Training post

Yesterday, I ran 20 miles in 3 hours. I was happy that I stuck with my marathon pace, which was my goal for the run. I plan on running the marathon in 4 hours, so I need to run a 9 minute mile. 

Training Post

I ran 17 miles today. My run was from Vacaville to Fairfield and back. It was a good route that had some nice hills to prepare me for the race. I'm working up my miles to prepare for a marathon later this year. 

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.

Long Beach Half Marathon

I completed the Long Beach Half Marathon yesterday. The race course was nice and scenic. It started and ended at the Long Beach Convention Center with a portion of the course going along the beach. You could hear the waves crashing during portions of the run. The beginning of the course was a multi-lane road, so there wasn't the bunching of runners at the start of the race that normally occurs. Which is nice because you don't have to deal with looking for ways to pass the slower runners in front of you or catching elbows.

I had a goal of finishing the course in 1' 40", but my eyes were bigger than my stomach on this one. My finish time was a resectable 1"45", but I'm still disappointed that I didn't meet my goal. I ran w/ the 1' 40" pace group for 8 miles, but then I started to fizzle out. This was around the point that the course was on the beach path and in direct sunlight. At this point I should mention the temperature at the start of the race was 77 degrees and the high was in the 90s. I thought to myself as they were pulling away, "okay, just as long as you can see them and I'll be able to at least beat my PR of 1'43". However, I began to slow down more and eventually I couldn't see them anymore. Then I used "just don't let the 1'45" pace group beat you" mantra to keep myself motivated to finish the race. For the record, I did beat that pace group. Barely, but I still beat them none the less.

They did have a nice finishers medal and this was my final race of the Beach Cities Challenge, so I received a special medal for that accomplishment.

Long Beach Half Marathon finishers medal

Beach Cities Challenge medal. The clam shell open and closes.

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

I ran 6 miles today. My route was around the neighborhood, so it was nice and flat. I was happy because I finished the run in 46 minutes. I have another race coming up, so I'm tapering the distance. I also wanted to attend the Jazz mass at church today, so the short distance made that possible. I still had to wake up early for the run though. They do this mass every year and it is a fun experience. They have musicians come in and play some great music that liven ups the service. It's a nice change of pace that I look forward to every year.

Training Post

I had a lot going on today, so I did an abbreviated workout. I did the 29 minute total body workout and cycling at the random setting for 30 minutes. I worked up a good sweat and I'm glad that I was able to fit in some type of workout today.

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.

A rest day with the Oakland A's

I took Labor Day off from training and spent it watching the Oakland A's.  They defeated the Houston Astros in a thriller. The Astros got off to an early lead, but the A's had a big inning and took over the lead for good. The Astros rallied, but it wasn't enough. Sean Doolittle recorded the final outs for the save. He was out with a shoulder injury, so it was good to see him back to form.

My seats were in the value deck. If your not familiar with the seating in the coliseum, its in the upper most level. The tickets have a $6 food voucher on them, so that's why they call it the value deck. I used my credit to buy a hotdog during the fifth. The food at sporting events is like the food at movie theaters, its ridiculously expensive. That's why I stopped of at the grocery store for snacks beforehand. I saved so much money and I was able to eat healthier snacks by doing that. 

I don't mind sitting that high up in the coliseum. I had a great view of all of the field. However, I was too high up to make out the players without the help of their numbers on their jerseys. Not a big deal to me. They upgraded the scoreboard this year, so I was able to watch the replays on it for the close plays that I had trouble seeing on the field. I do miss the view of the Oakland hills. Before they built Mt. Davis (the upper deck portion of centerfield in the photo below), you could see the hills from those seats. I miss them. Oh well.

I got there early because it was the striped backpack giveaway. I waited in the hot sun for an hour before the gates were open. There were games in the past that I barely missed getting the giveaway because I didn't get there soon enough. I was 10 people away from getting a bobble head last year. Ughhh!!!! Today, I was determined to get that backpack. I was on a mission. So, I got up early to get to the O.co Coliseum before they ran out of them. 

I was surprised by the quality of the backpack. It's a full size pack with a large front pocket and padded straps. It'll be perfect for the next time I go to a game. Nice job promo department.

A little bit on the warm side, but it was a beautiful day at the park.

Here is the reason why I didn't sleep in today.

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.