Training Post

Last Sunday I ran 6 miles around the neighborhood. On Monday, I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I was looking for a low impact workout that would work up a sweat, so I chose the elliptical and followed with 3 sets of planks. Today, I did 3 sets on the total body workout. My body isn't used to that 3rd set yet, so I'm a little tired and sore. Which is a good thing. It's good to mix up the workout every once and awhile. For my cardio, I did 30 minutes of rowing.

Training Post

I have been real busy and haven't been able to keep up with my blog. Last Sunday, I ran 6 miles around town at a pretty good clip. I did a light cardio workout on Monday and then my normal routine of weights & cardio on Tuesday. Today, I ran on the treadmill for 30 mins @ 7 mph. I was able to run 3.5 miles at that pace while watching Jeopardy!. I didn't too well with playing along with Jeopardy!  and I didn't have time to do my core workout today. I'll try to do my core workout tomorrow and hopefully I'll do better with Jeopardy!.

Training Post

I have been real busy lately. I have had a lot things going on, so I haven't been keeping up with the blog. I have been working out though. Even if I'm really busy, I try to do some sort of workout. Those are the times that you really benefit from the workouts. They help me to relax and buffer the stress from all the demands being placed on me. But enough of that. I had a nice run this morning. I ran 13 miles this morning on a route that I haven't ran in a while. As the say, it was revisiting that old friend. The weather was nice and there wasn't very much traffic, so I was able to enjoy my run. Now it is time to get back to all those things I didn't finish yesterday.

Training Post

The air quality was bad today. There was heavy amounts of ash in the air from the Lake County fires. I decided to workout inside the gym today. I used the octane machine for 30 minutes today at a setting of 125 bpm. It was a good workout, but not as good as running. The octane machine says it mimics the running mechanics, but it doesn't feel the same. I did complete 6.25 miles on that machine.

Training Post

I ran on the treadmill today. This time it was using the variety setting @ 7 mph for 30 minutes. I ran a total of 3.95 miles. After my run, I performed 3 sets of flutter kicks for 45 seconds. I felt strong on my run and was able to watch a Jeopardy! episode from start to finish. I like running while watching this show. It distracts my from the run.

9/9 Training

I did some interval training on the treadmill today. I started off with a 5 minute warm up and then I did the intervals. I ran 1 minute @ 10 mph and then dropped down to 7 mph for 2 minutes for my recovery. This was repeated for 30 minutes. I ended up running 4.36 miles and finished off my workout with 3 sets of 20 reps of kettle bell twists.

It was a good workout. I enjoy doing the intervals and look forward to them every other week. I'm thinking about taking my speed up to 11 mph for the next workout. I'll see how I feel and then make the decision that day. I never thought I'd be running this fast on the treadmill. Two years ago, 7.0 mph was my top speed. I'm glad I stuck with it and kept pushing myself. Who knows, maybe one day I'll look back and laugh at 10 mph being my top speed.

Training Post

I rode my bicycle to and from the gym today. It is a good warm up and cool down for my workout. For strength training, I did the 29 minute total body workout, assisted pull ups, hip abduction, and hip adduction workout. It is good for runners to exercise their hips and develop those muscles. It can help improve running form and prevent injuries down the road.

I finished off my workout by using the rowing machine for 30 minutes. It was kind of boring using that machine today. The machine doesn't face a tv with the station I like, so I was going to listen to my iPod. However, I forgot it today. I was stuck listening to the music that is being pumped over the gym loudspeakers. My fault for being forgetful.

9/6 Training Post

I ran at a slow pace today for my long run. These long, slow runs are for developing the slow twitch muscles and the blood vessels in my legs. However, I really wasn't feeling it today. Normally, I'm excited for these runs, but not today. I might change up the route next week, to see if that will help get me out of my running funk. I did complete my goal of 14 miles, but I really had to force myself. I would use tricks like focusing on my form and breaking down my run in increments to keep me going.

9/1 Training Post

I had a good workout today. I lifted weights and used the stationary bike for 30 minutes. My weight lifting session was the 29 minute total body workout at the gym. I'm thinking about adding another set to my workout. Right now, I'm only doing 2 sets. This was mostly because of time constraints, but now I can fit in the time for an additional set on the total body circuit. 

I increased the setting on the heart rate to 125 for the stationary bike for this workout. It was more challenging and I worked up quite the sweat. I have been riding the bike on my off days a lot. I need to do a better job of switching up my off day cardio workouts. That way I'll work different muscles and prevent burnout.

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.

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

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.

Boost your self confidence to accomplish your goals

I was having trouble getting below the 2 hour mark for the half marathon. I was putting in the training time and I felt I should be running faster than I was actually running. This led me to exploring the psychological side of performance. I found a book entitled, "The Champions Mind: How Great Athletes Think, Train, and Thrive" by Jim Afremow.

This book talked about various ways to change how you think about yourself and your performance. He studied various athletes who are successful in their fields and found some tricks they use to boost their performance. One of those tricks is visualization. You need to visualize your future performance with as much detail as possible. For example, picture yourself running the race with the clothes you'll be wearing, with people cheering, feeling the sting of sweat in your eyes, the heavy breathing, and crossing the finish line and seeing your goal time on the clock.

Another trick is have self confidence. If you don't think you will be able to reach your goal in your mind, then it will never happen. Your body follows your mind. I found this article on boosting your self confidence that will help you get you started on thinking positive and achieving your goals. Good luck!

7/21/15 Training Post

I have been taking it easy the last three weeks. I'm doing a half marathon on Sunday, so I have been cycling down. I do this to avoid getting injured from overtraining or being too tired for the race. Many running experts recommend doing this and a good way to do it is follow a training plan. I have used running coach Jeff Galloway's training plans from run Disney. There are training plans for 10 k, half marathon, and full marathons.

Speaking of injuries, I hurt my foot during a cross training session for this up coming race. I had tendonitis in my left foot, so I had to rest for a couple of days to get over my injury. It was incredibly painful and I had to use a cane to hobble around. I should have used crutches, but I didn't have any around the house. This injury was caused by the type of shoe I was using for my weight training. It didn't provide enough support for my foot, so thats what caused the injury. I bought some new shoes and some supports recommended by my doctor.

I spent three days without performing any type of workout. All I did was rest, ice, use compression, and elevate my foot (RICE). Using the RICE treatment, my foot healed up pretty quickly and I feel confident enough to participate in the race on Sunday. There is no lingering pain after my runs since my injury, so I feel like there won't be any issues with my foot. Normally, I try to beat my previous race time. However, I'm going to err on the side of caution for this race and take it easy.

Post Fourth Run

My neighborhood had a bbq for the holiday that offered some great food. With the holiday celebrations, I try not to over eat or eat too many unhealthy foods. However, with this celebration I overate and feasted on brownies, cookies, and this delicious cheesecake tart dish. I need to make up for this by increasing my physical activity and eating better during the rest of the week. That way I can stave off any weight gain and get back on track.

Originally, I planned on running 11 miles around Lagoon Valley park on Sunday. As a penance for my gluttonous behavior the day before, I decided to increase my mileage to 15 miles. Unfortunately, there was a fire in the hills around the park that started on the night of the fourth and was still smoldering the next day. The fire department closed the park, so I ran on the surface streets around town. The air quality was still good because of a breeze that took the smoke away from the area I was running, so I didn't have to run on a treadmill indoors. Whats the point of running if your going to breathe in heavy amounts of smoke that will damage your lungs. 

The new route was a nice change of pace from my normal route. My normal routine has some hill work, but the new route was nice and flat. I decided to run at my half marathon pace for 5 miles to make the run more challenging. My Sunday runs are normally my long and slow runs to build up the blood vessels in my legs. However, today was different and I was being flexible.