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!

Bradford Beach Triathlon Cancelled

Bad news!

I just found out that the Olympic distance triathlon that I’ve been working up towards – the one that’s really been the end goal of all of my training up to this point – has been cancelled.

This race made the most sense because it covered the distance that I was looking for and was right in town so no travel involved.  Now, it looks like I’ll need to search for another option.  There are plenty of sprint triathlons in the Milwaukee area this summer but there seem to be few at the Olympic distance.

The search begins……..

Weigh-In Results – Week 15

This week, I knew my weight wouldn’t be down.  Not that I’m complaining about it at all because that was sort of my strategy for the week.

Let me explain.  I finished my run a week ago and I felt absolutely wiped out.  I shot for 5 miles at 7.5MPH and ended up stopping at 3.1 miles.  Just didn’t have the energy.  I noticed that I was starting to feel hungry so I made a beeline back to my desk to eat lunch.  I’ve been feeling like I’ve been doing a good job up to this point of balancing running a calorie deficit to achieve weight loss and getting enough food in me to fuel my workouts.  This time, I didn’t feel so good about my balancing act.

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.

Weigh-In Results – Week 12

A big weigh-in was looming this week.  After last week’s 0.6 pound increase, it was important to get momentum moving back in the right direction again.

Last week, I got several solid workouts in including a couple of sessions with the personal trainer, four days of karate, a 4 or 5 mile run and 45 minutes doing circuits on the spin bike.    I paid special attention to managing my diet as I felt that food was really my Achilles heel to keeping things in check.  I felt good going in but only the scale will say for sure.

And the results…….