I’m Back!!!

Hey everyone,

I realize it’s been quite a while since I’ve made any kind of post to this blog but I’m going to change that all today!

There’s a lot of catching up to do I’m sure but I wanted to give you all a quick update on where I am and what I’ve been up to.  Instead of trying to pick up from where I left out, I’ll start out with a quick recap of 2010 up till the present day.

Fitness wise, it was a great year.  For you guys interested in the numbers, I started the year at 202 pounds and finished up at 192.  My body fat percentage started at 19.7% and finshed the year at 16.2%.  I consider this great progress.  I’ve always felt better at around 190 so I was happy to be at that level for most of the year.

I ran a total of five races during 2010 – a 5K, two 10Ks, a half marathon and my first ever triathlon.  I set a personal record in my first 10K at 48:23 and followed it up a week later with another PR at the half marathon distance of 1:57:50.  Conditions were fantastic for my first triathlon (a sprint distance) in July but I found out pretty quick that I wasn’t as prepared for it as I should have been (especially in the swim) and sort of staggered to the finish line in 1:38:54.  Hoping to rectify that in a big way in 2011.

I continue in my 4th year of martial arts training and was invited in the beginning of 2011 to test for black belt in June.  I’ve been taking candidate classes for the last two months and am just two short months away from achieving my ultimate goal that’s been almost four full years in the making.  Very excited!

I’m looking forward to catching up with all of you again and hear about how you’re coming along with your goals.  Feel free to drop me a line or comment!

All the best……..

The Deer Run 10K Results

Hey everyone,

Yes, I know I’ve been absent for a while again.  A lot of stuff going on at work and a baby that’s about 5 weeks away from making her arrival will do that to you!

Anyway, on to the news of the day.  I ran the Deer Run 10K this past Saturday – my “tune up” race to the Door County Half Marathon taking place in just 5 short days.  Last year, I ran this race in 54:42 (when lack of training and knee issues torpedoed the run).  This year, my goal for the race is sub-50:00.  I’ve felt great for a while, ran well and have had no physical issues to speak of.  I’m expecting a good run.

Why Did I Think This Was A Good Idea?

Running intervals, that is.  I hear about the wonderful benefits of running intervals and what they can do to improve your speed.  This is officially my third attempt with interval running and while each run has been better than the previous one all I can say is “damn these suck!”

My trainer during one of our final sessions put the following interval program together for me.  Keep in mind that my normal tempo for a 3-5 mile run is about an 8 minute mile (or 7.5MPH as I prefer to state it)….

• 5 minutes – 7.0MPH (warm up)
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 2 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 3 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 4 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 4 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 3 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 2 minutes – 7.5MPH
• 2 minutes – 8.3MPH
• 5 minutes – 7.0MPH (cool down)

Getting Close To The Half Marathon

Hey everyone,

Wanted to stop back by here for a short time to update you on the latest.  Namely, the 10 mile run I managed to bust out yesterday in preparation for the half marathon in about three short weeks.

I set a goal of trying to finish the 10 mile run yesterday in a time of 1:30:00.  I figured that would get me fairly close to the goal of finishing the half marathon in 2 hours.  So what time did I manage to finish in?  1:30:07.  Seven f***ing seconds!

My words of advice?  Don’t eat an Oriental Crispy Chicken bowl from Applebee’s before you run.  And try not to burn up your energy in a water park beforehand either (we were there with our daughter and her cousins that morning).  And don’t push it on a new bike the day before either.  You guys probably figured all that out already though.

Pewaukee Sprint Triathlon…..Registered!

Just registered for the Pewaukee Sprint Triathlon on July 11.  Might as well get into at least one of the races I want to today.

.25 mile swim, 16 mile bike, 5K run.

Can’t wait!

Long Running

This weekend, the push towards the half marathon in four weeks continued.  Yesterday, I did 8 miles.  This is the longest distance I’ve run since last year.  The course I ran on was hilly (which will match what the race course will be like) and conditions were windy.  Not ideal for a good long run but we fight through it, right?

Overall, I’d have to consider it a success.

I covered the distance in 1:12:56.  Knees felt great.  No issues whatsoever (although today they feel a little stiff…..not surprising considering I haven’t run that distance since last year).  I ran a fairly “technical” route.  I hit that big uphill at about the 4 to 4.5 mile mark and started walking about halfway up.  I wasn’t going much faster running it than I would have walking (plus I was spending a lot more energy) so I figured I’d better walk.

Back For A Short While

Seeing as I’ve been gone from here for the last few weeks, I imagine I owe everyone who has continued to visit here an explanation.

Short answer – my schedule got too full and something had to give.  Not the best answer I suppose but it is the truth.  I’ve had a lot going on at work lately that’s required a lot of my time and by the time I get home at night I just want to take it easy and hang out with my wife and daughter.  No offense to anyone reading this but they’ll always come first.

I’d like to think that things will slow down here over the summer but I get the sense that this won’t be the case.  A lot of initiatives going on at work and our second daughter will make her debut just eight short weeks from now.  My guess is that I’ll only be updating sporadically for the near future.  For that, I apologize.  I really wish I could be on here more frequently as I really enjoy the community of people but sometimes priorities and responsibilities spin you in a different direction.

With that being said, I did want to give you all an update on what’s been going on from a fitness and training perspective since I last jumped on and, fortunately, a lot of it is good news.

Thursday…..Almost There!

Good morning all!  A lot of stuff to get through this morning so let’s get right to it!

Personal training session today.  This will be #19 out of the 24 or 26 session package I bought (kind of sad that I don’t even know how many sessions I purchased) so the days of having a trainer kicking my ass twice a week are slowly coming to an end.  That means I have to start thinking about transitioning from being guided by a trainer to doing it on my own.  I like to think I’ve learned a lot from her but I’m worried about a) continuing to do circuits or sets that hit all the major muscle groups and b) keeping the intensity at a high level when there’s nobody there to keep me in check.  I think this will be a real test in keeping myself accountable to myself!

Weigh-In Not So Bad After All?

Happy Tuesday all!

So I’m thinking that maybe yesterday’s weigh-in wasn’t as bad as it seemed yesterday.  I weigh in every Monday with my personal trainer, as you know, but I also weigh in on Tuesday mornings with a group of co-workers for our own little “Biggest Loser” challenge that started at the beginning of the year.

I weighed in this morning at work and the result was that I was down another pound since last week’s weigh in.  That kind of flies in the face of yesterday’s result of going up 0.6 pounds.  I’m not sure which is a more correct reading but it does give me the sense that maybe I’m being given a second chance, so to speak, of continuing the weight loss momentum.  Diet wise, this week so far has been going well so I think as long as I keep up at this rate I should be in for a good number next week.  I hope at least.

Developing Power For The Swim

Yesterday was another big day on the treadmill.  I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to do speedwork or run for distance.  So I did something right in the middle.  The result was a 3.25 mile run in 25:39.  That works out to a 7:54 mile pace – a new best at that distance for me.  I’m a happy camper!

I also did this run without any type of knee support.  It turned out to be about 80% the right decision as I did experience some stiffness in my left knee during the last mile.  It wasn’t enough to make me feel like I wanted to stop but it was enough to tell me that I still need to keep a close eye on it going forward.  Some good stretching right afterwards, a short easy stretch on the bike to “unload” the legs and an ice pack later in the day all seemed to be the cure as my knee is feeling fine again.  I never would have guessed that staying loose and pain-free would be so much work!  Maybe I’m getting old.