Training Post

It felt good to sleep in today. I eventually got out of bed and did my run. I ran the surface streets around town and it turned out to be a nice run. I had to wait at some of the intersections because of traffic, but it wasn't too bad. The route was nice and flat, so I focused on my form and did some speed work. I was able to run 13 miles today, so I was happy with my effort. Too bad I negated any health benefits from my run by having a cheeseburger, fries, and soda from the Squeeze Inn. There is a reason behind the name of my blog.

Training Post- 8/26/15

I wasn't feeling very motivated today. I was tired and had a long day at work. To top it off, there was an accident on the freeway that shutdown one lane. So, I sat in traffic for an extra 30 minutes. I was thinking about skipping today's interval workout on the treadmill, but I told myself I would go to the gym and ride the stationary bike for 10 minutes. If I still felt too tired, then I'd just go home. After the 10 minutes on the bike, I decided I would run at an easy pace for 5 minutes and see if I felt like doing the intervals. After the 5 minutes I was feeling a lot better, so I went ahead and did my normal workout routine. My mood improved dramatically after my workout, so I'm glad I talked myself into going to the gym. Somedays, finding the motivation is the hardest part of the workout.

Training Post

I did some weight lifting this morning. My shoulder still isn't a 100%, but it is getting better. I just need to be patient and keep doing the exercises the physical therapist told me to do. It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I separated my shoulder. Time is flying by and it's going to be 2016 before you know it. I wrapped up my workout today by riding on the stationary bicycle. I had it set to adjust the resistance to maintain my heart rate at 120 bpm.

Here is an article on taking control of a food addiction I found the other day.

Training Run

I woke up early, well early for me, and did a 14 mile run this morning. The weather was perfect and their wasn't too much traffic out where I was running. I wanted to to focus on increasing my leg strength today, so my run included some hill work. I felt strong this morning and attacked the hills. I'll take tomorrow off and rest my body as reward for my hard work today.

My friend ran the Santa Rosa Half Marathon this morning and was happy with his race time. He liked the course and texted me a picture of the finisher's medal. It was a nice medal, so I'll have to run that race sometime. I was thinking about running it this year, but I decided not to run it because it was too close to the SF half marathon. I wanted to give my body sometime to rest before training for another race.

Training Post 8/18

My workout was delayed today because I had to report for jury duty. It wasn't the way I wanted to spend my day off. I wanted to sleep in, work out, and then see a movie, but it turned out to be an alright day. There was a girl I went to school with that was also reporting for jury duty, so I was able to talk with her while we waited for the courts to get ready. It was nice catching up with her and made reporting for jury duty a pleasant experience. My group wasn't needed and the judge personally thanked us before dismissing my group. It turns out the defendant accepted a plea bargain after the judge ruled on some motions. I was let out by noon, so I had time to run some errands before going to the gym. Not enough time for the movie. I'll have to wait until later to see Straight Out of Compton.

I did my normal routine of weightlifting and 30 minutes on the stationary bike. My gym has a workout station set up that provides a total body workout in 29 minutes. I have been using that workout for about 6 months and I'm happy with it. I'm using the weight lifting to support my running, so that type of workout suits me.  If I was looking to increase strength or get cut, then I'd meet with a trainer and get a different workout routine.

Training Post

I decided to sleep in and run after church today. The temperature was predicted to be in the triple digits and the air quality was poor from all of the wildfires in the area. I decided the night before I would go to the gym and log my miles on the treadmill. I normally try to avoid running more than 30 minutes on the treadmill because it can be very boring. I was planning on running for over 2 hours on this one. Another drawback to the treadmill, is your not really running as fast as the treadmill says your running. There is a noticeable difference between running 9.0 mph on the treadmill, then say, on the track.

Granted, most gyms have televisions to help stave off boredom in the cardio area. However, there is slim pickings on the television on Sunday afternoons. My choices were limited to an infomercial on hair care products, a preseason football game between two teams that I wouldn't even want to watch during the regular season, Mexican league soccer, and some weird western show on TNT. I went with the Mexican league soccer match while listening to music on my iPod. The match ended before my run was over, so I was left watching a Spanish soap opera until my run was over. The closed captions are also in Spanish, so I had no idea what was going on with that show.

There are some benefits to running on the treadmill though. You don't have to worry about pot holes, cracks, or other forms of uneven surfaces. You can also control the speed and elevations as well. The most important benefit is you don't have to worry about interacting with traffic. I had an interaction with a car last year that was rather unpleasant. As in most of those types of interactions, the car won despite my gallant efforts.

Exercise vs. Tumors

Hello,

I found this interesting article about research being done on how exercise may make tumors respond more favorably to treatment. They believe that exercise will increase the blood flow and oxygen into the tumor area. Tumors are areas that are low in oxygen, so they are more resistant to radiotherapy treatment and more likely to metastasize. The increase of blood flow and oxygen from exercise will make the tumors respond better to treatment therapies. Here is a link to the full article, cancer.org/research.

Cancer has impacted the lives of many people. Chances are you know somebody that has been diagnosed for some type of cancer. Last year, I had an old friend of mine pass away from colon cancer. To honor his memory, I volunteer for the Road to Recovery program with the American Cancer Society. This program provides rides for individuals to their chemo and radiation therapy appointments. Often times it can be a struggle for their caretakers, or they don't have anyone, to take them to their treatment appointments. This program provides them with rides to their treatments at no cost. It is a very worthwhile program and they are always in need of volunteer drivers. So, if you have the time, please volunteer.

Calorie Counter on Exercise Machines

I recently completed a 30 minute run on a treadmill at my gym and was pretty impressed by the number of calories the display said I burned. Like an arrogant ass, I pointed out this number to the complete stranger working out on the treadmill next to me. He wasn't as impressed with the number and quickly pointed out that those counters aren't accurate.

It turns out that the senior citizen, bubble bursting walker on the treadmill was right. The calorie counters on the exercise machines aren't very accurate. They are calculations based on your weight, age, and pace. However, there is more to measuring how many calories you burned during exercise than those factors. Those other factors include your gender, height, and body fat percentage. An individual with a lower body fat percentage burns more calories during exercise because muscle burns more calories than fat.

This is important to keep in mind if you do what I do after I finish working out. That is telling yourself that it is okay to have seconds on deserts or have a bigger portion size during a meal because the treadmill said I burned close to a 1,000 calories.


Sources:
myfitnesspal.com
womenshealthmag.com
abcnews.go.com

Smoothie Recipes

The temperatures has been fairly warm where I live the last few weeks. There were a couple of days that were in the triple digits, so I went looking for some drink recipes to help keep me cool. Here are two that I particularly like:

Strawberry & Banana Smoothie

1 cup frozen strawberries 

1 cup frozen bananas 

4 ounces of plain yogurt 

1 cup of milk

Combine into a Blender and blend until smooth.

Tart Cherry Juice & Lime (Runner's World featured this drink recipe) 

2 lime cubes (lime juice frozen in ice cube trays)

1 cup tart cherry juice 

1 sprig of mint

This is a fairly simple drink to make. Just add the lime cubes and cherry juice in a tall glass. Garnish with the mint. For best results, be sure to let let the juice cubes melt for a few minutes.

8/2/15 Training Post

Since the race last Sunday, I have been focusing on cross training. I took the week off from running, but I continued my normal routine of weight lifting 3x a week and 30 minutes of cardio. It was a nice break to help prevent burnout or repetitive use injuries. Normally, I would go from training for one race and straight into training for another race. However, I had a foot injury a few weeks ago that opened my eyes on the importance of rest. So, I decided to take a week off from running after this last race.

For my cardio workouts this week, I spent most of my time on the stationary cycle. This helped to get the blood flowing in my legs with less stress on my knees. I also used the rowing machine on one of those days. It is a nice change of pace and offers a total body workout, as well. Next week I will go back to my regular running schedule, but I'll use these machines on my off days to keep up my cardiovascular health. I'm also going to try a new recipe I found for a post workout smoothie. If it is any good, then I'll post the recipe.

Ways to Keep Blood Pressure Down

High blood pressure is known as the silent killer. It is called this because there are typically no symptoms. For quite a few years my blood pressure was high and I didn't even realize it. I would go to the doctor once a year for my routine physical and he would tell me it was too high. This was due in part to my horrible diet, heredity factors, and lack of physical activity. I eventually got my blood pressure under control with diet, exercise, and medications.

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force is the amount of force exerted on your arteries when your heart beats. There are two measurements being taken. One measurement is the systolic pressure and the other is the diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is when the heart is contracting and pumping blood. It is the top number on your reading. The diastolic pressure is when the heart muscle relaxes and is filling up with blood. It is the bottom number on your reading.

Here are some tips I found to help lower your blood pressure:

A good nights rest. Sleep loss can cause high blood pressure and a host of other health related ailments. 10 Surprising Effects of Sleep Loss

Relaxation techniques. Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, yoga, deep breathing exercises can help to lower your BP by helping to dilate your blood vessels and reduce stress. WebMD

Losing weight. Losing as little as 10 pounds can improve your cardiovascular health. Heart.org

Time management. Use time management techniques to help you plan your day. You'll reduce the amount of stress and lower your BP as a result.

Treat yourself. Set time aside to do your favorite activity or for a relaxing activity, like getting a massage.

Resolve conflicts or other stressful situations. Don't let these types of situations continue. Use conflict resolution skills to resolve these issues.

Ask for help. Trying to do everything yourself creates stress. Don't be afraid to ask friends,co-workers, or family for help with tasks.

Physical Activity. It increases your heart rate and blood circulation, which brings oxygen and nutrients throughout your body. Aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity* a day for at least 5 days a week. You can break this up into 10 minute increments throughout the day. WebMd

Spirituality. Some studies have shown that spiritual beliefs and practices create a positive attitude that may help you feel better and improve your well being. WebMD

*Use these simple tests to determine if you are reaching a moderate level of intensity from the American Heart Association

• If you can easily carry on a full conversation and perform the activity at the same time, you probably aren't working hard enough.
• If you can exchange brief sentences easily while performing the activity, but not a comfortable or lengthy conversation, your intensity level is likely on target.
• If you get out of breath quickly, or if short sentences feel like a strain, you're probably working too hard, especially if you have to stop and catch your breath.