Home Workout

So... I've done it. I've moved to Colorado and it's cold in the mornings. No running for a little while. I was hunting P90X for Christmas and came across this program at Bed Bath & Beyond. It is based on the same principles as P90X which includes muscle confusion. The program is set out with three strength workouts each week and two cardio workouts and a core workout each week. Three weeks on, and a week of "recovery" that includes a total body workout, a core workout, and a cardio workout. Then change to a different combination of moves and videos for the next month: three weeks on, one recovery week and return to the first plan for the final month. Very similar to P90X - heck even the strength workouts are named the same and focus on the same combinations of muscles. Chest/Back, Shoulders/Arms the first month and Chest/Shoulders and Triceps, Back/Biceps the second month. One thing that this program has that is not found at Beach body is Tabata Inferno which is designed to incinerate fat. 20 seconds on, 10 second rest for 4 minutes, rest a minute, go again for 30+ minutes - WOW!
The workouts are shorter. The longest video with Supreme 90 Day is 42 minutes long and that includes the warm-up and the cool-down. I have been doing Supreme 90 Day for 3 weeks and can definitely feel the difference. After the completion of the first month I am adding some extra to my program, in order to work up to P90X which I got in the mail. On strength days I am adding a Cardio workout (Cardio Challenge, Tabata Inferno, or Cardio X), and on Cardio days I am adding a core workout (Ab Ripper X, or Yoga Abs from Bob Harper's Inside Out Method DVDs), I figure that by the time I complete this program at the end of February I will be ready for the Big Daddy! If I stick to my plan I should be ready and ripped just in time for the summer.

Week 3 - Training Camp

It's so hot! Sweat is pouring off my face! The towel beneath me is soaked! There is sweat on my feet! It's 95 degrees in here - on purpose! 95 degrees! I am attending a Core Power class in Colorado Springs. This one is Power Yoga 2. High to low plank. Inhale - upward facing dog, Exhale - downward facing dog. Inhale. Exhale.
I have been here for two weeks. Training camp is well under way. I have been running, cycling, doing circuit workouts, and attending as many yoga classes as possible. I just signed up for a week of classes at Core Power. They have two studios in Colorado Springs and an iPhone app that tells me what classes are available at which location at what time and with which teacher. They offer a free week of classes and classes that get progressively more difficult. There's Core Power 1 at 85 degrees, there's CP1 Heated at 95 degrees. There's CP 1.5, CP 2 at 95 degrees. Then there's Hot Power Fusion at 100 degrees, and Hot Yoga 60 minute and 90 minutes at 105 degrees. Tonight I attended a class that is the exact opposite of these classes called Core Restore which was slow, unheated, and doesn't include muscle activation. We held our poses for 3-5 minutes. It was very, very relaxing and quite a complement to the flowing, heated class I had taken just before that.
For the Next week I am taking as many Core Power classes as I can. There is a class every morning at 6:00. Then picjking up with the running. I've worked up to where I will be running 5 miles each run day this week and 7 this up-coming Saturday. I've gotten to the point that I only want to run and do yoga. I don't want to pump iron, I don't like circuit training, or kettlebells. Just yoga and running. Remember - keep your head up, breathe deep, and keep running!

Training Camp

So... Here we go. I'm working out of town for about a month and taking the time to work on muself. I am trying to look at it like training camp. I am all by myself 750 miles from home. I brought my workout videos, my weights, my kettlebells and my yoga mat. I have designed a schedule that allows my to build muscle, strength, endurance, and get lean. The training regimine starts today.
The plan is like this: every weekday morning starts with a workout video, followed by either a run or a bicycle ride. Everyday will include some sort of yoga. Progressively, I will be adding miles to my running. Saturday will include longer runs but without the workout video.
Friday I attended Yoga in the Park a couple of miles down the road. What an awesome class. There were, like, thirty people gathered around in a circle doing yoga under the early morning blue sky. I could hear the birds and feel the breeze. In complete contrast, I took a class last night at Core Power Yoga. This place has studios all around Colorado and other places around the country. This challenging class took place in a heated room that was heated to 85 degrees. Sweat was pouring off of me. There are also a couple of other studios that I want to check out. My hope is to learn more about my yoga practice and increase my endurance towards longer running and drop these stubborn few pounds. I am a certified personal fitness trainer and a sport yoga instructor but I want to look like it.

Today was the day...

I am not defeated but I am not ready. Today was going to be the day that I participated in my first Sprint Triathlon. However, I wasn't ready. I have had a lot going on in my personal life. I am leaving my job, moving out of my house, and moving my family into my in-laws' basement as we examine the next step. I am learning what it means to be patient and how to handle not having the answers. This has led me to resort to my old stand-by: comfort food. Although my meals have remanined relatively healthy, my portionb sizes and snacks have escalated through the roof. I feel like I have made peace with the future by not looking too far forward and not expecting anything. By doing this I have taken back control of my life by letting go. Today, this is where I am.
Financially we are needing all of our money to make our steps come true and the triathlon would have cost $65 plus gas and a meal out plus some sort of lower body covering that would not hold too much water. I figure it would have been over $100. There will come a time for me to complete this type of event but today was not the day.
On another note I ran the longest distance of my life yesterday. My pace was relatively slow at 12:46 but I ran 6.70 miles. It took me almost 90 minutes. I felt great. My pastor, who is also a runner, told me that after 5 miles, "It's just adding miles." Meaning that 5 is the hurdle, after that it's easy. He said that I should be able to run 10 miles if I can run 6.
So, this morning I did a kettlebell workout and followed it with a short run. My oldest daughter is on the volleyball team here at the High School. As part of their workouts they run what is commonly called "The Circuit." The Circuit is a 2-mile distance that leaves from the High School track/football field, runs up and down several hills through the middle of town and edns back at the weight room at the High School. The other day she mentioned that she was able to run the whole thing without stopping, and was excited to finish in just under 20 minutes. I decided to dee where I am. after my kettlebell workout, I ran the Circuit in 23:23 with a pace of 11:31. This is a pretty good pace for me. I'm not sure how fast the other girls on the VB team run it, but - for me - to be only a couple of minutes behind my super-fit daughter makes me feel incredible!
Well next week is upon me - This wek has me doing the Cardio and Strength workouts from the Inside Out Method twice each, then Yoga for the Warrior - which I love. I am getting stringer and I can tell! We'll see where this whole topsy turvy thing ends up. All I know is that if I keep running and stay focused I'll be ok. Stay loose and Happy Running!

Hot Town, Summer in Missouri!

It's #*^!ing HOT!! It's so hot that running has become less important. Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love to run. I feel like I have been neglecting the rest of my body as I ran. I have been doing the BOB Harper Inside Out Method. This morning I ran. Just 4 miles but I loved it. It felt great. Rejuvenated for the next week. I may have to postpone my Triathlon, but I will fill you in on the details as soon as I know them.

Training Update

OK. So... I went off the deep end with the eating this past weekend. One thing that I decided was that I was not going to feel guilty about eating. One thing that I had noticed was that when I eat too much I feel bad about it and that makes me want to eat more. So, I gave myself permission to eat whatever... And I did!
I have adjusted my training regimine to include some circuit training. I am going to follow Bob Harper's Inside Out Method Training Plan. I am going to alter the plan a little by easing into it and leaving out Bob's workout and adding Bob's Kettlebell Videos.

I started today by beginning with the Strength DVD, Pure Burn Super Strength. The program starts with a 20-minute introduction workout. The strength DVD also has a full-length workout which is 67 minutes of complete exhaustion-inducing exertion. I start with the short versions this week. Strength on Monday, Cardio on wednesday, and Yoga on Thursday and running in between.
I LOVE running and thoroughly enjoy the way that it makes me feel, however I have been losing the rest of my fitness. I need to spend a little time working on the rest of my physique. By the edn of a month I will be working out for an hour everyday of the week. I have started this plan before but I am hopeful that I will be able to stick with it until I have completed it. Previously, I have been also trying to progress in my running. The squats and lunges involved in doing these workouts leave my legs feeling like Jell-O. I will probably not be able to run miles and miles while I am doing this plan. I'll keep you in the loop.

I Am...

I have been very busy these past couple of weeks. You see, I am also a full time student, I work full time and I have a wife and three kids. Wheww. I discovered something Monday though that I wanted to share. I am no longer trying to reach some fitness goal. I am not running to get in shape. I am in shape. I am fit. Monday morning I ran for an hour non stop - I have done this again, and previously on a treadmill, but this was the first time had done it outside. Somewhere towards the middle of the second half I realized that I was no longer running as a means to an end - I have achieved something. You are healthy when you can run for an hour, you are fit when you can run for an hour.
I know that there is so much yet to be accomplished and I will not stop working towards my goals. I must remember to stop and be excityed for what I have accomplished. I started just over 6 months ago and I could not run a lick. I started with one-minute intervals and I just ran for an hour. If I can do that, I can do anything. So often I tend to approach a goal and begin to set the next one. Just like I did with this triathlon gig. I am already looking towards the next horizon. But, unless I can learn to live in the moment and appreciate where I am, I will never be happy.
I have discovered that my nipples hurt and burn sometimes when I run. For years I have been out of shape and my nipples are actually "innies." However, when I run they become erect and rub on the inside of my t-shirt and really hurt and become extremely sensitive after a run - to the point that the hot water in the shower is uncomfortable. So... today I went to Wal~Mart and purchased some wife-beaters a size too small to hold everything tight under my t-shirts as I run. I hope this helps.
On another note: today was the second to last stage of Le Tour de France. It was the individual time trial. This is the first year that I have watched even a second of Le Tour. I watched as a man from Australia secured his place in the record books by taking the lead from the Schleck brothers. By tradition noone attacks the leader on the final stage, it has become a ride of triumph. I wonder if anyone will even break this unwritten rule and ride for the jersey on the last stage. I wonder if it were me, could I let that chance slip past me without giving it my all? This is the question of life isn't it really? Will I let someone else's interpretation of life determine my actions? Or will I take my life into my own capable hands and make something of it? Just a few thoughts that have risen up in me. Enjoy your life and Happy Running!

My Food Problem

Help! I am eating way too much! I have got to get my food consumtion under control. I burn between 500-1000 calories each day and still don't lose any weight. I realize that I am closer to my goal weight but it has to do with my eating. I must... I must... I MUST get my eating under control.

Don't know how to post comments so... Here is a response to a couple of comments posted previously

Here is a link to a web site where you can download the C25K app that I recommend. The main reason that I recommedn this app is because it states in the description that it work for iPhone and iPod touch. The actual app that I used when I did the program doesn't say that it will work for the iPod Touch. Plus Bluefin has a Bridge to 10K app and teh next step a Half-marathon app. Here is the link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/c25k-couch-to-5k/id301233668?mt=8 . I have been having trouble figuring out how to post comments. I have previously figured it out at least once because there is a comment above that I posted but when I post a comment I am prompted to log-in even though I am already logged in. I hope this will work this time.

July 9, 2011 9:50 AM

Two in a row! - 5 weeks out from Tiger Tri

Today wasw a milestone on my quest for endurance strength. I put two of the events together in a row. I woke up this morning and cycled 11 miles at a nice leisurely pace. I completed the 11 miles in 53 minutes which seems to be my normal time right now. I got home and headed out for a 5K run. I have found that for the bike ride I can't use my Jaybird SB2 Sports Band (you can check them out here: http://www.jaybirdgear.com/sb2/ - I love them). I cant use them with my cycling helmet so I take my iPhone out of its otterbox and put it into one of those arm armbands and use the earbuds that come with iPhones/iPods. These actually don't fit all the way into my ears and allow me to be able to hear traffic and are comfortable enough. But when I run they tend to bounce out of my ear and for some reason they iPhone bouncing on my arm makes the bluetooth connection or the sound skip. So I had to turn the bluetooth on and take the thing off of my arm and put my iPhone in my pocket and put my sportaband on.
So when you includ a little hydration and making sure that my bike wasd safely on my front porch the whole transition took just under 5 minutes. Right now I am not extremely interested in my transition time I am interested in the ability to complete the events back-to-back. Somewhere about 2 miles into my run I found myself focused on the end and I realized that I was doing it and it didn't matter if I completed the 5k or I decided to walk I had already done something incredible. I went from 300+ pounds to a guy who could ride a bike for 11 miles and then run for 2 miles without stopping. Whether I stopped right there or I ran all the way home would not affect my opinion of whether or not I was successful. I am a success and no one can take that away from me.
I was actually surprised that having cycled the entire 11 miles did not affect my time on the run. I completed the 5K in about the same amount of time as I did last monday when I hadn't ridden first. I ran the 5K in just about 34 minutes. Actually the route that I run from my house is a little over 3.25 miles and I did it in 34 minutes. I expected my run to be a little slower but my pace seems to be a little over 5.5 miles/hour or 11 minute mile. Enjoy your weekend and Happy Running!

Running in the clouds

This morning I was glad to see that it was pretty cool outside before I left for my run. You see I run at 5 O'Clock in the morning and even that early it can be a little warm in early July in Mid-Missouri. But the famous saying 'round these parts is: (If you're from the Midwest you can join in, if you want) "It's not the heat - it's the humidity!" On my iPhone Weather Channel App I saw that it was 100% humidity. I looked at the radar and it was not supposed to rain, so I ventured out. Running has become my haven, my escape, so I wanted to take advantage of the opportunity. I turned on the MapMyRun App to track my route and distance and the Bridge to 10K app to tell me when to run and when to walk. I then selected my favorite running playlist, which is made up of relaxing , distracting music like they would play for a yoga session or a massage. this music allows my to escaoe my thoughts, and focus on being me and on running. When the running is too much I can escape into my mind. When my mind is too much, I can escape into my running.
A block down the road my senses had come alive as I could actually feel the water droplets against my skin. Feeling the dew or fog all around me made me think of coulds. I felt like I was running in a cloud and it was one of the best feelings that I can remember.
Of course, by the end of the run all of my clothes were completely soaked and there was sweat running down my arms. Today I ran farther than ever before - 5.60 miles. When I told my daughter that I had run that far she accused me of adding the last zero just to make it sound farther. It does sound far - five point six zero miles. That just seems far!
They say that above 70% humidity sweat does not evaporate and short-circuits the body's cooling system. All that meant for me to day was that I burnt a few more calories and running in that could made it all worth while!
See you next time! Happy Running!

The Fourth of July

What a weekend. Saturday I got my Personal Fitness Trainer's certificate in the mail. I studied for three months through the National Exercise & Sports Trainer's Association (NESTA). Getting the certificate was quite a thrill. I have no clue what I will do with it. I definitely can use the information to help me train for my events, but maybe I can use it to help someone else obtain their goals. To go from an extremely overweight person to someone that is certified to train other people is amazing! Whod'a thunk it?

Today was the Firecracker 5K held in my local town. It started at the high school track and travelled around town and back for another lap around the track to complete. I found the pressure of participating in an event to be more than I expected. Somehow, when I run in the morning, it doesn't feel the I am being pushed. This morning's run - although I didn't seem to run much faster than I usually do - was quite a challenge! I completed the 5K in just under 34 minutes. I will look to improve this time before the Triathlon. All-in-all this was a great weekend for fitness.

July 2 - 6 weeks out from the Tiger Tri

Well, here I am six weeks from my first triathlon. This morning I decided to try to stack two events back-to-back. I cycled 11 miles and then attempted to run. I am still trying to put together a routine that encourages endurance and growth. I stretched my inner thighs a little too much Thursday and found that I did not have what it takes at this moment to run the 5K after completing the bike ride. I will rest and then head to the pool to get my swim on. I think I will reexamine the training regimine that I have established. I am intending to run three mornings and cycle two mornings during the week. I can only swim on Saturdays. I have 5 Saturdays left to swim, cycle and run. This may just be more work than I thought when I signed up for this.

Bridge 2 10K

After Couch to 5K came the next step in my journey - The Bridge to 10K. Picking up where C25K left off, B210K starts with 4 ten minute runs separated by one minute walks. The program takes six weeks to increase that to running 60 minutes without stopping. I also completed this on the treadmill at the gym. I recently started over and am finding the unencumbered joy of running outside and truly enjoy hitting the streets of my town and the country roads in my area at 5 in the morning. Watching the sun rise and hearing the birds chirping has become something that makes the fact that I am sweating and pushing myself easier to take. Running is not the torture that I once thought it was. There is actually something freeing and independent involved with it. I can't believe that I actually enjoy running or that I can actually do it.

Couch to 5K

Running - that intolerable exercise that separates the fit from the rest of us. There is no way that I can run a mile - or is there? This is where I started in late 2010 - unable to run, and convinced that I was doomed to stay there. That is until I found Couch To 5K. This program starts with the participant running for one minute at a time alternating with walks in workouts about a half hour in length. I timed the program's completion to coincide with my 40th birthday. A little at a time the program increases the run time and decreases the walk time until... Tah Dah in the final week you run for 30 minutes without stopping. Imagine my surprise and increase in self-esteem when I actually did it! Of course, I did the whole thing on a treadmill in the gym early in the morning throughout the winter.But I did it!

My Journey - Fat to Fit? - Meet your author

Well, where to start? In order to understand my journey I will have to take you back a few years. I'm a regular guy, I'm 40 years old and I have never been what anyone would consider gifted when it comes to athletics. Although I did play on tee-ball, soccer, and baseball teams as a child, my greatest draw in the world of sports was the three years that I swam on a swim team in Southern Maryland. We trained in several strokes and had to learn all of the strokes, my main stroke was the breaststroke (the one that looks a little like a frog). I tried to do this stroke last week the first time that I went swimming and felt muscles in my groin area and base of my torso that I didn't even know that I had.
After the fifth grade I fell away from participating in any sports at all. I began to put on weight and have struggled with my weight ever since. I did not play any sports in High School and fell into recreational drugs. Twenty years later I got clean and found myself eating even more. I used to joke: "I'm in shape. Round is a shape!" I thought that I was funny, but - in all actuality - I was using humor to deflect my trouble I was having with my body image. In psychology they talk about something called a set point. A set point is the weight that your body will maintain if you don't do anything to gain or lose weight. I discovered that mine was 302 lbs.
I weighed 302 lbs and decided to do something about it. I lost 30 pounds over a period of a bout a year several years ago. I always said that I lostr 50 lbs of fat and gained 20 lbs of muscle. This is where I made great advances in my ideas about health. However, after getting married, I fell back into bad habits and gained the weight back. Returning to - you guessed it - 302 pounds.
January 2010 I started my quest for health at Three Hundred and two pounds! Within the first six minutes I dropped 60 lbs.
I started 2011 at 242 and have dropped to right around 217. I have looked into this topic and have discovered a range in what is considered an ideal weight for me. The basic range fluctuates between 170 (eek) and 190. And, since I always want to be the top in everything that I do, my goal weight is 190 lbs. This means that I still have about 25 pounds to drop until I have reached my "ideal weight."

Out of my mind!

Well, it's official! I have lost my mind! Somewhere along my way in the quest for fitness I have become infatuated with endurance events. I have recently had my interest piqued by the idea of participating in a triathlon. There is what is called a sprint triathlon scheduled for August and I have decided to train for it. I know that we are all aware of the Ironman Triathlon held in Hawaii anually and eventually I would love to make it there. For now I will train for what is called the fastest-growing distance in triathlons in the United States: the sprint triathlon. The event that I will be particiating in will be: swim 300 yards, cycle 11 miles, and then run a 5K (3.1 miles).
Running the 5K will be ok - I have done this several times. The cycling is a little more of a challenge as I didn't own a bike when I decided to train for the event. You should have seen us when we entered the local cycle shop and began to ask all the right questions. "You see," the young, relaxed gentleman with the work apron around his waist said as he paused in his repair of a bike in the upper corner of the shop, "you can get them all the way up as high as you want to go, or you can start as low as $440." I tried not to let my jaw drop. $440? gulp. As we looked at what they had in stock and they let me test ride several I found one that fit all my needs - BUT - it cost $850 (which is more than all three of my first vehicles put together).
My wife asked the kind young man what the difference between the bikes they sold and the ones at Wal Mart. He referred to the bikes sold at Walmart as BSO's, or Bike Shaped Objects, and mentioned that they were virtually unrepairable. If something goes wrong with them, you basically have to replace them. We realized what he was saying but I had not ridden a bike in years and could not see spending 450, 550 or 850 on a bike I might ride only a couple of times, so... I bought a BSO from Walmart and began to ride.
Our local pool sets aside an hour every day for adults between 12-1. Since I work everyday Saturday is the only day that I can swim and I went this past Saturday. Swimming is much harder than I remember. For those of you who don't know I swam on a swim team when we lived in Maryland but I was 12 when moved back.
Basically, I have 6 weeks or so to prepare myself to swim for about 10 minutes, cycle for 45 minutes or so and follow that up with a 30 minute run. The winners complete the entire course in an hour or so. I hope to complete the course. There is only one area for transitions and no place to change clothes so what you swim in is what you cycle in and run in. It should be interesting. Wish me luck. And, maybe in a few years, I'll be headed towards Hawaii.