February 2012
6 posts
6 tags
February '12 Report
February was a short month and I was under the weather the beginning of the mont. Still, I had a pretty decent month. My calorie burns per workout are going down due to being in maintenance mode now and body fat probably somewhere between 10 and15% - even though I am pushing harder.
A couple of notes:
I was down the first 3 days ill
My first week was … weak … due to recovering...
3 tags
Maintenance mode or building?
Recently I have had a few people ask me about P90X. “Does it really work? What do you do when you finish the program?”
The answers will be different for everyone but … hell yes it works! Like any workout you get what you put in to it but Tony encourages you to (and shows you how to) modify the exercises when needed. It is not easy … hell, it is still not easy for me...
6 tags
Countdown to my 2nd half marathon ...
So, a week from Saturday (3/3) I will be running in my second half marathon … this time by myself - so have to be my own motivator.
I am looking forward to it and feel I am even more prepared for this one than my first one. I know when the mental wall typically hits and I now know how to push through it.
A great example is this past Sunday. I was a “teensy” bit hung over from...
2 tags
2012 Lost Dutchman 8k trail run
Sunday I will be running in my first trail run. I have heard rumors that it is hilly so I may have a much slower time than I was originally shooting for … but will still have a blast. This one is just under 5 miles so I will probably go out for a short 5-6 miler tomorrow at a easy and steady pace to get some extra work in before the event.
The next event is only 2 weeks away on March 3rd...
No exercise makes Mikey cranky ...
So, this week I could not exercise … and it drove me nuts. Last Sunday I woke up dizzy and a little nauseous. This feeling gradually got worse until late afternoon the worst happened. I painted the bathroom. I was sensitive to light and sound - probably because I felt like crap.
Worked from home Monday but only lasted half a day before shut it down to go lay down. Was still light...
January 2012
6 posts
1st Half Marathon in the books
So, what did I learn? You can train but you will still be shocked! Why? Well, thats easy. If you are the normal runner you always want to go faster. That catches up to you in the last 3-4 miles. I TRIED to keep a steady slow pace for the first 8-9 miles but failed.
BUT! I kept plugging away and pushed with the help of Josh Gum (revgum on tumblr) and finished under a 10 minute average!
So, got...
1week from today ...
I will be celebrating the completion of my first half marathon. Said celebration will include good friends, good food and good beer. I have struggled in a few of my runs lately … probably due to the cold I have been fighting. But it doesn’t matter because we are gonna have a blast and CRUSH it!
Yep, I am psyched for this event. Let the countdown begin!
DIY: Fix any aspect of your life. →
revgum:
Quite possibly the most comprehensive list on how to fix any aspect of your life you choose. Forget new years resolutions, just read this list every other day.
A great list to work towards … looks like I have work to do! ;-)
December 2011
4 posts
December 2011 workouts
Hard month. Caught the worst cold I have had in a long the and was down for a week with no workouts and then weak for another week. I am still not 100% as evidenced by how much I struggled during this mornings 5+ mile run. The half marathon in 2 weeks is going to much tougher than originally expected.
Now to the numbers …
13,619 calories burned with taking 10 days off (cold and some...
New Years Resolution???
Hmm … I may not have one this year. I know I want to take my workouts to the next level but don’t have that defined yet. I also know that I will be training for a full marathon later next year … but that was already decided prior to the holidays so it doesn’t count.
Maybe it will be to continue to research and find ways to eat even healthier. Yes, to my friends that are...
Barefoot running ... take 1
OUCH! OK, so running in Vibram FiveFingers the first time was awkward, slippery (just got through raining), odd …
It took me about a mile to stop running basically on my toes - and believe me, my calves are reminding me of this fact every time I stand up or walk right now! Tomorrow’s run should be interesting!
So, the lesson here is … trust your legs, trust your instincts and...
November 2011 Workouts
Update for November - very good month.
14640 calories burned - now that I am in maintenance mode I am burning less calories even though I am pushing harder, lifting more and have more intense workouts.
61.9 miles running - I did my first 2 events this month - Phoenix 10k and Mesa Turkey Trot 10k.
I have also seen my average minute per mile times plummet. Part of this is due to cooler weather...
November 2011
4 posts
2011 Mesa Turkey Trot 10k
On Thanksgiving morning I ran in the 42nd Mesa Turkey Trot 10k. Going in to the event I had a couple of goals.
My main goal was to finish in under an hour and my ultimate goal was to average 9:30 mm (under an hour is approximately 9:40 mm).
Well … I CRUSHED both! I finished in 57:12 (official chip time) and averaged 9:13 mm. It looks like I need to start setting my sights...
Quick update ...
Well, the holidays are almost on us. That usually means more eating, drinking, higher calorie meals …
Plan ahead. Schedule in workouts now and make sure you stick to them. This is a great time of year to put in extra time on the workouts. Stretch your run out from 3 miles to 5 (I am planning 11-13 miles this weekend). Lift for an extra 30 minutes, etc. The extra food (energy) should...
2011 PHX 10k
This morning started off bad. Animals kept waking me up last night. Woke feeling spent. Coffee. Check. Protein shake. Check. Apple. Check.
Started getting ready. Filled CamelBak up with water and electrolyte power. Grabbed energy gels. Still feeling tired but am starting to feel energy from excitement to get out and run with a large group.
Out the door we go. Put heart rate monitor on before...
October 2011
6 posts
First 10k in 2 weeks
I will be running my first “competitive” 10k two weeks from today - 11/6. Looking forward to seeing how I handle the competitive side of me when running in a large group. My goal is 10 minute miles but I realize this may be difficult when I will be fighting through crowds for at least half the run.
I will do my normal running/training next week and then take the week prior to the...
Cooler weather = better times
With the cooler weather (relatively, still 70-75 when running) I have seen my average pace decrease. Part might be finally surpassing a plateau as well.
Last 2 weeks, on my short runs ( Tues and Thur mornings) I have been running about a 5k. I have seen my times plummet and ran a 9 minute pace Thursday - by far my fastest pace ever. This also has carried over to my longer run on Saturday. Today I...
Birthday crazies ...
So … there are several ways that we do crazy or stupid stuff. 21st bday is a great example as most of us drink several more than we should have. On my 40th I went way overboard and did not get out of bed until 5 pm the next day … and then for only a few hours.
So … with my new lifestyle … would I do something crazy? Well, I did drink a lot more than I am used to. ...
Are recovery days important?
So, I am on vacation and took the last 2 days to completely sit on my A$$. For a little background … part of the reason behind this was just not that I am on vacation (staycation since don’t have money to go anywhere!) but because I was so disappointed in my run on Monday. Went out for 11-miler and ended up walking at least 3 miles of it. I had no energy after around 4 miles and the...
The tough days
Some days you have it, some days you don’t. Today did not have it. Woke up tired and exhausted, feeling some effects from last night’s beers, and woke up later than wanted so temperature was higher when headed out - 89 when got back home!
Today was my 1st time trying interval set up on Runkeeper app on phone. .5 mile fast run, .25 mile walk, repeat until end. I started out way...
September 2011
9 posts
September 2011 Workouts
Workouts completed for September.
I continued doing P90X resistance/weight training on Monday’s and Wednesday’s. Between the 2 days I would hit all upper body muscles - shoulders, chest triceps, biceps, back and abs.
On Tuesday’s and Thursday’s I would run in the morning doing between 4 and 6 miles.
Friday was P90X Yoga X where I would do the first 50 minutes or so - the...
4 tags
Fearing commitment and failure.
revgum:
I’m midway through the book “Be Iron Fit”, learning the ins and outs of Ironman training and preparing myself for 2012. I’ve got a LOT of work ahead of me in order to make this goal a reality.. As I’ve been reading through the “fear of commitment at the risk of failure” section, it just kind of reminded me of a fundamental shift I’ve made in the not too distant past.
It wasn’t until I...
What is 10 seconds?
It doesn’t seem like a lot of time. Not much you can do in that amount of time. BUT … if you compound 10 seconds over … say … an 11 mile run you shave almost 2 minutes over the length of the run.
Why do I bring this up? I did that today! I shaved 10 seconds off of my per mile time from last Saturday’s 11 mile run. Epic!
How did I do it? I focused on starting...
What I learned today ...
Have you ever set a goal that you weren’t sure you were ready to achieve … and then surprised yourself by meeting that goal? Yep, that was me today. I set an aggressive goal by extending my longest outside run by 2 miles that also included the longest and highest hill I have run to date. I even stayed under my time goal of no higher than 11:30 minute mile for 11 miles. I’m...
Good week if running. Put resistance training on hold for a week and ran all week long instead.
13.57 miles on elliptical
13.93 miles outside including just under 9 miles yesterday underneath beautiful blue skies and a very pleasant 78 degrees at run time - coolest has been in the morning in a LONG time.
Next Saturday I will try to extend to 9.5 or 10 miles to continue gradually...
Watch
August 2011
9 posts
August '11 workout totals
Workouts for August completed. I was in experiment mode for the last half working on new techniques and improvements. I also took a lot more days off this month (6 or 7) than I have in a while in a concentrated effort to provide more rest for the body.
Total calories burned: 16,224
Calories burned per calendar day: ~523
Calories burned per workout: ~649
Days ran: 15 (includes elliptical...
Max aerobic training while running
3rd day of max aerobic heart rate training. Starting to get used to the whole routine of proper 10-15 minute warm up and 10-15 minute cool down even though it makes mile time look horrible. But … the point is not the mile time, the point is to train the body at or below you max heart rate. Doing this WILL increase mile times after a couple of months.
I already noticed this morning that...
Interval Training update ...
Continuing the interval training since I keep hearing how good it is for improving stamina and speed … even if it does seem like you would go slower.
So, this morning I headed out and did my normal pace for the first 2 miles again then began intervals. This time I counted steps to estimate how far I was going. I ran for 440 or so steps then walked for 220 - 250. I figure my gait is...
Kewl story whether Apple fan or not ... click here... →
drcairns:
So, Steve Jobs has left his role as Apple’s CEO. Like, for good this time. It’s a shame, but it was inevitable, and it sounds like everything’s running pretty well down in Cupertino anyway.
For the purposes of this anecdote, it’s worth noting that I grew up in a house entirely surrounded by Macs….
Running update - intervals???
1st 2 miles this morning ran at a sub-10 minute mile.
Next 2.25 I did my own version of intervals - just now reading a book that explains the science behind it and how to do it so I am wingin’ it!
Ran for 60-120 seconds at normal to slightly fast pace then walk for 30-60 seconds. Repeated until end.
Even with walking portion I averaged just over 10 minutes per mile - 10:14. I can easily...
Missed workout this morning. Felt like I didn’t sleep at all so didn’t even attempt working out. Funny how fast you feel like a sloth when you miss a normal workout.
Half-Marathon registered ... nervous
OK, I am admittedly a little nuts. I just registered for the PF Chang’s Half Marathon in January. I think it will be a blast but am still a little nervous. Longest run so fay has been just over 7 miles and the summer heat in AZ is preventing me from stretching it even further. Looking forward to a couple months from now when it starts cooling down so I can start stretching the distance...
WatchJuly update
Had to correct the spelling. Nothing to see here …move along!
July 2011
4 posts
4 miles isn't what it used to be ...
So, over the last several runs I have noticed that what used to feel like a long run just doesn’t feel that long anymore. This morning I went out for a short run - but it ended up being 4.36 miles. A few months ago my goal was to run a 5k. Now every time I run it seems to be no less than 4 miles.
This morning I even concentrated on a slow pace to keep the heart rate down as much as...
P90X / Asylum / Running Hybrid update 4
Time for another update!
I am a little over half way through this hybrid. I have 17 days left and 1 rest day in there - but I might add 1 more rest day - so 18-19 days before I am down.
I have noticed an increase in strength and stamina. It shows in a couple of ways. One, I am taking less breaks during the Asylum workouts and the ones I am taking are shorter. Two, the calorie burn on the same...
P90X / Asylum / Running Hybrid update 3
So, another almost another week down in my hybrid workout. Today was Asylum Game Day. I love this workout. Just over 1 hour of some crazy bat-$h1t workouts. Different moves for multiple sports: Baseball, Basketball, Tennis, Surfing, Speed Skating, Running, Swimming, Long Jump, Wrestling, Soccer, Football, Rock Climbing … all in 61 minutes of basically non-stop action. I always have a...
June 2011
8 posts
Back from mini-vacation - update ...
It has been a few days since I have posted. I took a day and a half off wrapped around a weekend to get out of the Phoenix heat. We headed to the San Diego area to sample great beers from the local breweries. I worked out Friday morning before we left and again on Saturday morning to knock off the cob webs from the night before … then took Sunday and Monday completely off from workouts...
P90X / Asylum / Running Hybrid update 2
It has been a few days since posted …
I am done with week 1 of the P90X / Asylum / Running hybrid workout. WOW! This is a killer. Here is the schedule so far (completed):
P90X Chest and Back
Asylum Vertical Plyo
Morning run (about 4.5 miles)
P90X Shoulders and Arms
P90X Yoga X
Saturday run - it was about 85 when headed out, started overheating - even with lots of liquids from...