diet for 4 weeks (google it). We started back up on Paleo again yesterday and planned to stick to it for 5 weeks until Ellen's birthday. Since May we both put back on what we lost from February to April. If I mix Paleo with GOMAD I guess it will call it the Nomad GOMAD Challenge. The past two years I put on 8-10 pounds from the last weekend in September until the end of the year. I might as well do it the right way.
My goal marathon was causing more stress than excitement so I quit my program training in week 8 of 18 weeks. I have 14 days to relax and focus on lifting weights before I start training for the Cowtown Marathon. It is in my hometown and is more special to me. My parents ran the 10k back in the early 80s. Ellen and I did the 5k together 2 years ago and I limped thru the Half Marathon earlier this year a week after I injured my knee.
Thurs night we went out for dinner and I left my car at the restaurant so I would be motivated to run on Friday morning (my day off). When Ellen left for work I ran the long way (4 miles) to pickup my car. A couple hours later I had my most intense strength training work in about a year. A year ago I was doing alot of low rep superset workouts. On my way into the gym I got on my blog and downloaded my logs from 8-3-11 and 8-6-11 and combined them (minus burnouts and Abs) into 66 minutes on "torture." I was able to lift the same amount or more on everything except shoulder shrugs. Saturday morning when I woke up I said to Ellen. "My everything hurts."
My DOMS lasted 3 days and I am looking forward to going back for more "torture" tomorrow. Also, I am considering doing the GOMAD diet for 4 weeks (google it). We started back up on Paleo again yesterday and planned to stick to it for 5 weeks until Ellen's birthday. Since May we both put back on what we lost from February to April. If I mix Paleo with GOMAD I guess it will call it the Nomad GOMAD Challenge. The past two years I put on 8-10 pounds from the last weekend in September until the end of the year. I might as well do it the right way.
Friday, October 5, 2012
October First
On October 1 2009 I had my last weigh in the second round my families Biggest Loser contest. The first round started in Janurary 2009 and the second round started in May 2009. Over the two round I lost 44 pounds. Now I used it as a tool to trace my yearly progress. From 2009 to 2010 I lost another 6 pounds and gained a small about of muscle mass. From 2010 to 2011 I started running and set weight lifting goals to increase my strength and leaned out another 5 pounds. From 2011 to now I started running long distance and eating a more paleolithic/primal diet and leaned out 3 more pounds while gaining more muscle and maintaining my strength.
This shows my family Biggest Loser before and after pic followed by 3 years of progress pics.
I wish I was not sucking in so much on the before picture...
This year October first fell on a Monday after a weekend of beer and german food so I took the Friday October 5th.
October 2009 to October 2012: 14 pounds and 5% body fat lost.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Margarita Moonlight Run
Last Wednesday I ran on the Trinity Trails in Fort Worth after work. I asked a friend who works downtown if he wanted to join me. He is training for the No Limits Half Marathon later this month but had to decline because he already had plans but he invited me to join him the following Tuesday for a social run.
Today out of the blue I had to deliver something to an office in downtown Fort Worth for the first time in years. I took it as a sign I should join my friend for the Margarita Moonlight Run at The Woodshed Smokehouse along the Trinity Trails. I had packed my running clothes and already planned on doing it. After a dropped off the package around 5pm I headed to Luke's Locker. I read online you could sign up there from 11am to 2pm but I had time to kill so I decided check it out anyway.
When I got to Luke's they confirmed what I saw online but told me I could also sign up at Woodshed Smokehouse an hour before the run. With about an hour to kill I started looking at the running clothes to see if there were any end of summer deals. As soon as I started browsing a manager looking lady asked me if she could help me. I told her I was looking for a tank top type dry fit shirt. She pointed out the few they had left and said they were getting ready for winter apparel. I got a weird vibe from her.
I decided to check out the shoes and was surprised to see they carried Vibram fivefingers and other minimalist type brands. I bought my last pair of modern over-padded running shoes from another Luke's location back in December and they did not have any minimal shoes (except maybe the New Balance Minimus). After about 30 seconds of looking an employee, Noreen, came over to help me. I told her I am training for my first Marathon and looking into a pair of closed toe minimal shoes. She told me all about the benefits of minimal shoes then looked down at my Vibrams and said, "I guess you already know."
I tried on the New Balance Road Minimus Zero and they felt really comfortable at first so I tested them on the treadmill. I really wanted to like them but they were too narrow for my wide feet and unlike other New Balance shoes they do not come in widths (once I got home I found out online they also come in a 2E width.). Next I tried the Altra Instinct shoes. I had just saw a commercial for them last Thursday. They are a "zero drop" shoe (the heel is the same height and the forefoot) and are designed with a wide toe box to allow your toes to splay. I liked the way they fit my feet but the soles were very thick compared to the NB Minimus. I did not try them on the treadmill but I should have done it. Even though I did not ask Noreen brought me a pair or Nike Free 5.0. I told her my wife has some Nike Free shoes but I was unable to get them on my feet when I last tried them over a year ago. Unlike the older models that had the tongue attached to the upper like slip on shoes the 5.0 had a normal tongue and laces. I was able to put them on my feet but in true Nike style they were too narrow. I told the sales lady I liked how the Nike Air Pegasus 28 and I had bought them too short last time and got black toenails. She said they now carry the Pegasus 29 but they do not have any wides in stock yet. I told her I would be back in 3 weeks for packet pickup for the Honored Hero Run. She said I will get a coupon and would be better off buying shoes that day.
I headed out to my car and got my running gear and went back inside. I asked the manager lady if I could change in the dressing room and she said ok. I felt bad spend all that time in the store so I bought a Powerade. The manager asked if I wanted a bag for my work clothes. I said No and thought it was a weird question. I got the feeling she thought I was shop lifting...
I got to Woodshed Smokehouse at 6:30 and there was already a line to sign up. I waited in line for about 15 minutes to register and get my t-shirt and wrist band for post run taco and margarita. My friend and his wife showed up with two friends just as I finished signing up. We hungout for half an hour before the run. I had not had anything to eat since 2pm and decided to skip out on an energy gel. The run started at 7:30pm right after the sun set. They asked all the 7-8 min pace runners to come to the front due to the narrow sidewalk. We took off around an 8 min pace and quickly settled into about 8:30 pace. It was fast but we were both able to still converse. We hit mile 1 in 8:40ish and halfway in about 13:30. After we crossed mile 2 in 17:20ish I told my friend about how I like to sprint the last 0.1-0.25mi of every run. We picked up the pace to sub 8min pace for mile 3 and on the last downhill with about a quarter pushed up to a 6:30 pace finishing in 26:28 with my friend just a few seconds behind me.
Even though it was 75f I was sweaty and headed straight to the water. We waited for his wife and her friends to finish then got our (tiny) taco and (small weak) margarita. We found a table but after a minute an employee rudely told us the hostess was waiting for that table and to go over to the "gravel." We moved and hung-out for another 10-15 minutes and I noticed the table was never used.
Today out of the blue I had to deliver something to an office in downtown Fort Worth for the first time in years. I took it as a sign I should join my friend for the Margarita Moonlight Run at The Woodshed Smokehouse along the Trinity Trails. I had packed my running clothes and already planned on doing it. After a dropped off the package around 5pm I headed to Luke's Locker. I read online you could sign up there from 11am to 2pm but I had time to kill so I decided check it out anyway.
When I got to Luke's they confirmed what I saw online but told me I could also sign up at Woodshed Smokehouse an hour before the run. With about an hour to kill I started looking at the running clothes to see if there were any end of summer deals. As soon as I started browsing a manager looking lady asked me if she could help me. I told her I was looking for a tank top type dry fit shirt. She pointed out the few they had left and said they were getting ready for winter apparel. I got a weird vibe from her.
I decided to check out the shoes and was surprised to see they carried Vibram fivefingers and other minimalist type brands. I bought my last pair of modern over-padded running shoes from another Luke's location back in December and they did not have any minimal shoes (except maybe the New Balance Minimus). After about 30 seconds of looking an employee, Noreen, came over to help me. I told her I am training for my first Marathon and looking into a pair of closed toe minimal shoes. She told me all about the benefits of minimal shoes then looked down at my Vibrams and said, "I guess you already know."
I tried on the New Balance Road Minimus Zero and they felt really comfortable at first so I tested them on the treadmill. I really wanted to like them but they were too narrow for my wide feet and unlike other New Balance shoes they do not come in widths (once I got home I found out online they also come in a 2E width.). Next I tried the Altra Instinct shoes. I had just saw a commercial for them last Thursday. They are a "zero drop" shoe (the heel is the same height and the forefoot) and are designed with a wide toe box to allow your toes to splay. I liked the way they fit my feet but the soles were very thick compared to the NB Minimus. I did not try them on the treadmill but I should have done it. Even though I did not ask Noreen brought me a pair or Nike Free 5.0. I told her my wife has some Nike Free shoes but I was unable to get them on my feet when I last tried them over a year ago. Unlike the older models that had the tongue attached to the upper like slip on shoes the 5.0 had a normal tongue and laces. I was able to put them on my feet but in true Nike style they were too narrow. I told the sales lady I liked how the Nike Air Pegasus 28 and I had bought them too short last time and got black toenails. She said they now carry the Pegasus 29 but they do not have any wides in stock yet. I told her I would be back in 3 weeks for packet pickup for the Honored Hero Run. She said I will get a coupon and would be better off buying shoes that day.
I headed out to my car and got my running gear and went back inside. I asked the manager lady if I could change in the dressing room and she said ok. I felt bad spend all that time in the store so I bought a Powerade. The manager asked if I wanted a bag for my work clothes. I said No and thought it was a weird question. I got the feeling she thought I was shop lifting...
I got to Woodshed Smokehouse at 6:30 and there was already a line to sign up. I waited in line for about 15 minutes to register and get my t-shirt and wrist band for post run taco and margarita. My friend and his wife showed up with two friends just as I finished signing up. We hungout for half an hour before the run. I had not had anything to eat since 2pm and decided to skip out on an energy gel. The run started at 7:30pm right after the sun set. They asked all the 7-8 min pace runners to come to the front due to the narrow sidewalk. We took off around an 8 min pace and quickly settled into about 8:30 pace. It was fast but we were both able to still converse. We hit mile 1 in 8:40ish and halfway in about 13:30. After we crossed mile 2 in 17:20ish I told my friend about how I like to sprint the last 0.1-0.25mi of every run. We picked up the pace to sub 8min pace for mile 3 and on the last downhill with about a quarter pushed up to a 6:30 pace finishing in 26:28 with my friend just a few seconds behind me.
Even though it was 75f I was sweaty and headed straight to the water. We waited for his wife and her friends to finish then got our (tiny) taco and (small weak) margarita. We found a table but after a minute an employee rudely told us the hostess was waiting for that table and to go over to the "gravel." We moved and hung-out for another 10-15 minutes and I noticed the table was never used.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
Training Day 2 Week 8
Today after work I had to drive to Central Market in Fort Worth to pick up race packets for the Rahr 5k. I did not get in my run this morning so I just decided to run the trinity trails starting near the Zoo.
Playing around with my watch I figured out how to change my auto lap from 1 mile to 0.25mi. I also used virtual training partner and plugged in to do 7 miles in 60 minutes.
I started my run as the sun was getting low on the horizon. I knew I had to average 8:34 per mile to finish in a hour. I reached my first quarter mile in 2:10 so I sped up slightly. After about a mile I just got in the zone finishing each quarter mile in 2:06 to 2:07. In my third mile I slowed down just slightly so I got out a gel pack as I was close to the 3.5mi turnaround. Unlike usual I did not slow down while taking my energy gel and I somehow choked on it. I started coughing to clear my throat and almost vomited. I drank some water and took a short walk break.
When I started back up I stuggled to keep a 9 min pace. By the end of mile 5 I felt like stopping but now it was dark and I was 2 miles away from my car. I kept going but my running form was suffering. I was having trouble breathing from not being able to clear my throat.
I got back to my starting point in 1:03:31 and drove to the gas station to get some chocolate milk.
My left calf and right heel hurt and I rubbed two blisters on my right foot. 3 days until the 5k!
Playing around with my watch I figured out how to change my auto lap from 1 mile to 0.25mi. I also used virtual training partner and plugged in to do 7 miles in 60 minutes.
I started my run as the sun was getting low on the horizon. I knew I had to average 8:34 per mile to finish in a hour. I reached my first quarter mile in 2:10 so I sped up slightly. After about a mile I just got in the zone finishing each quarter mile in 2:06 to 2:07. In my third mile I slowed down just slightly so I got out a gel pack as I was close to the 3.5mi turnaround. Unlike usual I did not slow down while taking my energy gel and I somehow choked on it. I started coughing to clear my throat and almost vomited. I drank some water and took a short walk break.
When I started back up I stuggled to keep a 9 min pace. By the end of mile 5 I felt like stopping but now it was dark and I was 2 miles away from my car. I kept going but my running form was suffering. I was having trouble breathing from not being able to clear my throat.
I got back to my starting point in 1:03:31 and drove to the gas station to get some chocolate milk.
My left calf and right heel hurt and I rubbed two blisters on my right foot. 3 days until the 5k!
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Running in the Heat
Last month I did something new with surprising results. I ran in the sun in 100+ without stopping and didn't die or pass out. This changed my previous opinion that anything over 89 was too hot for running. It became "punishment" for not waking up at 5am and running before work. One thing I did keep in mind was "Once your body temperature climbs to 104 degrees, you're in the heatstroke danger zone."
After keeping in the furthest regions of the back of my mind I finally said out loud that someday I would like to attempt to do the Badwater Ultramarathon. Just like how I started thinking about running a Marathon when I had yet to do a half and my longest run was only 6.2 miles now I am thinking of doings Ultra Races. I hope to find out December 9th what 26.2 miles feels like.
The Badwater Ultramarathon describes itself as "the world's toughest foot race". It is a 135-mile (217 km) course starting at 282 feet (86 m)[1] below sea level in the Badwater Basin, in California's Death Valley, and ending at an elevation of 8360 feet (2548 m) at Whitney Portal, the trailhead to Mount Whitney. It takes place annually in mid-July, when the weather conditions are most extreme and temperatures over 120 °F (49 °C), even in the shade, are not uncommon.
I think it was bad/good that last week after my spark of motivation with TC I read the story of David Goggins. I had already head about Badwater and follow it on facebook but now I have a story that made it seems less like a pie in the sky goal. I posted a quote by him on facebook on Saturday.
I think it was bad/good that last week after my spark of motivation with TC I read the story of David Goggins. I had already head about Badwater and follow it on facebook but now I have a story that made it seems less like a pie in the sky goal. I posted a quote by him on facebook on Saturday.
"Life is not always going to be this care free happy place that we would like it to be. What life throws at you is a lot of negativity. It's what you do with that negativity that makes you a stronger human being. When you hear the words, no, you can't, impossible, never...what do you think to yourself? Do you cower inside and run from the challenge. Or do you face it...head on...asking for more?
Failure is an option. It's what you do with the failure that makes you who you are. Our failures mold us. I have failed at several things in my life. What sets some of us apart, is that when we fail, we can't sleep at night. It haunts us until we have our time at redemption."
Here is a runner's world article on him I really liked. http://www.
"I’m nobody special. Let’s be perfectly clear… I don’t like to run. I don’t like to swim. I don’t like to bike. I do this to raise money for the children of soldiers killed in combat.... Like I said, I don't like running. I don't like biking. I don’t like swimming. I do it to raise money. But, now that I'm in this sport I want to see how far I can push myself."
I am Back: Re-Motivated after a 4-6 week slump!
I have been out of touch for WAY to long here!
My 12 week BFL challenge ended 3 weeks ago. I took my final pics with my cell phone because I let Ellen's cousin borrow my camera and tripod for a college project.
Here are my stats:
Week 1:
Weight 168
Body Fat 13.4%
Week 12:
Weight 170
Body Fat 12.9%
I gained 2 pounds and lost just 0.6 pounds of fat. I really lost my motivation after 8 weeks but it was good maintenance challenge. No matter what I do I will always go back to BFL for motivation.
During week 8 I took a vacation. During my week off I was on fire with my workouts and set new PRs at different distances 5 weeks in a row. In week 9 I just fell apart. I could not get myself out of bed in the mornings so I started running after work in the 99+ degree heat. I missed my Monday workouts for the rest of the challenge and started eating fast food on the weekends. I started just going thru the motions without joy or excitement. I stopped posting on this blog and only had 3 posts in August instead of the 25-35 a month I had been doing since November 2010 (when I started training for my first 10k). I thought I was just out of steam after 3 months of not missing a single training run and 6 months since my last week off from running.
Recently I have become more motivated. I think the turning point came the week after my BFL challenge ended. I completely missed a 6.2 mile training run on September 5th and was unable to make it up. One of my biggest motivators is following a training plan and doing my best to keep from writing a big X on my calendar. Not to mention it set me further back from goal of running 1000 miles this year in honor of my Uncle Jack who passed away last November.
I decided to call up my friend TC to run together. He is in the Army and does CrossFit 3 times a week. We had been talking about running together since he moved back from Iowa in June. I had convinced him to run my next 5k with me and told him 3 months ago my goal was 21 minutes. A week ago we met up and he is FAST. We ran the first two miles in 14:55 tying my best two mile time and I could not keep up. I had to walk twice and ended up finishing in 24:14. This re-ignited my spark and I found my motivation. The 5k was only 3 weeks away I had I gotten slower than my peak time of 23:24.
The next day I ran 10k after work with a renewed since of excitement. I beat my long stand PR I set 11 months ago by almost 2 minutes and finished in 52:59. This past Tuesday I beat my 4 mile PR by 43 seconds. This morning I ran with TC again and shaved another 46 seconds off of Tuesdays time while having a nice conversation during the last 2 miles. Now that I have someone to run with I am no longer just trying to compete with myself and can take it to the next level. Last week after our run TC did 5k in 21:13 by himself. Can I cut 2.5 minutes off my best 5k time by September 29th? That question is my new motivation.
I have not had this big of a spike in motivation since Memorial day weekend when I set a goal of a 21 min 5k the day I hit my 1000th mile while running in a lightning storm. http://thisisbryanok.blogspot.com/2012/05/barefoot-day-2-week-7-1000th-mile.html
I was in Week 7 of my "barefoot " training and right now I am in week 7 of my Marathon training. Lucky number 7!
mo·ti·va·tion /ˌmōtəˈvāSHən/
Noun:
The reason or reasons one has for acting or behaving in a particular way.
The general desire or willingness of someone to do something.
stub·born \ˈstə-bərn\
Adjective:
Justifiably unyielding : resolute
Performed or carried on in an unyielding, obstinate, or persistent manner
Motivation plus Stubbornness = Unstoppable!
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Training Day 1 Week 4
I overslept this morning even though I was in bed by 8pm last night. I decided to run at the park after work so I could stay in the shade. This is my second to last 3 mile training run. I really want to wake up early on Thursday so I can break my 5k PR one last time before my next 5k race.
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